Our Stormy Ride

*21 °Never say Never

Nadia

Taking the steps one at a time, I move with the sea of students, who jostle up and down the stairs like a swarm of disorderly ants, bags slung carelessly on shoulders, and voices chattering nonstop.

I hoist my school bag higher once I reach the last step, craning my neck to see if I can locate Kat. She'd told me she'd reserve a spot for us to sit under the cashew trees, and right now, the idea seems pleasing under this scorching sun.

You'd think we'd get a bit of rain yesterday, what with the way the sky was dark all day. Instead, I wake up this morning to the fiery sun, blazing through my windows like a laser beam.

I guess only Allah wills when it rains or not, like the Quran says, He is the knower of the unseen. My minds wanders back to Farha for the umpteenth time today, seeing as she's chosen to ignore me, which is so unlike her.

A tap on my shoulder makes me jump in fright, a tiny scream escaping my lips. I whirl around, and relax immediately when I see the perpetrator.

"Dude, what's up with you? You should've seen the look on your face, I feared you were gonna do a jujitsu on me", Kat says, laughing in between.

I frown at her, "Don't you know never to creep up on someone unsuspected? Try it with Zahra, and she'll definitely do a jujitsu on you".

She rolls her eyes, as she falls in step with me. "Right", she drawls, "I forgot we live in Gotham, where a tap on the shoulder equals mugger", she adds sarcastically.

I reach the concrete table and bench, noticing another sharing the place.

"Oh! ", Farha exclaims when she sees me, "Um, salam", she greets with as much enthusiasm as a sloth climbing down a tree.

"Wa alaikum salam", I reply, trying to ignore Kat's piercing gaze. I bet she'll go all journalist instinct on me right now. The girl hardly misses a thing, which is good for her choosen career, but annoying when she uses it on us.

I sit across from them both, my eyes on Farha who seems to be concentrating hard on the words in her notebook. She finally gives up pretending to read, deciding to leave.

Kat raises a brow at her, tapping her temple with a pen, and casting furtive glances at me. "You just got here Fars, why are you suddenly insisting on leaving?"

Farha forces a smile, "I want to make a detour at the library and get some info on my project before going home".

"Really? Cause I was starting to think maybe Nadia is the reason you're leaving, and the last time I checked Nadi doesn't have a skunky smell that repulses people ", Kat adds, much to my irritation.

"Hey! ", I protest.

Farha laughs, and as if realising what she just did, she stops abruptly, proceeding to pack up her books.

"Later, Kat". To me, she says, "Ma'asalam" without meeting my eye.

After watching her leave, I take a book out of my bag and flip the smooth, crispy pages. Once I reach the page I'd dogeared, I straighten it and smooth it out. The Alexandria Link, a little something I'd gotten from the bookshop.

"Stop glaring at me Kat", I raise my head to meet her gaze, a smug smile on her lips.

"I was wondering how long you were going to ignore my burning stares. " she straightens up, and says with a serious tone, "We need to talk. What's up with you two? ", she motions with her head in the direction Farha just left to.

"Nothing", I reply with a shrug.

"I hope you know who you're talking to Nadia, you can't fool me with that 'I don't know' attitude. It didn't take me five minutes to figure out something was wrong when I came back on Sunday".