In Between The Raindrops - Prologue - Winter

The Winter of Sorrow

"Wake up" Sohaib said as he gently nudged his daughter awake.

"Hey" Anaya mumbled, opening her eyes and searching the room. "Its so quiet today." She smiled.

"Your mother is asleep." Sohaib sighed.

"Thank God for that." Anaya said, sitting up in bed.

"Anaya!" Sohaib scolded quietly. "However way she may be, she is still your mother"

"What good is a mother like that?" Anaya questioned, looking up at her father.

"Anaya!" Sohaib scolded, louder this time. "Get ready for school." He continued through gritted teeth as he walked out of her room.

Anaya watched her father leave her room and pulled out her diary from her beneath her pillow.


Dear Diary

Anaya began to write in her Navy blue diary.

What good is having a mother who doesn't treat you like her child?

What good is having a father that is blatantly chasing after someone who doesn't and probably will never love him back?

What good is a brother who's too busy partying to notice you?

What good is a boyfriend who prefers another girl over you?

What good is any of this?

I miss Ali. I do. I miss my best friend because without him, I don't see the good but its been nearly two months since we last spoke and he just...He didn't even try.

I think dad has stopped taking his meds. I should talk to Ali about it. Dad listens to Ali. I miss Ali.

Anaya exhaled loudly as she put her diary away and walked towards her closet. As she browsed through her clothes, she realized every article of clothing held a memory. The black jeans on the top shelf reminded her of the day she, Aaiz and his mom went to the mall and spent the day laughing over coffee. The yellow halter hanging on the left side reminded her of the afternoon when Aaiz had told her he loved her for the first time. Everything held a memory and the more she stared inside her closet, the more she realized that was all she had of him really, memories. The more she thought, the more tears that escaped, the more it became evident that there was nothing left of her and Aaiz except 'Used to be's's and 'Could have been'

All her life she had watched her father chase after a woman who rejected his love at every moment and standing there, she realized she didn't want to share the same fate as her father.

Anaya quickly threw on a pair of jeans, an oversized hoodie and decided it was time to liberate herself of the burden she had been carrying around.

-

"Aaiz!" Anaya declared, power walking towards the bench Aaiz was sitting on.

"What?" He replied coldly.

"We need to talk." She demanded.

"Not now."

"Fine." Anaya stated. "I'll talk. You listen. I can't do this with you anymore. Its over."

"What the hell are you going on about?" Aaiz spat as he stood up to face Anaya, his bloodshot eyes evident.

"I've had enough." Declared Anaya as she turned around to walk away.

"You." Aaiz spat angrily. "Walk away and we are over for good."

"Thats what I want." Anaya snarled, freeing her arm from him and feeling more confident than she had in months.

Walking away from a dumbfounded Aaiz, Anaya searched the crowd on the University field hoping to catch Ali before classes commenced.

"ALI!" She screamed when she spotted him and ran towards him with a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Niya." He smiled, his shock evident in his tone.

"Im so sorry. Aaiz made me choose. I ended things with him. Ali. I am so sorry." Anaya quickly rambled without catching her breath.

"Wait what? He told you to choose between what? Me and him?"

"Yeah." Anaya replied with arched eyebrows thinking Ali was missing the point.

"And you did?"

"Ali. Just listen to me?"

"And now that hes done with you...You are back to me?"

"Its not like that!" She protested. "I ended it with him!"

"Its exactly like that. Now that you dont have him, you want to use me!"

"ALI!" She screamed.

"Im done with you. Leave me alone." He hissed as he walked away, leaving Anaya incapable of doing anything but watching him go.