Chapter 15 #2
“Jihad?” Nicole asks, keeping her eyes on me.
They’re full of curiosity, and she’s toeing the line of civility.
The colors waver, and I can almost see them in this café.
I want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I know when I’m being made fun of.
And I think now she wants to see me sweat a little, but behind her, outside the café door, is my mural on the wall. My blessing.
I shift in my seat, my voice calm, knowing it’ll infuriate her.
“I believe it’s arrogant of us to think only what we see is real.
There are so many unanswered questions in history.
I’m not saying magic has anything to do with it.
But there are things in this universe that are bigger than us.
I mean, don’t you think it’s incredible how this whole world works?
Planets in orbit. Meteor showers. The depths of the ocean.
There are more things we don’t understand. That’s what I believe.”
They’re silent, staring at me with wide eyes, and I realize I haven’t ever spoken this much to them.
Jenny snaps her fingers. “That! Exactly. That’s how I feel. Thank you, Jihad.”
I nod with a small smile.
Nicole takes a sip of her tea. “That makes perfect sense.”
I glance at my mural.
The girl is suspended in the middle of the sea, infinite blue around her, surrounded by a bloom of jellyfish.
Some line her arms. Others perch on her head, and one is cupped in her palm.
The girl is smiling, breathing underwater.
The jellyfish are supposed to be in shades of blue, green, and purple.
“You know, Jihad is an artist.” Alexis beams at me. “You guys saw how she transformed my room’s walls.”
“I remember.” Hayley plays with her straw. Her perfect eyebrows are raised, impressed. “You should consider making a career from that.”
I try not to look surprised. “Really?”
She nods. “People spend money on anything. I mean, you’re not Klimt, but you’re not bad.”
I glance at Alexis, confused. “Thank you?”
“You’re welcome,” Hayley replies.
Alexis taps her fingers on the table. “She’s been drawing ever since I knew her. She has this sketchbook from when she was nine. Tell them about the sketchbook, Ji!”
I fidget with my fingers, and Alexis gives me an encouraging look. I haven’t been the center of a conversation for so long, it feels like I’m learning how to walk again.
“Yeah, I got it for my birthday. It was kind of expensive, so I decided to only draw important things. Or whatever I thought was important at the time. I’ve been doing it ever since.
It’s nearly finished, and I want to send it as part of my college application so they can see how I’ve grown as an artist. It’s a whole mess, but it’s got character, which I hope works in my favor. ”
Jenny nods. “That sounds pretty cool.”
A beat of silence follows. I fiddle with my spoon.
“Anyway.” Nicole drags the word and then stares me pointedly. “We’ve stalled long enough. What happened with Jamie?”
The other three lean forward in their seats, eyes wide with hunger for my answer.
I squirm in my seat a bit. “I talked to him.”
“And?” Jenny says. “Speak faster!”
I clear my throat and tuck my hands under my thighs, sitting on them. “He said he’d like to talk to you about it in person. That it’s between you two.”
Another beat of silence with the words sinking in. Then they erupt in gasps and giggles.
“Oh my God, he likes you!” Hayley whisper-screams.
Nicole’s shoulders get shoved, but she has a giddy grin on her face, cheeks becoming flushed. “I can’t believe it!”
“I can!” Alexis squeals.
“Wait, wait!” Nicole says loudly, putting up her hands. She turns her gaze toward me, and I imagine her in a bloodred cape with ice-frozen jewels on her neck. “Did he say he likes me?”
“He—he didn’t mention anything,” I lie in a crystal clear voice. “He just said he’d like to talk to you.”
She bites her lower lip. “All right, this doesn’t mean he likes me. We celebrated too early.”
“He’d be crazy not to like you,” Jenny exclaims.
“Exactly,” Hayley adds. “Besides, if he didn’t like you, then he wouldn’t want to talk directly to you. Jihad was right there, and he’d have told her to tell you so it saves him the awkwardness. I mean, it’s what I would have done.”
“That’s true.” Alexis nods. “I didn’t want to tell Adrian I liked Mason. But if I didn’t like him, then it would have been easier to let Adrian carry the news back.”
At the mention of Adrian, my stomach squeezes a fraction before letting go.
Nicole looks more placated. “Right.” She taps the table with her palms. “This means Monday is going to be very critical. We need to know how I’ll do my hair and which outfit to take to school with me because we’re obviously going out after, and I’m not wearing the uniform.”
They launch into a whole conversation on different hairstyles and whether it should be an updo or casual. Blow-dried or air-dried. Which clips to use. Whether she should wear a dress or a skirt. The sundress with the peonies along the hem or the miniskirt that does great justice to her legs.
I’m forgotten, no one even glancing at me, and my muscles relax. I’m no longer under the microscope.
I get a text and glance at my phone. Amal sent me a picture of the yabra’a.
The picture is a bit blurry thanks to the steam coming from the pressure cooker, but the yabra’a looks divine.
It makes my mouth water. The stuffed grapevines are all exactly the same shape and size, a testament to my sister’s steady hand.
The blessing she refuses to believe she has.
Amal: where are you?
Amal: I’m gonna eat them all
“I should get going,” I say when there’s a brief lull in the chatter, and reach for my bag. “But this was fun. Thank you.”
Hayley and Jenny give me twin smiles. Nicole just stares at me. Alexis’s expression falls, but she collects herself at the last second.
“I already sent you my share, Lexi,” I say to Alexis, nodding at her phone.
“Great!” Alexis smiles.
“Did you include tip?” Nicole asks, and Hayley snorts but masks it as a cough.
My face burns, but I say, “Yes, of course.”
I guess now that she got what she wanted out of me, there is no need to keep up the niceties. I’m such an idiot for thinking it was going to be different.
“Just making sure.” Nicole flips her mane over her shoulder.
“Why? Do you want me to cover you?” I say, and Nicole flushes. The rest of the girls go quiet, and I look at Alexis, but she’s become extremely interested in her phone.
I turn around and walk out. My steps are heavy, and I think I’m causing indents on the floor. I feel their eyes at the back of my head. My ears are hot, my heartbeat fast, but I’m glad for what I said. I hope not getting the last word in eats away at her.
My heart slows down to normal once I’m outside. My mural fills my entire vision. It spans the whole building in front of me, stretching on to the other nearby buildings.
Mama, ten years old and between the jellyfishes’ embraces, opens her eyes under the sea’s surface. Eyes golden like the sun, and when her gaze lands on me, she grins.