fine,” I replied, mostly to convince myself. I looked around to make sure Austin wasn’t following me.
“Are you fasting today?” she asked.
“I’m taking a little break now. I’ll start up again pretty soon. Are you?”
“Yes. Al humdu lillah.”
“How do you do it?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you always seem so calm. Don’t you ever get hungry?”
“Sure, I get hungry,” she said. “But I try not to think about it. Plus, it’s easier when you’re busy. It helps to keep your mind off it.” Some of her hair peeked out from under her hijab, which matched her hazel eyes perfectly.
“Your hair’s a pretty color,” I said, sitting down next to her. “Almost golden. I hadn’t noticed before.” I looked at the book she was reading. There was a picture of a young girl on the cover: blonde hair, side ponytails, bangs, defiant face. “What are you reading?”
“It’s something Sarah recommended.
The Great Gilly Hopkins
.”
“You like it?”
“It’s actually a pretty good book. I really like the main character, Gilly.”
“What’s so great about her?”
“I’m just beginning to find out,” Marwa said. “She seems to have a lot of spunk. You know, sort of brash and fearless.”
That sounded like Winnie and Nafees. “Tell me more about her.” I really wanted to know. I could use some spunk.
“She has a tough life and she has to struggle to deal with everything. She’s pretty hard to get along with.”
“She doesn’t sound all that likeable to me.”
“Well, she isn’t at first. But her family situation explains a lot of her behavior. Her mother doesn’t want her and so Gilly is sent to different foster homes. She acts up all the time and has a terrible attitude. Consequently, nobody else wants her either. But then she’s sent to live with this lady called Trotter who has a big heart but is generally a slob.”
“I’d hate it if my mom didn’t want me,” I said.
“Talk about problems, huh?”
“Is there a happy ending?” I asked.
“I haven’t got to the end yet, but I’m predicting there is,” Marwa said. “I have a feeling Gilly is going to learn to make the best of the situation and channel her anger in the right direction. At least that’s what I hope happens.”
“She sounds interesting.” I sighed. “She doesn’t sound like someone stuck in a hole.”
“Stuck in a hole?”
“You know … when someone feels sorry for herself and wallows and cries ‘Poor me, poor me’ all the time?”
“Hmm. I don’t think so. This girl strikes me as a fighter, not a wallower.”
I stared at her. She always sounded so grown-up. “Are you sure you’re a kid? How old are you anyway?”
Marwa smiled. “When I was little, I was very sick and lost a year of school. That makes me one year older than you.”
She was the same age as Amal and Nafees. But she was so much more serious than Amal and a lot more maturethan Nafees. I looked into her face again, at her eyes and at the birthmark near her lips.
“You’re doing it again,” Marwa said. “Are you seeing something that shouldn’t be there?”
I shook my head. “Nah. It’s all good.”
Marwa snapped her book shut. “Let’s walk around for a while,” she said. “I need to stretch my legs.”
“You shouldn’t strain yourself too much since you’re fasting,” I cautioned.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine,” she said.
We walked past the playground equipment and headed for the basketball courts.
“Where’s Winnie?” Marwa asked.
“She’s out sick today.”
“You’re best friends, aren’t you?”
I was surprised she knew that. Had she being paying attention to me when I was doing my best to avoid her? “Yeah. I’ve known her forever.”
“You must talk about everything,” she said. “That happens when you’re best friends, right?”
I thought about that. Winnie and I talked about a lot of things but not about everything. For instance, I hadn’t told her I
“Are you fasting today?” she asked.
“I’m taking a little break now. I’ll start up again pretty soon. Are you?”
“Yes. Al humdu lillah.”
“How do you do it?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you always seem so calm. Don’t you ever get hungry?”
“Sure, I get hungry,” she said. “But I try not to think about it. Plus, it’s easier when you’re busy. It helps to keep your mind off it.” Some of her hair peeked out from under her hijab, which matched her hazel eyes perfectly.
“Your hair’s a pretty color,” I said, sitting down next to her. “Almost golden. I hadn’t noticed before.” I looked at the book she was reading. There was a picture of a young girl on the cover: blonde hair, side ponytails, bangs, defiant face. “What are you reading?”
“It’s something Sarah recommended.
The Great Gilly Hopkins
.”
“You like it?”
“It’s actually a pretty good book. I really like the main character, Gilly.”
“What’s so great about her?”
“I’m just beginning to find out,” Marwa said. “She seems to have a lot of spunk. You know, sort of brash and fearless.”
That sounded like Winnie and Nafees. “Tell me more about her.” I really wanted to know. I could use some spunk.
“She has a tough life and she has to struggle to deal with everything. She’s pretty hard to get along with.”
“She doesn’t sound all that likeable to me.”
“Well, she isn’t at first. But her family situation explains a lot of her behavior. Her mother doesn’t want her and so Gilly is sent to different foster homes. She acts up all the time and has a terrible attitude. Consequently, nobody else wants her either. But then she’s sent to live with this lady called Trotter who has a big heart but is generally a slob.”
“I’d hate it if my mom didn’t want me,” I said.
“Talk about problems, huh?”
“Is there a happy ending?” I asked.
“I haven’t got to the end yet, but I’m predicting there is,” Marwa said. “I have a feeling Gilly is going to learn to make the best of the situation and channel her anger in the right direction. At least that’s what I hope happens.”
“She sounds interesting.” I sighed. “She doesn’t sound like someone stuck in a hole.”
“Stuck in a hole?”
“You know … when someone feels sorry for herself and wallows and cries ‘Poor me, poor me’ all the time?”
“Hmm. I don’t think so. This girl strikes me as a fighter, not a wallower.”
I stared at her. She always sounded so grown-up. “Are you sure you’re a kid? How old are you anyway?”
Marwa smiled. “When I was little, I was very sick and lost a year of school. That makes me one year older than you.”
She was the same age as Amal and Nafees. But she was so much more serious than Amal and a lot more maturethan Nafees. I looked into her face again, at her eyes and at the birthmark near her lips.
“You’re doing it again,” Marwa said. “Are you seeing something that shouldn’t be there?”
I shook my head. “Nah. It’s all good.”
Marwa snapped her book shut. “Let’s walk around for a while,” she said. “I need to stretch my legs.”
“You shouldn’t strain yourself too much since you’re fasting,” I cautioned.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine,” she said.
We walked past the playground equipment and headed for the basketball courts.
“Where’s Winnie?” Marwa asked.
“She’s out sick today.”
“You’re best friends, aren’t you?”
I was surprised she knew that. Had she being paying attention to me when I was doing my best to avoid her? “Yeah. I’ve known her forever.”
“You must talk about everything,” she said. “That happens when you’re best friends, right?”
I thought about that. Winnie and I talked about a lot of things but not about everything. For instance, I hadn’t told her I
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