Riad had dropped me off at my house once again. We were early that evening, I had enough time to still cook before my mother got home. Riad and I had conversed earlier at his apartment. He told me some details about what had happened to him. Last year, he was a victim of extreme bullying. He was targeted and harassed by a group of male students daily. Riad did not tell me much more, only that he dropped out of school after a situation that he didn't want to talk about. I did not pester him to tell me more, I merely was happy he told me. I still felt guilty, I'd known he had been bullied at his previous school, principal Greene had told me already. I forbid myself from ever letting Riad know that fact, I wanted him to trust me.
"Are you...going to get out? You've been sitting there for a while now." Riad exclaimed, prodding my shoulder.
I snapped out of my thoughts.
"Oh! Sorry…" I began.
I exited his car, and thanked him once again. Before he began his engine he rolled down the passenger window.
"Tamina, I'll be there tomorrow. At school." He exclaimed.
"If you don't feel up to it, I will let the teachers know." I replied.
"Okay, thanks." He spoke and turned on the ignition of his car.
My brain yelled at me, I instantly stuck my hand through the window of his car. The window rolled up and clinched my hand.
"Ow!" I yelled.
Riad immediately turned off his car, and leapt out of his car seat. He ran over to me.
"What are you doing? What did you do that?" He asked me.
"Sorry…" I began, rubbing my hand from the pain, "There was just one more thing I wanted to ask."
"What was so important you had to stick your hand in my window?"
"Can I…get your cellphone number?" I asked him.
He was taken aback from my request.
"T-That's what was so important?" He berated.
"It's so you can just message me if you don't come tomorrow!" I blurted.
Riad pinched the bridge of his nose, not understanding my idiocy. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and gave it to me.
"Give me your number…" He said.
"Okay."
"And don't do that again."
Later, I had finished baking a simple lasagna that I made a week before. My mother arrived on time, and walked into the kitchen smelling the fresh aroma. She was untidily dressed, I could tell her day was 'rough' to say the least. Bruce hovered himself into the kitchen as well, he was a bear looking for sustenance after hibernation. My mother had enquired as to why I was home so early, I'd told her I felt bad not cooking the past few days and wanted to make it up. We ate together, somewhat. Bruce hounded his food down in a matter of minutes, and left his plate on the table before rushing himself out of the house.
"Where are you going?" My mother asked.
"To visit Hayley." He said, stuffing some objects and clothes in his bag.
"Have you not had enough of each other? You are together almost every day."
"That's what LOVE is, mother. You cannot contain us."
"Ew." I commented.
He left without another word. My mother went to the fridge and unpacked herself an ice-cold wine bottle she left inside. It was her habit to have herself a drink after a day of hard work. I heavily disliked it, but shrugged her off, she was an adult that made her own decisions and suffered her own consequences. She plunked herself on the couch in front of our television, turning it on to watch some sappy soap show she liked. I finished cleaning the dishes and packing them, I decided that I would go to my room and continue with more studies. I hadn't studied in the last few days. Before I could close the door to my room, my mother yelled from the couch:
"The principal contacted me." She exclaimed.
"Please don't date him, mom." I replied.
"HELL NO. I'm telling you because he asked me about you today."
I gripped my doorhandle, preparing myself. I kept quiet.
"He said you left the school early today. He couldn't find you."
"I wasn't feeling good, I came home early."
My mother kept quiet, then:
"You didn't skip school with that boy, did you?"
"No, mom."
I shut my door before she could comment. I knew principal Greene hadn't told her about Riad, it was a delicate situation. But I was sure to berate the old man the next day for telling my mother about my whereabouts. It was my mistake not going back to school after leaving with Riad. I know that. But I just forgot about school, I wanted to just spend some time with him. I sat on my bed, exhausted from the day, I decided to rather wash myself in the morning instead. I wanted to sit with my notes and study all night before I fell asleep. My phone sat on my side-table charging, I looked at it as it charged. I wondered whether Riad would message me that night, he didn't have to, but I just thought maybe he would. My phone was in my hands, I forged studying, I kept my attention on my phone screen. Waiting.
'Maybe I should have asked for his number, too…' I thought.
Then, a notification. My phone slipped out of my hand and hit my nose.
"Ow! Ow!" I exclaimed.
I read the message sender:
'Hey, thanks.' The message read.
I typed with a furious speed, then, considered not sending the message back so quickly.
'It's Riad, by the way.' Another message came from him.
I clicked send;
'What are you up to?' My message read.
I waited and waited, but another message did not return to me. I wondered if my out of subject area question had spooked him off. I turned myself over, stuffing my face into my pillow.
Then, another buzz on my phone. An image attachment was in the message.
'Poems' Riad's message said.
He had taken a photo of his notebook, I could read the words written on the page:
'FACES (draft)
"why don't you smile?"
those four words
a truly bothersome bane
in my assumed unhappiness
so, should i
just pretend a smile
and fall into place
with a deceptive face?
so, it seems
to display a counterfeit life
is the new ordinary.'
I read the work over and over again. I could not stop reading the piece. It made me feel a torrent of emotions.