Is Shahira lost? 

What is Shahira’s deep secret that has tormented her for so long?  Has she been looking for her first love?  Has she been saving (her beauty) for him?  Does he really exist?  

[Flashback]  The day she fell in love with Jacob in the library at school was also the day she got her period.  The very next day, she had to wear hijab.  Then her mother falls ill and the family move to Houston so that they can be close to the hospital.  Her mother never recovers and ultimately dies.  She never returns to the town that she knew before she wore hijab.  Houston was both new and large enough so that she eventually became an anonymous figure.  She retreated into herself in high school.  When it was time to apply for college, she applied to UT Austin and the University of Houston.  She was accepted into both, but wasn’t allowed to go to Austin.  Then one day, an opportunity came when the local MSA planned a retreat in Austin.  It was planned, so that they could attend a UT hosted an exhibition match against UH.  The boys went in one van and the girls went in another.  During the game, Shahira spots Jacob in the crowd.  She struggles to find him and catch him through the crowd, but eventually she gets his attention.   (Does she remove her scarf now?) He’s very excited to see her, but quickly changes his demeanor when his girlfriend arrives.  

Did Alethea know her mother?