17. Detention

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Halima's POV

The smallest bus comes and we sit at the extreme back. The teacher whose name I don't know and Mr Ben occupy the seat in front of us while Mrs Aisha sits at the seat in front of the teachers. The nurse and Teemah then take the seat behind the driver.

We drive to school silently with me looking at Teemah all through the ride. Teemah's cap has been removed and her hair is disheveled. I insisted she plait her hair on Friday but she refused.

"Haba do you know how hard it is to deal with this gidan angulu {vultures nest}? I always have to wash and dry it. Not to talk if the combing Ya Allah! It's frustrating wallahi! So except if you over here are going to loose it, wash, dry, comb and oil it for me karma ki sake ce min {don't even tell me} to plait my hair. Yanzu bah kitso bane a gaba na kina ji koh? {right now plaiting hair is the least of my problems}. Tohm I've told you my own!"

I let a sad smile take over my features as I remember. How will she react if she finds out that her own brother is not sorry for knocking her out?

Her eyes are puffy and a bruise has formed on the side of her head. All through the ride the nurse keeps using a towel to massage her head.

We reach school and she is taken to the sick bay while we head to the admin block.

"On your knees!" We do as ordered.

"What caused the fight?" Mrs Aisha points to me.

"I was standing with Ya.... Sa'eed Abba when Fatima Abba came with UmmuKalthum Aliyu and dragged him away from me. He slapped her and she started saying that he never loved her as a sister so what should she expect. I can't really quote what she said but she said something along the lines of that. She walked away crying and then before I could turn and ask Sa'eed Abba, he was gone.

"I was looking around for either of them when Amir Aliyu stopped me and asked me where Sa'eed Abba was. When I was about to reply, Sa'eed replied from behind me and then Amir asked him why he slapped Fatima and then he replied saying that it was none of Amir's business. Then Amir said something and Sa'eed wanted to slap him but UmmuKalthum stepped in between them holding Sa'eed's hand saying that he shouldn't lay a finger on her brother.

"Amir told her to leave them alone, that they would deal with it man to man. I can't remember what happened afterwards but they started fighting. Teemah... Fatima then came running and started telling them to stop but ... But... But... Then..."

"You know that you're not the only one that has a mouth to say something right? So hurry up. We don't have all day." Mrs Aisha says annoyed with my stammering.

I don't want to say that Ya Sa'eed punched Teemah intentionally but I also don't want to say that he punched her unknowingly. Which sensible human being will believe me? Moreover Amir and Kalt will counter my words. 

I gulp severally then continue, "Then Sa'eed punched her on the head and she fell unconscious. Then he walked away while Amir tried to get her back to consciousness."

She looks so shocked but she recovers almost immediately. Amir speaks next saying almost the same thing as me just that he said that he met Teemah crying in the bus and that was when he lost his cool and went to Ya Sa'eed. But that he only went to talk not fight.

Ya Sa'eed talks next saying the truth and nothing but the truth but what surprises me is that he said he doesn't regret hitting Teemah. He only regrets fighting with Amir.

Can you imagine?

Kalt talks next saying exactly the same thing with me but she says that they'd been looking for Ya Sa'eed for a while.

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