Angel in the Courtyard [Book 2]

Chapter 40 - Loyal

Khaleel looked speechless and I couldn't really blame him. If I were in his shoes, I would feel weird asking Arisa to join the campaign too. It was a well-known fact that my sister and ex-girlfriend were not the best of friends, a thought which had crossed my mind when I came up with the idea, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Khaleel would understand, maybe not at first, but given some time—I knew I would be able to count on him.

"You can't be serious," the delinquent said. "Who's going to protect Arisa while she's protecting Tommy?"

A good question but I had to go with the odds. "Zander's fangirls know what Arisa is capable of," I said. "They will think twice before messing with her, but they will be ruthless with Tomasia."

"Uh, they were plenty ruthless with Arisa when they thought she was after Zander," Khaleel pointed out. "Or did you suddenly forget that?"

"I didn't forget," I replied. "But she can keep them in check. My sister can't."

"She could also end up getting expelled in the process," Khaleel retorted. He drank his soda in one shot, and as he did, Tomasia returned to the meeting. It looked like she finally convinced Zola to stay inside while the big kids talked.

"You think this is a good idea?" Khaleel asked her. "Because I thought you two were frenemies."

"Are you talking about Arisa?" Tomasia asked, taking a seat next to Zander. "Well, to be honest I'm not a fan, but that is neither here nor there."

"So, you don't want this either," Khaleel concluded, looking at the rest of us. "She doesn't want this either!"

"I don't but try convincing them," Tomasia replied, eyeing her brother and boyfriend. "It's a full-time job and I don't have the energy for it."

"Why are you so against asking, Khaleel?" Hino joined in. "If she says no, that's fine."

"She won't say no and that's why he's reluctant to try," I added. Khaleel rolled his eyes at me. I could see the subject was slowly starting to irritate him but what else could we do? I wasn't allowed at the school, and Hino and Zander didn't feel comfortable fending off women. Not to mention, Khaleel was busy dealing with the whole devil's successor situation.

"Then we will skip the middleman if we have to," Zander said, crossing his arms. Tomasia gave him a little slap on the arm, as if to say, 'stop provoking the guy who can break your arms and legs'. Hino dropped his head. It looked like he was deep in thought, trying to come up with an alternative option, even though we all knew there wasn't one.

"The only other person Arisa doesn't click with at this table besides Tomasia is you, Zander," I said.

"What?" Zander gasped. "What did I do to her?"

Tomasia cleared her throat. "You pushed her around pretty violently in the foyer last term."

"T-That wasn't my fault!" Zander pouted. "It was Neal's for showing up at our school!"

"If we have to go over your head Khaleel, we'll do it—but Zander, you shouldn't be the one to ask Arisa," I finished my point. "Hino is the smartest choice."

Khaleel feigned a laugh. It was loud and forced but enough to steal our attention. He stood up from his spot. "Good luck with that," he said, tucking his chair in. "And Loyal, if you're going to go over my head then don't bother asking me to attend these meetings."

"Khaleel," Hino warned. "He's just trying to look out for his sister."

"Yeah, and I'm trying to look out for someone I care about," he retorted. "I'm not threatening him or implying,'try it and see what happens', I'm just saying he shouldn't act like my opinion matters when he's still sporting the fucking crown."

"Well then take it off my head," I said, also getting up. "See if it fits you better."

Khaleel's eyes dimmed and his shoulders broadened. I faced him head-on, ready to see if he was willing to admit what his real problem was. He could be worried about Arisa's safety around Zander's fangirls, but his anger was stemming from something deeper. Something a little more rooted.

"I told you once and I'll tell you again, I don't want to be your successor," the delinquent glared. "You and everyone else at that fucking school need to stop pushing me, or I might just dissolve the whole thing."

"Now that sounds like a threat."