Nusaybah's POV:
It was the first day of Year 10. My first day at my new school.
"I'll be fine. I'm not a baby." I tell my parents, reassuringly. I force a smile on my face and give them a wave as they return to the car. My mom's eyes are teary, she has always been worrywort but she manages a smile as she waves goodbye. My dad gently guides my mom to the car, one arm wrapped around her waist, as he gives me a nod before entering the car.
I stare at the car as it becomes smaller in the distance. Come back. Take me back.
I hear a slight cough, which causes me to turn around.
There was a stern-looking woman, her hair in a bun and clipboard in hand. She gives me a polite smile, as if she didn't really mean it but gave it because she deemed it was necessary.
"I'm Ms Clark. You must be Nusaybah, the new student in Year 10." She said in a matter of fact tone.
I nodded meekly.
"Follow me," she instructed.
And, I did.
As we walked towards the school, students ran past, shouting and laughing. Girls giggled in their little groups, whilst boys kicked a football at each other. We walked inside the building and thats when students spotted Ms Clark.
When they saw Ms Clark, their laughs became quieter and the football was no longer played with.
Everyone's words and laughter became quieter- well, not everyone.
"- just a fling but she thought it was exclusive. So, she took revenge by supergluing my trousers on a chair.. Why is everyone quiet?" The boy who was just speaking looks around in confusion to find the corridor much more quiet than it was a minute ago. He looked at Ms Clark, who had come much closer to him and smiled sheepishly.
She raised her eyebrow looking unimpressed, "My office, 4 pm."
He sighs and slumps his shoulder but does not seem much surprised. Perhaps this was a normal occurrence
Ms Clark guides me towards the admission office. We finish with the final admission procedure and she hands me my timetable.
There's a knock at the office.
"That must be her!" Ms Clark said enthusiastically, before opening the door.
"This is Tanisha, she'll be your guide. Now, Tanisha takes her to your form class. Goodbye girls," Ms Clark said chirpily, as she ushered us out of the office.
"Hi I'm Tanisha, it's nice to meet you, you must be the new girl Nusaybah right?" She said with a kind smile, revealing a dimple on her left cheek. Tanisha was a beautiful girl. She had a heart warming smile and gorgeous silky black hair. She was short, perhaps 5 foot and wore a gold watch on her left wrist.
"Yeah, it's nice to meet you too. Your watch is really pretty," I said with a small smile. I didn't feel as scared and nervous with her.
"Thank you, I love your rings and bracelets," she responded.
"Jewellery completes an outfit, don't you think?" I replied.
She laughs and nods, "Definitely, especially since we have to wear this ugly uniform."
"It's not that ugly," I responded. And, it really wasn't. The uniform was very simple: a mandatory white shirt, maroon blazer with a skirt or trousers and a tie.
"That's only because you haven't got tired of wearing it," she said.
We arrived in front of the classroom.
I take a deep breath, trying to mentally prepare myself before entering the classroom.
The teacher introduced himself as Mr Shane. He was a short man in his late twenties, with a whiteboard marker resting on his ear and an easy-going smile.
"You must be Nusaybah," he said kindly.
I nodded.
He cleared his throat and the class immediately went quiet. All chatter had ceased.
"We have a new addition to our form class. This is Nusaybah. Everyone, make her feel welcome." He announced.
Then, he looked around the classroom, as if looking for an empty spot. After his announcement, the class had returned to back chattering and giggling. A few people looked at me with curiosity, but most of them seemed to ignore my presence. I was not complaining. That suited me just fine.
"You can take a seat next to Hamza. Raise your hand up." Mr Shane said.
I looked around the classroom.
At the black of the classroom, a tall boy with jet black hair sits facing towards the window. He raises his hand slowly.
I made my way between the desks, heading towards him. He noticed me, looked up briefly, but said nothing.
Say something, I tell myself.
Hi, my name is Nusaybah.
No-that's stupid. He already knows that.
I was saved from saying anything as Mr Shane's voice breaks in, starting the register. I take one last glance at the book to find him sketching on his notebook.
"Alright, everyone, talk to your partners and catch up about the summer," Mr Shane said enthusiastically, before sipping his coffee.
The classroom once again breaks into noise, as people eagerly break into conversation about their summer holidays.
I stayed silent. My eyes, however, had a mind of their own. I glance sideways-just a flicker- to Hamza.
He's..gorgeous. In an effortless way, which only makes my heart beat faster and my voice retreat further. I chewed on my bottom lip, debating whether to say anything. What would I say without sounding like a complete idiot? What if I say something and he doesn't respond? That's so embarrassing.
Before the silence could stretch any more further, a voice from the desk ahead of us breaks it.
"Hi, new girl" said a boy, spinning around in his chair. His grin was wide and enthusiastic. "I'm Amir," He said introducing himself.
Relief floods me. Someone normal.
"Hi,"I said softly, matching his grin with a smile of my own. "I'm Nusaybah, but you already know that."
I look at Hamza to see if he was listening but he does not say a word and continues to sketch. He doesn't say anything.
"Forget about him," Amir said, flicking a finger in Hamza's direction. "He's not much of a talker."
I nodded.
Hamza rolled his eyes.
"So, new girl, why did you move here?" asked Amir curiously.
"My dad got a new job," I replied, giving him the easy answer. It was true, partly.
He was about to ask me another question when his eyes suddenly widen, as if he had remembered something.
"Wait..wait-oh!" His hand tapped against his temple and he broke into a wide smile.
"Hamza! I didn't finish telling you the story about the summer. Nusaybah, you have to hear this too," He said excitedly.
He leaned forward, elbows on the desk and his brown eyes bright with mischief.
"I went to this party, right?" He said, enthusiastically looking at me and Hamza to see if he were listening. Hamza had closed his sketchbook now and was listening.
"I hooked up with this gorgeous girl named Lila and then we hooked up a few more times throughout the summer. It was just casual - well that is what I thought. So, I hooked up with another girl but I did not know it was her friend. I had no idea I was supposedly exclusive with Lila, so get this. She got mad at me and stopped talking to me. Then, she invited me over to her house to talk things over. She sat me down in the kitchen, but I couldn't get up. She had put superglue on the chair. Eventually, when I did get up, I ran out of her house with half my trousers- the little bit I had managed to salvage," he finished the story animatedly, his ears red as if he was still angry from the memory.
As Amir finished his story, I started laughing loudly with a few tears streaming down my face. My laugh was a little loud, so I got a few looks but I was laughing too much to care.
Beside me, Hamza was bent over his desk, head resting on his folded arms. Initially, I thought he was just resting but I noticed the subtle shake of his shoulders and his arms trembled slightly. A muffled laugh escaped him.
"It didn't come to you to communicate?" I said after my fit of laughter.
"What do you mean?" Amir asked, confused.
"I mean, about if you were exclusive or not." I replied.
"Oh, was I supposed to?" Amir asked.
I laughed, nodding my head.