"What's wrong with you?" her mum asked, moving closer to her while Alisha panickedly rubbed her back.
"I'm fine, Mum," she managed to say, trying to suppress the cough.
"I'll get you some drugs for the cough tomorrow," her mum said and walked out.
Alisha helped her with the pillow, and she rested.
"Look, Kaira, I really think you should see a doctor."
"You think I should... that's just your thought," Kaira answered weakly, holding her chest in pain.
"Kaira, I'm scared," Alisha whispered, her voice trembling.
Just then, her mum came back in, and she jolted back.
"Alisha, isn't it time you go home? It's getting late," Kaira's mum said.
"Oh... yes, ma," Alisha said quickly, running out after giving Kaira a short, sharp wave.
Kaira's heart stumbled a thousand times in her chest. She knew something would happen since her mum had found an excuse to send Alisha away. She closed the door behind her and walked up to Kaira.
"You think I won't know what you're up to?"
"Mum..."
"Give me that phone," she ordered, and with shaking hands, Kaira gave her the phone.
"I'll keep this phone. You don't want to be serious anymore with it."
"I'm sorry, ma."
"Is that what you're being taught in church? To have a man at a young age?" Kaira became silent as her mother continued glaring at her.
She hissed and went out of the room, banging the door. Kaira held her chest, trying to breathe through her mouth, forcing out the trapped air in her lungs. The door opened again.
"Aren't we going to cook?" her mother boomed and the door shrieked again as it closed.
Kaira stood up, even though every part of her trembled. Hot tears dropped from her eyes as she took the first step. She couldn't even describe where the pain was oozing from. Her chest felt heavy, her limbs weak, her eyes blurring. She coughed again.
She walked to the door, grasped the handle, wiped her tears, and walked out. She moved briskly into the kitchen where her two sisters were already there. Her mother was preparing the soup. Everywhere was silent except for the sound of cutleries and the gas cooker. Even Kaira's steps into the kitchen felt like walking into a graveyard.
"Mum, we'll be resuming next week," Kaira broke the silence with the news.
"How many weeks have you used at home? What exactly is your agenda for going to school earlier?"
"Our holiday is just two weeks, Mum."
"Oh, really? Go and get me her phone. It's in my room" she said, beckoning to one of her sisters, who quickly ran out and returned with it. She handed it over, and their mother stretched it forth to Kaira.
"Unlock this phone this instant." Kaira quickly unlocked it. Her mother went through the phone and stared at her.
"I can't find Alisha's number here."
"BFF."
"What's that?"
"Best Friend Forever."
She hissed and dialed the number.
"Hello, bestie. How are you?" Alisha's voice rang through the room as the phone was on loudspeaker.
"Alisha, I want to ask you something, and I want you to be sincere," she said.
"Okay, ma," Alisha's intonation fell flat.
"When are you guys resuming?" her mother asked.
"Mum... actually" Alisha stammered.
"Should I call your mother?" Kaira's mother fired.
"No, ma. We are meant to resume by upper next week. But we want to go next week to..."
"To do what? You must be busy doing the same rubbish together," she snapped, and Alisha's trembling voice became evident.
"No, ma. We just want to get ready for the new semester."
"It's fine," she said and hung up.
She slowly turned to Kaira, whose heart was already skipping beats and whose body was reacting to the anxiety that had engulfed her.
"You dare to lie to me?"
"Mum. It's not really..."
She was cut off with a hot slap that sent her falling to the ground.
"I thought you are a good child, but you're not. Look at Maltina living opposite to our house. That girl will never behave like this. Her mother is always proud of her."
Tears streamed down Kaira's face, and she started coughing again.
"Get out of my sight before I give you another slap."
Kaira stood up and walked into her room like a hopeless widow. Everything seemed dark and empty inside her. She felt extremely hopeless and lonely. All she could hear were the screams and scoldings of her parents . Voices that came and whispered like ghosts in her head before fading into silence again.
The house remained hell throughout the following weeks. When the day to finally resume came, Kaira's joy knew no bounds, though she dared not show it. The joy of leaving hell for the frying pan . It wasn't okay, but at least the pain would be lighter.
She had packed her luggage the night before and couldn't sleep until morning. She joined the morning prayer, lasting thirty minutes, with her mind fixed entirely on the journey ahead.
Immediately after the prayer, she quickly had her bath, and as usual, she skipped breakfast because of her motion sickness.
"This is your phone . And you better not mess with me," Kaira's mother said as she handed the phone to her before getting into the car.
On their way, they stopped by Alisha's house to pick her up. Alisha was waiting outside with her mother.
Alisha's mum hugged her, eyes clouded with tears, as Kaira and her mother parked in front of them.
"Good morning, ma," Kaira greeted as she stepped down from the car to help Alisha put her luggage in the boot.
"Good morning, my darling," the woman said, patting Kaira's back before waving at her friend ,Kaira's mum in the car.
Kaira stood by the car boot, distracted by Alisha's mum, who was still cuddling her daughter. At that moment, she wished her own mother could be like that. Her heart suffered in silence as she looked on. The hug must be a warm one or maybe a cold one, yet still comforting enough to make the body relax.
Just as Kaira looked on, her mother's voice ran through her head. The echoes replayed again and again until her vision blurred. She tried to move back to the car, but her legs were too heavy to move. She slumped, and all she could hear were panicked footsteps and voices calling her name from a distance. Everything was fading. Then, suddenly, there was peace. Her weary eyelids closed, and she slipped into unconsciousness.
She didn't faint because she was weak. She fainted because her heart had been holding its breath for too long.