Bitter-Sweet Fairy Tales

Aladdin

Bitter Sweet Fairy Tales

All Rights Reserved

©2018 Katheryne N., Nievana J.

***

"Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts." ~The Peddler, Aladdin

***

Once upon a time, there lived an orphan boy named Ahmed, whose parents had passed when he was only two-years-old and since then, he had been put in the foster-care system. Ahmed grew up to not only be handsome, but clever and charming. He was very popular around his high school. He caused a lot of trouble: food fights at lunch, back-talking teachers, oiling locks before class, you name it. Not to mention the ongoing attention he would receive from the female race.

But among these pretty faces Ahmed did not seem to find his princess. The girls at his school seemed to be the same in every way, shape, and form. They tried too hard for the attention they shouldn't be getting. These girls were beautiful, no denying that, but they lacked personalities of their own. He wanted someone vibrant, someone who could light up a room and make him forget all that troubled him. However, his dream girl seemed only to exist in his imagination.

This all changed however, when she came senior year. Her name? Karima. Beauty as delicate and unique as a flower. Her eyes were like caramel, so rich and soft. Her hair was as black and thick as molasses. Her medium-dark skin had a youthful, dewy glow that even the sun marveled at and was envious of.

Needless to say, she was beautiful.

And Ahmed was captivated.

***

He watched her tell off the quarterback after she overheard a bet on which member of the team would get with her first.

"I'm not a prize to be won!" she screamed before storming off. Ahmed smirked when he saw the fear on the football teams faces, but frowned soon after. 'Did she tell off every guy that wanted to be with her?' he thought to himself. He sighed and walked down the hall towards his locker.

'How could they?' Karima thought. She had to hold back the tears that threaten to spill from her eyes. She had to put on her strong face so no one would think she's weak. In a world where women are seen as fragile, the last thing a girl needs is to give a guy a reason to prove he's right.

She looked back for a moment to see if anyone was watching her before turning into another hall. When she did turn, however, she bumped right into another person. Karima closed her eyes and awaited the impact of the floor to hit but it didn't come. Instead, she felt two large hands, one on the small of her back and the other around her waist, catch her before she fell.

When she opened her eyes she was met with two pools of chocolate. His face was so close, she could practically smell the mix of French vanilla coffee and peppermint on his breath. His skin was a touch darker than hers and she can see the few pimples that lined his forehead. His cheekbones were defined and his jawline was sharper than the fangs of an Egyptian cobra. And his lips. His lips were full and heart shaped and had a light pink tint.

Karima's breath hitched. This boy was absolutely breathtaking. After what felt like forever, he cleared his throat and steadied her. She fixed her shirt that had rode up when she almost fell and looked at him again. She smiled at him and tucked some hair behind her ear.

"Thank you for catching me there," she said lowering her head as she felt a blush creep to her cheeks. He smiled and lifter her chin with his finger.