Angel in the Courtyard [Book 2]

Chapter 23 - Tomasia

My two classes in the afternoon were French and English. Being bilingual had been on my bucket list for a few years now, and the only way I could make that dream a reality was to continue taking French after the mandatory class in first term. I asked my mother to let me attend a boarding school in France when I was younger but she said that would be a waste of money. I guess she didn't see a point in investing in my future since her mind was already made up about my brother taking over the family business.

I stayed back after school to prepare for the upcoming student election. Matilda was able to get in touch with a second term student who was interested in helping me run my campaign this year. I had yet to meet him but I trusted my former VP when she said he would make a good addition to the team. I was able to organize a meeting with both of them in the library for 4pm.

That was fifteen minutes from now.

I dumped the unused textbooks in my locker and packed my school bag with only the essentials; workbooks for calculus and the novel my English syllabus recommended. I stopped by the fountain to fill up my water bottle too. It was getting harder to remember to stay hydrated. The cooler the weather got, the less proactive I became.

I saw Matilda in the near distance and waved her over. I asked her to accompany me to the library because I didn't want to give my boyfriend another opportunity to pull me into a dark corner. I still couldn't believe the nerve of that boy. He put his hands on me every chance he got; that morning in the student council room, in the school's new building, and even between classes. I tried to tell him to control himself but my words had no affect. My heart fluttered, remembering all the different ways Zander had handled me. When there were other people around, I could give him the cold shoulder and pretend I wasn't interested, but when it was just the two of us, it was impossible to escape him.

"I was just coming to get you," Matilda said, as the cool aqua reached the rim of my bottle. I pulled it out and secured the lid. "Were you able to write down all the business points for the meeting during last period?"

I nodded. "It was a good suggestion from you."

"I thought it might help save some time."

"Lots of time," I agreed.

Matilda walked down the third corridor with me. We passed the math wing and discussed our priorities for the upcoming election. I wasn't worried about the votes as much as she was. Last term I didn't have to run against anyone for the title but this year was different. My competition was a fourth year wiz named Joon Lee. He had already taken time over the summer to message me about our upcoming competition. 'Now that I'm confident about my grade point average, I'm going to give you a run for your money Tomasia Wilson.'

All I could write back was, 'I look forward to it.'

"I'm sorry if I'm prying but is everything alright with your family?" Matilda changed the subject.

I took a second to think about it. "Not yet but I'm sure it will be eventually. How about you? Is everything okay between you and the delinquent?"

Matilda exhaled. "It will be as long as I keep my distance. I felt a little bad over the summer to be honest. I shouldn't have been so harsh with Arisa. You were right. It's not her fault that hooligan likes her. I was just having a hard time seeing them become such good friends after her break up with Loyal. I know they weren't dating or anything but their chemistry is so irritatingly undeniable...I think I got a little jealous."

"You're able to recognize your mistakes and reflect on them," I told her. "That's enough for now. Don't be so hard on yourself for being human."

Matilda's smile was warm. "Thanks Tomasia."

"Never a problem."

Speak of the devil. I spotted Arisa Hoffman standing by the staircase with a couple of her friends. Her eyes locked with mine, and I could swear I saw her blush uncontrollably. I looked behind me to see if maybe she was reacting to something else, but no. It was definitely me. I didn't know what I had done to receive such a reaction but I put the experience to the back of my mind. It was annoying to see how many people she had influenced. Not only my brother and Khaleel, but Matilda too. I didn't personally have anything against Arisa, but I didn't like all the trouble she stirred up last term.

It was hard to avoid eye contact with the girl when she was looking at me all flustered but I manage it. I led Matilda down the staircase and into the main foyer. We eventually turned left for the library, where, another unpleasant face appeared. Falcon Salim. Good looks aside, there was definitely something unnerving about him.

"Hello again," the student teacher said, addressing both Matilda and myself. "You girls staying back for after school activities?"

Matilda beamed at him, like the drooling airheads that followed my boyfriend around. "Yes—I mean, hi," she gushed. "Sorry, but who are you?"

Falcon's smile almost swept my friend off her feet. "I'm a student teacher for Mr. Hermans," he said. "You can call me Mr. Fal."

"I'm Matilda."

"What a pretty name," he replied calmly, before turning to hold my attention. "And you're Tomasia aren't you?"

I nodded.

Falcon gave out his hand for me to shake. I was hesitant to accept it—scared of its implication, alarmed by the colour of his striking eyes. Matilda nudged me to react quicker. I conceded and accepted the student teacher's gesture. His fingers were cold but his grip was firm and impressionable. I retrieved my limb and moved past him.

"Let's go," I said to Matilda.

I learned the hard way not to trust people and this man was not going to be any different.