Imagine

20. End

This part of the term is usually either the best or the worst, exams were over and that meant no more classes, no more night and evening readings, no more having to sit upright for hours but it also meant going to school everyday even though we weren't doing anything. It was the week after exams before the school's official closing date. The teacher's had that one week to assess whatever they wanted to assess and the grade the students so that we can all go home with our report cards.

In the hostel, the routine was exactly like that of midterms, only difference was the population of students and how long it took them to agree to a movie. In school, students were either playing football (or soccer) in teams and in turns, playing some board game that a day student brought to school or sneaked in (your choice), playing with skipping ropes or just sitting and gisting. For me and my crew, it was building what looked like a fort with benches and boards and sleeping mats, sleeping and gisting or playing a board game, scrabble to be precise and of course, reading for me specifically.

Basically our routine from the beginning of the week had been: get to school, get to our fort, have some weird short moment where everyone was in their own bubble until someone - usually not me - broke the silence, eat together in turns (usually Saira and Raina's), play games, get tired and someone, usually me, goes to get an assortment of snacks, gist until it was time to pray, go home/hostel and repeat.

Today was the last day of school and everybody was eager to just get their report sheets and leave. I was with my friends, listening to them as they went on about how the holiday is likely to be spent and also watching them play scrabble. I didn't have any plans for the holidays, I just wanted to get home, that's all.

"Hey", Malik kicked my foot. I glared at him in response.

"How come you're not playing with us today? It's your favorite board game". He said matter-of-factly. I shrugged and returned my gaze to the book I was holding (Danielle Steel's Kaleidoscope) in an attempt to shift his attention away from me but that didn't work since he kicked me again, "You hit me one more time and I swear I ..." , He kicked me again before I could even finish the statement.

"And you'll do what now?" He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. I cringed at the view,
"You look real creepy when you do that with your annoyingly full eyebrows" Saira and Raina laughed at my insult. After they sobered up, he asked again.

"Seriously though, why aren't you playing?"

"Nothing really. I think I'm enjoying the view a lot more than I'd enjoy the game at the moment"

"What view?" He asked in confusion, looked around the sorry excuse of a fort that we built and returned his gaze to me silently asking if my eyes were functioning properly. I rolled my eyes at him,

"I meant you guys silly. Not the stupid fort"

"Oh," he blinked, wiggled his eyebrows again and asked with a teasing smile, "Like what you see?"

I scoffed, "Yea, right. Your concentration face looks like you're trying to push something really huge out of someplace very tiny, and you look ugly when you realize you made a wrong move".

He held his right hand to his chest and said, "Oh baby girl. You wound me".

"Idiot" I mumbled and picked up the book again but I didn't even get to read a full sentence before it was roughly snatched from me.

"Oh for the love of God! What now?" I glared at him.

He looked like he was trying to figure me out as he stared for a while, "I know you're not really mad so I'm not worried at all by that death glare" He paused, "As a matter of fact, I'm done with Scrabble. New mission is to annoy you till we part ways today".

"Why? Cos you know I would completely forget about you otherwise?" I asked in a taunting voice.

"Nah, I'm not in the slightest bit worried about that. You can't not think about me" he answered confidently, "I'll annoy you just because I can and there's nothing you can do about it". I huffed in annoyance and then an idea popped in my head.

"You know, I imagined you being gay once"

Saira looked up from the game and burst out laughing, "Lord. You have my attention right about now". I joined in on the laughter while Malik stared at me in horror.

"Why would you do that? I'm so straight, that pole out there ain't got shit on me" he said, desperately pointing outside willing me to look at the pole he was referring to but I ignored him.

"Nuh uh. You wouldn't know until you've tried it" Saira said still trying to control her laughter. He covered his face with his palms.

"How did you even come up with that?"

I shrugged, "Doesn't matter. It just came up and I embraced it. I even matched you up with someone".

Raina finally abandoned the game completely since her partners weren't paying attention anymore.

"Come on, I don't like the attention"

"You asked for it"

"Alright, how about you tell us everything you've imagined concerning us all, huh? That'd be fair" he suggested trying to make us forget the image of him being gay as quickly as possible.

"Why? You don't like being gay?" I teased.

"You know I don't have a problem with gay people or the entire sexuality spectrum for that matter. What I do know is how straight I am"

Raina snickered, "He said with a straight face"

He groaned, "Come on Miriam please. They won't let this go unless you do"

"Fine. I won't have some peace and quiet otherwise. No interruptions" I warned them.

"Good, I get to listen to your voice for a long time today" Malik said, slowly relaxing into the wall behind him.

I smiled, assumed a comfortable position and told them all about my imaginations involving them amd some that were just me that I still felt like sharing. We stayed like that until it was time to collect our report sheets. It felt nice being the centre of attention even if it was just for a short period of time.

We laughed as we walked out of school premises for a well deserved three week break. I listened as they went over my stories of them and made fun of each other.

The real world isn't as uninteresting as I make it out to be, I knew that before and I was reminded of it again today. And I knew that if it for some reason it turns out uninteresting, I would always have the beauty of my mind to console me.

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THE END