Devil on the Rooftop [Book 1]

Chapter 100 - Arisa -

I couldn't sleep a wink. I was too angry to rest my eyes, too upset to let my mind drift off with unwanted thoughts.

After my argument with Loyal, I didn't see a point in sticking around to fix anything. I told him I was going home and that we should continue our conversation with cooler heads. I needed some time to think about what kind of relationship I agreed to, and if it was something I would be able to fight for. Trust was important to me and I didn't know if I could put my faith in Loyal at the moment. I mean, the guy bribed my ex-boyfriend to stop hanging around his little sister. Who did that? Did he think he could solve any problem by throwing money at it? It just wasn't sitting well with me.

My alarm went off exactly at six in the morning. I stared at my phone from my bed. It was charging on its stand. There was a part of me that wanted to reach out to Wade and inquire more details about what happened between them, but the consequences of that might be severe. If there wasn't any more to Loyal's story and he found out I was doing this behind his back, it would be bad for our relationship.

"Ugh," I grumbled, hiding my head underneath a pillow. "What am I supposed to do?"

Khaleel entered my mind for a split second. Did he know about Loyal's relationship with my ex? Maybe I should ask him...but he warned me to stay away. His exact words were, 'Don't come looking for me.'

I screamed into my pillow. "What the hell am I doing even thinking about that delinquent?"

I jumped out of bed and snatched my phone. I knew what I had to do. I just had to rip the bandaid. I quickly texted Wade and asked him if he was free to chat with me today. I then turned off the device to let my guilt subside and moved into the hallway. I went down to the main floor and found my mother making breakfast in the kitchen.

"No early depositions today?" I asked, sitting in the eating nook.

"Nope," my mother replied. I watched her furiously scramble eggs in a pan. My brain could relate to them—the mushy eggs my mother was violating with a spatula.

"What's with all the hostility mom?" I asked dryly. "What did the eggs ever do to you?"

My mother shot me a dirty look. "Now's not the time to make jokes about my domestic skills."

"What domestic skills?"

The woman sighed. "Did you call your father like I ask you to?" she said, changing the subject. "You should do it before his itinerary changes."

"I haven't," I replied. "Not because I don't want to but because I've been busy dealing with an open can of worms and loads of teen angst."

"Oh." My mom turned off the stove and set the pan with the over-cooked eggs to the side of the counter. "If this has to do with the boys you mentioned then maybe we should have the sex talk again."

"I'd rather put a fork in my eye," I smiled.

The toaster snapped from across the counter and popped two burned pieces of bread. "Seriously, mom," I complained. "How do you manage to do that?"

"I set it on the right timer and everything!" the woman complained, going over to the machine and pulling the loafs out. "I'll just use a knife to scrape off the burnt crumbs."

"You know, I'm suddenly not that hungry," I said, getting up. I pulled my phone from my pocket and turned it on to see if Wade message back. Nothing. He hadn't even read my text. The anticipation was enough to kill me.

"Please reach out to your father!" My mother called after me. I knew she was coming from a good place but she was starting to sound like a broken record.

"Please don't burn down the kitchen while I'm getting ready for school," I called back.