Different//z.m.

Chapter 2

I walked with Waliyha and our dog, Boris who we had ever since I can remember. We were walking down the sidewalk and the aura was one of the most awkward situations I've ever been in. Neither of us said a word to each-other we just watched Boris bark happily to the people walking the busy streets.

I sighed thinking of a conversation I could start with her but I had no clue. I sighed in frustration pulling at my hair and wished that I could be a normal older sister. I wish I could talk to Waliyha about anything and help her deal with the problems she's facing but unfortunately I'm not a normal older sister and I never will be.

"What's wrong with you?" Waliyha questioned me.

"A lot is wrong with me," I sighed.

"No I'm pretty sure you're perfectly sane," Waliyha replied.

"Yeah okay you can think that," I chuckled.

We continued walking down the streets and we are still walking in awkward silence until it started raining.

"Aw fuck," Waliyha cursed trying to shield her hair as best as she possibly can with her tiny hands.

I didn't really care about my hair so I just let the rain hit me and go into my scalp making me feel refreshed.

"You don't care about you hair?" Waliyha asked me.

"Nope. That's one of the Malik traits I didn't inherit, being vain and worrying about my hair," I said to her.

Waliyha gulped and I could feel the tension between us. She looked sad because of my comment. I rolled my eyes at her annoyed with her attitude and how she totally changed after I said that.

"Why did your attitude totally change after I said that?" I questioned.

"Oh look a store that's open that we can go into to get away from the rain. C'mon let's go in." She grabbed my wrist pulling me towards the store and I struggled to keep Boris walking with me and not the other way.

"C'mon Boris, stop being so stubborn," I grunted giving Boris a disapproving look.

He barked at me and finally listened and we walked in the direction Waliyha was taking us.

As we were walking towards the store my pace slowed down. My eyes were fixed on an alleyway and I walked inside of it noticing the outstanding work of art that lay on the grey wall. Beautiful pictures were created by the use of spray paint and I was mesmerized by the graffiti.

"C'mon Sapphire," Waliyha said noticing me not following her and she came up to me.

"What are you doing?" She asked when she walked over.

"Looking at graffiti."

She observed it nodding her head in approval until she spotted something.

She looked at it for a while before tears cascaded down her tan cheeks. Her bottom lip was trembling and I felt sympathy towards her. How could a simple piece of graffiti affect her so much? I looked at her worriedly before pulling her into my embrace but she quickly pushed me away and turned around not wanting to look me in the eye.

"What's wrong Wali?"

I looked at what she was looking at. I saw a message written in Arabic and I wanted to know what it was but Waliyha won't tell me what it means and why it made her cry. Another reason why I'm different, my whole family could read and speak Urdu but I can't.

"Waliyha how is that making you cry? What could it possibly mean?!" I shouted at her.

She jumped from my outburst and turned around glaring at me.