EPISODE FOURTY 40: LAST STRAW.

MICHAEL'S POV

Throwing hoops into the net, beads of sweat were forming on my body. I must win the next upcoming match. We have to win all the games this year. The hockey field was bustling, but I was never interested in other games other than basketball.

One more thing was lingering on my mind: Hadizah, my twinkle.

I just hope she doesn't find out about Julian the wrong way. She loves him genuinely, but I don't think he does. But that wasn't his initial thought.

She was a bet all this time, with his stupid friends and his horrible sister.

I was the only one on the basketball court, but then I heard the faint creak of the door.

Hadizah walked up to me.

"Why did you do it, Michael? Why didn't you tell me that Julian was just using me?" she said, banging my chest. Her hands hurt, but I'm sure her heart was hurting more than this.

"Hadizah, what happened?" I asked.

"Don't act like you don't know. My cheat sheet-his sister put it there. You were the one that cleared me off; why did you let that jerk take the credit? Michael, he spiked my drink, and yet you didn't tell me," she cried. Tears were just spilling, but instead of answering, I hugged her because she needed it. She didn't hug me back, but neither did she push me away; she just sobbed uncontrollably.

"Hadizah, I'm sorry. I wanted to protect you, I didn't want you to get hurt. I didn't want to hurt another person again. I'm over it; I don't want to walk that path again," I said, stroking her hijab.

She pulled away. "This was never supposed to happen, Michael. All the things I was scared would happen later happened, and it's because I broke rules and got too close to a non-mahram," she said, sniffing.

"Hadizah, I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect you, but I was scared," I told her.

"I was expecting more from you, Michael. Why are you so afraid? Why do you keep acting like a coward?" she said.

Those were the words that broke me.

"Because I've killed people, Hadizah. Not one, not two, but three people. I'm screwed up if you haven't heard. I'm a bad person, and I wanted to change that," I said.

She just stared at me, mouth agape. She was shocked at my dilemma. I had just exposed the truth about my whole moodiness.

"Michael, you should have known that as long as the hero tells the story, the villain will always be a villain," she shouted.

"You should have tried to tell me. I would never have fallen in love with that bastard. I should have known that all he wanted to do was see me get laid in front of him. He wanted to use me to satisfy his sister," she cried.

She bent her head, pulling away from me. I couldn't see her eyes anymore, her beautiful golden eyes.

"Hadi, Hadi," Ava shouted, running toward her.

"What's going on? I overheard everything in the bathroom. Tell me none of that is true; tell me that he didn't actually do that," she asked, already starting to cry with her.

Girls-they love crying at every little thing. Maybe it is part of their genetic makeup.

As Hadizah lifted her head up, her golden pupils had turned red-blood red.

Ava flinched back at the sight of that.

"Hadizah, what's going on?" she asked.

"Just take me home; I need my medication, I need to get my sanity back" she said tiredly.

"I'll take you. Let me get my car keys; I said and I  didn't even get out of my basketball jersey."

****

Hadizah didn't say a word throughout the whole ride. She was awfully quiet; that bubbly, vibrant girl wasn't there anymore. She was just dead.

"Thank you," she muttered as I dropped her at the front of her house.

"Thanks, Michael," Ava said.

"It's alright. Should I come in?" I asked.

"Nah, I'll take care of it. Just get home safe," she said and tapped my shoulder, getting out of my car.

She brought her phone out and made a call-maybe her dad.

This is going to be a very, very long night.

*******

Author's POV

"Hameed, please don't, please don't do it," she screamed, but everything was to no avail; he was keen on ruining her.

He took off her upper clothes, leaving her only in her inner wear. He even had a stupid smirk on his face.

"I've wanted you for a long time now," he said. "And now you'll pay for making me wait," he said as he took the last piece of clothing away from her body.

That was the last straw. She screamed, but nobody could hear her.

HADIZAH'S POV

"Please... argh," I screamed from my sleep, sweating profusely. Ava quickly switched the lamp on; she slept over at my house just to make sure that I was OK.

"Hadizah, are you OK?" she asked.

I wanted to tell her that I was OK, but I'd be lying. He didn't only break my heart; he stomped on it. The times he told me that he loved me, those hearty times we had together, those lovely touches that gave me goosebumps-they were all a facade.

"I'm not happy, Ava. I'm not OK, Sumayyah. He hurt me; I'm hurt, I'm down. I'm an idiot. I fell in love in high school with a high jerk. I was a duffer; I was stupid," I said, crying. Every word came out like I had rehearsed it.

"Hadizah, you are not an idiot, and neither were you stupid. He's the stupid one and the idiot. As long as you didn't do anything haram, which I'm sure you didn't do, you'll be fine, Hadizah," she said.

"That's the point, Ava. We did a lot of haram things. We hugged, we touched. I liked it when he was touching me. He used to hold me by the waist, he used to say cute words to me, and... Ava, we kissed. I kissed Julian. I put my lips on his, even though we weren't married, and he was my non-mahram," I confessed, my voice hanging low.

"Hadizah, you shouldn't have. I know you; you stay away from anything that would make Allah frown at you. What happened?" she said, caressing my cheek.

"I don't know what got into me. I was naive, and now I'm paying for it. And it's good-I don't want to suffer it in the afterlife," I said.

"Hadizah, don't do this to yourself. You know what? Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same. Julian is a phase. You need to get over him, OK? That's what we do; we get on our feet," she said, motivating me.

"Thanks, Ava. But do you know the worst part of this? It's the fact that the first love is the sweetest, but that first cut is the deepest," I said.

"Hadizah, I know. I know you'll get better. He doesn't deserve you because you are worth more than his boy toy. He's a stupid ingrate, and the only girl who will end up with him, I pray she shows him all hell even if they end up together," she said.

"Thanks, Ava. I can't believe I ruined your sleep. Just go to bed and help me say thank you to your dad for allowing you to stay," I said.

"It's fine, Hadizah. But I have a question for you," she said.

"Hmmm, go on," I answered.

"Can you ever forgive Julian?" she asked.

"No, Ava, I can never forgive him. He has to suffer the wrath of what he did to me. Even if I'm going to, it's going to take a lot of time," I said disdain seeping from every word.

"So what's next?" she asked.

"I'm never, ever going to fall in love in high school again," I said, and that was the end of Julian's chapter in my life.

"Whatever you do, I'll support you, OK?" she said.

"I know, and I'll be needing it," I said and went back to sleep. Even the nightmares are waiting for me, but I'll manage because I have God.

WRITER'S NOTE :

Hmmmmm, as much as I liked that guy he just broke all our hearts, I just felt like he was such a dick from the beginning, but I thought he was going to change, but all this was bound to happen. Hadizah has a lot in her past doesn't she, I feel bad for her but the dream really was something else, what do think. 🤔🤔🤔🤔.

QOTD :

Be thankful for the bad things in life. They open your eyes to see the good things you weren't paying attention to before.