Less Than Perfect

{7} Arab Horror Story

Kanza Hadad

The screen-record red light blinked on my PC, telling me that my next video was recording. Here we go, I thought. Let's just hope I don't have a breakdown again.

Placing my headset over my head, I smiled even though I knew my viewers couldn't see me. This was a screen-record of our game after all. "Assalamualaikum, and hello to my non-Muslim subscribers!"

"Wow, you're really about to introduce yourself instead of your younger brothers," said a conceited, cocky, and very annoying young man, my twenty-year old younger brother Adnan. He chuckled at his own humor. "Man, here I thought Mom and Dad taught us proper manners."

Another voice peeped in from our group discord call. "I think this is a good time to tell Mom," joked Omar, who was two years younger than Adnan. "Wouldn't you agree, Sami?"

Sami, the youngest of all the Hadad siblings, had more respect for me than those two brats. "I am not a part of this tattle-telling event. Last time I followed you two in your schemes against Kanza, she beat my ass into next week," he said, exaggerating a shuddering noise. "Sorry, bro, but this just ain't it for me. I pick my battles wisely."

"Um, hello, who's video is this again?" I asked, pretending to ponder. "Oh, yeah it's me. My video, my introductions."

Adnan scoffed. "We all know that your favorite younger siblings are what make this video wholesome."

"Shut up!" I yelled into my headset, taking a deep breath afterwards. "Okay, so if you all lack a couple brain cells after that entire conversation, I completely understand. In fact, if you think my little brothers are a bunch of lame stooges, you should hit that like button."

"What a nice way to gain engagement," said Adnan sarcastically. "At this point, you should tell them to subscribe."

"Why are you still talking? Did I not already establish that this is my video?" I questioned him, partially joking.

Omar blew a low whistle. "Someone didn't have her Korean dramas today," he joked.

Choosing to ignore him, I continued with my introduction. "Anyway, these are my three younger brothers that I will correctly introduce since they are incapable of such a simple task," I said, and lo behold, my brothers interrupted me again.

"I'll start! What's up, I'm Adnan, the funniest member of our family and the one who surpasses everyone in academics," he boasted. "They dragged me out of my midterm studying to play a horror game, which I personally think is an abuse of power from Kanza."

"I merely gave you a tiny threat," I said, shrugging. "You blow things out of proportion."

"Ah, yes. Now everyone can see just how much you two bicker all the time," chuckled Omar. "I'm next in line. My name's Omar, and before anyone asks, yes I am single and no I am not ready to mingle."

I sighed, exaggerating. "Yeah, he means that no one wants to marry him."

"Hey!"

"I'm just saying," I laughed. "Okay, the baby of the family is next. Go on."

"I'm not the baby," he muttered. "I'm Sami, and I get bullied the most here."

"It's not bullying if it's from your siblings," protested Adnan. "Besides, the baby of every family has to get picked on. It's the unwritten law of the universe. It used to be me, and then it was Omar, and now it's you."

"But there's no one after me!"

"Precisely. Sorry, bro, but you lucked out of this one," he said with a very unapologetic tone. In fact, I could practically see his smirk.