I wonder if I should scream. Would anyone hear me? There’s no one in the hallways. A teacher could hear and ask if everything’s okay. Adrian hasn’t done anything, and I can’t really use the excuse that Ithoughthe was going to hurt me.
My phone rings and I jump, holding on to it like a lifeline.
Jamie’s name flashes on the screen, and I answer quickly before Adrian can swipe it from me.
“Hey, Jihad.” His voice is cheerful, and I think I might cry. “Are you at the library? I can’t find you.”
“No, no. I’m still in the chemistry lab.” I keep my eyes on Adrian, who doesn’t look bothered at all.
“Why? Do you want to meet there instead?”
“Yes. I think that would be a good idea,” I say through mouthfuls of incomplete breaths. My words are choppy, and not enough oxygen is reaching my lungs.
Jamie pauses for a moment. “Jihad, are you okay? Do you need help?”
“Yes.” My voice is strained, and there’s a burning sensation in my nose.
I hear rustling, the squeak of sneakers on the ground. “Okay. I’ll be right there. Don’t hang up.”
Adrian just keeps on staring at me.
“You’re a bit weird, Jihad,” Adrian says. “I’m just trying to get to know you, and you’re acting like I’m raping you or something.”
I press a hand to my stomach and step back.
“What did he say?” Jamie says through the phone, but it’s distant and I don’t think Adrian hears it.
Adrian lets out a laugh, shaking his head. “Jeez, you do take everything seriously.” He straightens up and opens the door. “I’ll see you around, Jihad.”
And he’s gone.
I’m too scared to walk out in case he’s by the door, out of sight, waiting for me. Jamie is still talking, but it barely registers.
Three minutes later, Jamie barges in, out of breath.
He pushes his hair back, looking wildly around, and when he sees me, he rushes toward me. “Are you okay? Why didn’t you answer? What thehellhappened? Who wasthat?”
“Adrian,” I whisper, the hard, cool wall digging into my back. I’m pushing against it as hard as I can like I’ll become a part of it. “He wouldn’t let me leave. He took a picture of me while I was praying. I…I don’t know what he’s going to do with it.”
Jamie walks back outside, looking, and then comes back in. “Okay, he’s gone. I didn’t see him on my way. Do you want to leave? Let’s leave.”
I nod, hurrying out the door, hugging my bag tightly.
“Do you want to report this?”
I shake my head, forcing myself to speak steadily. “He technically didn’t do anything.”
He frowns. “But you were scared.”
I press my hands to my cheeks. They’re ice-cold. “It doesn’t matter. It’ll be hard to prove he meant to do anything.”
“So you just let him get away with it?”
We both stop walking. “You think the principal is going to side with me when I tell him? You think he will take one look at me and believe a word I say? You think he’ll talk to Adrian? There were no witnesses.” Jamie opens his mouth, but I cut him off. “Youmight not see anything wrong with me or my name, but you can’t pretend the entire school, thisentire country, shares your thoughts. Things like this happen all the time, but it’s like they never do.”
He scratches the back of his neck. “No, I get it. You’re right. I just don’t think he should get away with it.”
I shrug a shoulder and start toward the door. “He will. Trust me, we never get any justice. Can we go to the library now?”
