Like I was saying, these guys presence is enough to make the atmosphere so low-spirited. I wonder if this was what Harry Potter felt when there were dementors around him.
And it feels awful to think that my thoughts are a mess right now, especially when I am usually the one who can't be swayed by a mere presence.
But can anyone blame me? Especially when this gray-eyed devil is still in front of me and is looking at me intently.
"Do you still have something to say?" I asked with one of my brows raised because he wasn't moving. He shifted from his seat, and I saw him fumble something from his bag. It's a pen. He scribbled something on the paper, then moved it to me.
"What is this for?" I narrowed my eyes. When I looked at the tissue, there were numbers written on it, and I realized that it was a mobile number.
"Call me when the shot has been fired," he said tonelessly, then left to join his companions. I thought they were staying because a lot of them were eating, but when he signaled something to them, they all stood up from their seats and went to the exit.
That's when I noticed that there were big bikes parked in front of the café. As much as I want to avert my gaze somewhere else, it seems that my eyes have a mind of their own.
What the hell just happened? Why do I have this feeling that they just came here for me?
The café went back to normal, and so did I.
I looked at the tissue paper the guy gave me, then grabbed a notebook from my bag to keep it, hoping I wouldn't have to use it in the future.
I know what he said was absurd. That Maven is cheating on me. We've been together for a long time, and if it's true, I should feel it, right? But whenever I think about it, I just can't bring myself to believe it.
I don't know why I can't just shrug it off. It's as if my inner thoughts are yelling at me that I should pay more attention to him. And I fucking hate this. Maven is my boyfriend, and if you love someone, that love should also come with trust, yet here I am, letting a stranger make me doubt our relationship. And what's even worse is that I had the audacity to agree to be his girl if he could prove that he was correct!
"Ate Arya, are you okay?" a schoolmate approached me. I do not know her, but if I am going to make a wild guess, she could be either a freshman or sophomore.
She looked worried, which confused me. "Why should I not be, okay?" I asked back, not denying the confusion in my tone.
"Don't you know those guys? They're from Herondale High. Don't you know the story about them?" she inquired.
"I know they're from there, but why should I not be, okay?"
Yet, I can't really blame her for worrying about me. After all, Herondale High has quite a reputation in the country. It's a renowned school for delinquents, dropouts, kickouts, black sheep, and even those with criminal records.
That school is just functioning because of a special permit granted by the president of the country as a gift to William Herondale, who is the most respected gangster in the whole country. When drugs became rampant in the country, it was he and his gang who contributed the most to eliminating them.
Hence, the majority of the students there are gangsters and all male. But despite that, one can't really say that they are good for nothing. From what I heard, a lot of them actually came from rich families whose masters and mistresses are famous in society.
"The one who you were talking to last time is Herondale High's Alpha," she answered, which broke me from my trance. I momentarily forgot that she was still there.
"Alpha? What is that?" Truth be told, I am not comfortable talking with her, yet I am curious. I don't know why it seems to me that this kid has a keen interest in Herondale High's students.
"Like what maybe you already know, a vast majority of the students at Herondale are delinquents. Not a day passed there that a riot did not happen, so the school management came up with an idea, and that is to have an Alpha and Beta. An Alpha is the leader, while a Beta is the second in command. For a normal school like us, it's equivalent to student council president and vice president."
"Whoa, how did you know about these things? I asked amusedly.
"The one you were talking to last time is Blaise. His Beta is my brother," she answered.
That intensified my curiosity further. It's not every day that I get to talk with someone about Herondale, so somehow, it's surprising to know random things about it.
"How did he become the Alpha? How exactly did they choose it? Do they have a voting system like what we normally do?" I asked.
She shook her head. "An underground tournament is being held yearly where the students who are aiming to be Alpha compete. The last man standing is the one going to be hailed as the Alpha."
My jaw dropped at that. I am not even supposed to be shocked given their school's reputation, but seriously? An underground tournament? Blood bath? Hand-in-hand combat? For the sake of being the Alpha?
Damn, it sounds like a real-life Game of Thrones.
"I know you are not interested in knowing, but Blaise wins every year, and no one has defeated him yet. Not even the seniors back then. I was able to watch the tournament last year thanks to my brother, and I can't even call it a fight. His opponents could barely touch him."
My mind wandered back to that guy. I suddenly feel thankful for knowing about him just now. If I only knew that he was that kind of guy, surely I would have already run away.
"What does an Alpha exactly do?"
"You're untouchable, and you have the power to make rules and punish anyone who breaks them. And of course, it's like basically telling anyone that when it comes to fights, you are the strongest in the whole school or maybe even the whole district."
I nodded at that. I just hope that no one actually dies from that, even though they are delinquents. William Herondale believes that a delinquent can change, and personally, that is also what I think.
My brothers were also delinquents back in high school, yet they are good people, even successful with what they are doing so far. Once GD gets married, he will be the next CEO of our company, and CL will be there as his partner.