I knew he wouldn't pick up.
Tarik never answered when I needed him.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9r9oX1lm3
Not when I was calling to leave the gym.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mnsBb8s2G
Not when I was stuck outside in the cold.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QOLgz9kQ5
Not even that one time I broke my wrist and called from the hospital with my left hand.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcOi49Racw
But if he was bored in class?37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5R0sM1DDV9
Suddenly, I was his emotional support animal.
I tapped my thumb against the steering wheel, phone pressed to my ear.
Voicemail. Again.
I hung up, leaned my head back against the seat, and stared at the roof like it might offer answers.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGWfUlU5HOe
It didn't.
I let out a breath through my nose. Then killed the engine.
I grabbed the keys and slammed the Jeep door shut behind me.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31CSb3wQrp
Hoodie sleeves shoved up, palms still raw from deadlifts.
My phone buzzed in my pocket—probably not Tarik.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3mzPRiJRX
Of course not Tarik.
I crossed the lot, boots hitting pavement in steady rhythm.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZY1QnxIT2l
Going to get him.
Because he wasn't allowed to go home alone.
That was the rule.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaX20F9BRE
Our rule.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjv7TzJ21l
Never spoken. Never broken.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYApBUP7Ay1
Not if we wanted to make it through the night.
Zmaj's familiar glow lit up the block like always—37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbrDoS32DU
Greasy ćevapi, over-salted fries, and too many TVs mounted crooked on the walls.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAJogiUozu
The scent of charred meat drifted from the vents overhead, and I could already hear the low hum of teenage chaos inside.
And sure enough, through the fogged glass, I spotted them.
Same corner booth.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeJxLCCIjr
Same chaos.
Tarik—hunched over a worksheet he was definitely pretending to care about.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAUOJ1VdZA
Adem—leaning back, wearing that permanently unimpressed face of his.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVlm4gq75j
And Amina—
Right in the middle of them, like she'd been born to orbit both boys at once.
She was half-turned toward Tarik, brows pulled together in that stubborn little way she had when she was scolding him.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpdTRcVhl9
One hand pointed at the paper.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUk61bwZqT7
The other wrapped around a drink she'd probably stolen from Tarik.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxuwlNdZnc
Her mouth moved fast—expression alive with frustration and something gentler buried underneath.
Love.
That was the thing about her.
Even when she was yelling, it felt like being protected.
Even from here, even through the glass—she stood out.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LP3J7w1aq
Not in a way that asked for attention.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTQpX9AJgj
Just... in a way that made you pause.
Like something in the room had shifted.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvur5CTukcp
Like she pulled focus without trying to.
She always did.
I stepped in. The smell hit hard—fried meat, somun, and adolescent despair.
"It's a simple concept," Amina was saying as I walked closer, voice steady but on the edge. "Think of electron repulsion. The lone pairs push the bonded atoms down—tetrahedral becomes bent. Just follow VSEPR. You've done this."
Tarik squinted at the worksheet like it had insulted his entire bloodline. "So... the electrons are like... fans at a stadium?"
Adem didn't even glance away from the screen. "What kind of stadium has fans circling like vultures? Maybe she should draw it in crayon."
Amina whipped a straw wrapper at his face. "Shut up, Mr. 97 in chem. Not everyone wants to marry science."
"Never said I wanted to marry it," Adem said. "Just not allergic to critical thinking like some people."
Tarik muttered, "Geometry doesn't belong in chemistry. That's betrayal."
Amina narrowed her eyes. "Tarik. I swear on my mother's life—"
"M-Mine too," I cut in, stepping up to the booth. "If he s-survives the n-night, it'll b-be a mir-miracle."
All three heads turned.
Amina's eyes flicked up to mine—surprised, but only for a second.
Then that smile crept onto her face.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDELbKG9Ana
The one she didn't even know she gave me.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡktJmJPKJ7J
The one that always said she missed me, whether she'd admit it or not.
She always lit up when I was around.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJMZr5j3LO
Everyone knew it.
"You came in," she said simply.
"Be-because he d-didn't an-answer," I said, nodding toward Tarik. "A-again."
"He's not ready," Amina said, jabbing a finger at his worksheet.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuJ5yXOPWm
"We've got a chem test tomorrow and he still can't tell the difference between sp² and sp³ hybridization. He drew water as linear, Talha. Linear."
Tarik threw his head back. "It has two atoms!"
"It has two lone pairs!" she snapped. "It's bent, genius. VSEPR? We've been over this."
"I'm done," Tarik muttered, sliding the worksheet away like it had personally offended him. "If I don't know it by now, I'm not gonna."
Amina turned to me like I was reinforcements.
"He's being impossible."
I looked at her, then at him. And then—at the worksheet.
It could've been written in another language.
Hell, maybe it was.
Tarik gave me the look—wide-eyed, hopeful, full of fake innocence.
"D-don't ," I warned.
"But I've been sitting here for two hours."
"Then s-sit for one m-more," I said, dropping into the booth across from them. "If sh-she says you're n-not ready, y-you're not rea-dy."
Tarik groaned and thunked his head on the table. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"I a-am," I said. "Th-that's why you're fin-finish-ing the w-worksh-sheet."
Amina smirked, satisfied. Tarik sighed like he was being tortured.
I stared down at the notes again—bond angles, hybrid orbitals, lone pairs marked like landmines—and shook my head.
"I d-don't know wh-what any of th-that m-means," I muttered.
Amina didn't even look up. "Neither does he."
"I hate this family," Tarik muttered.
"You love this family," Amina said, poking his arm without looking up.
"You just hate being held accountable like a functioning human being."
"Same thing," he grumbled, sliding lower in his seat like he was trying to escape the conversation entirely.
"Leg day hit that hard?" Adem asked, giving me a once-over as I stretched out my legs under the table.
I rolled my shoulder and let out a breath.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPn4zsnQo4M
"Y-yeah. W-was temp-ted to l-leave Tarik h-here. Let h-him get hum-humbled b-by the st-street dogs."
Tarik didn't look up from his worksheet. "Joke's on you. I am a street dog."
"You're a house cat with delusions," Amina muttered, not even looking up.
Tarik didn't bother arguing. Just stared at the worksheet like it had ruined his life.
"Bet you still had a better night than me," he said, nodding at the paper like it had drawn blood.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0AUnb6dhC
"She chucked a book at my head earlier."
"It was a softcover," Amina replied, clearly unbothered.
"It had corners."
"Y-you angry to-today, Mino?" I asked.
She met my gaze—calmer now, but with that familiar spark in her eyes.
"Depends," she said. "Will you finally let me ride your bike this Sunday?"
I laughed—low, automatic.
"Y-you'd crash it in f-five sec-seconds."
She grinned. "So that's a no?"
"Tha-that's a hell n-no."
"Then yeah," she said, sipping her drink. "I'm furious."
The bell over the door chimed.
A group of boys from their school spilled in—loud, half-zipped jackets and half-finished stories. One of them—Nermin—broke off immediately and made a straight line for our table.
Didn't look around. Didn't hesitate.
Just saw her—and came.
"Hey, Amina," he said, all confidence and way too much cologne.
His eyes barely skimmed the rest of us.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgmiU0atPv
"You coming on the class trip this weekend?"
He leaned on the edge of the booth like he'd done it before.
Like this was a conversation they'd had more than once.
Amina looked up and smiled—sweet, but thin. The kind of smile you give when someone's trying too hard.
"Working on it," she said, tilting her head slightly.
From beside her, Adem's head snapped up like he'd just heard a threat.
"Working on what?"
She didn't miss a beat. "The class trip. I might still go."
"No," he said flatly. "You're not."
Tarik didn't even look up. "We already talked about this. You're coming to Mostar."
"I haven't decided," she said, playful now. Almost daring them to keep pushing.
"Pretty sure we decided for you," Adem muttered, eyes narrowed.
Nermin shifted, finally catching the shift in the room.
"She can come to both, can't she?"
"She can't," Tarik said, finally glancing up. "She'll be busy."
"Doing what?"
"Cheering me on," he said with a smug grin. "Obviously."
Adem didn't even blink.
"Go take a walk, man," he said, voice low and flat, still watching the game like Nermin wasn't even worth turning his head for.
Amina groaned. "You guys are unbelievable."
"We're protective," Tarik said, like it was a badge of honor.
"We're looking out for you," Adem added, voice calm but final.
"You're controlling," she snapped.
None of them argued.
Not even me.
Because they were.
And sometimes, she let them be.
I leaned back, watching them bicker like always.
Couldn't help myself.
"Y-you know wh-what I'm g-gonna say."
Tarik groaned immediately. "Bro—again?"
Amina didn't even look at me. Just sighed into her cup like she'd heard it a hundred times.
"Per-perfect for ea-each-other."
"She's like a sister, man," Tarik muttered.
"Y-yeah," I said. "And y-you're an idi-ot."
Amina shot me a warning look across the table. I ignored it.
"Y-oh think g-girls like her g-grow on tr-trees?"
"I can hear you," she said, sipping her drink without missing a beat.
"Good."
Tarik shook his head. "Just because you think she's perfect for me doesn't mean—"
"It's n-not about wh-what I thi-think," I cut in, voice low. Tired. Sharper than I meant it to be.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgoLgQzr2b
"It's obv-ious. To e-every-one but y-you."
Adem glanced between us, slow. The humor was gone from his face.
"Funny," he said. "I didn't realize we were taking applications for my sister."
Amina turned to him. "Adem—"
He held up his hands. "Just saying. If we're doing arranged marriages, I'd like to be consulted before he volunteers my best friend."
Tarik dropped his pencil and leaned back, giving me a flat look.
"Can you not?" he said. "She's finally getting to the part where I understand things."
I smirked. "Just s-saying—f-for a guy w-who claims he d-doesn't like h-her like th-that, you get r-real Terri-torial."
Tarik raised an eyebrow, slow. Then, without breaking eye contact, he threw an arm around Amina's shoulders.
"She's the sister I never had," he said. "And always wanted."
Amina made a face. "Lucky me."
Tarik grinned. "Damn right."
I leaned back, watching her walk him through another example.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4AGPvhokmU
Her voice had that edge—firm, sharp—but underneath it, there was patience.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLJTQIRmcB
Steady. Unshaken.
She believed in him.
More than he ever had in himself.
It was always her. Since they were seven.
Adem and Tarik were solid—brothers in everything but blood.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfbRicobRl
But it was Amina who made them whole.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UBRDt4395
Who dragged Tarik to practice when he didn't want to go.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GENJjOHZv
Who sat on the curb with him after every bad grade, every missed shot.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gJObVv4Ba
Who convinced the Begovićs to cover his school fees when our parents couldn't.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bMVOgi3XB
Who never let him forget he was worth the effort.
Even when he did.
Especially then.
And me?
I was just the older brother who picked him up after.
But even I wasn't immune to her.
She had that way about her—like sunlight cutting through fog.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFBpS2zBUS
Loud, bright, impossible to ignore.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ErOiMZKx8
Even on the worst days, she made things feel... less heavy.
"You okay?" she asked suddenly.
I looked up. "Y-yeah. Why?"
She tilted her head. "You get quiet when you're tired. But this feels... quieter."
"Just thi-thinking."
"About what?"
I hesitated.
"Don't pull the stutter card," she said, leaning in. "You know I'll wait all night."
That made me smile.
"A-about how luck-y he is," I said finally, nodding toward Tarik—still scribbling like the worksheet might save his life.
She softened. "We missed you last week. You didn't come."
"Busy."
"Liar."
I looked away.
She didn't say anything else.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSVpF4gMjG
She didn't have to.
She always noticed when I disappeared.
Always took it a little harder than the others.
The truth was, sometimes I stayed gone on purpose.
Not because I didn't want to be around them—37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhb9Yqjfkyv
but because I couldn't always stomach how easy they made it look.
Friendship.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvsW5SrHoQ
Life.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dRqiXRpfO
Peace.
Things that never came quiet in my world.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This was meant to be harmless.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPvuPJjd1K
Some tutoring, some fries, some light bullying between friends.
And yet here we are:37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡag6ccRsk7V
One silent older brother, two bickering soulmates, and Amina holding it all together with sarcasm and snacks.
No one's in love. Definitely not.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiii5iwj39
Everything is fine.
—Ash&Olive, lying through her teeth37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBtU0fQdhB
but having a great time doing it
37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPDHMVtTn8
and then Add to home screen.