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His nose is pierced with a ring on his nostril, and he wears pearls and a padlock around his neck. He takes care of his tight curls, which makes them look silky smooth. And he is always dressed in a fashionable manner.
I wear monochrome cargo pants, hoodies, and boots most of the time, and my hair is often hidden under a cap. Mine is softer, anyway. It’s thick, but I don’t have the curls he does. He got his hair from our dad and mine from my mom. I always find it ironic since he’s closer to my mom. Because he’s younger than me, he’s always been her little baby. Lik can get away with murder, and I’ll be the one shouted at for showing up one minute late to dinner.
I was closer to my dad. In his traditional ways, I was the eldest and would take over the family when he died, so we spent long hours together while he taught me how to take care of the people I love.
Now, the main difference between Lik and me is that he’s a fucking ray of sunshine, and I’m a bastard that can’t seem to enjoy anything. I’m aware of it. I just don’t give a shit.
“All good. Just wanted to see my friends.Labass?” he asks how I’m doing.
“You guys,” Harper says with a fake giggle. “It’s so cute that you speak foreign to each other. What doesjo-yamean?”
There’s a beat as Lik flicks his annoyed stare at me.
“Means ‘my brother’,” he answers, keeping his polite front. He’s better at it than I am, that’s for sure.
“That’s cute.” Her lips pinch, and she tilts her head to the side. “Was that Arabic?”
He nods. “Darija.”
Her brows furrow, and she looks at me, confused. “Moroccan Arabic,” I explain.
“Is she annoying on purpose?” Lik tells me in Arabic as he smiles at her.
“She knows exactly what she’s doing,” I reply with a straight face so she doesn’t get we’re insulting her.
“Are you guys talking about me?” She bites her lower lip, and it takes everything not to roll my eyes.
“We’re saying you’re cute.”
Lik’s words make her flip her hair back. “Thanks.”
“Where’s Alex?” I jump in before I’m forced to have a lengthier exchange with her than needed.
“Oh.” She digs her stare into mine, the bright blue eaten by her large pupils. She’s high. She smirks and puts a hand on her hip. “She’s at the house waiting for one of us to come back to be allowed to move.”
“Be allowed to move?” Lik asks, surprised.
“Yeah, they have to wait on all fours until their big sister comes home and tells them they can move.”
“I’m sorry…what?” Lik chokes. He looks at me, completely confused.
“Rich people shit.”
“Don’t worry,” she waves her hand dismissively. “They’ll be fine. We’ve had worse. During my initiations, I had to stand outside my big sister’s window all night. Completely naked. One of the pledges even caught pneumonia that night.”
“You didn’t allow her to come here?” I say slowly, trying to get my head around what happened before I lose my cool.
“Actually, she’s the one who said she didn’t want to. Can’t say I’m surprised.”
She waits for me to say something, but my deadpan face tells her I want more, so she continues. “Alexhatesthe North Shore. Believe me, she would never set foot here on her own accord.”
“Stoneview girls are so strange,” Lik shares his thoughts.
He then proceeds to go into a long rant about sororities being totally fucked. My brother can talk to himself for hours, so I don’t need to answer him. Instead, I silently seethe about Alex not holding her end of the deal.
“Are you alright, Xi?” Harper asks.
I feel my jaw tightening as I nod. My tongue caresses my front teeth as I scratch the five o’clock shadow I keep neatly trimmed.
