Devil on the Rooftop [Book 1]

Chapter 21 - Arisa

'Please meet me in the student council room after school. It's in the basement, fourth door down if you're coming from the gymnasium.'

I stared blankly at the message from Tomasia. Why did the student body president want to meet with me? How did she know gym was my last class of the day? Did the school give her access to my schedule too? I didn't like the idea of Loyal's sister having that much power. What if she voluntarily gave that information away to her brother? What if she was somehow involved in operating that sketchy business with him?

I stuffed my gym clothes into my duffle bag and pulled it out of the change room locker. Neela glared daggers at me from the makeup counter. I faked a smile at her before making my exit. There was no need to prolong the drama. Zander wasn't worth it. None of them were worth it. I had to remember that before I recklessly challenged the rooftop losers again.

The bell was going to ring soon, so I figured it would be okay to drop by the student council room and see what Tomasia wanted. I went to the entrance of the basement and took the stairs down. I turned into the left hall and searched for the fourth door. I wouldn't have found as quickly as I did if it weren't for Matilda. I found her leaned against the student council door with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Hey," I said, softly.

Matilda forced a smile and wiped her eyes, "H-Hi."

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head.

"Okay," I said full of concern. "If you don't want to talk about it then you don't have to but if for some reason you do, then I can be a great listener."

Matilda forced a smile. She opened the council room door and welcomed me inside. "S-Sorry," she stammered, turning the lock. "I don't want anyone else to see me like this."

"My dad always says holding in our feelings gives them more power," I advised. "So, my offer still stands."

Matilda hid her face behind her hands. "You're going to think I'm an idiot."

"I won't," I assured her. I got her to sit down and offered her a drink from my water bottle. She turned down my purple canteen and continued to wipe her trickling tears.

"I have a thing for Khaleel Abdul," she said miserably.

"I'm so sorry," I sympathized.

Matilda let out a soft laugh. "I've liked him since middle school and he can only seem to remember me as the VP of the student council."

I was careful with my next question. "What is it that you like about him?"

Matilda hung her head. "Who knows."

"I see."

"Back in grade seven," Matilda reminisced. "I was completely disgusted by him. He was so scary, ten times scarier than he is now. He picked on the teachers and acted like he was untouchable. He bullied all the pretty girls and would bicker and badmouth them until they chased him around. He was the worst, which was why I was so shocked to learn that one of my best friends at the time had a thing for him. I couldn't understand it. He was so volatile. Why would anyone want to associate with a person that like?"

I had a feeling Matilda's story was not going to turn in her favour. "I decided enough was enough," she swallowed hard. "I told my friend I didn't think he was good for her. She got really mad and said I was just jealous because she was more popular than me. It was all so juvenile. Kaitlyn and I stopped talking after that."

"Then out of nowhere, Khaleel began to pay me a lot of attention," Matilda went on. "He would trip me down the hallway, steal my hair-tie whenever I came to school with a ponytail, and poked fun at me every chance he got. One time he went out of his way to peck me on the cheek. I didn't understand what was going on. I didn't think he could like me. He only went after pretty girls and at the time I didn't have enough self-esteem to think I was pretty. Everything went to shit after that. I started thinking about him at home. I started dreaming about him and fantasizing about him. I looked forward to when he would meet my eye in class, and I started to anticipate when he would call me names. It was always dork or nerd, never Matilda, but it was attention I wasn't used to getting. So, I embraced it with my whole heart. I found the courage to confess to him, to tell him how I felt at the spring dance, but then I found him exchanging saliva with Kaitlyn in one of the corners behind the gymnasium."

"Oh my god!" I blurted in outrage.

"After the spring dance, he returned to Pakistan for three months," Matilda said. "I heard his dad was paying the school to enroll him again, so I vowed to get justice. I asked my mom to take me to a dermatologist and got my sister to help me become prettier. I transformed myself into the girl you see before you, but by the time he got back, karma was already at work. Khaleel returned to Jackheights Middle bruised, bandaged and with a limp. I thought good riddance!"

I nodded in support.

Matilda covered her face. "But here I am years later, in the exact same situation. I dropped my guard and gave that asshole my first kiss. He would have stolen more if I hadn't—"

The door knob turned.

Matilda hurried into one of the rooms behind me and locked herself inside. I stood up, solemn faced, ready to knock my fists into a wall. Whoever stood on the other side, whether it was Tomasia, or another student council member, I was prepared to tell them to leave. Matilda was in no position to socialize with anyone at the moment, and I would make sure she got the privacy she deserved.

When I opened the door, I was irritated to find Loyal on the other side. I glowered at him but his warm eyes subdued my anger. Maybe this was how Matilda felt around Khaleel? Maybe this was why she allowed herself to fall for him again? It wasn't something she could avoid...because the heart wanted what it wanted. Ew. No. Gross. This heart—my heart was not interested in a guy with a god complex.

"What are you doing here?" Loyal asked.

I stared him down. "Get out."