I AM ABLE

Chapter 17 - Fatimah

Yesterday was our last day in school for the semester, let me tell you what happened after our final paper. Adnan welcomed both Qudrah and I, thus we walked to where he had settled down with Yusuf which was the resting area.

"Was the paper that hot?" Yusuf had queried, referring to me but I practically ignored him. It was Qudrah that thence answered him on my behalf. You know, she liked the bad boy.

"We rounded up since o, but they asked us to wait for others after which we were told our resumption day" Qudrah said while smiling. The look she was giving him made my heart to sink, I had warned her severally about him but she never listened. Men like him only wants a woman's body, and once they get it they will disappear.

"Okey, good" He muttered, displaying sadness probably because I was so indifferent towards him.

"Oya, selfie!" Adnan said and began snapping lot of pictures with me "Adjust your veil, dear"

"Okey" I said feigning smiling. I wasn't really interested in the selfie thing but what could I do? Adnan had become a chewing gum in my life and I couldn't just take him off. Don't ask me why because you already know why. Yes, I needed a brotherly figure the fact that I was the only child my parents had.

"Qudrah, a moment with you please..." Yusuf said, thus she nodded and trailed him few steps away from us.

Just then, my heart began beating so faster than normal. What was he after? I wondered glancing at them every now and then as they began talking. I couldn't hear them though but something told me he was trying to get her into his trap. God, what should I do? I mulled over. And before I could figure out what to do I saw her doing something, perhaps giving him her phone number. But why was she checking her phone? Didn't she had her number offhand again? I wondered.

As soon as they were done talking they came back to where we were. "You guys done with your love already?" Adnan said to them. And out of anger, I plainly objected his utterance.

"And who told you they are in love?" I glanced at him. "Nothing is between them, Adnan!"

"Is that what they told you?" He asked.

"No, it is what I know!" I squealed.

"Alright then" He shrugged. "Lets go home"

"Okey" I muttered.

Thus, we headed to the parking lot with Yusuf and Qudrah trailing us. I didn't like the idea of them being together because I was scared he might spoil her, and also didn't just want them to be together. As soon as we were in the parking lot, Adnan said he would join me in my car while Qudrah should join Yusuf. "You are kidding, right?" I said looking at him weirdly.

"Kidding ko? Wait and see" He said about hopping into my car when I stopped him.

"Kai Adnan, are you serious?" I said.

"Yes, dear. Everyone should drive with his..." He was saying when I unhesitatingly cut in.

"No, no! After all I am not your girlfriend and neither is Qudrah dating Yusuf" I bellowed. It was something that made all of us speechless. I also didn't know when I uttered those words but I didn't regret doing that at all. Yes, after all Adnan deserved to know the fact that I didn't see him — even a little bit — as my boyfriend or lover.

"Oh, yeah?" He managed to say with anger written allover his face.

Yusuf on the other hand looked very happy, I couldn't really point out why but seeing him that way made me to smile a lil bit.

"I am sorry" I glanced at Adnan and thus gestured to Qudrah to come over to my car. "Lets go home" I said to her.

"Okey" She waved at Yusuf who wasn't even looking at her, his eyes were steady on me. And as soon as she hopped into my car, I hopped in as well and ignited the engine into action. I could see the extreme anger on Adnan's face but I ignored him with the thought of making up to him someday.

While about reversing out of the parking lot, Yusuf waved at us smiling. His dimples made me to stare at him for a moment, I couldn't believe I wouldn't be seeing him again until we resume. God, why was I even worried? I hissed and quickly reversed out of the parking lot and drove off.

The silence that crept upon me and Qudrah on the road was weird. She was folding her arms across her chest and breathing like she was battling to inhale oxygen, like her nostrils were blocked or something. At first I thought it was due to our speed but even when I decreased the pressure I applied on the accelerator pedal, she still was doing the same thing. So I cleared my throat and asked her what exactly was wrong with her.  

"Don't ask me, ask yourself!" She said.

"What do you mean?" I puzzled.

She heaved a sigh and glared at me. "You love him, don't you?" She said.

"Love who? Adnan? No!" I said, pretending as if I didn't know who exactly she was talking about.

"Not Adnan, Yusuf!" She squealed.

I couldn't just answer her because if I did, it would have influence on her. NO will make her not to give up on him and YES would make her to think I wasn't protecting her from him but trying to secure him for my own self.

"Look Qudrah, is not what you are thinking about... " I said as she cut in.

"It's okey, Fatimah. I just don't know why I couldn't get him off my head even though he doesn't love me. He only loves you" She said.

"Loves me or wants my body? You once said it yourself that you caught him staring at my body and smiling" I said making a U-Turn.

"Yes" She sighed. "That's how men are, even Adnan used to look at your body when your attention isn't on him"

"Common Qudrah, you can't compare Adnan with Yusuf. We both know Yusuf is a bad guy while Adnan is a good guy. If I had been open with Yusuf the way I am with Adnan, he might have taken advantage of me long ago. Yusuf is never to be trusted, who will even love a bad guy like him?" I said with a smirk.

"Me" She said.

"You?" I heaved a sigh. "Fine then!"

And that was how silence crept upon us again until we were finally by their gate. I parked and waited for her to alight from the car but she stayed.

"Fatimah Bulama" She called my name with her eyes so rimmed and red.

"Ye... es, is... is everything okey?" I stuttered and that made her to forge a smile.

"Everything is okey" She gulped and continued. "Ever since Yusuf came into our life I knew he loves you, and I knew you have something for him as well..." — I tried to protest her but she overpowered me with her voice — "...I just know it, Fatimah, and I can see it in your eyes. You just don't understand it yourself but you are not only protecting me from him, a lot is on the ground and believe me I am okey with it. After all, he doesn't even love me but you..."

"Qudrah, stop!" I yelled at her. "Is like you are seeing things, who even told you he loves me? Your conscience?"

"Yes, and guess what? Yusuf collected your contact from me today" She said.

"What?!" I puzzled.

"Yes, and what does that tells you?" She said. And before I could think of what to say she had already stormed out of the car and ran into their house.

Ya Salam! I placed my hands on my head. Just then, my eyes landed on her bracelet – she had forgotten it on the dashboard. Thus, I took it and went into their house. "Sir, please give this to Qudrah" I handed over the bracelet to their gateman, Galadima and left.

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Hmmm, busy me!
Anyways, air your views.