Angel in the Courtyard [Book 2]

Chapter 94 - Arisa

I was good at running. It was one of my many talents but at the moment, I felt like my legs weren't working hard enough. My breaths were short and steady but the panic on my face couldn't be mistaken for anything else. Where did it all go wrong? Was it when Yusuf Abdul showed up at my front door? Was it when he said that my love for his son wasn't good enough? It was difficult to fall asleep after meeting such a daunting human, but I tried to shake it off. I tried to sleep comfortably and stick to my normal routine the next morning.

I ate some cereal, got dressed, and headed out the door around seven fifty. To my surprise, there was a sedan parked in front of my house. I found a couple of suits leaned against it. They eyed me, as I made my way out the gate, and stared me down until I stopped in my tracks. It was hard not to gasp. I knew them. I recognized them from Yusuf Abdul's wedding; they were Khaleel's scary cousins.

"Morning," the guy with big ears said. I watched him move to open the back door to the sedan. "We were asked to drop you off at school today."

"By who?" I asked, keeping still.

"By Abdul Chacha," the shorter one spoke. His tone was less friendlier than big-ears.

"Who?" I repeated.

"Our uncle," big-ears clarified. "Khaleel's dad. He wanted us to drop you off at school today."

I got a grip on the straps of my backpack before replying. "No thanks," I said, bolting away.

I hadn't stopped running since. I tried to call and text Khaleel to get answers out of him, but he wasn't responding either. My heart was in a panic. My brain was overflowing with the worst case scenarios. If I got into that sedan, would they have really dropped me off at school? No. Probably not. This was Khaleel's world. This was what I had been fearing when I agreed to date him. I was able to handle being kidnapped by bratty amateurs but...this was on a whole different level.

I didn't want the scary cousins to follow me, so I took a bit of a detour to make sure they couldn't track me down. It wasn't easy. They knew what my end-destination was, which meant I had to find a different way to enter the academy. I would be safe there. His cousins wouldn't think to make any moves with witnesses around. At least I hoped not. Man, I wished my mother's schedule wasn't so all over the place this week. I wish she was there when those cousins showed up.

Ten minutes later, I was huffing and puffing. I raced around Jackheights and found the courtyard entrance. It was surprisingly quiet there, with no students in sight. I checked my phone for the time. There was still a good fifteen minutes before the first warning bell. A message popped up on my screen at the same time. It was from Matilda. 'Khaleel's in the lobby beating the daylights out of someone. Come quick.'

"What?" I breathed in frustration.

I didn't bother to send a reply to the former Vice President. I bolted inside and raced down the atrium until I hit the doors of the main building. I began to see students moving in the opposite direction in packs. They were loud, rowdy, and full of gossip to share.

"And they call Loyal Wilson the Devil?"

"He made the kid piss his pants!"

"What happened? I didn't see the whole thing."

"I think he was talking shit about Arisa Hoffman—" I bumped into the speaker. "Hey! Watch—oh, shit. Sorry!"

I pressed on without saying anything.

"That girl?"

"Yeah, that would be the one."

I could see the foyer. I could spot my boyfriend clenching his fists in agitation. He was surrounded by his friends—Loyal Wilson included—but that had no effect in calming Khaleel's nerves. His temper was too formidable, too wild for anyone to control. Hino looked like he was trying his best to take charge but his worried expression failed to ease me. The tension in the air was stiff and cold. It was the same as that day. That time when Khaleel pummelled all of my bratty kidnappers.  

I ran faster and harder, while keeping my eyes glued to the raging delinquent. "Khaleel!" I called for him.

My boyfriend whipped back to find me racing towards him. His dim eyes filled with light and he rushed to my side. Without saying a single word to me, he got a hold of my wrist, and stormed with me in the opposite direction. His hands were sweaty, maybe from the stress of the fight, but they still filled my skin with warmth.

"Khaleel," I said breathlessly. "Please..."

I wanted him to stop. I wanted him to talk to me and tell me what happened. Maybe we could fix it. Maybe we could work out a plan together and have things return to normal. We turned left at the atrium doors, and took the corridor exit. The scattered students eyed us in wonder and confusion. I spotted another sedan parked by the school gate outside. No, it was the same sedan. My heart nearly stopped when Khaleel's scary cousins got out of the vehicle and walked in our direction.

My boyfriend glanced down at me, his warm eyes filling with focus. "I really do love you," he said, giving me goosebumps. "But this fight is mine. Don't you dare get involved."

"I—"

He got a tight grip on my shoulders and shifted to press his lips onto mine. It was slow and wet and it made me a glutton for more. His mouth hovered over mine when he spoke.  "If I see so much as a scratch on you then I'll really have to kill them."

My stomach shrank. I didn't want him to fight. I didn't want to see him become so angry that he couldn't see reason. More than that, I didn't want him to let go of me...because I knew that as soon as he did, fear would envelope me.