Chapter Thirteen

Noura: So, Faisal's mine


Me: what?


Noura: he's been with me gablek


Me: we're not together a9lan


Noura: oh really?


Me: ee, eash ga9dk he's been with you gable?


Noura: ya3ne hoo 7abeebe, 7age ana, e7na together


A lump made its way to my throat.


Me: bye


I managed to say that and I got up from the table with what dignity I had left.


Noura laughed and said


Noura: 7abeebte we're splitting the check


I turned around and stared at her happy expression and I threw up, right there, next to the stairs in Burger Boutique, right in front of everyone.


Noura gasped then laughed.


My tears were like waterfalls as I ran to the car.




***




I got home with my puffy eyes and red nose, thank God no one was there. I got myself a glass of water then went to my room and sat on the edge of the bed with the glass still in my hands.


How did everything go downhill faj2a, it was going great! I was finally living the love story I've always dreamed of and Faisal was always good to me, he still is but why did he lie?


Could it really be true? I cried even more. I put the glass on the desk and went to bed.


I woke up in the morning and checked my phone. 5 bbms.


3 from random people, 1 from Sara and 1 from HIM.


Sara: ABEER


Sara: ABEER WEENICH NEMTAY


Sara: ENTAY CHALBA, ET3ARFEEN?


Sara: CHALBA


Sara: CHAALBAAA


Sara: CHAAAALBAAA


Sara: HAW HAW HAW


Sara: WOOF WOOF


Sara: a7ache nafse :"""(


Sara: GOOOOOMAY YA MAL EL ZAG


Sara: YA 95AALA


Sara: A7ACHEECH DON'T FORGET OUR PROJECT


Sara: BATHBA7ICH EN NESEETEH


Sara: ABEEEEERR, YOU'RE KILLING ME


Sara: WHERE ARE YOU YA 5ARA?


PING!!!
PING!!!
PING!!!
PING!!!
PING!!!
PING!!!
PING!!!
PING!!!
PING!!!


Me: enshalla mane nasya shay


Sara: shfeech?


Me: wala shay


Sara: betgoolenle in school :)


I ignored that.


Should I open his conversation?


I will and I'll ignore him.


FK: weenech kella ma t7acheen m3ay :p


FK: amdach nemtay ya el deyaya


FK: la ykoon za3lana


PING!!!
PING!!!
PING!!!
PING!!!


There were a lot of pings. I ignored him and went to school.


***


Sara was waiting for me 3end el bab and nashabatle she wants me to tell her eash feene. I told her everything.


Sara: agoolech shay bas ma et3a9been?


Me: ee


Sara: he told me about her ba3ad ma shefnaha eb el mall


Me: what did he say?


Sara: she's telling the truth


Me: he's with her?


Sara: WAS with her


Me: so they're not together?


Sara: no


Me: that's not what she said


Sara: well then she's lying


Me: what did Faisal say exactly?


Sara: gal ena ohwa awal ma yeena ehne he had a friend o ba3deen yoom men el ayam ra7 beet refeeja o he had a sister o that sister is Noura, el mohem ena refeeja went to get bage el rabe3 men 3end el bab o chan tye Noura etsawe nafsaha d5alat eb el 3'ala6 o badat she gives hints o chethe, Faisal 3a9ab o gam o 6ela3 men el beet o ba3deen a week passed o ehya bas ta36e hints o she added him o ohwa men 3'aba2a he accepted, t3arfeen el 9bayyan mhabbal, o 9ar elle 9ar


I stayed silent digesting this massive amount of information.


Sara: bas tara ohwa ma y7ebha wela 3omra 7abha o 3ala 6ool when he realized ena he loves you, he left her o ana a3aref Faisal o5ooy, ma ychatheb


Me: then why did he deny knowing her?


Sara: ma yabe mashakel


I nodded and walked to my next class. I didn't see Noura for the whole day and when it was a5er el dawam I saw her next to el bab, sawat nafsaha enha testafre3' tgaledne ams. I hate her so much.


If he had told me the truth men el bedaya it would have been better, I would have accepted the fact that he used to have a girlfriend. I mean, all teenage boys are like that, well most of them at least. Bas ana elle gaherne why did he lie to me about knowing her?


***


When I got back home, I checked my phone again.


FK: t7gereene?


PING!!!
PING!!!


FK: answer me!!!!


PING!!!
PING!!!
PING!!!


I can't believe I'm actually thinking about doing this, I never thought I would.


The screen said


Delete FK?


Yes - No


















































Yes.


As soon as I did that I got a bbm message from Sara.


Sara: why did you delete him?


He must have been waiting for me to reply.


Sara: are you serious? Shara7tlech everything, why did you do that?


I'm not answering.


Sara: abeer awal marra akoon serious ma3ach, redday


PING!!!


Me: yes?


Sara: why did you delete Faisal?


Me: because he lied to me Sara


R. She read it.


Minutes later,


Sara<3 calling...


Me: alo?


Men my voice bayen ena I was crying.


Sara: so you're crying?


Me: no


Sara: yes you are


Me: no


I heard some moving coming from the other end of the phone.


Faisal: alo Abeer


I hung up.
I don't want to talk to him, I can't talk to him.


I threw my phone away and re7t ge3adt 3ala the lunch table. I didn't eat anything. When I got back to my room, I found 28 missed calls from Sara.


I decided to take a nap. Anything to get my mind off of this mess.


I couldn't sleep. I got up and started moving around the room, fixing stuff. Ratabt my room. I rearranged everything and my mind was still wide awake to the fact that I could hear what Faisal has to say. I mean it's only fair that I hear his side of the story. I don't want to do that today. I'll do it lamma ajame3 all my strength 3alashan ma abke.


I reached for my phone. 5 new missed calls from Sara. 1 message from an unknown number.


"Abeer give me a chance to explain, you don't understand Noura's lying, I swear she is"


I'll just go take a shower.


I started singing sad songs in the shower.


Anything to make me forget, just for tonight at least. But nothing would make me forget.


I went downstairs and sat with mama


Mama: 7abeebte eash feeek?


Me: la wala shay mama


Mama: la bayen 3aleek kente tebkeen


Me: la walla mafe shay


Mama: tarane omek, la t5abbeen 3aleey


Me: 5ala9 okay, I'll tell you


Mama: yalla goole














































Me: I was watching A Walk to Remember


Mama: allah ye9la7ek 5awafteene 3aleek, banat a5er zaman


I forced out a giggle. Jalasna ana o mama nsoolef elamma it was 10 PM. I went upstairs, feta7t el laptop, sha3'alt My Sister's Keeper and I started crying.


Mama yelled from downstairs.


Mama: ABEER TA3ALE SARA WANTS YOU ON THE PHONE


Etha 9araftaha betshek mama ena fe shay.


Me: OKAY MAMA 7AWLEELE EL 5A6 PLEASE


Seconds later, the land phone rang


Me: alo?


Sara: et7agreene ana ba3ad? Wesh thanbe?


Me: faj2a asma3 Faisal yegool alo? Eash mafroo'6 asawe?


Sara: talk to him


Me: after he lied to me?


Sara: ba6lay dala3, it was an innocent white lie


Me: a lie is a lie


Sara: 7aram 3aleech Faisal is devastated, I've never seen him like this, sheftay that's why he didn't want to tell you


Me: it would have been better law he was honest men el bedaya


Sara: there's no use talking to you, rasech yabes


Me: 6ayeb a9lan I-


She hung up. Why is Sara being like this? She should be on my side. Ana el ma'6looma.


Kamalt watching My Sister's Keeper then I slept without touching my phone.


I woke up and went to school. Sara ignored me the whole day, I even sat alone eb el recess. She wasn't even looking at me.


I went up to her.


Me: why are you ignoring me?


Sara: same way you ignored me ams


Me: Sara come on, you know ma kan ga9de


Sara: I don't care


Me: yalla 3ad Sara


Sara: 5ala9 Abeer, please leave me alone shway, I need to think


Me: think of what?


Sara: stuff


Me: like?


Sara: who my friends are


She smiled a very annoyed smile then she turned away.


You know when you're too shocked to even cry? That was exactly what was happening to me, I bit my lips and walked away.


I stayed depressed for the rest of the day. This is all because of Noura.


Am I overreacting?


Sara ma3 el 7ag always, I don't think eb te'6lemne.


I decided to talk to her.


Me: ahleen :p


Sara: hi


Me: keefek?


Sara: gd


Me: feek shay?


Sara: no


Me: leesh el borood?


Sara: mo borood


Me: ajal?


Sara: wala shay


Me: sure?


Sara: yes


Me: so one word replies mo borood?


Sara: no, mo borood


Me: sara please stop doing this


Sara: doing what?


Is she joking?


Me: this, being so cold to me


Sara: listen, you are my best friend, akthar ensana close to me tbh, bas you hurt my brother! I've never seen him like this, NEVER o I've lived with him for my whole life


Me: ma kan ga9de bas he lied


Sara: will you stop saying that? :)


Me: but he did


Sara: get over it, it was for your own good o stop saying ena it would have been better law he told you le2an ana a3arfich zeen o I know you can't handle the truth, even he knows that


Me: I'm sorry Sara


Sara: save it for someone who cares, bye


This isn't happening.


This is not happening.


Me: Sara please?


She ignored me.


I cried myself to sleep.




***




The next morning, mama came in to my room o bayen ena she was crying and told me that I wasn't going to school today and that we were going to 5alte Manal's house.


Me: MAMA EASH FEE?


Mama: mama 7abeebte agoolek ba3deen, now get dressed


Me: mama tell me


Mama: geltlek ba3deen, yalla elbase


I was shaking so bad as I went through my whole morning routine then I held my phone. 2 bbms from random people and wela shay from Sara.


I wanted to talk to her but I couldn't help but notice her status first, it said


اللهم ارحمه و تغمد روحه الجنة. إنا لله و إنا إليه راجعون


---


Author's note:


PLEASE DON'T HATE ME FOR THIS CLIFFHANGER.


Love you all xxo


& happy reading!


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http://ask.fm/TheSaudiStoryteller