the boy who was afraid of the dark

monday 16:56, lucas

eliott wasn't at school today.
at first, i was a little worried.

we spent the whole weekend together, and he seemed completely fine. like not even a runny nose or hot head.

but from across the courtyard, his friends didn't look worried.
so i decided to just text him, then brush it off.

after class, i had to duck out of my ninth period through the back door and take the lower staircase and hallways to get home.
i guess that was kind of bitchy of me since i had plans with yann and arthur and basile, but i wasn't really feeling it today.

i kinda wanted to just get home, get my homework done, and fall asleep so this day could be over already.

do i really get THAT starved without eliott?

i knew no one would be there when i got home, so i dropped my bag on the floor and fell face first into the couch.

you know when you're just so tired and annoyed for absolutely no reason?
ya.

i groaned, quite loudly, into the pillow and sighed, turning back around for air.

okay i really need to get over this eliott addiction.
is that like, a problem?

but before i could think about it any longer, a voice cut me off.

"lucas?" i snapped my head up in surprise, to see imane leaning against the hallway wall with her arms crossed and a smirk.

i lifted myself up into sitting position, but still draping my legs over the couch arm.

"hey, imane." i smiled up at her.

you know, i actually quite like imane. she's no doubt the toughest person i've ever met. she has to deal with so much shit in her daily life, but here she is, still standing like the true goddess she has always been. she's the kind of person that you want to listen to, because you will find out one way or another that she was right the whole time. but no matter how it happens, she'll still take you back in under her wing because if she loves you once, she loves you for good.

she cocked her head, looking me up and down. then she dropped her arms and walked over to sit down next to me on the couch, gently pulling my head down to be placed in her lap.

it's no secret that i'm not a girls' kinda guy. well, to me at least. i wouldn't normally put my head in a girl's lap unless someone was watching to see it happen. i would feel too uncomfortable.

but here i was, head in imane's lap, feeling the best i'd felt all day.

"wait," i realized, laughing. "what are you doing here?"

she sighed, looking up, "i had plans with manon and emma but they got held back for detention after defacing school property."

wait what?

"defacing school property?" i chuckled.

"yep," she nodded. "they were drawing notes to each other on their desks during class. so i'm waiting."

"oh my god." i rolled my eyes. sounds just like them.

  she looked back down at me and smiled gently. she put a hand in my hair and started playing with my locks.

  i focused on her warm, brown eyes. they looked careful, and loving. you could tell she had seen a lot, and been through a lot. her eyes showed her struggle. but they also showed her victory.

  she was fighting, and she was winning.

  she didn't become a mean or inconsiderate person. she didn't become selfish or cold. she became the strongest, most amazing young woman i'd known.

  i'd never given imane enough credit until i looked into her eyes that day. and i would never underestimate her again.

  but then she squinted her eyes, "what are you looking at?"

  "you have really nice eyes." i smiled admiringly.

  at first she looked taken aback, but caught herself and instead popped an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes down at me expectantly.

i scoffed, "don't worry, imane, that wasn't a come-on."

she smiled in relief, and chuckled, "i figured."

i furrowed my brows, and looked back up at her.
"how would you know?"

"well," she rolled her eyes. "first of all, you know you'd never have a chance with me. second... i kinda figured i'm not the type you'd be into..."

she trailed off, and broke eye contact.

at first, i didn't understand what she was implying. i thought she was calling herself unattractive or something, which i was just about to shut down. then i saw how she awkwardly shut her mouth, and i caught her drift.

i dropped my eyes back down, and sighed.

"is it obvious then?" i didn't mean to put the worry in my voice, but it was definitely there.

she picked the eye contact back up, and delicately continued playing with my hair.

my first thought was that she is going to be the absolute best mother one day.

"no, lucas," she gently shook her head. "the one thing i can do that no one else can: i can read people. i see someone, and i see they're in pain with themselves. or i see that they're in love. or that they're in pain with someone else. i can see someone struggling, someone happy, someone angry. façades don't work with me."

"so," i pieced the clues together. "you're like...psychic?"

she chuckled again, shaking her head.

"no, lucas. i'm not psychic. but the day i met you, i saw it in your eyes that you were hiding something. something about yourself. something big and important, something you wanted to get out. you were in chains, and you wanted to break free. then, one day you looked different. you had the look in your eyes. the look of love. you were still in chains, but it looked like they were loosening. and you had someone there with you. i realized you were in love, and hiding it. then i kind of pieced it together."

i guess it showed on my face that i didn't believe she wasn't psychic.
like, how does your mind do that if you don't have telepathic abilities or some shit? that's not normal?

"i cant explain it," she threw her hands up. "don't ask."

"i won't." i nodded my head, realizing this was my best option. i would probably never comprehend it.

then we smiled at each other again.

it was a beautiful moment, one of understanding and loving. one of accepting and sharing.

and then i remembered the navy green hijab wrapped around her head.

my expression dropped as the weight squeezed at my heart. what does she think of me now?

"w-what about Islam?" i stuttered.

my heart stopped beating as i waited for an answer. i looked up at her hopefully, but she stopped playing with my hair.

her smile faded, and she just stared at me. she didn't show any emotion, but then her brows furrowed into worry.

she reached her hand up, and wiped a tear from underneath my cheek.

i didn't even realize that i was crying.

i didn't move my eyes though, for once her eyes weren't showing emotion.

but her loving smile gave it away, eventually spreading across her face.

"oh lucas," she kissed my forehead. "what about Islam?"