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"Where is she? Aaliya Ghulam Haider? Where is she?" Miss Qureshi asked Zain. Zain and Aaliya had been friends forever. They loved each other and always were there for each other. No matter what happened, they never left each other's hand.
"Ma'am, she- she wasn't feeling well. She's at home. Her Mummy Papa came here to fetch her and asked me to inform you. I am sorry, Ma'am, I didn't tell you earlier."
"Aayat, come here!" There goes my call.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Is what Zain saying the truth? Aaliya got sick, that's why she didn't come?"
"I believe so, Ma'am. Zain never lies." I look at him. We all were in Kinder Garden, and me and Aaliya were best friends.
Zain and Aaliya had a very beautiful story. When me and my mom and dad moved into Mumbai, our house was just opposite to Aaliya's. Zain, my brother, used to sit in the balcony. One day, he heard Aaliya recite a poem to her mother. He fell in love with her. He fell in love with her at the time when he didn't even know what love was.
"Where'd go Aaliya? Zain had been worried for you. He lied to Ma'am. You know he never lies to her. Where did you go?"
"Don't tell anyone." Aaliya says.
"I won't. Tell me." I swear, if I tell anyone about the secret she's gonna tell me, she's gonna to grab me by my collar and hang me by the pole.
"I was with Zubair Qureshi."
"WHAT? Miss Qureshi's son?" WHAT!
"Sh.. Don't shout. He wanted to show me his Doraemon collection, so I said why not. He has all the cute toys, Aayat. Come with me the next time I go-"
"Aaliya!" We turn our heads towards Zain who comes running towards us. The recess bell had gone a long ago and my parent's were still not here. "Where did you go Aaliya?"
"I- I was sick." She coughs. "I have fever, maybe."
"Really?" I say unbelievingbly. "You just went to Zubai-"
"SHH!" She covers my mouth before I could complete. Ohh.. yeah... secret! "She means, I just went to the bathroom and I have to go again. Exucse us."
"But I don't wanna go-"
"But you do. Come with me." Even after been just 5 year old, boy she can pull someone really hard until the person's hand breaks!
"You can't tell him. You know how possesive he is. He'll start a fight with Zubair and Zubair will overpower him and I don't want anything to happen to Zain." Aww, she cares for him.
"You can't lie to him, Aaliya."
"I'm not lying, Aayat. I am just not telling him something that, as a matter of fact, there is no need for him to know. That's all." I raise my eyebrows, shes sighs, "Please, Aayat. He'll start a fight and Zubair will hit him hard. You know I hate it when he cries and is hurt."
"He never cries." Zain? Crying? NO WAY! "When you went to your Grandma's house, I cried a lot that day. But all Zain did was, lock himself up in his room and watch TV. He didn't care."
"He does. He just doesn't show it. When I went to my Grandma's house, he switched on the TV so that the TV's sound will overshadow his and no one will be able to hear him cry." Oh, shit!
"Okay. I won't tell him. Now-"
"AALIYA!" Yasmin, our friend comes in the washroom, all frightened.
"What happened Yash-min? Are you okay?" Aaliya never knew how to pronounce her name. She just learned to pronounce my name,
"It's Zain. He's having a fight with Zubair, " She continues after a sigh, "Zubair is beating him hard."
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