Young Writers Society

The tiger appeared again, this time closer to me. With its golden eyes, it gave me a gimlet stare. It didn’t move, but that didn’t reassure me. This tiger was different than others; its snow body was covered with silver stripes. Even with the room’s darkness, I could see them clearly. In fact, they sparkled.

I was sitting on the bed, fixing my eyes on this feline creature. Why should it show up relentlessly? What was the meaning of this? As thoughts swirled in my mind, a trickle of sweat ran down from my forehead to my chin. I was speechless. I didn’t even know if talking was good in front of it. It opened its mouth slowly, revealing its pointy teeth. I grabbed my blanket tighter, paralyzed by the menacing and strangely majestic aura this creature emitted and -

It lunged on me.

I woke up with a sharp intake of breath. Sweat wet my face. I wiped it with a trembling hand, and covered my quivering mouth. It wasn’t real. It was just a dream. But why was I scared like this? Like the tiger attacking me was a real situation. The dream was so vivid, and all my senses could feel every detail of it. Was there a meaning behind it? What if this wasn’t merely a dream? What if it was something more?

I sighed, hoping my day at school would help distract me from this dream.

I was at the noisy canteen with my friend, Tameem. Despite my hope the earlier morning, I still thought of the dream. Oddly, however, it didn’t ease me from my hunger. I grabbed the spoon and fork, ready to attack nasi lemak served on my plate. With a swift movement, I took a spoonful of it, gulping it down through my throat to my stomach. As always, the taste didn’t disappoint.

Tameem sat opposite to me, the long plastic table separating us. He looked at me with his hazel Arabian eyes. “I heard we’re going to get a new classmate today, Aiden,” he said, revealing his soft voice. He opened the tupperware he brought with him and took an egg sandwich out of it. He ate the sandwich with a bite.

“So?” I said. New students coming here was usual. There was no need to make a remark out of it. I looked at my food, thinking this was what I must be like to the strange tiger. I shook my head slightly in an attempt to get rid of the thought.

“He’s a foreigner,” Tameem said, taking another tiny bite. For a big guy, he was sure a slow eater. Not that I complained, though. His slow eating was always the reason I was late to class, therefore missing a part of boring classes. The teachers didn’t mind much - they’d knew me well.

“I’ve seen a foreign student, Tameem. I myself is a mix,” I said, boredom lacing my voice. What was a big deal with this new student? I threw a look at the sky; the sun gave its brilliant and hot light as usual. Bless Malaysia and its humid weather.

Tameem shook his head, looking at me with a slight frown, grabbing the sandwich a little tighter. “This one was different. They said -”

“You take their words seriously,” I said, cutting him off, not wanting to hear his length explanation. I raised my eyebrow. “Who are they, actually?”

Tameem opened his mouth but instead of talking, bit his luscious pink lip first. “Syaza and the gang. You know how she’s like when it comes to foreigners, especially Westerners.”

I nodded, recalling her enthusiasm when telling me about her cute English pen pal she met in the Internet. I wasn’t surprised she could find out about this new student this fast. She might had some resources somewhere else.

“Syaza might be wrong,” I said, giving him that possibility. “Plus, we’ve never seen him. How could we know he is different, that he’s not like the other foreign student? What if this is just another Syaza’s over enthusiasm on Western boys?” I leaned forward, studying Tameem’s smooth fair skin. “Because of that, you’ve no need to be interested on this guy.” I smiled, thinking my words would stop him from talking about this new student.

Tameem bit his lip again, and I was tempted to kiss it. This friend crush I had with him was getting out of hand. It was like the forbidden apple Eve had eaten. I wondered if he knew about my feelings? “I guess you’re right,” he said, finally conceding and finishing his sandwich. “Maybe there’s too little happening in the school that I find other things to focus at.”

I laid the spoon and fork on the empty plate. Such a nice lunch, and it had been ten minutes late since recess time was over. I grinned.

“Your birthday’ll arrive a week later, Aiden!” Tameem said besides me, excitement controlling the tenor of his voice. As if I forgot my birthday.

Catching Cikgu Aminaton’s brief glance on us, I sighed. Sometimes Tameem was just oblivious to the surrounding. I turned to him with withered eyes. “Wow, I seriously don’t know that,” I said with half dead voice. “Your point?”

“Let’s make a party,” Tameem said, serving me the suggestion with an enthusiastic voice. He put his forefinger on his lips which I craved, his frown full with thoughts. “I’m thinking what kind of party we’ll throw in.”

Fiddling with the black pen, I looked at my unfinished English essay. It was terrible. “You can throw the party for me. I’m too lazy for that.”

“Whatever. I know once I’ve started planning for the party, I can drag you along,” he said and flashed me an adorable and innocent grin. It was too infectious that it made my mouth twitched a little.

I stopped fiddling with the pen as a thought struck me. What if I told him about my feelings during the party? I should tell him sooner or later. It was hard to converse with him without enjoying his exotic Arabian facial beauty. It wasn’t just his handsomeness that showered my crush to him. It was something more. Everything about him I adored.

I grabbed the pen tightly and continued finishing my horrendous English essay. I smiled. I had made a decision, and it was a big one. I didn’t care if things turned the wrong way - I knew it would be worth it. I looked at Tameem. He was writing something on the paper. I followed his gaze and saw he was already planning for my party. My heart beat faster like an adrenaline-infused alarm. I couldn’t wait for next week to arrive.