All Chapters of A Chance To Rise: Chapter 41
- Chapter 50
64 chapters
Chapter 41 When You're Someone
The mall was a swirling vortex of pre-Eid positive chaos, a cheerful vibe of frantic shoppers mixed with the sounds of Takbirat . Zaid felt like a leaf carried by the wind as he was pulled along by the unstoppable force that was his mother.“No, not this one,” she declared, holding up a perfectly nice navy blue button-down shirt. “The stitching is cheap. Look, you can already see a loose thread.”“Mama, it’s fine,” Zaid sighed, his feet already aching. “No one is going to be inspecting my stitching.”“I will be inspecting it,” she argued, her eyes scanning the rack with such intensity. “My son deserves the best quality. And something fresh! Not the same old thing.”This was the fifth store, and the argument was on its third loop. “Mama, all men’s styles are the same!” he groaned, running a hand through his hair. “It’s either T-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, hoodies, button-ups, and pants. That’s it! There is no secret, magical ‘fresh’ style waiting to be discovered. We might as well just
Chapter 42 Eid Special
The moment they stepped back into the apartment, the scent of their abandoned mamoul cookies was a cruel reminder that their work was far from over. Zaid dropped the shopping bags filled with his "perfect" new clothes, hoping to collapse on the sofa, but his mother was already tying her hair back with a determined look."Okay, the fun is over," she announced, handing him a bucket filled with cleaning supplies. "The guest room first. While I go check under your bed."Zaid groaned. "Mama, the guests won't check for dust under my bed.""They will feel the cleanliness in the air," she retorted, pushing him toward the hallway. "And after that, we need to wipe down the top of the door frames and the inside of the cabinets.""Who is going to check the top of the door frame?" he pleaded, his voice rising in despair. "And who cares if the inside of a vase is clean? You look at the outside!"She fixed him with a stare that could strip paint. "I care. And while you live under my roof, you will c
Chapter 43 Unexpected Guest
The first day of Eid dawned bright and full of the scent of his grandmother’s cookies and the sound of joyful prayers from the television. The arrival of Uncle Youssef and his cousin Sami had filled the small apartment with a boisterous, happy energy. Laughter echoed off the walls as they exchanged greetings of "Eid Mubarak," the warmth of family erasing the memory of the previous day's deep cleaning.Seeing everyone gathered, Zaid’s heart swelled with a mix of pride and nervousness. "I have something for you," he announced, his voice cutting through the cheerful noise.He disappeared into his room and returned with the two carefully wrapped packages. He handed the long, flat box to his grandmother first."For me, habibi?" she exclaimed, her eyes twinkling. She unwrapped it to reveal the soft, rose-colored abaya. She held it up, her hands, gnarled from a lifetime of work, stroking the delicate fabric. "It is beautiful, Zaid. So beautiful." She pulled him down and kissed his cheek firm
Chapter 44 The Silver Card
The first light of the second day of Eid filtered through Zaid’s window, but it failed to bring the warmth of the previous morning. Instead of the sounds of celebration, he was pulled from the edges of sleep by a low, tense murmur that seeped through his bedroom door. He lay perfectly still, the sheets tangled around him, and listened. The argument was in the kitchen, a fierce, hushed war waged between the two most important women in his life.“I will not allow it!” His mother’s voice was a sharp, strained whisper, yet it carried the force of a shout. “He cannot just waltz back in after a decade and demand a day! On Eid! Why now? What game is he playing?”His grandmother’s reply was a steady, calming counterpoint, a stream trying to wear down a rock. “Listen my dear , and lower your voice. He is still his father. However late, however flawed, that blood does not change. Can you not see? Your son must be yearning for this, even if his pride locks the words inside his heart. It is his
Chapter 45 The New Card
The polished marble floors of the school's main administrative building echoed with a new, hollow sound as Zaid walked across them on Sunday morning. The vibrant chaos of the Eid holiday felt a lifetime away, replaced by the sterile, pressurized silence of academia. He had been summoned by the headmaster's assistant, and the walk to the office felt like a march to a verdict.The assistant, a man with a perpetually pinched expression, looked up from his computer as Zaid entered. "Zaid. Your account has been settled." He said it not as a congratulations, but as a statement of clinical fact."Settled?" Zaid asked, his voice barely above a whisper."Your tuition for this semester, and the next, has been paid in full. As per school policy, your status has been upgraded." The man picked up a small, sleek electronic card from his desk. It was a vibrant, almost fluorescent green. He held it out. "You are now a Green Card student."Zaid reached for it, his fingers trembling slightly. The plast
Chapter 46 Finally Leveling Up
The North Wing of the dormitories had a different smell. It wasn't the faint scent of mildew and old varnish that clung to the Red Card corridor, but a neutral, clean odor of industrial floor wax and fresh paint. Zaid found Room 314 and swiped his new green card. A soft, confident beep greeted him, and the lock clicked open with a satisfying solidity.He stepped inside, letting his duffel bag slide from his shoulder to the floor with a soft thud. The room was silent, and for a moment, he just stood there, taking it in.It wasn't Fares's room. There was no plush carpet, no minimalist designer furniture, no private balcony overlooking the gardens. It also wasn't the room he'd shared with Bassam. The plaster on the walls was smooth and uncracked. The ceiling was a uniform white, no water stains mapping forgotten leaks. The linoleum floor was a bland beige, but it was clean and intact. A single, decent-sized window let in the afternoon light, illuminating a standard-issue desk, a chair,
Chapter 47 Sleep Over Party
The sterile silence of Zaid’s new green card dorm room felt less like an upgrade and more like a quarantine. The blank walls offered no conversation, the pristine floor no scuff marks of shared history. He’d been unpacked for an hour, sitting on the edge of his firm, new bed, when the peace was obliterated by a familiar, frantic knocking.Before he could even answer, the door swung open to reveal Khamis, his face a canvas of unrestrained triumph."A GREEN CARD! I knew it! I knew my co-star couldn't stay languishing in the peasant quarters forever!" He marched in, not as a guest, but as a director surveying a new set.He’d immediately seized on the narrative potential, his mind whirring like a camera reel. "This is it, Zaid! We'll post a video about this. We're calling it 'From Red to Green: The Level-Up Journey Vlog!' The people need to see the progress."Zaid, who still felt like a squatter in his new, impersonal surroundings, was effortlessly swept up in Khamis's hurricane of enthu
Chapter 48 Empty
The air in Khamis's dorm was thick with the frantic energy of a live stream. Colored Lego bricks were scattered across the floor. Zaid and Khamis were standing on stools, they were locked in a race against the clock to build the tallest, most unstable-looking tower possible."Ten minutes, people! The pressure is on!" Khamis yelled into the camera, his voice a practiced pitch of hysterical excitement. Zaid, beside him, forced a grin, carefully placing a single blue brick on a teetering spire. His heart wasn't in it. It was just plastic on plastic.The live chat scrolled rapidly on a secondary screen. A notification, highlighted in gold, popped up.'Desert_Sun 92' gifted 200 Roses!Message: "Forget the tower! Build me a castle!I want to see a big one!"Khamis's eyes lit up with dollar signs. "Whoa! A castle! You hear that, Zaid? The people want a castle! We'll get to that right after this tower my friend! You just wait and see!"A moment later, another notification, this time from a use
Chapter 49 Philosophies and Guilt
The car ride to the Al-Nour neighborhood was subdued, in contrast to Khamis’s usual pre-filming hype sessions. Zaid stared out the window as the cityscape transformed. The sleek glass facades and manicured parks of the school district gave way to narrower streets, buildings stained with age and water damage, and a palpable sense of weariness in the air. Tariq was in the backseat, nervously fiddling with the camera equipment, while Khamis scrolled through his phone, muttering about lighting angles."This is it," Khamis announced as the car pulled over."It's one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. Perfect backdrop."They unloaded several cardboard boxes from the trunk, each filled with basic groceries: rice, lentils, cooking oil, canned goods, and tea. Zaid hefted one, the weight of it feeling insignificant against the scale of need surrounding them."Okay, game plan," Khamis said, brushing dust from his expensive jacket. "We film Zaid knocking on doors and handing out the box
Chapter 50 Finding Purpose
The familiar comfort of his mother's living room on a Friday evening was a balm to Zaid's soul. The lingering unease from the charity stream and the sterile silence of his green card dorm room seemed to dissolve in the warm, cluttered space. He was sitting on the sofa, his grandmother in her favorite armchair, the soft murmur of a historical drama on television filling the room. It was a perfect, peaceful moment.Then, a firm knock echoed from the front door."I'll get it," Zaid said, heaving himself off the couch. He expected a neighbor, maybe one of his new friends stopping by unexpectedly. But when he pulled the door open, he found himself staring down at his twelve-year-old cousin, Sami, who stood on the doorstep with a small, wheeled suitcase and a backpack slung over his shoulder."Sami?" Zaid blinked, thoroughly confused. "What are you doing here? I thought you and your dad were heading back home after Eid."Sami shuffled his feet, his eyes wide and a little lost. "Hey, Zaid.