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19. The Heartbreak Party
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A Few Hundred Poppies 20. Ma
funnily enough, even though the nights seemed everlasting, the thoughts wouldn't end when the sun came outI woke up to a startlingly loud sob. Groggily, I untangled myself from the sheets, the white dress from last night clinging to my body. The rattle of the newspaper guy's old cycle echoed up through the window as he cycled past us. Trying to rub the sleep from my eyes, I followed the feminine sobs down the stairs.Khammi appeared distraught. Dressed in a simple cotton kameez, she sat on a tool near the base of the stairs, trying to muffle her sobs with her pink dupatta. The moment she spotted me with her bulging watery eyes, making me yelp, she launched up from her seat and pulled me into a crushing hug, her wailing jumping a pitch. Mortified, I scrambled away from her, wondering what the hell was happening. The clock hanging on the wall above the couch said that it was 7 in the morning and it had brightened outside, but nobody had remembered to turn off the glaring light. Consi
A Few Hundred Poppies 21. Going South
I turned the blue scissors in my grip from side to side, as if the logic of what I was about to do was etched on its surface. DON'T DO IT! - part of me screamed. YASS BITCH JUST DO IT - the other part yelled louder. Trembling, my hand guided the glinting metal all the way up until it was just above my neck.Snap. A lengthy black lock of curly hair plummeted to the bathroom floor. "Holy shit," I muttered at my gawking reflection. "This is a really shitty coping mechanism. I love it."Snap, snap, snap.-"How's it going with the dance? Isn't it tomorrow?" Bapi asked, plopping down on my bed and taking a bite of the samosa Khammi had brought yesterday. Reeking of Old Spice, he had evidently tried his best to clean up for his first day at work after 9 days. "Don't worry, I haven't messed up any more," I muttered. As I cracked my knuckles, the crunches sounded thunderous in the autumn silence."No, I mean, who're you going with?" He finished off the samosa without a hint of gusto and disc
A Few Hundred Poppies 22. The Kreep House
let's forget all the crazy things happening, just for tonighthttps://images.app.goo.gl/1z6JXrmFLHeNrbxv6The rose gold choker necklace glinted in the orange glow of the lamp overhead. I picked it up from the dresser and inspected the glinting set of the choker and jhumkas, perfectly matching my simple yellow saree with pink floral pattern on its sheer organza surface which came with a lovely onion pink blouse. Fariah had gifted me the saree in exchange for helping her come out to Khammi as bi, and a small smile appeared on my face at the remembrance.Quickly slipping them on, I took a few seconds to appreciate my cat eyeliner, rich pink lipstick and painstakingly perfected hair.Let's forget all the crazy things happening, just for tonight.A loud knock at the front door managed to make my heart stop for a split second. "Coming!" I yelled loudly, and slipped my phone inside the hidden pocket on the underside of my blouse. The Taryn Rose heels fit my feet like Cinderella's slippers. A
A Few Hundred Poppies 23. Poppies
we'll never make itWest's grip on my hand was firm enough to break my fall with a sharp tug. "What the hell?" I cried, studying the gobsmacked expression gracing West's features. Pulling myself upright, hand still in West's, I followed his gaze to the gaping blackness where the bookcase had stood moments ago. Gently pushing me aside, he took a tentative step across the threshold.At once, a series of lights flipped on inside as if by magic. I jumped a little with surprise, my hand shooting up to clutch at his arm, a whirlwind of wonder and trepidation rapidly rising in my chest.The staircase that had now emerged plunged deeper into the earth with each glass step. West and I exchanged an anxious look. "This is some next level shit," I finally said, shaking my head with disbelief. "A fucking secret door? Explain yourself, West.""I-I've never seen this before," West stammered, making me raise a brow in concern. "You knocked out this book," he said, letting go of my waist to crouch do
A Few Hundred Poppies 24. Samar & I
what a fucked up little worldMy blood running cold, I gingerly raised my arms as instructed, exchanging a terrified look with West. Romeo's dashboard had started to ping manically with messages from Doc, but viewing them was out of the question now. We stepped out of the car on shaky legs. The two black-clad men pointing the guns at our heads had pale skin and monolidded eyes, and their accent was glaringly Asian when they commanded us to move forward. I noticed West's strides becoming steadier with each step while mine turned more rickety. Inching closer to me, he interlaced his fingers with mine, whispering, "Don't worry, they won't dream of hurting us, they're- they're my mother's men."I gripped West's hand with fierce force, glad that the men holding us hostage didn't mind. Although it was evident by the conviction in his voice that he knew what he was talking about, West's words had little impact on the chemical reactions raging on inside my head - how I didn't vomit then was
A Few Hundred Poppies 1 Month Later
"Hey.""Hi," I breathed, letting myself melt into my bedsheets at the way his voice made my chest tremble slightly."You know, I'm on a walk.""Oh yeah?" A smile broke out across my face when I heard Rani's protesting 'mrewol' from aside. "I guess cats aren't big walkers." It was a week after a whirlwind of exams and sleepless nights, and the day before the new moon of Ramadan.A tantalising smell of beef managed to seep in through the slit under my door, making me sniff at the air. From the kitchen, Ma and Khammi's loud exchange could be heard as they argued over the right time to put in the garlic cloves in the curry. "Yeah...and there's this lake in here. It's small. Almost cute. And you know what, come over, and bring a change of clothes. I'm gonna teach you swimming," Samar said."I-I kinda have guests over," I hesitated, despite having perked up at the idea at first. "Khammi's here with Fariah.""Seriously? It's nine in the morning," he complained as Rani again meowed loudly fr
A Few Hundred Poppies 1. Hershey's
things are as awkward as you make them to be, reallyEdelweiss, EnglandOn the 30th of December that year, I suddenly realised that I couldn't read anything when the letters were brought closer than a foot to my eyes. Dr. Amiruddin announced me blind by +1.75 the next day, and therefore I dramatically slipped a pair of silver-framed reading glasses atop my nose at the ball drop. Ironically, it was also the year I saw more of reality than I had all my life.And that reality has a very mean sense of humour - having spent sixteen years in a town full of generic white boys, I could be found perpetually bored and prone to rejecting the few who asked me out, and when I'd said that I would like it if a transoceanic guy or two joined this school, I meant a Mexican ex-villain's only heir or something, so that I could fall in love, get ignored, get my heart broken and end up writing a good book.Instead, life handed me an arrogant, outrageously handsome Pak-Korean asshole with an acquired taste
A Few Hundred Poppies 2. Brown Privilege
maybe sometimes, things happen just because we believe they will-Sure, at the Fullers' barbecues, we'd sloshed around with half of the town's police force, but I'd never really met the deputies who dosed on the night shift. From up close, the two were depressing as hell. Last night, the drunk teenagers from the college party next door had awoken Mr. Fuller up and he'd called up his pals at the police station. They'd cruised in in the Volvo, insisting on recording our statement. In spite of all the drama, Ma marched into my room at 6:30 sharp, adjusting her dupatta over the royal blue salwar-kameez she loved to wear to work, sporting her finest frown. Our relatives often said that I was the spitting image of her, but my nose was much flatter, and whereas her hair was wild, mine was much more tame, albeit curly like hers. Among the things we had in common, my favourite were a pair of arched eyebrows and curious doe-like eyes, both of which were jet black and occasionally erupted burs
Latest chapter
- A Few Hundred Poppies 1 Month Later
- A Few Hundred Poppies 24. Samar & I
- A Few Hundred Poppies 23. Poppies
- A Few Hundred Poppies 22. The Kreep House
- A Few Hundred Poppies 21. Going South
- A Few Hundred Poppies 20. Ma
- A Few Hundred Poppies 19. The Heartbreak Party
- A Few Hundred Poppies 18. Sixteen Going On Seventeen
- A Few Hundred Poppies 17. A Murder
