Angel in the Courtyard [Book 2]

Chapter 89 - Tomasia

I had some follow up questions for my childhood friend. I wanted to know more about what my brother said to him when we were kids. How did a middle schooler handle cutting someone out of their life? Had it really been for my sake or was there another reason? Loyal never got territorial about my romantic life until Dobberman. It was hard for me to believe he would tell Wade to stop being friends with us just because of a crush.

Wade said he wasn't sure what other motive Loyal would have for ending the friendship. He felt awkward sharing the details too. I suppose I would be too if someone offered me money to stop hanging around people. I was relieved to learn that he never accepted the cash. Wade was disappointed by my brother's behaviour, so he tapped out before things escalated, and I found out what happened. It was a little sad—learning that a stranger considered my feelings more than my own brother.

I knew then and there that I had to start taking matters into my own hands. I had to stop being such a people pleaser when it came to my family, and focus on what I wanted. I snatched a sealed envelope from my bedside drawer, and raced down the stairs to confront my father. I barely got to the den when I stopped in my tracks, pulled out of my phone, and messaged Loyal. I told him our parents were divorcing because it was the fastest way to get him to come home.

I walked into the den and marched up to my father's desk. He briefly glanced at me before returning to read documents on his laptop. "What are you still doing up?" he asked. "Isn't it a school night?"

"We need to talk," I said.

"Whatever it is Tomasia, we can discuss it another—"

"No. We're going to talk about it right now."

My father finally paid attention to me. I cleared my throat and walked over with determination. "Let Loyal back into Jackheights," I demanded.

"I will once he returns home and apologizes," came the stern reply.

"You and I both know he will never do that."

My father sighed. "Then he's out of luck and I'm afraid you're out of time. Go to bed."

I tossed the envelope on his desk. My father didn't bother to reach for it. "What is this?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Do you remember how we used to travel a lot when Loyal and I were younger?" I asked. "Europe, South America, Central America, and even South Asia. I fell in love with it—seeing the world and immersing ourselves in beautiful cultures. I asked mom if I could participate in a student exchange program in Korea when I got older but she said no. I'm sure you don't remember because you were too busy running the brokerage, but I was really struggling to figure out what I was going to do with my life. If I couldn't do a student exchange program, and I wasn't good enough to become your successor, then I wanted to find another way to use traveling to further my education."

My father's blank expression didn't falter.

"That's when I came across TESOL," I finished.

"TESOL?"

"Teaching English to speakers of other languages," I explained. "I need to be over eighteen years of age, and I have to have a three year college degree from a legitimate institution, but I think I can manage it. You see, I thought I could change your mind about me. I thought I could make you see that I was good enough to become your successor. I became the student body president but it wasn't enough. I ran myself into the ground with all the achievement awards but still, I wasn't enough."

"What does this have to do with your brother returning to the academy?" he asked impatiently.

"You have invested so much money into that school that you practically own it," I told him. "Everyone who's anyone at the school knows that a high percentage of students who graduate from there move onto attending even more reputable universities. This increases Jackheights' value, doesn't it? But you're banking on exceeding those expectations by using your children—once we graduate, a legacy is going to be born, and well, if there is one thing Ryan Wilson loves to build, it's legacies."

I could see my father's irritation beginning to surface.

"So, how do you think it's going to look when Loyal transfers to a different academy to finish high school?" I asked, crossing my arms. "Especially after you told the board he's going to be challenging himself with university? Then there is me, your last chance to start this legacy, and well—I wonder what would happen if I also transferred out to finish my studies somewhere else? What would happen if after graduating from some runner-up institution, I applied for a B-list university, and then applied for TESOL? What would become of your legacy then, dad?"

His cold eyes bored into and melted into a fiery rage. "You little—""

"Loyal's not going to apologize to you," I interrupted. "And he shouldn't have to after everything you and mom put us through. So, you can either let him back into Jackheights and have your fruition fulfilled, or you can wait to have this discussion with me another time. But let me be very clear, dad, the more you contemplate, the more you risk."