It was finally time to get our diplomas and my legs were numb from sitting for too long; whoever said graduation ceremonies were fun seriously didn't know the definition of fun. Or maybe they had a lot of close friends to celebrate with.
Ahmed was called up first and everyone cheered for him, I "woo"ed because I was actually gonna miss that guy. He didn't throw up, like he said he would, thank god.
My nerves were building up but I was thankful I started with an O and not an A. I breathed in and out as I heard the names being called out and I clapped at every name, no matter if I liked or disliked the person; maybe it was the last time I was going to see them.
I still couldn't believe Zaid's speech and I wondered if anyone else had realized it too. I never expected to influence him after one week of knowing him. Maybe I was being paranoid, maybe it wasn't about me.
Thing was he influenced me too. I thought about him day and night and got worried about him. I still didn't know what his family emergency was. I kind of regretted not talking to him when we got back to school from our school trip now that he talked to me; I really missed his company.
"Lulwa Al-K," the principal called out, and Lulu crossed the stage confidently as she picked up her diploma, she smiled brightly and her curls went bouncing with her as she walked. I hated that we were graduating not as friends. It hurt so much but I couldn't fix it alone and she too needed to apologize.
The names were being called out and I was getting so anxious that I just wanted to get it over with, and surprisingly the ceremony was much more organized than it was in the morning. I played with my Cartier bracelet, which seemed to calm me down. It had a little piece of Zaid in it, and Zaid kept me calm.
"Omniyah Al-S," my name was finally called and I shot up from the seat to walk to the principal. I saw my mother waving at me and taking pictures of me while my grandma, aunt and uncle clapped and gave me thumbs up.
I was so glad it was over even if it was a blur; and I was more than glad I didn't trip in my heels that I had only just worn and ached like hell.
It took a while for all the names to be called out, and Zaid, ironically, being the last to be called.
"I present to you the class of 2011!" the principal announced and we threw our caps into the air as the ballroom roared with cheers and applause. I was happy to get out of here; really happy.
Music began playing to indicate that the ceremony was over, and my legs were so numb when I stood up that I needed to brace myself as I walked down from the stage with the rest of the students to look for our families.
I quickly caught up with mine and hugged my family members tight careful not to mess up my diploma. I wore my high honor ribbon with pride and kept checking for it not to fall off me; as I worked really hard to achieve a high honor.
"Alf mabrook 7abeebti!" my aunt said as she hugged me.
"Allah ybarik fetch khalti," I told her.
"Yallah khal a7ad y9awerna," my mother said after she was done hugging me and taking very awkward pictures of me as I kissed my grandma and stood with my diploma. She called a random girl to take our picture, one with my family, and one with my mom and me.
"Saroona ta3alay 7abeebti alf mabrouk!" my mother suddenly said in the middle of the picture and I opened my mouth to say something but it was too late.
"Allah ybarik feech khalti," she said as she kissed my mom.
"Saro," Lulu called out to Sarah before she realized who her friend was with. She smiled mn ilwahga.
"Oh hala khalti," Lulu said, faking a smile that was so obvious I tried not to laugh.
"Mabrouk Lulu 7abeebti, walhaneen 3alaikum matmuroon mats2iloon?!" my mom joked. Oh god I was dying inside.
Lulu just laughed and apologized.
"La7'6a ogfaw yam ba3a'6 khal a9awerkum," my mom said. No, please no.
I cleared my throat and stood next to Sarah with Lulu on the other side.
We all faked a pretty good smile as my mom took a billion pictures of us.
"Yallah ma3a ilsalama khalti," Lulu and Sarah said before they left us, not bothering to say goodbye to me or at least fake it for my mom's sake. I think my mom might've caught up with that.
I looked around, Ahmed was with his family and holding his mom's hand which I couldn't stop smiling at. I followed my mom as we tried to leave the ballroom but it was so crowded that we were stuck in our place, so I looked around for an empty passageway but instead, from the corner of my eye, I found Zaid looking at me. I smiled at him and he smiled back. I looked next to him to see if his family was with him but I saw him walk alone.
"Yuma bas digeega oo arja3," I told my mom as she looked at the pictures. My grandma and aunt were greeting some people they knew.
I pushed past the crowd of people and finally caught up with Zaid in the corridor leading to the stage.
"Zaid!" I called out, and he turned to smile at me. I knew he was waiting for me.
"We did it," he said, waving his diploma at me. I smiled at him.
"Valedictorian, ha?....Oo I liked your speech," I added as I bit my lip.
"Thank you, Omniyah," he said with a wink. It confirmed my theory. I smiled before I walked away as I was afraid my mom was looking for me, but she was still talking to some girl's parents. I turned to see if Zaid was still there but he too had walked away.
I wondered if I would see him again, I didn't want to dwell on that thought.
I caught up with my mom and begged her to leave but she kept greeting almost everyone and I tried to hide away. Apparently she knew a lot of the parents of my classmates, so while she greeted the parents I congratulated the students and my mom would sometimes ask for a picture of me with that graduate no matter if we were friends or just acquaintances. It was very awkward but I guessed that was my mom being very happy since her only child was graduating high school; so I did whatever she asked to make her happy.
We finally left at 10:30 as me, my mom, and my aunt got in the car in the parking while my grandma and uncle left earlier since it was past my grandma's usual bedtime; which I found to be adorable.
"A77," I said as I took my heels off while I sat in the backseat of my aunt's car. My feet were crushed and I could barely feel them.
"Yallah 3u8bal iljam3a inshallah," my aunt said from the driver's seat.
"Inshallah, mashkoura," I said with a smile.
"Wain widich?" she asked me.
"Handasa," I told her. I'd finally made up my mind.
"Mashallah allah ywafgich 7abeebti," she said, and my mom couldn't stop beaming proudly, which definitely made my night.
We left the parking and onto the main road of Al-Raya, where I saw Lulu and her mom wait for her driver. I wondered if I would see them again, or if anything would happen. I knew that they were going to GUST while I was going to KU. We hated the split at first but now I bet we were all glad it happened.
"Mashallah 3ayal Lulu oo Sarah honor?" my mother asked.
"Ee," I simply said. I didn't want to talk about them anymore.
"Oo intay high honor, 3adil?" my aunt asked. I nodded and beamed. It felt really good.
"Ilthanya 3ala ilduf3a?" she asked again. I shrugged.
"Wallah madri, bas mn il top ten ya3ni il7mdillah," I said. My mother beamed. I was so happy to make her happy, it was true I went to hell to get there but it was worth it.
"Shsma ilawal 3ala ilduf3a?" my mother asked me.
"Mnu? Zaid Al-M?" I asked her. It was weird saying his name to my mom and I hoped my voice wasn't weird.
"Ee, mn wlda?" she asked me. I told her his dad's name.
"Eeee, 3araft uboouh," my aunt said. My heart stopped. Could they not talk about him? It was very weird.
"Mashallah 3alaih ilawal oo yay ilgraduation?" she asked. What did she mean?
"Laish, eshfee?" I asked her.
"Uma maskeena bl mstashfa, mara'6 ilshain allah yashfeeha o y7af'6na," she said.
I felt a stab to my heart. His mother was sick the whole time?
I put a hand to my mouth and tried to keep in my tears but I couldn't. I would die if I knew something happened to my mother, I wondered what he was feeling now. No wonder he needed a distraction back in Paris, and that's why he had booked an earlier flight.
I composed a text on Whatsapp and sent it to Zaid.
If you ever need anything, day or night, I'll always be here.
I pressed send.
I think he knew I knew.
My aunt dropped me and my mom off and congratulated me again before driving off.
"Yallah ana rai7a anam wallah 3ayazt, t9bi7een 3ala khair. Rfa3tay rasna," my mother said as she walked to her room as she smiled and I beamed.
"Mashkoora yuma, t9bi7een 3ala khair," I said as I gave her a hug.
I changed into my pajamas and waited on the bed in front of my phone while biting my nails.
I got a message but it was just a congratulations from my mom's cousin, which was sweet. I began to open my graduation presents; a Prada purse from my aunt and uncle, and a Chanel perfume from my grandma, which I used to love whenever I went over to her house.
Thank you, and I'll always be there for you.
I read his text and smiled but it still hurt so much inside. I wished school wasn't over so I could see him again. I couldn't see him in college since he was studying abroad, and he was traveling in a month and a half.
I looked on Whatsapp for my old group with Sarah and Lulu just to give them my final word.
Hey guys. Mabrouk 3ala iltakharuj, I really wish you the best of luck in the future. So sorry things turned out the way it did but if you really valued our friendship then you would've given me a chance to explain myself, which is an actual excuse. Anyway, good bye girls xx
I turned off my phone and slipped inside my bed to go to sleep.
With graduation it felt like a new chapter in life, a new start, a new everything.
***
Dedicated to Alanood :*
ask.fm/xcashmerepoison
Ahmed was called up first and everyone cheered for him, I "woo"ed because I was actually gonna miss that guy. He didn't throw up, like he said he would, thank god.
My nerves were building up but I was thankful I started with an O and not an A. I breathed in and out as I heard the names being called out and I clapped at every name, no matter if I liked or disliked the person; maybe it was the last time I was going to see them.
I still couldn't believe Zaid's speech and I wondered if anyone else had realized it too. I never expected to influence him after one week of knowing him. Maybe I was being paranoid, maybe it wasn't about me.
Thing was he influenced me too. I thought about him day and night and got worried about him. I still didn't know what his family emergency was. I kind of regretted not talking to him when we got back to school from our school trip now that he talked to me; I really missed his company.
"Lulwa Al-K," the principal called out, and Lulu crossed the stage confidently as she picked up her diploma, she smiled brightly and her curls went bouncing with her as she walked. I hated that we were graduating not as friends. It hurt so much but I couldn't fix it alone and she too needed to apologize.
The names were being called out and I was getting so anxious that I just wanted to get it over with, and surprisingly the ceremony was much more organized than it was in the morning. I played with my Cartier bracelet, which seemed to calm me down. It had a little piece of Zaid in it, and Zaid kept me calm.
"Omniyah Al-S," my name was finally called and I shot up from the seat to walk to the principal. I saw my mother waving at me and taking pictures of me while my grandma, aunt and uncle clapped and gave me thumbs up.
I was so glad it was over even if it was a blur; and I was more than glad I didn't trip in my heels that I had only just worn and ached like hell.
It took a while for all the names to be called out, and Zaid, ironically, being the last to be called.
"I present to you the class of 2011!" the principal announced and we threw our caps into the air as the ballroom roared with cheers and applause. I was happy to get out of here; really happy.
Music began playing to indicate that the ceremony was over, and my legs were so numb when I stood up that I needed to brace myself as I walked down from the stage with the rest of the students to look for our families.
I quickly caught up with mine and hugged my family members tight careful not to mess up my diploma. I wore my high honor ribbon with pride and kept checking for it not to fall off me; as I worked really hard to achieve a high honor.
"Alf mabrook 7abeebti!" my aunt said as she hugged me.
"Allah ybarik fetch khalti," I told her.
"Yallah khal a7ad y9awerna," my mother said after she was done hugging me and taking very awkward pictures of me as I kissed my grandma and stood with my diploma. She called a random girl to take our picture, one with my family, and one with my mom and me.
"Saroona ta3alay 7abeebti alf mabrouk!" my mother suddenly said in the middle of the picture and I opened my mouth to say something but it was too late.
"Allah ybarik feech khalti," she said as she kissed my mom.
"Saro," Lulu called out to Sarah before she realized who her friend was with. She smiled mn ilwahga.
"Oh hala khalti," Lulu said, faking a smile that was so obvious I tried not to laugh.
"Mabrouk Lulu 7abeebti, walhaneen 3alaikum matmuroon mats2iloon?!" my mom joked. Oh god I was dying inside.
Lulu just laughed and apologized.
"La7'6a ogfaw yam ba3a'6 khal a9awerkum," my mom said. No, please no.
I cleared my throat and stood next to Sarah with Lulu on the other side.
We all faked a pretty good smile as my mom took a billion pictures of us.
"Yallah ma3a ilsalama khalti," Lulu and Sarah said before they left us, not bothering to say goodbye to me or at least fake it for my mom's sake. I think my mom might've caught up with that.
I looked around, Ahmed was with his family and holding his mom's hand which I couldn't stop smiling at. I followed my mom as we tried to leave the ballroom but it was so crowded that we were stuck in our place, so I looked around for an empty passageway but instead, from the corner of my eye, I found Zaid looking at me. I smiled at him and he smiled back. I looked next to him to see if his family was with him but I saw him walk alone.
"Yuma bas digeega oo arja3," I told my mom as she looked at the pictures. My grandma and aunt were greeting some people they knew.
I pushed past the crowd of people and finally caught up with Zaid in the corridor leading to the stage.
"Zaid!" I called out, and he turned to smile at me. I knew he was waiting for me.
"We did it," he said, waving his diploma at me. I smiled at him.
"Valedictorian, ha?....Oo I liked your speech," I added as I bit my lip.
"Thank you, Omniyah," he said with a wink. It confirmed my theory. I smiled before I walked away as I was afraid my mom was looking for me, but she was still talking to some girl's parents. I turned to see if Zaid was still there but he too had walked away.
I wondered if I would see him again, I didn't want to dwell on that thought.
I caught up with my mom and begged her to leave but she kept greeting almost everyone and I tried to hide away. Apparently she knew a lot of the parents of my classmates, so while she greeted the parents I congratulated the students and my mom would sometimes ask for a picture of me with that graduate no matter if we were friends or just acquaintances. It was very awkward but I guessed that was my mom being very happy since her only child was graduating high school; so I did whatever she asked to make her happy.
We finally left at 10:30 as me, my mom, and my aunt got in the car in the parking while my grandma and uncle left earlier since it was past my grandma's usual bedtime; which I found to be adorable.
"A77," I said as I took my heels off while I sat in the backseat of my aunt's car. My feet were crushed and I could barely feel them.
"Yallah 3u8bal iljam3a inshallah," my aunt said from the driver's seat.
"Inshallah, mashkoura," I said with a smile.
"Wain widich?" she asked me.
"Handasa," I told her. I'd finally made up my mind.
"Mashallah allah ywafgich 7abeebti," she said, and my mom couldn't stop beaming proudly, which definitely made my night.
We left the parking and onto the main road of Al-Raya, where I saw Lulu and her mom wait for her driver. I wondered if I would see them again, or if anything would happen. I knew that they were going to GUST while I was going to KU. We hated the split at first but now I bet we were all glad it happened.
"Mashallah 3ayal Lulu oo Sarah honor?" my mother asked.
"Ee," I simply said. I didn't want to talk about them anymore.
"Oo intay high honor, 3adil?" my aunt asked. I nodded and beamed. It felt really good.
"Ilthanya 3ala ilduf3a?" she asked again. I shrugged.
"Wallah madri, bas mn il top ten ya3ni il7mdillah," I said. My mother beamed. I was so happy to make her happy, it was true I went to hell to get there but it was worth it.
"Shsma ilawal 3ala ilduf3a?" my mother asked me.
"Mnu? Zaid Al-M?" I asked her. It was weird saying his name to my mom and I hoped my voice wasn't weird.
"Ee, mn wlda?" she asked me. I told her his dad's name.
"Eeee, 3araft uboouh," my aunt said. My heart stopped. Could they not talk about him? It was very weird.
"Mashallah 3alaih ilawal oo yay ilgraduation?" she asked. What did she mean?
"Laish, eshfee?" I asked her.
"Uma maskeena bl mstashfa, mara'6 ilshain allah yashfeeha o y7af'6na," she said.
I felt a stab to my heart. His mother was sick the whole time?
I put a hand to my mouth and tried to keep in my tears but I couldn't. I would die if I knew something happened to my mother, I wondered what he was feeling now. No wonder he needed a distraction back in Paris, and that's why he had booked an earlier flight.
I composed a text on Whatsapp and sent it to Zaid.
If you ever need anything, day or night, I'll always be here.
I pressed send.
I think he knew I knew.
My aunt dropped me and my mom off and congratulated me again before driving off.
"Yallah ana rai7a anam wallah 3ayazt, t9bi7een 3ala khair. Rfa3tay rasna," my mother said as she walked to her room as she smiled and I beamed.
"Mashkoora yuma, t9bi7een 3ala khair," I said as I gave her a hug.
I changed into my pajamas and waited on the bed in front of my phone while biting my nails.
I got a message but it was just a congratulations from my mom's cousin, which was sweet. I began to open my graduation presents; a Prada purse from my aunt and uncle, and a Chanel perfume from my grandma, which I used to love whenever I went over to her house.
Thank you, and I'll always be there for you.
I read his text and smiled but it still hurt so much inside. I wished school wasn't over so I could see him again. I couldn't see him in college since he was studying abroad, and he was traveling in a month and a half.
I looked on Whatsapp for my old group with Sarah and Lulu just to give them my final word.
Hey guys. Mabrouk 3ala iltakharuj, I really wish you the best of luck in the future. So sorry things turned out the way it did but if you really valued our friendship then you would've given me a chance to explain myself, which is an actual excuse. Anyway, good bye girls xx
I turned off my phone and slipped inside my bed to go to sleep.
With graduation it felt like a new chapter in life, a new start, a new everything.
***
Dedicated to Alanood :*
ask.fm/xcashmerepoison
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