Converting the Bad Boy ✔

Chapter 8

^Mariam's outfit - except with a long sleeved top of course ;)

(Edited)

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The swimming carnival was an annual event for our high school. Every year the entire school walked to a pool a kilometre away and held swimming competitions and events there, and every time the year twelves would get to dress up, supporting their house colours. This year it was my turn.

"Zeinab, you look like a smurf," I guffawed at my sister, who thought it was appropriate to support her Blue House by smearing her face in blue paint. She still had to wear her uniform since she was in year ten but that didn't stop her from going all out.

"That's exactly the look I was going for," Zeinab beamed as we burst out the front door, however Immi called us back in.

"Ya Allah, Zeinab, what did you do to your face?" Immi tutted, grabbing a tissue. Zeinab squirmed away from her, arguing about how it was for the swimming carnival and all her friends were doing it too.

"You look like you were locked in a freezer," Immi frowned, managing to hold Zeinab still enough to wipe off some paint from her cheek.

"Immi, Allah khaleeki, can't I just support my house? Why do you have to go ruining it every year?" Zeinab complained, stumbling away from Mama's grasp.

Immi looked hurt. "Zeinab, I don't want my daughter going out looking like this. Have some respect, you're representing our religion."

Zeinab stamped her foot, huffing, "Can't I represent my religion and my house at the same time?"

Immi raised an eyebrow. "Are you really going to leave this house like that?"

I decided it was time I step in. "Zeinab, listen to Mama, you don't need to paint your face blue to fit in," I reasoned, and Zeinab shot me a look of betrayal, but then Nasr suddenly appeared.

"Whoa, Zay, you look like the girl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you know, the one who turned into a blueberry?"

Zeinab's face immediately transformed into a blue grin as she took in our brother's words, and I felt a little bad for siding with Mama. There was nothing wrong with face paint, as long as she wasn't offending anybody.

"See, Nasr gets it, I look awesome!" Zeinab hugged Nasr, and he raised his hands, stepping away from her.

"Hey, you can look awesome from over there without getting your paint on my shirt," Nasr chided playfully, but his smile dropped when Zeinab grabbed his face and attempted to give him a blue kiss on the cheek, much to his displeasure, and much to our amusement. Even our mother was smiling, shaking her head and muttering something about us getting the craziness from our father.

"Okay, yallah, crazy children, go get ready!" Immi clapped her hands, and Zeinab finally released Nasr from her blueberry grip to reapply the paint she had lost to Nasr's skin and shirt. I laughed as he sighed in disgust and trudged past me to the bathroom, rolling his eyes at me with a slight smile. Once again, he managed to get Immi to let Zeinab be her quirky self and have fun, even if she did look silly. 

"Ya Allah, what am I gonna do with that girl?" Immi shook her head, before turning to me and taking in what I was wearing. I was also in Blue House, so I wore a long sleeve black t-shirt and a long chiffon blue skirt down to my ankles, with my white wedges. My hijab was a blend of deep blue to pale blue, framing my face and bringing out my murky brown eyes, and I looked pretty good if I did say so myself. Immi smiled at me.

"At least my eldest daughter looks presentable," she said, pulling me into a hug. "I hope you put sunscreen on, habibti. It's going to be very sunny today."