Devil on the Rooftop [Book 1]

Chapter 81 - Loyal -

I was dating Arisa Hoffman. I, Loyal Wilson was romantically involved with one of the cutest and strongest girls to ever attend Jackheights. I should be ecstatic. I should be over the moon and yet my victory felt bitter sweet. I attained a new relationship at the cost of a friendship. At first, I was ready to watch Khaleel get turned down, but when it happened, I saw his eyes glisten for just a second. He looked hurt, wounded even. His pained expression was contagious and it continued to linger long after the encounter. Arisa and I watched Khaleel head back the way he came, his head hanging in defeat, and his fingers clenched into a fist.

"The best thing we can do for him right now, is give him space," I told Arisa.

Another day was coming to an end and I still had a huge problem I had to address. While my fellow students attended their afternoon classes, I was waiting for an important appointment on the rooftop. If I only had six months to sort out my affairs then I had to act fast and make sure every transaction I accepted was worth the while. Dobberman aside, I had other clients who were reaching their payment deadlines. On top of that, I had to retrieve the next set of tests the teachers were preparing.

I skimmed through the school's app and checked to see which courses were currently available to the third and fourth years. Courtesy of Tomasia's login information, I was able to narrow down which teachers would have their content ready prior to the deadline. Some people were just more vigilant that way, at least that's what I had learned. The more difficult courses to pass involved STEM, law, politics, and world history, and the easier ones included English and social sciences. I wasn't able to offer answer to the latter, especially English.

English was a course any moron could bullshit their way through, considering a lot of the answers were opinion based, and not factual. Social sciences was another iffy subject that I didn't like dirtying my hands with—anyone who wanted to pass anthropology and conflict studies were on their own.

The doors to the rooftop opened and my monthly appointment arrived on time. I listened to the sounds of her heels click-clacking in my direction, and watched the hem of her pencil skirt gently flutter in the spring air. "Second meeting today, Ms. Findlay," I said, putting my phone away. "Aren't we blessed?"

"Let's get this over with," the school receptionist said, walking over with a 9 by 12 envelope in her hands. I took it from her, opened it up, and flipped through the paperwork to make sure everything was in order.

"You're still not able to get Mr. Hermans to upload his course plans and content onto the school app?" I asked.

Ms. Findlay glared at me. "Obviously not. He's old fashioned and prefers to keep technology at bay."

"Fine," I said, securing the papers back inside the envelope. "You can go now."

Ms. Findlay refused to move.

"What?" I asked, staring at her. I didn't like the defiant look she was wearing. The woman had no right to judge me when she was the shameless one. It was her own fault for being an easy target. If she was smarter about her interests then I would have a harder time manipulating her, and she wouldn't have to run errands for a student half her age.

"What sort of trouble did you trick Zander Easton into?" the receptionist asked, her cheeks flushing. "He's not one to get suspended."

I scoffed before answering. "Still pining over him, are we? Come on, Ms. Findlay. You do realize the only reason he fooled around with you was because he was told to, right?"

Her glare was piercing but I didn't let it affect me. "You should spend less time worrying about Zander and more time worrying about that long-term boyfriend of yours," I continued. "Oh, I'm sorry, I meant fiancée."

The receptionist's eyes reflected fury.

I walked up to her and continued to hold my ground. "Careful," I sneered. "You don't want to expose all your spots, do you? Be a good little cougar and keep a low profile, or, I don't know. Be prepared to lose your job and credibility as an employee at this school."