Our Circumstances

Chapter 15

Zaki slouched in the passenger seat, propping his head on his hand and his elbow resting on the door. He looked at his sister sourly, disgusted by her lack of awareness as she daydreamed persistently about her now fiancé. "Tch", he voiced in an irritated manner.

Saliha was in her own little world, however, and was completely oblivious to Zaki's irritable and grouchy vibe. Seeing his preoccupied older sister spreading a goofy smile on her face, Zaki was not able to handle it any longer. He stretched out his arm and pressed the car's horn three times in a row.

Startled by the sudden deafening sounds, Saliha jumped and fleetingly hit the brakes as an instant reaction. "Zaki, that scared me!"

"Good." Zaki nonchalantly put his elbow on the door again, observing the view from the window.

Saliha was still agitated, but glancing at her brother, she narrowed her eyes. He's unusually quiet.

"Zaki?"

"What?" he snapped.

"Why aren't you being annoying? I'm concerned."

Zaki rolled his eyes and ignored the question.

"And why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you can strangle me any second."

Zaki continued to give silent treatment, as if Saliha did know what he was going through and was deliberately dodging his feelings. As if Saliha was the reason for his anger and morning crankiness.

She shrugged while slowing down to a stop at a yellow light.

"You could've made that."

"No, I couldn't have."

"You're right. You were driving so slowly while daydreaming about that idiot. Drive faster next time; you'll get me late for school."

Saliha looked at her brother vexingly. "That's what's bothering you?"

"Yes; I'm getting late for school."

"Not my speed, you fool. I've seen your grades, and I know how much you hate school, so don't pretend to care so much about it."

Zaki's eyes gleamed behind his glasses as he intensely glared at his sister. "I pretend to care about lots of things." 

Saliha hit the gas pedal as soon as the light turned green. "What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with you?" Zaki countered vociferously.

"I'm in love! What's it to you?" Perplexed as to why her brother was making such a fuss about her love life, Saliha was undecided whether the conversation was worth resuming. He won't understand anyway, she thought.

"Love doesn't come that easily!"

"Oh, I'm sure you have lots of experience", she said sardonically,

Zaki curled his hands into fists. "Do you even care about Mom and Dad?" Saliha furrowed her eyebrows, puzzled at their sudden mention. "Don't you love them? No, you're after some hobo appearing into the house and bragging about -"

"Enough! As if you ever showed Mom and Dad how much you love them." Zaki's fists turned white with frustration, inhaling his sister's brutal words. "If you truly loved them, you would know what was going on. You would know how they truly feel. You would speak to them. But you don't; you're always wrapping your head around your dumb Switch."

Saliha made a right turn into Zaki's school, fuming as she drove across the parking lot. Argue the two did, but never like this. They would never look at each other with hatred. They would never fight with more than handful of words to show each other reason; they would simply argue, they would flick their fingers at one another's foreheads, and all would be forgotten in a matter of minutes.