Always Been You

NINE. (Final Chapter)

NINE.
It was mayhem the morning after the last day of the board exams. I wake up to loud chattering, soft stutters, cries and wails that I'm amazed at what's happening. And then I start, is the results already out?!

I find Jehan gone. Where was she?

My phone rings and I realize I already missed 3 calls. I must have had a good sleep after this couple of strenuous weekends that I didn't wake up to the calls.

"Jamil?" I ask.

"Alhamdulillah! Congrats, Mal, you made it!" He shouts. My breath hitched. The results are out. That means I passed. Now the only question is...I hitched my breath again. I should content myself with that. Alhamdulillah, I said allowed even though I still couldn't process what's going on.

"Wait... The results are out already? I just woke up," I ask suddenly trembling.

There were noises in the background. Probably my parents and Dhiraar. When I went back to my dorm, he stayed with my parents in our house my parents bought when I was young.

"Yep, and guess what?" My heart beat stops. "You placed 7th! I'm so proud of you!!! You did it!" He says.

Really?! 7th?! I placed among the top ten?! Maa shaa Allah. I can't believe it. I scramble into my feet and look for my iPad.

"Alhamdulillah! Is that for real? Wait, I'm just going to check it. Wait," I say panicking. And unable to believe what he was saying was true.

I realize he had turned the loudspeaker on. "Alhamdulillah! Congratulations, child! I'm so proud of you," I heard Mama. And then my father and Dhiraar all saying the same thing.

I finally log into the website my hands shaking the whole time. The system's taking too long because a lot must be accessing the same website. But, then after typing my surname in the Ctrl+F tab, there I saw my name. I passed. I didn't check the top ten placers yet. I mean it should be enough that I passed. God, after years of hard work. This is it! I praised the Creator many times while I was shaking in surprise and astonishment. I hyperventilated after that and couldn't breathe properly.

"Are you okay?" Asks Jamil.

"I am, I think I am," I say and remember Jehan. "Did Jehan make it? I can't see her anywhere." I still can hear noises outside our room.

"Yes, you two are really bestfriends, she placed 10th!" I praise the Lord again.

After a while, Jehan comes in and she closes the door. She hugs me so tight and then screams in excitement. "We did it, Malleha!"

I hug her back. And we jump up and down in excitement. Although we had to tone it down. Some of our friends didn't pass and we wouldn't want to be rude.

After talking to my in-laws, I turn my phone off when we went to those friends who will pass the board exam next. It's hard celebrating when others are devastated. So we just stayed with them until everyone's calmed down.

My family picked me up the next morning. Jehan and I say goodbye to each other promising that we'll see each other again when I get back home.

We celebrated with a sumptuous meal in a Middle Eastern restaurant. My relatives in the vicinity join us and it was more meaningful. All still feels like a dream.

After all this, we decide to go on a short trip outside the country. We savored every moment of it, esp. Jamil and I since it's our first trip together as a husband and wife. Needless, it was unforgettable.

What happens now?

Right after the hiatus, I applied for a job so I could stay with Jamil. When the next academic year started, I applied to his school's law program and made it. We now go to the same school! Just like in elementary, high school and in undergrad years. I think we're bound to be together always.