Malika Bashir had a darkened view of the world. Ibrahim Ahmad refused to see anything but the light.
Soon, a friend from the past appears at Ibrahim's doorstep and a mysterious set of letters are left in his bedroom. Old conflicts are raised and ne...
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... Why are you always so nice to me?
If you weren't so nice to me maybe I would find it easier to forget about you. ...
It was a typical afternoon at York Academy.
A large, antique clock hung over the common room.
Four twelfth year boys sat at one end of the room during a free period, their chairs making a circle around the desk that was often reserved by them, their faces strained with concentration. Their blazers were shrugged off, and messily placed around the table and over the chairs.
A paper ball landed on their table, pulling Malika out of her thoughts.
Farrah let out an annoyed sigh as she looked at the crumpled paper on her displayed books and copies. She lifted her nose from the book she was reading and shot an annoyed glance to her right.
The boisterous laughs around the boys' table turned into muffled sniggers as she looked at them. Aryan turned his chair towards their direction - its feet screeching against the floor - and took a big step forward.
"Sorry, fat- I mean, Farrah," he said, picking up the ball from her belongings, his lips quirked in a smirk.
Farrah gritted her teeth. "Just be quiet," she said over her shoulder and went back to work.
The boys resumed their game of throwing the ball in the waste paper basket that they had placed on the table, letting out cheers of celebration every time someone scored.
Dahlia was studying with Farah as well, but unlike her friend, she kept her gaze strictly on the books and completely ignored the boys behind them. Layla was sitting on one of the rickety chairs like the rest, her eyes glued to her phone, blissfully unaware of her surroundings.
Two minutes later, the paper ball was back on top of Farrah's desk.
She slammed her book shut and turned to them. This time, Dahlia gritted her teeth and looked over her shoulder as well.
Aryan was shaking with silent laughter this time, his head tucked between his hands. His companions were in no better condition.
"Should have gone to the library if you wanted to study, ladies," Shahriar Kabir piped in.
"I'm sorry, Farrah," Zakariya spoke up this time, ignoring his friends.
He got up from his seat and walked towards them. He picked up the crumpled paper and threw them a smile. "We'll try to keep it down," he promised.
