Chapter One Hundred and Eighty


    As soon as her Dad walked through the door that night, Lila accosted him. She’d been waiting for him in the kitchen and he seemed more than a little surprised by her appearance by the way he jumped.


    “Dad, can we please talk? In the office.”


    He looked around at the otherwise empty kitchen before readjusting the laptop bag on his shoulder.


    “Alright, kiddo,” he said, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose. “You sure you don’t want to just chat here?”


    She shook her head. “No thanks. I want to be alone with you for this.”


    “Not the office again,” he muttered, giving her a slightly suspicious look before leading her the way there. She could understand his apprehension – they hadn’t talked about anything good in his home office in a very long time; a pattern that Lila was not about to break today.


    She closed the door behind them as he heaved himself into his chair and placed his laptop bag on his desk.


    “Well, there’s one reason coming to mind about why you want to talk to me alone. Given what you told your mother the other day, it now seems that it’s a possibility,” he said lightly.


    Lila looked at him blankly. “Sorry?”


    “You’re preg-”


    “Jesus, Dad, stop asking!” Lila replied shrilly, placing her hands over her eyes. “I’m being safe.”


    “Kiddo, ‘safe’ isn’t perfect-”


    “Dad! Stop! If it happens, I’ll just tell you. Please stop guessing.”


    He fell silent and she lowered her hands, her face beet-red, much like his.


    “Alright then, what’s going on?” he finally said, placing his hands in his lap, his body language open yet curious.


    Lila took a deep breath, hoping it’d help dispel the colour in her cheeks. “I… wanted to know if you’d be able to take Asher on as an intern over the summer holidays too.”


    “Asher?” her Dad blinked at Lila in surprise. “Why on earth would he want that?”


    Lila hesitated slightly before quietly saying, “After what we did to investigate the morphine ring at school, he’s kinda been interested in investigations. He still doesn’t quite know what he wants to do after he graduates so I thought it could help him get some inspiration.”


    Her Dad paused. “Lila, he’s the son of one of my clients. It’s a bit of a conflict-”


    “Isn’t me being your daughter also a conflict?”


    This seemed to surprise him as much as the suggestion for Asher to work as an intern at his firm did. “Well, you’ve got me there.”


    “Plus, he’s my boyfriend-”


    “Are you sure he won’t be too distracting?”


    “Of course he won’t be,” Lila insisted. “He’s Asher. If he’s focused, he’s focused, and if that’s the case, I’m focused too.”


    Her Dad looked at her slightly too long, and she tried not to think about whether he was applying this to something other than studying.


    “Does Asher have anything else on?” her Dad eventually asked, his scrutinising gaze feeling apt to pierce right through her any moment now.


    “He didn’t say he did.”


    “Has he asked his parents?”


    Lila shrugged. “They’re not really around, actually. I doubt they’d notice if he wasn’t at home over the summer holidays.”


    Lila was definitely sure that Ivaan wouldn’t notice, and if Tabitha was still missing by then she absolutely wouldn’t notice Asher’s absence.


    “They’re not?” her Dad’s expression changed to absolute surprise.


    Lila shook her head. “They’re very busy.”


    This seemed to bother her Dad as he scratched his eyebrow, his expression contemplative. “Will he be coming around anytime soon?”


    Lila hadn’t considered this as a possibility – mostly because now that they were intimate, she was pretty content with being in the privacy of the wing of his house. Because of how many people were at her home at any given time, she didn’t think there’d be an opportunity to do anything like that in her room – although, the door was able to be closed-


    ‘The heck am I thinking?’ she asked herself, feeling her face heat up once more. They didn’t need to have sex every time they hung out and it seemed like her Dad was angling for Asher to come over for a visit.


    “We… haven’t planned for it, but he could,” she finally said awkwardly.


    Her Dad nodded. “I’ll need to think about it some more, but if I saw him again, I could evaluate whether he’d be a good fit as an intern.”


    “Alright. Thanks, Dad. I’ll see if he can come over during the week or the holidays.”


    He stood up, bringing with him finality to their conversation when Lila spoke up again, slightly blocking the door with her body.


    “Um… I also… wanted to talk to you about something else.”


    He slowly sat back down with a weary exhale.


    “It’s about the investigation that we helped with.”


    He narrowed her eyes at her. “Lila, I told you-”


    “I know, but… but Dad, I think Elise’s Mum got caught up in it.”


    “Pardon?” he uttered, his face as stunned as his voice.


    “Yeah… she’s been at the Forestglade Private Hospital for treatments and apparently a doctor over there prescribed her some morphine, more than usual, and he’s vanished and now she’s left to try and recover. Elise has been so stressed about everything, she’s been working at Maccas to help pay for treatments and, Dad, I… I just want to know how far this all went. It’s terrifying. Whenever I think about what Elise is going through, my heart hurts. How many more victims are out there?” With the rapid way she''d said all of that, she had to catch her breath, her eyes glued to her Dad.


    He was silent for a few moments before he took his glasses off and rubbed his forehead, his sigh long and low.


    “Lila, you know how it is with confidentiality.”


    “But Dad… I helped a little, right? I… that’s all I want to know.” A lie, of course, but it was all she figured she could get out of him for now.


    His next pause was longer than the previous, his lips pressed together for its duration before he looked into Lila’s eyes. His expression was unfathomable – there was reluctance there, definitely, but was there also fear? Fear of what?


    ‘I’m imagining things,’ Lila thought, keeping her gaze steady. As far as she knew, her Dad feared hardly anything. It was one of the reasons why he was such a good private investigator.


    He gritted his teeth, the seriousness of his tone giving Lila pause. “All I can say is that it’s much bigger than you think it was. Far beyond the hospital and schools, at least.” He folded his arms across his chest before adding, “I can vaguely tell you that the Forestglade Private Hospital wasn’t the only hospital that had missing morphine.”


    A beat passed as she absorbed what he’d finally said. “So, what, you’re saying it reached the whole city?”


    “I’m not saying anything,” her Dad replied, replacing his glasses on his face with a slight smile. “Whatever conclusion you draw is your opinion alone, no matter how correct it is.”


    ‘So, a big fat yes,’ Lila thought, a frosty chill running through her. The entire city? Forestglade was just one of many suburbs that made up the city.


    “You mean-”


    “That’s all I’ve got, Lila,” her Dad said, standing up once more. “I’d love to tell you more, but there are still active pieces – besides, it hasn’t become public knowledge yet.”


    Active pieces? So the investigation into the morphine ring wasn’t over. What else was left? Was it about Hunter’s whereabouts? Was Hunter also connected to the other hospitals, or was he working with someone else? Maybe a whole group of someones?


    “Now, Lila, I need you to listen well. Everything connected to this matter – it is far more serious than just a simple drug scandal. Do not look into this anymore.”


    Lila squirmed uncomfortably. “I’m not-”


    “I’m saying this because I know you, Lila. You’re my daughter, after all. It’s being handled.”


    His final look was incredibly severe – almost probing. She didn’t want to risk saying anything, lest her intentions of looking into Marlene and other matters be known.


    ‘Realistically, I’m not looking into more morphine rings,’ Lila reassured herself. ‘That part’s done for me.’


    Her Dad seemed satisfied with her lack of response and gestured at the door she was still guarding. She awkwardly opened it for him before following him out. He entered the kitchen and Lila continued past the living room where her Mum was watching a drama, up the stairs and to her room.


    She contemplated talking to Asher about this immediately, but she figured it’d be better in person – especially if her Dad happened to eavesdrop. So, she settled on lying back on her bed and sending him a different message instead.


    Hey, she sent, a small smile already on her face as she awaited his reply.


    Hey back, he replied instantly. Her smile widened.


    I was wondering what you’re up to.


    Me? Well… I’ve been looking into my plan of attack on my assignments


    I see, she sent before pausing. Then, she snapped a selfie of herself and sent it to him.


    You’re looking cute as always, he replied.


    Only for you


    Then I’m the luckiest guy in the world


    Lila bit her lower lip, contemplating something utterly mischievous. She unbuttoned her school blouse, unhooked her bra and exposed her chest before sending another selfie.


    Definitely the luckiest guy in the world, was his swift response.


    Her breath hitched as she rapidly sent, Could you make me the luckiest girl in the world?


    The delay that followed made Lila feel slightly nervous. It’d been quite a while since he’d had such a long delay-


    At that moment, a shirtless picture of Asher filled her phone’s screen. She saved it to her secret folder with a grin.


    I love you, she replied. She fiddled with the zip on her skirt as she contemplated sending him more photos. That contemplation lasted only a moment as she slipped it off and tried her best to send an enticing photo of her lower half still clad in underwear. She sent her best one before hiding under the covers of her bed, her heartbeat pounding as she waited to see what he’d say.


    My love, you’re making me want to kidnap you.


    I have no idea what you’re talking about, she sent with a smirk.


    Another delay. Then, something else filled her phone’s screen – something she wished could fill her instead. She could feel her cheeks redden as she saved this one too. She continued to inspect the photo, her thundering heartbeat almost suffocating her lungs, when a knock startled her so much that the next thing she knew, her phone smacked her squarely on the nose and tumbled to the floor next to her bed.


    “Oww,” she whined, throwing out a hand to rescue her phone, the other gently pressing her nose.


    Her door creaked open and she hastened to ensure her screen was off, her phone was lying under the covers, and said covers masked her state of undress.


    “Sis,” Daniel’s voice proceeded his shuffling into her room. She almost told him to get out immediately, but his serious yet conflicted expression told her she shouldn’t.


    “Yeah?”


    He sighed as he crossed her room and sat backwards on her desk chair. She remained where she was since she was not about to expose her unbuttoned self to her brother.


    “You know how I said a while ago that I was scared that everyone’s growing up and moving on and out?”


    This intrigued and concerned Lila. “Right?”


    He leaned his arms on her headrest, his sigh rather muted. “It feels like you’ve already done that.”


    “Huh?”


    She felt her phone buzz by her fingertips and, while she was beyond tempted to look at what Asher had sent her next, she was not going to do that with Daniel sitting right next to her.


    Daniel pursed his lips before sighing again. “I’ve hardly seen you recently. You’ve been at Asher’s almost constantly.”


    “Right… not that that’s a new thing,” Lila replied cautiously.


    He wrinkled his nose. “Sure, but after what Mum asked you and your reply, I can’t help but feel weird about it. Plus, you’ve been staying the night with him far more regularly now.”


    It was Lila’s turn to sigh. Her phone buzzed again, which she steadfastly ignored.


    “Daniel… I have no idea why Mum asked me that when you were right there.”


    “Neither, but it’s what it is. I just- you’re actually being careful, right?”


    How many people were going to talk to her about that?


    “Yes, Daniel.”


    “Okay. Um. Second to all of that… I think it’s Asher’s turn to come over for a bit.”


    How many people were going to say that, too?


    “I’ll bring it up to him,” Lila promised. “Not that he’d necessarily say yes.”


    Daniel wrinkled his nose again. “Why, ‘cause it’d be harder to bang here?”


    “Oh my God, Daniel,” Lila took her hands out from the covers and slapped them onto her face. “Shut up, dude.”


    “I’m just asking!”


    “And I’m not telling!”


    “So that’s a yes.”


    Lila huffed, folding her arms across her chest. “I don’t know why he’d say no, just saying that he might.”


    “Ah, so you’d avoid asking because-”


    “I’ll throw you outta here.”


    He raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, damn.” He exhaled deeply before resting his chin on her headrest. “I… I’ve been wanting to talk to you and probably Asher, too, for a while but since you’ve hardly been home, I haven’t been able to.”


    “Oh,” Lila replied, relaxing her folded arms so they rested by her sides. “What about?”


    “There’s this girl-”


    “WHAT?!” Lila started to sit up in her eagerness to know more but the feeling of her blanket across her chest reminded her that this was a terrible idea. So, while she was half sitting up, she pulled the blankets higher onto herself and slowly slid back down.


    “I haven’t even finished telling you literally anything about her.” He gave her a reproachful look before raising an eyebrow. “You’re being real weird. Should I come back another time?”


    It felt as though her face was on fire as she rapidly shook her head. “Go on,” she replied, waving a hand in feigned nonchalance. While she would have preferred that he intruded in her room during a time when she was not sending compromising pictures to her boyfriend, the fact that Daniel wanted to talk about something personal without Lila’s prompting was something she wasn’t about to let slip.


    Daniel looked at her suspiciously before he took a deep breath and continued. “I think I like her, but I don’t know what to do.”


    “She better not be another Grade 12.”


    He shook his head. “Nah, learned my lesson. She also has no idea I’m the Banker and I’m keeping it that way.”


    “So, what, you haven’t told her you like her?”


    He shook his head again. “Too chicken shit.”


    “I see your issue.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “After all that pressuring for me and Asher to confess to each other, too.”


    “Yeah, well, I didn’t realise it was this scary,” Daniel replied, running his hands through his hair.


    “Have you never confessed to anyone before?”


    “Never.”


    “Ahhh,” Lila breathed in understanding. “You didn’t want to talk to Clare about this?”


    “I think the fuck not,” Daniel said instantly with a shudder. “She’s so old plus she’d just tease me forever about it.”


    Lila immediately abandoned her plan of teasing Daniel relentlessly over this in her mind.


    “Fair,” Lila replied awkwardly. Her phone buzzed by her hip and she internally repeated her private resolve to absolutely not look at it whilst Daniel was still here. “My lips are sealed.”


    He shot her another suspicious look. “Yeah, I think I’m gonna go-”


    “No, no, c’mon. We can talk if you need to.”


    He pursed his lips, and she asked, “What’s she like? How’d you meet her?”


    “She’s in my PC class. She’s like cute and stuff.”


    Lila held in her instinctual snort. “Okay. What’s the ‘and stuff’?”


    He placed both hands in his hair, tugging at whatever strands found themselves in his grasp. “I… I don’t know.”


    “How don’t you know?”


    He turned red before shaking his head. “I don’t know, sis, she’s just cute. And really smiley. And friendly.”


    “Uh huh… anything else?”


    He looked flustered. “I-I-”


    Lila gave him a pitying smile. “Should we just talk about it when Asher’s over next? It won’t be tomorrow, since he’s got his last soccer practice before the finals – but maybe Wednesday?”


    Daniel exhaled slowly before nodding. “Yeah.”


    “Alright. I’ll talk to him about it.”


    He pressed his lips together before standing. “’Kay. Thanks, sis.”


    “No worries.”


    “Also, why are you being so-”


    “Get out.”


    There must’ve been something in her expression or voice that commanded his immediate compliance, for he scrambled out and slammed the door behind him. She waited until she heard his bedroom door close and then a few moments more before she slowly retrieved her phone.


    She saw that another photo was sent from Asher of a different angle of himself before a Lila? and then a Sorry.


    She hastened to respond.


    Sorry! Sorry, Daniel wanted to talk. Basically everyone wants you to come over again soon


    Then, with another furtive look at the door, she took a photo of herself with as much exposed as possible.


    There was a long delay but eventually, Asher did respond.


    Thank God. I thought you didn’t like the pics


    No, no, I like them a lot. They’re already in my secret spot


    Good


    My collection needs a few more, though


    Another pause. Then-


    Well I can’t deny that, can I? Especially since mine needs more, too


    They sent some more photos back and forth before Lila heard a knock on her door once more. She covered herself with her blanket, heart beating furiously both from the fear of being caught in such a situation and from what Asher had been sending her, but the knocker didn’t come in.


    “Dinner’s ready,” her Mum called. Lila sighed, picking her phone up and telling Asher she had to go.


    All good, he responded. Then, as Lila made herself appropriate, another text came through.


    I’ll see you tomorrow, my love. I love you


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    With a pout, she picked up her phone and texted, That makes it sound like ur not gonna talk to me after dinner


    I can’t stand you not being here. I might seriously kidnap you if we talk more. Especially if you send me any more pics


    She smiled, bringing her phone to her chest for a moment before replying.


    Alright. I love you. See you tomorrow


    <hr>


    When Lila stepped up to her locker bright and early that Tuesday morning, Asher was immediately by her side.


    “Hello,” she giggled, turning to embrace him. He squeezed her tightly as he echoed her greeting.


    “Where were you hiding?” she asked as she unlocked her locker and separated what she needed for the morning.


    “Around the corner. I’d only just grabbed my stuff when I felt my Lila radar go off.”


    She laughed. “Lila radar?”


    He nodded, his serious expression showing playful cracks in the way his lips twitched. “Whenever you’re near, it feels like a ping goes off in my brain.”


    She snorted and his cracks gave way to a wide grin.


    “Like you’re a metal detector?” she asked with another giggle, closing the door and locking it.


    “Yup.”


    “You’re so silly,” she shook her head and grabbed his hand.


    He interlocked their fingers as he said, “Only for you.”


    They wandered off to the direction of the Gymnasium, sharing more jokes and banter, before separating to get changed. Once they emerged and sat down in their usual place on the court, Lila looked intently at Asher.


    “Yes?” he asked, his humour still bright in his eyes.


    “When’re you coming over to mine next?”


    This earned an anxious look in response. “U-Uh, I… was hoping in a few years.”


    She nudged his shoulder in disapproval, and he sighed.


    “I can come over whenever except for tonight ‘cause of practice – but Lila, I don’t know if I’m strong enough.”


    “Strong enough?” she blinked at him in bemusement. “What’s strength-”


    “Mentally, I mean.”


    “Everyone knows you’re mental,” she quipped, and he nudged her back.


    “That’s rude,” he remarked playfully. Then, with another sigh, he said, “I can’t shake how nervous I am to face your family again. I mean, everyone knows that we get… intimate.” He said the last word in such a quiet mumble that if she wasn’t watching him speak, she wouldn’t have caught it.


    Lila sighed, leaning back entirely so she could stare at the ceiling. “Sure, but are you really planning on avoiding them forever? That’d… be kinda sad.”


    Though she’d said ‘kinda’, the idea of Asher not coming over to see her family again weighed uncomfortably in her chest, bringing with it a lump in her throat that she fought to swallow.


    He didn’t say anything for a few moments, though he laid down next to her. Then, he slowly reached a hand out to hers and she let him take it.


    “I’m just worried they think less of me, my love,” he confessed under his breath. “If I see that they do… I mean, I don’t want to face the idea of them no longer approving me ‘cause we started doing that stuff. I know how important your family is to you.”


    He did? It wasn’t like she told him, though he wasn’t wrong. She turned to face him, her eyes meeting his forlorn ones. He gave her a small, shaky smile and she reached out to touch his cheek.


    “You’re overthinking, my love,” Lila said gently. “They approved of you far before we started dating. I’ve told you that before.”


    “It seemed like they were going to take it back when I last spoke to them. You know, when they asked if we were going to-”


    He was interrupted by three sharp claps directly behind their heads. Lila craned her neck to see that Ms Wright was standing just there, her face none too pleased by their closeness. Lila and Asher quickly sat up and unlinked their hands. With a stern nod of acknowledgement, Ms Wright swiftly made her way to the front of the class and gave out her instructions for today’s lesson – gymnastics.


    “Huh?” Connor’s voice carried over the intrigued whispers of their classmates. “How’re we gonna do that?”


    “We’re only going to be working on very, very basic things,” Ms Wright explained. “Forward rolls and handstands. If it goes well, next term we might progress to cartwheels. For now, though, give me ten laps around the gym while I set up the mats.”


    The intrigued whispers immediately gave way to reluctant groans, including from Lila. She was quite comfy where she was, sitting next to Asher. He helped her up and they jogged together, keeping pace but without any conversation.


    Once the mats were set up and everyone had finished their laps, Ms Wright split the class into two, whereby one group practised forward rolls and the other practised handstands. Asher and Lila were lucky enough to not be separated and took the opportunity to stand some ways away from the rest of their classmates as Lila attempted a handstand against the back wall.


    “You’re leaning a bit-” Asher darted forward and kept his arm against her legs to prevent her from falling.


    “T-Thanks,” she huffed, the blood rushing to her face incredibly uncomfortable. “Um. I think I need a hand-”


    She didn’t need to finish her sentence, for Asher gently guided her down into an all-fours position, her face to the wall. Then, as quickly as he’d helped, he disappeared. She curiously looked for him whilst still on her hands and knees before finding him just next to her in her blind spot, his face pink and eyes avoiding her gaze.


    “What’s wrong?” she asked, standing up and dusting her hands on her pants.


    He gave her a nervous smile, though his eyes still refused to meet hers. “Nothing.”


    “Asher, you know I know you better than that.”


    His eyes darted to hers before he looked away again and began to prepare for a handstand.


    “My love?”


    He lifted himself into a handstand without answering her, his red face immediately reddening further with gravity and exertion. She held her arms out as she waited for him to stabilise, her concern still on her face.


    Eventually, he wobbled out of the handstand and she helped him out of it, her question still in her mind. He finally met her eyes for a moment longer before sighing heavily.


    “I’m trying not to act on an intrusive thought here,” he whispered in her ear. “You’ve gotta realise the position you were in just now.”


    Her heart thumped. In an instant, she did.


    “R-Right,” she squeaked, trading places with him and preparing for a handstand once more. Now that he’d said it, she could only remember the last time she’d been in that position with Asher, engaged in a very different type of exertion.


    She was glad that the handstand could mask her incredible embarrassment and, truthfully, unbridled desire to act on the intrusive thoughts they were now undeniably sharing. She elected to not speak to Asher for the rest of their handstand practice, for she had no idea what would come out of her mouth if she did talk to him, and he didn’t push to speak either.


    When their group was swapped to forward rolls, Asher looked far more relieved and they helped each other try them out. It turned out that Lila was inherently horrible at them – which, given Holly’s assertion earlier this year that she should be a cheerleader (Flyer, no less), felt a bit ironic. But, through the giggles and laughs that she shared with Asher about the state of her rolling, she started to get the hang of it.


    Asher grinned, shuffling across the mat so that he could take a turn, huddling close to her ear for a moment.


    “Good girl,” he muttered before assuming the correct form. He didn’t give her even a second to respond as he rolled several times down the length of the mat, emitting a “Wheee!” as he did so.


    Caught between being absolutely flustered and holding in an intense belly laugh, she placed her head in her hands. Being flustered won as she looked up at him, seeing him gleefully rolling back towards her.


    “You can’t just say that and roll away!” she managed to splutter.


    He stopped just long enough to give her a smirk before continuing with his forward rolls. Once he reached her, she pushed him over and he laughed, remaining on his side for a few moments. Disgruntled, and still flustered, she rolled her way down the mat.


    ‘At least he’s having fun with teasing me,’ she thought as she reached the end of the mat. With a sigh, she turned and rolled back to Asher, who was sitting whilst closely observing her, traces of humour still gracing his face with a slight upturn of his mouth.


    Once she reached him, she frowned, stopping him from starting another set.


    “You’re exceptionally silly in PE,” she said, her tone almost accusatory. He looked confused for a moment before giving her a wide, carefree smile.


    “’’Course. PE doesn’t affect the Dux award. Watch me do this with no hands.”


    And off he rolled. She settled into a seated position where Asher had been with a shake of her head. His silliness was almost rivalling Isaac’s at this point.


    As far as she could tell, though, he hadn’t been like this in PE before they started getting close. As she continued to watch him flail down the mat, his tiredness apparent in the way he definitely used his hands despite his declaration, a soft, fond smile crossed her face.


    It wasn’t lost on her that as the school holidays approached, their to-do list would become incredibly serious. While she hoped to have more moments of brevity like this with Asher, she wasn’t quite sure she’d achieve it in a morgue or at the infamous bench in Flora Park. They’d also need to get serious over this week if they were going to figure out a plan of attack against Marlene for their next conversation. Lila’s distraction in the form of photos of herself and Asher hadn’t taken away that frustration from the weekend, after all.


    She briefly wondered if the reality of their upcoming plans was also weighing on Asher’s mind since there wasn’t much study to be had at the moment, but she wasn’t about to ask him here.


    Panting, he finished his set, splaying next to her.


    “You can’t tell me to watch you roll with no hands and then use your hands the whole way,” Lila said with a light laugh.


    “Should’ve… closed… your eyes then,” Asher replied, gulping in air as he flopped his head backwards onto the mat. “More rolls are gonna kill me.”


    “Can’t have that. Watch me do this with hands.”


    She heard him weakly snort behind her as she set off once more. Their class quickly wrapped up after that and, with her mind still ruminating over their future plans, she met back up with Asher, dressed back in their normal uniforms.


    “I didn’t realise gymnastics would take so much out of me,” Asher commented as she held onto his arm and they began their journey to Lila’s Design class.


    “It’s a hard sport,” Lila replied. “I’d never be able to do it regularly. Hockey’s much better for me.”


    “Soccer’s better for me, too.”


    They chatted and joked some more about their PE class before the Applied Tech building loomed into view. As usual, Asher returned her things and they went their separate ways.


    Since Lila had already started on her plan for the next project last week, she simply continued designing the elements she needed. Though her focus was enhanced by the silence surrounding her, she did take a swift glance at Jackson. His face now only had minute blotches of colour hinting at his altercation with Asher, which gave Lila a sense of ease. Perhaps he’d rejoin Ayla’s friend group soon.


    When she finally left her classroom, Lila curled her arm around Asher’s, and they set off to the locker room. Once they obtained their morning tea, they passed Elise and Isaac on their way out of the locker room – which reminded Lila of her resolve to talk to Elise.


    “Elise?” Lila called, forcing Asher to stop short. Elise and Isaac both spun to face them and joined them in the hallway, flattening themselves as best they could alongside the wall to give the sea of students around them enough space to get through.


    “Yeah?” Elise replied.


    “Are you going to watch these two practice for soccer?”


    Elise nodded, her face flushing slightly. “Yeah. Why?”


    “Just wanna chat.”


    “About what?”


    Lila glanced at Asher and Isaac who both looked just as interested in Lila’s answer as Elise.


    “Girl stuff.”


    Isaac shuddered and Asher looked elsewhere, towards the exit.


    “Alright. See you later,” Elise smirked, pulling Isaac’s arm which served to peel him off the wall.


    “See ya,” Lila replied, intertwining her fingers with Asher’s. The girls waved at each other before Lila looked up at Asher, who seemed rather embarrassed.


    “C’mon,” Lila said, shaking his arm. “This apple of mine isn’t going to eat itself.”


    This seemed to relax him enough for a chuckle and they continued their journey to the library. They took their places in an empty meeting room and ate in comfortable silence for some time before Asher spoke.


    “So, why does everyone want me to go over?”


    Lila laughed in surprise. “How long have you been wanting to ask me that?”


    “Since you texted me that last night.”


    “Why didn’t you last night?”


    “I was about to until I got horribly distracted. Not sure why.”


    She grinned at him, placing her apple core in her sandwich bag. “A mystery, for sure.”


    His eyes twinkled. “Care to unravel it for me?”


    She pursed her lips. “Maybe. Maybe not. I could definitely unravel something else for you, though.”


    He chuckled, his eyes alight with exactly what she wanted to see. “I think I’d enjoy that,” he said, his eyes flickering down her body.


    She grinned at him again before straightening her posture. “Teasing aside, I spoke to my Dad yesterday.”


    A flash of unease crossed Asher’s expression but Lila powered on. “He wants to evaluate you-” his unease changed to horror, “-to see if you’re suitable as an intern.”


    Asher seemed to process this for a moment before he let out a steady exhale. “Alright.”


    Then, Lila’s expression dropped. She placed her head in her hands and said in a low voice, “Asher, when I talked to my Dad about you being an intern and you coming over, I asked him how far the morphine ring extended to. I told him about Elise’s Mum – just a small summary. He said that the ring is much bigger than we thought it was – beyond the hospital and schools. He basically implied that it reached the entire city.” She glanced at his sombre expression and sighed. “He also said that it’s more serious than just a drug scandal and to stop looking into it.”


    Asher folded his arms across his chest. “I see. Luckily we’re not looking into the morphine ring then.”


    “That’s what I thought.”


    He looked perturbed by Lila’s information and she gave him a tight smile.


    “A bit freaky, huh,” she said quietly. “I wonder what he knows, but he said it was being handled.”


    “That’s good, at least. Reassuring.”


    “Yeah. Impacting the whole city like that – it’d have to be handled by the police.”


    They fell into more silence before Lila remembered what else had happened yesterday.


    “And…” Lila’s lips twitched into a smile, “Daniel wants to talk to you.”


    “Has something happened with the Banker stuff?”


    Lila shook her head before pausing. “Actually, I haven’t heard an update about that for a while. I wonder if he found some new employees.” Then, she shook her head again. “He doesn’t want to talk about that. He wants to talk about a girl.”


    “A girl?” Asher blinked at Lila. “He wants to talk to me, the guy who was too scared to confess to you until you did, about a girl?”


    Lila nodded. “Apparently. Well, he wants to talk to both of us. He said he’d been wanting to talk to me for a while about this but I’ve hardly been home.”


    Asher grimaced. “When you put it like that, it sounds like we’ve left him in the lurch.”


    “A bit.” She held Asher’s hand, guilt almost overcoming her. She bit her lower lip and he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.


    “I’ll go over on Wednesday,” he said softly. “Can’t leave Daniel alone in a situation like that after all the encouragement he gave me.”


    She gave him a small smile and he took her other hand.


    “My love, I’ll go over more-”


    “No, no,” Lila replied swiftly, “no, I just should probably be home a little bit more. I got a bit excited, being able to do the things I’d been wanting to do with you.”


    He paused. “You… don’t want me to come over?”


    “No, that’s not what I mean,” she said even more hastily, squeezing his hands. “I do want you to come over. All I’m saying is that I should rebalance a little. I know you’re apprehensive about coming over, so I don’t want to force you.”


    He sighed, returning the squeeze. “We’ll see how tomorrow goes.”


    Lila nodded. “Yeah.” Then, as she ruminated on his words, she realised he’d said something similar yesterday. “What was it like being with Marlene after we talked?”


    “Ah.” He pressed his lips together, looking thoughtful. “Fine. She didn’t really talk to me, like usual, so it was pretty normal in terms of our routine. The silence made me keep thinking about what we talked about, though. To be honest, it made me want to plan everything even more. I think the fact that it was pretty normal is weird, too, right?”


    Lila contemplated this for a few moments. “You’d think that she’d talk to you a little bit more, wouldn’t you?”


    Asher nodded. “Yeah. But she hasn’t. I dunno, maybe it’s ‘cause she knows I feel weird about her or maybe it’s ‘cause you’re not there. You were the one who talked to her mainly, rather than me.”


    Lila pursed her lips. “That’s true,” she replied reluctantly. Then, after another beat passed, she said, “How are you actually feeling about it all? I know you mentioned you can’t trust her but… I just want to make sure you’re okay.”


    Their eyes met and he gave her a small, forlorn smile.


    “I’m okay when I’m with you,” he said softly. “The nightmares creep up when you’re not there, though.”


    How was she supposed to choose between being at Asher’s and being at home now? She took a deep breath, wondering how feasible it would be for Asher to stay at her place. Her bed was a double bed in comparison to his queen bed-


    “Otherwise, I try not to think about it,” he continued.


    “Are you sure you want to keep going with this?” she asked, her tone incredibly serious.


    Another pause from Asher. “Absolutely.”


    “Are you sure?”


    “Not knowing the truth about Marlene hasn’t done me any good this year, has it?” He clenched his jaw before adding, “I hate that I can’t discount her from being a part of Mum’s disappearance. I really, really want to. But she played us so easily on Sunday – who knows if she’s been playing Mum for all these years? Pretending to be nice and loyal only to…”


    He choked up but before Lila could get up, he coughed into his shoulder and the effect disappeared entirely.


    “A-Anyway, I’ve gotta know. Plus, you’re curious as hell.”


    “Sure, but don’t feel like you have to go through with this just because I’m curious. She lives with you, not me. We might find answers that you really don’t like.”


    “I told you before your curiosity was starting to rub off on me.” He pressed his lips together again and slightly shook his head. “Since the beginning of this year, I’ve started to realise that the truth is irreplaceable. Even if it’s ugly, its value doesn’t diminish. I’ve got your relentless nature to thank for that.” He gave a half-hearted laugh. “If Marlene did something to Mum, I want to know at all costs. Pull out all the stops. Since the first time we looked at the CCTV footage and she caught us right there, I’ve been trying to fight the wrongness I’ve felt about her – or, rather, the idea that she’s the key to everything.”


    “Even if she wasn’t home when your Mum disappeared?”


    “Even then. Since our conversation with her, it struck me that she knows a hell of a lot for a maid, barista and streamer. Even if she didn’t personally make my Mum disappear, the secrets she’s hiding have got to lead us there. It’s… call it a hunch, I guess.”


    Lila felt the weight of Asher’s statements settle in her chest. She couldn’t fault anything he said – after all, she felt the same and had done so for a very long time.


    “Alright,” she agreed, “then we’ll keep pushing.”


    Neither spoke for a few moments, with Lila falling back into contemplation of the idea. Pull out all the stops, huh…


    “Have you thought about what to talk to her about next?” Lila asked quietly.


    Asher tilted his head back, training his eyes on the ceiling. “I’ve been trying, but I have no idea. Any plan that I try in my mind, she thwarts it.”


    “Well, give me a few.”


    “There’s the classic just coming out and asking straight up what she did to Mum.”


    “Yeah, absolutely not.”


    He gave her a quick grin. “I know. Second idea was to bring up our investigation into the morphine ring in the library. She seemed surprised by the fact that we saw a deal go down, so maybe she’d want to know more.”


    Lila pursed her lips before shaking her head. “What else would she gain? That we told my Dad about it?”


    Asher nodded. “That’s what I figured.”


    Lila squinted at the table, her mind running a mile a minute. Did they have anything that Marlene would want to know? Was there a pattern with the questions she’d asked or topics she probed about on Sunday?


    “My other idea was to talk more about her boyfriend.”


    Lila looked back at Asher who didn’t seem committed to the idea.


    “I mean, yeah, I’m curious about him,” Lila said slowly, “but that wouldn’t lead to us figuring out more of what she knows about what’s been going on.”


    “Yeah, I figured that as well.”


    She tapped her fingers against the desk. “I want to know what the hell she got from my Dad.”


    “I mean, the case file is most likely, isn’t it?”


    “Sure but it’s not confirmed – and the follow-up question of why isn’t answered at all.”


    Asher sighed. “How would we get her to tell us? I mean, we could say that we saw it happen but she’s got no incentive to be honest and I don’t think asking outright will get her to slip up.”


    Lila frowned. “Maybe we should let the idea of talking to Marlene simmer a bit more. If we keep sleeping on it, we might find a good idea.”


    “Yeah,” Asher replied, though there was a hint of petulance. “Good idea. I hate that I can’t figure out a plan right now, though.”


    “I do too. I don’t know whether maybe I’m thinking too much about how crafty and intelligent Marlene is and psyching myself out of it, or if maybe we can’t actually get anything more out of her.”


    He didn’t respond for a moment before he took her hands in his. “C’mon, let’s switch gears. Talk about other stuff for now.”


    She exchanged a smile with him and they dove into topics of lighter discussion – including theories about the girl Daniel had a crush on – before they had to head off to PC.


    Since Ms Wang was in the middle of marking exams, she commanded total silence during PC, which meant Lila wasn’t able to talk to Elise and Grace. The rest of Lila’s day proceeded quite normally, which, considering how abnormal her private life was about to become, was refreshing. Even her lunch with Asher was quite normal, with no discussion whatsoever about Marlene or their more clandestine plans over the weekend. It was nice, being so in synch with him about avoiding such topics for now. Plus, it left a lot more room for flirting.


    Then, after Lila’s last class, Modern History, was over, she met Asher and Isaac just outside it, Elise in tow.


    “See you guys tomorrow!” Grace called as she rushed past them and headed immediately in the direction of the Performing Arts area. They watched her go before the four of them exchanged a glance.


    “Ready for your last soccer practice of the year?” Lila asked idly as Asher took her hand and began leading the group to the locker room.


    “Beyond ready,” Isaac replied. “I can’t wait to win the season.”


    “You’re that confident, are you?” Elise teased.


    “Of course. After the last game, we’re unstoppable.”


    “Are you confident?” Lila asked, looking up at Asher.


    “Well, we are against St Peters,” Asher said cautiously. Then, he grinned. “We’ll smash ‘em.”


    Isaac cheered and Lila and Elise giggled. The boys continued to talk about their predictions, including how many goals they expected to be scored and by who, all the way to the locker room and to Jacoval.


    Lila and Elise said their goodbyes to them outside of the changing room before heading off to the stands and taking a seat. Lila stretched her legs out in front of her, relaxing into place as she watched the soccer boys begin to file out onto the field.


    “So…” Elise said, her tone playful, “what happened to you?”


    “To me?” Lila looked at Elise in perplexity. “What do you mean?”


    “Yesterday morning. You acted so shady and so spooked.”


    Lila flushed, the memory of her near-miss with the photos striking her with full force. “N-Nothing.”


    Elise smirked. “Well, I have been thinking about it and it’s not nothing,” she said matter-of-factly. “In fact, I think I know exactly what happened.”


    Lila’s heart stopped. She did?


    “You forgot you had nudes on your phone.”


    Lila squeaked, placing her head in her hands in shame. Elise cackled.


    “Ha! I knew it,” Elise sang, nudging Lila on the shoulder several times. “You’re so obvious.”


    “Elise, please,” Lila begged, looking up at her impish friend. “I hoped you’d forget about it.”


    “With how shifty you were? No way in hell was I going to forget about it.”


    Lila buried her face in her hands and Elise laughed, nudging her again.


    “Hey, I thought the embarrassment phase was over,” Elise said.


    “Just about sex,” Lila whined. “Not about… something like this. I feel-” she stopped herself, unsure, actually, how to articulate what she was feeling. Shy was part of it. Shame, too. For one thing, having those photos at this age was, as Asher had said when he suggested the idea, a crime-


    “Like a perv?”


    “Elise!”


    Elise descended into cackles again and Lila looked up at her, miffed. “Stop that.”


    “You don’t have to be ashamed,” Elise replied, sobering up from her laughter. “It’d almost be weirder if you didn’t have a picture like that in your phone.”


    “Wait, really?” Lila lowered her hands to her lap.


    “Yeah,” Elise nodded. “Like, everyone sends nudes.”


    Clare had said that before, but to hear Elise confirm that… well, it did make Lila feel a teensy bit better.


    “Wait, so, what, you and Isaac do?” Lila clarified.


    “Yup,” Elise confirmed with a smile. “Sure do.”


    “So I don’t need to-”


    “Feel ashamed? Nah. At least, not with me. I mean, I already know what’s up.”


    “I guess so,” Lila said quietly before giving a deep exhale. “I still wouldn’t want you to see them.”


    “Oh God no, don’t make me see them,” Elise said hurriedly. “Yeah, let’s not go that far.”


    Lila nodded, her eyes now on Asher and Isaac, who were jumping up the spectator stands towards them.


    “Good luck at practice,” Lila said with a smile. Asher pecked her on the cheek.


    “Thanks, my love. This time I won’t use my hands,” he replied with a grin.


    “What do you mean, you won’t use your hands?” Isaac interjected, his tone miffed. “You’re the goalie! You’re the only one who can use hands. May as well practise with ‘em.”


    “Shh,” Asher flapped his hand in Isaac’s direction.


    “Did you just shush me?”


    “Yeah, what of it?”


    “Fisher and Wagner, you better get here now,” Mr Kovac barked from the edge of the oval, startling the group.


    “See you,” Asher said quickly before jumping down from the stands, Isaac close behind him. Lila shook her head, glancing at Elise.


    “I’m sure Mr Kovac will be glad when the season’s over,” she remarked to Elise. “He’s constantly calling Asher and Isaac back to training.”


    “I can tell,” Elise snorted.


    Then, Lila turned to Elise, her lighthearted demeanour shifting to something a bit more serious. “I was meaning to talk to you, too.”


    “Oh, that’s right. Girl stuff. What specifically?”


    “You were really quiet yesterday during PC and after our talk about the Pill. Are you sure you’re okay with taking it?”


    Elise pursed her lips. “Well, half of me being quiet yesterday was trying to figure out why you were being so weird, but the other half was me thinking about the Pill and all that.” She sighed. “I’ve been worried, I guess.”


    “About?”


    Elise clenched her hands together, squeezing tightly for a moment before sighing again. “After what happened with Mum, do I even want to trust doctors anymore?”


    Lila’s stomach dropped. She’d never considered the kind of flow-on effect something like that would have on family members, but it made perfect sense. Whoever Hunter was – or the doctor who led Elise’s Mum down the path of morphine addiction – incited a deep, broiling rage within her. To destroy trust like that in her best friend…


    Lila swallowed back her anger and gently placed her hands on Elise’s.


    “I… can’t begin to imagine how it feels,” she said quietly. “I mean, it’s natural, given what’s happened, but there’s so many good doctors out there, too.”


    “Can you be sure?”


    Lila faltered. “I-I mean… my doctor wasn’t so bad.”


    Elise didn’t say anything, though her eyes shone as if she were on the brink of tears. “Who was your doctor?”


    “I’ll have to double-check, but I think it was Dr Cornwall over at the Forestglade Medical Centre.”


    “Okay. I’ll see her then.”


    “Do you want me to go with you? Or maybe Clare?”


    Elise shook her head. “Nah. I’ll go with Isaac.”


    “Are you sure he’s up for it?”


    Elise looked over at the field where the soccer team was practising, which made Lila look that way, too. Each member of the team seemed to be practising in earnest.


    “Yeah,” Elise murmured. “He promised me.”


    Lila wasn’t about to question the strength of Isaac’s promises. “Good. When will you go?”


    “This Sunday, I think, or maybe after school during the week. Well, I’ll need to book it now that I know who to go to.”


    “It’ll be okay,” Lila said with a comforting smile. “I mean, you don’t have to go on it if you don’t want to – you could even buy it and figure out if you want to take them or not later.”


    “Yeah,” Elise breathed. “That’s a good idea.”


    Neither said anything for the majority of the training session, owing to the fact that their eyes were glued to their respective boyfriends. Then, as Mr Kovac gathered the team for a pep talk, Lila turned once more to Elise.


    “Are you guys free on Saturday afternoon?”


    “I think so,” Elise replied, taking her phone out. “Let me check.”


    After a minute or so, she nodded. “I’m not on shift and I don’t think Isaac is either.”


    “I think even if they don’t win, we should go somewhere with Asher and Isaac after,” Lila said. “They’ve worked really hard this season.”


    “Sounds like a good idea,” Elise beamed, tapping on her phone. “Let’s find a place.”


    Lila also took her phone out and finally settled on a place by the time Asher and Isaac ambled their way up the stands and greeted them.


    “Good practice session?” Lila asked with a smile, wrapping her hand around Asher’s. He pulled her up with a matching smile.


    “Yup. We’re all set to win,” he replied, kissing her on the top of her head. “How are you getting home?”


    Lila gave a small gasp. She’d actually forgotten to organise a way home since going to hockey practice after school had become a habit – but she’d told Clare that she didn’t have hockey anymore the week before.


    “Marlene could take you home,” Asher suggested as the group moved off the stands.


    “She might have to,” Lila replied, embarrassed that she’d forgotten. “Sorry.”


    “Don’t be sorry. Means we get to spend at least a little more time together.” He squeezed her hand and took off with Isaac to the changing room.


    “How do you get home from these?” Lila asked Elise once they were alone again.


    “Isaac’s Mum drops me off.”


    Lila remembered when Clare dropped Elise off after that one soccer game with a cheeky grin. “Is that what was supposed to happen that time you went to a soccer game when you were secretly dating Isaac?”


    Elise looked confused for a second before reddening. “Yeah, actually.”


    Lila pushed her shoulder playfully. “You should’ve just said so!”


    “I mean, probably, but it would’ve given everything away.”


    Lila considered this. “Yeah. It would’ve.”


    “Then there was no way I was going to.”


    The sound of jogging feet caught Lila’s attention and she looked down the hallway. It looked like Asher and Isaac were racing towards Lila and Elise, their bags on their backs and soccer boots still on.


    At the last second, Elise sidestepped Isaac, who stumbled, and Lila held her arms out for a hug from Asher, who scooped her up.


    “That’s so mean,” Isaac pouted.


    Elise laughed, holding onto his arm. “I’ve got to tease you sometimes.” Then, she pulled him down for a kiss.


    “That’s illegal!” Lila cried, pointing at them both, who jumped apart.


    Isaac looked sheepish as Asher laughed.


    “Lila’s right, you hypocrite,” Asher said, kicking at Isaac’s left shinpad.


    “Yeah, yeah, sorry,” Isaac responded, pulling Elise along.


    “You better be!” Asher called after them. They both waved goodbye at Lila and Asher, who returned such, and hurried off in the direction of the carpark.


    “They’re definitely going to go make out in Isaac’s Mum’s car,” Asher chuckled. “I haven’t told Marlene yet that you need a ride. Let’s go.”


    By the time they reached the top of the hill, Isaac and Elise were long gone. Asher opened the passenger door of Marlene’s car and explained the situation, to which Marlene pleasantly agreed.


    They both sat in the back of the car, with Lila now entirely subdued. Marlene was so normal, just as Asher had described. Asher held Lila’s hand as Marlene drove towards her house with no words shared between anyone.


    “Thanks, Marlene,” Lila said as Marlene parked outside her house. “See you later.”


    “Goodnight, Lila,” Marlene replied warmly.


    Asher pulled Lila’s things out of the car and hoisted them on his shoulder. They slowly walked to her front door and after she unlocked it, she turned to him on the doorstep.


    “See you tomorrow,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He kissed her – one that was long and full of longing.


    “See you tomorrow,” he replied softly. He looked nervously at her front door before meeting her eyes again. “Dinner at yours, yeah?”


    “Yeah,” she smiled. “Hope you’re ready to grill Daniel on that girl he likes.”


    Asher laughed. “Absolutely.”


    “Goodnight, my love.”


    “Goodnight, my love.”


    He lightly tapped her nose and she grinned, squeezing his hand one last time before he walked backwards towards Marlene’s car. Lila waved, which Asher returned, before heading inside and locking the door, knowing that he wouldn’t leave until she did.