first day

I woke up super early that monday morning, eager and ready to start a new day of school for a new year. I usually sleep after fajr, which was just before 5am this September month, but today I couldnt sleep afterwards. My mum shouted up the stairs to me that breakfast would be a little while, so I decided to head into the shower and freshen myself up. I stood in the shower for around 15minutes, trying a new face scrub and new shampoo that made my hair smell like lavendars. Then I got out, dried myself, brushed my teeth and wrapped the big towel around my body and a separate one around my head. I wandered across the hall to my bedroom, I had laid my clothes out the night before to make sure I was wearing ok clothes incase I was running late. Across the back of my chair there was a loose pair of navy pants and a long pale yellow tunic that came mid thigh on my body, my underwear sat on the chair with my new hijab, navy with yellow and white patterned beads around the edging. I had coordinated it with a yellow stick pin for the side of my head. I got myself ready and headed down for my breakfast, as I sat munching on my toast my mum told me 'you know, you dont have to.. people will understand' I sighed, we had been through this situation I dont know how many times in the last month 'I have to mum, or I never will' she shrugged her shoulders and let me be. My dad came into the room, smiled at me before landing a kiss on the top of my head and walking over to my mum with a kiss on the cheek. 'Want me to drive you in?' he asked.. I shook my head, 'Im gonna walk in, it will be fine' I told them, 'well you have my number if you need me' Subhanallah, what did they expect to happen on this day?? I finished my breakfast, kissed my parents on the cheek and told them I would see them at 4pm, with that I left breezily out of the house and up the road to my school. This would be my last year at school, the most important year, my GCSE's, then on to the next level. As I neared the school gates i could feel the butterflies flapping in my stomach, I wasnt nervous, I'd been through this with myself so much over the 6 weeks holidays, why was it getting to me now?? I saw a group of girls stood outside the gates, I recognised one to be a few years younger than me and I also noticed how they huddled together and laughed as I passed. I felt relieved as I passed the gates and into the school yard, my friends were all sat where we usually sat and I walked over. I felt eyes watching me and I heard whisperings from all corners, Shaitan I reminded myself... be strong. I stood infront of the group of my friends, 5 girls.. I hadnt seen any of them over the 6 weeks because I was out of the country for the whole time, I had spoken to them but I hadnt told them about the new me. 'hey girls,' I said as I removed my bag from my shoulder and sat it down on the floor, they all looked at me and I waited for a reply. I noticed the distant gaze in their eyes, and one by one I saw recollection, 'chica?' my friend suzie asked 'in the flesh' I smiled..... 'woah girl, whats with the getup?' asked haleema... I suddenly blushed slightly, I had expected this... 'well, I sort of had a change of heart over the summer... remember hakim?' they all nodded remembering the new crazy terrorist who had been dumped into out class 2 months before the end of last school year. 'Well, i was in the airport waiting to go visit my dad and he happened to be on my plane. We chatted and stuff and I came to realise hes a pretty cool guy,' they all laughed and nudged each other, motioned to indicate that I had gone slightly crazy over the last 6 weeks. 'No, he is.. honest, he told me all about why he does the weird stuff he does, you know with his little hat and his book and little rug. And, well... just some of the things he said made me look more into why he does it and.. so I became one of 'em' My girls gasped, 'a terrorist?' lisa blurted out, 'no, a muslim, thats why im wearing this' i said pointing to my hijab. 'yeh, shes gone crazy! how long dya have to wear it for?' 'forever' I told them 'around guys who arent related to me' at that point a group of boys walked past us and pushed into me laughing 'hey' i heard someone shout 'dont you go pushing my girl like that!' Suzie shouted before pushing them back, and walked over to me, she put her arm around my shoulder and asked 'can you still come sleep at mine?' i nodded.. 'then we cool, same old chica' Then the school bell rang to bring us all in to start this new chapter, my new chapter in life. Alhamdulillah

Short story :)