Elm Creek: A Readymade Family, Volume 1

3

THREE

When the bell announcing the end of class rang, Hâroon joined the crowd of students exiting Chemistry and heading for their lockers to get the books needed for the next class. While the rest moved along with casual carelessness, he kept his eyes peeled for Lila, as always. She had a disturbing tendency to try to brush up against him at any opportunity. He couldn’t afford to be as laidback as the rest.

He saw no signs of her and hoped it meant that she’d already moved on. Relaxing slightly, he followed the crowd in the direction of his locker and as the other teens spread out, he made his way toward it and turned the dial until the clasp released and he removed the padlock. He glanced warily inside as he opened it.

To his relief, there was no sign of a gift. It had been a few weeks since he’d unapologetically told her that he’d given the one she’d left in his locker away. She hadn’t left a second one since, though the letters he always trashed continued.

Since that day, Hâroon had been going to great lengths to keep her as far away as possible. In any classes that they happened to share and in which she sat too close for comfort, he switched to another seat, and he was always the first to leave those classes to ensure she couldn’t catch him when he left.

Outside of class, he usually kept company with Ya’qoob, who was more often messing around in the hallways than sitting in class. Since he usually finished his seatwork before he left, most of the teachers tolerated it. Hâroon had noticed that his usually harmless, playful little brother seemed to morph into an overprotective, ferocious bodyguard anytime Lila was nearby. It was shocking and rather uncharacteristic of the class clown Ya’qoob was known to be, but it kept Lila away, so Hâroon didn’t prevent it.

As usual, Hâroon trashed the letter and then turned back to his locker, pulling out his Calculus textbook and notebook for his next class. That was when he heard her voice.

“You’re avoiding me, aren’t you?” she spoke up from behind him as he dropped the textbook and notebook into his bag.

“Noticed, did you? Doesn’t that give you a hint?” He found that it was easier to talk to her now than it had been at first, and he used the advantage to remind her of his displeasure. Being nice and polite would only encourage her.

“Not really,” she replied, amusement leaking into her voice. “You’re just running away because you’re scared. I could be the best thing that happened to you if you let it be.”

“Just like you were the best thing for all the guys before me?” he asked sarcastically, slamming his locker shut and clicking the lock back into place. “I’m not that dumb. Leave me alone, Lila.”

“You like me!” she exclaimed. “Why are you making this so hard? We could have fun together.”

Hâroon wondered if she was naive enough to believe a guy had to like her to be attracted to her. “No, Lila, I don’t like you. I’m pretty close to despising you.”

Unexpectedly, and to his absolute horror, she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his waist and pressing up against him. “Never took you for a liar, Aaron. I know you want me.”

Hâroon shuddered as he fought the raging desire, trying to gather up the willpower to jerk away. Incidents like this was exactly why a mixed school setting was disadvantageous to Muslim youth, he knew. If an affordable option had been available, he knew he and his brother would have been sent to a boys’ school instead.

Before Hâroon could move, however, Lila was pulled away to his relief, followed by her scream of protest. “What the hell?! Let go of me!”

He turned to see Hâdirah and Noorah holding the older girl back by her arms as she struggled against them. Though younger than her, the two girls seemed more than capable of keeping her restrained. Dawood and Ya’qoob stood by them, arms crossed and glaring at her.