I'm back, Alhamdulillah, and I have a present for you...THIS CHAPTER! Eid Mubarak to you and all of your families, I wish you well today, tomorrow, and always. I pray that this Eid is beautiful and beneficial to you and your families. I also pray that you all see many more to come. Please go and enjoy yourselves, eat lots of food, get lots of money and candy, and thank Allah for all of your blessings no matter how small. EID MUBARAK!!! I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLL, MUAH!!!!

Jum'aa Mubarak as well!!!

Edited:

Published: Friday, September 1st 2017 4:35 pm

Collided- Chapter Eight

March 3rd 2018

        "I don't think this is a good idea, maybe we should head back," Inayah said warily as she looked around the area. I fully agreed with her, but it was something I had to do.

        "Make the next right," I ignored her and instead studied the gps on my phone. The more I looked at the map and outside, the more that I realized that Tehreem was right. The area looked so different than the area we lived or even a lot of parts of Miami that I have been too. We are in a completely different place than what I've known. We were literarily going to the unknown. I felt the back of my seat bounce back a little, followed by the presence of Mina leaning over me.

"I don't like it here," She said as if someone from the neighborhood would suddenly hear her and demand blood. Out of all three of the kids, Mina is the most like her mother. It wouldn't be right unless she had the same reaction to The Kings as Tehreem had earlier. Her grip around my seat became tighter as we came closer to the street I was dropped off on–Maple.

"Well only be here for a second," I assured her with a smile, but that did nothing to calm her nerves. Her breathing picked up and her hands began to get shaky around the seat. "Sound good?"

"Yeah. You need to be extra careful."

The car parked on the side of the street that the field was on and Mina sat back down. "I'll try," I told her, but then a thought occurred to me. "You should come with me."

"Me?" Mina's mouth opened in shock and her eyebrows shot up. "I can't, Jamila. Look at this place."

"I agree with Mina," Inayah nodded her head fast and I sighed at them. If only I had brought people who would be actual help. They would run away and leave me at the first sight of danger.

I opened my door and got out, then turned to open the door to Mina's side. She jumped as I did so and I leant down to her level.

"I wouldn't be asking you to get out if it wasn't safe," I said softly. I reached my hand out to her in hopes that she would change her mind. "So?"

        "Only if you promise nothing will happen!" She pointed an accusing finger at me and I nodded. She grabbed a hold of my hand, I pulled her out, then closed the door. There was no
reason for me to even ask Inayah to get out of the car. She had her head on a constant swivel and her hands glued to the steering wheel. To even prove her point further, she locked the doors as soon as I closed the back one and placed her back against the seat, relaxing a little. Yeah, she's definitly not leaving the car.

        "That's the house?" Mina asked in astonishment as we neared the broken steps. She held onto my hand tighter and slowly shook her head. "No wonder Ummi never lets us come over here."

         "Maybe," I sucked in a breath as we stayed a few feet away from the house. The longer that I looked at the house, the more I started to see why it intrigued me so much. The broken steps, the chipped paint, the patchy grass. All of it reminded me of growing up. Our house was no palace, or even that taken care of. I could hardly see the difference of it from my old home. Growing up, I never really realized how bad it was until I got older and moved in with Tehreem. Her house is two story like our old one, but it's perfectly set. The inside, the outside, everything looks perfect.

        She is the oldest and left home early. I always thought it was because she wanted to hurry and get to college, not that she was escaping our situation. But now I see it and understand her.

        "You're back!" I shook my head out of my thoughts and nodded to Talah. She pulled the front door hard and jumped down the steps, completely skipping the uneven, broken ones. She stood in front of us with a soccer ball in hand.

        "Yeah we did," I pulled out the barrette from my pocket and passed it to her. She took it with her brows furrowed in confusion. "You dropped it when I was here last."

        "Thank you," She smiled and turned to throw it back on the porch. Not seeing anything else to say, I followed Mina's lead as she pulled my arm back towards the car. "Wait!" Talah called after us and we stopped. "Do you at least want to play with us?" This time her question was directed to Mina.

        She looked at me as if begging me to make up an excuse, yet I smiled. It was time for her to come out of her little bubble. "Sure you can," I nudged her shoulder, making her eyes widen. "We have nowhere to be."

        "What about Inayah?" Mina asked shakily.

        I turned back to look at my friend who had now stopped looking around to type something on her phone. "She will be fine," I waved off and turned to Talah. "Lead the way."

***
I couldn't do it anymore. Sweat dripped down my forehead as I tried moving my feet across the field. The sounds of children running around, adults laughing, and the sounds of the ball being kicked magnified in my ears. Even with my best attempts at fixing my now rumpled scarf, my arms felt like noodles as I tried to move them.

"You look like you're having fun," Inayah laughed at me as I pulled myself to a set of lawn chairs we somehow found and plopped myself down. I could feel something in my body pop, but being as exhausted as I am, I didn't care to see what it was.

It's amazing how much things have changed in the last our. My day of peace and a fresh shower became ruined, I convinced Mina to branch out and make new friends, and even Inayah got over her fear of The Kings and got out of the locked car. But according to her, she only got out to take pictures and videos of me absolutely failing at soccer.

"As sad as it is, I have to remind myself that I'm not ten again," I sighed. I reached down to adjust my legs to where they weren't bent and hissed. "Did you bring any aspirin or something? My whole body is throbbing, and my arm."

"You shouldn't have gone out there," She sang while wagging a finger at me. I rolled my eyes.

"In my defense it was fun at first," I shot back. I wasn't lying about my whole body throbbing, especially my arm. The throbbing sensation I was feeling could be physically seen through my splint. Doctor Anne is going to have a field day with her scolding on my next appointment.

        "Well look at you now," She pocketed her phone and sat up. Narrowing her eyes, she moved closer until she was barely half a foot away from my hand. "That doesn't look good."

        "I know," I groaned. "But look how happy Mina is," I smiled and used my other hand to point towards her. Her hair bounced as she kicked the ball with a giggle. Her dimples revealed themselves as she ran across the field with the widest smile I have seen in a while. "Tehreem might not agree with my methods, but you have to agree that this was worth it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Inayah replied with a sideways smile and a small shrug of her shoulders. A yelp from the field brought our attention back to them. "Except that stain," She cringed and pointed towards my niece. The light colored pants she had on showed a dark mud stain that would cause hell trying to get out.

I sighed. "That's just a technicality."

Inayah shook her head. "Mhm."

"Hello," Inayah and I turned our heads to the direction of the street where a new voice had joined us. A small, frail woman widely smiled at us as we walked over. Recognizing that she had a cane, I quickly stood up from my chair to offer it to her.

"Please," I insisted. "Take my seat."

"You're very kind," She grinned once she sat down and sat her cane across her lap. My heart went out to her from her appearance. Even with her dark skin she looked pale and tired. At first glance you would think she was elderly, but the more I looked at her she didn't seem like it. She just portrayed a woman who has been through a lot. "I haven't seen you two around here before," She said after a minute or so. "New to the area?"

"Just visiting," I answered. I slowly bent down to the ground until I was sitting.

"That's new," She chuckled. "No one like you girls visit here."

"Actually Talah is a lot of the reason," I said.

"My Talah?" She raised her hand to her heart in surprise, and I nodded. "Good heavens, what has she done now?"

"No, no, no!" I quickly objected with wide eyes when I realized that she thought Talah was at fault. If anything, I have to thank her for me coming back over here. "The other day I ended up here from my lack of paying attention, which is when I met her. She's very sweet."

"Yes," The woman turned her head in the direction of the field where the kids continued to play. "She is."

"Is she your daughter?" Inayah suddenly asked, letting her curiosity get the best of her. Normally I would object asking that sort of question because of others privacy, but I wanted to know myself. She and Talah didn't look very much alike aside from their skin tone, but it is possible.

"Yes she is," The woman smiled fondly, her eyes still glued to the game. It was as if she couldn't let her eyes wonder off sight from Talah. Like she needed to know where she was at all times. "I swear she lives in this field. It's like her safe place."

"I think everyone should have their own safe place," Inayah suddenly said. She folded her leg over the other and folded her arms. Like the woman, her eyes remained glued to the game in deep thought. I had to agree with her. There's nothing like having a place where you can call your own. A place where you can either allow your problems to flow away or just simply cry them out. No one else would know where this place is, just you, and you could keep it that way. Sadly, not everyone can have that type of place. I don't, but I want to. Ya Allah, do I want to.

***
March 5th 2018

        "Three extra weeks?" I asked in surprise. Doctor Anne sat across from me with a look of sympathy as she clutched her clipboard.

        "I'm afraid so," She rolled her chair over to where I was seated on the bed and showed my ex-rays, whistling as she pulled them out. "Your hand is not healing as well as it should. The places that should be getting better have gotten swollen and worse since the last time I've seen you. Have you been doing anything strenuous lately."

        "Just the usual work and school," I shrugged and placed my hand in my lap. The pain medication she had just given me was just starting to kick in and the pain was subsiding. Telling her about playing in that soccer game Saturday would just be pointless. I wouldn't hear anything except her disapproval and scolding. I wasn't up for that today.

        "I know college is hard and so is work, but you need to try to handle less."

        "Easier said than done," I stated, Doctor Anne nodded.

         "Try then," Her eyes pierced into mine as she tried to get her point across. "The fate of your hand healing depends on that."

         "How's everything going?" Tehreem pushed open the door with a smile. She came to sit down in the chair besides my bed. "She hasn't been giving you any trouble has she?"

        "Only to her wrist," Doctor Anne fixed me with a pointed look and I lowered my head. If there was one time when I felt like a child, it would be now. Doctor Anne handed Tehreem my file.

        "Um, doctor patient confidentiality?!" I exclaimed with wide eyes as Tehreem started to flip through the book with wide eyes. "I could sue!"

        "What have you been doing?" Tehreem horrifically looked up at me and pointed to the x-Ray. "Your arm shouldn't be this swollen."

        "That's what I said!" Doctor Anne joined in. I placed my good hand over my face with a groan.

"Don't get embarrassed now," I pulled my hand away just in time to see both Doctor Anne and Tehreem staring at me–more like my soul. Tehreem had her arms folded across her chest and a smirk on her face. All I wanted to do is crawl up in my room and just escape. The time was barely noon but that did nothing to curb the fact that I have classes from one to eight this afternoon. Half of those classes are tests and long assignments and writing. Well, what else was I expecting with college.

        "I have to go..." I started off saying, but they weren't listening. Both my sister and the doctor began a very heated conversation over yours truly. The only thing I could do was watch like a child as they discussed my wellbeing like I wasn't even there. Honestly, it was getting a little old now. I'm only going to be a teenager for the next few months, yet I feel completely and utterly speechless when it comes to me and my health. It was like they didn't even care to talk to me about it as if what is going on doesn't affect me.

        The worst part is that I dont have the coourage to yell out that and make my point. After all that my sister does for me, including caring enough to look out for me, it didn't seem right that I was calling her out on what she was doing no matter how I feel. I hated being helpless in my own situation, but to make Tehreem think that I don't want her input would just hurt the hoth of us. So I tried my approach again.

"I'm going to be late for class," I jumped down from the bed I was sitting on and reached for my bag. "Do I have a prescription or something that I need to get before I leave?"

"This is for pain," Doctor Anne handed me a slip to the pharmacy and I took it gratefully. With all of my might, I tried my hardest not to look in my sisters direction. She may just be my sister, but she has a way of acting like our mother and it is just downright creepy.

"Thank you," I went to reach for the door when Tehreem put out her foot to stop me. I turned to her with a frown. "Do you want me to fail?"

"No, I want you to get better," She stood up from her chair, only now unfolding her arms. "Get your medication and get to class, then go home. We'll talk more about this later."

"You know I'm not five right?" I raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"Yes, I do know that miss almost twenty," She nodded with an even deeper smirk than before. "But still, go home after class. Unless you prefer I call Ummi about this?" She raised her own eyebrows.

My eyes widened at the threat that I know she would do without shame. Ummi would be on the next bus, plane, or even uber if she heard that I wasn't getting along well here. Or she would continuously call to check up on me, or even give Tehreem permission to act more like my mother than she already is. There are no limits to what they both could do.

"Fine," I finally gave in and hurried to go to the door. If I stayed one more second Tehreem would probably get me admitted.

***

I have not updated this story for an entire month! WOW! That hiatus really made many things clear for me. With this book, and in my everyday life. I was able to come up with new stories and even more ideas for this book! I want to make it as best as I can, for me and YOU! I really want you to enjoy yourself when reading my writing. InshaAllah (if God wills) I will be coming up with the prologue for this new book I'm hoping to write. Your input is the encouragement I need to continue going. I appreciate all of your likes and comments! KEEP 'EM COMING!!!

New cover creds to the one and only
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