Chapter 4

After school, I waited for my brothers to come.

"Amal, hey!"

I looked up.

"Oh, Embry. Hey." I said, not as excitedly as him. I said as though I was reading from a shopping list.

He frowned a little, before he beamed.

"So, how's your head?" he asked, anxious. He reached his hand out as though he was going to touch my head, then he lowered it. Wise, I thought, admiring, at least he has common sense.

"It's fine, thanks." I said, politely.

He smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, I was worried all day. I didn't even eat at lunch, I couldn't even concentrate in my lessons..." he trailed off when he saw the unfriendly look on my face.

"Dude, I don't even know you," I said, harsh. "Get a life."

He looked like he stopped breathing, he choked, "Um, yeah. Ok?"

He looked so sad, like I broke his heart.

But I didn't feel one ounce of guilt.

I would never, ever be nice to him. He hurt me and I wanted him to feel some of that hurt.

It was because, I wanted to hurt him so that he thought I was a bad person.

I didn't want his attention. He was freaking me out. Plus, he was reminding me of middle school.

"Embry, your ... um friends are there." I said.

I was about to say that his 'Crackhead' friends were there.

He glanced at them and looked back at me. "Um, yeah. Amal, do you want to go to this ... Cafe with me on Saturday?"

"No thanks." I said, simply.

"Oh."

We stood in silence, for a couple of seconds, before his friends came over.

"Hey, Amal," Jacob said, cheerfully.

I stared at him in confusion. "Hi?"

He looked at Embry, looking awkward. "Embry, is everything ..."

Embry stood there, his hands rolled up. His face was calm though, and was completely at odds with his fists. "Yeah."

Quil put an arm around my shoulder. "Hey, Amal, I think I'll have you for myself. Forget Embry. I think I deserve you more."

Embry growled at him.

He growled. What human can growl?

I looked up at Quil, confused. "Wha...?"

I shrugged his arm off my shoulder and stepped back.

I looked at them all, thoughtful. "Why are you talking to me? You've never talked to me before."

Jacob and Quil exchanged uneasy glances.

Embry just looked tired. There was no other word for it. He looked as though his life was over.

The silence stretched, making us avoid each other's eyes.

"Hey, guys?" Kim said, giving us all weird looks.

I could see how it looked. The most unlikely people to talk to each other were stood in a circle, they weren't talking. They weren't even looking at each other. It was obvious that we were stuck in an awkward situation that we couldn't get out of.

I was happy that she could save me. "Hi, Kim!"

She smiled at me, and then raised her eyebrows.

Kim looked at Jacob, Quil and Embry.

"Um, so ... What's goin' on?"

Jacob cleared his throat. "Just having a very friendly convo."

I gave him a very unfriendly look. "Yeah. I enjoyed it, we should talk more often."

Quil smiled, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah ... Er we should ..."

Embry suddenly looked very positive.

God. He was always upbeat and … cheerful, he had to be so positive all the time.

I sighed, annoyed.

"Um, Kim you're going to the barbecue, aren't you?" he said, sounding hopeful.

I smiled, he was asking her out! And I thought he actually liked me. This was great! He and Kim would date. Then Kim wouldn't have to be with that *shudder* Jared.

"You guys should go together, like on a date." I said, beaming.

Everyone went quiet, staring at me as though I had grown two heads. Even Kim.

"What?" I said, uncertainly.

"I was going to ... Ask you, Amal," Embry said, devastated.

My eyes widened. "To the barbecue? You, Embry Call, was going to ask me, Amal Jamah, to sit around a fire camp, singing old camp fire songs?"

Embry didn't answer.

"Oh." I said, thoughtful.

Silence.

Then:

I slowly smiled. "I've never been to a barbecue before."

Jacob and Quil burst into loud laughter.

Embry just grinned, "That's a yes, right? You'll go with me?"

"No. I'm not going with you!" I said, glaring. "I'm going with Kim, a couple of other friends and one of my brothers."

Jacob snorted. "Your brothers?"

"Yeah, they need to look after me." I said, giving him a dirty look. "It's at night, right? Well, I need my brother to look after me."

Kim smiled, fondly. "She feels safe when they are with her. It's because they are so protective."

I scoffed. "They are such losers, I don't feel safe with them."

"So, is your head, ok?" Embry asked, again.

"Are you trying to say, I'm crazy?" I demanded.

"NO, no, no!" he said, quickly. "I meant your head ... You don't need to go to the hospital?"

"No." I said, giving him a weird look. Then: "Oops."

"What?" Kim said, worried.

"I'm such an idiot." I mumbled to her.

"What?" she repeated.

"The operation is today. I was supposed to meet my Mom there ..." I felt myself breaking into a cold sweat.

"Mustafa was supposed to drive me home, but he takes ages." I said, biting my nails, anxiously. "How will I get home and to the hospital in time?"

"Bye, guys." Kim said.

She then marched me to the car lot. There were still school people around, sat around on top of cars.

"Hey, Amal. Kim." said Leah, politely.

"Hi, Leah," I said, half-heartedly, still worried.

"Can you get us a ride, Leah?" Kim asked.

"Kim!" I panicked. "I cant leave Samiya, she'll hate me even more!"

"I'm sorry, I usually catch the bus." Leah said, apologetic.

"It's alright." Kim said.

"See you guys." Leah said, walking out of the parking lot.

Kim turned to me.

"Amal, listen to me." Kim said, firmly, grabbing me by the shoulders. "Stop fussing. Ok? You need to get to that hospital, where your baby sister is getting her operation. Samiya loves Naima, ok, and I can guarantee that she'll understand 100 %. Now, I will force Mustafa out of that school, and drag him to that car myself. Ok?"

"Ok." I squeaked.

She rushed into the building.

Not even five minutes passed, when she came back with Mustafa, holding him by the ear.

" ... your baby sister is having an operation, you dumb crap! This is the operation that will determine whether she lives or dies."

Mustafa gaped at her. "Today? The operation is today?"

"Didn't you read your mom's note?" Kim scolded. "You idiot. You probably just eat your breakfast and left. You're so selfish...!"

"Kim, my mom leaves notes at Fajr, when she's leaving for work." Mustafa said.

Kim paused. "That's the morning salat, right?"

Mustafa nodded. "Amal wakes us up to pray and she reads mom's notes. The rest of us are too tired to do anything except pray."

Kim nodded, not bothering to apologise. Mustafa and Kim's relationship was kind of like mine and Jim's. Although mine and Jim's was kind of civil now.

"Amal, wait!"

I turned around, and was surprised to see Samiya running towards us.

"Wha...?" I looked at Kim.

"I saw her at her locker, talking to Muzzels." she said, smirking at Mustafa. "So I told them both and dragged Mussels away."

I turned back to Samiya.

"Samiya, I'm so sorry." I said.

Samiya smiled and hugged me, tightly. "I'm sorry, too. But next time, you should tell me if your brother likes me."

I grinned, leaning back. "You think it will happen again?"

"Yeah, of course, this time it will be Hassan."

"God no!" I groaned. "Hassan's happily married."

She smiled, wickedly. "Stranger things have happened."

We all laughed. It's good to be back.

Fajr- the morning prayer at dawn, daybreak.

Salat or Salah - prayer. There 5 prayers throughout the day. Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Magrib, and Isha.