5th April, 2004

Twenty-one pairs of eyes swiveled towards the door of the classroom as it slid open, bringing into view a peculiar sight. A girl with long, unrestrained pastel-blue hair framing a pale face stood smiling and undaunted. Not only was her white shirt wrinkled, her whole attire- including her black pleated skirt and black leggings- were besmirched in dirt patches.

"My god..." The teachers muttered in alarm.

"I believe I'm late," The girl said.

"What in the- " The teacher began again, but stopped short as a thought crossed her mind. "Ah, you must me the new transfer student I've been warned- I mean- informed about."

"May I come in?"

"Young lady, I have to tell you this is a prestigious school and," The teacher closed her eyes briefly as if she could feel a headache arising, "On top of being tardy on your first day, your uniform is a mess. What kind of impression are you trying to make? Could you please explain yourself?"

The girl kept smiling, unabashed.

"Well, I wasn't planning on telling anyone about this but, if you must know, I chased down a pervert on the way. My tie is missing 'cause I used it to bind his arms after I caught him."

Some of the students snickered.

"At least you came up with a creative excuse. I'll be lenient since it's your first day. But mind you, the school has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to breaking protocol."

"That's what they all say." The girl mutters under her breathe.

"Sorry?"

"Oh, nothing."

"All right. Come here and introduce yourself."

Yamira stalked inside and stood before all the curious, gawking faces.

"Hi. I'm Yamira Zaber-"

A buzz of murmur breaks out instantly.

"Did you get kicked out from your old school?" a girl sitting at the back asked boldly.

Yamira stared at the girl for a moment, before her eyes strayed to the boy sitting on the third row, fifth bench. Her smile widened a fraction.

"If you want to know the simple truth, I left 'cause it got boring. No school would want to lose a student like me."

The brash statement rendered the whole class speechless.

_____________________

Y U S H A

"...Jessica seizes control of our offense. After prompting a double team, Jessica flings the ball to Tan, who in turn drops it to me at the side, swerving the attention of the Dartmouths defense. I dribble hard to the middle before projecting a pass to Nat. With just 0.7 seconds of overtime remaining, Nat leaps up and sinks a three-pointer! And we're TIED!"

Maha punctuates her animated recount of the inter-university basketball finale with a punch in the air, and I couldn't help but smile. It takes me back to our middle school days when she would seek me out during lunch break or after school or sometimes even early in the morning before classes would start, brimming with energy and hardly able to contain her enthusiasm before unleashing it on me. It would usually be about a basketball match she watched or a new basketball trick she mastered. Yeah, more often than not, it would be about basketball. Now, seeing her like this makes me realize I've missed it.

"Yoo-hoo. Mr. Zaber?"

I snap back to the present to find Maha waving her hand in front of my face.

"Ah, yes." I sit up straighter.

"Lost you for a sec."

"Yeah, sorry." I say, sheepishly. "I was actually reminded of our old times."

"Ooh! My thoughts exactly." Maha says, pointing finger guns at me. "We didn't spend a lot of time together but it was fun while it lasted."

It's a nonchalant remark but, as Maha grins at me, I feel a sharp pang of guilt.

"Someone with your personality must have had a lot of friends. I could never decipher why you willingly sought out my company. Back then, no one approached me twice after getting rebuffed."

"You were just selective of the people you chose to associate with. That's understandable." Maha says with a shrug. "You know what they say. No company is better than bad company."

"But even when we spent time together I was mostly quiet. Even rude sometimes. It surprised me when you stuck around."

"What's that? Do I hear modesty or self-depreciation?"

"I'm just stating the facts."

"Mostly quiet, you say? Hmm, you're not wrong. In other words, you were cautious of what came out of your mouth. It's an admirable trait, if you ask me." There she goes again, defending me. "You may not be aware but, when you did speak, you gave me some valuable critiques, though I admit you were a bit blunt at times. And we may not have communicated much with words, but we did communicate with our skills. Those one on one matches really helped me hone my skills, so I'm quite grateful to you. So, yeah. Like I said, it was fun while it lasted."

"So, you don't regret being my friend?" I ask, with a hint of disbelief.

"Frankly, I... don't understand what's there to regret."

"I'm sorry." I find myself saying.

Maha looks taken aback. "That came out of nowhere. Are you feeling okay?"

"To be honest, it bothered me more than I'd like to admit when I dropped out of school without telling you." I stare down at my clenched hands remembering my reluctance and the numerous times I wanted to turn back and see Mia one last time but held myself back.

"Remember those pictures I showed you? The ones I accidentally came across in a camera allegedly owned by Yamira?"

Maha nods.

"They really confused me at the time and I didn't know how to confront you about them, or whether I should. I thought it would be best to just leave. I understand if you felt resentful towards me because of it."

"Not gonna lie, it did sting to be ghosted by someone who I thought was eventually warming up to me. But I'm not petty enough to hold a grudge." Maha smiles down at her intertwined hands. "After you dropped out, I would sometimes find myself looking for you in our usual places only to be reminded that you were gone. It's sorta embarrassing saying this out loud, but I kind of hoped that you'd come to see me one day. As more days went by I started to feel guilty for forcing my company on you and I wanted to apologize if I ever happened to see you again. You were the first person in school who I could really talk to about basketball so I genuinely wanted to hang out with you. I know it's late, but I'm sorry if I was annoying."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Ms. Ayat. If anything, I should be thanking you for giving me some good memories of my school days. If I knew we were going through a similar situation I wouldn't have left like that. At least I've had closure since they found Yamira's body. But you- you and your family have been in the limbo for years. Not knowing whether Wissam's dead or alive. I feel like a jerk for not being there for you."

"I never held it against you, so don't beat yourself up over it. We were young." Maha says. "Man! The mood went from happy to senti pretty fast." She tries to dispense the dreary atmosphere with a laugh.

"Mah- I mean, Ms. Ayat, I- "

"Mr. Zaber," Maha cuts me off, "I only said all these because I thought we were sharing but, regardless of whatever feelings I may or may not harbor towards you based on our mutual past or in the future, I won't let them effect our Agreement. If that's what you're worried about, don't be. Are you hungry, by the way? I'm thinking of getting myself a donut. You want anything?"

The abrupt change in topic takes me by surprise.

"Oh, uh... I can just ask my assistant-"

"No, it's fine. I...uh, like buying own food. Be right back."

M A H A

I know I get sidetracked easily, but Yusha? After all the stoicism and time-is-of-essence attitude in our previous meetings, I can't help but feel skeptical of his overt showcase of contriteness.

Was it a test? Was it a trick to trip me into transgressing our proviso on professionalism? Was he going to flip the switch without a warning like last time and go all business mode?

Am I overthinking?

I don't stop until I'm inside the elevator. As it starts to descend, I slump against one of the mirror walls and sink all the way to the floor.

God, did I just run away?

I rest my forehead on my knees and groan.

The pained expression on his face seemed so sincere I had to clasp my hands together to quell the urge to reach out and comfort him. Seeing this side of of him is a novelty, so I got carried away in the moment. I can't let my guard down. For all I know, it could be a clever ploy to glean my trust. If he was indeed faking it, I'm impressed. 

"You okay there, Miss?"

I lift my head up and realize that the elevator has stopped. Two men are standing outside and staring at me. I hastily get to my feet.

"Yes! Fine! Sorry- I mean, thank you." Nice job embarrassing yourself, Maha. "Sorry, I'm being weird. Excuse me."

Not more than three steps, and the same voice calls out. "Ms. Maha Ayat?"

I stop.

"It is Ms. Ayat, am I right?"

I fix a smile on my face and turn around.

"That's me."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, though at a rather unexpected place." the man takes off his fedora and smiles. "I assume you remember me?"

"Yes. You're Mr. Ayman Zaber."

"Indeed. My assistant here filled me in about you and your friends' valiant actions." Yusha's father takes a step towards me. "Because the situation was handled urgently, I was saved from acute danger."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure my friends would be too."

"I would like to express my earnest gratitude. If there's anything I can do to repay-

"Please, don't say that. My friends and I aren't shameless enough to cash in on something anybody is expected to do when the situation calls for it. The news of you doing well would suffice. I have go. Please excuse me and have a good day."

I reach the cafeteria and choose one glazed donut for me and a cheesecake for Yusha.

"That'll be $7.9," The cashier says.

I search my pockets for my purse but don't find it.

"I think I left my purse in my bag. I'll be right back." What a hassle.

When I go to fetch my purse Yusha is not in his office.

"They've been paid for." The cashier tells me when I proffer him my debit card.

"What? Who paid for them?"

"Here. I was told to give this to you by him." The cashier hands me a blue envelope with a Post-it note stuck on it.

The note read:

Ms. Ayat, I paid for your goods. If you wish to repay me, you can come to the party I'm throwing later this week. The details are in the blue envelope alongside my contact info.

-Ayman Zaber

Ps. the invitation extends to your two friends.