It was Monday at 7 a.m. when Ziya and I walked into the school together, chatting about the possible content of our upcoming test. That's when I saw David standing on the other side of the green area, his face etched with hurt and disappointment. I suddenly remembered I had never told David about my relationship with Zain. Judging by his expression, he must have found out another way.
We approached David, and as usual, I moved in to hug him. But to my surprise, he held up his right hand, stopping me in my tracks.
"What happened?" I asked nervously.
"I asked you for one simple thing, Xhani. ONE request: stay away from Zain. But you ignored me, went behind my back, and started dating that ASSHOLE!" he growled, drawing everyone's attention.
"My relationship has nothing to do with you. Since when do we need each other's permission to date?" I yelled back, angry he had confronted me so publicly.
David's eyes filled with shock and hurt. "I didn't know our relationship ended. I'm so sorry, Xhani. I thought you were my best friend and would at least tell me instead of letting me find out through social media. I really thought you'd tell me… but forgive me if I crossed a line."
My heart sank. David was my best friend, but he didn't know Zain the way I did. He didn't understand that Zain was actually a good boyfriend.
Trying to soothe things, I lowered my voice and said, "It's not what you think. You're my best friend; you always will be. I'm sorry, but I really do love him, and he's been treating me really well…" My eyes pleaded with him to understand.
Disappointment clouded David's gaze. "I told you he wasn't a good person, and yet you slept with him." I was stunned. How did David know?
"What do you mean?" I asked, wide-eyed.
"He posted you on social media Saturday morning. That's how I found out. You never posted half-naked pictures before, but apparently you let him post indecent ones," he said, still wounded.
"Pictures? What pictures are you talking about, David? I never took any indecent photos with him!" I insisted, not believing a word.
David pulled out his phone, scrolled through Zain's account, and tapped on a picture. My eyes went wide in shock. I shook my head in denial. This couldn't be. My vision blurred with tears as I stared at the image.
It was a photo of me after we had sex—when I was asleep. I was naked, with only part of a quilt covering my nipples; the rest of my body was exposed. One leg and arm were draped over Zain. The tip of the quilt barely hid half of my breasts.
I felt so ashamed. I couldn't believe Zain had done this. The comments underneath were a mix of people saying how lucky he was and others making crude remarks about my body. One comment from a girl named Dana read:
"Who the fuck is the slut next to you? I thought you were away on a boys' trip, and you said you wouldn't look at any other girl except me."
Fury ignited inside me. Who was this girl? Why would she write something like that? I had a thousand questions and needed answers. I turned to Ziya and said, "I'll be back. Tell the teacher I'm sick. I'll make up the test another day." Without another word, I hurried out of the school.
I jumped into my car and tried calling Zain, but he didn't pick up. The voicemail kicked in, which only made me angrier. Driving as fast as I could, I reached his school in ten minutes. Heading straight for the office, I asked the receptionist if I could see Zain . She questioned my relationship to him; I lied and said I was his sister. She offered to call him, but I stopped her and asked to go to his class and surprise him. She eyed me suspiciously but agreed.
"He should be in sports class right now," she explained. "Go down the hall, turn right, keep walking straight, and you'll see the stadium on the left."
I forced a polite smile and headed that way, my anger burning hotter with each step. I reached the stadium doors, flung one open—and froze in place, stunned by what I saw. I couldn't move, just stood there like a statue, my face locked in shock.