reasons behind the facade

At first, I thought of going for Hijab myself and had gone halfway through it but then on second thoughts, found it better to stay back while Maham did the task. I thought it would be safer if I was not in sight, even though I had timed all this yet I stayed at the back of the academy building. It was Hijab’s birthday. So Maham went to summon Hijab while I saw to other things. Maham ran through the court to the front of the academy building but Hijab was not there. Then she saw her cross the main gate. She went near her and called out to her. “Hijab!” she turned at the sound of her name being called and that’s when an extremely loud shriek made me run to the source of the sound. As I crossed the front steps and came to the front of the building, I saw Maham standing outside the gate staring at the crowd of people gathered there. As I asked her what was up, I saw her all too sickly as if she would faint any minute. She pointed towards the crowd. I pushed in through all the people standing there and I almost shrieked at what I saw. Hijab’s body lay on the road, half covered in blood with her face all gray and ghastly. "Her leg might be broken and she might have some other injuries,” someone was saying. Concurrently, the sound of sirens and an ambulance approached, they put Hijab on the stretcher, put her into the ambulance and took her to the hospital. I could not move for the sight of my friend’s body lying there, I could not dismiss it from the mind. Maham called me and made for the head’s office. The principal had already contacted Hijab’s parents and they were on their way to the hospital. Meanwhile, Maham contacted her mother to pick her up from the academy and explained the situation. “What happened?” I asked, trying to overcome the lump that had formed in my throat. She took in a deep breath and narrated; “I was looking for Hijab and found her crossing the gate. I called her name, thinking she might leave and that’s when it happened.” She quietened. “That’s when it happened. She was standing at the edge of the road and she turned her face backwards to see who had called and a bike crashed into her and knocked her off. She shrieked and then collapsed.” I wanted to scream, shout at the world. At my fate. What would have gone wrong if they had solved it all within themselves but no! They have to drag innocent ones into it. I wish he was in front of me now and I would not have hesitated the slightest bit before making him suffer for what he did to my innocent Hijab Fatima, the introvert and reclusive one; the girl who had entirely changed my view of the world in only a few encounters when we were not even friends. I did not realize that we had reached the head's office for Maham held my hand and dragged me to Mr. Jamshed's office. He was the principal and nothing escaped his eyes and we were hoping that he might be able to help us for him being the most sensible one within the vicinity of the academy would know for sure what we should do. Besides Maham had said that we should talk to the principal and then head for the hospital but I wanted to look over the security camera's footage of the accident. I wanted to be sure for if I wanted someone to be convicted for attempted murder case on an innocent just for the sake of revenge then I must have some proof. Of course only I knew of any such implications that could be made but I had to take a stand. This had gone too far and if I had come to my senses earlier this might have never even happened. I had timed it all so well to avoid it and yet I could not succeed in it. They had their own ways regarding such matters but I had not known that it would lead to this. We reached his office and Mr. Jamshed was standing in the door way, looking at his wrist watch. "It’s about time that you two showed up. I have been waiting for you for the last eight minutes to be exact. Where have the both of you been lurking when there is such a pressing matter at hand to be resolved. Or do you not care for your friend? tell me, Aqsa, do you by any chance know anything about the events that took place this afternoon?" he said and then paused, looking at me as if he knew what I was actually going through and this made me uncomfortable as I tried my best not to squirm under his gaze for this would complicate matters even more than they previously are, " I must ask you the same Maham. If you have even the slightest bit idea of who did this then you are free to inform me. Tell me what you know," he said looking at the both of us. And now Maham lost her cool facade and all that bottled up worry, anger and frustration came out on him. “What makes you even think that? If we knew anything we would have told you and the police by now! We-wait, what did you say? Are you saying that this was not an accident? You mean, this was planned?" She was fuming with anger by now. "yes" he said the one word that took the life out of us both, of course in different ways; Maham's reaction was because she had not thought of that as even possible while it scared me that he knew. how much he knew i did not know but still he had found out that it was planned and not actually 'an accident' as everyone had thought. And Maham who had stood up from her seat in anger collapsed down in it again as tears filled her eyes but she being the stronger one held them back. "h-how?" she almost whispered because if she tried to be any louder she was sure that the constricted throat of hers would not allow the slightest bit of sound to escape. Mr. Jamshed offered her a glass of water. When she was done he stood up and motioned for us to follow which we silently did. He led us to the control room; the room that captured all that happened on and within the academy premises. it was not too small but not too big. i had been here before once when i came to this academy with father. he had something to talk about with the man who overlooked the proceedings there. the room was exactly the same as it had been five years back except for there are lesser people here this time. in fact, only one man there at the back of the room seated behind a desk, busy typing something on his computer screen. On hearing us approach he looked up and Mr. Jamshed nodded to him. Then he ushered for us to sit on the chairs in front of that man's desk and turned the computer screen in front of us. I had been quiet through all this and he looked at me for a second too long before playing the footage. His gaze arose suspicions and I began to doubt the credibility of his statements but I brushed it off as just my illusion for my current state could not be considered conscious as I was at the verge of passing out because of all this mess my own blood had put me into. He pressed play and the gruesome scene played in front of me making my heart ache at the sight that was in front of me. ‘Hijab was standing at the edge of the road but not in the way of any vehicle. Then she turned her head to look behind her and that is when a bike crashed into her making her lose her balance and fall to the ground and then there was blood and her face morphed into that of severe pain and her mouth moved as she screamed before passing out. It was not what I would ever wish even for my enemy to go through. Hijab lay there unconscious with her face devoid of the slightest indication of the controlled smile that she displayed when in a gathering and not just the three of us. The screen paused after that when the medics were putting her on the stretcher.' But what caught my attention was the man standing there almost hidden from the camera's line of view. The moment the bike crashed into her he moved from his spot and then disappeared from the camera's view. Now what was there on the screen was the expressionless face of my best friend lying there on the ground, motionless. The expression on Maham’s face made my heart shatter into infinite pieces. She was crying which she hardly ever did. I was already broken and I don’t think that I can live anymore. before leaving the control room, i turned around to thank the principle for his attention but instead i saw him smirking. he was smirking! as if this was somehow funny! now i am beginning to doubt that man. our own principle who i trusted for the last five years. something is not right. there are more involved into this and have been bribed than what i thought and knew! i am so lost. And all of this had to happen on Hijab's nineteenth birthday, a day we had planned to spend together and enjoy; laugh and be content of the care free feeling that it would bring. but nothing went as planned. nothing.