Chapter Ninety-One

“Welcome to McDonald’s- oh. Hiya, Lila. Asher,” a chirpy voice sailed from the left of them. Lila jumped, her eyes snapping to the source of the voice. Elise was manhandling a bundle of trash from the rubbish bins, her face extraordinarily pale and even gaunt.

Lila hadn’t been prepared for Elise to be right there. She hadn’t even prepared what she wanted to say to Elise.

“Hi,” Asher said smoothly, shuffling towards Elise. “Is Isaac on?”

She stood up, tying the top of the garbage bag with a double knot. “Yeah. He’s working front counter today, but we’ve been flooded with drive-thru orders, so he’s helping present mainly. I can let him know you’re here.”

“Thanks,” Asher smiled warmly at Elise and she smiled back. It didn’t reach her eyes, under which were horrendous-looking dark circles. Elise fluffed out a new garbage bag and put it in the rubbish bin.

“I feel like it’s rare to see you guys here,” Elise commented idly, taking out the recycling bin’s rubbish. “Is your private chef off tonight or something?”

Lila and Asher exchanged a glance. He inclined his head encouragingly and Lila inhaled deeply.

“A-Actually, I wanted to see you,” Lila said, fiddling with her hands. “Since we wouldn’t be hanging out these holidays. I figured if you were working so much, I’d just come to you, you know.”

Elise looked touched, a genuine smile taking place of the old one. “Aw, that’s so sweet! Well, I was thinking of taking my break in ten minutes or so anyway. We can eat together. You too, Asher.”

Asher shook his head politely. “Nah, I’ll let you guys have some time to yourselves. Since, like Lila said, it’s not like you’ll be hanging out over these holidays. I don’t mind eating alone, so don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure?” Elise asked, tying the top of this rubbish bag too.

“Completely.”

“Alright, well, if I tell Isaac you’re here, he might come and say hi,” Elise said, dusting her hands. “I’m sure he’d love to see you. Hasn’t stopped complaining about the fact that you’ve ditched him.”

Asher’s face turned an interesting shade of red, his expression entirely remorseful. “Yeah… I’ll have to make it up to him somehow,” Asher responded, looking down towards the floor.

“Eh, don’t worry too hard ‘bout it,” Elise replied, waving a hand dismissively. “He’s been taking on a whole bunch of hours. Any casual shift that comes up, he grabs ‘em. He’s working like a machine. I doubt he’d have much time for you at the moment either.”

Elise finished up with the bins, collecting both full garbage bags into her hands.

“I’m gonna run this rubbish to the back, then I’ll see if there’s anything I need to do before checking in with my Manager and clocking off,” Elise rattled, already moving towards the counter. “I’ll come find you, Lila!”

“Okay, see you then,” Lila called out. She wasn’t sure whether Elise heard her, but it didn’t really matter all that much if she did or didn’t.

“I’ll sit with you while you wait,” Asher said, looking over at Lila.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you move once you get settled.”

“Doesn’t worry me,” Asher smiled. “Besides, we can talk more.”

Lila’s face turned slightly pink as Asher led her towards a booth in the back of the Maccas.

“Do you reckon Elise knows why Isaac is working so much?” Asher queried as he flumped into the seat opposite Lila.

“Not at all,” Lila chuckled, sliding into her own seat. “She probably just reckons he’s doing that ‘cause you’ve ditched him.”

“Man, every time someone says I’ve ditched Isaac, I just feel more and more guilty.”

“I think he doesn’t mind so much this time around. Not when he gets to work with Elise,” Lila smirked.

A strange squeaking sound came from the righthand side, and they both whipped around to see Isaac slipping his way over to them in a hurry.

“Hey guys!” he exclaimed breathlessly, slamming his hands onto the table between them. “I hoped you’d show up.”

“Of course we would,” Lila narrowed her eyes at Isaac. He looked slightly flustered as he struggled to reply to Lila.

“What I meant to say was that I hoped you’d show up when Elise was about to go on break. I knew you’d be coming, but it’d be harder to have a conversation with her when she’s still working,” Isaac explained, scooting in beside Asher.

“Are you on break?” Asher asked, moving aside to give Isaac more room.

“Nah. Not working long enough for that.”

“Then… why are you sitting here with us?” Asher questioned, looking rather puzzled.

“It’s either that or hide in the freezer and scream,” Isaac replied casually.

“What does that even mean?” Lila queried, sharing a bemused look with Asher.

“Means that sometimes I like to hide. Get a couple minutes to myself,” Isaac sighed, readjusting his hat. “Seriously, I’m gonna go insane. I don’t know how Elise does it.”

“Maybe she’s just driven,” Asher suggested. “I know you’re happy enough to just sit around, but some people need to keep busy ‘cause they can’t sit still.”

Isaac looked at Asher darkly. “I know that you can’t sit still without something to occupy your mind at the very least, but she’s overworking herself to death. Didn’t you see her when you came in?”

“I thought she seemed cheerful enough,” Asher replied simply.

“Cheerful isn’t the same as not being overworked. She’s, like, stuck in customer service mode, that’s how much she works. She hasn’t even insulted me or egged me on once in the past few days.”

“You say that like you miss her doing those things,” Asher teased. Isaac’s face turned pink.

“It’s just… what we do,” he said quietly. “She makes me laugh.”

Lila couldn’t hide the grin that had overtaken her face. Isaac looked at her in alarm.

“Why’re you looking at me like that?” he asked, twisting his hands together on top of the table.

“You have a crush on her, don’t you?” Lila said shrewdly, her eyes crinkling with amusement.

Isaac began spluttering, his eyes widening in apparent panic. “N-No, I just think she’s neat.”

“Neat?” Asher blinked at Isaac in surprise. “Like… a nifty gadget?”

“E-Exactly. Like a nifty gadget. She’s-”

“Sorry I took so long,” Elise’s voice interrupted Isaac, who yelped once he saw her. She stopped short of the table as Asher and Lila started giggling.

“What’re you guys talking about?” Elise asked, a confused smile on her face as her eyes darted between the three of them.

“Isaac was just telling us how you’re like a nifty gadget,” Lila laughed, wiping her eyes.

Isaac’s expression immediately turned to one of mortification as he instantly stood up.

“What does that even mean?” Elise queried, swiveling her head towards him. He immediately emitted a squeak in response before dashing off back towards the counter. They all watched him go, Asher chuckling in his wake.

Elise shook her head. “He’s so weird,” she said fondly, a small smile on her face.

“Yeah,” Asher agreed with a lopsided grin. “The weird guy we all know and love.”

Elise’s face flushed, and she turned around, facing the counter. “U-Uh, let’s grab some food. My shout. F-For my discount. We can order at the kiosk – I just have to pay at the counter.”

Elise set off with speed and began placing her order at the kiosk. Lila and Asher exchanged a knowing look, with Lila still struggling to hide her grin. Isaac was nowhere to be seen at the front counter, and Andy the McManager ran their finished order through the till with a sigh.

“Man, I wanna quit,” he said, handing Elise the receipt after she paid.

“I know you do, Andy,” Elise laughed jovially. “You and everyone else.”

He shook his head, his face entirely serious. “Besides you and Isaac. You guys are just gunning for every shift possible these holidays. It’s like you wanna live here.”

Elise shot Lila an uneasy look, which Lila pretended not to notice, before saying, “Just… making use of my spare time.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re lucky you’re dependable. Everyone knows many schoolkids aren’t. You’ve already outlasted about ten of ‘em since the beginning of the year. Anyway, see you in half an hour.”

Andy turned on his heel and immediately began barking orders to the employees on the burger line, who had previously been exchanging banter. It didn’t take long for their food to be assembled and they returned to their booth. Elise and Lila slid into opposing sides as Asher divvied up the food.

“Righto, I’ll go sit over there,” he said, pointing to a lone table on the other side of the dining area.

“Nah, you can sit with us,” Elise replied, biting down on a chip.

“Nah, I don’t wanna intrude,” Asher said pleasantly. “You guys hang out. Not like you have much time on your break anyway.”

Elise looked uncertainly at Lila.

“He won’t die eating alone over there,” Lila smiled reassuringly.

“Alright,” Elise sighed.

“See ya later,” Asher said to Lila, collecting his food. Lila saw him settle into the seat that he’d pointed out. They could still see each other, which eased Lila slightly. He gave her a thumbs-up and a cheesy grin and she smiled back, though with less enthusiasm. Now that she was sitting across from Elise, who began digging into her food, Lila was at a loss for a strategy to get Elise to talk. Elise never needed to be prompted to talk about what was going on. Plus, Lila needed to hide the fact that Isaac had brought it up…

Well, she could start there.

“So, how’s it been, working with Isaac over the holidays?” Lila asked before taking a bite of a nugget.

Elise immediately turned a bright red shade, choking on her Chicken McSpicy burger. She began downing her large strawberry shake.

“W-Where’s that coming from?” Elise finally said, coughing profusely. “Now? With him working here?”

“I’m guessing you haven’t gotten any closer to confessing your feelings for him,” Lila said casually, her eyes glinting mischievously.

“Girl, you’ve got a lot of talk for someone who took so long to confess to Asher,” Elise laughed, shaking her head incredulously. “What’s up with you two anyway after all that? Last I heard, you guys aren’t dating, but you seem really close. Like, from what Isaac said, you guys have been hanging out like every day these holidays. You guys… aren’t, like, friends with benefits right? What do you even do all day?”

‘Break into places, figure out people’s secrets, visit abandoned houses, wrangle cats, stalk people… list goes on,’ Lila thought briefly. She cleared her throat before answering.

“We hang out. Play video games, watch stuff, talk. Read a bit.”

Elise leaned back in her seat. “And you guys just do that… all day?”

“Yeah. And night, I guess. I, uh, stayed over at Asher’s last night, actually.”

Elise immediately started choking again, this time much more aggressively. She calmed down after a second or two, her face pink. “Y-You stayed over? And you’re not friends with benefits?”

“I’m being 100% honest with you – we’re not,” Lila said emphatically. “… It’s getting harder for me to stop myself from acting up, though.”

“Ah,” Elise replied sagely, taking another sip of her drink. “So… you’re just hanging around and waiting for him to say he’s ready for a relationship?”

“Yeah,” Lila replied forlornly.

“Lila,” Elise sighed heavily. “That looks really bad.”

“I know.”

“Are you doing okay? Surely it’s just a whole bunch of mixed signals.”

“Well… he’s said that he likes me. He’s just not sure about dating me. But at least he also said he doesn’t want to do anything physical. He… said he didn’t want to get into that kinda stuff with me unless I wanted to.”

“Wow,” Elise sounded impressed. “Guess that’s not totally unexpected from Asher. Although… I would’ve thought he’d go berserk for the chance to get at you.”

“What, why?”

“Why? Lila, the way he looks at you is insane. Plus, he’s liked you since forever. Now that he knows you like him too, it’s probably killing him. He’s a guy, after all. I bet it’s on his mind all the time.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Lila halted all movement as she processed Elise’s words. The prospect that Asher was thinking about it all the time… perhaps it should make her feel grossed out. Instead, though, her heart was pounding – as if it excited her.

Elise smirked, taking a couple fries and dipping them in ketchup. “Looks as if it’s on your mind all the time too.”

Lila shook her head furiously. “Not at all,” she said hotly. “Not at all.”

“Sure, Jan,” Elise giggled. She stretched, leaning on her left arm as she appraised Lila. “God, I miss hanging out with you guys.”

Lila’s heart skipped a beat. Was this an opening?

“I see you’ve been super busy,” Lila said, looking down at her food. “And, while I’m glad you’re keeping busy…” Lila trailed off, taking in Elise’s appearance yet again. She looked absolutely worn ragged, her eyes tired and skin pallid. She even looked thinner, her cheeks incredibly sunken. Now that they were sitting together, too, Elise also smelt awful – like she hadn’t been taking care of her personal hygiene as much as usual.

Lila took a deep breath. Elise wasn’t stupid. She’d know that Lila would be able to tell from a mile away that something was wrong.

“Truthfully, you look absolutely awful,” Lila said bluntly. Elise sighed heavily, leaning against the table. She looked sullen, now that Lila had pointed it out.

“… Another reason why I haven’t made plans with you guys, besides the fact that I’m working a lot, is ‘cause I was afraid of this,” Elise said after a few moments of silence. “I’m glad to see you, Lila, but I also wish I hadn’t.”

Lila felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her, pain searing in her chest. Elise wished she hadn’t seen Lila?

“It’s not that I don’t love you, Lila,” Elise clarified. “But… I didn’t want you guys to worry about me. I’m fine.”

Now that the tables had turned and someone she cared about was clearly lying about being fine… well… Lila now understood how Asher felt when he confronted her about her use of the word.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Elise added, a soft smile on her face. “I’ll be fine. It’s nothing new to me. I’d worry more about Isaac. He’s still a rookie, and he’s taking shifts like there’s no tomorrow. I’ve told him he needs to rest, but he said that… well…” Elise shifted in her seat, her face suddenly looking torn. She gave a resigned sigh, shaking her head.

“You probably already know, since you’re so close with Asher. And all you guys do when you hang out is talk, play games, watch videos, and read, apparently. But Isaac’s working really hard to pay Asher back. He apparently got in some trouble with the Banker, actually. Asher helped him out, so he’s trying to pay him back as quickly as possible. I already told him that Asher wouldn’t want him overextending himself to pay him back, but he won’t listen to me. He’s… such a dummy.”

Lila gave Elise a sympathetic look. It probably wasn’t necessarily a lie, that Isaac was trying to pay Asher back as quickly as possible. But the whole truth… was something she couldn’t interfere with – not now, at least. It wasn’t the right time to start trying to play matchmaker.

“Though… seeing him so often during the holidays… I can’t complain. He… well, the fact that he’s with me more often than not is the only thing keeping me sane,” Elise admitted in a whisper. Lila reached out and grasped Elise’s hands in hers. She was surprised to feel how cut up they were but decided not to comment on that.

“Elise…” Lila said gently, “Elise, why are you working so much? I… heard from Asher that the exchange trip to Germany isn’t going ahead this year. Is everything okay? I can’t help but be worried, seeing you like this. I want to help, even if it’s just to lend an ear, alright?”

Elise’s eyes began to water as she returned Lila’s gaze. She bit her trembling lower lip before giving a shuddering breath.

“Mum’s… really sick,” Elise finally said, her shoulders shaking. “Like… really sick. She got diagnosed with a really rare blood-related disease. She… needs a bone marrow transplant, but because the disease is so rare, it’s not covered by our private health insurance. I don’t know what the disease is called off the top of my head, but…” A lone tear trailed down her cheek and she wiped it away with her shoulder, seeming to prefer keeping her hands within Lila’s. “The surgery is super expensive, and Mum’s in so much pain every day that she had to stop work. So, at the start of this year, Dad said that… I needed to drop out of Forestglade College. Go to a state school for years eleven and twelve. So that we could afford the bills and the medical treatments for Mum, as well pay for the house and all that.”

Elise’s eyes seemed distant as she paused for a moment. “She… has a lot of checkups at the hospital, and since Medicare and our private health insurance doesn’t cover for the amount of checkups that she has, it’s just been draining money. B-But… I didn’t want to leave you guys. And I want a good education to get into a good Uni, find a good job. I mean, we don’t know when the transplant will be, so I need a good job to keep helping Dad… I fought with him about it. For weeks, during the summer holidays. Eventually… he said he could probably make it work if I pay for at least half of my school fees.”

At this point, more tears began to fall down Elise’s cheeks. Lila immediately searched for some nearby napkins. In her haste to find them, she noticed that Asher wasn’t sitting where she’d last seen him, but was far more focused on getting back to finish their conversation. She returned, passing them along to Elise who gave her an appreciative, watery smile.

“Thanks, Lila…” she whispered, dabbing her eyes with a napkin. “It’s… been really tough, this year. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you and Grace, and I’m sorry that I lied to you about going to Germany, but… there’s nothing you guys can do. I just thought it’d worry you and it wouldn’t be helpful for anyone. But… I definitely feel a bit better.”

Lila smiled at Elise in response, rubbing Elise’s arm lightly. “Thank you for telling me, Elise. I’m so, so sorry you’re going through that. You must be so scared and exhausted. How is it going, money-wise at least? Are you able to afford relaxing a little bit?”

Elise sighed, clutching her used napkin tightly in her left hand. “We’re net-positive, technically speaking. We’re saving money for the operation, at least, and I was able to pay my half of the school fees for the last two terms. But it’s getting harder each day for Mum. She needs more and more checkups and things, so I’m just trying to work as much as I can during the holidays. That way, when I can’t work as much during the term, we should have a good buffer.”

Lila nodded before getting up again, sidling into Elise’s side of the booth. She gave Elise a hug, patting her head gently. It seemed to give Elise some kind of emotional release, as she began to cry in earnest. They remained like that for a few minutes, with Lila ensuring she didn’t let go. Eventually, Elise pulled away, drying her eyes with a napkin again.

“S-Sorry,” Elise said shakily, taking a deep sniff. “It’s just… well, I haven’t been able to talk to anyone about it, really. Dad’s been so stressed about it, and I don’t want to bother Mum with my feelings about it all. And I didn’t want to make you guys worry about something you can’t fix. I’ve… been kinda stuck. Mum’s in so much pain since getting diagnosed that I haven’t even hugged her for months.”

Lila felt her heart breaking in two as she rubbed Elise’s back. In a way, Elise was right – this wasn’t something that Lila, Grace, Isaac, or even Asher could fix. Although…

“Where’s your Mum getting treated?” Lila queried, handing Elise a fresh napkin. Elise blew her nose before answering.

“Uh, Forestglade Private Hospital. Her main doctor is Dr Chin. Why?”

“I mean, Asher’s Dad is the CEO of the Forestglade Private Hospital, and he owns it. Maybe he could do something about the bills…”

Elise shook her head almost violently. “No way,” she said seriously. “That’d be wrong. Besides, I can’t ask that of Asher’s family. I don’t even think he could do anything about it as the CEO – it’s not like he’s the doctor or involved in any way.”

“… Alright,” Lila nodded. “That makes sense, at least.”

“I… hadn’t realised how much just having you listen would help me,” Elise said in a small voice. “I kinda feel like an idiot now. I probably would’ve been able to let off some steam about it ages ago. Maybe I wouldn’t have felt so burdened or alone about it then.”

“All that matters now is that you’ve told me,” Lila replied firmly. “There’s no use thinking about the past and what you could’ve or should’ve done. I can talk to Grace if you want, but I think you should. Especially if talking to me has helped you feel better.”

“Yeah… I’ll tell Grace when she’s back from Adelaide.”

“Just… promise me,” Lila said tentatively. “Promise me you’ll try and take care of yourself at least. Get some rest. Maybe pass on a couple of shifts for the rest of the week so you can take a breather. I know you need the money, but you can’t earn money if you seriously hurt yourself. You really don’t look well.”

Elise froze for a moment before holding her head in her hands. “… You’re right… I’ll try.”

“That’s all I’m asking for,” Lila smiled. “Just trying will help by tenfold, I’m sure.”

Elise returned Lila’s smile before wiping her face again. She then checked the time on her phone. “I don’t have too much time left,” she said apologetically, shoving more fries into her mouth with surprising vigour.

“That’s okay. Thanks for taking your break with me.”

“No, no. Thank you for listening. I really appreciate it. More than you know.”

They shared another smile before shovelling the rest of their food in their mouths. Elise did look to be in somewhat higher spirits as she demolished the rest of her drink. They began talking about a Netflix series that they’d been watching independently before Isaac awkwardly appeared at their table.

“Hey guys,” he said, his eyes darting between them both. “Uh, Andy’s asking for you, Elise.”

Elise grimaced. “Of course he is. Thanks, Isaac. Did you tell him that he’s the McManager, not me?”

Isaac blinked before grinning widely. “’Course not. Can’t take the pleasure away from you, Elise.”

She smirked, scrunching her empty food packets. “Thanks for thinking of me.” She looked back at Lila, a genuine smile brightening her face. “Work’s calling me. Thanks for stopping by and listening. I’ll see you later. Message the group chat when you’re home, alright?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lila beamed. Elise slid out from the booth, giving Lila a wave, before hurrying back to the front counter, her steps seeming energised somehow.

Isaac remained, clearing away Lila’s table in an obvious effort to look busy. “I take it she told you what’s up?” he asked in a low voice.

“Yeah. It’s… been a hard year for Elise. She’s got her reasons as to why she’s working so hard, but she said she’d try and take a breather.”

“She… got a bit of her sass back,” Isaac observed quietly. “She seems a little bit more like her usual self, at least.”

“You’re really worried, huh?” Lila said, her tone light and airy. Isaac turned around, clutching the rubbish tightly to his chest as if affronted by her words.

“You’ve seen her. It’s hard not to be worried,” he said stiffly. “I have to get back to work, too. See ya around, Lila. Take care of my buddy for me, yeah?”

“I will,” Lila promised.

“I’m still trying to work on him, you know. About why he’s not dating you. I… think he’s getting closer to making a decision about a relationship.”

Before Lila could respond, Isaac briskly marched off, raising his hand in a half-wave. Lila didn’t want to get too hopeful after Isaac’s statement, but it was hard to keep a lid on it. Giddiness couldn’t even begin to describe what she was feeling inside – if Isaac, Asher’s best friend, thought Asher was getting closer to making a decision, then surely… it wouldn’t be long now. Right?

Lila looked around the dining area, trying to see where Asher was. His food seemed finished with, at least, given the scrunched-up balls of wrapping where he had been sitting not too long ago. Did he go for a walk?

Lila pressed her lips together as she craned her neck to see outside the windows. She spotted him pacing outside, his demeanour distinctly agitated. Lila swiftly exited to meet him out there.

Asher seemed surprised to see her, stopping his pacing immediately.

“Done already?” he asked, his eyes looking uneasy.

“Yeah,” Lila confirmed. “We can talk about it when we get back to yours.”

“About that…” Asher said, grimacing. “You can’t come back.”

Lila’s heart dropped. “What? Why?”

“Uh, well, you can’t come back today. I didn’t… I made it sound like you’re not welcome back ever. That’s not what I meant.” He clenched his fists, his face unexpectedly twisting with anger. “Dad’s picking me up. He’s taking me to the airport.”

“Huh?”

Asher crossed his arms, his frown so severe that she wasn’t sure his face would reset. “He said we’re going on a holiday. To Vanuatu. Tonight. Marlene’s packed my stuff apparently. There won’t be any internet or anything. We’re staying for a week.”

His words sounded robotic. Lila’s heart disappeared altogether, her face feeling incredibly hot. “What?”

“I fought with him about it over the phone,” Asher admitted with a scowl. “Said I didn’t wanna go. That I had plans for this week. He said it was non-negotiable. Plane tickets and hotel have already been paid for, he’s booked the leave off… then he guilted me, saying that it’s been a while since we’ve spent any time together. It… It’s not like I don’t want to spend time with my Dad but…” Asher ran his fingers through his hair. “I was hoping to spend the rest of the holidays with you. I… was super excited for the show, and for Bounce, and for the bookstore, and everything else.”

His voice cracked with emotion as he spoke and he began kicking at the ground in frustration. “They’re already on their way. Apparently, Marlene’s coming too. I asked him why he’s only telling me this now, and he said that it was all at a good price and he could only get time off exactly now as the CEO. I… don’t know if I buy that, though. He never takes leave…”

He sighed heavily, his eyes deeply troubled. “They’re bringing your stuff, by the way. So, maybe give Clare or someone a call. I don’t think we can take you home since it’s in the opposite direction to the airport.”

Lila was still dumbfounded, trying to process what was happening. It was so sudden – they’d literally just bought tickets to the show and Bounce a couple of hours ago. And now Asher was going to Vanuatu? For a week? They only had a week left of holidays…

She felt the beginning stages of tears prick her eyes, but she wiped them before they could truly form.

“I’ll see if I can wait with you for someone to pick you up,” Asher said gently, his anger transforming into concern now. Lila nodded, clumsily grabbing at her phone. Clare was unavailable to take Lila home since it was Friday night, so Lila called her Mum, who seemed satisfied that it was a ‘reasonable time’ for Lila to come home.

‘At least there’s that,’ Lila thought bitterly, pocketing her phone. Not that it mattered now anyway, whether or not she followed her Mum’s instructions, since there was no chance of any further sleepovers with Asher over the holidays.

“Sorry,” Asher whispered after a few moments. Lila wrapped her jumper closer to her body before shaking her head.

“It’s not your fault. I know you would’ve tried.” Despite this though, she couldn’t find the strength to look at him.

“I wish I could stay. But… Dad got a bit scary at the end. Told me that I needed to listen to him, as his son. That… that Mum would want me to listen.”

An icy chill ran right through Lila from her head to her toes. Clearly, Asher’s Dad had said that to manipulate Asher, and it worked. But… surely his Dad would know that that would be a sore point. Wasn’t that a bit cruel to say to Asher?

Lila didn’t have any further opportunity to dissect this comment – the rubbery squeal of tires drew her attention. It had come from a car that Lila recognised as the one Marlene usually drove when picking Asher up from sporting matches. Marlene was behind the wheel, looking very serious. Ivaan was in the passenger seat, his own face also serious, and Marlene threw the car into a nearby carpark. She jumped out, the boot already having been popped open.

“Mr Wagner,” Marlene called as she rummaged in the boot, “please get in.”

“Can’t we wait for Lila’s Mum to come and get her?” Asher pleaded, looking desperately back at Lila.

“Unfortunately not, Mr Wagner,” came Marlene’s curt reply. “We’re already late.”

Asher didn’t move.

“I’m not leaving,” he said defiantly. Marlene halted, seeming like she was contemplating how to respond when Ivaan opened the car door. Lila had never seen someone so frightening in their aura as he marched over to Asher. His body seemed entirely alight with anger, from the strands of his hair right down to the placement of his feet. Lila immediately took a step back.

“Asher,” Ivaan growled, “enough is enough. We are leaving now. Say goodbye to Lila – that’s all I’ll allow.”

Asher clenched his jaw tightly, the muscles visibly twitching. He didn’t say anything else to his Dad, who seemed satisfied enough with the lack of response to return to the car.

Marlene made her way to the two of them, laden with Lila’s bags.

“I’m sorry I had to pack away your things,” she said calmly, passing them to Lila. “I… I’m also sorry that this is happening so suddenly.”

There was something in Marlene’s voice that Lila couldn’t place. Was it… compassion? Pity? Neither?

Asher turned to Lila, his eyes incredibly downcast.

“I… wish I could stay,” he murmured again. “B-But it’s only a week. I’ll… I’ll try and get in contact-”

“Unfortunately, Mr Wagner, there will be no reception where we’re going,” Marlene cut in. “I wouldn’t make that promise.”

Asher shot Marlene a glare and she fell silent, instead opting to pivot on her heel and also return to the car.

“… Whatever Marlene says, I’ll try my hardest,” Asher said, his voice defiant again. “I think, though, the next time I’ll see you is at school. If I have time beforehand, I’ll try and get in contact a-and see if you’re available. Um, I’ll give you my ticket details for the show on Sunday. Please take someone else. Don’t… let it go to waste. And… take care. Enjoy yourself. I… won’t forgive myself if you’re miserable.”

“Asher, there’s nothing for you to forgive,” Lila responded hurriedly. “I know it’s not your doing.”

Asher seemed ready to say something else when Marlene called out again. “Mr Wagner, we need to depart immediately.”

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, looking back at the car then back at Lila. “… Bye.”

“Bye, Asher. Have fun. Enjoy your time with your Dad. You said before that it’s rare – so… take the opportunity. Try not to be too mad.”

He met her gaze before nodding hesitantly. “I’ll… try. See you next week.”

“See you then.”

Asher seemed reluctant to leave, before suddenly shoving a hand in his pocket.

“Here,” he whispered close to Lila’s ear, sending shivers down her spine. He pressed something into her hand. “The lockpicks. For your Dad’s office.”

Lila looked down at her hand before staring back up at Asher.

“Don’t you need these?” she asked cautiously. He shook his head, smiling slightly.

“Just in case. Take care of them, okay?”

Lila nodded and, with a long-suffering sigh, he finally hopped into the car. Marlene promptly sped off, and Lila saw Asher looking out the window towards her. She gave him a wave which she saw him return before the three of them disappeared into the night.

Her knees felt weak now that Asher had left. She sank to the ground, holding them to her chest. She was trying to keep herself together, but it was proving more difficult with each passing second.

“Why’re you out here?” Isaac’s voice sparked Lila’s attention and she looked up at him, seeing his hands full of bulging paper bags.

“… Asher got taken to Vanuatu,” Lila mumbled despondently.

“T-Taken? What, like kidnapped?”

Lila shrugged. “Not… really. Well, I don’t think so. He’s going with his Dad and Marlene. He only found out just now.”

Isaac looked incredibly confused before glancing down at the orders he was holding.

“Just a sec, lemme do this,” he said. Lila waved him off and he returned from the car waiting bay, wiping his hands on his apron.

“How long is he going for?” Isaac questioned, his expression worried.

“A week.”

Isaac opened his mouth, clearly ready to say something, when an annoyed-looking Andy came outside.

“Isaac, we’re getting flogged in there. Cut the chat, please. Come on,” Andy grumbled, gesturing for Isaac to return.

“Sorry, Lila. I’ll message you or something,” Isaac said hastily, following Andy back inside the Maccas. Lila sighed, feeling far more alone than she’d ever felt. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting there by the time her Mum arrived, but it had felt like hours. She packed away her things into her Mum’s car without so much as a greeting and drove off, sorely wishing that she was instead driving off with Asher.