Chapter Fifty-Seven


    Lila almost forgot to bring her hockey uniform and stick on Tuesday morning. She’d been so focused on ensuring she wouldn’t forget Ayaka on the lawn that it was only when she fell over the stick that she remembered. Cursing, she tossed everything she needed into her gym bag and ran out the front door, making it to the bus stop with only seconds to spare.


    Ayaka seemed very excited to follow Lila to class. Lila was surprised by how outgoing Ayaka actually was, now that the first nervous introductions were behind them. Lila showed Ayaka several classrooms that they passed on their way to English, and she commented that they seemed very spacious. She also seemed interested in the fact that a lot of their classrooms were in different buildings, rather than having one main building for school.


    Asher was standing outside their English classroom with his hands in his pockets, staring off into the distance. Ayaka stood slightly behind Lila, clutching the sleeve of her jumper. Lila asked what was up, and Ayaka replied, gesturing towards Asher, that he was an ‘ikemen’. Lila glanced at Ayaka in surprise. She knew enough Japanese to know that ‘ikemen’ meant, colloquially, that Ayaka thought Asher was attractive and/or looked cool, depending on the translation. Lila tried to think if anyone she knew had ever described Asher in that way before, but, despite coming up empty, she couldn’t disagree with Ayaka’s word choice.


    As Ayaka dissolved into a fit of giggles behind Lila’s shoulder, Asher looked over at them. He beamed and strolled over, his hands still in his pockets. Ayaka buried her face in Lila’s shoulder as she seemed to panic at the fact that Asher was approaching them.


    “Morning,” he said to Lila, looking curiously over at Ayaka.


    “Morning to you, too,” Lila replied tentatively, unsure how to introduce Ayaka if she was currently pressed up against her. She gently held onto Ayaka’s arm and glanced at Asher.


    “This is Ayaka,” Lila said, holding back a laugh as Ayaka seemed to struggle against Lila’s grip. Upon hearing her name, however, Ayaka stopped and popped her head around Lila’s shoulder.


    “H-Hello,” Ayaka said feebly, staring at Asher.


    “Hello,” he replied, smiling at her. She immediately hid behind Lila again. Lila turned her head to Ayaka and explained that Asher was a friend of Lila’s. At that point, Ayaka gasped.


    “Boyfriend?” she asked. Lila’s heart skipped a beat as she spun around, shaking her head violently, her face heating up.


    “No!” Lila half-shouted. Asher took a step back as he watched Lila try to explain in broken Japanese again. Eventually, Ayaka seemed to get it. Lila breathed a sigh of relief.


    “Let’s head in,” Asher suggested, poorly hiding a grin behind his hand. Asher sourced a chair for Ayaka to sit on next to Lila’s desk, and they sat in semi-awkward silence whilst waiting for the classroom to fill with their classmates. A few looked at Ayaka in surprise, but Ms Shard didn’t appear to notice Ayaka at all until finishing the roll call.


    After explaining the objectives of today (i.e. getting to work on their assignment, as it was due next week), Ms Shard walked over to Lila, Ayaka, and Asher.


    “Hello,” Ms Shard said to Ayaka, who bowed in response. Ms Shard peered at Lila.


    “Does, um, sorry-”


    “Ayaka,” Lila interjected.


    “Yes, Ayaka, sorry. Does Ayaka have something to do during class today?” Ms Shard finished asking, her eyes darting between Lila and Ayaka. Lila asked and Ayaka vehemently nodded, pulling out her homework from her own school. Lila was surprised to see that the papers Ayaka held were a brownish colour, rather than the crisp white she was used to, and seemed to be very thin. Ms Shard seemed satisfied with this and walked over to the teacher’s desk.


    Once English was over, Lila, Ayaka, and Asher wandered over to the library at a leisurely pace, as they had Study next. Asher asked Ayaka what her homework was, and she seemed confused. Lila asked again in broken Japanese and Ayaka pulled out her phone. She showed it to Lila, and it seemed that Ayaka had translated ‘Physics’ from Japanese to English. Asher lit up, and through gesturing indicated that he took Physics too.


    For once, sitting at their usual booth with Ayaka next to Lila, Asher didn’t seem too interested in studying. He continued the conversation with Ayaka, who pulled out her homework. Asher looked over it in fascination. Then, his brow furrowed as he looked up at Lila.


    “I don’t think they use calculators for this,” he said slowly. Lila stared at Asher curiously.


    “What do you mean? How do you know?” she asked, picking up Ayaka’s homework. A lot of it was in kanji, but there were some equations and numbers written numerically.


    “I mean, I can easily solve these in my head,” he said, cocking his head to the side. He gave Lila a sideways glance before curiously taking the pages from Lila. Ayaka seemed anxious, so Lila explained what they were discussing. Ayaka nodded and confirmed that she didn’t use calculators in school, even for maths. The topic enthralled Asher, and the three of them spent much of Study communicating through Google Translate and Lila about a variety of differences between their schools.


    Eventually, their conversation reached a natural break and Lila turned to Asher.


    “How’d your talk with Mr Lockwood go?” she asked. Ayaka looked between them curiously. Asher’s eyes briefly landed on Ayaka before making eye contact with Lila.


    “It went a lot better than I thought it would. He said that they launched an investigation into Piper. They found video footage from the CCTV cameras around school of Piper actively stalking me, which was extremely unsettling. Mr Lockwood thought it was necessary to show me, which… I’m honestly not sure if that was a good call or not. Some of the clips also showed her taking a few things from my bag, or just generally being weird. But they said that Security have been checking the live footage and then again throughout the afternoon to see if Piper comes onto campus, and she hasn’t since she was expelled. Which is a relief.”


    “I see,” Lila replied, leaning back into the booth chair. She turned her head to Ayaka and just explained that they were talking about a problem at school. Ayaka didn’t ask any follow-up questions and instead seemed to be absorbing the conversation from a linguistic standpoint.


    “Something’s been bothering me, though,” Asher added with a sigh. “Why do our Dads know each other?”


    Lila filled Asher in regarding what her Dad told her in the car. Asher sat up and leaned forward, his eyes wide.


    “A client?” he breathed before bringing a clenched fist to the side of his forehead. He seemed contemplative, staring down at the desk with glassy eyes.


    “Do you think he’s investigating my Mum’s disappearance?” he finally whispered, looking up at Lila.


    “Honestly, it’s possible. I thought if he was, though, you’d know for sure,” she replied. Asher shook his head.


    “No one’s told me anything and that’s really, really weird,” Asher said, holding his head in his hands. “Usually, they tell me everything about the goings-on of our house, since I’m an only child. But I haven’t heard anything at all since my Dad told me she was missing. I would’ve told you if I had.”


    Lila felt her stomach swoop at these words – she was right. He would’ve told her. ‘Suck on that, intrusive thoughts,’ she triumphantly thought.


    “Looks like we have to keep digging,” Asher said, bringing Lila back to reality.


    “Yeah,” Lila replied, nodding. “Not that I think I would’ve been capable of stopping, anyway.”


    “Maybe he’s investigating Marlene?” Asher suggested suddenly.


    “Maybe,” Lila shrugged. “Either way, it’s not like my Dad is going to give me the results of his investigation.”


    Asher gave a frustrated sigh before turning to look at Ayaka, who jumped at the sudden attention.


    “Today, we’re having lunch together,” he said with a warm smile. Ayaka slowly looked at Lila, who grinned and translated. Ayaka clapped, evidently excited at the prospect.


    “Do you have stuff for morning tea?” Asher asked, looking at Lila. Lila shook her head.


    “I almost killed myself on my hockey equipment this morning. I completely forgot about food,” she lamented. Asher snorted.


    “Gabriel lovingly packed extra today, since Ayaka was joining us. If you come to my locker, I can hand over your lunchboxes early.”


    “Are you still going to have morning tea with Isaac?” Lila queried.


    “Yeah,” Asher replied, stretching his arms. “He wants to chat about soccer practice today. He reckons he’s figured out some brand-new strategy that he wants me to try as the goalie. Honestly though, considering I’m trapped by the goals, I didn’t think I could even have strategies to begin with.”


    “How boring,” Lila joked. Asher rolled his eyes in jest.


    “You’ll have to tell me about what this new strategy is, though,” Lila said after a pause. “I thought being the goalie just came down to not letting the ball into the net.”


    “Same,” Asher chuckled. “But since we both have practice, maybe I could just show you what the strategy is. Unless it’s dumb.”


    “I’ll have to keep my eyes on you then,” Lila laughed. Asher quickly looked down at the desk, fiddling with his laptop case, before making an affirmative sound. Lila was probably imagining the splash of red slowly appearing on Asher’s face. Surely Asher hadn’t gotten shy. Ayaka looked between Lila and Asher before giggling to herself. Lila glanced at her, and she shook her head, indicating that she didn’t want to say anything now.


    Study finished up a few minutes later, and Lila, Ayaka and Asher headed off to Asher’s locker. He produced two lunchboxes and presented them to Lila and Ayaka with a flourish. They both gratefully took them off his hands, and he pulled out his own lunchbox before waving goodbye.


    Ayaka watched him go in apparent confusion, and Lila explained that the first break would be with her friends. Ayaka seemed to understand this and looked inside her lunchbox curiously before hurrying after Lila.


    “So, Lila,” Elise said once the four of them sat down in the sunshine, wrapping her black scarf tightly around her neck. “Have you given Asher his jacket back?”


    Lila immediately began choking on her apple, and everyone looked at her in alarm. She took a long drink of water, which cleared her system.


    “N-No,” Lila finally said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Grace and Elise exchanged a look.


    “You’re going to keep it forever, aren’t you?” Grace smirked.


    “I’m not,” Lila retorted, her face flushing immediately.


    “So you’re just holding out hope that he’s going to ask you to hang out at his place, then?” Elise interjected, raising an eyebrow.


    “He will,” Lila replied, taking a vicious bite out of her apple.


    “You sound pretty confident of that,” Grace observed, giving Lila a sideways glance.


    “I’ve got to do something at his,” Lila said, biting her tongue to keep from letting more details escape.


    “Like what?” Elise asked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.


    “S-Something,” Lila said faintly, avoiding eye contact with everyone.


    “Boyfriend?” Ayaka piped up, looking between Elise and Grace. They stared back at Ayaka in confusion, and she tried again.


    “A-Asher… is Lila’s boyfriend?”


    Lila buried her face in her hands and she heard Elise and Grace burst into laughter. They quickly cleared up Ayaka’s confusion. Lila looked up at Ayaka, who seemed frustrated.


    “Why not?” Ayaka asked, frowning.


    “She doesn’t like him,” Grace said slowly, a smile creeping onto her face. “So she says.”


    Ayaka pondered this for a moment, and Lila wasn’t sure whether she understood Grace’s statement until Ayaka said it was a lie in Japanese. Lila begrudgingly translated this for Grace and Elise.


    “Damn Lila, even the girl who’s known you for a day and a half thinks you have a crush on Asher,” Elise said mischievously. Lila groaned.


    “You’re all just seeing something that’s not there,” Lila insisted, shaking her head. “Like Asher said on the weekend, we’re just close friends.”


    “Close friends who give each other googly eyes,” Elise snorted into her salad. Grace shot Elise a look and she sobered up immediately. Lila made to argue, but Grace raised a hand to stop her.


    “Look, at the end of the day, at least they’ve admitted that they’re close friends,” Grace said, more to Elise than to Lila. “That’s a win.”


    Lila frowned. “A win?”


    “Lila, you seem terrified of admitting you have any kind of friendship or relationship with Asher,” Grace stated plainly. The words struck a chord within Lila.


    “Am not,” Lila muttered. Although… perhaps Grace was right. And if she was right, why was she right?


    The rest of lunch proceeded with Grace and Elise talking mostly to Ayaka through Google Translate. Lila didn’t participate much – she felt dazed as she tried to reach into the crevices of her mind for an answer.


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    Lila’s next classes flashed by her until it was lunchtime. She was still pondering what Grace said when she bumped into Asher’s shoulder as he was hanging around outside her locker. Asher instinctively grabbed her shoulders before she fell onto the floor, and Lila looked up at him, stepping backwards. Both Asher and Ayaka immediately asked if Lila was okay.


    “Sorry, Asher,” Lila squeaked, unable to look into his face anymore. She hid her face in her hands, which felt almost ready to burst into embers.


    “It’s okay,” Asher said tentatively, rubbing his shoulder. “I was spaced out in front of your locker. I didn’t even know you were here.”


    “I wasn’t looking,” Lila admitted. “The fault’s mine.”


    “Let’s just say we’re even,” Asher grinned. “Otherwise we’ll be here all day.”


    Lila nodded wordlessly, opening her locker and retrieving her lunchbox along with Ayaka’s.


    “Alright,” Lila said simply. “What’s the plan for lunch today?”


    “Well,” Asher cleared his throat. “Let’s get Uber Eats for tomorrow.”


    “Solid plan,” Lila smiled.


    “Thank you,” Asher said as he mock-bowed. “Will Ayaka join us for lunch?”


    Lila turned to Ayaka and asked about lunch tomorrow, and she said she didn’t mind. After translating this to Asher, he shrugged.


    “Maybe she could have lunch with her classmates,” he suggested. Lila brought the idea to Ayaka, who indicated this was okay through a hand gesture.


    “Well, let’s make our order, I guess,” Asher announced. They set off towards the STEM area, with Lila and Asher giving Ayaka a grand tour of this section of campus. Once they reached the usual science lab, Ayaka uttered a blunt, “Wow.”


    The students hanging around outside the science lab today seemed to have increased slightly in number, though Lila couldn’t be sure. Lila gripped Ayaka’s arm as she followed Asher’s path through the crowd to ensure Ayaka didn’t get lost.


    Now that they were standing outside the door to the science lab, however, Asher hesitated, his hand on the door handle. He glanced back at Lila before taking a deep breath and opening the door.


    “Oho,” Livi’s voice called out happily. “Back again? I haven’t sorted out the finer details, you know.”


    “I know,” Asher said stiffly, holding the door for Lila and Ayaka. Livi sat up straighter. Lila saw the usual bunch of Grade 12s in the room today, though this time only Theo was studying. Jason was rocking back on his chair as he scrolled through his phone and Vi was reading through yet another book. Zack and Jake were in their usual bodyguard positions. Harper was watching videos of dance competitions on her school laptop, her back facing the doorway.


    “Hey Lila,” Theo called out to Lila, waving. Zack also waved to Lila. Jason looked up from his phone and gave Lila a lazy grin. Harper and Vi greeted them briefly in unison without looking up. Lila returned the greetings, and Asher looked stoic once more.


    “What can I do for you guys today?” Livi asked, before narrowing her eyes. “Is that an exchange student?”


    “Yeah,” Lila said, quickly introducing Ayaka and pointing out who was who to her. Ayaka seemed starstruck and didn’t say anything more than a shy hello.


    “Can we order some lunch for tomorrow?” Asher asked once introductions were finally over.


    “Is that all?” Livi asked nonchalantly, flipping open her notebook. They followed the same process that they had last time, though today Asher suggested Mexican food. Lila didn’t mind. She chose chicken nachos, and Asher chose a chicken burrito. Asher paid in cash again and signed the necessary paperwork. Livi grinned at them once they were done, a cold sparkle in her eyes.


    “So,” she said smoothly, resting her chin on her hands. “You guys dating yet, or what?”


    Asher sighed heavily. “No, we’re not. We’re just friends.”


    “If you’re just friends, then Theo can certainly date Lila, right?” Livi said, her tone sounding innocent belying her calculating expression.


    “Sure,” Asher snapped. “I don’t own Lila.”


    “Didya hear that, Theo?” Livi called in a sing-song voice. “Asher gives his blessing.”


    “Great,” Theo said drily, not looking up from his textbook. “I’ll keep that in mind.”


    “You might have an in too, Zack,” Livi said, tapping Zack on the shoulder. From the corner of Lila’s eye, she could see Asher clench and unclench his fists repeatedly.


    “Livi, don’t go too hard on Asher,” Theo said, finally closing his textbook. He adjusted his glasses on his nose and glared at Livi. “Like I said, I have practice today and those fists look menacing.”


    “For someone who says he’s fine with Theo dating Lila, you certainly seem very angry,” Livi laughed, tossing her head back.


    “Theo, you seem far too relaxed about being essentially whored out,” Harper said, taking her headphones out. “Are you seriously considering dating Lila?”


    Theo looked over Lila for a split second before opening his textbook again.


    “I-” he began to say before Jason jumped up.


    “Whore!” Jason cried, pointing at Lila. Lila shrank back from his pointing, bewildered at the sudden declaration. Asher immediately stood between Lila and Jason, shielding her from view.


    “Sorry,” Jason said sheepishly, running his hand through his hair. “I just remembered why Lila is so familiar. She’s the girl from the pictures in the bathrooms.”


    The overpowering aura of fury emanating from Asher made Lila step back further. Even Ayaka seemed to notice as she pulled on Lila’s blazer gently.


    “That,” Asher spat, “was a pack of lies.”


    “Whoa buddy,” Jason chuckled, raising his hands in a ‘surrender’ position. “’Course it was. She never replied.”


    Lila instantly grabbed hold of the back of Asher’s blazer as he jerked forward. He didn’t get very far.


    “You contacted her?” Asher hissed, his usual composure failing him.


    “Sure did,” Jason smirked. “Though, if a deal seems too good to be true, it usually is. She never replied to anyone, so it was obvious that it was fake. No need to worry your pretty little head, Asher. No one’s going to try anything that Lila doesn’t want.”


    Silence fell upon the room, though Lila herself was starting to feel a bit irritated by Jason’s attitude and distinctly punchable face.


    “Well, that was dramatic,” Livi said, giving a low whistle. “I dunno what photos you’re talking about, but they sound hectic. Anyway, you didn’t answer the question, Theo.”


    “Now that I know that Lila’s the girl from the photos, I suppose you could say my interest has jumped up quite a bit,” Theo replied casually. The tips of his ears seemed to redden, but he looked over at Asher coolly. “You’re setting her up for failure, aren’t you?”


    “What?” Asher replied, his anger seemingly fizzling into perplexion, confusion marring his voice.


    “If you’re going to chase away any guy that likes her, then she’s never going to date, is she? How is that fair on Lila, if you’re not going to take the chance?” Theo responded, his voice and eyes both ice-cold. “I’d say that’s pretty unbecoming of the standards Duxes should hold themselves to.”


    Theo looked over at Lila with a smirk that seemed distinctly joyless. “I’d even go so far as to say that I’m the better Dux in this scenario. Do with that information what you will.”


    Theo flipped to the next page in his textbook and didn’t seem interested in talking any further. Asher turned on his heel and walked out so quickly that Lila didn’t register that he’d left for a second.


    “See you tomorrow,” Livi said merrily, waving at Lila. Lila didn’t respond as she tried to catch up to Asher, pulling Ayaka along.


    Asher remained a few metres ahead of them all the way to the library, though he slowed down enough to open the door for Lila and Ayaka. He silently found an empty meeting room and threw himself into a chair, breathing heavily. Lila did a double take upon looking at his face. He seemed like he was about to cry.


    “Asher,” Lila said gently, reaching out to touch his arm before flattening her palm on the table. “What’s wrong?”


    “Nothing,” Asher said, averting his gaze. He pulled out his Tupperware container. It looked as though Gabriel had a crack at trying a traditional Japanese obento. There were side dishes of potato salad, small sausages shaped like octopi, shredded cabbage, tamagoyaki, rice, and chicken katsu. He pulled out a small bottle of sauce and poured it over the chicken katsu without a word. Ayaka ecstatically opened her own lunchbox and found the same meal. She thanked Asher profusely before taking several photos of it. Lila began eating her lunch, though without her usual gusto.


    As Lila ate, she couldn’t help but look over at Asher. He didn’t seem any better, though he evidently enjoyed the food.


    “Asher, clearly something’s wrong,” Lila tried again.


    “Friday was one month since Holly and I broke up,” he said, his voice cracking. He clutched his chopsticks as he inhaled deeply. His eyes shone for a brief moment before he shut them tightly.


    “I’m sorry, Asher,” Lila said quietly. “I… that must be very hard for you.”


    “I’m pissed off that it is,” Asher said simply, loudly expelling all the breath in his lungs before inhaling again. “It feels like it’s been long enough. The topic of relationships in general still sets me the fuck off.”


    “That makes sense,” Lila replied, though for some reason the weighty feeling of disappointment was settling in her chest. Had she been hoping that Asher’s anger was because… he wanted to be with Lila? Clearly, that wasn’t the case. He was just touchy about relationships, which was more than fair, given everything Holly had put Asher through.


    ‘How delusional,’ Lila admonished herself. Now that Asher had said that, though, his mood seemed considerably lighter. He asked Ayaka how the food was, and she replied that it was perfect. The three of them spoke about a variety of things as best they could and lunch passed by without any further incident.


    After her last class of the day, Lila grabbed her hockey equipment and walked with Ayaka to Jacoval. Lila showed her around this side of campus, and Ayaka seemed mind-blown at the size of the College, comparing it to a University. Lila was surprised at Ayaka’s keen interest in the school, and Ayaka began taking several photos of the surrounding area as Lila entered the changing room.


    Upon entering, Lila saw that two of her Grade 12 teammates, Alice Henry and Willow Goldberg, were already in there, with no one else in sight. It looked as though they’d only just started changing. Lila glanced around surreptitiously – she’d almost forgotten that she was supposed to gather intel. Lila, Alice, and Willow had been teammates for the past few years, and though they were close, the difference in cohorts had made it difficult to be true friends. Despite this, Lila was confident that they wouldn’t have any qualms filling her in on the Grade 12s. After all, half the time they’d spent in hockey was spent gossiping.


    She moved towards them and they greeted Lila happily. It was now or never. Surely, she’d get good information about Livi, and the rest of the Grade 12s who were clearly in on the Banker’s schemes.


    “Hey guys,” Lila greeted, putting her bag down. “This is a really random question, but do you guys know Olivia? I think she goes by Livi, though. She’s in your grade.”


    Alice and Willow exchanged a look that seemed to say a thousand words. Alice tossed her coarse, curly red hair into a bun and raised her eyebrows at Willow, who sighed.


    “Yeah, we know her,” Willow eventually said, tugging at her long, brunette braids as if to check if they were loose. “She’s… something.”


    “What does that mean?” Lila asked, retying her own hair.


    “It means,” Alice said through a bobby-pin between her teeth, “she’s got a reputation.”


    “For what?”


    “For… well, being a bit… loose? Promiscuous? Slutty? All of the above?” Willow explained, seeming unsure of herself. Alice nodded gravely.


    “I’ve known Livi since preschool,” Alice continued. “Not that I’ve ever liked her. She’s always gotten her way with people, through whatever means necessary. She’s pretty smart and quick-witted too. She’s always got a plan, and knows exactly what to say and do to bring out someone’s emotions. I mean, she swings both ways apparently, but I’m not convinced that she’s ever actually liked anyone she’s gotten with. As soon as she gets what she wants out of them, they get dropped like that.” Alice clicked her fingers for emphasis.


    “But somehow she’s got this insane power to, like, draw people to her,” Willow shrugged. “Everyone knows her reputation, but people go back to her for more. It’s kinda silly, really.”


    “Huh,” Lila said shortly. She pulled on her hockey shorts as she tried to think who else she should ask about.


    “What about… Theo?” Lila asked, unearthing her shinpads from her bag.


    “Theo?” Alice snorted. “He’s the Dux, but totally deadpan. I don’t know if the kid even has emotions.”


    “He’s definitely too smart for his own good,” Willow added. “But he also has this uncaring attitude about him? He cares enough to do well in school, but not enough to actually enjoy it. I don’t get him at all.”


    “What about Zack?” Lila asked, putting her shin pads on.


    “Zack? You mean the Zack who hangs around Livi, I''m guessing. Hmm… he’s alright, I guess. Follows Livi like a lost puppy. Bit dim, I think, but hey, he’s made it to Grade 12 so he mustn’t be that dumb,” Alice said slowly.


    “What about Jason?”


    “Jason’s a bit of a player,” Willow replied, rolling her eyes. “He knows he’s hot and uses it to his full advantage. But, he’s also pretty smart and good at sports. Some people truly get handed a good card in life. He’s got insane charisma too, when he wants to use it. I guess you could say that he’s like the male version of Livi.”


    “Harper?”


    “She’s pretty chill. Leader of the Dancettes, but she’s not too bitchy,” Alice shrugged. “Don’t know her too well, so not much to say.”


    “Violet?”


    “Who’s that?” Willow asked, glancing at Alice. Alice sighed.


    “Vi is Livi’s best friend. Total bookworm. Kinda the opposite of Livi. Not sure how they work as a pair, but sometimes I think it’s totally Vi pulling the strings. There’s just something… calculating about her.”


    “What’s up with all the questions?” Willow asked, tying up her shoes. Lila decided to take a risk.


    “Every time I get Uber Eats, I get interrogated by all of them,” Lila shrugged, keeping her eye on Alice and Willow’s reactions. They looked at each other apprehensively for just a moment before Alice sighed again.


    “Ever since that stuff started up, they’ve been hanging out a whole lot more,” Alice noted, looking at Lila pitifully. “They’re kinda like the wolf pack if Livi’s in charge. She loves teasing the younger grades.”


    Lila tied up her hockey boots, pondering what she’d learned. She’d have to tell Asher about it tomorrow after they grabbed their Uber Eats. Lila wasn’t quite sure how much stock she’d place in the rumours Alice and Willow had divulged after her own experience with rumours last term, but perhaps in this instance where there was smoke, there was fire. Lila thanked Willow and Alice and headed off, hockey stick in hand. Ayaka was clearly delighted by Lila’s uniform by the way she marveled over it when she emerged.


    Lila led Ayaka to the spectator seating. To Lila’s surprise, it wasn’t empty. As she looked up against the glare of the sun, it felt as though a bucket of icy water was thrown over her. Livi was lounging towards the middle of the seating. Livi noticed Lila looking at her and waved.


    “Fancy seeing you here,” she called down to Lila. Lila simply waved back before jogging off to the oval, unsettled by the interaction. Livi didn’t do hockey, and neither did Harper or Vi. Why was she here? Was she keeping tabs on Lila? Or Asher? Why? And, perhaps most importantly, did she know that Lila was just talking about her?


    “Yo,” a voice to her left pulled Lila from her thoughts. She looked over and saw Isaac grinning at her.


    “What’s up?” Lila asked, her voice trembling slightly.


    “Not much,” Isaac replied breezily. “Asher’s running late and I don’t want to do laps without him. Otherwise, I’ll get much fitter than him and we can’t have that.”


    Lila laughed a deep belly laugh – she hadn’t expected that answer from Isaac.


    “Anyway,” Isaac said once Lila sobered up. “Do you have any plans for morning tea on Thursday?”


    Lila tilted her head in confusion. “Why?”


    Isaac shrugged. “I need some help with grabbing something from Manufacturing. Mr Dillon said I need to bring someone who knows the Applied Tech building, so that’s where you come in. Since you do Design there.”


    “Why not Elise?” Lila queried. “She actually does Manufacturing, you know.”


    “Between you and me,” Isaac said in a low voice, causing Lila to lean in. “She kinda scares me. Plus, she’s already doing me a favour by trying to get me in at Maccas.”


    “I see,” Lila smirked. “Alright. I’ll help you. What do you need to get?”


    “It’s just a few bits and bobs from storage,” Isaac said, waving a hand dismissively. “It’d be easier to explain on Thursday. We’ll need to hunt around for it.”


    “Sounds good,” Lila nodded. At that moment, Asher jogged up to them, his face seeming less than impressed.


    “Asher!” Isaac cried, throwing his arms over Asher dramatically. “I thought you died.”


    “Clearly not,” Asher said brusquely, seeming unamused by Isaac’s antics. “I got caught up with my Maths teacher. I just needed some clarification about the assignment. What’re you guys talking about?”


    “Oh, I need Lila’s help on Thursday during morning tea,” Isaac said simply, stepping back from Asher.


    “That’s oddly specific,” Asher responded, narrowing his eyes.


    “You can give me a hand, too,” Isaac said quickly. “Thursday is the only day that Mr Dillon will have the storage cupboards open in the Applied Tech building. He said that the Manufacturing class’s assignment is due tomorrow, so they can’t be opened until after then in case someone tries to plagiarise or steal someone’s old project to hand in.”


    “I see,” Asher said carefully. He gave Lila a sideways glance before gesturing at Isaac.


    “Let’s go, Mr Kovac’s glaring at us,” Asher urged quietly. The boys then skipped jovially towards their teammates, waving at Lila as they went. Lila hurried off to her side of the oval and gave her all to practice. The fact that the first match of the season was on Saturday pushed her whole team further than she thought possible. Then, about halfway through practice, Lila allowed herself to look over at the Under 18s soccer team.


    Her eyes met Theo’s as he idled on the oval. He waved and she returned it. Then, without warning, a soccer ball came flying from the direction of the goal. It was a straight shot towards Theo’s knees, which were unprotected by the shinpads he was wearing. Upon contact, a horrific slap echoed across the oval. He crumpled to the ground in an instant. Both the Under 18s soccer team and Lila’s hockey team stopped dead in their tracks. Mr Kovac was nowhere in sight – had he gone off to the bathroom?


    Lila looked over at the soccer goal and saw Isaac and Asher gesturing wildly. Was this part of Isaac’s grand new strategy?


    “I got you, man,” Lila heard Zack’s voice shout over the oval. He sprinted towards a bag resting on the sidelines and then ran back to Theo, who was writhing in pain now. Lila could see that he was holding something, but what it was exactly, she wasn’t sure. It looked like Zack brought something to Theo’s skin and he groaned, relaxing back down on the grass. Zack stayed by his side for a few seconds before rushing back to the bag and putting whatever it was away.


    Asher and Isaac arrived on the scene a few moments later, and Lila could hear Asher apologise to Theo. Theo motioned for him to stop, saying something about it being an accident.


    “Alright ladies, this isn’t a zoo,” Ms Wright said sharply, calling the hockey team back into focus. “Charlotte, you’re in charge. I can’t see Mr Kovac, so I’m going to check on Theo.”


    Ms Wright returned a few minutes later. She didn’t elaborate to the hockey team as to Theo’s condition, but Mr Kovac had also returned and was quietly appraised of the situation by Ms Wright. Theo was back in play, seeming more energised than before the ball hit him.


    Hockey practice finished up without any accidents or incidents on their part, which was quite a success, given the real game was only a few days away.


    “Don’t forget the match on Saturday,” Ms Wright said sternly during the debrief. “It’s a home game, so business as usual in terms of arrival. Rest up – we need you all to be on your top form.”