Aziza was torn.

She dreaded going to school that day but she knew she had no other choice. It didn't help things with the way she ended their conversation with her brother yesterday so the ride to school was going to suck.

That was what she was replaying in her head as she walked over to the car that was already running with her brother situated in the drivers seat. She cursed as she pulled the door open, sliding into the car.

Hafiz didn't bother saying anything as he drove out of the house, the only sound being the constant clicking of his phone as he was seeking through the songs.

"I'm hoping today is a better day to talk about it." Hafiz glanced at her and she sighed frustratedly resting her head against the window.

"I thought this conversation was over." Aziza groaned earning a chuckle from her brother as she looked out the window, the cars passing by with similar pairings as most were in her position.

"You know I don't leave things like that." Hafiz said amusedly as he slid a hand off the wheel, getting comfortable as they stopped at a red light.

"I got hit by a ball." Aziza admitted defeatedly and Hafiz's head snapped in her direction as soon the words flew out of her mouth. He parted his lips to say something but thought against it as he released a breath, pressing on the accelerator as the light turned green.

"It wasn't intentional." Aziza clarified as she turned her head to look at him, hoping to get the message across before he started jumping into conclusions.

"And how are you so sure?" Hafiz quirked a brow letting out a mocking laugh and Aziza rolled her eyes, pinning her eyes on Hafiz who held a deep frown on his face.

"Because I know the girl. She's my friend." Aziza defended causing Hafiz to snort at her naivety which irritated her further.

"And this your friend takes you as a friend?" Hafiz raised his brow causing Aziza to freeze, the question taking her aback. She remembered their conversation at the locker room and how a stranger told her not to go with her friends. And she started questioning if she was considered one of them.

"Ya Hafiz please, not now." Aziza pleaded as her voice cracked with emotion further worrying her brother who parked at the side of the road a few feet from the school gates. He dragged a hand down his face as he pursed his lips, turning to find the words to say.

"Aziza I don't mean to—" Aziza scoffed letting herself out of the car before he finished the sentence. Hafiz cursed under his breath as he witnessed her stomping into the school knowing he made some irreparable damage that day.

Aziza successfully made it to class with no disturbance whatsoever, throwing herself on the seat close to the window knowing she wasn't going to be disturbed, not like she cared because she was in a sour mood today.

Soon enough the class filled up as the teacher started from where he left off. Fatima's eyes were drilling a hole into Aziza's oblivious figure as she buried her face in her arms drifting to sleep.

"Is it going to be today?" Faiza whispered loudly earning a glare from Fatima causing her to purse her lips, retreating for the time being.

"There's no use keeping it up." Fatima smiled mischievously as she rested her chin in her palm.

Classes was over and it was finally lunch time. Aziza slept off all her bad energy so she was in a way better mood. It wasn't authoring to find the class empty and made her way out of the classroom to the cafeteria.

She spotted the table of her friends with Fatima on the middle of it all, her head thrown back as she laughed at a joke someone cracked. Aziza picked a tray off the bunch as she moved along the line. It was a Friday so it was chips and samosas for lunch.

Unlike the schools she's been to where they had whacky meals and the students bought out, this school took the food seriously which enabled the students to eat there because it was better than some restaurants.

"It's chip day." The chef winked and Aziza raised her brows as the woman jerked her head in the direction of the big bowl filled with different flavors of chips for everyone to take. Aziza plucked a pack out of the bowl not bothering to check the flavor as she walked to her usual table.

"Apparently it's chip day." Aziza chuckled placing her tray on the empty spot beside Fatima. She went to sit on the chair but a manicured hand stopped her from doing so.

"The seat is taken." Fatima smiled sweetly and Aziza scrunched her brows confusedly letting out a laugh.

"Everyone is present." Aziza insisted.

"But the seat is taken, go find somewhere else to sit." Fatima shooed her away and she bit her lip trying to comprehend what was going on, meeting Naseem's eyes in the process.

Aziza flushed in embarrassment because the table was fuller than usual as there were a lot of guys from the basketball team who sat at the table to discuss their game and strategies. There were a few snickers from the table as she clutched her tray helplessly.

"There's literally an open seat there." Naseem Hadeja jerked his chin towards the seat and Fatima crossed her arms over her chest, cocking her head to the side condescendingly.

"It's taken." Fatima raised her brows daring him to say something but he raised his hands in defense, further disappointing Aziza as her shoulders slouched.

"Is there something I did?" Aziza asked desperately as she tried communicating with the elite girl who hummed, throwing a fry in her mouth as she closed her eyes throwing her head back dramatically at the taste.

She opened her eyes a few moments later as she raised her brow when she noticed Aziza staring at her pleadingly. "It has nothing to do with me." She said almost mockingly just as everyone's phone dinged further confusing Aziza as she slid her phone out of her pocket clicking on the video sent to the groupchat.

She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she clicked on the video file which was slightly dim because the videos setting was a silhouette with an almost naked girl standing in front of a mirror. The problem was that Aziza recognized herself in the video, and the whole cafeteria was watching the same video.

It was a video she took was two years ago for her boyfriend because he threatened to break up with her and she naively accepted because she was desperate to keep him, only for him to release it to the whole school the last day of school.

And that was one of the reasons she transferred to this school only for her dark past to follow her to her fresh start, and it was all Fatima's fault. She felt her hands shaking as she peered at the appalled looks on their faces as they glanced at their phones, whilst some boys laughed showing it to their friends.

"I forgot about this challenge. Anyone wants to refresh their memory?" Fatima mocked waving her phone just as she noticed he nameless boy who didn't bother introducing himself to her slapped the back of his hand against Abdulhakeem's chest shoving his phone in the boys face.

"Didn't peg you for a dancer, Aziza." Faiza said bitingly, smirking when she noticed the tears welling in Aziza's eyes as she took a few steps back, her head whipping around the cafeteria vigorously.

"I told you the quiet ones were the freakiest." She heard Hafiz chuckle.

"It's always the new girls." She heard another guy pipe from the table.

"Faisal you need to see this." She heard Abdulhakeem shout causing Maryam and Faisal who were getting their food snap their head toward the table and Aziza couldn't help but ask why this was happening to her.

They walked towards the table as Faisal slapped hands with Hafiz who flashed him his phone. Faisal's brows knitted as he raised his eyes to Aziza before focusing on the screen once again.

"That's crazy." Hafiz chuckled glancing at Faisal who had a blank expression on his face causing his smile to falter as he stared at the boy confusedly.

"And what's this supposed to be?" Maryam quirked her brow earning a laugh from Hafiz as he shook his head, pointing at the phone.

"Maryam don't ruin the fun." Fatima called out.

Hafiz sighed sliding his phone in his pocket turning to Faisal. "What's up with you anyway?" He addressed Faisal who looked unamused with the whole ordeal, which was a shock to everyone due to his usual playful demeanor.

"Maryam to the rescue. Now you suddenly care about the well being of others?" Fatima tilted her head to the side, unamused as her eyes darted to Maryam.

"We're not doing this." Maryam dismissed.

"Why don't you mind your business? This is between us." Fatima interjected as she walked closer to Aziza, wrapping her arm around Aziza's shoulder though she had never felt so cold.

"And she seems okay to you?" Maryam quirked her brow, her tone anything but convinced.

"Do you see her resisting?" Fatima shot back.

Aziza remained quiet as they continued arguing and she found herself stepping out of Fatima's hold and walking towards Maryam. The girl seemed so mysterious to Aziza and she couldnt hlep hit get curious. Why wasn't she like the rest? What is so special about her that makes every inch of Aziza desperate to get to her?

Fatima raised her brows in surprise before she scoffed, only to stare to the side meeting Faisal's blank face. He didn't utter a word as he turned on his heels leaving the cafeteria altogether.

"You got your answer." Maryam flashed her a tight smile as she rolled her eyes, wrapping her hand around Aziza's wrist, snapping the girl out of her trance finding her face damp with tears. She didn't bother to reply to Fatima as she knew ignoring her would be far more effective because one thing with Fatima is she hates being ignored.

"Let's go." Maryam jerked her head towards the exit as they made their way towards the clearing, only for Fatima's voice to stop them.

"She'll ruin you." Fatima called out causing their steps to falter. Her fists clenched at her sides pairing with the frustrated look on her face.

Aziza couldn't help but stare up at Maryam in fear of her actually considering Fatima's words. At the end of the day, they didn't know anything about her so she could be telling the truth. Her body sank with relief when Maryam pulled Aziza with her as they left the cafeteria, strolling down the hall until Maryam pulled Aziza into the bathroom.

Aziza leaned her body against the wall as she rested her head on the cold surface. She stared at the ceiling letting the tears fall freely done her face. She never thought Fatima had a motive and a strong one at that, going as far as releasing the videos.

"This isn't how it's supposed to go." Aziza squeezed her eyes shut shaking her head at the memory, feeling her heart clench knowing more than half of the school knew how she looked like.

"I swear I'm not that kind of person it was a one time thing." Aziza held Maryam's wrist tightly as she stared up at her desperately, making it seem like Maryam believing her would solve all her problems.

Maryam smiled as she was verklempt with sadness, clutching Aziza's hands in hers tightly causing the said girl to look up, the tears rolling down her cheeks continuously.

"I'm a girl too. I know the drill and it's not your fault he decided to release your private conversations, so don't feel bad about it." Maryam shrugged her shoulders and Aziza bobbed her head weakly in agreement, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

She didn't hear Maryam's response or maybe she was too deep in her thoughts to notice, she didn't know which and stared at her hands on her lap blankly, trying to wrap her head around this and how to go about it.

"It's not your fault Fatima is a bitch." Maryam tried offering comfort causing Aziza to laugh briefly at her poor way of comfort.

"That made me feel better." Aziza rolled her eyes playfully causing them both to chuckle. They basked in the silence even to the point where Aziza started kicking her legs against the cupboard under the sink.

"Don't worry about that though. They'll jump onto the next drama before the day ends." Maryam assured but they both know it wasn't that simple but Aziza found herself smiling at the effort the girl was making to boost her spirit.

"So why don't you stop worrying about that and get some food before classes commence?" Maryam stood to her feet raising her hands slightly, earning a pointed look from Aziza who shook her head dismissively.

"I'm not going back to that cafeteria." Aziza chuckled bitterly and Maryam's lips tugged into a smirk, placing her hand on her hip.

"Whoever said anything about the cafeteria?" Maryam's eyes glinted with mischief as she stretched her arm out as an invitation. Aziza smiled weakly taking her hand letting Maryam pull her up and she turned to the mirror to fix herself.

"One moment." Aziza whispered as she washed her face ridding her face of the streaks of tears. She raised up placing her arms on the counter staring at her damp face, before snatching a napkin from the neat pile.

Looking behind her, her eyes met Maryam who had a ghost of a smile playing on her lips as she quirked a brow when she met Aziza's slightly bloodshot eyes.

"Lead the way." Aziza smiled gesturing towards the door and the girl laughed in response strutting out of the restroom with Aziza following behind her.

Aziza found herself rubbing her arm nervously as she saw some students in the hallway who probably watched the video and she shrunk, lowering her head. An arm linked with hers making her look up coming to face with Maryam who held a rather disapproving frown.

"Nobody is looking at you, see for yourself." Maryam whispered softly but Aziza didn't believe her, but complied nevertheless looking up to find the students taking between themselves whilst some laughed, not caring about them and she found herself wondering if they were invisible.

"You're right." Aziza mumbled letting out a relieved laugh.

"Not everyone in this school are assholes like them. You're not worth them fawning over it." Maryam shrugged her shoulders earning a chuckle from Aziza as she shook her head.

"Wow thanks." Aziza chuckled sarcastically.

"Sorry." Maryam winced dawning on her what she just said but Aziza only shook her head dismissively.

"It's okay, I get it." Aziza assured. "It's better that way to be honest." Aziza laughed as they skipped down the stairs only realizing they were back at the cafeteria once again making her tense as she halted her steps abruptly and Maryam jerked from the impact as she turned to Aziza with furrowed brows.

"What's wrong?"

"Isn't that the cafeteria?" She pointed towards the building where students were hanging around. Maryam shook her head with a cheshire cat smile, placing her finger over her lips.

"No there's something better." She grinned pulling the girl with her, further confusing her. They got to a secluded place and heard a faint sound of laughter before they walked around the tree, finding three familiar males sitting in chairs, conversing between themselves.

"Can't believe you started without me." Maryam placed her hand over her chest, a gasp escaping her lips.

"It was all him." Bilal jerked his chin in Faisal's direction who hummed looking up, too invested in the cup of noodles he was eating to notice. He swallowed the food in his mouth flashing them a handsome grin and Aziza couldn't help but smile wondering how Maryam felt being around three good looking guys every single day.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to take it, okay?" She gestured to the seat beside Faisal, before reaching into a bag pulling out a soda handing it to Aziza. Aziza collected it hesitantly placing her hands on her lap.

Maryam went ahead to place her hand on Aziza's shoulder, peering into her eyes. Aziza nodded smiling in gratitude although she felt so out of places but she saved her from first hand embarrassment Fatima was going to make her go through.

She unsurprisingly sat next to Fuad further proving Halima's point. "Well, this is Aziza." And just like that all their eyes fell on her making Aziza feel light headed, hating the sudden silence.

"I don't mind being your friend." Faisal smirked.

It was surprising for Aziza find out Faisal was goofy and carefree when the coldest and the most heartless girl she knew was head over heels for him. But as they say, opposites attract and he was physically perfect so Fatima might just be infatuated with his looks.

"She has standards, Faisal. Give up." Maryam jabbed causing the two boys to howl in laughter at the defeated look on the latter's face.

"So Aziza, how do you like the school so far?" Faisal waved her off pinning his attention on her once again.

"I mean, I can't be the judge of that yet." She bit on her lip, laughing nervously.

Bilal still hasn't said anything yet, neither did Fuad and Aziza deduced that they weren't open people, or rather welcoming unlike the two. She a

"And here I was thinking I was the reason." Faisal mimicked his friends move earlier, placing his hand over his chest, a charming smile to pair with it.

"Don't mind Faisal, he likes to flirt." Maryam called out earning a glare from Faisal which she failed to acknowledge.

"You need this back?" Maryam asked Fuad who stared back at her, his teeth nibbling on his inner lip. She raised her brows digging her hand into the bag of chips for another with his eyes on her the whole time she did so.

"What's the catch?" He tilted his head to the side.

"I don't like the flavor." She winced earning a laugh from him as he shrugged his shoulders.

"That's out of my hands." He raised his hands and she jerked her head back, her eyes widening in realization.

"It was intentional." She blinked, tilting her head to the side. Fuad slid out of the chair just as she lunged at him, keeping a safe distance with an arm behind him.

Faisal and Bilal both chuckled at their banter as Maryam got to her feet chasing after him once again before he reached his hand out offering her another one, making her pause as she reached for it only for him to snatch it away. She cussed him out as she kept following him whilst he laughed.

Aziza found herself admiring their friendship and hoped she could get something like that. She couldn't help but glance at Faisal and Bilal who were already immersed in another conversation acting like it was totally normal with how the two obviously had feelings for one another.

As if feeling her stare, both boys looked up to find her shooting them a disbelieving stare and they both chuckled, shaking their heads.