I'd like to say that I'm very sorry for my previous 'Chapter'. That was a lousy excuse because I had a severe case of Writers block. Like MAJOR…. Also coz my brother took the internet (grrrrrrrrr) and I haven't even CHECKED my email since last week. I know……TRAGIC!! Some people are just so inconsiderate!
To:
Annoyed: whoever you are, you shower me with compliments………. I'm glad you're pissed that I went on my supposed 'strike' that shows how much you love my story……
Watsit: What's harsh?????
taxibby: noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo....dont cry!!!!!! spare me!
XcoffeXsmurfX: thanks man! I hope you do what you want to…….Insha'Allah! :D
Maryam: you know I love you……but what are you going to use the story for?? is it for fanfic??? if it is, im sorry habibz, but no. u can use it for an assignment or something
-23Q: we HAVE to have one man!! You'll live….
and to everyone else YOU ARE THE BEST!!!
I don't think I've done this before;
Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything Stephenie Meyer owns……got it????
Once again, I'm very sorry for before and I will resist doing it next time. But I hope you still review!!!
The Chapter………
Still Jacob's P.O.V
"Oh, hello Shereen! What a coincidence?!" I exclaimed. She gave me a sour look as if to say that she thought I was stalking her and it wasn't a coincidence. I would've backed off if her face wasn't flushed……
She liked me!
Not that i cared, of course.
"Hello" she greeted me through gritted teeth.
…….Ok, maybe she didn't.
"Err…..who are you?" The Guy asked politely, though he looked like he wasn't going to be so polite if I uttered another word.
What was he? Her boyfriend? It looked like it. He had his arm around the back of her chair and from what I know;
That is a sign.
I grinned at him despite myself "I'm Jacob Black. I go to your girlfriend's school" I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Suddenly it seemed very quiet. The Guy, Shereen, I think her twin and this other girl, who i thought was Shereen's older sister were all staring at me with their mouths wide open.
The Guy looked sort of pleased. Shereen looked annoyed, confused and shocked, her twin looked amused and her older sister looked just plain shocked.
Then Shereen burst out laughing.
"You.....think…......me....Rams…" She tried to say between laughs. We looked down at her, waiting until she calmed down.
She did. Eventually.
"Oh my god, that has to be the funniest thing i've heard in weeks!" she cried, wiping tears from her eyes. The Guy (I wasn't sure if his name was Rams or not) looked hurt but he quickly covered it up with a smile. I looked at her blankly, not getting this supposedly funny joke.
"Me and Ramsey are not together. Me and Ramsey are cousins." She clarified slowly.
Cousins! That's great! So he was only like an overly protective brother! I felt a little better for some reason. I tried to look like I wasn't exactly interested, but it didn't seem to work. I was relieved to see that no-one noticed.
"Well, I'm Ramsey." The Guy introduced and stuck his hand out. I took it straight away. We studied each other's faces. He had bright blue eyes, curly, black hair and brown skin. If I wasn't a guy, I guess I would've thought he was good-looking.
…………………
No, I am NOT a homo-sexual!
We talked a bit until Quil joined us, then we talked a bit more. Shereen looking extremely uncomfortable and was looking down. Turns out that the twin was actually Ramsey's older sister, Miran. They were from Australia and that fascinated me.
"So, do you really have Kangaroos jumping around in your backyard?" Quil and I asked at the same time. Miran rolled her eyes, Ramsey sighed, Mona (Shereen's older sister) snickered and Shereen just kept looking down.
"No. We. Do. Not. Kangaroos are kept in kangaroo parks or just roam around in the desert (A/N for all the Aussies…that IS right?? I mean, I don't really know anything about Kangaroos, besides the fact that they jump, have long tails, have pouches to carry joeys in, punch each other…..etc. )" Miran stated. I guessed that they'd been asked that question heaps of times before. I understood how they felt, we got that kind of thing a lot (Quil, Embry, Sam, Emily, Rebecca, me….the list goes on) 'do you really live in a cone-shaped hut made out of straws??' to 'Did you descend from Pocahontas?' Yeah, they actually ask that question. Pocahontas is a FICTIONAL character for god's sake!
"Hey, we only think that because it's on T.V.!!!"
"Whatever, man."
It was silent for a moment. Ramsey turned to Shereen.
"Why so quiet Sheri?" he asked curiously. Shereen muttered something unintelligible.
"Oi! Shereen!" Miran called.
Oi? What is that? Short for 'Oink'?
Shereen looked up, looking at everyone except me.
"I said nothing." She said loudly. Her cheeks were tinged pink and she looked like she was going to die of embarrassment.
I wondered for a moment what she would've looked without her scarf on, but quickly pushed that thought out of my head.
"So, how's the project going with Embry?" I asked conversationally. She glared at me.
"He's your friend, why don't you ask him?" she replied icily. Everyone gave her a 'What's you problem?' look. She immediately went back to her looking down state.
"Far out man! Why's your dad taking so long??!" Miran moaned, looking over Quil's shoulder.
I followed her gaze.
A tall, tanned guy who looked about 20 (and very frustrated) was bashing a cell phone. Literally. Next to him, looking stressed was this short man with cropped hair. I guessed that that was Shereen's dad and the tall guy was Ramsey's brother.
"Probably Yehia putting in the wrong numbers." Mona snorted.
"Jake! Quil!"
I turned to see Sam holding a McDonalds paper bag with Emily, Embry and Jared trying to sneak some chips out of it. I stood up while Quil knocked the chair over.
"Well….uh……See you!"
Shereen P.O.V
To say that I died is an understatement. I didn't simply die. I was revealed to embarrassment then I died.
I hate Jacob Black! I hate him!
Worse still, he and Ramsey made friends! Friends! Ramsey was supposed to loathe him! Loathe him, I tell you!
Ok, I admit that when I went all bitchy on him, it was slack. But he should've gotten the message. Its like, I don't want to have anything to do with you……deal with it!
It made my day when he said those beautiful two words 'See you'. Beautiful words. Ahhhhhhhhhhh. I was in complete bliss.
My dad fully ruined the moment. Absolutely wiped it out. He and Yehia, unexpectedly, came back at the same time Jacob and friends were about to leave.
"Hey you!" he called out to Quil. I started panicking. What was he going to say?
Quil turned around with a confused expression on his face. He spotted my dad waving at him and walked over to us again.
"Yes, sir?"
I would've laughed if the situation wasn't so unnerving. My dad looked relieved. That scared me. A lot.
"You're our neighbour, aren't you?" my dad asked.
Neighbour? Neighbour?
This can NOT be happening to me!
Quil nodded.
He was our neighbour?? How come I was the last one to know that???
"Where are you heading?" my dad enquired. Quil looked seriously confused.
"Umm…we're going to….well…it depends?"
"Could you and your friend…." My dad jerked his head toward to an impatient Jacob surrounded by a few people including Embry "Could you and friend help us with the load?" he gestured to the counter which was covered in large McDonalds paper bags. A great deal of large McDonalds paper bags. Now I was really panicking. I jumped up before Quil could respond.
"NO!"
Everyone turned to look at me.
"Uh….I mean…no, they shouldn't tire themselves. We've got it all under control….right, Ramsey, Yehia?" I turned and glared at them, hoping they would get the message. Yehia did……Ramsey didn't.
"Ye-"
"We've got heaps of food; I think we do need help-"
"No Ramsey. We do not need help. No help at all. We can carry everything. All we have to do is put some in the car and come back again." I glowered at him.
"Khalaas Shereen, just let them help. Then maybe they can come with us and have a few Quarter Pounders." My dad put in, grinning at Quil and Jacob, who had come over to see what was going on. Their faces lit up at the thought of free food. But I put my foot down. I wasn't going to give in THAT easily!
My dad is generous.
Too generous in fact.
"No, they're not coming with us." I said stubbornly. I crossed my arms against my chest and started tapping my foot.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I think these chips are the way I like them. Crispy, potato-y and salty. Mm-mm" Quil commented, obviously itching to open the bag he was holding and stuffing all the food inside it in his mouth. Everyone in the back seat groaned.
"Quil, isn't that the sixth time you've said that?" Jacob asked him. He grunted in reply.
I guess, you've already guessed what happened?
Yep, Quil and Jacob ended up coming with us. Even after I chucked the biggest tantrum. My dad was determined.
To make day hell!
I had been quiet the whole time. And I still was. The smell of Cheeseburger wafted in the air in front of me. I inhaled the smell loudly. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…..
"Oooh! Shereen's finally showing signs of life!" Miran observed excitedly. I gave her a sarcastic smile and turned back to looking out the window.
Finally we were pulling up in the driveway of my house, behind my brothers Rabbit. We filed out of the car; Quil holding onto a bag like it was his life.
I looked around. There weren't any cars other than our eight-seater and Yehia's Rabbit.
Yep, they did it right…..
"Whose car is that for??" I heard Jacob demand. I looked over my shoulder. He was staring greedily at the Rabbit. Yehia looked annoyed.
"Mine."
Jacob looked at him with awe.
"Come on people, get your butts moving. We've still got the luggage to carry!" my dad announced.
My dad is all for the whole 'your neighbour is your family' thing, so when he said 'get your butts moving' in the presence of Quil……I knew Quil was now officially my –fourth– brother.
Very soon, everyone was holding at least 3 things. We marched up to the front door, my dad taking the lead with Ramsey and Miran behind him. He opened the door and beckoned them to go in front of him. Then he turned on the light……
"SURPRISE!!!!!"
Came the deafening greeting of Rayan's family, Aysha's family, my mom, my two younger brothers and the twins.
"You can say hi to each other in the house! We'd like to not stay outside in the cold!!" Yehia bellowed.
We waited half an hour before my dad acknowledge the fact that the food was going to get cold.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"No! That's mine!" Rayan's mom shouted when I was about to pick up the last Cheeseburger. I picked it up anyway and took a bite, only to find it being wrenched out of my hands.
"Did I not say that its mine???? Evil child." Rayan's mom a.k.a Khalto Hanna scolded. She took a vicious bite from it and chewed with her mouth open. Something she usually does when she tries to feign anger. About someone taking her food.
"Well, sorry!" I walked back to my seat with Rayan, Aysha, Miran, Maryam, Mona and Bushra.
"Look at him! He's bored! How dare he be bored??!! He has no right!" Rayan was whisper-yelling when I sat down. She was glancing at Jacob –who looked like he was having a lot of fun- with an enraged expression. Miran was very red in the face and was trying to swallow the food in her mouth. Bushra, Maryam and Aysha were hiding their faces behind their hands. Mona was just laughing out in the open. I laughed with her. Rayan glowered at us.
"What are you two laughing at???" She was clearly in one of her crappy moods. I cleared my throat.
"Oh, nothing" I glanced in the direction of Jacob and saw Ramsey looking at me. I quickly averted my gaze and instead looked at Yehia. He was peeking at us.
I smirked. Us? More like Bushra.
He and Bushra were close to engaged. But not yet. They were waiting til Yehia finished college. Which he went to on the internet……...don't ask.
Rayan sighed and mumbled something that sounded like 'stupid overly-generous dads'. I grinned. The girls started talking about something that did not interest me so I looked around at everyone.
The dads were talking, probably about some patient that drove them crazy or something. The boys, Ramsey – my younger brother, Kareem – Yehia – Jacob – Quil were arm wrestling. The little kids, the twins – Suleiman – Rami – my second younger brother, Omar were running around like maniacs throwing things at each other. The moms were swapping recipes and laughing about something Khalto Hanna said.
Khalto Hanna really is Rayan's mom. She is the funniest person in the Mom trio. She's funny, short - no really, the woman's a shrimp….no offence -, a great cook and the least fluent in English. That's not an insult. She doesn't have an accent when she speaks English but sometimes she needs to refer to Arabic so people can understand her. She makes fun of everything including her background, but she doesn't make it awkward when she does. She has a degree in accounting which she had gotten in Egypt. She was pregnant seven months.
Aunty Rachelle is Aysha's mom. She's tall, elegant and very well-educated. She is the posh one in the trio. Since English is the only language she speaks, she's pretty fluent in it (naaah!!). She has learnt a fair amount of Arabic in the past years, but……..it just isn't working for her. She's the one who when in a restaurant will take out her tissues and wipe the cup provided by the restaurant. And when I say wipe, I don't just mean with a dry tissue. She HATES McDonalds with a passion, but sometimes sneaks a few chips here and there so she can 'taste' them. She's funny in the sense that we could make fun of her being all posh and she'll laugh with us. She's the mom that's got the most motherly authority. When she tells you to do something; you do it or else. Not just with the kids; with my mom and Khalto Hanna. She's the oldest of the trio.
My mom is the outgoing, childish, young one of the trio. She's the one that will go crazy if she sees that there's sale at Guess. Ironically, she's the youngest with the biggest family. She likes to live her life; anyone can talk to her coz she's so experienced yet so young. She's the mom that will walk up to someone if she thinks they've got something wrong with their outfit. Oh, so embarrassing! My mom is like a fashion freak! She dresses us up and she's good at it too. I get that trait from her.
I always picture them as teenagers going shopping. All linking arms. My mom skipping eagerly, trying to see over the heads of people, Aunty Rachelle trying to hold her back while walking with her head held high and Khalto Hanna peering critically at everyone who walks past, frequently laughing at weird clothes in some shops.
I looked back at the boys. Jacob was talking to a very enthusiastic looking Huda. Randah was standing a few inches away from them looking hugely annoyed and was trying to pull Huda away.
I discovered two things; Randah hated Jacob and Yehia couldn't stand him.
YES!!!!!
But Ramsey liked him. That was a major problem. They were probably going to exchange numbers and be in contact! Jacob would come over in the months that Ramsey and Miran were going to stay in……..life sucks!
I turned back to the girls and chatted for a while, until it was time for them to go.
We said our goodbyes and the last of the cars was gone. I grabbed Huda before she could even see the stairs.
"Why do you like Jacob so much???" I wanted to know. She gave me a disgusted look and pulled her arm away.
"For your information, it's Jake and I felt a connection with him."
"Do you even know what 'I felt a connection with him' means?"
"………..no"
"That's right. Now go to sleep."
She stomped up the stairs.
"So this is how it is, Yehia and Ramsey are camping down here and everyone else is upstairs." My mom announced "Tesbaho 3ala kheir"
She followed my dad into their bedroom and closed the door. Me, Mona and Miran turned to go upstairs.
"Since you're joining us tonight ladies, what movie do you want to watch?" Ramsey whispered. We all looked at each other.
"Ten things I hate about you" we whispered back.
Arabic Glossary:
Khalaas: in the sentence its used in, it means, for example, 'just leave it, Shereen'
Khalto: means Aunty.
Tesbaho 3ala Kheir: Goodnight.
Please Review people. I'll try my hardest to finish the next chapter, but I've got heaps of assignments, so yeah.
Review!!