The Lion and the Rebel

“Sweetheart, are you alright?”

Leona glanced up with nervous eyes as she saw the worried lines etched on her mother’s face making her look older than she really was. Forcing a smile upon her lips she reassured her mother that she was fine. She rather not have her mother about such trivial things like her developing crush on her best friends’ older brother.

She had looked at the baby pictures well enough to know that the two were close since her birth and as soon as he hit puberty he drifted from her. Leona was replaced by boys his age off playing sports or doing whatever he wanted to do.

It did tear at her a bit when he drifted so suddenly like she didn’t matter anymore and when he spoke to her…it was as if she didn’t exist unless his sisters acknowledged her presence around him. His crystal blue eyes spoke in volumes, hard as steel and very well guarded. She remembered her mother telling her how Asani reminded her how much Aunt Naima was like that during his age and all throughout her twenties and early thirties.

Frowning at the suggestion that Asani might turn out the same was horrifying. The thought of him shutting out everyone and anyone was heartbreaking. Somehow she wanted to be close to him again, but how? Leona was so shy around people. Her voice was naturally quiet unlike her father’s booming voice and her mother’s musical one.

It mystified her how she has such a soft voice.

Leona broke from her thought process when she felt her father kiss her temple, “How is my beautiful girl doing?”

She blushed deep red, “Daddy, please.” Her eyes cast down at her breakfast as she heard Raidon rambling on like usual. She could feel the look of disapproval coming from her father as he held onto her wrist with care.

“Darling, don’t ever think you aren’t beautiful. You are absolutely gorgeous. You are my little lion after all.”

“Yeah Lee lee! You are goooorgeous!” Raidon radiated a smile.

It felt like every day her family reminds her how beautiful she was even if she didn’t feel like it. Her round face held the baby fat that she was in dire need of disappearing. She was a bit pudgy, but thankfully her growth spurt evened her out a bit so it wasn’t much weight gain and her braces weren’t a showstopper either.

Running her tongue over the scraps of metal on her teeth she sighed. Collecting her things and went through the motions as her father dropped their little brother off at school first before her. Leona could already see the twins racing towards her car, leaning in excitedly.

“Hey Uncle Chris!”

“Good morning, girls.” The twins gave him a dazzling smiles something that she wished she had. Sliding out of the car, she was hauled into the school with her friends as they caught her up on the unneeded gossip.

Antoinette fawned over a boy in her grade sharing with Leona that she finally was going to go on her first date, but only if she joined them. Antoinette clasped her hands together with big brown eyes wide, “Puh-ease? Please? My mum won’t let me go unless Asi goes with me and I know you can be a buffer if you distract him while we are on the date.”

Leona blushed deeply thinking of going on a date with Asani. It wouldn’t be an official date, but still she would have to distract him in order for Antoinette to get the attention from her date as planned. Glancing at Isolde, the relaxed twin casually flipped the page of the book she was reading, one her father let her borrow she assumed. The girl can be a bookworm and usually can go on about the books she reads.

“Why can’t Izzy go?” Leona retorted back pathetically.

Antoinette scrunched up her nose in disbelief, “We need someone that can catch my brother’s attention not deter it. It’s casual. Just a simple movie and dinner date. Nothing fancy.”

Watching the girl giving her the pouty face the same one her little brother used and every other child in the world uses she caved. Antoinette cheered in victory, jumping up with a pumped fist. “Oh yeah! We are going to have loads of fun!”

Isolde looked up in confusion. “Wait, what fun?”

“Er, the date that I am going on.”

“Is it tonight?”

“…Yes.”

The twins stared at each other as it suddenly clicked for Antoinette, she hissed as if she was burned. “I can’t believe I didn’t remember!” She smacked her face with a shake of her head. How could have Antoinette forgotten that they were going to babysit Uncle Ben and Aunt Paty’s boys tonight? Antoinette then turned her pouty face towards her twin. “Please?”

Isolde sighed heavily, “If I go alone I’m not splitting the money with you this time.”

“Deal.”

Leona saw the exchange of a weird handshake that sealed their fate before she realized what she might have dragged herself into.

_ _ _

Why did she say yes?

Oh, that’s right because she has a massive crush on the boy that was standing right next to her. The same boy that was glaring at the twelve year old that was trying to touch his sister. Asani comfortably sat next to his sister when they sat in the fast food place.

Antoinette gave a look towards Leona as she simply shrugged. How was she supposed to distract him when he was dead set on making this date go horribly wrong? The poor boy was sweating bullets as he sat there quietly offering to get the tray of food when their number was called. Antoinette jumped up alongside him with a charming smile that mirrored her mother’s, “I’ll go with you.”

The girl shoved Asani down when he tried to get up and dashed off with her date. “I think you should ease up.” Leona finally spoke seeing that Asani was about to get up again.

When his eyes were on her, she tensed feeling the warm butterfly feeling fluttering in her stomach. “Why should I let it be? Do you know what boys want to do at his age?”

Leona fought against the warmth on her cheeks as she retorted, “Yes and Annie can handle herself quite well. Give her some credit.” She glanced at the young couple watching Antoinette giggle and held onto her date’s hand with a beaming smile.

“It doesn’t mean I won’t smash his face in if he hurts my sister. I didn’t even want to go on this bloody date.” He grumbled, picking at the receipt of their order. Leona felt odd suddenly, Asani was a gentleman and paid for her food and they held a conversation, but it only pertained to things that didn’t involve them.

Antoinette was enjoying herself as of yet, that’s all that matters right?

Tugging on her skirt she jumped when Asani volunteered to get their food. Turning her head she saw the smile on Antoinette’s face replace with annoyance as Asani grabbed the tray of food giving her date a warning look. Antoinette pushed him aside exchanging a few words only to have Asani quirk a brow and stare at her.

Panic settled in her features as she turned back around, her heart pounding in her chest. When Asani sat down he separated the food, he said, “Annie and her date are going to sit somewhere else.” Leona could only nod as she bit into her burger hoping that whatever Antoinette said wasn’t embarrassing on her part.

The date went well for Antoinette as she hoped out of the car with her date and received a small kiss on the cheek before coming down the stairs and into the car. Leaning her head against the headrest, she whispered a small thanks to Leona.

A small smile lifted on her features happy that the date went so well for her.

As the year started to wind down and the seniors started to get their acceptance and rejection letters, Leona felt a bit iffy about the situation. She heard about the colleges Asani applied to given that Isolde and Antoinette couldn’t stop talking about it.

Her heart stopped when his first pick was a school out of the country. UC Berkeley. It was an amazing school she has heard so much about it. The twins’ cousin Sammy graduated from Berkeley and Naima has given praise to the school for education, but it was so far away…not that she even had a chance with him.

It’s just weird that she wouldn’t see him daily like she would have. Leona will be starting high school and he will be starting college. Asani did exceptional in school one of the top students in his class even if his temper isn’t the best while she struggled and hoped to go to a decent school by the end.

She felt gutted when she sat around the table with her family and friends. Uncle Ben and Aunt Paty were even here with their three boys: Reid, Calum, and Warren. The twins and their parents all were beaming at the acceptance letters he received. It was tonight that Asani is going to reveal what school he was going to.

There were three schools here that he applied to and three schools in the States. Her fingers were crossed that he stayed. Everyone ate around the table laughing at each other’s jokes as they all shared their college experiences.

“I did not!”

“Yes you did! You can’t deny you applied to Cambridge knowing that I was going to go as well.” Tom teased his wife as she gave him a quick jab.

Naima narrowed her eyes, “I didn’t go so that tells you how much I loved you back then.”

Tom chuckled as he looped an arm around his wife, “Kids, distance makes the heart grow fonder.”

“So does the sex.” Naima bluntly added. Laughter was exchanged as the kids scrunched their faces in disgust. Leona has heard stories from the twins about the wild nights their parents would have, the loud moans, bumps into the night. She heard her parents have a go at it from time to time, but not as much as Aunt Nai and Uncle Tom.

It may be possible her parents are quieter or sneakier.

“Enough already, so Asi tells us what you have decided.” Paty cut in and changed the conversation in a different direction. All eyes were on Asani as he smiled with such confidence.

“It’s a no brainer, really. Berkeley.”

Leona could feel her heart free falling into her feet as she stared at Asani receiving hugs and pats on the back for such a great choice. He looked so happy with his decision. Throwing aside the lump and tears she softly congratulated the teen before eating the dessert that was on her plate.

It felt like decades when the time came for Asani to fly to the states. Asani said his goodbyes, giving his teary mother a hug last lingering in her embrace. As much as he didn’t like to admit, she knew that he loved his mother more than anything. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, he ruffled the girls’ hair and patted his father’s shoulder for another goodbye.

Already hugging Lucy and Chris and as well as Raidon she felt awkward when he stood in front of her. “Well, I guess I’ll see you in winter break. Have fun with high school, yeah?” That dazzling Hiddleston smile fell into place as she gave him a stiff nod.

He gathered her up in his arms and she easily melted into his form. She sighed as she mumbled into his shoulder, “I’m gonna miss you.”

A short pause followed before she faintly heard, “I’ll miss you too, Lee.”

She swore her heart stopped at the nickname as she was released from his hold and swiftly walked through the security and out of sight. Leona held onto her emotions as she forced herself to turn away to keep herself from crying.

Watching the twins crying freely, a single tear slipped from her eye reminding herself that this wasn’t the end. Her little crush will soon be gone and she will be finally able to move on. Have a fresh new start.