For a split second, I’m confused. And then it hits me all over again. The photo. The news sites and magazines and comments. They don’t know about my fight with Jamie. They don’t know the rest of it. And how the rest of it hurts so much more.
“I don’t really want to talk about this right now,” I whisper.
“But we need to,” my mother says. “That’s why we’re having this family meeting. So we can all discuss together.”
“Think you have to be a family to have a family meeting,” I mutter.
My father leans forward.
“We are still a family, Maya,” he says. “It’s been a rough few weeks, but no matter what happens, the three of us are forever connected. And you are always our top priority. That never changes.”
I look down at my lap and blink back tears.
“I had no idea anyone was taking photos. One minute everything was great, and then all of a sudden, people are staring and talking and laughing.” I blink back tears again. “It was mortifying.”
“It’ll blow over,” my father reassures me. “A few bigger sites caught it, but most of it’s just local stuff.”
“I live locally,” I say.
“And, well.” My mother shifts and glances at my father, before looking at me. “Well, we also wanted to talk to you about . . .”
“Oh God.” I look up at them both. “Is everyone talking? My phone has been buzzing off the hook. I’m so sorry. Serene and Rania texted me too, and . . .”
“Don’t worry about any of that.” My mother shakes her head. “This is between us. This is about our family. That’s it. And, well, we need to talk about the kiss. Jamie is such a sweet boy—he always has been. Cute too. And, well, I understand why you’d want to kiss him, but . . .”
“We didn’t kiss.” I flush. “I swear. It’s the angle that stupid photo was taken with, but we didn’t. You have to trust me—”
“We believe you,” my father says. “If you say you didn’t, you didn’t.”
“Are you mad?” I ask in a small voice.
“We’re not mad,” my mother says. “It’s natural to have feelings for someone. But.” She glances at my father. “Even if you haven’t kissed . . . you have been spending lots of time together.”
“Trust me.” I bite my lip to keep it from trembling. “You don’t have to worry about Jamie and me.”
“Dating in high school is incredibly complicated,” my mother says. “That’s why we’ve always cautioned you against it.”
“Because my brain cells grow in after next year, right?”
“Not exactly.” My mother smiles a little. “Like we said, there’s so much already on your plate with high school, and college applications are around the corner, and . . .” She hesitates. “With Jamie, it’d be even more complicated. He’s not Muslim. That opens up so many other questions. How will you reconcile your different identities and faith? How will you raise your children? Religious traditions and practices . . . It’s a lot to consider.”
“Um, first of all, I’m not in a relationship with Jamie, much less planning kids.” My face burns. “And second of all, what about Auntie Jameela?”
“Uncle Scott converted,” my mother says. “And my kid sister is a good example of what I’m saying. She had your cousin Reem just after high school graduation. They’re doing okay enough now, but trust me, they had major growing pains. Relationships are complicated when they start out so young.”
“Apparently they’re complicated at any age.” I glance at both of them.
My mother’s eyes get moist. My father looks down at his lap. Suddenly, I feel awful.
“I think what we’re trying to say,” my father says, “is that we all know how hard uncertainty is for you. And that’s part of entering into a relationship. You go in not knowing what the future holds, and take a leap of faith anyway into the great unknown. You have to ask yourself if you’re ready to add one more complication and uncertainty onto your plate—if you’re ready to deal with the emotional fallout that can happen.”
I don’t want to admit it. I don’t. But that makes sense.
I can’t handle any more what-ifs.
“We’re not here to dictate what you can and can’t do,” my mother says. “You’re too old for that. This time next year, you’ll be packing up for college.”
“You’re your own person.” My father nods. “But we’re also going to be here to tell you our opinions and thoughts—part of the gig when you sign