Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating(59)

“Pore amra discuss korbo.” Abbu adds with a grim nod. “Thank you, Principal Gallagher.”

Ms. Gallagher gives Ammu and Abbu her tight smile and looks at me with pity written across her face.

The lump in my throat has returned, and it’s swiftly rising up. But I can’t say or do anything. It’s not like my words matter at this point. It’s not like everything I’ve been working for matters at this point.




Even though I still have an entire day of classes left, Ammu and Abbu tell me to grab my stuff so we can get home. It’s break time so everybody is milling around, and I don’t look like the odd one out—as long as I can keep my anger and tears at bay. When I get to my locker to pick up my bag and books, I catch sight of Hani. She’s standing by her own locker with Aisling and Dee. Crowded together and whispering. She doesn’t even see me watching them.

For a moment, I wonder if this has all been an act. Our fake dating, our friendship, all of those moments we’ve spent together where I was sure that we felt the exact same way about each other. I know the way she makes me feel is real. More real than I want it to be.

Can Hani be that good of an actor?

I shake the thought away, grab my bag, and leave the school.

With the way everything is going, now is not the time to mull over Hani and our relationship. My life is off-kilter and I have to get it back on track somehow. I have to prove that I haven’t been cheating, that Aisling is lying.

“What happened?” Abbu asks as soon as our car is on the road home. He catches my eye in the mirror for a moment, and Ammu wrings her fingers together on her lap.

“I don’t know.” I shake my head. “Aisling … the girl who accused me of cheating. She’s the one who cheated off of me, and now she’s lying because she obviously has something against me.”

Ammu and Abbu share a brief glance.

“I know things have been weird because of your sister,” Ammu says slowly. I guess she’s playing good cop. “But no university is going to accept you if they think you’ve been cheating. Forget about Head Girl.”

“I haven’t been cheating, Ammu,” I insist. “I wouldn’t do that. Have I ever given you reason to believe I would? I’ve been going to that school for years! I’ve never come home with less than an A because I work my ass off. You’ve seen me study hard day and night. Why would you believe the word of someone you don’t even know over me?”

Ammu shakes her head. “Okay … so you say you didn’t cheat …”

I have to stop myself from groaning.

“Then … we have to find a way to prove that.”

“If we can do it quickly, you could still become Head Girl,” Abbu says. “And we’ll have to keep this whole thing under wraps. No word of it to anyone until we can clear everything up.”

I heave a sigh and stare out the window, at the buildings passing by. “Ammu, Abbu … did Nik invite you to her engagement party?”

They share another glance between them. “She did. She called us a while ago,” Ammu says. “The wedding, too. It’s over the summer. July.”

“That’s so soon.” I turn to them. “Where is it? In London?”

“Yes, I think so,” Ammu says.

“We’re going, right?” Ammu and Abbu don’t say anything. Abbu keeps driving, staring at the road ahead, and Ammu clenches her fingers on her lap, staring out the window.

“I want to go,” I try again. Louder. “She’s my only sister. She’s your oldest daughter.”

“We’re not going.” Abbu’s voice suggests that it’s already a done deal. That we’re not discussing this any further.

“Are you really going to cut her off because she’s dropping out of university?” I ask. “Because she’s not doing what you want her to do?”

“We’re not cutting her off,” Ammu says. “We just don’t support what she’s doing and we have to show her that, so that she can go back to the right path.”

“So … if I told you that I actually have been cheating all this time, you would cut me off too?” I ask. “Because I’m not going down the right path?”

“No, of course not,” Ammu says immediately. She turns to me with pleading eyes. “Can we just … talk about this later? We have to figure out a solution to your problem here.”

I cross my arms and sit back in my seat, because I know the answer. If we can’t find a solution to my problem, maybe I won’t be a part of this family either.





chapter thirty-four


hani


Can I come over?

The text from Ishu has been sitting on my phone for a couple of hours now, but I only see it when I take my phone out of my locker at the end of the day.

Now? I type back, and the three dots indicating that she’s typing show up immediately. Like she’s been waiting for me to text her back.

Yes, comes her reply.

I had made plans with Dee and Aisling but considering Ishu left school after her interview, without a word, I assume that this is important. And I’m not going to leave her hanging.

I’ll be home in twenty, I quickly text Ishu, before stuffing the necessary books into my bag and turning to Aisling and Dee.