"So I'm allowed to go out after school with other friends?" Cara asked, making Al glance at Eric.
He didn't know if his cousin had plans and didn't want to force him to change his schedule.
"Don't worry, I don't have anywhere to go." Eric said as he smiled at his cousin. He knew that Al wanted to give Cara space to trust him and that he could only achieve that if he let Cara hangout with her other friends.
"Actually." Cara said tentatively as she looked down at her feet. "I was wondering if you would both come along."
Al raised an eyebrow.
He was shocked that Cara invited him. Was she really so quick to forgive him?
"Are you sure?" Al asked her as he waited for Cara to take back her offer.
Cara looked around, making sure that no one was nearby to hear their conversation.
"Look, I'm pretty sure you've never had a normal childhood." She told both Al and Eric. "You probably barely had friends cause it's dangerous for you. You probably didn't normally hangout with other kids."
Both Al and Eric nodded in unison.
Everyone had to be kept at arm's length.
If people got too close there was a risk of them finding out Al's identity. In Eric's case, they were often too intimidated by the bodyguards that followed him everywhere.
"See, so do you want to do a normal hangout with Ismail and the others? I was thinking we can go bowling or watch a movie. Nothing too big." Cara shrugged.
Al smiled and nodded.
"Of course I'd be more than happy to come along." Al looked at Eric, checking to see if he wanted to come as well.
"Why not?" Eric grinned.
"Should we invite Andres and Angelica as well?" Cara asked, worried that Al's siblings wouldn't be happy that they weren't invited to come along.
"If their identities aren't revealed by the end of the day, sure." Al said with a nod, thinking that his siblings could benefit from going to a mall without it being closed down for them.
"Great!" Cara said excitedly.
"I just have to warn you, there is a high chance that by the end of the day everyone in this school will know that they are the children of Raymond Lawrence and Ayanna Reyes." Al said in a serious tone.
Cara nodded, understanding that there was a chance things could get quite scandalous in their school later that day.
"Even if news doesn't break about their identities, we have to be careful. Sooner or later someone will recognize them." Al reminded Cara.
"If people ask, Andres and Angelica were kids we met in school." Eric explained, knowing that Cara might need more information than Al was giving her. "We invited them because we felt bad they were being bullied."
"I got it." Cara said as the lunch bell rang. "I'll go over and invite Ismail and the others to hangout later. Come on Eric!"
Al nodded, letting his cousin go with Cara to the others.
He on the other hand made his way to the clinic.
"Sir." A bodyguard greeted Al as he stood watch outside.
Al knew this man, he was among Raymond Lawrence's personal details. It only meant one thing, his father was in school.
"When did he get here?" Al asked.
He was sure that no one was nearby if his father was here.
Ray would have done everything to avoid interfering with his children's lives. He wanted them to experience more than he did, and this was one way.
"We arrived five minutes ago, sir. The principal just entered." The bodyguard responded.
Al nodded as he entered the room.
"Master Lawrence." Al heard the principal greet.
It seemed he hadn't been that far behind from the principal.
"Are these the boys?" Ray asked in an icy tone, one that made the hair on the arms of Fred and his friends stand.
"Yes sir." The principal said.
"How did it start?" Ray asked.
"They saw Andres and Angelica looking like new kids in the hallway." Al told his father as he made his presence known.
Fred and his friends were shocked when Al entered the room.
"Al, be careful, don't you know who he is?" Fred spoke, worried that Raymond Lawrence would get even more mad with the way Al was speaking.
Al placed his hands in his pockets and shrugged.
"I didn't know you were coming over, dad." Al told Ray as he took a seat and watched the shock on Fred's face.
"I told you I'd deal with it." Ray told his son, ignoring everyone else in the room.
"I thought you'd just send Uncle Ian. Honestly even Hendrick could have handled this, you didn't need to come." Al told his father, putting up an act that the powerful man had gone out of his way to punish those that offended his children.
"I don't like it when people think they can bully members of the Lawrence family, but good job in protecting your siblings." Ray praised as he took a step closer to Fred and pinched the young man's chin.
He studied the bruises on Fred's face.
"You did a number on this one." Ray chuckled as he noticed the bite mark on Fred.
"That's from Angelica. I knew she could manage on her own." Al told his father proudly.
"And I'm guessing Andres did the damage to those two?" Ray asked as he looked at Fred's companions.
Al nodded and smiled proudly.
"Sir, I will make sure they are severely punished." The principal said, perfectly playing his part.
"No, I don't think they will be punished enough." Ray said, his tone suddenly shifting to a murderous one.
Al laughed and shook his head as he noticed the look of fear cross the eyes of Fred and his companions.
"Dad, I still have class to go to." Al informed Ray, pulling his attention away from Fred and the others.
"Enjoy and learn something." Ray told his son with a smile.
"Oh, before I forget, Cara wanted to go out with some friends. Eric and I will be tagging along. If Andres and Angelica aren't exposed by then, we'll bring them along." Al informed his father.
"I'll send a detachment to make sure you guys are protected, say hi to Cara and Eric for me." Ray said with a nod as he dismissed his son.
Al smiled and walked away, he knew that Fred and his friends would never be seen in that school again.
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