Nora Sullivan and Abdul Malik would say that they're madly in love with each other. Their names are written in the stars, that there's an invisible string tying them both together, they're soulmates, they're meant to get married and have a family together.
But both their families would disagree at the thought of them being in love, or being soulmates or even starting a family.
Why would anyone come in between love, young love, for that matter? Well, when people put their religion above all else, they forget that the religion they hold so dear also teaches about love.
Nora is a Christian, her father is the pastor of the Holy Heart Sanctuary Church, and as for Abdul, he's a Muslim, and most of all, his parents are Pakistani immigrants who came to the United States to provide a better future for their son.
There's one rule Abdul must follow. Do not fall in love with an atheist or anyone outside the Muslim faith. And because love comes to us when we least expect it, and we don't choose who to love. Love came to Abdul like an unexpected lightning from the sky during a wild storm.
He fell in love with Nora Sullivan, not caring if she was Muslim or not.
He fell for the way she covered her lips with pink lip gloss, how she smells like strawberries, and how high are cheekbones are. He fell in love with her strawberry blond hair. She looks like a fairy, he thinks.
Nora fell in love with his sharp cheekbones, his full set of hair and the dimple on his cheeks when he smiles. She fell in love with him, not caring about his religion and, most of all, the colour of his skin.
They met at the glee club. One thing they both have in common is that they want to be singers, but their religious parents don't agree.
"My parents think the music industry is run by the devil," Nora said, and Abdul laughed.
"Mine doesn't think that, they just want me to be a doctor or lawyer or something like that. I can already tell what they're going to say. We didn't come to this country for you to be singer Abdul.'" he said, imitating his parents' Pakistani accent.
Nora laughed. Not at the accent, but how funny he was trying to copy his parents' accent. And Abdul loved the way Nora laughed. She sounded like rain on a summer's day.
Their first kiss was like that of a musical. They were alone in the room when the other glee club members left, and she and Abdul were the only ones left singing a Taylor Swift song while they both looked into each other's eyes.
They didn't even finish the song, then they locked lips with each other.
That was the day that they said they were going to date, but their fairytale didn't last long because Nora's mother walked into the club and caught them both.
Dinner at home was strange because there was a lot of yelling and shouting. Nora's father, Pastor John Sullivan, told Nora not to see him again. Nora accused him of racism and Islamophobia. Her parents said she was being dramatic.
Nora quoted the scripture on how they should love their neighbour. But that wasn't enough to persuade them.
Nora didn't listen to her father, of course, that was the first time she disobeyed her parents, that's because she was in love. They both were. She went to Abdul's house, and they were making out. Both Abdul's parents caught them, and they told Nora to leave and Abdul to stop seeing her.
"Those people see you as a terrorist, Abdul." His father said to him.
"No, no, not her, not Nora, she's different."
"Can you hear yourself, Abdul?" his mother asked, and he didn't want to hear it.
And obviously, he didn't listen to them. They both kept seeing each other, and they both kept getting caught. It was too much that both families had to march to the principal's office to make him stop their.
Of course, like a reasonable man. Principal Watson told them he couldn't control them, and he couldn't just order them to stop seeing each other when they broke no school rule.
But they pushed and pushed and pushed till they got the principal all tied up. He ordered Abdul and Nora to limit their contact with each other.
Abdul barged into his room and barely spoke to his parents. Nora could not stop crying. The students at Cupid's Hollow High rooted for them, but some thought it was strange that two people from different worlds would be together.
But the two didn't care about what anyone else said. They were going to be together whether people liked it or not.
So they met privately, they hugged, they kissed, they held each other like they weren't going to see each other again, and that's when Abdul told her his plan. To run away, like the Taylor Swift song Getaway Car.
They could go to L.A., live in a small apartment for now, get record labels to find them through their singing, and then they'll become full-time singers. The power couple of Hollywood.
He thought she was going to say no, but she smiled excitedly and said yes. She was going to run away with him. Abdul kissed her, and they went their separate ways to get ready.
Nora packed her things when everyone was asleep, and when she was about to climb out of the window, she looked back with sadness on her face.
"I love you, Daddy," she muttered, and then she got out and ran toward the getaway car. As soon as she got in, they kissed each other and he drove away.
Which brings us to this night, two lovers from different worlds running away from home to make their dreams come true. Together.
While Abdul drives the car. Nora places her hand on his, and they both look at each other, smiling at each other like it's the first time they're meeting.
"I love you," Abdul says.
"I love you too," Nora says to him, starry-eyed.
"Don't worry, whatever we're going to face, we face together," he takes her hand and squeezes. "It's going to take time, but we will make it."
"I don't even care about that at the moment. I'm just happy I got to be with you," she smiles, and so does he. They kiss each other. Their lips are like magnets; they attract each other as soon as they look at each other.
Every time they kiss, they forget about the real world; that's why they keep getting caught, and that's why they're about to hit someone right now.
"WATCH OUT!" Nora yells. Abdul attempts to move the wheel, but it's too late; he's hit the person, and they go screeching, stumbling to the side of the road. That hit was gnarly, and the person they hit must be injured.
"Oh my God, oh my God." Nora cries fearfully. "Is he dead? Did we kill him?"
"Calm down, Nora." Abdul opens the door.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"I'm going to see if they're okay. Wait in here," he instructs, and Nora doesn't have to be told twice. She cries, but she tries to stop herself from crying. She calms herself down. Then she brings out her phone to call 911; she doesn't stop shaking, but at least the number to call is only three digits.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"Uh, I think we hit-" a scream interrupts her, and she thinks that scream came from Abdul. Nora freezes, and she slowly turns her head and looks out to see what's going on.
"AB?"
"Hello, ma'am, are you there?"
Nora drops her phone, and she steps out of the car, but slowly and fearfully. The 911 dispatcher is still on the line. She doesn't care about that, just yet she wants to know what happened to Abdul.
She looks around her, but the body and Abdul are nowhere to be found. It's like they were never here.
"AB?" she calls his name in fear. But nothing, she's alone. She looks to the woods; she contemplates walking in.
BAM!
She yelps and she jumps, then turns around to see what the hell that was. She sees someone in the car, and they're dead. Blood all over their body, and there's a hole in their chest.
It's Abdul.
Nora screams and then she makes a run for it.
She runs as fast as her legs can carry her. She hears someone chasing her. She looks back and sees someone in a mask running after her.
"HELP ME! HELP!" She screams, hoping someone will hear her cries.
The masked assailant jumps and then lands in front of her with quickness, and then immediately puts his hand into her chest.
She freezes, and blood comes out of her mouth. That keeps her quiet. The last person she saw before her death was a masked individual with hearts for eyes.
The killer removes her heart from her chest, and she falls to the ground dead. The killer holds her heart, and it glows in the dark.
The heart of someone in love.
When you're in love, your heart will glow like opals under the sun. That's all the killer needs.
They place the heart in their bag and then pick Nora up.
He walks toward the car, slowly and demurely and then puts Nora in the car with her lover. They're both facing each other.
The killer looks at both of them, but he stops when he hears the sirens. The killer makes a jump for it like the Hulk, and he disappears.
Nora and Abdul are dead.
Their love story has come to an end.