Happily Ever After Comes At A Price

Chapter 5: Shuffling The Cards

   To say that I tend to act prematurely at times would be an understatement.

   I wonder what gets into me at those times?

   I shuffle to the other side of my bed, eyes shut tight against the glistening sunlight peering into my room, reflecting back on all that has happened since we had moved. It has definitely been a long two months. Uprooting myself from my ancestral home and settling into a place where nobody cared enough to understand me. And to top of all off, I get to start with the junior year, the year when high school forget us to be humans and treat us like pressure cookers...

   It could me an entire month to get used to the accent, for god's sake!

   And now drama finds me...

   Eli never mentioned yesterday's act again and I couldn't bring it up. How could I be so irrational? Why did I need to throw that tantrum right in the middle of the hallway?

   I should be so thankful that no one else was around...

  I finally give up any fleeting hope to find solace in my bed. The blazing light is quick to assault me. An involuntary scoff escapes me. Not because I'm scornful, because of how life's already mocking me... American mornings are so different from the ones I'm used to. The trees dance on a foreign tune of the winds, there's none of the chirping of those familiar birds. It's a different kind of beauty here; less cohesive, yet it all fits perfectly.

   At times like this, I no longer feel like a happy-go-merry 17 year old. Those dreaded nightmares come back to me. Gunshots, ghastly wounds, decaying bodies... Wasn't this why we left home? To escape the past that had us dancing to her tunes. 17 years, and I feel I've aged 30.

   Maybe that's why I always try to dumb it down. Play innocent...

   I never wanted this, but I needed it. We all need a fresh start sometimes...

   I sigh before brushing all those thoughts aside. People don't need me to be a philosopher, they need a follower.

***

   Today was a school holiday. Something-memorial to cheer the school spirit. Hence why I'm sitting on the kitchen stool, chopping onions, not to mention the stinging tears rolling down endlessly.

   Well, you need to work hard to get good food. So, right now, Ammi and I, were slaving away, recreating our ancestral, heavenly Kabuli Pulao recipe! Totally worth it.

   Abbu walks into the kitchen with what looked like an year's worth of groceries.

   "Smells delicious, ladies. What's the occasion today?" He coos to us as sweetly as his voice allows him.

    Ammi effortlessly twists away from the gigantic pot of spices. The vapours are so strong that I fail all control over my body, and start coughing like a maniac. She swiftly passes me a glass of water and answers my father, unmarred by all, "Just a stress-free family getaway. Why? Do I need permission to cook in my own home?"

   "You kinda do if you're planning to kill our only daughter, Armineh. I'd love to join in too!" he jokes, laughing to himself.

   "But more importantly, Selina, come with me. I have something to discuss with you before dinner." he says, suddenly very serious.

   I wash off the remaining vegetables, rushing to join him.

   Abbu was already comfortable on the sofa, a cigar lit beside him. No matter how many times I've forbidden him, begged him to stop, he never prevailed. It was his only shortfall.

   "So, Seli," he starts to what seemed be an articulately prepared speech, "junior year, tough, isn't it?"

    I nod to agree.

    "I know you are new to all of this and I also know that it hasn't been easy to adjust to this ridiculously different system. But you do know that America's the home to some of the most prestigious universities in the world and how important it is for you to be accepted in one. All I'm trying to say is that right now, your academics are great. But that's not enough, okay? These universities need good SAT scores and a ton of ECAs that you are eager in. So, maybe, you should shift your focus now..."

   I stare at him, utterly confused.

   My father puts me out of my misery again, " Basically, continue the good grades and join some school clubs. Make new friends and connections. Spend less time at home and more at school. Got it?"

   I nod again, only this time more fervently.

   "Shuffle your cards, kid. Try a change of perspective. " He tries a shabby wink at me before leaving for the kitchen.

    I smile to myself, releasing a self-content sigh.

    Sometimes it just hits hard how supportive my parents are. For a teenager, I've never been one to complain how unfair life was. Not after everything I saw back home. I was simply thankful to have the best people in the world to guide me.

***

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hi, if you are still here, reading my content, then wow. Do you really like this? I'm a new writer, still figuring things out as I go along. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to read what I have to say. Thank you. A few plot twists coming up ahead. And no, it won't end with the good girl in love with the unachievable, popular bad boy. Maybe, possibly... No promises... But, don't worry. I'll try to give you a roller coaster ride. Hopefully... 

Comments, if there are any, are always welcome. Leave behind your criticisms and theories about the plot. And if you have voted for my chapters, I'm sending you are virtual hug...😊 Have a blessed time...