The Outburst

She sat exactly where I predicted she would. She looked at me as if she was expecting me.

We had built the treehouse together when we were in our sixth year, the time we were quite inseparable. Arhaan had helped us collect the materials. I had created a layout of the house while Fareeha had been super delighted to do the interior designing. Ever since she left, I hadn't stepped into that house again.

It would be such a waste to leave it to house spiders and dust. So I had given it to Aysha as a dollhouse. I loved the expression on her cute face.

"Really?" she had said, with big eyes full of amazement. "Thank you so much, lovely sister. I'll call you for the tea party." And she gave me a big, tight hug which hurt a lot.

"I can't attend the tea party, but you can ask Arhaan too," I said, with a smile. "Give your dolls all of my love."

She didn't change anything in that home. It was just the same as I remember it.

There were photos of all of us, hanging on the wall with fairy lights. In the corner opposite the main door stood the tables and chairs we sat in for playing board games. Aysha used that for her tea party now.

In another corner, there were three bean bags next to a large, two-doored shelf of books. In the centre of the three bean bags was a map of an exotic land, embroidered beautifully to show the different realms.

After a few moments of my silent inspection of the room, the fire breathing demon sitting on one of the bean bags exploded.

"Why did you choose me?" Fareeha asked me in a deadly tone. "Because you wanted revenge?"

"I choose you because I wanted to," I said cooly and simply. "I thought you said you had come here to have some fun. So what's the problem?"

"Ha," she said, throwing her head back. "Are you so dumb even after all these years? Do you think making a mockery of me ISN'T A PROBLEM? Looks like you will never be any smarter."

"I'm probably the dumbest person to have existed in your life," I said calmly. "That's why I choose you so that when you got the cake, you will make a laughing stock of yourself. That's why I am so dumb, isn't it? You got the best cake of the century that hurt your pride to the core."

"Since when did you get this rude? I thought Asmah was the sweet, flowery, timid little girl who could never fight."

"Nice to hear that. I can be water when I want to be and stone when I need to be. At least I know that I can stand up and fight for myself, rather than sit down and give up on all hope of living."

"Are you telling that to me? Do you think I got promoted to being the leader of all the bullies in school by not knowing how to fight? I have got a whole gang to stand with me."

"I wonder what will happen when they leave. Will you be the same young fighter that you were that stood up for what was right or will you fight innocent children who never did anything to you? You couldn't stand for yourself with Lily."

That got her to shut up. I could feel her fuming anger that would lash out any moment in the most horrible form.

"You need to take your medicines or drugs, whatever you call it," I said.

I was leaving to fetch it when she said, "Why do you care? Aren't you happy that I'm suffering? And I don't do drugs!"

I turned around and responded softly, "Now you understand what it feels like to be bullied?"

She was silent. Her anger had left her. Her face reddened and I could see that she was reflecting on her actions deeply. I left her to do her thinking and left to fetch her medications.

Sarah had kept them with her in her small side bag. I asked her to pass them to me so that I could give them to Fareeha before her severe withdrawal syndrome caused a tantrum. But Sarah didn't let me take them.

"I'm not giving this to you," she said, keeping the bag out of my reach.

"Why not?" I asked puzzled. "I'm giving them to her. Don't you trust me?"

"She might overdose herself. You really don't know what she has been up to nowadays."

I trusted her insight as she was the one who kept her company for the couple of months during which Lily went out of sight.

"How about you tell me how much to give her and I give that to her?" I asked her doubtfully.

"Well, I have been given in charge of her and I must see to it that she takes the right amount exactly in front of my eyes," she replied.

She had a point but for the first time in a long while, I felt suspicious for the way in which she was acting. I shook my head, denying that such a deed was not possible by Sarah. I hoped that I could trust her with Fareeha.

While walking back, I reflected on what happened after the 'Hot Cupcake' episode and I realised that I was worrying about Fareeha.

"After all she did to you, you still care about her?" I asked myself. "Girls hold grudges against enemies and here I am worrying about someone who wouldn't even care if I died."

I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn't understand what had gotten into me. Was I pitying her? Or was I trying to protect her?

I was so absorbed into my thoughts that I didn't realise when we reached the bottom of the sturdy tree that held the treehouse. We climbed up the firm rope ladder, first Sarah and then me.

Sarah was captivated by the treehouse and at the spectacular view from the small, protruding balcony. It took me a few minutes of persuasion to get her to focus on the task we had at hand.

Fareeha was fast asleep. I suppose she was tired after her spell of anger. It did consume a lot of energy to control anger, especially when it is close to getting out of control. She still knew how to control her anger and strength but she lost her power of strong will and determination to control things after hanging out with Lily.

"Fareeha?" Sarah called her sweetly while searching hurriedly for the drugs and water. "You need to take this now. Or you know what will happen."

Surprisingly, Fareeha declined to take them.

"I will be better off without them," she replied rather calmly. "Please take them away. I don't want anything to do with them."

"But you must have them," said Sarah with a concerned frown. "We don't want you to get-"

"I told you I DON'T NEED IT," she yelled. "Can't you all just leave me alone? I want some peace of mind!"

"But then-"

"Save it! I don't want to hear it. I'm out from here."

She was about to walk out when I pulled her back to her seat.

"What is the reason behind your sudden change of mind?" I asked irritated with her throwing fits whenever things don't go her way.

"I don't want people to think that I'm doing drugs like the way you said it," she said loudly. "That's hurtful and I am not that sort of person."

This time I was quiet. My calm anger had brought out harsh words that I had never meant to use to hurt her. I felt bitter guilt.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. "But you still need to take your medications. You can take baby steps to get your addiction off them. It'll take a while but with time, you can get rid of it. You can start now by reducing your dosage by a small amount. You will take it for a few days before we all see the positive changes in you. Then we decrease it again. How does that sound?"

Fareeha agreed to that. And we gave her the dosage which was slightly less than her prescribed one. Then we sat there in silence. That was until my brother called me out.

"Hamsa!" Arhan shouted. "There are some letters for you and... another for your friend."

I quickly climbed down the ladder and snatched the letters from his hand. I quickly opened the one that had my name on it.

The letter said that I had been selected to join the Winter Academy where I would learn to survive in the wild. I was glad that the scouts' session from last year had paid off. I squealed with joy. My brother peeped over my shoulder to see what was all the excitement about.

"You got selected?" he said, his face brightening up. "Congrats! I will buy you ice cream for this one."

"Thank you," I said.

I switched to the next letter. The letter was addressed to Fareeha.

"That one's for me, isn't it?" someone said from behind me.

I turned around to see that Fareeha had already come down the rungs of the ladder, with Sarah still on her way down.

"It's from Lily isn't it?" she said with sparkling eyes.

She was getting hyped up. She was going to get into another one of her fits if things didn't go in her way.

"Fareeha, that's enough," I said. "Why can't you forget about her? She didn't even look back at you when she left. Besides, why would your letter come here?"

"Because my parents are not at home and they have told the neighbours that if any letter with my name must be brought to your house as I would be here," she said and snatched the envelope out of my hand so hard that it tore off till the middle.

"Look what you have done!" she screamed. "You tore the letter!"

"You are the one who snatched it like that when I was about to give it to you," I retorted. "You can still read the letter by joining the two pieces of paper so there's no harm done there!"

We would have gone into another heated argument had Sarah not meddled in.

"Let's go and see what the letter has to say," Sarah said. "I thought you were excited to know what is in it. Maybe it could be from Lily. Or something even better that will help you."

Fareeha quickly tore off the envelope and read it quietly while we strolled towards the garden of flowers that my mum and I had raised. They had lavender tulips, orange and white roses, pink and yellow lilies as well as peach and red hibiscuses. This is was my favourite place for finding tranquillity, especially in the arms of nature and do some meditation. And I was sharing this place with my enemy.

When we sat down on the bench, Fareeha took her eyes off the paper. Her eyes danced with delight.

"So what's the good news?" said Sarah, smiling at her cheerful-turned friend. "Is it about Lily?"

"No," Fareeha said a bit softly. "But it surely is something more exciting than that!"

"What is it?" I asked curiously. "I have never seen you so happy after Lily's departure."

"I have been selected for the Winter Academy!"

She and Sarah squealed with joy and hugged each other. They made a fuss of her achievement.

I just sat there shaking my head with dismay. Now I was stuck with this enemy of mine permanently.