Hello, Mr. Umbrella

Chapter Seventeen

Gossip Gurl

Good evening lovely two-sided Dearborners; it's me, your one and only source of legit information. Wonderful weather we had today, isn't it? Who wouldn't acknowledge nature's gift? No one; except Prestige High's hijabi valedictorian. Since the weather isn't harsh on us, I won't be with my words either.

'Rain, rain, go away, little miss hijabi wanna play'. We all remember that nursery rhyme, but our little miss hijabi remembers it vividly, since she herself played inside the rain with a playmate. I must say: I'm impressed by the way you saved yourself from an amnesiac episode, but you are not even close to finding who Mr. Umbrella is.

Keep searching dear, I'll always be here for you when you need a shoulder to cry on. Remember, I love you more than anyone else.

XOXO, Gossip Gurl.

"This is the last straw." Aliyah flagged Gossip Gurl's post for the thirteenth time. Her intuition has been telling her to get ready for Gossip Gurl's attack after what had happened in school. Although what happened wasn't wrong, Gossip Gurl's caricatured caption told the wrong side of the story. Worse, they'd begun to gain followers over the month; people never ceased to comment on their lies—maybe caricatured truths. The comments made Aliyah keep her fingers to herself. They were all in support of Gossip Gurl.

What effect would a single comment have on a revolution?

Starting up an anti-Gossip Gurl profile on Instagram might help. It might, but maybe after her life has already been ruined—after highschool. Starting from scratch wasn't something she was good at; she had struggled to gain thousands of followers over five years, how would she fight against Gossip Gurl, who somewhat have a verified account.

Aliyah looked through the vehicle's tinted glass for any lurking Gossip Gurl's minions. The only thing she saw were the normal backward moving high-cost buildings and the nauseated yellow pedestrian line on the Dearborn road.

"No one is tailing us." Bilal said, checking the vehicle's right-side mirror. He wasn't sure on how to console Aliyah, since he was the genesis of Gossip Gurl's post that evening. "I'm sorry Aliyah, for the post." He looked back at Aliyah to confirm if she was alright.

Aliyah forced out a smile after switching off her phone. "Why so remorseful? It's not a crime to help someone. If someone should apologize, it's me." Aliyah explained.

Bilal straightened his gaze on the asphalted road, even though he wasn't the one handling the steering wheels. "What's Gossip Gurl's problem with you though?" Bilal asked rhetorically.

Aliyah remained silent and she closed her eyes to stay in her happy place. She wasn't able to process the reason why Gossip Gurl showed interest in her. The first day Gossip Gurl started their so-called revolution; they listed names, but no secrets or gossip have been exposed about the rest ever since. Maybe they were just taunting them—or everything was all part of their sinister plan.

"I'm sure McCarthy is gonna destroy them." Bilal assured, hopelessly.

"What if she can't? My life would be basically ruined by her, what else is my pride as a Muslim?" Aliyah questioned at the verge of tears.