Friday Fiction: Slice of Life 22

Chapter 22: Things Change

“Is the seat taken?” Frida said.

Maya glanced up from the book she was reading and shrugged. Frida cleared her throat and sat down beside her. Sarah was helping Sarosh with their science project, and Maya was taking her lunch outside. It was a clear day—too good to stay indoors. The beautiful view of the mountains in the distance and the flower bushes surrounding her was soothing. Their school had a well-kept garden and Maya loved to take her lunch there whenever she got the chance.

“So,” Frida sounded nervous, which was odd for her.

Maya wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone, but it would be rude to ignore her. She said, “Sorry, I have delayed our project. I promise to start tomorrow.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Frida smiled. “We have plenty of time. I’m good at science. I’m sure we can do it in time.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

After that, both girls sat there in awkward silence. Maya had closed her book and joined Frida in staring at the clear blue sky. Neither knew what to say. They weren’t fighting anymore, but they surely weren’t best friends. In a few months, Maya had matured beyond her years. Her animosity towards Frida seemed foolish now.

“Sarah is nice,” Frida broke the silence. “Sarosh too. I like them.”

“I know. And I like them too.”

Once again, the two were quiet.

“So, this is awkward,” Frida stated the obvious, then blurted out, “I want us to be friends again.”

“Are you feeling sorry for me because my parents got divorced?” She couldn’t think of any other reason for Frida’s sudden change in attitude.

“No, of course not. That’s absurd,” Frida rushed to explain. “I have been meaning to say this for a while now. It just never seemed to be the right time. I miss you. You were my best friend and I want that back.”

Maya stared at her for a moment and then beamed. “I miss you too. Why were we fighting, anyway?”

Frida returned the smile and said, “Beats me. By the way, what are you reading?”

And just like that, they had broken the ice and chatted away like old friends who had never drifted apart. Miss Janet was on to something when she made them lab partners. And Maya realized that sometimes change could be good.

Epilogue

There was bittersweetness in the air after receiving their high school diplomas. Things would change once again, hopefully, for the better. And the four friends understood it. They had filled their final year at the school with fond memories of laughter and mischief. No matter where they went from here, they would always stay in each other’s hearts.

“I can’t believe we did it,” Sarah said, plopping down on the bed beside Frida.

Maya was lying down on the carpet, staring at the ceiling as if looking for answers to life’s mysteries, while Sarosh stood by the window. The four best friends were at Maya’s house, celebrating their graduation. The weather hadn’t permitted them to go out, as a snowstorm was on the way and the friends were stuck in the house for the weekend.

“This might be our last weekend sleepover,” Frida said, sadness dripping from her tone. They all had plans for their future, which didn’t include staying in the small hill station. Frida was taking a gap year and planning to travel around the world. Sarosh had already received her acceptance letter from one of the top universities in the country. She would leave soon. Maya was going to stay with her father for a while because her mother was going abroad for work. And Sarah did not know what the future held for her. One thing was clear: the four of them would go their separate ways for now.

“Promise you will stay in touch,” Sarosh said, looking at each of them earnestly. “I know people often say they will remain friends forever, but then drift apart. But let’s not let that happen to us.”

“Agreed,” Maya said at once, sitting up and looking at them with all the love in the world. “I’m going to call you girls every day.” There were tears in her eyes. The thought of being apart from her friends was ripping her heart into pieces. Not only that, she would miss her mother and the town.

“That goes without saying,” Frida said.

“Of course,” Sarah said, smiling.

The four huddled together on the bed and talked away their fears of the future. Tomorrow would come soon enough, but for tonight, they were happy to be together.

© 2022 Fizza Younis. All Rights Reserved.

Read previous chapters here.

Friday Fiction: Slice of Life 21

Chapter 21: Coming to a Halt

“Are you packed?” Maya’s mom asked her, a day before she left for her grandparents’ house.

As angry as she was with her parents, she could hear the tiredness in her mother’s tone and tried to muster up a smile. “Yes, all set.” After all, nothing good was going to come out of sulking.

“Good,” her mother said gently, which was odd for her. “You will like it there. I promise.”

The promise didn’t appease her, though. She had been looking forward to spending the summer with her friends. It was the last summer before graduation and somehow, it had meant something to her. And now, thanks to her parents, she would be spending it miles away. “Whatever, Mom.”

“No, I’m serious. They live at a farmhouse and it’s really beautiful.”

“Really?” she said, not believing her mother. “And how many times have you visited them?” Her mother had no right to tell her how amazing her paternal grandparents’ place was when she herself couldn’t live there and moved all the way to the other side of the country.

“Well, when your father and I first got married, we stayed there for a couple of years. Then he got a job here, and we moved—” She looked nostalgic as if thinking about something precious; a fond memory, something lost for good.

“Never looking back,” Maya finished her sentence. “What if the place isn’t the same anymore? What if I hate it?” She had never visited her grandparents in her adult life and didn’t even remember them all that well. They hadn’t visited either and the phone calls weren’t the same thing. No matter how often she talked to them on video calls, they were practically strangers to her.

“You won’t as long as you give it a chance. Don’t decide before experiencing it.” Her mother sat down at the edge of her bed. “I want you to enjoy your summer, make new friends, adopt a dog, and then come back a changed person.”

“Yeah, right? Don’t hold your breath,” Maya said, looking down at her hands. If she was honest with herself, it wasn’t even about her grandparents or her summer plans, rather the thing that annoyed her was her parents’ high-handedness. They didn’t give her a choice before buying plane tickets. They had always given her an illusion of choice, even while convincing her to do what they want. This time, they hadn’t bothered. She had felt helpless and she hated that more than anything else.

“I’m sorry about what I said the other day. Your friends are great, and I know you love them a lot.”

“Thanks for saying that.” Maya finally gave her mother a genuine smile. “But I still don’t want to go all the way to the other side of the country for two entire months.” Seeing her mother’s good humor, she decided to give it one last try.

“In life, we don’t always get what we want.” Her mother looked sad and, at that moment, Maya noticed the worry lines etched on her forehead.

“Mom,” she got a little worried herself. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, peachy.” Her mother’s smile looked forced.

Well, what had she expected? It wasn’t like her mother shared anything with her. Maya might be in her late teens but her mother had always treated her like a child. They weren’t friends, after all.

The next day, Maya hugged her parents, said goodbye to her friends, and left for her grandparents’ farm. Not knowing that when she would come back, things would be different, and life would never be the same.

That was the summer when Maya’s parents divorced. That’s when she truly understood the meaning behind the phrase ‘beware of what you wish for.’ There were no more extravagant family holidays. Her father had moved back to his parent’s farm and now she was alone with her mother.

The house remained eerily quiet most of the time. Her mother stopped interfering in her life and threw herself into work. Sometimes Maya feared she would work herself to an early grave, but she didn’t know what to do about it.

She had never been close to her mother. It wasn’t going to magically change now that they were the only two people living in a house that was meant for ten. She knew that life would get back to normal eventually, and it would be a new normal, but it’d be okay. Until then, she just needed to hang in there, as Sarah had put it. At least her friends were there for her. And she wanted to be there for her mother, too.

Soon the topic of her parents’ divorce would get stale and it wouldn’t hurt as much to talk about as it did now. As Sarosh had pointed out, life went on.

© 2022 Fizza Younis. All Rights Reserved.

Read previous chapters here.

Friday Fiction: Slice of Life 20

Chapter 20: Unwanted Vacation

“How long are you going to keep talking about it?” Maya asked, annoyed with her mother. “Honestly, the topic has gone stale for me. I’m so fed up with you always bringing it up.” She threw up her hands and wanted to storm out of the room. But she knew that would make things worse because then her mother would have yet another thing to complain about.

“Watch your tone, young lady,” her mother said sternly. “I will talk about it as long as it takes for you to listen.”

Maya took a deep breath and said, “Mom, my grades are fine. Yes, I won’t be valedictorian, but I’m also not going to fail at anything. I might get some Cs, but it’s not the end of the world.” She tried to reign in her temper. It wasn’t easy though. She could never understand her mother’s obsession with perfect grades. Why couldn’t she accept that her daughter was an average student? Not everyone was born with high IQ levels. And there is no reason why they should.

“Oh, you think this is about your grades?” Her mother said, throwing up her hands. “We don’t care about that. You will never be a topper and that’s fine. I’m just worried about other things.”

Okay, so that surprised Maya. She thought it was always about the grades. “What other things?” she asked, calming down a little. She had felt attacked when her mother brought up her choice of clothes once again. She liked to stay up to date on fashion and owned it. Constant criticism from her mother was doing nothing for her self-esteem. “I just assumed that you were worried about my grades.”

“Well,” her mother said cautiously, “I think that your overall attitude is a problem.” She knew how temperamental Maya was.

“My what?!” Maya didn’t even know how to respond to that. This was worse than she thought. Her mother didn’t understand her at all–not at all.

“You know,” she said, looking at Maya. “If you spend a little less time with your friends and a little more time at home, then you might see things differently.”

Oh, no. Things were just going downhill. That’s why she hated talking to her mother. They could never be on the same page. “Now you don’t like friends? I can’t believe this.”

“Look,” her mother said, gesturing with her hands for Maya to stay calm. “I like Sarosh and Sarah. They are good girls. I just don’t like that you are always out. You stay late at school, and you are always finding excuses to stay at their places or invite them over. This isn’t healthy. You should have other hobbies.”

“Why does it matter?” Maya still didn’t understand her mother’s point of view and wondered where this was coming from and where it was going. Frankly, she felt lost. She had only barely convinced her mother to stop nagging her about grades, and now, her friends had somehow entered the debate.

“Anyway,” her mother said. “We have decided that you should stay with your grandparents for the summer vacation. Change of scenery will do you some good.”

“Do I get a say in this?” Maya asked, knowing the answer already. At this point, she just wanted the conversation to be over so that she could go to her room and wallow in her misery.

“No, you need to pack. Your flight is next week.” With that, her mother left the kitchen, considering the discussion over.

Maya sat at the dining table with her very dark thoughts before storming out. It was just like her parents to spring something like this on her and not give her a choice. More than that, what hurt was the fact that her mother had used her friends as an excuse. Even though she knew her friends were not the troublemakers.

Sarosh was the most intelligent person she knew. She was the topper of their class. She was a goody-goody teacher’s pet. Every adult loved her. Sarah was even better. She was kind, an average student like Maya, but she was good at keeping them out of trouble.

Maya loved her friends, but that wasn’t the only reason she enjoyed spending so much time with them. The fact of the matter was that she hated being at home. Her parents were always fighting with each other. If not, then they were finding faults with her. It could get depressing. Instead of shutting herself in her room, she liked to go out with friends. That way, she wouldn’t have to listen to them all the time.

Later that night, she called Sarosh and Sarah to let them know that their summer plans were a no-go because she wouldn’t be in town. They understood and tried to cheer her up, pointing out all the amazing things about visiting grandparents. Obviously, they didn’t know hers.

Read the previous chapters here.

Friday Fiction: Slice of Life 19

Chapter 19: I Hate Study Camps

“Are you kidding me?!” Maya threw up her hands. “They want us to go to school from ten am to three pm? Who wakes up so early during the holidays? Do they even know how cold it is?” The three friends were standing in front of the notice board at school. It was their last day before winter vacations started. Maya had been looking forward to the two-month-long leisure time, but it looked like a study camp was going to ruin her big plans.

Her dramatic outburst made her friends laugh. “I’m sure everyone knows how cold Novembers can get in this part of the country,” Sarosh said, trying to control her laughter.

“Oh, don’t be too concerned about it, Maya.” Sarah smiled at her friend. “We all know you aren’t the one to linger in bed; holidays or not, and ten isn’t that early, anyway.” She was still chuckling as they walked out and headed towards the parking lot.

“True enough. I just like to have the choice, at least.” Maya adjusted her backpack and looked toward the overcast sky. “It might rain again,” she said in a way of complaining.

“It’s no big deal, Maya,” Sarosh chimed in. “The camp is only for two weeks. We are still going to get three weeks of uninterrupted sleep.”

“That’s not the point. I just hate it when they make these things mandatory.” As usual, Maya had found something to complain about.

They were driving toward Sarah’s house and enjoying their first day of freedom after the midterms.

“Apparently, you hate everything.” Sarosh rolled her eyes in mock disgust.

“Hey, I saw that.” Maya threw a dirty look at her friend. “And I have a good reason to hate them. We barely get two months of holidays, and they are making us spend fifteen whole days doing silly activities which we don’t even need to do.”

“She has a point there, Ro,” Sarah said, looking at Sarosh. “These study camps are just ridiculous. There won’t be any studying, that’s for sure. Even teachers don’t like them.”

“Anyhow, there isn’t anything we can do about it.” Sarosh pointed out the obvious.

“Who says we can’t? Let’s start a petition,” Maya suggested, smiling mischievously.

© 2022 Fizza Younis. All Rights Reserved.

Read previous chapters here.

Friday Fiction: Slice of Life 18

Chapter 18: A Day in Their Life

“Have you seen my tripod?” Sarosh asked, closing the first cabinet and turning towards her friends. Maya and Sarah were hunched over the laptop. “What are you two looking at?”

“No, and we are going through last week’s photos. There are some superb ones here, Ro,” Maya said, without taking her eyes off the screen.

“Thanks,” Sarosh beamed at the praise. “I thought so too. It was a perfect day, and I really enjoyed taking pictures at the carnival.”

“True, and now, all we need is to decide which one to enter the competition.”

“Oh, I don’t think they’re that good,” Ro-ever-the-perfectionist said. “Actually, I was thinking of taking some more today.” She was rummaging through the rest of the cabinets. “I swear, I left my tripod here,” she grumbled.

“I don’t think so,” Maya said. “We would’ve noticed it. That ugly pink thing.” Sarah laughed at her tone, while Sarosh gave her a dirty look. “Seriously, what possessed you to use those hideous tripod leg wraps?” Maya exaggerated a shudder.

“Don’t mind that,” Sarosh said, waving a hand, and not bothered by her friend’s over-the-top reaction. She didn’t buy it. Her cousin gave it to her, but she would not explain it to anyone. “I need it for today’s photoshoot.”

“No one uses this room besides us,” Maya reminded her. “If you left it here, then it should be here, and if it’s not, that means you left it somewhere else.”

“Did you check at your house?” Sarah asked.

“No,” Sarosh sighed. “I was so sure I had left it at school. I guess we’ll have to do without it.”

“Let’s take some pictures,” Sarah said as they walked out hand in hand.

© 2022 Fizza Younis. All Rights Reserved.

Read previous chapters here.

Friday Fiction: Slice of Life 17

Chapter 17: It’s Prettier

“I can’t believe she didn’t tell me,” Sarosh said, plopping down on the bed. “I’m her best friend!”

“Well,” Sam said, taking out yet another dress from her closet and placing it in front of herself, “What do you think?”

“Nah.” Sarosh waved her hand in dismissal. “Purple isn’t your color.”

Sam stared at her reflection for a minute. “You’re right. Maybe red then?”

“Anyway, why do you think Maya didn’t tell me about her crush?” There was a pensive look on her face as she tried to come up with a reason. The worst part was that Sarah knew it. She was the only one who was oblivious to one of her best friend’s crushes.

“Because you, my dear cousin, can be a judgmental a-hole.”

“But still…” Sarosh said weakly because Sam had a point. Sarosh didn’t enjoy talking about boys and she always commented how silly some girls were going crazy over their crushes. It’s like they couldn’t see what was right in front of them; boys didn’t matter in the big picture of life. She had always been vocal about her sentiments, but that didn’t mean she would judge her friends if they chased after boys.

“I’m right and you know it.” Sam raised her eyebrows as if daring Sarosh to disagree. “You’re not an amiable person to agree to disagree with. You make people feel stupid even when you’re the wrong one.”

“Yeah, you’re right, but I can’t help it sometimes,” Sarosh admitted. “I don’t mean to be so forceful and opinionated.” She sighed.

“Next time, try to be more understanding, and try to be sensitive about other people’s feelings. I’m sure your friends will be more open,” Sam said, pausing before continuing, “I think I’ll go with the purple one, anyway. It’s prettier and I like it better.”

© 2022 Fizza Younis. All Rights Reserved.

Read previous chapters here.

Friday Fiction: Slice of Life 15 & 16

Chapter 15: Older Than Me

“It’s old,” Maya said, sighing. She didn’t understand why her mother was handing an old and battered dress to her.

“It’s vintage,” her mother said. “It’s from the time when everything was of high quality, the time when people weren’t used to taking shortcuts, and when they didn’t make substandard things. You won’t find silk like this anywhere nowadays.”

“I don’t even like this color,” she complained. “I don’t want to wear your old dress. Why do I have to, anyway?”

“Don’t be absurd.” Her mother waved a hand in dismissal. “You must wear this to the dinner tomorrow. All my friends will be there, and this dress will make you stand out.”

“Mother, I don’t want to hang out with your friends. Vintage is not my style,” she said, storming out of the room.

Chapter 16: Doughnuts Are Boring

“Doughnuts, seriously? Couldn’t you find something a little more original?” Summra said, leaning on the kitchen door.

“Don’t judge me,” Frida said, smiling.

“What are you smiling about?” Summra crossed her arms over her chest. “Doughnuts are boring.”

“But delicious,” Frida said, putting the last one in the frying pan. “Also, pretty easy to make. Why are you complaining? They are not for you, anyway.”

“It’s our parents’ 25th anniversary. We have been planning this dinner for a month. All I asked you to do was to come up with a sweet dish.” She chewed every word. “They are right when they say never trust your younger sister to do anything right.”

“Oh, chill, everyone loves doughnuts, and no one says that. Don’t make up silly things just because you’re annoyed. I wonder if they say something about older sisters.” Frida exaggerated a thoughtful look, then raised her brows and continued, “Is everything else ready?”

“All set. I’ve taken care of everything else.”

The dinner was perfect, and everyone enjoyed the doughnuts. All that mattered was the fact that they were there for their parents. Frida loved her family because they always stood by her and were there, no matter what. Unlike her supposed best friend who couldn’t even keep a tiny secret. Perhaps her grandmother was right and she should let it go, but somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to forgive Maya. Besides, it wasn’t like Maya was dying to be friends with her again. She was more than happy with her two besties and probably didn’t even remember Frida.

“Why the frown?” Summra said, entering the kitchen where Frida was putting away the dishes.

“Nothing, just thinking.”

“Well, don’t and come outside. It’s a beautiful evening and we are all enjoying a game of charades. You’re missing out on all the fun, sis.” She ruffled Frida’s hair in a playful, teasing way, which made Frida smile. “Now, there’s that beautiful smile we all love. Let me help you with the dishes and then we can go out.”

‘Yeah, life isn’t bad at all,’ Frida thought, the smile still intact on her face and remaining there for the rest of the night.

© 2022 Fizza Younis. All Rights Reserved.

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Friday Fiction: Slice of Life 13 & 14

Chapter 13: Frienemies

“My ability to tolerate your silly pranks has maxed out,” Maya said. With her hands on her waist, she glared at Frida.

“What are you talking about?” Farida glared back at her.

“Don’t play dumb. You switched my notebooks. I couldn’t do my homework!” Maya all but shrieked.

Chatters stopped, and everyone in the classroom looked at them. They were standing at the back, glaring at each other. Maya’s grades were already bad and all the pressure was getting to her. It had been weeks since she noticed someone messing with her things. Missing books, wrong homework or notebook in her bag, and many small things like that. At first, she thought she was being forgetful, but now she wasn’t so sure. She had never really cared about Frida’s hatred towards her, yet she couldn’t let her get away with everything. Everyone had their limits, and Frida just crossed the line.

Sarah and Sarosh rushed to intervene. “What’s wrong?” They looked at Maya with concern. She was trying not to start crying and Frida didn’t look guilty at all, but before either of them could answer, Miss Janet entered the room and took in the scene.

“Girls, take your seats,” Miss Janet reproached. As the girls sat down, she looked at Maya and Farida. In a much softer tone, she said, “You two will partner up for our next lab project.”

Chapter 14: Little Problems

“Our house is a mess these days,” Sarah complained. “I don’t know what prompted my parents to start renovation a few days before our final exams start.”

“You know, you are more than welcome to stay at my place for the time being. We can study together,” Sarosh offered.

“Are you sure your parents won’t mind?” Sarah looked skeptical, after all, she knew her best friend’s parents well. They were very strict with her studies. They believed friends were a distraction. Not that she blamed them, but she also knew that Sarosh took studies seriously too, so they don’t really have anything to worry about.

“I’m sure they won’t mind when I explain it to them,” Sarosh said with a reassuring smile.

“I’d offer,” Maya said to Sarah, “but I know your parents will never allow it. I don’t know why they consider me a bad influence.” She took another bite of her pizza and reached for the coke.

Sarosh and Sarah looked at each other and burst into laughter.

“What?” Maya looked at them, raising her eyebrows. “What did I say?”

“Are you deliberately playing dumb?” Sarah said.

“Oh, come on!” Maya looked offended. “How am I a bad influence? If anything, I think you two are a good influence on me. They should consider that.”

“You have a point there,” Sarosh said, thoughtfully.

“Sarosh, I’m going to take you up on that offer,” Sarah said. She needed to get away from home for a while, and it was a perfect solution for her. Everyone loved Sarosh and she could even get study-related help from her.

With that decided, their attention returned to the pizza. And the little problems were already forgotten.

© 2022 Fizza Younis. All Rights Reserved.

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Friday Fiction: Slice of Life 11 & 12

Chapter 11: A Lesson in Modernism

“Modern history is the period from 1945 to the present. Modern art refers to the period that began in the 1880s and lasted until the 1960s. Similarly, modern literature has its origins in the late nineteenth century.”

“What about modern fashion?” Maya asked.

“Trending fashions are considered modern. Anything in demand,” Miss Janet replied.

“What about modern culture?” Sarosh said with enthusiasm. She was always among the most active students in class. Nothing makes her more excited than learning about new things. Every subject was her favorite subject.

“Well, that’s your assignment. A comparison between traditional and modern cultures. It’s due next week,” Miss Janet said, ignoring the collective groans from her class.

“You had to ask,” Sarah muttered, turning her head to give Sarosh the evil eye glare from her seat in front of her.

Sarosh returned her glare with a sheepish grin and a shrug. “Sorry,” she mouthed as the bell rang, indicating the end of their lecture.

Chapter 12: Among Friends

“What’s your score?” Sarah asked, kicking a pebble with her foot.

“Fifty-four, at least, I passed,” Maya said, looking sheepish.

The girls were enjoying a stroll in the bright afternoon sun. The snow-covered mountain tops shone like diamonds. It was too beautiful a day to sit indoors.

“No, you didn’t. The passing score was sixty,” Sarosh said without sympathy. She knew Maya didn’t study for the test.

“What!” Now Maya looked horrified. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yep,” Sarah said, “she’s right. You didn’t know that?”

“Ugh!” Maya took a deep breath, adjusting her backpack as the three friends walked down the street. “Just my luck.”

“Don’t worry,” Sarah tried to make her feel better. “It’s just one quiz. Hardly 5% of the grade. You can make up for it.”

“I can try,” Maya said in a small voice. “But you know what? Let’s not talk about test scores anymore. Let’s not ruin this beautiful sunny day.” She tried to muster up a smile and failed. Her friends didn’t know this yet, but her grades were suffering and she wondered if she would graduate with them. It was horrifying to imagine she would have to repeat a semester or two.

“Let’s get ice cream. It’ll cheer you up.” Sarah must have noticed her gloomy mood.

“You know me well.” This time Maya’s smile was genuine as they walked on holding hands. Good friends, sunny days, and ice cream; what could go wrong?

© 2022 Fizza Younis. All Rights Reserved.

Read previous chapters here.

Friday Fiction: Slice of Life 10

Chapter 10: A Prank

“What was the name of that website?” Maya asked Sarosh, without looking up from the laptop.

The three of them were in Maya’s bedroom. It was their big sleepover weekend at her place, now that she was back from her family vacation abroad.

“I think it was a nightmare, something or other,” Sarosh said, typing away on her phone. The sunlight coming through the window touched her soft curls. The weather was pleasant, but the girls wanted to stay in and enjoy quiet time after an eventful holiday. Maya was in Africa for a fortnight. Sarosh’s parents finally took the big step and hired a full-time nurse for her grandmother, and Sarah had been avoiding her parents because of their constant bickering. They never got along well, but things were worse than ever and staying at home was torture for her. That’s why an entire weekend with friends was a much needed reprieve from all the troubles of life.

“What website are we talking about?” Sarah said, taking a bite of her burger. Her back was to the window, and she was facing her friends. She and Sarosh were sitting on the carpeted floor. Maya was on the bed.

“Wait,” Maya continued typing on her laptop, ignoring Sarah’s question. “There is always a way, my friends.”

“Why are you on your laptop, anyway?” Sarah said. “I thought we were going to watch a movie or something.”

“It’s this website,” Maya explained. “I heard they have an impressive collection of old horror movies…”

“What?!” Sarah didn’t let her finish the sentence. “No horror films, please.” She shook her head vehemently.

“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun.” Sarosh looked at Maya and continued, “Why don’t you ask Frida? I overheard her talking about it in the class yesterday.”

“Already did that, but she hasn’t replied to my messages yet.”

“You’re not listening to me.” Sarah threw a pillow at Maya. “And since when have you been close with Frida? I don’t think I even have her number.”

“Since she has been commenting on every photo Maya posted on Instagram,” Sarosh said, sneering. It was no secret that they didn’t like Frida.

“I thought she didn’t like us.” Sarosh was confused at Frida’s out of character behavior.

“Yeah,” Maya said, “so did I, but she has commented on every photo I posted last week.”

“You mean the ones from your trip to Madagascar?”

“Yep, the very same.”

“Wait,” Maya said. “She just replied, and here it is.”

The girls moved to the bed, huddling over the laptop, and waited as the site loaded. The screen blinked, turned blue, and then went blank.

“Damn it,” Maya screeched. “Frida, that brat!”

“What the hell!”

They stared at the blank screen.

“Did Frida fry your laptop?” Sarah said, confused.

“Seems like it.” Maya sighed. “We used to be BFFs. Now, we barely talk to each other. Serves me right to ask her anything. I really thought her comments on my posts were an olive branch or something.”

“You were friends with her?” Sarosh looked at her curiously. “How come I don’t remember that?”

“It was a long time ago. And now, she hates me. After all, I told everyone her biggest secret. In my defense, we were only ten years old. She really holds a mean grudge.”

“What secret did she have at that age?” Sarah’s eyes were as big as saucers as she looked at them. Clearly, imagining all kinds of crazy things.

“She feared her own shadow.” The three were silent for a moment, then Maya asked, “Should we watch something on the TV then?”

“Sounds good to me.” Sarah was happy with the situation because it meant no horror movie. Her friends gave her a knowing smile as the three went downstairs to watch TV.

© 2022 Fizza Younis. All Rights Reserved.

Read previous chapters here.