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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
... My life was falling apart. I didn't know what to do. In the midst of it all, I found you. Till this day, I can't tell whether my love for you saved me or ruined me.
...
The rest of the day was a blur. Malika waited until she knew class had started and the hallways would be empty. She snuck out of the third floor and went straight to the school's medical center, luckily not running into anyone.
She lied and said she was experiencing period cramps. It was a lie that was frequently used by girls to skip school, and the school nurse had Malika blacklisted years ago. However, the look on her face led the lady to take pity on her and excuse her from classes for the rest of the day
The next day, Malika Bashir spent all morning pleading with her mother to let her stay home.
She tried everything - starting from lying about a terrible sore throat to making up stories about mean teachers. But nothing worked. Neela Bashir was adamant on her rules.
"You expect me to believe anyone in that school has the audacity to bully you? She raised a derisive brow. "I was led to believe it's the other way around."
Malika was fuming as she stood inside the lift taking her down from their ninth floor apartment and throughout the entire car ride.
Malika made sure to wear her regular heels, put on makeup and do her hair as per usual. She hoped if she looked like she always did, then she could pretend things were like they always were. People would forget that photo ever happened and remember her just as the pretty girl of their school.
But everyone remembered. The moment she stepped into the front yard, the stares and the whispers began. The catcallings started earlier than last time.
Malika's skin crawled. She felt disgusting and sick. She held her head high as she walked past them. But her insides felt like someone had lit it on fire. She was known for her confident stride and the way her honey eyes never wavered when she locked her gaze with someone; however, as she took the steps, her hands shook while she pinched the blue blazer around her tighter.
Since the first photo, a few others have popped up. They were all of hers, on a naked body she couldn't recognize. The pictures were obviously edited. But no one bothered to find out. They were being posted on a private group by an anonymous account, only catering to the students of York Academy.
Malika entered the familiar hallway, heels clicking and all eyes on her. She spotted Farrah's face in the crowd, and for a moment, she felt a sense of comfort.
Malika sauntered her way through the sea of blazers to get to her friends. The girls stared at her as she approached, their expressions colored from shock to discomfort. Malika found Dahlia at the back of the group, the hijabi looked at her for a moment and then immediately went back to raiding her locker, her expression cold.
