Excerpt from the Short Story - Zahid's Library Card

Excerpt from

Zahid's Library Card

Then Zahid realized he was wasting precious time and returned his focus to his homework. “What on earth is a dangling modifier?” he asked himself.

These were not words in his Conversational English Dictionary.

“Hey, you’re the new kid, right?” the boy with the cross asked.

Zahid turned in his seat and nodded, glad for the friendly interaction.

He held up his paper. “Forgot to do my homework already,” he explained. “The language still confuses me.”

“Here, let me help you,” the boy offered.

He started spelling out the words Zahid needed to write down. Zahid was beyond grateful for the help. The words were utterly unfamiliar to him.

He knew that he shouldn’t have been cutting corners and letting the boy just give him the answers, but he told himself it was only this once. And it was under extreme circumstances.

When they got off the bus, he fervently thanked the boy before they parted ways. He walked into his homeroom feeling relieved and relaxed.

Then his peace left him when he saw that Peter’s desk had been covered in black marker. It didn’t take long for Zahid to figure out that it was really meant to be his desk. Especially with words like “terrorist” and “foreigner” on there.

Those were words he did know.

His whole body stiffened and his breath grew short. He just wanted to run off and hide in some cave somewhere.

Then he noticed two words on the desk that matched words that the boy on the bus had supplied. He looked at his homework to confirm it.

Why would bullies write English grammar terms on my desk? he wondered.

His face heated with embarrassment as he figured it out. The boy on the bus had been messing with him. Zahid had trusted a stranger and now he felt like an idiot.

If he turned in his homework, he would most likely be in trouble. And, even worse, he’d get a bad grade.

Peter attempted a friendly conversation, but Zahid was lost in miserable thoughts.

Why would the boy do such a cruel thing if he’s a Christian? he wondered. And how can I find a new homework sheet and fill it out properly before third period?

Before he could find an answer, two girls approached them.

“Hey, boys,” said the blonde girl.

The girl with curly, dark hair waved at Zahid with her fingers, flashing a smile full of strange, silver lines. He had no idea what the metal was doing in her mouth.

Is she broken? Half-robot? he wondered. Should I say “hello?” Should I ignore them?

He already knew that he would have to make some concessions when it came to living in a different country, but his dad had told him not to talk to girls. So he sat still, paralyzed in thought.

“What’s this?” Peter asked the girls.

The cyborg-girl explained, “The alcohol in the sanitizer breaks down the chemical bonds of the ink and then you can just wipe it away. Dry erase markers and nail polish remover work just the same.”

Zahid was impressed. The girl seemed to know what she was talking about, but she looked self-conscious under the stare of the blond girl.

“What?” she said defensively to her friend. “I have a nerdy cousin who told me about it once and I just kind of remembered.”

They poured the hand sanitizer on the desk and helped wiped away the marks.

Zahid knew he should at least thank them. That would be the polite thing to do. Regardless of his father’s rule not to talk to females, these girls were much more helpful than the boy on the bus had been. Surely Allah wanted Zahid to be kind back.

Right?

“So, Zahid,” the cyborg-girl said, “where exactly are you from?”

He struggled with how to respond or even if to respond. His mind flipped back and forth multiple times within a millisecond until finally, he decided to run.

“Excuse me,” he said, getting up quickly. “I need to use the restroom.”

He walked as fast as he could, not even waiting for a response.

He paused in the hallway and scrubbed his fingers down his face. So far, today was not going well and first period hadn’t even started yet.

Wondering how to talk to girls was the least of his worries. He was still feeling rattled over the homework incident and the insults on the desk. He felt betrayal and anger for being targeted just because of his country of origin and his religion. And he felt ashamed of himself for trusting the boy on the bus.

He had told himself countless times that life would get easier once they were settled in a safe country and a nice home. But he was starting to believe that life would never get easier.

Read excerpts from the other stories here:

An Enlightening Evening

Mac's Character Arc

Peter's Bad Day

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