Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Four


    Lila woke up far earlier than she''d intended to on Wednesday. It was as though her body knew that she''d be staying at Asher''s tomorrow night and she couldn''t go back to sleep. So, with nothing else to do, she started packing.


    ''Actually, maybe I should bring at least one bag to school today…'' Lila thought as she folded some clothes into a bag. A four-day, three-night stay at Asher''s meant she needed to bring quite a bit, after all. She assembled one full of clothes and a couple of books, for casual reading and studying, for the weekend.


    With that, she made the trek to her bus and then to her locker room more laden than usual. She shoved her bags in her locker with a little force and used her shoulder to help shut it when Asher appeared, placing his hand on her door.


    "T-Thanks," Lila stammered, locking her locker. He was really close – and so early in the morning, too.


    "No worries. Any reason why your locker is about to burst?"


    Lila laughed nervously. "I… thought it''d be smart to bring some of my stuff for the weekend today. You know, to stagger it. Good thing, too, since it''s only one extra bag today and my locker''s already falling apart."


    "Ah," Asher smiled, "that is smart. I''ll take it home tonight."


    "Sounds like a plan."


    Her eyes landed on the hand still on her locker and she gasped at the state of it. "Asher, your knuckles-"


    He instantly put his hand behind his back as if she lacked object permanence. "It''s nothing."


    "Asher, they look so sore."


    "Well, you''re not wrong."


    "Just how hard did you punch Jackson?"


    "Enough."


    "Enough?"


    He held out his left arm for her to take. "Shall we go to English?"


    She frowned and he sighed. "I haven''t really punched anyone before. I''ve been close, but… yesterday was the first time I hit someone like I meant it. Seems like I walked away with some damage myself."


    She held out her hand for his and he reluctantly gave his right hand to her. His knuckles looked tender and red and she very lightly ran her index finger along them. He winced from the contact, a small exhale escaping his lips.


    "Asher…"


    "Don''t worry about me," he said, offering his arm again. "Let''s go."


    She sighed, grabbing hold of his arm. "Alright."


    Since they''d both already handed in their English assignments, they silently studied for the final exam. Lila would sneak peeks at Asher every so often – he looked relatively rested, which pleased Lila. She''d almost thought his fight with Jackson would''ve kept him up, but it didn''t seem to be the case.


    Then, Asher walked with Lila to Biology, his arms stretched high above him, a yawn escaping.


    "Tired?" Lila queried.


    "A bit. I did sleep last night, though," he replied with another yawn.


    "I kinda thought you wouldn''t," Lila said.


    "Huh? Why''s that?"


    "I thought you''d feel guilty about punching Jackson and wouldn''t sleep because of it."


    "Oh." He laughed, the volume building as he continued into a chortle. Once it petered out, he said, "Nah, nah, that made me sleep better, even though my hand hurt all night. I''m more tired ''cause I spent a little bit too much time on my Physics, but at least I handed it in."


    "Made you sleep better?"


    "Yup. After what he said, seeing his face after I punched him felt pretty good. Made hurting my hand worth it. I didn''t hear the first bit of what he was saying, but after you explained it to Ms Wright – I felt even angrier."


    She laughed. "Yeah, I''d agree on that one."


    "Though… punching him was a bad idea overall. It''d be a lie to say that I don''t regret it."


    "Yeah, it was. I''m really glad you didn''t get in trouble, but I think that''s because it was Ms Wright who came over, not Mr Kovac."


    "Yeah – I thought I was about to die until she said it was all resolved. Never mind escaping by the skin of my teeth, that felt like escaping by atoms." He surveyed her carefully before he touched her shoulder. "Are you sure you''re alright? He was really out of line."


    Lila smiled. "You don''t need to worry. I''m glad you were there. There was no room to feel anything besides protected with a reaction like that." She narrowed her eyes at him and added, "That''s not meant to encourage more violence, though."


    "Scout''s honour," he replied immediately. "I''ll keep a lid on it."


    "Good." Then, she smirked. "Unless it''s violence against me."


    He groaned before giving a light laugh. "Lila, I''m still not going to fight you."


    "But now that I''ve seen you throw a punch-"


    "Lila, please tell me you''re joking otherwise I''ll have to send you to a doctor to get checked out."


    "Fine. I''m joking."


    "Good."


    "… for now."


    "Lila-"


    She burst into laughter, which drew him into laughing along with her.


    "I''m glad you''re still in high spirits, but if you keep going on about me fighting you, I won''t have a choice except to touch you where you like it," he finally said, looking down at her with a grin.


    She immediately placed her hands over her face. She''d hoped he''d forgotten about that part of yesterday.


    He laughed, taking her hands away. "If you''re going to demand that I fight you, the least you could do is look at me."


    She avoided his eyes and instead tried to struggle against his grasp. He laughed again, pulling her close to him.


    "C''mon," he whispered in her ear, "how are we supposed to do the things you want if you''re so shy?"


    His words and his breath caused a shiver down her spine and she involuntarily pulled her neck to the side, away from his lips. Her butterflies started acting up, making her feel as though she''d fly away from the force of their beating wings. What did he mean? He seemed so forward all of a sudden.


    She forced herself to look at him, and he instantly looked away, his face bright red. Now, she had absolutely no idea what was going on.


    "You can''t just say that and be shy yourself," she murmured, hiding behind his arm.


    He chuckled, ruffling his hair with his free arm. "That''s true."


    Their faces remained pink and voices silent all the way to Lila''s Biology lab, even as Asher returned her belongings.


    "S-See you at morning tea," Lila managed to say as she grabbed her belongings.


    "Yeah," Asher replied, clearing his throat. "See you."


    She pressed her lips together as she watched him walk away, holding her bag tight to her chest. He''d done it again – managed to make her feel flustered beyond belief with words alone.


    She took a deep breath in an attempt to clear her head.


    "You going to head inside?" Cecelia asked, making Lila jump. Lucas was just behind her, looking over at Lila curiously.


    "Yeah. ''Course."


    They filed into the lab, sitting at their table. As usual, Mr Johnson hadn''t quite arrived yet.


    As soon as the trio set up for class, Cecelia''s eyes gleamed. Lila was sure that if they were in the dark, they''d be glowing.


    "I heard some interesting things this morning," Cecelia said, leaning in towards Lila. Lila blinked, trying to think of what Cecelia could''ve heard this morning. So many things were happening all at once, all of them gossipworthy, after all.


    "Yeah?"


    "I heard… that your boyfriend, Mr Dux the Nerd, punched Jackson yesterday."


    "Okay, rude," Lila frowned.


    Cecelia waved a hand dismissively. "The title''s part of the rumour."


    "Still rude."


    "Did it happen?"


    Lucas cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses. "I can answer that one, Cee. It happened for sure."


    Cecelia whirled to face him, hitting him lightly on the arm in shock. "What?! And you didn''t tell me?"


    "Cee, this is the first time we''ve seen each other today," Lucas laughed. "I haven''t had the chance. Anyway, it was all Jackson could talk about this morning in Maths. Well, it was all anyone could talk about since he''s got a massive black eye."


    "Seriously?" Lila''s jaw dropped.


    "Oh, dead serious," Lucas nodded. "Looks more like he got hit with a baseball bat, but I think that''s just how black eyes are."


    "Oh my God, I can''t wait to see," Cecelia breathed, her eyes sparkling. "I had no idea your boyfriend could throw a punch."


    "Neither did I, to be honest," Lila replied sheepishly. "He''s been close a couple times, but… Jackson was really stupid."


    "He never actually said why he got punched, just that there was a bit of an argument," Lucas said thoughtfully, his eyes shining with curiosity. "So what happened?"


    Lila sighed. "Have you guys heard the rumours about Ayla?"


    "Ayla?" Cecelia paused, tapping her chin. "Nup."


    Lila sighed again. Since she knew the fact that Ayla liked Piper in that way was spreading like wildfire, she supposed she could tell Cecelia and Lucas.


    "The other day, Ayla told her friends that she''s a lesbian and she liked Piper. Like, liked liked."


    "Seriously?" Cecelia gasped.


    "Now that makes me feel heaps better about getting rejected by her," Lucas replied. Cecelia glanced at him.


    "I forgot that happened."


    "What do you mean, you ''forgot that happened''?" Lucas asked, clearly bemused. "You''re the one that brought it up in Term One!"


    "Oh yeah." Cecelia shrugged. "Kinda forgot you liked anyone else. Maybe that''s just for my convenience."


    Lucas'' face reddened. "W-Well… it''s not like I didn''t like you at the same time, Cee. I just thought you''d never like me back, so I asked Ayla out."


    "Dummy," Cecelia said affectionately. Then, she placed her hands on the table, redirecting the topic as quickly as it''d diverged.


    "So? Why''s that relevant to Asher punching Jackson?" she asked keenly.


    Lila rolled her eyes. Just remembering what Jackson had said annoyed her once again. "Last night, the hockey girls and soccer boys had a joint end-of-season celebration, since we both share Jacoval at the same time for practice. You know how Jackson was friends with Ayla?"


    Cecelia nodded furiously and Lucas leaned forwards like he was very invested in what Lila had to say.


    "Apparently, when she told her friends about everything, Jackson called her a ''lesbo''-" Cecelia gave a scandalised gasp and Lucas looked thoroughly unimpressed, "and left the friendship group. At the celebration, he was complaining about it in the worst way."


    Lila wrinkled her nose but pressed on. "He called her a bitch and said that she ''just needs some good dick to turn her straight'' and that he''d ''go for it'' ''cause she''s hot enough."


    Cecelia''s scandalised gasp changed into an affronted squeak and Lucas'' expression turned horrified. Lila continued.


    "So I told him off and said no one wants his dick, straight or gay-"


    "Uh, yeah, Queen," Cecelia interjected. "With a sexist, pig-like attitude like that, that''s the truest thing you could''ve said."


    Lila nodded. "Anyway, he started going towards me and Isaac and Asher stepped in. Isaac asked what was going on and Jackson called me Asher''s ''dumb slut''-"


    "Oh hell no!"


    It was at that point that Mr Johnson had entered and the room was relatively quiet, which made Cecelia''s angry outburst feel ten times louder than it actually was.


    "None of that in my classroom, Walters," Mr Johnson immediately admonished. "I''ll toss you out of here."


    Cecelia immediately turned pink. "Sorry, sir."


    "Good. I hope your progress on your assignment will mean you''ll hand it in on time tomorrow."


    Cecelia nodded meekly and Mr Johnson began marking the roll, halting Lila''s recollection of yesterday for the moment. Once he was done and announced that today''s class was dedicated to finishing their assignments, Cecelia and Lucas leaned in towards Lila – a gesture that meant that Lila had to finish her story.


    "So… after Jackson called me that, Asher punched him. Isaac was able to keep him from punching Jackson again. Ms Wright then came over and told Jackson and Asher off. They managed to get out of it without any detentions but as Jackson was leaving, he said something interesting."


    "Ooh," Cecelia breathed, nodding encouragingly.


    "He said he''d thought that Ayla was going to be his girlfriend."


    "Yeah, no," Lucas snorted derisively. "I think even if she was into guys, there''d be no way."


    It was at that moment that Lila recalled something that she''d buried in the recesses of her mind. She shuddered. "Remember the photo incident?"


    "Photo incident?" Lucas asked blankly.


    "The one where photos of me and my phone number were being spread around in the boys'' bathrooms?"


    "Yuck, don''t remind me," Cecelia replied with a shudder of her own. "I can''t believe you survived that."


    "Yeah, well… Jackson actually called me. I erased it out of my mind because of how many people were calling and texting at the time but I remember now – he was one of the first callers."


    Cecelia mimicked throwing up and Lucas''s brow creased, his lips pulled in disgust.


    "Yeah, Ayla definitely wouldn''t have gone for him," Lucas affirmed. "I never liked him and now I feel entirely justified. He was always a bit arrogant."


    "A bit''s an understatement," Cecelia added.


    "True." Then, Lucas grinned. "Good on Asher. If there were any moment to punch Jackson, he picked the right one."


    "I honestly can''t believe he called you a dumb slut, first of all, but second of all, in front of Asher. Like, how stupid could you be?" Cecelia said, shaking her head. "That''s like asking Asher directly to punch him."


    Lila snorted. "After Asher punched Jackson, he called Jackson the ''dumb slut in this equation''."


    Cecelia burst into laughter for just a second before being stifled by an equally amused Lucas, his hand over her mouth.


    "Bro, Asher''s my hero," Lucas snickered softly. "Had no idea he could be badass like that."


    Lila smiled. "He''s my hero, too."


    "Aww," Cecelia cooed, having escaped Lucas'' grasp, "that''s so cute."


    "Walters, if you don''t keep quiet for the rest of class, I will actually make you leave," Mr Johnson said gravely, appearing next to Cecelia. She squeaked in response and scrambled to open her laptop. Mr Johnson looked around the table at Lila and Lucas who looked back at him with wide, terrified eyes.


    "Go on. Get to work."


    None of them spoke for the rest of Bio.


    This was actually quite beneficial for Lila, as her Bio assignment was the last of hers to be handed in for the term. Unfortunately, she hadn''t quite finalised it by the time class was over but at least she had a couple more classes she could work on it in before 4pm tomorrow.


    She trailed behind Cecelia and Lucas, both of whom crossed paths with Asher.


    "Good job, mate," Lucas said approvingly as they passed.


    "I wouldn''t mind if you hit him again!" Cecelia called before giggling and taking Lucas'' arm as they headed towards the locker room.


    Asher looked perplexed at Lila as he took her bag from her.


    "Why am I getting cheered on by Lucas and Cecelia?" he asked. Lila laughed.


    "Cecelia heard that you hit Jackson and Lucas said Jackson''s got a black eye, so they asked me about it."


    Asher blanched. "He''s got a black eye? Seriously? Shit, I didn''t mean to hit him that hard."


    "Well, he''s not being forthcoming about why you punched him, so maybe you should do it again."


    "I thought you didn''t want to encourage violence."


    "Yeah, that was until I realised he''s a bit of a coward."


    "I don''t mind if he''s not telling people why I punched him. Just means his version of events is already untrustworthy to everyone since it''s missing critical details."


    "I''m not sure anyone else will think that deeply about it and say it''s untrustworthy."


    Asher shrugged. "Doesn''t matter to me. I''d be more anxious about you getting the wrong idea if you weren''t there to see it happen. No one else matters in this scenario. They can think what they want. Besides, even though I don''t feel guilty for punching him, I''m a bit embarrassed about losing my cool in front of everyone like that. I''m supposed to be better than that. I''d rather everyone forget the whole thing and move on."If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Lila paused. "… Even so, I''d rather people know the real reason why."


    "Why?" Asher queried, his expression entirely perplexed.


    "Why? Because it was…" Lila stopped herself from saying ''kinda hot'' and took a deep breath. "I-It was for a good reason. Not that you should''ve done it, but at least it was warranted, you know? It sounds better than you just attacking him out of nowhere."


    He smiled. "Like I said, all I care is that you know that. C''mon, worrywart. Let''s grab something to eat."


    <hr>


    Lila spent morning tea enjoying Asher''s company, as usual. She told him about her singular assignment that was left – to which he beamed, radiating an excited energy that she hadn''t seen for quite a while. Or was it pride?


    The idea that it was pride made Lila feel shy all over again. If he looked at her like that again for something she did… she wouldn''t mind at all.


    Either way, their discussions didn''t touch on the subject of Jackson, though she eyed Asher''s knuckles every so often. They seemed to be healing well, which eased her somewhat.


    However, when they finally headed back to the locker room to get ready for PC, it shouldn''t have surprised Lila as much as it did when Elise immediately accosted her on sight. It looked like she wouldn''t be able to escape talking about it generally.


    "I heard about what happened yesterday," Elise said matter-of-factly. "Tell me everything."


    Asher began to sidle away from Elise''s range of sight with an apologetic wave to Lila. It seemed like he wasn''t kidding about being embarrassed by it. She reluctantly waved back and allowed her arm to be looped with Elise''s.


    "It''s like everyone''s gone insane," Elise rattled off excitedly. "No one can believe it but since Jackson''s got the biggest black eye imaginable, it can''t not be true."


    Lila sighed. "What''d you hear?"


    "Well, Isaac was fuming about what Jackson said during Study-"


    "Was he?" Lila tilted her head curiously. "He didn''t seem that way yesterday."


    Elise opened the door to their PC classroom with a flourish. "He couldn''t stop ranting about it. Said the split-second decision to hold Asher back or punch Jackson himself was the hardest decision he''s had to make in a while."


    "So it seems like you know everything."


    "Not your perspective."


    Well, Elise had her there. "True…"


    "We were also surrounded by idiots talking about it. They said a whole bunch of stuff, none of it the truth according to Isaac. Some people think you''re in another love triangle-" Lila involuntarily shuddered, the imagery making her sick, "-or that Jackson called Asher a nerd too many times-" and now Lila snorted derisively, "-or that it was some lame soccer spat. I can''t remember the rest, it changes so quickly."


    "Seems like Study was buzzing with not enough study."


    "Tell me about it. It was so distracting and only made Isaac more mad."


    Lila gave Elise a sideways glance as they sat down at their usual table. "Sounds like you two were pretty cosy, chatting away."


    Elise''s face flushed. "We sit together during Study ''cause we''re friends, so of course we talk. It''s not being cosy. Whatever weird image is in your head is not what''s going on."


    Lila simply gave Elise a suggestive smile.


    "Stop that."


    "But Elise-"


    "Lila, you''re getting on my last nerves-"


    "Whoa," Grace''s voice halted their squabbling as she sat across from them in her usual spot. "Sounds intense over here."


    "Not as intense as what happened yesterday," Elise said swiftly. "Did you hear about it?"


    Grace looked blankly back at Elise.


    "Are you seriously the only person who hasn''t heard about Asher giving Jackson a black eye?"


    Grace''s expression turned alarmed. "What?"


    "Damn, where have you been, girl?" Elise asked incredulously.


    "Working hard on my assignments," Grace replied frankly. "What''s this about Asher and Jackson?"


    Elise looked at Lila expectantly and she sighed again.


    "So, you know how I said I had that celebration last night for the end of the hockey season?" Lila began. Grace nodded, glancing curiously at Elise.


    "Jackson does soccer, so he was there. He… wasn''t very happy about Ayla''s confession the other day. The one where she said she was in love with Piper. At the time, he''d left their friend group over it and he was complaining about it yesterday. Said some gross stuff about turning Ayla straight with some ''good dick''-"


    "Yeah, that''s not how it works," Grace interjected, her face a mixture of anger and disgust. "I hate that so much."


    "Well, I told him off for it – told him no one wants his dick, straight or gay-" both Elise and Grace snorted, "-and then he started coming towards me and Asher and Isaac stepped in. Isaac asked what was going on and Jackson said ''Asher''s dumb slut'' before Asher just punched him. I''ve got no idea what Jackson was going to say after that but I''m guessing it was about me butting into his conversation. Isaac held Asher back from going at Jackson again and Ms Wright showed up, told them both off and let them go without detention. I couldn''t help but say to Jackson that I thought Ayla was his friend and he said he thought she was going to be his girlfriend before walking off."


    "Some celebration," Grace remarked with a frown deeper than any Lila had seen on her. "Glad Asher punched him."


    "Yeah, same – except now it seems everyone''s running off with different ideas on what happened," Lila replied, placing her head in her hands. "It really annoys me. Like, it all started ''cause Jackson''s a disgusting person. People should know the truth."


    "Well, he''s not going to admit that, plus you know how rumours are. Even if some did know, it''d just get twisted within minutes," Elise said sensibly. Then, her eyes lit up. "At least he''s got a gnarly souvenir from it."


    "That makes it sound like you''ve seen it," Lila commented.


    "That''s because I have," Elise nodded. "I do Manufacturing with Jackson. Had that class just before morning tea and he was such a baby about it."


    "What''d he say happened?"


    "That Asher punched him over an argument yesterday."


    Lila rolled her eyes. "He''s not exactly incorrect but he''s missing out a big portion of the story."


    "''Course he is, ''cause he''s embarrassed your boyfriend showed him up. Heaps of people double-checked that he actually meant Asher. I mean, Asher''s such a goody-two-shoes that no one can believe it – except Jackson definitely confirmed it."


    "What have you done to him, Lila?" Grace laughed. Lila flushed. Asher had changed quite a lot – in the beginning, it was because his Mum was missing but now… was it Lila''s fault?


    "Nothing," Lila replied awkwardly. "He''s not a goody-two-shoes, though. Not anymore, anyway."


    Now Grace looked awkward, her eyes flickering uneasily towards Elise, who looked none the wiser.


    "He''s the Dux," Elise said disbelievingly. "Of course he''s a goody-two-shoes. Always has been."


    "They''re not the same thing, you know," Lila responded shortly.


    Elise laughed. "They are for him. Unless…" she looked suspiciously at Lila, who immediately stared down at her hands, "you''re doing sketchy stuff with him."


    "Definitely not," Lila said a bit too quickly.


    "Uh-huh."


    "He''s just… a lot different to what most people think of him as," Lila explained softly. "He''s got strong morals, sure, but he''s more than that, too. He''s not black and white about stuff, you know. He usually evaluates most situations and weighs up the cost-benefit of doing something to resolve it, even if the action isn''t inherently ''good''."


    ''I mean, he''ll bend the law if it''s to investigate stuff with me,'' Lila thought. Then, she paused. ''Oh God, I am the problem.''


    She inhaled deeply, trying to calm down. ''No, no. I''m not the problem. He got his and my lockpicking kits on his own accord.''


    ''The blackmail idea was mine, though, despite his help with it… and whose idea was it to break into Marlene''s place again?''


    "Lila, you look unwell," Grace said gently, looking unwell herself. "Maybe we should change the topic. It must''ve been a very confronting situation for you, even if the punch was for good reason."


    Was she worried Lila would spill the beans to Elise about Asher keeping quiet about Grace''s illegal relationship? Though Lila ordinarily would''ve been upset by that, she was grateful for Grace''s suggestion since she was starting to spiral.


    "Y-Yeah. How''d you go with your Modern History assignment, Grace?"


    <hr>


    "Did your boyfriend actually punch Jackson?"


    Lila blinked up from her Japanese workbook at who''d spoken to her, her mind dancing between Japanese and English. It was April, sitting next to her. April Huntley.


    ''Hang on, where have I heard that last name before?'' Lila thought, staring blankly at April, who stared just as blankly back.


    "Hello?" April asked.


    "O-Oh. Uh, yeah, he did," Lila confirmed with a frown. "Sorry, but I just realised that your last name sounds really familiar."


    "Does it?" April raised an eyebrow at Lila. Then, it hit her.


    "Wait, are you related to someone named Dylan by any chance? I think he goes to Mulberry Heights."


    April nodded, the thought that Lila was bizarre clearly passing through her mind in the way she looked at Lila with wide eyes. Then, the look quickly fell away.


    "Oh. Right. He''s my cousin. He''s dating Asher''s ex, that''s right." April wrinkled her nose. "I had to go to their baby shower last weekend."


    "Wait, seriously?" Lila sat up, her interest in April as a person skyrocketing like never before. They only ever interacted in Japanese, and only as partners for speaking and listening and occasionally checking each other''s writing. Then, there was the strange custody arrangement they had for Ayaka all those months ago. Aside from that, Lila still hardly knew anything about her.


    "Yeah," April replied, seeming surprised by Lila''s interest. "God, it was weird."


    "How so?"


    "All Dylan could do was be mad they lost their chance at making it to the soccer finals. Like, hello, you''re about to be a Dad in October and some high school sport is all you care about?"


    "Is it actually his baby?"


    April looked incredibly uncomfortable. "… yeah. I know what the timeline is and all that. They did one of those paternity tests that you can do while pregnant. My Aunt was livid when Holly said that Dylan might not be the father and demanded she do the test before she got any help from Dylan''s parents. At least Dylan''s parents paid for it, it was like over $1500 or something stupid."


    "Jesus."


    "Yeah. It''s been a bit rough for Holly, hanging out with us Huntleys. Everyone in the family judges her since everyone knows she was dating Asher when she got pregnant."


    At least Holly was facing some social consequences.


    "How is she going to finish school?" Lila asked. "Term Four starts in October."


    "Homeschooling from Term Four," April replied with a shrug. "I think she''ll be going back to Mulberry Heights next year, but she said something about homeschooling for next term so that she can recover."


    "What do you think about it all?"


    "Me?" April blinked, as though she''d never considered this. "I think they''re both stupid. But it''s not my problem. I only see them once every month, maybe every two months, ''cause my grandparents insist on it. I mean, aside from the fact that Holly''s a cheater, Dylan''s not exactly a catch, to be honest. He always makes these weird comments about her, how much of a mistake she made. As if he didn''t also make a mistake? I don''t know, he''s always just acted like he''s better than everyone else. It''s so draining. I''m so glad I go to a different school."


    Then, April side-eyed Lila. "Why''d Asher punch Jackson?"


    With a sigh, Lila relayed the events to April''s horror.


    "Yeah, no wonder Asher punched him. I thought my cousin was stupid, that''s even stupider. Calling you that in front of your boyfriend." Then, she smiled at Lila. "Impressive. He must really like you to do that in front of teachers. I heard he hasn''t ever done anything bad at school, let alone been given detention."


    Lila laughed nervously. Whilst it was true that he hadn''t been given detention, stalking Zack with intent to blackmail did happen on campus, as well as using lockpicks to escape the storage room in the Applied Tech building.


    "Aw, you''re going red! You must like him a lot too."


    Lila laughed nervously again, though this time for a different reason. "Yeah. More than I''ve liked anyone."


    "Cute! I feel the same about my boyfriend. He''s in Uni-"


    "Sorry, what?" Lila exclaimed. A few of their classmates looked back at them as April looked sheepish.


    "I get that reaction a lot," April replied, "but we''ve been dating for a while. He only graduated from here, like, three years ago."


    "So he''s four years older than us?"


    "Yeah."


    Lila felt uneasy, but supposed it was a lot better than Ms Alexander and Grace''s age gap by a mile.


    "He said once I graduate, we''ll get married," April continued, her eyes gleaming with hope.


    "Isn''t that a bit early?"


    "Early?" April stared at Lila as though she''d grown another head. "It''s late, to be honest."


    "Just how long have you been dating this guy?"


    "Like I said, a while. Three months."


    Was the age gap better? Lila was starting to get whiplash. Was April''s situation actually better than Holly and Dylan''s? It seemed equally stupid to think about marriage after three months, especially straight out of high school – right?


    She eyed how giddy April looked. Whilst Lila wouldn''t recommend getting engaged after only three months – and in Grade 11, no less – relationships were all so different and unique. There''d probably be more than a few people who would think her relationship with Asher was bizarre in some way, so could she really judge?


    This question bothered Lila into silence for the rest of their lesson, which worked well as April absorbed herself into studying for their upcoming Japanese exams.


    Lila eventually settled on her stance. ''I think I''ll judge, but if she''s happy, then what do I matter in this situation? So, in that case… three months is a bit ridiculous. How did she even meet this guy? No matter how I slice it, a 20-year-old dating a 16-year-old sounds horrific.''


    She refrained from asking since she didn''t want to think about it anymore. At least he wasn''t April''s teacher…


    Once class was finally over, Lila stumbled into Asher''s arms, hearing his familiar chuckle.


    "Studying hard, I take it?" he asked with a grin.


    "There''s that, but… I heard something interesting in class."


    "Interesting how?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. They started walking to the locker room as he added, "I hope it''s not about me. I''m getting sick of these interviews. I really wish everyone forgot about it."


    "They probably won''t forget until Jackson''s black eye is gone."


    "… I still can''t believe I did that."


    "Yeah, you did. But that''s not what I heard. Well, I kinda did – April asked so I told her what happened. Anyway, so, April is Dylan''s cousin-"


    "I''m gonna need you to rewind that a bit. Who''s April?"


    "April Huntley. She''s in my Japanese class. Anyway, she''s-" Lila stopped herself, glancing at Asher. She''d been so excited to share this new information about Holly and Dylan that she forgot that Asher probably wouldn''t want to hear it.


    "She''s?"


    "S-She''s, um, in a relationship with a 20-year-old."


    Appalled was an understatement. Asher''s expression twisted so dramatically that Lila wasn''t sure whether it''d been replaced with a pretzel.


    "Huh? How many people in this godamn school are walking around in relationships with people far older than them?!"


    This outburst earned some strange looks from those walking by them. He didn''t seem to notice as he continued to look at Lila in bafflement.


    "Well, that''s part one of what she told me. Part two is that they''re engaged-" Asher made incoherent noises of disbelief and Lila powered on, "-after only being together for three months."


    "Seriously?" his voice sounded faint. "Three months? Lila, that''s insane."


    "I know."


    "Someone should stop them."


    Lila paused before sighing. "Well… I mean, why stop them when we haven''t stopped others? She seems happy."


    "Of course she seems happy. He''s preying on her."


    "Or… he might not be."


    He gave her a doubtful look before shaking his head. "I guess people can do what they want with their lives. As much as I hate it, I wouldn''t know her from a bar of soap and… as you said, it''s not like we''ve stopped others."


    Lila nodded. Then, a strange sensation came over her – as though she were possessed by curiosity itself. "O-Out of curiosity… um, what''s your views?"


    Asher gave her a sharp look. "On what?"


    She shook her head. She suddenly didn''t want to know. If his views didn''t align with hers… did that mean the end? "Never mind."


    "No, no. What did you want to know?" His question sounded desperate, almost.


    Lila pressed her lips together, as if doing that could stop her next words from spilling out. "What''s your views on marriage?"


    "U-Uh, I-what''s yours?"


    "That''s not an answer."


    He floundered, his lips opening and closing as though he wanted to say something but couldn''t bring himself to.


    "What''s wrong?" Lila asked quietly, her heartbeat anything but.


    "… I… I''m just nervous," Asher replied, running a hand through his hair.


    "Nervous?"


    He simply nodded.


    "Why?"


    "I''m hoping our answers match, but I have no idea what yours would be."


    She smiled. "That''s exactly why I wanted to back out of asking."


    He exhaled slowly, folding his arms across his chest. "It''s… a goal of mine."


    Lila felt her chest lighten and her smile widen. Relief – rolling like a wave throughout her body, a sensation that took her anxiety away. Their answers matched.


    "Same," she replied, reaching for one of his arms. "One day. Just… not at three months."


    He laughed heartily, his relief apparent in the way his upper body entirely relaxed as soon as she touched him. "Another thing we agree on."


    They spent the rest of their journey to the locker room talking, smiling and laughing. Neither touched on the serious topic of marriage though Lila secretly hoped he didn''t think she meant that her want to be married was with him. If three months was too soon to get engaged, one and a half months was lightning speed, after all.


    Not… not that she''d mind if he did. She did love him, after all. But no – it was way, way too soon.


    ''I mean, I haven''t even been able to tell him that I love him…''


    "You guys forget we were having lunch together or something?" was Isaac''s greeting upon Lila reaching her aisle, flapping his lunchbox about on his wrist at the word ''lunch'' for emphasis.


    "No," Lila replied shortly, moving past Isaac to put her things away. "We were just talking."


    "I hope it was just talking," Isaac frowned.


    Lila rolled her eyes, slamming her locker shut. "Just talking."


    "Ooh, about what?" Elise asked from behind Lila. "About him punching Jackson?"


    "No, actually. Stop being obsessed about that."


    "But it''s a fascinating concept," Elise insisted. "Right, Grace?"


    Lila turned to look at Grace, who shrugged. "Maybe for a minute."


    "Isaac, back me up," Elise said, whirling to face him. He took a step back.


    "It wasn''t exactly a great moment," he replied awkwardly. "I don''t think Asher''s proud of it."


    "He should be," Elise frowned. "He was defending Lila."


    "I shouldn''t be," Asher said, his appearance startling everyone. "Lashing out like that isn''t good."


    "I beg to differ," Elise replied confidently. "You put Jackson in his place after he said some terrible things about Lila and Ayla."


    "I only heard what he called Lila."


    "Was that not terrible?"


    Asher''s jaw flexed. "Of course it was. But you make it sound noble, like what he''d said about Ayla had any bearing on what I did."


    "Eh, that''s neither here nor there. I doubt he knows what you heard."


    "Even so. Let''s not talk about it anymore. I''m so tired of all of this, everyone''s been trying to talk to me like I''m some celebrity when all I did was see red and be impulsive. I''m supposed to be better than that – use my brain. Have some words. It''s what I''m known for." He paused before mumbling, "I hate when my brain isn''t in control."


    Those words made Lila''s heart drop. After all the innuendos from her friends and family about the long weekend, a tiny part of her had started to hope that something new would happen. Not necessarily going all the way but something. Hearing that though – it killed that hope right where she stood.


    "Why, do you regret punching him?" Elise pressed. Everyone else besides Asher narrowed their eyes at her and she shrugged. "What?"


    Asher sighed. "I regret that that was the action I took, yes, but I don''t necessarily feel guilty for it, given the stuff he was saying. Not sure what my resolution would''ve been if I hadn''t just hit him faster than I could think, but he needed to be put in his place somehow."


    "I doubt words would''ve got through to him," Isaac said with a scowl. "Punching him was the only solution."


    "I doubt it," Asher replied. "Anyway, should we sit down somewhere?"


    The ''somewhere'' ended up being the library as usual, and it looked like Elise wanted to keep talking about Asher''s altercation with Jackson. However, Isaac instead chatted away about a myriad of things, which Lila thought was a bit different than how he''d been over the past few weeks. It was quite welcome though – just different.


    Lunch flashed by after that, with the mood being significantly lifted after Isaac''s antics. It almost felt like he was normal. But had he been abnormal or just quiet for some reason? Lila couldn''t quite put her finger on it.


    Since Lila had already handed in her Design assignment, it was now time to work on the next. She ran a couple of ideas by Asher on their way to the Applied Tech building when she noticed, standing outside with a gaggle of guys, Jackson.


    She''d completely forgotten that he was in her Design class.


    Jackson''s eyes fell on Lila and Asher and the hush that fell over the group was instant. Both Lila and Asher stopped in their tracks. She could see why no one could stop talking about Asher''s punch from yesterday.


    Jackson''s left eye was surrounded by a deep purple, the swelling making his eye almost permanently closed. What she could see of his eyeball was red, as if the blood vessels in his whites had burst. Most of all, it looked entirely painful.


    Asher started to back away, her bag at her feet, when Jackson strode towards them, his hands in his pockets. He… didn''t look angry but Lila had the sudden fear that he was going to exact revenge on Asher. She stepped between them.


    "What''re you doing?" she asked, a surge of anger welling inside her. Now that he was standing before her again, after calling her a dumb slut, she was half tempted to give him a matching black eye on his right side.


    Jackson defensively held up his hands.


    "I just wanted to say sorry," he said, lowering them. Lila''s eyebrow twitched and she felt Asher''s hand on her shoulder.


    "Huh?"


    "For yesterday. I… said something really dumb. I''ve just been pissed at everything and everyone over the past few days," he replied, his posture entirely ashamed.


    Lila blinked. She hadn''t expected an apology from Jackson, especially since he wasn''t telling the rest of the cohort the truth about what happened.


    "Oh," she uttered. Jackson simply nodded before looking at Asher.


    "And I''m sorry for being a dick to your girl. I didn''t know you were cool like that."


    "Cool like that?" Asher''s tone was surprised and bemused all at once.


    "Y''know. That you could throw it down. I just thought you were a little bitch, ''cause of what happened with your last girlfriend and also ''cause you''re the biggest nerd around."


    Lila felt Asher''s hand flex around her shoulder, so she placed her hand on it, hoping it would calm him down.


    "Anyway, I know that now. I think the rest of the grade knows not to fuck with you either. Sorry. And, uh, that really hurt. It was a good one."


    He stuck his hand out, evidently requesting a handshake from Asher. Asher looked down at it for a moment before reciprocating. Jackson turned to walk away.


    "Um, Jackson?" Lila said before he could take a step.


    "Yeah?" he asked, turning to look at her.


    "I hope you say sorry to Ayla, too."


    "Ayla?" A hint of emotion passed through his uninjured eye. "Why?"


    "She… thought you were friends."


    Jackson stared at her before turning back towards the Design classroom. "Not sure if I can do that. Not now, anyway."


    Lila and Asher didn''t move, watching instead as Jackson and the group he''d been talking to started talking again.


    "That… was weird," Lila murmured.


    "Yeah. I don''t know how I feel anymore," Asher replied. "I mean, he managed to sneak two insults in there but it seems like he''s not a bad guy? I can''t tell."


    She paused, unsure about whether to keep this information inside. At the same time, though, Asher deserved to know. "When Piper put those photos in the bathroom, he was one of the first people who called."


    "Never mind. Hate him."


    Lila looked up at Asher, who was glaring at Jackson.


    "I don''t think he knew it was me."


    "Is that meant to make it better?"


    She didn''t have a firm answer for that.


    "… it makes it marginally better," Asher muttered. He met her eyes and smiled.


    "See you after class," he said, casting his eyes around for just a second. Then he kissed the top of her head before immediately jogging off.


    "See you," she called after him, slightly miffed that she couldn''t kiss him in return.


    The energy in Design from then on was definitely odd for Lila. It was quiet – par for the course – but she was receiving far too many looks from classmates; Jackson''s crowd, but also those who''d clearly heard the rumours.


    She tried not to pay attention to all the stares. It was a mission to do so since she didn''t have an assignment to complete.


    Sketching some of her ideas for the next term helped, but it wasn''t a cure. It was starting to feel like how it was in Term One when rumours about her were flying through the school halls – though that had all been completely unfounded then.


    After being dismissed from class, Lila bolted out of there as soon as possible. She''d almost thought that Asher wouldn''t be waiting for her, yet there he was.


    "Hey," he greeted her with a beam.


    "Hey," she smiled. "You seem much happier after that class."


    "''Course. We have Study together now."


    She linked arms with him and they headed off to the library. They settled into their usual booth, with Lila now being the apologetic one.


    "I''d love to talk, but I''m so close to finishing my Bio assignment."


    He laughed. "Don''t sound so sorry about it. I''m all for ignoring me in favour of finishing your assignments."


    "Not that I want to ignore you."


    He grinned before sinking behind his laptop screen and disappearing from view. "Ignore away. I don''t exist. It''s payback for when I had to ignore you."


    She giggled and opened her laptop, swiftly picking up where she left off from her assignment. Eventually, Asher reemerged, though she was too focused to react with anything besides a smile.


    In what felt like seconds, Asher wiggled the top of her laptop screen and her eyes flickered to his.


    "It''s home time," he smiled. "Let''s get going."


    She packed up and stretched, her mind still running through her assignment. Just a little bit more, then she''d be done.


    Their afternoon routine proceeded as they normally did, though Lila could feel yet more eyes on them as they passed. Some nodded at Asher, which he steadfastly ignored in favour of talking to Lila.


    "So… tomorrow you''re coming over to mine," he grinned, his cheeks flushed. "It''s been a while."


    "Yeah," Lila replied, tightening her hold on his arm. "I''m really excited."


    "I am too. I''ve asked Gabriel to make lasagna and he''s obsessing over cheeses and spice mixes. He reckons he''s got the perfect recipe in mind."


    "I can''t wait."


    They split off once they were in the locker room and Lila was still assembling her belongings when Asher arrived by her side.


    "Is this your extra bag?" he asked, picking it up.


    "Sure is."


    "Is there anything you don''t need for tomorrow but want over the weekend?" he asked, peering into her locker. "Whoa, it''s hectic in here."


    She blushed, closing her door with more force than necessary. "It gets like that at the end of the term."


    "You don''t need to be embarrassed," he replied, gently prying it open. "C''mon, load me up with more stuff."


    She pursed her lips before sighing. There were a few things at least.


    Once that was done, they toddled over to the bus station.


    "You sure you can handle carrying everything?" Lila asked. "My hands work, you know."


    "I know," he replied. "I''ve got it, though."


    "Uh huh…"


    The pile in his arms definitely looked unsteady, but he looked resolute. So, they carried on, with Lila double-checking every so often that he still had a good hold on their things.


    They slowed down by the bus station and he managed to hand her school bag over without dropping anything, which was pretty impressive.


    "See you tomorrow," he said, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. She eagerly returned the kiss and he chuckled, stepping back.


    "The teacher on hat duty will see," he said gently, readjusting her hat with his free hand.


    Lila pouted. "Not even a little bit more?"


    He lightly tapped her nose, his eyes light with amusement. "Nope. But tomorrow, I''ll kiss you all you want."


    Her heart skipped. "R-Really?"


    Their eyes met and his face turned bright red. She thought he''d back down but to her surprise, he nodded. "Really. Your bus is here, so I''ll see you tomorrow."


    She smiled brightly at him, touching his cheek. This only seemed to deepen his blush and widen her smile.


    "See you tomorrow, Asher."