Tears Of Summayah - Episode 5

 

The next day, Sumayyah met Azeezah on her way to school.

"Is everything alright, Sumayyah? You don't look so good today," Azeezah asked out of concern, upon noticing the long face Sumayyah was wearing. Even though Sumayyah had gone to bed the night before filled with hope, all the positive thoughts flew out the window the next morning- and she didn’t know why.

"You are right. A serious issue is troubling me." Sumayyah said genuinely.

Azeezah looked deep into Sumayyah’s eyes, "You should tell me because as the saying goes: a problem shared, is a problem half solved."

Sumayyah wanted to tell Azeezah everything but didn't know how to . Suddenly, she had an idea. "Az because I can’t find the words to describe this to you, I will write it in a notebook when we get to class.”

Azeezah nodded in understanding and they continued their walk to school in silence. When they got to class, Azeezah handed Sumayyah her Physics notebook to write in as she had promised. 

Shock was an understatement to describe how Azeezah felt after she read everything Sumayyah had written. She couldn't believe her friend was getting married at such a young age- and to the most popular guy in school. Nevertheless, she calmed herself and wrote a reassuring note back to Sumayyah.

Reading what Azeezah had written calmed Sumayyah’s nerves and she relaxed, happy that at least someone was on her side. 

***

During break, one of their classmates, Aisha asked to borrow Azeezah's Physics notebook to update her own notes

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/tears-of-summayah

. Azeezah gave the notebook to Aisha without a second thought. She totally forgot about the note Sumayyah penned down in the notebook.

While Aisha was copying the note for the previous class, she stumbled upon the exchange between the two friends. She was very surprised as she read the whole thing and she immediately began to think of how to use the information to her advantage. Aisha concluded that it would be a good idea to show the conversation to Jennifer, a senior student in S.S.S 3. Jennifer was the most popular girl in school and most students avoided her because she always kept a grudge. She also happened to be Jamiu’s girlfriend. Aisha nurtured the hope of becoming a member of Jennifer’s clique, so she was convinced that showing Jennifer the note would grant her an automatic spot. Aisha tore out the part with the conversation and hurried to Jennifer’s class to show it to her.

"What's wrong and why are you running like a crazy horse?" Jennifer asked Aisha who had practically galloped towards her.

"You have to see this." Aisha panted, out of breath and showed the note to Jennifer.

Jennifer raised an eyebrow and snatched the piece of paper out of Aisha's hand. Upon reading it a few times over -just to be sure- Jennifer lost her cool. She fumed with anger and hatred towards Sumayyah.

"And you are sure that Sumayyah wrote this?" Jennifer seethed, holding out the note. 

"Yes, Jennifer. I have seen her countless times begging Jamiu to be with her," Aisha lied. "I think she has charmed him. I just hate her so much." 

Jennifer crumpled the paper and thought about all the ways she would ruin Sumayyah's school life. Nobody ever dared to steal what was hers.

***

The school canteen was crowded before Sumayyah and Azeezah made it there. Hungry students filed in front of various vendors to buy something to fill their bellies with and the two friends looked for a quiet place to sit. The practice every day was that one of them would ‘reserve’ the seat while the other would go and get their meal.

“Sumayyah it’s your turn today.” Azeezah reminded her friend as she settled into an empty chair. She quickly pulled another chair close and placed her bag on it- a sign that the chair was occupied.

Summayah nodded “What do you want to eat?” 

“I think I’d like meat pie and coke.” 

“Me too.” Sumayyah put her hand in her skirt pocket to retrieve her purse and realized she had left it in class when her hand came back empty.

“Subhanallah! I left my purse in class.” Sumayyah hit her forehead with her palm. “Do you have any money on you, Az? I will return it when we get back to class.” 

Azzezah shook her head. “No, I don’t. I did not remember to collect lunch money from my mum this morning.”

It seemed to Sumayyah that the only thing left to do was to return to class and get her purse, which was a little tricky because the time for break was almost up.

“Sit tight Az. Don’t worry I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Sumayyah reassured Azeezah as she hurried out of the canteen in the direction of their classroom. 

Sumayyah arrived at their empty classroom in no time and just as she was about to step inside, she spotted Jennifer and her clique leaning over the desks. They were all glaring at her and it looked like they were spoiling for a fight.

Being a gentle and mild-mannered person, Sumayyah decided to ignore them, get her purse and leave the classroom. She walked over to her desk where Jennifer was leaning on.

“Jennifer, please excuse me, I want to take something from…” Jennifer raised her hand and slapped Sumayyah hard across the face before she could finish the sentence. 

Sumayyah stumbled to the ground in a daze, grasping her burning cheek in her right hand. The five girls took the opportunity to carry her to a secluded building behind the school. The building was an uncompleted building and at night, was home to all manners of touts and hooligans. Recalcitrant UDMC students used the building during school hours.

“Drop her here” Jennifer ordered.

The girls forced Sumayyah to kneel before Jennifer and then formed a circle around her, so that she could not escape. Sumayyah still could not fathom the reason for the sudden attack.
“Please Jennifer what have I done to you to deserve…”

“Shut your mouth, you sl-t!” Jennifer screamed. “Halimah, go and keep watch at the door.” She ordered one of the girls. When Jennifer was sure that they would not be interrupted, she brought out the crumpled piece of paper that Aisha had shown her and held it out in front of Sumayyah’s face.

“Did you write this?”

Sumayyah looked at the piece of paper and could vaguely make out her hand writing, but she was unsure. “I- I am not sure…” She was interrupted by another slap from Jennifer

“If you are not sure, let me remind you.” Jennifer began to read aloud. “You said in the second paragraph:
‘Az, I was really scared before I met my suitor because I thought that I wouldn’t like him. But meeting Jamiu yesterday gave me hope that everything might work out well. He really is a cool guy, Az- handsome, funny and caring, and I think I like him. The only fear I have left now is that…’
Jennifer stopped reading and asked in a voice dripping with venom. “Do you remember now, or should I continue to jog your memory?”

Sumayyah was dumbfounded. How did Jennifer get her hands on the note? She thought. “Yes, I wrote it, but…”

“You sl-t. So, you even have the audacity to admit that you like Jamiu? My own boyfriend?”

“I-I am sorry. I didn’t know…” Sumayyah tried to plead but was interrupted by yet another slap on her cheek. Her nose started to bleed.

“I will teach you a lesson, then maybe you will remember to stay away from things that do not belong to you.” Jennifer paused and nodded to her partners. “Girls deal with her- she’s all yours.”

…………
Azeezah was beginning to get worried because Sumayyah had been gone for over ten minutes.  Where could this girl have gone to? Our class is not far from the canteen she thought. Azeezah decided to go searching for her friend but did not find her in the classroom.

Azeezah continued to search even after the bell rang, signaling the end of break time. She searched the library, sports centre and school hall, but it was to no avail. By now, Azeezah was worried sick but she decided to return to class, in case Sumayyah had returned. She returned to a full class, but Sumayyah’s desk remained empty. 

Azeezah counted the minutes until the last teacher left the class. She barely concentrated on anything he or the other teachers had taught them because her mind was focused on finding Sumayyah. Hurriedly she packed her bag and Sumayyah’s then rushed out of the class, intent on reporting the case to the school authorities. On her way to the principal's office, she passed by an empty classroom and saw Jamiu laughing with his friends. Azeezah decided to stop by and inform him that Sumayyah was missing.

"Good afternoon, guys." She greeted awkwardly, stepping into the room. They all looked at her with expectant expressions. “Jamiu please can I have a word with you in private?”

Jamiu nodded and followed her out of the class. “What is it?”

"Have you perhaps seen Sumayyah today- specifically after break time?"

Jamiu stared at Azeezah in confusion before replying.

"No, I haven't. Is everything alright?" He asked when he saw her worried expression

"Yeah... Um... No." Azeezah answered with uncertainty.

"What do you mean? Has anything happened to Sumayyah? Is she ok?" Jamiu asked in one breath.

"I don't know. We were both in the canteen and she left me there so that she could collect her purse from our class room, but she hasn’t returned since then” Azeezah explained with tears in her eyes. 

"What? Have you told the principal, yet?" Jamiu asked with a bewildered look on his face

Azeezah shook her head. "I was on my way to his office when I saw you and decided to inform you first.”

Why would she want to that? The only reason Jamiu could think of was that Azeezah knew about his betrothal to Sumayyah. Still, he had to be sure, so he asked her. "Why did you decide to tell me?". 

"Well, Sumayyah told me about you two and I thought she might have gone to hang out with you." Azeezah replied. 

Jamiu nodded at her explanation. 

"Do you think we should inform the principal?" He asked Azeezah.

Azeezah pondered for a moment, before finally shaking her head. "No. It might get her into trouble. I don't want her to be the gossip of the school. I only wanted to go to him because I was desperate" 

"I agree. Alright let’s start afresh. We will go back to search your class now, to see if she returned and went there to look for you.” They both hurried back to the girls’ class room, but it was empty. Jamiu and Aeezah went on to search every nook and cranny of the school, to no avail. It seemed like Sumayyah had disappeared off the earth’s surface. Azeezah was weeping uncontrollably now.

“Where could she have bone to?” She cried

Jamiu was also very worried but he tried to stay calm and comfort Azeezah as well. “Don’t worry, we will find her.” 

It was hours after closing time and the whole school was completely empty, save for the security guards at the gates. "Perhaps we should ask the guards" Jamiu suggested and walked towards them, Azeezah in tow.

“No, we did not see her.” One of the security guards replied in answer to their question. 

“Look for your friend elsewhere, we have to lock up the building now.” The other guard told them.
Jamiu and Azeezah had to comply and they walked out of the building dejected. A few yards outside the school building, Azeezah's eyes fell on an object lying in the middle of the ground. "Those are her glasses!" She told Jamiu. They both ran to the area and Jamiu picked the glasses up. The frames and lens were broken, and it looked like someone had trampled over them.

“How are you sure these are hers?” Jamiu inquired.

“Sumayyah is my best friend. I can recognize her stuff anywhere.” Azeezah said and exclaimed almost immediately after. “Look!” She pointed to a spot a few metres away.
They made their way to the spot and saw drops of blood and heel marks in the muddy ground, leading towards a rundown building. “She must have had an accident and went in there!”

They ran into the building and began to search every room in the building “Sumayyah!” Jamiu called out frantically.

Suddenly, they heard a groan from one of the rooms. They both stopped and listened again, hoping that it was Sumayyah. They heard the groan again, this time louder. “Help!”

Jamiu and Azeezah ran at top speed to the direction of the sound. What they saw erupted a cry from Azeezah's mouth. There on the rough ground, lay a barely conscious Sumayyah curled up in a ball and in nothing but her underwear. Her mouth and nose were bleeding profusely, and she had bruises all over her body. Her face was swollen as well.

"Sumayyah!" Azeezah cried as she knelt beside her best friend. Jamiu quickly took off his coat and handed it to Azeezah, who used it to cover her friend's exposed body

"Sumayyah, who did this to you?" Azeezah cried, helping her friend up. 

Jamiu moved closer and looked at Sumayyah, wondering how someone could be so wicked as to hurt an innocent girl. Not only had they hurt her, but they had also humiliated her, by stripping her.

Azeezah was sobbing uncontrollably and Jamiu ran outside to fetch some water. Thousands of possibilities of what they might have done to her, flashed through his mind. He found a well and returned a few minutes later with some water. Azeezah splashed the water on Sumayyah’s face and she slowly regained consciousness. Azeezah helped Sumayyah into her creased and dirty uniform and Jamiu tipped her head forward, to stop the bleeding in her nose.

When Sumayyah opened her eyes, she groaned in pain once more. "What happened?" She croaked. Jamiu held the water bottle to her lips and she happily gulped the liquid down.

"We don't know. We just found you here and..." Azeezah started but couldn't finish her words because broke down, sobbing.

"We will figure that out later. Right now, my priority is to get you home safely." Jamiu said. 

Sumayyah looked at Jamiu and noticed that he was very worried. She couldn’t risk him feeling that way about her, because Jennifer had been clear. Her hateful words rang out in Sumayyah’s subconscious. ‘STAY AWAY FROM JAMIU. IF YOU DON’T, THERE WILL BE MORE HELL TO PAY.’ If Jennifer and her clique found out that Jamiu was with her now, then they would surely make good with their threat. Sumayyah certainly did not wish this kind of treatment on anyone, much less herself, so she made a decision right there and then. She turned to Azeezah.

"Please tell him to leave. I don't want to see him right now!”

Azeezah was shocked. "Calm down, Sumayyah. I know you are in shock.” She put her arms around her friend’s shoulders and continued in a gentle voice “Jamiu went through so much trouble in searching for you today. Why do you want him to leave when he hasn't done anything wrong?"

Although he was hurt, Jamiu forced a smile and said. "Don't worry Azeezah. I understand where she is coming from. I will call a cab for you both." He then walked out of the building.

"He is a nice guy," Azeezah told Sumayyah, who wasn't really listening because she was feeling very dizzy. "What happened to you?"

"It's nothing, Azeezah." Sumayyah replied. She didn’t intend to hide things from her best friend, but she had to because of Jennifer. She was sure if she told Az what they did to her, she would confront them or even report them to the disciplinary committee of the school. 

"Why are you always keeping things from me?" Azeezah asked angrily.

"I'm so sorry, Az. Can you please keep this incident a secret from my parents? It would only add fuel to the fire." Sumayyah pleaded.

"What should I tell them when we get to your house?" Azeezah asked exasperatedly. Sumayyah thought for a while.

"Just tell them that I fell down." She said and Azeezah looked at her in disbelief, before nodding hesitantly.

Jamiu returned after a while and informed them that a cab was waiting outside the school compound. “Sumayyah before you leave I have just one question.”

Sumayyah tensed but she nodded, so Jamiu asked. "Will you at least tell us who did this to you?” 

Sumayyah gulped visibly and fear crept into her eyes, but she replied in a small voice. "Jennifer."

Jamiu and Azeezah gaped at Sumayyah in shock. Finally, Jamiu spoke up in a clipped tone. It was obvious that he was angry. “Let’s go the cab is waiting”

They reached the cab and Azeezah helped Sumayyah in and then climbed in after her.

"Please don't say anything to Jennifer, because we don't have any concrete evidence to prove her guilt.”  Azeezah pleaded to a fuming Jamiu who, after a moment of angry silence, finally sighed and nodded.

"I understand. Please take care of Sumayyah." He said. Azeezah nodded and the cab zoomed off in the direction of Sumayyah’s house.