Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Six


    “I know you’re staying over at Asher’s again, but do you really have to take everything you own?” Clare yawned as Lila dumped her bags and hockey stick in the back of her car on Saturday morning.


    “Yes,” Lila said shortly. “How else am I meant to survive without the kitchen sink?”


    Clare snorted. “By the looks of that house, there’s at least one kitchen sink. Leave the plumbing alone, dude.”


    Lila climbed into the front passenger seat with a smirk and they set off towards St Peters. Lila was glad that the hockey season would be wrapping up in about a month. Spending more time with Asher never seemed like a bad thing, and she was sure that they’d do so once their sports were done and dusted for the year.


    Clare was rather quiet that morning, preferring to instead turn up the music. Lila was tempted to ask Clare how she was going with Alex, but thought for a horrible moment that she’d misspeak and ask about Ms Alexander instead. So, she just scrolled through her phone.


    Eventually, Clare turned down her music as they neared St Peters.


    “So… Daniel seems happy with the outcome,” Clare murmured, her eyes fixed on the road.


    “Yeah,” Lila replied noncommittally. “I guess so. It… had some downsides, but pluses, too.” Her mind flashed back to Jason’s face at Assembly and she had to hold in her laugh, disguising it instead with a cough.


    “Are you getting sick?” Clare sounded concerned as she glanced at Lila.


    “Nah. Just had a tickle in my throat.”


    “Alright. Well… after you guys told me about his whole business thing, I’d been pretty worried about how it would turn out.”


    “Really?”


    “’Course,” Clare replied gruffly. “What, you think I only pester you with questions about how your life is going?”


    “Well… I just don’t really see you and Daniel talking that much. So, I hadn’t really thought about it.”


    Clare gave her a short, sharp laugh. “No wonder. You do realise that you spend a lot of time out of the house, right? Since you started working with Asher on that English project.”


    Lila fell silent. She couldn’t refute this, especially as Clare’s car was full of her bags in preparation for staying over at Asher’s tonight. Now that she thought about it, though, on average she’d visited his place at least once a week since February.


    “Not that there’s anything wrong with it,” Clare added. “Anyway, I guess… I just bring it up to get you to monitor the situation for me. Since I’m not at school anymore.”


    “Clare, you know for a fact that I wouldn’t not monitor it.”


    “I know,” Clare tightened her grip on the steering wheel before giving a small exhale. “I just get worried. He’s just a baby.”


    “Don’t let him hear you say that,” Lila grinned. “I get what you mean, though. I’ve…” she stopped herself, instantly recognising that she’d almost let slip that she was investigating the morphine ring that had intertwined itself with the core of Daniel’s business.


    “You’ve?”


    “I’ve been keeping tabs,” Lila finally said, looking out the window. “If I see anything concerning, I’ll let you know.” She said the last part so quietly that she wasn’t sure that Clare heard her. Another lie. She’d said so many recently.


    “Good,” Clare replied, looking incredibly relieved with an expression that began to set Lila’s guilt off for what felt like the hundredth time that week alone.


    Clare smoothly parked into an empty slot besides the St Peter’s oval. She turned to Lila, jerking a thumb to her things.


    “You taking all this now, yeah?” she asked. “Are you allowed to store them somewhere?”


    “Yeah, I’ll take my stuff now,” Lila responded, though she definitely didn’t have a plan for where to put her things.


    “Okay. Well, good luck for today. I’ll see you tomorrow.”


    “Thanks for dropping me off, Clare! See you tomorrow,” Lila waved at her sister after grabbing all of her things. She closed the door with her hip before looking out towards the set up of the oval. She half hoped that Elise would be in the stands again today, but given the fact that Isaac seemed to be avoiding Elise, she thought it was unlikely.


    She took a single step towards the oval when a familiar voice called out behind her.


    “Lila!”


    She turned, seeing a beaming Asher waving a hand outside the front passenger window of Marlene’s car, which was parked a few spots down. Marlene also waved at Lila, though it was much less exuberant.


    “Come put your stuff down,” he called, gesturing for her to come closer. He jumped out of the car and opened the side door for her and she passed her bags along when she was close enough.


    “Thanks,” Lila smiled gratefully at Asher once he was done packing them in. “And thank you too, Marlene.”


    “No worries,” Marlene replied pleasantly. “Have a good game, the both of you.”


    “Thanks. See you later,” Asher said, promptly closing the door. Marlene slowly left and they both watched her go in silence.


    “… Where’s she even going?” Lila asked after Marlene disappeared from view.


    “What do ya mean?” Asher queried, looking down at Lila.


    “Well, I mean, it’s not like our games take forever. She could sit and wait for us in the carpark here.”


    Asher held her gaze for a moment before turning his head to where Marlene had departed.


    “I… never questioned what she did during my soccer games,” he murmured. He looked mildly disturbed now.


    “Maybe she’s getting coffee or something,” Lila hurriedly said. “I mean, it’s not like there’s much else open at the moment.”


    “Probably…”


    “C’mon, it looks like our teams are waiting for us,” Lila began pulling him towards the oval and he stumbled behind her.


    They eventually reached a point where they needed to split off to meet their teams, and Lila paused for a second.


    “Have a good game, yeah?” she said encouragingly.


    “You too,” he smiled with a nod. He cast a quick glance around the oval before bending down to peck her on the cheek. “See you after.”


    “See you,” Lila repeated, the heat from her face producing a small steam cloud. He jogged over to his teammates, who immediately began laughing and nudging him upon his approach.


    With a sigh, she turned to her teammates who seemed none the wiser to Asher’s swift peck on her cheek – something that she was rather grateful for, now that she saw how hard the soccer boys were teasing Asher.


    As Lila stretched, she kept her eye on the St Peters girls at the other end of the oval. They looked a bit aggressive already, a fact that spooked Lila. She was very sure that her team had no shot now, considering they were on St Peters’ turf and they looked pissed. Not that she wasn’t going to try… but didn’t get her hopes up, either.


    Though, if it were possible, Alice looked even more pissed than the St Peters team combined.


    “I’m gonna crush them,” Lila heard Alice mutter as she bent to touch her toes.


    “Not that I’m against it, but maybe you shouldn’t work yourself up too much,” Willow suggested, lowering into a squat.


    “I missed last time,” Alice scowled. “I’m not going to miss again.”


    “Alice…” Willow sighed. We’ve been talking about it all week. It wasn’t your fault.”


    “I can’t see how it’s anything other than my fault,” Alice countered, her scowl deepening even further.


    “You’re not infallible,” Lila said pointedly. “Misses happen. Out of your control. Not like you missed on purpose.”


    “But if I was-”


    “Ladies, ladies, whoa. It’s a bit too early in the morning to be quite so upset. What’s happening?”


    Ms Wright had crossed over to them, her container of orange slices resting on her hip and concern furrowing her brow.


    None of the girls spoke and instead awkwardly looked in other directions. Ms Wright sighed heavily, shaking her head.


    “It’s not life and death, you know. The most important thing is that you have fun. Come, let’s meet up with the rest of the team,” Ms Wright said encouragingly, gesturing to where their teammates had started to naturally congregate.


    After one last pep talk with stern reminders to have fun and do their best, they broke away into their various starting positions. Lila could see that Alice was still seething by the way she shoved her mouthguard in, but she couldn’t think about that now. Perhaps some aggression could be what they needed…


    Lila hardly saw the ball for the first half, and there was a lot more yelling from both sides than usual. Every so often, she exchanged a look with Willow, who seemed to grow more concerned as time went on.


    “She’s going to twist an ankle,” Willow eventually muttered, biting her lower lip in clear anxiety.


    “Don’t say that,” Lila replied softly, “it’ll come true then.”


    “Jesus, the both of you, you wanna curse her or what?” Rosa asked, her voice muffled through her Goalie mask.


    Lila felt tempted to laugh, but was prevented by the appearance of a fierce-looking tall, blonde St Peters girl who came barrelling towards her, ball gliding alongside her hockey stick. For a minute second, Lila felt dwarfed, but put that out of her mind as their sticks clashed.


    She wrestled the ball away from her opponent and passed it through to Charlotte, who sprinted back to the goal to the cheers and yells of Forestglade College supporters. Then –


    “They got it!” Willow cried as she jumped in excitement. Lila grinned, feeling relieved that they scored one point against St Peters.


    The match continued on, with neither team scoring another point but plenty of fouls. Once half-time was called, Lila was exhausted. It seemed that the point against St Peters had made them more desperate, which meant she was locked into battle after battle for possession of the ball. She wasn’t quite sure that she’d survive the next half.


    One refreshing orange slice later, she started to feel energised once again and she looked over at the soccer game that seemed to be seconds away from half-time. Asher was pacing in his goal, and her eyes passed over to the other goal. It seemed the soccer boys were just as intense as the hockey girls this morning – so much so that as soon as she saw the soccer ball, it disappeared from view.


    A shrill whistle indicated that half-time was starting for the soccer boys. She kept her eyes on Asher,, who immediately wandered off to his water bottle.


    But something else caught her attention.


    Zack had drifted towards the St Peters team and they seemed to be having quite a laugh. It stuck out to Lila, but no one else seemed to notice – was he friends with them? The body language… felt off. As if he was trying to pretend they were, but not quite getting it.


    “Anyone caught your eye?”


    She jolted, looking to her left to find a playful-looking Asher smirking at her.


    “You,” she smiled before becoming contemplative once more.


    “You don’t seem happy about that.”


    “It’s… well, I just…” she hesitated, wondering for a moment if she was overthinking things. Perhaps Zack met them at a party or something, or they became friends after their last match…


    “You look as if you’ve seen something,” Asher observed, his voice barely above a whisper.


    “It’s… probably nothing,” she murmured, her eyes flickering to Zack once more. Asher turned, taking in the scene for just a moment before turning back to face her.


    “Yeah, nah, that’s weird,” he confirmed.


    “I mean, maybe he knows them.”


    “Can guarantee he didn’t last game,” Asher frowned for a second before nodding. “At least, I didn’t see him talking to them in the break or after the game.:


    “They were all a bit sad after the game.”


    “True,” he grinned, the victory still clearly delighting him. “Reckon we could do it again?”


    “Undoubtedly,” Lila smiled again. He seemed chuffed with this. Lila glanced down at the grass between them, continuing to churn this observation over in her mind.


    “It looks like Will’s going over there, too,” Asher muttered after checking behind him once more.


    “Will?” Lila looked over his shoulders and saw a Grade 12 soccer boy casually walking towards Zack and the St Peters team. “Oh. Will Reedy.”


    “That’s the one…” Asher trailed off, seeming deep in thought once more.


    “It just… makes me wonder if they’re setting up a-”


    She hardly registered Asher’s eyes flash to a spot behind her before he kissed her lips, effectively ceasing both her thoughts and what she was saying. She leaned into the kiss for just a moment more when a stern command sounded behind her.


    “Asher, go back to your game. Lila, stop kissing him.”


    He broke away with a wide cheeky smile. “Sorry, Ms Wright. Can’t help it,” he replied.


    “You better help it before I start handing out detentions. We may not be at Forestglade College, but this is still a school event. Do that in your own time.”


    “Yes, ma’am,” he nodded curtly before jogging off to his team. Ms Wright shook her head before facing Lila, a very subtle smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.


    “You don’t need to look so goofy, Lila. He’s got you that twisted?”


    “S-Sorry,” Lila stammered, feeling awkward at having been called out like that by Ms Wright. The feeling of her blush across her cheeks only deepened as she realised she had one.


    “Don’t be,” Ms Wright smiled fully, before shaking her head. “Actually, do be. There’s a game on and you can’t get carried away, whether at sports or generally on campus, alright? If I have to speak to you again about this, I will have to start considering detention.”


    “Yes, ma’am,” Lila sighed solemnly as she trudged off to her team’s new side, popping her mouthguard in as she did so. She tossed the case down next to her water bottle and started to prepare for the second half of the match with some light stretches.


    By the end of the match, though, pulverised was an understatement. Despite their best efforts as a team, St Peters had managed to score two points – leaving them victorious.


    Lila’s legs felt like jelly as she lowered onto the field, panting. Her ears were still ringing with the bellows of her teammates and supporters from both sides.


    ‘That blonde girl is terrifying,’ Lila thought as she struggled to catch her breath.


    But the blonde girl couldn’t hold a candle to Alice.


    “What the fuck, Lila?!” Alice’s face was contorted with fury as she glowered at Lila, who was still kneeling on the field.


    “Huh?” Lila blinked rapidly, heaving herself to her feet.


    “You were clearly off with the fairies!” Alice’s voice continued to rise in volume as she began jabbing a finger at Lila. “You were too busy thinking about Asher to defend properly!”


    Lila bristled, the frustration from their defeat and her bewildered anger at being accused of being their downfall creating a ball of heat in her chest. She made to argue back – to tell Alice that if she had better aim, or was doing her job properly, Lila wouldn’t have needed to defend-


    “Hold it,” Willow stepped between Alice and Lila, her hand raised in a ‘stop’ gesture. “Alice, what’s gotten in to you?”


    Alice whirled to face Willow. “Lila wasn’t paying attention-”


    “Alice, it’s not just on Lila. You’re all a team. You had a hand in it too,” Ms Wright said from behind Alice, who shrank back into Willow. “There’s no need to yell at your teammates for a loss all of you share.”


    “But-”


    “I won’t ask you again. I’m not above having you sit out for the next match. St Peters is coming over for handshakes. Wrap it up and go home.”


    Ms Wright turned on her heel and headed over to the St Peters coach. Lila didn’t want to look at either Alice or Willow for the moment – Alice, because she couldn’t believe that she would attack her like that, and Willow by proxy. So, she marched off towards the rest of the team, leaving both Alice and Willow where they stood.


    The St Peters team were glowing in their elation as they firmly shook Lila’s hand. Most of Lila’s teammates seemed to share similar feelings of despondence as they scattered, as though they were unwilling to stay even a second longer at this place of utter defeat.


    Lila didn’t hear any goodbyes between her teammates, either, and it seemed as if everyone was wishing to simply disappear rather than acknowledge what happened. Hopefully, it would pass…


    “Lila,” it was Alice’s voice, calling out to her as she started to head off towards the soccer game. Lila sighed.


    “I don’t want to hear it,” Lila said shortly, not bothering to look at Alice. “Talk to me next week.”


    And, without waiting for a response, Lila sprinted off. Perhaps it was cowardly, or petty, to not listen to what Alice had to say – but she knew that she was not in the right mindset to listen.


    From what Lila could tell, the soccer game was nearing its end, too. It looked like Harrison was gearing up to shoot a goal – but it was defended by the opposition’s goalie just as the referee called time on the match.


    All of the boys from both sides looked incredibly frustrated with this result. The only reason for this that she could think of was that it had ended in a tie…


    Lila watched as Asher reluctantly left his goal, his hands on his hips. He engaged in the usual sportsmanship handshake with St Peters before looking around the field. Upon spotting Lila, his face lit up and he jogged over, collecting his water bottle on the way.


    Seeing him instantly put her at ease, a soft smile crossing her face. She couldn’t wait to be in his arms again – particularly after Alice’s berating.


    “Good to see you,” he said once he reached her, his eyes gleaming with sincere joy.


    “I can’t wait to leave,” she replied with a shiver.


    “Say no more,” he sighed, taking his gloves off. “We tied – 1 all.”


    “That’s not too bad. We were crushed.”


    “Crushed?”


    “Yeah… don’t really want to talk about it.”


    “Fair.”


    They meandered over to the carpark after checking they had all their things. Whilst the hockey girls had swiftly disappeared, it seemed that the soccer boys were still hanging around – both teams. Lila heard Isaac laughing shrilly before Asher called him over.


    “Hey, Lila,” Isaac greeted her with a nod.


    “Hey, Isaac,” Lila replied, a mischievous smirk on her face. “No Elise today?”


    “E-Elise?” his face seemed to pale before her eyes before he shook his head. “Nah. Why would she be?”


    “I think she enjoyed watching the last game,” Lila shrugged, though her smile remained.


    “Did she?” Isaac seemed bashful before he sighed. “I don’t know if I’m gonna go to the museum tomorrow.”


    “What?” Lila tried not to sound panicked. The whole idea of going to the museum was so that Elise and Isaac could get together…


    “Yeah. The review’s on Monday and I just… don’t feel up to it,” Isaac replied, clearly avoiding Lila’s gaze.


    “Perfect time to go to a museum,” Asher insisted, clapping Isaac on the shoulder. “Live a little. It’s not like you to be so down. You’re usually up for anything.”


    Isaac paused before sighing again. “I guess you’re right. Fine, I’ll go.”


    “Well, I don’t want to twist your arm,” Asher laughed incredulously. “Why’re you so reluctant?”


    Isaac shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t feel up to going. But… you guys are going, and I’ve never been, so I may as well.”


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Lila was about to comment on this when Zack’s voice interrupted her thought process entirely.


    “… grab some juice?”


    She whipped her head around and saw that he was walking backwards, smirking at a group of guys from both Forestglade College and St Peters – about six total. She counted Will among them, but no Theo.


    “Hell yeah,” she heard Will reply. “Great game deserves fresh juice.”


    There was a general murmur of agreement between them, and they started to drift away towards the carpark, their voices indistinct except for a couple of words here and there.


    “… orange…”


    “Nah, nah, mango…”


    “… far?”


    “Down the road…”


    Lila glanced at Asher, who seemed to also be listening intently. Isaac looked between them both with a puzzled expression.


    “You guys thirsty? I think there’s a juice spot just over by the shops a couple streets away. We could probably walk there,” he said, casting a quick look over at the retreating backs of the group departing with Zack.


    “Huh? Oh. I didn’t know you knew the area,” Asher said absently, turning to face Isaac.


    “Well, yeah. This is where my driving instructor is,” Isaac responded, gesturing vaguely to the other side of the oval. “Sometimes I hang around the shops while I wait for my lesson to start.”


    “I never knew that you were learning to drive. When’s your birthday?” Lila asked.


    Isaac gave her an odd look. “Uh, the 28^th of March… You do know you got me-”


    He suddenly cut himself off and pointed over at the carpark. “Oh, I think my Mum’s here. See you guys tomorrow! 10, yeah?”


    “Yeah,” Asher called behind Isaac, who started to jog off to the carpark. Lila pursed her lips, before shaking her head. He was probably going to say something about her getting him a birthday gift when they were dating… but she honestly couldn’t remember that. It felt like an age – a history that had somehow been wiped since she started dating Asher.


    “He’s a bit of a doofus,” Asher smirked. Then, he looked down at Lila. “You do know it’s okay to reference your relationship with Isaac, yeah?”


    “Not that I have many references to make,” Lila replied. “But… I thought it bothered you? Even just a little bit.”


    He shook his head. “Nah, not anymore. I’d thought that it was a lot more than it ended up being. Plus, it was years ago. And… well… seems like you like kissing me, at least.”


    Lila felt her face flush as she smacked his arm in response. He chuckled.


    “You didn’t say no-”


    “Stop it!” She hid her face in her hands, and he chuckled yet again.


    “Am I making you shy?” he whispered, lowering her hands. She brought them back up.


    “N-No.”


    “That’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one.”


    Lila was about to respond when she felt him touch her shoulder.


    “C’mon,” he said gently. “Let’s get going. You’ve got an assignment to get through.”


    Lila groaned, now crossing her arms in displeasure as they walked to the carpark. “Can this day get any worse?”


    “It’s not so bad,” Asher countered, gesturing to the carpark. “We’ll be together, after all.”


    Lila smiled, walking a little bit closer to Asher. “That’s true,” she said softly, resting her head against his shoulder for a brief second. “Can’t be all that bad if we’re together.”


    Asher didn’t reply for a few moments. After the silence stretched on, she looked up and saw that his face was bright red. His eyes flickered to hers and he looked away just as quickly. Lila smiled to herself, though her heart skipped a beat. Sometimes, it still felt like a dream – that they reciprocated each other’s feelings, down to spending time together.


    The carpark was virtually deserted by the time they arrived, with Marlene’s car idling a few spaces away. Lila couldn’t see Isaac, nor any of the boys who were talking to Zack. She could see Alice sitting in her car, looking over at Lila and Asher. Lila pulled Asher by his arm to Marlene’s car, uncomfortable with the idea that Alice was looking at them.


    “That excited to go to my place?” Asher asked with a surprised laugh.


    “Could say that,” Lila murmured, her face tinged with pink. “But… there’s a few things I want to talk about… in private.”


    Asher stumbled briefly before she let go of him. “A-About?” he queried, his hand resting on the door handle of the front passenger door. Lila glanced at Marlene, who was looking at them curiously.


    “Later.”


    “Okay…”


    They hopped in to Marlene’s car and she greeted them, asking how their games went. Asher and Lila both gave noncommittal responses, though Lila noticed Marlene sipping on a coffee cup on the way home. It seemed that Marlene did disappear to get some coffee that morning.


    Asher was awfully subdued all the way until Marlene parked at the mansion. Lila put it down to him being tired – she was feeling rather exhausted herself, after all.


    Asher silently grabbed all of Lila’s things out of the car in one swift motion. She took her shoes off inside the garage, immediately stepping into slippers set aside for her just beyond the inside door.


    “Lunch will be ready soon,” Marlene smiled warmly, heading off towards the kitchen. “I’ll call you when it is.”


    “Thanks,” Asher replied, immediately walking towards the rumpus room. Lila followed behind, stretching her arms as she did so.


    “Did you want to shower?” he asked as he set her things down next to the couch. A hot shower sounded perfect.


    “I’m happy to wait for you,” Lila said. He shook his head.


    “Nah, go ahead.”


    He shuffled over to his room, yawning. With that, she dragged her belongings, besides her school laptop, to the spare room and sorted out some comfortable clothes. She was surprised, for just a moment, with how little she thought of having a shower at his place, instead preferring to feel the warmth against her skin.


    Once she was done, she put her worn clothes back into the spare room before settling herself into the couch. There was already a cup of juice waiting for her, though Asher was nowhere in sight.


    She sighed, not really in the mood to do any schoolwork but she supposed he’d make her do some. She reluctantly pulled out her laptop and opened her English draft. She blankly stared at her bullet points before closing her laptop lid with another sigh. At the very least, Lila couldn’t generate her own motivation now… not without talking to Asher about Alice.


    She’d been thinking about it in the background, all this time. Alice was really out of line, but… could she really blame Alice?


    Lila placed her head into her hands as she considered what happened. Ms Wright was right, of course. They had all suffered a loss collectively, but… perhaps she shouldn’t have kissed Asher at half-time. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t thought about it at least once while she was playing in the second half. Had it affected her gameplay after all?


    “Sorry I took so long,” Asher’s voice caused her to raise her head. He was dressed in a loose t?shirt and tracksuit pants, clearly ready to relax.


    “I wasn’t waiting long,” Lila replied with a smile. He sat next to her, his weight rocking her slightly.


    “I see you got your laptop out,” he observed. “Any headway?”


    “None,” Lila shook her head. “But there’s something that I need to talk about first.”


    “You… mentioned that,” Asher responded, looking towards the TV. “I… know I shouldn’t feel so worried, but I get freaked out whenever you say things like that without context.”


    Lila slid closer to Asher, his warmth feeling very comforting. She looked up at his face, taking in every detail. His eyes flickered to hers, betraying his nervousness. She paused before kissing his cheek softly.


    “You’re right. You don’t need to worry,” she said with a smile. “It’s about what happened today.”


    “Today? You mean with the soccer boys?”


    “Yes… and something else.”


    She curled up to his arm, suddenly feeling emotional. Being here with him, alone with this peaceful quiet, just felt safe. Even just his presence felt healing, in a way.


    “You okay?” he asked in a low, concerned voice, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged, trying to not feel overwhelmed. She relayed what happened with Alice and by the time she was done, he was eerily silent.


    “Asher?” She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She didn’t want to check his expression, but with the firmness of his grip on her shoulder and the stillness of his body, she could tell he wasn’t pleased by her story.


    “Sorry,” he mumbled, bringing her into his chest. “I just need a minute.”


    “O-Okay.”


    Her shoulders slumped as she felt his arms wrap around her. It sounded as though he was trying to get his breathing under control.


    “Alice, you said?” he clarified after a few moments. He brushed the top of her head gently as she nodded.


    “Are you okay?” he questioned. She shrugged.


    “It… took me by surprise. She’s normally really nice to me. But… I don’t know what happened. It… felt like she was a different person.”


    “I don’t blame you for not wanting to listen to what she had to say after. That’s not something a teammate should do, even if you weren’t friendly before.”


    “Yeah…”


    Asher exhaled deeply, squeezing her ever so slightly. “Thank you for telling me. That sounded like a horrible situation to be in. If I was there… I probably wouldn’t have been able to keep my cool.”


    “I almost lost it,” Lila said faintly. “And that makes me feel horrible, too.”


    “Defending yourself is always okay, Lila,” he said firmly. “Especially since you didn’t actually do anything wrong.”


    “But… I was a little bit distracted. Since you kissed me,” she whispered, cringing slightly. “I’m not blaming you but-”


    “That was my fault, yes. I… well, I always want to kiss you, but I saw Ms Wright coming up behind you when you were talking about Zack. It sounded like you were going to say that they were setting up a deal or something like that, and I didn’t want to shush you or confuse you or wait too long and have you say something that Ms Wright shouldn’t be listening to. So… I kissed you. Sorry. I’ll stop kissing you at half-time. It sounds more trouble than it’s worth.”


    She looked up at him, a different kind of emotion infiltrating her mind now. It was probably a better idea, but… it didn’t make her feel happy.


    “But… after the game… I can kiss you all you want,” he added lightly. “Within reason.”


    Lila’s heart skipped. She gripped his shirt, earnestly looking into his eyes. He returned his gaze before looking elsewhere, seeming suddenly nervous once more.


    “Prove it,” she murmured, reaching a hand up to his face. She saw an emotion flash through his face – one that stirred her own – before he glanced at her, his face pink.


    “Is that a challenge?”


    “Could be.”


    “I like those,” he whispered, touching her hand that was still against his face. He intertwined their fingers together before leaning forward, his intentions clear. She eagerly met him halfway and they kissed, her heart swelling. It was one that she felt could teeter on the edge of both of them losing control, but she managed to hold herself together – just.


    He broke away with a smile, caressing her cheek tenderly. She pouted, leaning forward for another and he chuckled, shaking his head.


    “I did just say that I’d kiss you all you want, but I can’t stop feeling anxious about your assignment.”


    Lila exhaled loudly, tapping her forehead on his chest in defeat. “I hoped you’d forget about it,” she said petulantly. He laughed again.


    “One more,” he offered, tilting her head up to look at him. “Then it’s time to get to work.”


    “You’re a good negotiator,” she muttered, closing the distance between them. She could feel his chest rumble with suppressed laughter, but focused on the feeling of his lips against hers.


    He pulled away with another smile. “Show me what you’ve got so far.”


    Lila could see him smirking at her out the corner of her eye as she dejectedly signed in to her laptop.


    Having Asher personally guide her with her English assignment was both incredibly helpful and entirely distracting. Though she thought she was used to his attention being solely on her, this was a different level. Every time she looked up, to see him looking so devoted to her, with that focus that she couldn’t tear her eyes from, it set her mind back a couple steps. Despite her floundering, he kept to his promise of not writing her assignment for her, nor giving her the answers. He spoke with the utmost patience even though she really wasn’t understanding what was going on with the poems she chose, and she gradually decided to limit looking at him.


    Eventually, they were called down for lunch, which was a toasted panini with various deli fillings. They wolfed it down before going back upstairs, with Lila asking him a question on the way up about one of the techniques he’d tried to explain to her before lunch.


    An hour passed, with Lila starting to grow frustrated with herself. Despite all her notes, which she’d brought, and Asher’s explanations, her head felt incredibly dense. She was starting to believe she didn’t actually have a brain in there. Perhaps it’d been replaced with clay in the night.


    “Let’s take a break,” Asher said gently as she stared at her screen.


    “No, it’s fine-”


    “Lila, beating a dead horse isn’t going to be effective.”


    “Why is everything so abstract?” she sighed, moving her hands to type.


    “That’s it,” Asher declared, pulling her laptop from her and closing the lid. “C’mon, let’s go for a walk somewhere.”


    “A walk?”


    “Yeah. Get out of the house. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration out there, too.”


    Lila bit her lip. Would leaving it for now really be okay?


    He stood up, holding a hand out for her to take. “Breaks are just as important.”


    She reluctantly stood. “I’ll need to grab my shoes,” she said, ducking into the spare room and coming back with some lace up shoes. She slipped her free hand into his. “Where to?”


    “I know a park,” he winked at her, pulling her to the door.


    “We always take the bike there, though. Are you sure it’s in walking distance?”


    “’Course it is,” he nodded. “The bike is just a form of rapid escapism.”


    “And us walking there is… slow escapism?”


    “Exactly.”


    She snorted, and he grinned at her before leading her back downstairs. Marlene seemed perplexed to see them back downstairs as she wiped down the kitchen counter.


    “Did you two want more food?” she asked, placing her tea towel back onto her apron.


    “No, we just need a break. Going for a walk,” Asher replied politely. Marlene looked between them both before nodding.


    “Alright. Be careful,” she said with a smile.


    “Thanks. We will.”


    They put their shoes on in silence by the front door before venturing into the brisk, cold air. She was glad that she was wearing a jumper, but Asher didn’t seem so bothered by the cold.


    They walked along the path towards the park, pointing out various things about the scenery that they enjoyed – such as the twelve gnomes outside a neighbour’s house, the way the clouds seemed to be shaped like spectacles, and the colours of the leaves that some of the trees had turned. Lila was quite glad that none of their conversations turned to her English assignment, or Alice’s behaviour post-match. Once at the park, Lila and Asher sat on the bench, taking in the fresh air.


    “Feeling better?” he asked Lila after a few moments of zen.


    She swung her legs out in front of her, assessing how she felt. Her head certainly felt much clearer, but she still wasn’t ready to go back just yet.


    “Just a bit,” she said softly.


    “Well, that won’t do,” he grinned, standing up. “Race ya to the swings.”


    “H-Hey!”


    He started cackling as he sprinted off towards the swings. She scrambled to get up, struck by the déjà vu. By the time she did, he’d already bellyflopped onto one of the swings. He groaned in pain, and she finally caught up to him.


    “Dummy,” she laughed, pushing him on the swing. “You’ve done this before and it hurt just as badly.”


    He sulked as he allowed his body to carry on the momentum. “What, no sympathy today?”


    “I have a lot,” she smiled, kissing him on the top of his head as he swung towards her. “Buuuut, this time it’s karma. For running off without me again.”


    He laughed, reaching out to touch her. “C’mon, there’s an empty one next to me. Let’s see who can go the highest.”


    Though the rushing air was cutting against her face, her heart felt warm as she swung with Asher, his persistent, adorable “Wheeee!” noises making her giggle. It distinctly reminded her of their trip to the park during PE – just before she confessed her feelings to Asher. Her feelings had grown so much stronger since then, though they’d felt so intense at the time, and she couldn’t contain her smile.


    “You seem to be in a good mood,” Asher observed once they’d slowed to a light swing, hardly lifting their legs from the ground.


    “I am,” she replied, broadening her smile. “It just… reminded me, of that PE class we had.”


    His eyes sparkled. “Yeah, that was a sick class.”


    She chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. You asked me if I had a crush on someone, at the sanctuary. I was going to confess to you then, but Ms Wright took us to the park. The moment had been ruined.”


    He stopped his swinging altogether, a faint blush across his face. “Really?”


    “Well, yeah. I’d been trying to confess that whole week, but things kept popping up. But… well, now that it’s all worked out, it’s become a fond memory, I guess. It’s moments like these, when you’re so silly and playful, that makes me glad that I fell for you.”


    He stared at her as she continued. “I… used to think that you were super serious. I mean, you can be, don’t get me wrong. And I think most people at school think you’re super serious. Getting to know that side of you… I dunno, it’s… endearing, I guess. Not that I don’t like it when you’re serious.”


    “Y’know, Isaac is sillier than I am,” Asher said quietly, now looking to his knees.


    “I do. But he’s too silly. I think if I tried to have a serious conversation with him, about anything we’ve been through together, he’d probably short-circuit and break. You’re the right amount of both. And… I kinda like that you’re not too outwardly silly. It’s kinda like you’re keeping that side mainly for me.”


    He smiled at her. “Being with you makes me feel safe, Lila. Safe to be silly, safe to not be so serious about studying, or even keeping up a responsible image at school befitting a Dux. I wouldn’t say that I’m keeping this side of me mainly for you – more that… I can let it out because you’re there. It takes me a while to let my guard down about that kind of thing. I think Isaac’s the only other person, besides my family, that I can just be goofy with. Otherwise, it feels like I need to keep it locked away to protect myself. If I’m too unserious, people tend to take advantage of me far more often.”


    Lila let his words sink in for a few moments. He’d mentioned that people used to take advantage of him in the past, before he told them to go away. If he was approachable, like Isaac, whilst still being the Dux, and rich as he was? Well, she couldn’t blame him.


    Lila grabbed the chain nearest to her which belonged to his swing. He seemed surprised until she started kissing him, unable to hold back any longer. He returned the kiss before breaking away with another smile.


    “Unfortunately,” he said in a low voice, “it looks like I’ll have to get serious again. Time’s running away from us, and we’ll be busy at the museum tomorrow.”


    Lila sighed, heaving herself to her feet. He was right – as usual. But, as they walked back together, hand-in-hand, she was glad that they’d had the break. Her focus seemed ready to return.


    ***


    By the time dinner came and went, Lila was far more positive about both her understanding of the content, and her write up. Asher seemed to sense this as he stretched his arms above his head with a yawn. He’d been working on his own studies whilst she was typing after they came back upstairs after dinner and he closed his laptop lid.


    “You’re doing well,” he said with a grin. “Reckon you’ll have your draft ready by the due date?”


    “I think so,” she smiled back. She’d managed to write a few hundred words so far, and knew her main points for the rest.


    “Good, good. Are you in the zone or ready for another break?”


    She looked back at her screen. “Maybe… in half an hour.”


    “Alright.”


    Asher stood with another yawn, heading over to the kitchenette. She heard him pour more drinks for them and she continued to type away. She hardly realised he’d sat next to her again until he tapped the edge of her laptop screen.


    “Time’s up,” he grinned, passing her a set of joy con controllers. “Unless you’re too scared that I’ll wreck you?”


    She snorted, immediately setting her laptop aside and taking the controllers from him. “No chance.”


    They spent a couple hours gaming, laughing and otherwise enjoying each other’s company. Once it started to get late, though, Asher put down his controllers.


    “I’m just gonna put on some pyjamas. Give me a sec,” he yawned, getting up to do so. Lila decided to do so as well and they both emerged from their rooms, looking rather comfy.


    “I’m thinking… of doing something a bit different,” he said, settling into his usual spot. “Maybe watch something.”


    “Sounds good,” Lila replied, tucking herself next to him. “I think I’m getting a bit sleepy.”


    “Did you want to go to bed?”


    She looked up at him for a moment before shaking her head and then resting it on his chest. “No, not yet. Besides… you said I’d be staying in the spare room. But it’s a bit lonely in there.”


    She felt his body stiffen. He sighed deeply, bringing a hand to her head. “You know why I said that, right?”


    “I do… doesn’t make it any less lonely.”


    He sighed again. “… Sorry.”


    “It’s okay. It’s not like I’m disagreeing with your reasons… but I’d been feeling a bit hopeful that I’d get to sleep next to you, that’s all.”


    He wordlessly stroked the top of her head. “Sorry.”


    “Asher.”


    “Sorry.”


    “… It’s just sleeping.”


    “I know. Sorry, but I can’t.”


    “Asher-”


    “I’ll stop… sorry.”


    She shook her head, keeping her mouth shut so he wouldn’t say it again. It really was okay.


    They remained silent for a while before Asher reached forward to grab his controllers.


    “I’d… been thinking we should watch some Quack Queen.”


    Lila snorted. “We haven’t for a while, have we?”


    “No. I’m wondering how she’s going with it all.”


    “She’s still insane,” Lila replied, sitting up a little higher so she could see better. “I don’t know when she has the time to sleep.”


    He made a sound of agreement as he put on the latest VOD on YouTube, and they were greeted with the ‘Streaming soon!’ loading screen.


    “You know, we haven’t talked about Zack just yet,” Lila said quietly as the Quack Queen’s icon spun around in an idling manner beneath the ‘Streaming soon!’ text. “Or the St Peters boys.”


    “We haven’t,” Asher conceded.


    “I find it interesting… that they seemed to be setting up a deal with another school. Especially after the Banker got sanctioned,” she murmured, pulling a blanket over them both.


    “It seems as though the ring is quite a bit wider than we thought. Just how many schools has it gotten into?”


    “I dunno, but I also find it interesting that Zack didn’t seem to know them very well last weekend.”


    “That’s true. At least, from my perspective.”


    “Do you reckon they’ve gotten more desperate? Since it was sanctioned? To get more users hooked onto it?”


    “That’s a possibility,” Asher muttered before shivering. “One that I hate.”


    “Yeah. No kidding. But… it could also mean that it has enough legs of its own, to stand without Daniel’s money.”


    “I reckon so. Livi still seemed pissed after the Square thing, and was hounding people to use cash instead of card, but their activities in the books had started to slow down slightly. Still a lot of money going in and out of Daniel’s business for no real reason, but it wasn’t as frequent towards the end.”


    Lila made a sound of contemplation. “But maybe he was genuinely inviting them out for juice. I heard them talking about oranges and mangos.”


    “Could be more code. Or… it could be that they do both at the same time. Like the card game. Do something that’s not so shifty, then integrate something shifty in between. That way, the get together itself doesn’t look suspicious.”


    Lila nodded before she started frowning. “There’s… something else.”


    “Like what?”


    “Well… Isaac seemed to know about a juice spot.”


    “Are you-”


    “I’m not saying that he is involved. But… it was just a bit too convenient that he knew about one.”


    “After his whole gambling debt thing blew up in his face, he’s seriously wanted to stay away from that whole group,” Asher said grimly. “Plus, he’s still working to pay me back. I don’t think he’d allow himself enough free money to do drugs.”


    “It’s just a thought.”


    “… I know. It’s… a necessary one. Did you want me to ask him about it?”


    “No. We said we’d try and keep him out of it, remember?”


    “Alright… I guess… we’d find out eventually.”


    “We would. We’re good at that kind of thing.”


    He chuckled. “Guess so.”


    They were quiet again, still watching Marlene’s Twitch icon twirl in place.


    “But… I do feel like he’s hiding something,” Asher said softly. Lila looked up at him to see that his face was rather troubled.


    “Like what?”


    “I don’t know. But Elise said that he wouldn’t get fired from Maccas ‘cause of what he did, right? And even with the whole gambling debt… I’ve never felt that he was being so… evasive as he has been recently. And sometimes it seems like he wants to tell me something, but he’ll just shut his mouth, or turn around, or point at something.”


    “Does it worry you?”


    Asher rubbed his face, exhaling deeply once again. “Kinda.”


    “You should ask him about it.”


    “I tried. Then he stopped really talking to me.”


    Lila pursed her lips. “I think… we should see how he’s like after Monday. You said it before that if we were working together, and you messed up to the point that a review was called, you’d be really frustrated with yourself. I think he might just be stopping himself from talking about it so he doesn’t psych himself out even more.”


    “That… does sound like Isaac. He can be a bit avoidant at times.”


    Lila nodded. “So… let’s not worry about it just yet.”


    “Can’t help it.”


    “I know, but worrying isn’t going to get you anywhere. Besides… we’ve got this ring to take down.”


    “We do.”


    “And… I feel bad for putting him lower on the list, but I also think… talking to Grace is a bit more important.”


    “You’re right. It is. I mean, I do know that if Isaac really needed my help, he’d come to me… even if it was a bit late. But I know he’d talk to me. Grace on the other hand… I don’t think she knows she needs help.”


    “Definitely not. I don’t think I told you, but… she came to PC the other day crying her eyes out. Said she asked her partner to go to the museum with us tomorrow, and then said they got into a fight about it. Ms Alexander freaked out, apparently.”


    Asher gave a low whistle. “Of course she would. I’m really surprised that Grace even asked.”


    “I think… it’s ‘cause Elise has been eager to meet her partner. I was too, until I found out who her partner is. Grace definitely knows that it’s wrong, otherwise she wouldn’t keep it a secret. But I think… maybe she thought it’d be okay. It’s almost been six months, and it sounds serious, so she’d probably think that we’d accept it.”


    Asher closed his eyes for a second. “If it was anyone else… at least, anyone who wasn’t a teacher, I’m sure we would.”


    “I know. At least, I would.”


    “… How are you coping with it?”


    “A bit better, but I’m a bit anxious for the museum tomorrow. There’s just so much weirdness. What with us knowing about Grace’s partner, Elise yelling at you yesterday, and then Isaac acting strange.”


    “There is a lot of weirdness,” Asher nodded. “But… there’ll be a lot of dinosaurs.”


    Lila laughed, wrapping her arm around his chest. “Yeah.”


    A countdown appeared on the screen – two minutes.


    “How do you feel?” Lila asked quietly, squeezing him slightly.


    “Like I’m being cuddled by my girlfriend,” he replied with a smile.


    She chuckled. “That’s not what I meant.”


    “I know… it’s just hard to articulate. It’s a pretty big mess, all around.”


    “Yeah… but… I mean about Elise.”


    “Elise? Oh. Right. Well… I did kinda invite that impression, with giving you that excuse to give to Grace. It was just a shock that she’d be so… gung ho about confronting me like that. If she tries it again, though, I’ll just… let it happen.”


    “You don’t have to put up with it.”


    “I know, but I will. We’re protecting something important with this lie, and I’ll keep doing that until we figure out what we’re doing about Grace. Ultimately… you know that it’s a lie. Even if it didn’t feel like it today. But, either way, you’re the most important person in this scenario. Since you know the truth, it doesn’t matter what Elise thinks. At least, that’s how I feel. Besides, like I said, I’m glad she’s someone who’ll stick up for you if something was going wrong.”


    Lila paused before looking back up at Asher. She kissed him on the jaw, as his lips were out of reach from her rather comfy position, and smiled.


    “Alright. As long as… well, as long as you’re okay with it.”


    He shivered for a brief second before nodding. “I am.”


    “What’s up with the shivering?”


    “Just… got a cold draft, all of a sudden.”


    “Do you want another blanket?”


    His face was flushed as he shook his head. “I’ll be fine. The stream’s about to start.”


    As if on cue, Marlene’s voice rang through the speakers. “Hellooo my Quacklings!”


    Lila looked up, seeing Marlene’s bright, beaming face, complete with her cat-ear headphones and winged eyeliner.


    “Sorry, the camera angle is all messed up, just a moment,” Marlene stood, her low-cut crop top now in full focus. Lila’s eye caught sight of the flurry of comments – most of them saying ‘Quackers!’ or some iteration of that. Others were… disturbing. Luckily, though, those were quickly buried under some reaction emojis – mostly people covering their eyes.


    “Sorry, guys, back now,” Marlene said, sitting back in her chair. The angle had changed so that it was looking slightly down at her, showing a little of her shirt, rather than straight-on.


    She wondered for a moment if Max, the guy at the camera store, had seen this one live as Marlene set out the agenda for that day’s stream.


    “It’s still mind-blowing how different she is,” Asher murmured.


    “It is. She’s so… personable. Not that she’s not when she’s working as a maid, but… she’s just so bubbly. It seems like she really enjoys streaming, at least.”


    They continued to watch in silence as Marlene opened up WoW. The stream continued on in the same way that Lila had previously seen from Marlene, with Marlene chatting away and giggling.


    After about an hour, Lila noticed some comments coming through on the side.


    ‘Bot! Get this bot outta here!’


    “A bot?” Lila asked, glancing up at Asher. He shrugged.


    “A bot’s probably spamming the chat with something. Oh, that might be it,” he pointed at the screen.


    ‘4j2D2i2p  2i0X0X  6k2Y2b0J0o3A  6r1l1s2D2R1s0Q2R1l  2i0X  4Z2Y1N3A,,  6r3m0Q2b2R3A--6r3m0Q2b2R3A  6r1l2D0Q0Q  0o2R  11003333,,  4c1s2R3A  --  0C2b2D  5u0o2D1e0o2D0Q2R  &&  4E0Q2i2D1e0Q,,  2b0Q0Q0J  0Q3A0Q2K..  4c0o1N1N  1s2b  2K1s0C1G  6k0o2R2Y2D0J0o3A  6r3m0Q2b2R3A--5B1s2b2R1l  2i0X  4Z2Y1N3A,,  6r3m0Q2b2R3A--6r3m0Q2b2R3A  6r1l2D0Q0Q,,  22331122..’


    It was posted by an account called Us3r_Us3r178. Definitely sounded bot-ish. It quickly moved away with the addition of other complaints about it. It appeared once more before Marlene started speaking.


    “What’s got you guys in a flap?” she asked with a giggle, looking through the chat. Her face grew serious as she evidently scrolled through the chat.


    “Sorry about that,” she smiled, “mods, please kick it.”


    Someone posted that they had kicked it, and Marlene thanked them.


    “Alright, it’s a good time to take a break for a sec. I’ll be right back. Don’t worry, I’ll grab Mr Snugglebutt.”


    She called for Mr Snugglebutt as she took off her headphones, before darting out of the frame.


    “Got ya!” she cried, setting him down on her chair. “Just a sec!”


    Marlene grabbed her phone before slipping out of the doorway. Mr Snugglebutt sat politely on the chair before curling up into a small ball.


    “I wonder how often she’s done that,” Asher chuckled. Lila’s eyelids began to grow heavy before he gently shook her shoulders.


    “Are you falling asleep?” he asked gently.


    “No,” Lila yawned. He chuckled again, and she felt him kiss the top of her head.


    “You can sleep.”


    “But… you’ll put me in the spare room,” she mumbled, looking up at him. Sleep was beginning to win, despite her protests, as his outline swam before her.


    “Just sleep,” he replied, stroking her hair.


    “But-”


    “I will put you in the spare room if you keep objecting.”


    “… Meanie.”


    He laughed, pulling the blanket up to cover her shoulders. “I’ll be as mean as I have to be.”


    She pouted but didn’t say anything more. The way he was patting her hair was definitely designed to put her to sleep, but if he was insisting that she do so, then who was she to fight it?