Shirk in Disguise

Chapter 23

With time, Azeema soon outgrew her cocoon and became known as one of the Big Girls in Queens' College. She also became known as The Queen Bee's second. The two were virtually inseparable.

Interestingly, Azeema's third year in secondary school opened a new chapter in her life. She fell victim and became trapped – in the dangerous game of love.

It was a closely guarded secret among the 'Big Girls' of the prestigious school that certain notorious students bunked school and went on interesting expeditions on their own. On such occasions, the erring students shopped to their heart's content and explored the city using the money supplied by their rich parents. They were never caught because, knowing the strings, they never left the school before greasing the palms of the greedy security personnel as well as leaving a fool-proof alibi.

In that fateful third year, Azeema happened to get carried away by youthful exuberance along with her buddy, Bilqees. Prior to their first outing, the girls had longed to be of those that dared to venture out of the school premises without the school's knowledge. The mere thought overwhelmed them with a dose of exhilaration.

It was on one such escapade that Azeema met Faysal. They'd shopped their hearts sore and were hurrying to catch a cab back to their school when they noticed a sleek black car following them. However, they weren't unduly bothered as they worried about running late.

They heard the whistles and the catcalls but didn't turn around. It was when somebody swiftly sidetracked them and stood on their path that they stopped...and stared.

The guy looked super handsome. With a nice complexion and well-complemented features, he had a charm only few possess. Dressed in respectable Hausa wears – a heavily embroidered caftan with matching shoes and cap, he'd removed his sun shades to have a better look at the object of his interest, effortlessly flashing a killer smile in the process.

Bilqees found herself adjusting her stance, batting her eyelids and fluttering her eyelashes at him while Azeema stood incensed.

"Excuse us!" she spat out in a tone devoid of warmth.

"Hey...Calm down, Friendy," Bilqees cooed in a much softer tone. "I'm sure he has something to say!" she continued, winking at him.

The guy just stood there with a lopsided half-grin on his face. He seemed aware of his good looks and how it cast spells on ladies. However, he was a bit taken aback by the first girl's response and was somehow attracted to her. Perhaps he saw her as an interesting challenge.

"Can we help you?" Bilqees asked, hoping to catch his attention.

"Yeeees," he drawled.

"We're in a hurry," Azeema put in curtly.

"I can drop you off in my car," he suggested, looking at Bilqees for support.

Bilqees didn't need a second invitation. She had a horde of boyfriends but none was as good-looking as this! Before Azeema could think of a 'nasty' answer, Bilqees had already taken off in the direction of the car, leaving her with the young man. He made as if to help her with the shopping bags but she shrugged him away and followed Bilqees.

She found Bilqees already in the passenger seat, surveying her surroundings. "You shouldn't have just accepted his invitation," she blurted, trying to keep the anger from her voice.

"Aww can't you see he's a Good Samaritan?" Bilqees meekly asked with her most appealing puss-'n-boots face.

"But we were about to catch a cab!"

"Nah, this is comfier," Bilqees stated matter-of-factly. "Plus, it'd be faster."

Azeema sighed. She knew there was no going through to her friend. She glanced behind her and saw the guy coming towards them with a confident stride. She'd noticed the guy staring strangely at her and had a bad feeling about it. Nevertheless, she opened the back door and eased onto the comfortable cushions.

The young man, still with that smile of his, entered the car and, after glancing back at Azeema, started driving. Along the way, he made small talk with Bilqees but Azeema refused to say a word.

"I'm Faysal. And you?" he asked Bilqees.

"Bilqees, a.k.a 'The Queen Bee'," she quickly replied, eager to please.

He however seemed not in the least impressed. Instead, he glanced at the backseat for the thirteenth time. "And your friend?"

"She's Azeema."

'Azeema' he repeated inwardly. He liked the way the name sounded. This time, when he glanced back at her, she rolled her eyes at him and frowned. Somehow, her apparent unfriendliness attracted him the more.

"...sorry about my friend," Bilqees was saying, "she's a bit of an introvert."

"I understand," he stated as they continued exchanging small talk with the Queen Bee while she gave him directions at appropriate junctures.

Azeema shook her head and rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time as she heard them talking about her as if she wasn't right there. But she had more things to worry about. The man's gaze, as he casually flicked his eyes to the rear-view mirror, made her self-conscious. Subtly, she tucked the end of her abaya's veil more securely around her head, mentally chiding herself for going along with Bilqees's idea of not wearing a pin.

In her 'condition', she wished she was sitting directly behind him; that way he wouldn't be having a clear view of her. But then, he'd be so close... Certainly not a welcome idea either. So she willed the journey to come to a swift end as she nervously tapped her fingers on her purse, noiselessly.

Faysal noticed her every move, even the way she had earlier relaxed with a sigh on the car's comfy cushions though she'd been very unfriendly to him, the owner of the car. She'll come around, he mused.

Minutes later, they stopped at the massive gates of the school. Without a word, Azeema got out of the car along with her shopping bags. She wasn't normally rude, but this guy somehow repelled her. She abhorred egoistic people and he proved to be pretty egocentric.

Bilqees, on the other hand, lingered on. She hoped for a hint, even a tiny one, to show that he was interested in her. In her anticipation, she twisted and untwisted the ends of her own abaya's veil, smiling charmingly.

Suddenly, he asked a question that raised her hopes. "When's your 'Visiting Day'?"

"Next Saturday."

"I'll definitely come."

"That'll be nice!" Bilqees almost screamed with joy.

Faysal smiled at her, and then his eyes lingered at the mini-entrance through which Azeema had long since disappeared. She however didn't read meaning into his actions, giddy as she was. With a thumping heart, she watched as he gave her a curt wave, reversed the car and subsequently disappeared out of view.

It was then she remembered their current situation and that they were, in fact, pretty late. She quickly scampered into the school premises and followed a shortcut to the dormitory, where Azeema was still in a sour mood. She was however too happy to notice as she began daydreaming on her new-found amour.

Unknown to the two girls, they'd escaped punishment that day just by a hair's breath for, barely five minutes after Bilqees made her way into the school compound, the V.C's car nosed its way into the same compound. That near-encounter with dismissal from their security posts scared the hell out of the guards. On that very day, they vowed to keep their greed at bay and never allow any student to venture out of the school's premises without permission again. Thus ended the infamous escapades.

I've never been to boarding school myself but I've certainly read and heard about such escapades. Have similar tales to share? Leave your comments!

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