Abuja, Nigeria.
Jalilah stormed in, visibly angry.
"My baby is back!" Hajiya Khadijah called out warmly as she descended the stairs, moving toward Jalilah with open arms for a hug. From her daughter's expression, she knew her day hadn't gone well.
Jalilah didn't say a word or return the hug; instead, she made her way upstairs to her room.
"What happened to her, Banina?" Hajiya Khadijah asked, noticing Banina laughing with Nabeel.
"Why are you two laughing? Tell me!" she said, scooping little Alaina into her arms and kissing her cheek.
"Will you care to tell me what happened to my Jalilah?" she pressed, raising a brow.
"Her literature teacher punished her for losing her textbook," Banina explained with a shrug.
"Hm! May Allah show me the day Jalilah will finally be responsible. The teacher did the right thing," Hajiya Khadijah sighed.
Meanwhile, Jalilah took a shower and prayed. Changing into something comfortable, she plopped onto her bed and began replying to her WhatsApp messages. Just then, Hajiya Khadijah entered the room in a beautiful maroon lace boubou that perfectly complemented her fair skin. Jalilah couldn't help but marvel at her aunt's figure and beauty, wondering how she always looked so youthful.
Jalilah, 5'9" tall, with a brown complexion—not too fair, not too dark, but with a warm dusky tone—looked away from her aunt and focused back on her phone. She had big brown, doe-like eyes, long lashes, a thin, prominent nose, and small, soft pink lips. Her thick hair flowed down to her mid-back, and as a teenager, she had a naturally graceful figure.
"What happened to my Jalilah?" Hajiya Khadijah asked gently, sitting down beside her on the bed.
Jalilah pouted and kept her eyes on her phone, clearly in no mood to talk.
"I'm talking to you, Jalilah! Haven't I told you countless times not to ignore people when they speak to you?"
"I'm sorry," she muttered under her breath.
"What happened? Tell me, my dear," Hajiya Khadijah asked softly, cupping her cheek.
"It's nothing to worry about. Just a hectic day at school," Jalilah shrugged.
"It's alright, my dear. I made your favorite for lunch. Let's go eat; you must be hungry," Hajiya Khadijah smiled.
"Sure, Mummy, I'll be there soon. You go ahead," Jalilah replied with a small smile. Hajiya Khadijah nodded and left. But Jalilah sighed, picking up her phone again, she wasn't in the mood for anything, not even eating her lunch.
---
The next day, Jalilah and her friends were in the cafeteria when three girls walked in, heading straight to their table.
Jalilah frowned. Those girls were always trouble, never making peace with anyone.
"What is it now? Why are you even here?" she asked, annoyed.
"We came here to warn you, Jalilah!" seethed the first girl, the apparent leader of the trio.
"And if I may ask, why? What has she done?" Jalilah's friend Kausar retorted.
"Leave this to me, Kay," Jalilah smirked, standing up to face them. She stepped closer to the leader and poked her index finger at the girl's chest. The girl, Iman, swatted Jalilah's hand away angrily.
"What's the warning about?" Jalilah asked, her face laced with a smirk.
"Stay away from my brother! Or else!" Iman hissed.
"Or else what? What can you do, Iman?! Aslam and I are in a relationship, and there's nothing you can do to change that! So back off!" Jalilah fumed, then stormed off, her friends trailing behind her.
"What happened between you and Iman, Jalilah?" Banina asked on their way home.
"She picked a fight first," Jalilah muttered, her attention back on her phone.
"Whatever it was, Jalilah, you shouldn't have slapped her!"
Jalilah snapped her head toward Banina, "Are you seriously taking sides? And who told you I slapped her?"
"She did! Iman would never lie."
"Oh! Is she a saint or something? And are you seriously siding with her, Banina?" Jalilah's voice grew sharper.
"She's my friend, remember?" Banina retorted in the same tone. Nabeel put on his headphones, tuning out their argument.
"And I'm your sister! Weren't you supposed to ask me what happened before blaming me?" Jalilah snapped.
"Stop yelling, Jalilah! I'm older," Banina scolded.
"Older by just five months? I don't care!" Jalilah scoffed, wondering what had gotten into her sister.
"Girls, please stop fighting," their driver, Baba Ali, reprimanded. Little Alaina looked worriedly from one sister to the other.
The rest of the drive home was silent. When they arrived, everyone retreated to their rooms without a word, leaving Hajiya Khadijah puzzled.
---
Written on: 3.10.20
Edited on: 17.4.22🖤
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