Midnight Memories (ON HOLD )

Chapter 15: Make me cry

"I had a terrible education. I attended a school for emotionally disturbed teachers." - Woody Allen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lyn (Alyna Ameer)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The lights are so bright that they are hurting my eyes. I squint slightly as I adjust my hijab, pushing past my aunt. She stops me, giving me a hug and gushing about how much bigger I have become. She literally saw me two months ago. Extra much?

I put on a fake smile, the one I have reserved for these type of gatherings, the one that looks happy and bright but actually means please F off. She hugs me again and then grabs me, leading me to the sofa where all my other aunts are sitting. They all get up when they see me and I dutifully hug them all when my mother gives me the look. It's when she is smiling and she looks happy but when she looks at me, her eyes are wide and threatening.

"Hey, Alyna? Why don't you go sit with your cousin over there?" Ammi points out to the sofa the mini table where some of my cousins are sitting. Saif and Amber, the twins, are sitting there, talking amongst each other. My mother is still giving me the pointed look which screams GET OUT! I nod and get up, making my way to the table.

I am sort of like a robot at this point, just going with the flow and doing whatever my mom wants me to. I don't really care what's happening. Behind me, I can hear my mother talking to my aunts in a sugary sweet voice as she insults all of them subtly and they insult her back. Ah, Ammi really doesn't like my dad's sisters.

I sit down beside Saif, but when my mother looks at me again, I quickly get up and sit beside Amber. Off course, the whole no sitting with your boy cousins policy. Honestly, it wouldn't be necessary if brown people didn't marry you off to your cousin back home or something. It's ridiculous.

Saif and Amber look up at me as I settle into the chair beside them. They have abruptly stopped their conversation and are looking at one another. They give each other a look before Amber begins to talk.

"Hey Alyna," she says, smiling friendly at me. "What's up?"

Oh, you know, the usual. I hate my school, the announcement wrecked my life, my teachers suck, my best friend didn't talk to me for two months, the guy I like told me not to talk to him, but it's all good. Nothing new.

Instead of saying that, I force a smile on my face and reply with a half-hearted "fine."

"We heard you changed schools," Saif says. " You're officially in high school! How's it like?"

You have nooo idea. My teachers are arrogant assholes with no degrees, my principal is a twat, and my desks are full of gum. The school is smaller than my house and only has four classrooms about the size of my room. Other than that, it's amazing! Note the sarcasm.

"You have no idea," I mumble out.

"Is it like those cliche books with the jocks and the bad boys and the queen bees?" Amber asks as she gushes. The twins are two years younger than me and they look ready to jump into high school with how excited they seem about it.

Her question makes me laugh. I let out a howl, my rage it sound like one of those evil cackles. "Jocks and bad boys and queen bees? Ha! I don't even have boys in my school. It's a girls-only private school. And queen bees? The students there are so idiotic I don't think they have heard the word personality."

Amber and Saif look shocked. "No boys?" Amber asks in a whisper. "And the students suck? But there must be like 200 students in each grade. Isn't that how high schools are like? I'm sure you'll find someone decent there."