Free The Garden of My Imaan by Farhana Zia Page A

high, which made her seem taller than Austin.
    “I don’t see any other weirdo around.” Austin made a big show of looking around until his eyes stopped at me. “Oh, my mistake. I see another one!”
    “Cut it out!” Winnie said.
    “What is it about my scarf that you find so strange?” Marwa asked. Her voice didn’t shake like mine had.
    “Everything!” Austin said.
    “Oh. And what about that hat on your head?”
    “Huh?” Austin took off his baseball cap and turned it around in his hand. “It’s a New York Giants cap.”
    “It’s something to cover your head with, just like my scarf. What makes mine weird and yours so great?”
    Austin snorted. “Do you see anyone else wearing a scarf around here?”
    “Just because you don’t see a lot of people wearing something doesn’t make it weird. Anyway, my hijab is not hurting you.”
    “You bet it is,” Austin said. “It’s hurting my eyes.”
    “That’s too bad,” Marwa said. “I can’t help you there.”
    “I don’t need help from you, so just butt out.” Austin banged his locker door shut and stomped off down the hall.
    Marwa slowly turned and walked away.
    “Why don’t you stand up for yourself like Marwa does?” Winnie asked.
    “I don’t know,” I said, barely holding back the tears. I was furious at Austin. On top of that I was starving. “He’s such a … such a …”
    “I know you have to watch what you say when you’re fasting,” Winnie said. “But I’m not fasting, so I can say it for you. Austin is a complete loser and a total jerk!”
    Friday, November 15
    7:00 p.m.
    Dear Allah,
    Winnie’s pretty impressed with M. “Why don’t you stand up for yourself like Marwa does?” she asked me. I want to, but every time I try, I get a brain freeze and my stomach knots up inside and the words don’t come out right.
    Can You please do something to fix that? I am waaaiting!
    Yours truly,
A
    PS M’s baseball-cap line was so clever. I wouldn’t have thought of it in a million years.

Pepperoni Pizza
    E arth to Aliya!” Carly snapped her fingers in my face. “You’re a million miles away.”
    “I’m here,” I said.
    We’d already ordered our pizzas, but fifteen minutes remained before my fast would end. I kept my eyes glued to the clock and tried to will the time to move faster. I held up my hands to admire how pretty and glossy my fingernails were. The manicurist had painted stars on every other one.
    The pizzas arrived, hot and steamy, and my mouth watered. “Go ahead,” I told the others. “You don’t have to wait for me.”
    No one waited. I couldn’t blame them. Nobody likes cold pizza.
    “A few minutes won’t make any difference,” Winnie said between mouthfuls. “Just go ahead and eat.”
    “I can’t.” I tried not to stare at the slices disappearing quickly from the pans.
    “Hey, we should save some for Aliya,” Winnie reminded the others.
    “We are, we are,” someone mumbled, but the mushroom slices were going pretty fast.
    “Thanks, Winnie,” I said gratefully.
    “
De nada
. But it’s best when it’s hot.”
    “I know,” I sighed. Time ticked by slowly. I kicked myself for not putting a couple of slices on my plate; now the pans were almost empty.
    “We’re saving you some,” Madison said. “Don’t worry.”
    I eyed the glass of soda waiting by my empty plate. My throat was dry; I could almost feel the cold carbonation. I drummed my fingers on the table. At last, the minute hand clicked to the precise spot on the clock.
    “Okay, you guys,” I announced. “I can eat now.”
    Carly slid the remaining pans to me. There were two pieces of mushroom and two pieces of pepperoni left. I grabbed a slice of mushroom. It had cooled down some but it still tasted pretty good to someone who hadn’t eaten since dawn. I ate it quickly, and reached for the other one. After I finished, I was still hungry, so I picked up my third slice.
    “That’s pepperoni!” Winnie warned.
    “I know,” I said.