Converting to Islam

Chapter 9

 

A/N: Thank you guys soooo much for commenting and voting!!! I just want to come and give u all one big hug (except I can’t which is sad. VIRTUAL HUGS INSTEAD!)
Oh and I forgot to mention that the translation from the Quran was from Surah Adduha! (I really like that Surah... But then again, I like all of them lol)

_____________________________

Facing Lucy at school makes my head dizzy. Then again, looking at Tyler’s disgusting face everyday makes me want to hurl (and if possible, all over Tyler’s 'pretty' face). I am sitting in the car, waiting for this silent long car journey to end. Things are awkward between me and Tyler - I refuse to speak to him, only returning to that house because of my stupid father. I lock the room all the time so he can’t get to me. What really annoys me is how he tries so make small talk as if nothing has happened.

"So... Did you sleep well last night?"

As usual I just ignore him.

We finally reach university. Rebecca waves as she catches sight of me.

"Amber! Are you alright?" She says as she grabs my hands sympathetically. She’s probably asking about the incident between Tyler and Lucy. How does she know? 

"Yeah I guess...”

"I can’t believe Lucy would do such a thing - and to her best friend! I am not willing to be friends with a bitch like that!" She waves her arms dramatically as she says this.

I don’t answer her for I don’t know what to say. We walk towards our class side by side. That is until Lucy shows up.

"Hey Rebecca," says Lucy, not bothering to acknowledge me.

"Hi Lucy!" Rebecca greets her as if nothing has happened. What happened to not willing to be friends with her?

I am grateful when class finally starts, for I am able to focus my attention on physics instead of all my problems. That is until my eyes land on Daniel, sitting in the corner of the front row. I never really paid attention to that guy. I guess it’s because he never talked so much. His hand is scratching the back of his soft black hair as he gazes intently at our professor talking. I can’t see his face, but I still remember it from before. I remember that night, how he offered me to enter the mosque, away from the cold. The words I read in the Quran that night rings in my head. I smile.

"Amber, is there a reason you are smiling at the wall?"

Oh shit. Stupid professor. I shake my head pathetically and he continues his talk.

I realize that I have no idea what he is talking about. I gasp as I realize that this is one if the first lessons I've had where I've completely ignored what the professor is teaching. My eyes still remain on Daniel. For the whole lesson I am unable to concentrate; all I can think about is the kindness he gave me. Kindness Tyler could never give. I breathe a sigh of relief when the class ends.

I gather my books and my way for the door, not drawing my eyes from him. I retreat to the girl's bathroom desperately. My mind is dizzy. I can’t help thinking about him. AGH WHY WON’T MY MIND JUST SHUT UP? I try to compose myself as I lean against the wall of the bathroom, glaring at my complexion in the mirror. At the corner of my eye there is a figure standing in the mirror, fixing her golden hair. 

It takes me a while to realize that she is Lucy. She stands in the mirror, continuing tying her hair up into a high ponytail, not even bothering to glance at me. I can’t help looking at her in disgust; she doesn’t even bother saying or doing anything, even though she knows that I’m here. Before I can stop myself, the constant question running through my mind slips from my tongue.

"Why did you do it?"

She freezes for a moment and then smirks cruelly. "Why? Because he didn’t find what he needed in you."

My forehead creases as I try to comprehend what she is trying to say.

"What the hell do you mean?"

"I mean that Tyler told me, while he was drunk at the pub, all about how these days you’ve been avoiding him. He said you don’t talk to him sweetly like normal couples do, and you never let him come near you. I said that maybe he might find what he’s missing in me." 

She smoothens her hair and then pushes open the door to exit the toilet. A growl erupts from my lips as she walks away. 'Find what he’s missing in her'? I get it: Lucy has always liked Tyler, ever since she met him. I had doubts but I could tell by the way she looked and talked to him. Well she can have him.

Since I have free time, I walk towards the library, to settle down in its quiet atmosphere and continue reading the Quran. I’ve been reading it ever since I read those lines from the Quran in the mosque. Those lines gave me hope, which is why I came back, seeking for more.

Say: I seek refuge from the Lord of the dawn
From the evil of that which Allah has created
And from the evil darkness, when it comes
And from the evil of those who cast evil suggestions in firm resolutions
And from the evil of the envier when he envies.

My eyes scan the page intensely, taking in every word. Once again it described my situation perfectly; the way mankind (* cough* Tyler, my dad *cough*) hurts me through their actions. Here it says you must ask God for help. Well that does make sense: if the words in the Quran are true, God is quite powerful, and I have no one else to ask for help. I can only ask God, and he is the only one who would be able to do anything about it.

I am deeply engulfed in my thoughts when I hear the shouting.

"Amber! Amber!" Rebecca walks frantically in, ignoring the Librarian telling her off for disrupting the library. "You’ve got to come: Finley and Tyler are in a huge fight!"

Is this the reason she came and interrupted me peacefully reading a book? I can you tell you now that I really do not care what Tyler does with his other ape friends from his species. "Um... How does this concern me?"

"Because they’re fighting because of you!"