x
I knew he wouldn't pick up.
Tarik never answered when I needed him.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FSPICwfQ9
Not when I was calling to leave the gym.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDqJPZKtYA
Not when I was stuck outside in the cold.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPT0LQbeImB
Not even that one time I broke my wrist and called from the hospital with my left hand.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo91gPhJ1wX
But if he was bored in class?9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGBkl0n5e3
Suddenly, I was his emotional support animal.
I tapped my thumb against the steering wheel, phone pressed to my ear.
Voicemail. Again.
I hung up, leaned my head back against the seat, and stared at the roof like it might offer answers.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDAs70e8Uk
It didn't.
I let out a breath through my nose. Then killed the engine.
I grabbed the keys and slammed the Jeep door shut behind me.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPENh728kCn
Hoodie sleeves shoved up, palms still raw from deadlifts.
My phone buzzed in my pocket—probably not Tarik.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKLLGcarfc
Of course not Tarik.
I crossed the lot, boots hitting pavement in steady rhythm.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8xKWMyM4u
Going to get him.
Because he wasn't allowed to go home alone.
That was the rule.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgklLHAXbf
Our rule.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBU6GX3LAg
Never spoken. Never broken.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFORcdCTudv
Not if we wanted to make it through the night.
Zmaj's familiar glow lit up the block like always—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZV9juaLPd
Greasy ćevapi, over-salted fries, and too many TVs mounted crooked on the walls.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkA5Vb1CPAI
The scent of charred meat drifted from the vents overhead, and I could already hear the low hum of teenage chaos inside.
And sure enough, through the fogged glass, I spotted them.
Same corner booth.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcaQIlOH7U
Same chaos.
Tarik—hunched over a worksheet he was definitely pretending to care about.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQg48rwlYPU
Adem—leaning back, wearing that permanently unimpressed face of his.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdnGcQdaW5
And Amina—
Right in the middle of them, like she'd been born to orbit both boys at once.
She was half-turned toward Tarik, brows pulled together in that stubborn little way she had when she was scolding him.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjuqqRUOUW
One hand pointed at the paper.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7ei5y0VLb
The other wrapped around a drink she'd probably stolen from Tarik.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDT60vW6aiQ
Her mouth moved fast—expression alive with frustration and something gentler buried underneath.
Love.
That was the thing about her.
Even when she was yelling, it felt like being protected.
Even from here, even through the glass—she stood out.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYVBOn9AMu
Not in a way that asked for attention.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppdYwF58uq
Just... in a way that made you pause.
Like something in the room had shifted.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30BwAOpCf7
Like she pulled focus without trying to.
She always did.
I stepped in. The smell hit hard—fried meat, somun, and adolescent despair.
"It's a simple concept," Amina was saying as I walked closer, voice steady but on the edge. "Think of electron repulsion. The lone pairs push the bonded atoms down—tetrahedral becomes bent. Just follow VSEPR. You've done this."
Tarik squinted at the worksheet like it had insulted his entire bloodline. "So... the electrons are like... fans at a stadium?"
Adem didn't even glance away from the screen. "What kind of stadium has fans circling like vultures? Maybe she should draw it in crayon."
Amina whipped a straw wrapper at his face. "Shut up, Mr. 97 in chem. Not everyone wants to marry science."
"Never said I wanted to marry it," Adem said. "Just not allergic to critical thinking like some people."
Tarik muttered, "Geometry doesn't belong in chemistry. That's betrayal."
Amina narrowed her eyes. "Tarik. I swear on my mother's life—"
"M-Mine too," I cut in, stepping up to the booth. "If he s-survives the n-night, it'll b-be a mir-miracle."
All three heads turned.
Amina's eyes flicked up to mine—surprised, but only for a second.
Then that smile crept onto her face.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPz3sx6VAk
The one she didn't even know she gave me.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTslwYJNUlb
The one that always said she missed me, whether she'd admit it or not.
She always lit up when I was around.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYKh7I0YG5
Everyone knew it.
"You came in," she said simply.
"Be-because he d-didn't an-answer," I said, nodding toward Tarik. "A-again."
"He's not ready," Amina said, jabbing a finger at his worksheet.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jks5dduBm
"We've got a chem test tomorrow and he still can't tell the difference between sp² and sp³ hybridization. He drew water as linear, Talha. Linear."
Tarik threw his head back. "It has two atoms!"
"It has two lone pairs!" she snapped. "It's bent, genius. VSEPR? We've been over this."
"I'm done," Tarik muttered, sliding the worksheet away like it had personally offended him. "If I don't know it by now, I'm not gonna."
Amina turned to me like I was reinforcements.
"He's being impossible."
I looked at her, then at him. And then—at the worksheet.
It could've been written in another language.
Hell, maybe it was.
Tarik gave me the look—wide-eyed, hopeful, full of fake innocence.
"D-don't ," I warned.
"But I've been sitting here for two hours."
"Then s-sit for one m-more," I said, dropping into the booth across from them. "If sh-she says you're n-not ready, y-you're not rea-dy."
Tarik groaned and thunked his head on the table. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"I a-am," I said. "Th-that's why you're fin-finish-ing the w-worksh-sheet."
Amina smirked, satisfied. Tarik sighed like he was being tortured.
I stared down at the notes again—bond angles, hybrid orbitals, lone pairs marked like landmines—and shook my head.
"I d-don't know wh-what any of th-that m-means," I muttered.
Amina didn't even look up. "Neither does he."
"I hate this family," Tarik muttered.
"You love this family," Amina said, poking his arm without looking up.
"You just hate being held accountable like a functioning human being."
"Same thing," he grumbled, sliding lower in his seat like he was trying to escape the conversation entirely.
"Leg day hit that hard?" Adem asked, giving me a once-over as I stretched out my legs under the table.
I rolled my shoulder and let out a breath.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlr3UTAIJjj
"Y-yeah. W-was temp-ted to l-leave Tarik h-here. Let h-him get hum-humbled b-by the st-street dogs."
Tarik didn't look up from his worksheet. "Joke's on you. I am a street dog."
"You're a house cat with delusions," Amina muttered, not even looking up.
Tarik didn't bother arguing. Just stared at the worksheet like it had ruined his life.
"Bet you still had a better night than me," he said, nodding at the paper like it had drawn blood.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BYPIhDnbg
"She chucked a book at my head earlier."
"It was a softcover," Amina replied, clearly unbothered.
"It had corners."
"Y-you angry to-today, Mino?" I asked.
She met my gaze—calmer now, but with that familiar spark in her eyes.
"Depends," she said. "Will you finally let me ride your bike this Sunday?"
I laughed—low, automatic.
"Y-you'd crash it in f-five sec-seconds."
She grinned. "So that's a no?"
"Tha-that's a hell n-no."
"Then yeah," she said, sipping her drink. "I'm furious."
The bell over the door chimed.
A group of boys from their school spilled in—loud, half-zipped jackets and half-finished stories. One of them—Nermin—broke off immediately and made a straight line for our table.
Didn't look around. Didn't hesitate.
Just saw her—and came.
"Hey, Amina," he said, all confidence and way too much cologne.
His eyes barely skimmed the rest of us.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64H8LhP3ty
"You coming on the class trip this weekend?"
He leaned on the edge of the booth like he'd done it before.
Like this was a conversation they'd had more than once.
Amina looked up and smiled—sweet, but thin. The kind of smile you give when someone's trying too hard.
"Working on it," she said, tilting her head slightly.
From beside her, Adem's head snapped up like he'd just heard a threat.
"Working on what?"
She didn't miss a beat. "The class trip. I might still go."
"No," he said flatly. "You're not."
Tarik didn't even look up. "We already talked about this. You're coming to Mostar."
"I haven't decided," she said, playful now. Almost daring them to keep pushing.
"Pretty sure we decided for you," Adem muttered, eyes narrowed.
Nermin shifted, finally catching the shift in the room.
"She can come to both, can't she?"
"She can't," Tarik said, finally glancing up. "She'll be busy."
"Doing what?"
"Cheering me on," he said with a smug grin. "Obviously."
Adem didn't even blink.
"Go take a walk, man," he said, voice low and flat, still watching the game like Nermin wasn't even worth turning his head for.
Amina groaned. "You guys are unbelievable."
"We're protective," Tarik said, like it was a badge of honor.
"We're looking out for you," Adem added, voice calm but final.
"You're controlling," she snapped.
None of them argued.
Not even me.
Because they were.
And sometimes, she let them be.
I leaned back, watching them bicker like always.
Couldn't help myself.
"Y-you know wh-what I'm g-gonna say."
Tarik groaned immediately. "Bro—again?"
Amina didn't even look at me. Just sighed into her cup like she'd heard it a hundred times.
"Per-perfect for ea-each-other."
"She's like a sister, man," Tarik muttered.
"Y-yeah," I said. "And y-you're an idi-ot."
Amina shot me a warning look across the table. I ignored it.
"Y-oh think g-girls like her g-grow on tr-trees?"
"I can hear you," she said, sipping her drink without missing a beat.
"Good."
Tarik shook his head. "Just because you think she's perfect for me doesn't mean—"
"It's n-not about wh-what I thi-think," I cut in, voice low. Tired. Sharper than I meant it to be.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vDscGA885
"It's obv-ious. To e-every-one but y-you."
Adem glanced between us, slow. The humor was gone from his face.
"Funny," he said. "I didn't realize we were taking applications for my sister."
Amina turned to him. "Adem—"
He held up his hands. "Just saying. If we're doing arranged marriages, I'd like to be consulted before he volunteers my best friend."
Tarik dropped his pencil and leaned back, giving me a flat look.
"Can you not?" he said. "She's finally getting to the part where I understand things."
I smirked. "Just s-saying—f-for a guy w-who claims he d-doesn't like h-her like th-that, you get r-real Terri-torial."
Tarik raised an eyebrow, slow. Then, without breaking eye contact, he threw an arm around Amina's shoulders.
"She's the sister I never had," he said. "And always wanted."
Amina made a face. "Lucky me."
Tarik grinned. "Damn right."
I leaned back, watching her walk him through another example.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFH0vrVgjDV
Her voice had that edge—firm, sharp—but underneath it, there was patience.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jb4xE8YvD
Steady. Unshaken.
She believed in him.
More than he ever had in himself.
It was always her. Since they were seven.
Adem and Tarik were solid—brothers in everything but blood.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfKE5BIbUl
But it was Amina who made them whole.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUxh0dnTmZ
Who dragged Tarik to practice when he didn't want to go.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwPbQpc7Df
Who sat on the curb with him after every bad grade, every missed shot.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSjsryCmJs
Who convinced the Begovićs to cover his school fees when our parents couldn't.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3epLHYdrK
Who never let him forget he was worth the effort.
Even when he did.
Especially then.
And me?
I was just the older brother who picked him up after.
But even I wasn't immune to her.
She had that way about her—like sunlight cutting through fog.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAnMmpm9EE
Loud, bright, impossible to ignore.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsy0btJQIz
Even on the worst days, she made things feel... less heavy.
"You okay?" she asked suddenly.
I looked up. "Y-yeah. Why?"
She tilted her head. "You get quiet when you're tired. But this feels... quieter."
"Just thi-thinking."
"About what?"
I hesitated.
"Don't pull the stutter card," she said, leaning in. "You know I'll wait all night."
That made me smile.
"A-about how luck-y he is," I said finally, nodding toward Tarik—still scribbling like the worksheet might save his life.
She softened. "We missed you last week. You didn't come."
"Busy."
"Liar."
I looked away.
She didn't say anything else.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2H5XhDRtVe
She didn't have to.
She always noticed when I disappeared.
Always took it a little harder than the others.
The truth was, sometimes I stayed gone on purpose.
Not because I didn't want to be around them—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ386rLZ3lvR
but because I couldn't always stomach how easy they made it look.
Friendship.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRuKuSkEDU
Life.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmDTtP1xiF
Peace.
Things that never came quiet in my world.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This was meant to be harmless.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhz8IZDdFEd
Some tutoring, some fries, some light bullying between friends.
And yet here we are:9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vm0x3pa8N
One silent older brother, two bickering soulmates, and Amina holding it all together with sarcasm and snacks.
No one's in love. Definitely not.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwif7wINKtJ
Everything is fine.
—Ash&Olive, lying through her teeth9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy34EaRzWcF
but having a great time doing it
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrazah7k7O7
