18 b

so i had already told my parents and fahood that i was going to stay in kuwait. of course fahood was extremely happy. he didnt want me to leave because im "his baby sister w mai 9eer i live alone" hes so funny wala.

i fell asleep that night and i kept thinking about what could possibly be so wrong that he had to go to london on such short notice and i fell asleep with that thought in my head.

i was so worried about him. i thought someone had died or something had happened. i thought about the worst case scenarios and freaked myself out. i went to school the next morning with my puffy eyes and swollen face and i didnt feel well at all. he was like my medicine, my air, without him, i would always feel like shit. i walked into school dreading everyones eyes because it was obvious that i barely slept and that i was crying all night and all morning.

while i walked in, it was the first time in about 3 or 4 years that i wasnt holding my caramel machiatto or my panini. that meant, to those people who knew me well enough, that i was in the shittiest mood possible.

Mariam. she walked up to me and looked at me from up to down. "Noora eshfeech?" she asked, trying to make it seem like she cared but she was cold. she would never be the same maryoom to me. "enshala everything is ok with barrak?" was this her way of torturing me?

i gave her the nastiest stare i could concoct and walked away without saying a word. the whole day at school was like that, people asking me what was wrong and me running to the bathroom crying. it had only been one night. what was wrong with me? i think it was just the fact that i was really worried about him and thought something bad had happened to him.

when the day was over, i headed towards my car and i found a note on the window. it was typed up on red paper and said: Dont worry, be happy, im fine.

i smiled. i assumed it was from barrak so thats why i smiled. because of that note, i didnt cry the whole rest of the day. i kept calling his phone but it was off. but it was okay because he said he was fine.

for the whole week of school, i didnt hear from him and i was okay because of that note. however, i realized that 7amoud wasnt at school that whole week either. so i asked his younger brother for his number and i called him.

"Noora?"

"Eshdarak?" i was confused. no guy knew my number.

"Wild guess, eshlounech?" he seemed okay

"good you? where have you been? schools not the same without you. is everything okay?" i have to admit, 7amoud was a sweetheart and still is. ill get to his story when im done with mine. i was worried about him. he always made my school days happy.

"Yeah im fine, i was just food poisoned but im good now. didnt you get my note?" he laughed.

"what note?" i was confused. i didnt get a note from him.

"the one my brother put on your car! the red one! i know red your favorite color, plus it looked pretty with the color of your car" and he laughed. the note was from him? so it wasnt from barrak? barrak wasnt the one that was fine? i cried. on the phone, right then, while i was driving home, i cried. i shut the phone in his face and put my head down on the steering wheel, without even thinking about the fact that i was driving.

CRASH. i bumped into a navy porsche in front of me. i started crying even more. it was such a scary experience. i could have killed someone! i was so careless. wait a minute. navy porsche? wasnt that one of barrak's cars? i couldnt remember the plate number but i knew that he had maroon interior and a red crayon mark on his glove compartment from his little cousin. i had to make sure. i got out of my car and the woman i had hit got out of hers.

guess what? maroon interior and i wasnt quite sure, but i thought i saw the red crayon mark.

the woman looked filthy. not the filthy where she doesnt shower, but the filthy where her clothes are 2 sizes too small for her, her eye liner is thick enough to make her eyes disappear, and her hair was puffed to the maximum and was very dark black with random blonde highlights in between. and even though it was puffed, it looked oily and dirty.

"ABAY! HATHA MU SAYARTI ! ESHFEECH INTAI MATSHOUFEEN?" you know the girls that talk like they're trying to sound girly but its not working for them? thats how she sounded. the only thing that was going through my head was, who the fuck is she and why is she driving barrak's car?

"Sorry i didnt see you, i'll pay for the damages" i dont know why i spoke in english but i did.

"Wee no3ech english school? La mu 3an the money, i will pay, aham shay you are okay?" she was nice, which was ironic because all i wanted to stuff her head into a burger and give it to a lion. she pulled out her phone and dialed a number and i just watched her.

"Alo? 7abeeby! 7abeeby adree enik mash'3ool bas wa7da d3matney w im driving your porsche" she made her voice sound like she was an innocent little 5 year old. hmph. dalou3a. "Wee sorry i thought you were sir. tell him madam Dalya calling and i make accident in mishref"