Chapter 4

“Where the hell were you! I was worried sick! You were out all day and you haven’t even texted to called! I thought something happened to you!” My sister started yelling as soon as she saw me

“Oh calm down, I was out” I said taking off my coat

“Obviously! You are so irresponsible; you could’ve said that you were going out! Where were you?”

“You are not my mother, therefore I’m not obliged to tell you anything. Beside I’m 18 not 8 so stop treating me like a child!” I yelled back

“I will stop treating you like a child when you stop acting like one! Now answer my question where were you and with who” she said crossing her arms

“I don’t have to explain myself to you” I said

“I’m going to tell mom,” she said

“Do you know how childish that sounds? Beside go ahead I really don’t care, its not like she can do anything all the way from Kuwait” I said sitting on the couch and grabbing the remote to the TV

“Damn it, Deema. Until our parents get here, I’m the one responsible for you. And she may not be able to do anything from Kuwait but I can. Go to your room” she said turning off the TV

I started laughing at her

“You do realize that you’re only 2 years older right?” I said grabbing my bag and heading back out

“What the hell is wrong with you? Is this about what I told you?” she said

“Not everything is about you, Shoug. Stop acting like a drama queen and let me go, I want to be alone for a while” I said suddenly quiet

“Only if you tell me where you were”

“I was in the café near the bookshop.” I lied, for some reason I really didn’t want to tell her about Mishare, I was afraid she was going to steal him from me if she found out about him, it was stupid but she did steal away Fahad from me...

“All day?” she said

“Yeah, I was reading. Just let me go now,” I said hurrying out the door

--

“Its not fair” I cried into Lamas shoulder as she stroked my hair

“I really liked him and I thought he liked me too. Its like one minute he makes me feel like the most precious, special girl in the whole world and the other he makes me feel as if I’m nothing, like I never meant anything to him and its so hard because I really thought he liked me and when she told me that they’re together I felt my heart crumple” I said tears streaming down my face

“He is so stupid. Any guy would be crazy lucky to have you, you are seriously the most amazing girl”

I got up and looked at my reflection in the mirror

“I never thought I’d be crying over a guy, a fictional character yes, but a guy?” I said wiping away the tears feeling ashamed of myself.

“You want to stay over tonight?” Lama asked, god I love this girl.

I’m so lucky to have her in my life, she knows me better than I know myself.

“Yeah” I said

Lama is the youngest child; she has two older brothers who both study aboard, one in France and the other in Ireland.

Her parents don’t like traveling much so they never come to London but she loves it here so she comes every summer and stays at the apartment her parents bought for her.

“She acts like she’s my mother, it’s annoying. I’m an adult I can take care of myself. I hate her,” I said pulling out an ice cream tube from the freezer.

“You don’t hate her”

“Yes, I do”

And then my phone started vibrating alerting me that I got a new message

‘Hey’ the text said

“Is that Shoug?” Lama said sitting on the counter next to me

“No, it’s a strange number, it says ‘Hey” I said furrowing my eyebrows

‘Who’s this?’ I texted back

?? : ‘Already forgot about me? I feel offended’

Me: Oh my god Mishare, sorry, it’s just been a tough day

?? : You okay?

Me: Sure

“Mishare?” Lama asked with a raised eyebrow

“He’s just some guy I hung out with today”

But he wasn’t, he wasn’t just some guy that I hung out with.

I felt something when I was with him, I don’t know what but there was something.

“Is he hot?”

“Very, very hot. He has the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen, even better than Fahad’s and tanned skin and dark hair” I was blushing like crazy

“Just some guy, huh?” Lama said laughing

“We should watch a movie,” I said

“Way to change the subject, what movie do you want to watch?” She asked

“Anything but romance” I sighed and threw myself on the couch.

-

I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing very, very loudly

“Answer your phone” Lama groaned from the couch next to the one I was sleeping in, we must have fallen asleep watching the movie

“You answer it,” I mumbled burying my face in the pillow

“ANSWER THE GOD DAMN PHONE, DEEMA” She yelled

“Don’t yell,” I mumbled

“If you don’t answer it I swear that Ill throw it out of the window”

“Who’s this and what do you want?” I said

“You’re asleep?”

“I was until you woke me up” I said

“Its 3pm!”

“What the hell do you want, Ryan?” I said sitting up.

Ryan is my guy friend; I met him 7 years ago when we first bought the house, he’s 21 years old now.

“You free today?”

“Yeah, why?”

“There’s a concert tonight, you up for it?”

“Hell yeah”

“I’ll test you the details, see you tonight” he said hung up.

Lama looked at me shaking her head

“What?” I said

“Ryan? Really?” Lama said

“Stop being such a buzz kill” I said getting up from the coach

Lama has never agreed with my decisions but she has never judged me either.

“You know I don’t like him,” She said

“He’s bad, you shouldn’t hang out with him,” She continued

She hates Ryan, but she doesn’t really know him like I do. She thinks he’s a bad influence, but beneath all his ‘bad boy’ look he’s actually really good and he’s very strong, he has went through a lot in his life, and I admire him for that.

--

I was surprised to see both my parents and my sister waiting for me in the living room when I got in

“Hey Mom and Dad, I thought you guys weren’t coming until next week?” I said heading to the kitchen to get something to eat

“Where do you think you’re going?” My mother asked

“To the kitchen?” I said but quickly said “Or not, its totally fine really” after noticing how furious she was

“We had to change our flight because of your reckless behavior, where were you all day long yesterday!” My mother shouted.

My dad’s phone started ringing so he went out to answer, thank god.

“I can explain,” I said

“Please do enlighten me,” She said gesturing me to sit down

“Don’t you want some tea first? I know you British people love your tea and maybe some crackers?” I stalled

“Answer the question Deema!” My mother shouted

“I was at a cafe reading a book, why is this such a big deal” I said glaring at my sister, I cant believe she told on me, she just broke the #1 rule in the sisters book

“All day long?” my mother asked with a raised eyebrow doubt filling her voice

“Yeah, I read the fault in our stars again, I really don’t know why you’re so mad, you all know how much I like reading beside isn’t reading good?” I said rolling my eyes as if it’s the most stupid thing ever

“And where were you all night long?” My mother asked

“At Lama’s! She was having some trouble, well her parents were having trouble which made her really depressed, she was crying really hard, and I waited for her to calm down then we watched a movie then we fell asleep, we watched Silver linings playbook you should watch it its-“ I rambled, because I knew she would just cut me off.

“Okay, okay, enough. Deema you have to respect your sister! She’s bigger than you and what you said to her is completely disrespectful! So you’re grounded for a week,” My mother said

“What! That’s completely unfair. I didn’t do anything!” I jumped up

“You disrespected your sister, stayed out all night long without telling anybody, I’m pretty sure a week is good unless you want to be grounded for a month?” My mother

“No” I mumbled

“Now go to your room” I got up and walked toward my room but stopped at where my sister was standing first, she was avoiding any eye contact

“I hate you,” I said low enough so my mother doesn’t hear but loud enough so Shoug hears.

--

I was lying in my bed playing with my phone, with music loudly blasting from the speakers.

My phone vibrated

Ryan: Concert starts at midnight, you still coming right?

Me: Of course I am, I need a ride though

Ryan: Ill pick you up at 11:45, you better be ready by then

Me: I will be