Read Online Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Randa Abdel-Fattah
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that extent.”
“Will you ever cover yours?” Adam asks.
“Nah! No way.”
“OK . . . cool.”
We all keep talking until our Chemistry teacher, Ms Samuels, walks in and announces she’s going to test us to see if we studied over the holidays. We get stuck with an impromptu quiz and Kristy passes me a note with exclamation marks and smiley faces all over.
I’m really glad your dad didn’t go through with the wedding!! : ) : )
Sweet of her. But cradle theory confirmed.
“OK, personal question time, Simone,” I say during recess as Simone, Eileen and I are sitting outside on the lawn. “What do you think of Josh?”
“Unbelievably dreamy !” she moans, taking a bite out of her carrot.
“You make him laugh,” Eileen says. “Always a good sign. I reckon he’s got the hots for you.”
“ Josh? Having the hots for me ? There’s more chance of Ms Walsh waxing her upper lip than that happening.”
“Oh puh-lease !” I groan.
“While we’re on the subject of saliva-inducing crushes,” Simone says, “what’s the latest on Adam? Did you see how cool he was when the class was asking you about your veil? Usually he’s so quiet and serious.”
“I know!” Eileen exclaims. “He seemed really interested.”
I give them a lopsided grin. “He is so cute.”
“Somebody get me a paper bag,” Eileen says, “my two best friends have gone beyond corny on me!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll try to find some crush material for you too,” Simone says.
“No thanks. You two took the best. What am I supposed to admire about the rest of the guys in our class? That they can pick their noses? Have farting competitions? Or maybe it’s the fact that they can burp the alphabet? Ooh, I’m on fire.”
We all laugh and have a whinge about the disgusting habits of the male species in our classroom. Then Simone leans over to me. “OK, my hypothetical question for Amal.”
“Fire away.”
“Let’s say he asks you out. Would you be his girlfriend?”
I lean back on my hands and smile at them. “Nah, you know I don’t do the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing.”
“Not even with Adam ?” Simone asks. “Surely God would understand! I mean he’s your high-school crush. The crush. The one you’ll be talking about for years to come, when you’re old and saggy and grey and telling your hubby and kids about your good old school days and how Adam Keane was your oxygen through Year Eleven!”
“That’s right, Amal!” Eileen adds. “Are you telling us you wouldn’t contemplate bending the rules?”
“Honestly, I think about it all the time. Like I imagine us being a couple and Tia being institutionalized from grief that I got Mr Popular.”
“She’d need shock treatment,” Simone says, giggling.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not frigid or anything! Boy do I sometimes wish Adam was my boyfriend, and if he was dating anybody I swear I’d have a hernia and probably start plotting death traps for his girl. But deep down I know I wouldn’t cross the line with him, no matter how tempting it would be. OK, OK, you’re thinking I qualify for nerdy geek?”
“Big time,” Eileen jokes and I hit her on the shoulder.
“But you know I can’t in Islam. You know the whole thing about no sex and physical intimacy before marriage.”
“Yeah, we know, you’ve told us,” Simone says.
“And it’s not just in Islam, you know,” I say. “Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism.”
“OK, we get it,” Eileen groans. “You’ve told us before. You don’t have to keep on trying to prove yourself against other religions for some sort of legitimacy. Sheez.”
“Do I do that? Simone?”
Simone nods her head.
“Well, OK then. Just don’t think it’s because of my parents. If I wanted to have a boyfriend, I could easily get away with it behind my parents’ back. They trust me heaps so if I spoke to a guy for ages on the phone every night and said he’s just a friend they’d believe me,
“Will you ever cover yours?” Adam asks.
“Nah! No way.”
“OK . . . cool.”
We all keep talking until our Chemistry teacher, Ms Samuels, walks in and announces she’s going to test us to see if we studied over the holidays. We get stuck with an impromptu quiz and Kristy passes me a note with exclamation marks and smiley faces all over.
I’m really glad your dad didn’t go through with the wedding!! : ) : )
Sweet of her. But cradle theory confirmed.
“OK, personal question time, Simone,” I say during recess as Simone, Eileen and I are sitting outside on the lawn. “What do you think of Josh?”
“Unbelievably dreamy !” she moans, taking a bite out of her carrot.
“You make him laugh,” Eileen says. “Always a good sign. I reckon he’s got the hots for you.”
“ Josh? Having the hots for me ? There’s more chance of Ms Walsh waxing her upper lip than that happening.”
“Oh puh-lease !” I groan.
“While we’re on the subject of saliva-inducing crushes,” Simone says, “what’s the latest on Adam? Did you see how cool he was when the class was asking you about your veil? Usually he’s so quiet and serious.”
“I know!” Eileen exclaims. “He seemed really interested.”
I give them a lopsided grin. “He is so cute.”
“Somebody get me a paper bag,” Eileen says, “my two best friends have gone beyond corny on me!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll try to find some crush material for you too,” Simone says.
“No thanks. You two took the best. What am I supposed to admire about the rest of the guys in our class? That they can pick their noses? Have farting competitions? Or maybe it’s the fact that they can burp the alphabet? Ooh, I’m on fire.”
We all laugh and have a whinge about the disgusting habits of the male species in our classroom. Then Simone leans over to me. “OK, my hypothetical question for Amal.”
“Fire away.”
“Let’s say he asks you out. Would you be his girlfriend?”
I lean back on my hands and smile at them. “Nah, you know I don’t do the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing.”
“Not even with Adam ?” Simone asks. “Surely God would understand! I mean he’s your high-school crush. The crush. The one you’ll be talking about for years to come, when you’re old and saggy and grey and telling your hubby and kids about your good old school days and how Adam Keane was your oxygen through Year Eleven!”
“That’s right, Amal!” Eileen adds. “Are you telling us you wouldn’t contemplate bending the rules?”
“Honestly, I think about it all the time. Like I imagine us being a couple and Tia being institutionalized from grief that I got Mr Popular.”
“She’d need shock treatment,” Simone says, giggling.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not frigid or anything! Boy do I sometimes wish Adam was my boyfriend, and if he was dating anybody I swear I’d have a hernia and probably start plotting death traps for his girl. But deep down I know I wouldn’t cross the line with him, no matter how tempting it would be. OK, OK, you’re thinking I qualify for nerdy geek?”
“Big time,” Eileen jokes and I hit her on the shoulder.
“But you know I can’t in Islam. You know the whole thing about no sex and physical intimacy before marriage.”
“Yeah, we know, you’ve told us,” Simone says.
“And it’s not just in Islam, you know,” I say. “Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism.”
“OK, we get it,” Eileen groans. “You’ve told us before. You don’t have to keep on trying to prove yourself against other religions for some sort of legitimacy. Sheez.”
“Do I do that? Simone?”
Simone nods her head.
“Well, OK then. Just don’t think it’s because of my parents. If I wanted to have a boyfriend, I could easily get away with it behind my parents’ back. They trust me heaps so if I spoke to a guy for ages on the phone every night and said he’s just a friend they’d believe me,
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