The Perks of Being a Hijabi

Chapter One

My alarm clock blared as I sleepily rubbed my eyes. It was Fajir time, I scrambled out of my bed, made wudu, and ran downstairs to pray with my family.

"Zainub, talali hubibti." Ummi gestured toward me to come pray next to her.

"Allahuakbur!" Baba's voice rang through the silent house.

When we finished praying my younger brother Asim and I raced up the stairs to get ready for school. I walked toward my wardrobe to choose which outfit to wear to school. I ended up choosing a long red flannel, skinny jeans, a black sparkly hijab, and my favorite pair of vans. Before I walked out the door I looked into the mirror. Dull brown eyes stared back at me, my hand slowly reached to touch my pale Egyptian face.

"Zainub! Asim! let's go, you're gonna be late for the bus." Ummi yelled. I grabbed my backpack and ran downstairs.

Ummi and Asim were already waiting for me with smug looks on their faces.

"Asalamualakum hubibties!" Ummi waved to us as Asim and I entered the bus.

"Wa alakumusalam Ummi!" we called back to our mother. Asim quickly sat down next to one of his friends while I looked around the bus for my best friend, Samia. I finally spotted Samia.

"Samia! Salam!" I sat down next to Samia and embraced her.

"Salam Zainub, how are you?" She smiled her award winning smile.

"I'm fine Allahmuduliallah." I answered smiling. We talked of school, our families and Islam. Suddenly Samia changes the subject.

"Have you seen that boy in our Bio class?" Samia squealed, I shook my head. "Oh my Allah! He is so Mashallah!!" Samia tugged on my sleeve as she squealed with joy. The bus slowly came to a halt in front of the high school. Samia and me walked up the steps of the school until a larger group of girls wearing very revealing clothes walked up to us.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the hijabi girls, why can't you guys take the dang towel off your head? Oh wait, you can't 'cause you're oppressed!" the leader of the group said smirking at us.

"Actually booboo, we aren't oppressed! Our parents didn't force us into wearing the hijab, we wanted to protect and cover ourselves!" I could tell Samia was getting angry. "At least we respect ourselves enough not to go around naked as if its cool and hip! If a girl isn't bothered by showing a lot of her body then she shouldn't be bothered because of the fact that she wants to cover it!" Samia spat smugly. Before the girls could say anything else, I grabbed Samia's arm.

"Come on Samia, we shouldn't waste our time by talking to these girls." We walked away in silence.

As we entered the front doors of the school Samia began tugging on the sleeve of my shirt.

"There he is!!" She squealed and jumped up and down.

"Haven't you heard of the saying 'lower your gaze'?" I said back smirking. Samia playfully smacked my arm.

"You haven't even looked at him!" she pointed at a tall boy with black curly hair and a Yemeni looking face. "I wish I had the guts to talk to him." She sighed.

"If you're not going to talk to him, then I will." I walked past Samia and towards the boy.

"Salam, aren't you in my Biology and English class?" He knew meeeee!!! I mentally smacked myself for being so girly.

"Uhhh, yeah. Yeah I am In your classes." I smiled at my shoes, I could feel my face get hot. "I just wanted to ummm... know what the homework was." Really Zainub? Homework? How cliché!

"That's all you wanted to know? 'Cause I'm pretty sure you already turned i your homework, remember?" The boy smirked at me.

"Ha! You got me!" I laughed uneasily, I never thought that talking to a boy would be so dang hard! "The truth is, my friend wanted to talk to you but she was too shy." STUPID! STUPID! How on earth could I have let that escape?! Now he'll think we're stalkers or something.

"Yeah lots of girls want to talk to me." He looked me on the eyes and smiled. I quickly looked away blushing. "By the way, what's your name? I was never able to catch it?"

"Zainub, my name is Zainub. What's your name?" I stared at my shoes again, I could feel my face get hot.

"Hussen, my name is Hussen." before I could say anything to Hussen he disappeared! I looked around trying to see where he went but I couldn't see him anywhere! Suddenly a hand grabbed my arm.

"What took you so long Zainub?" The hand that grabbed me belonged to Samia. "We're gonna be late to class you idiot!" Samia dragged me by the arm.

I looked up at Samia. "Hussen....." I said dreamily.