Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen

The Forestglade College hockey girls were incredibly solemn on Saturday morning as they warmed up in total silence. Lila didn’t dare break the ice, though she thought that being quite so tense would spell doom for their performance today.

It was a home game, which made Lila feel slightly positive. But, as she cast her eyes across to the St Peters team who were also warming up, with their strong practice swings and limber stretches, Lila couldn’t dispel the doubt entirely.

The soccer boys seemed to be far more relaxed, on both sides, and she saw Asher joking around with Isaac, a fresh, beaming smile on his face as they kicked a soccer ball between themselves.

“Lila,” Alice whispered from beside Lila, nudging her gently with her hockey stick. “Stop staring at them.”

“Sorry,” Lila whispered back, throwing herself into a lunge per her warmup routine.

“I know you guys are dating,” Willow added quietly, stretching her arms to her toes with surprising agility, “which, finally, but also I think Ms Wright will have a fit if you’re distracted for today’s game. Last pep talk was… intense.”

“I know, I know,” Lila sighed, switching to her other leg. “Can’t help it.”

“Try, yeah?” Alice said, her tone somewhere between stern and kind.

“I will,” Lila promised, slipping her mouthguard case out of her pocket. She popped her mouthguard in, with Alice and Willow following suit, before placing her case down beside her water bottle along the sidelines.

Ms Wright placed her container of orange slices down on her foldable chair, checking her watch briefly before heading over to the Forestglade College hockey girls. They wordlessly bundled together in a misshapen huddle.

“Alright, girls,” Ms Wright began, her voice grave, “today’s the day. We’re rapidly approaching the end of the season. Everything we’ve worked for this year is coming very quickly, and I hope you’re ready to give it your all.”

The rest of Lila’s team seemed just as serious as Ms Wright as she continued through her usual pep talk, before ending it by deferring to the team to sound off an abridged school war cry.

Lila settled herself in her usual hockey position, stretching her legs ever so slightly as she braced herself for the match to begin. She barely registered the opening crack of the hockey ball connecting with one of the St Peters’ team members’ hockey sticks as they barrelled down the field towards her.

She immediately changed her position into a defensive one as she blocked the oncoming attack, passing it fluidly over to Charlotte who charged down the field to the excited cheers of the Forestglade College supporters. Lila had hardly time to register what was going on as her body threw itself into the perfect strategies to deal with the oncoming St Peters team, her adrenaline working overtime to stall, thwart, and otherwise defend the goal from any scoring from the opposition.

Unfortunately, due to the aggressiveness of the opposing team, Lila didn’t have any chance to switch to attacking for any of the first half. To her relief, half-time was called with one goal scored for Forestglade College and nil for St Peters.

The St Peters team seemed ticked off as they marched off towards their coach and belongings, whereas Lila’s team was smiling and laughing for the first time that day. Ms Wright proudly bestowed them all with orange slices, which Lila gratefully accepted after unsticking her mouthguard. As she ate the cool, refreshing flesh, she cast her eyes towards the soccer game that was still ongoing. Asher seemed to be concentrating on his form, his knees bent and hands at the ready as the St Peters team swiftly approached the goal. Lila leaned on her hockey stick, watching with bated breath to see the outcome.

To her delight, Asher deftly defended the goal as he grabbed the ball with both hands. He wiped the sweat from his brow as he grinned, giving a thumbs-up to a nearby teammate. He was about to get into position to restart play when the referee called for half-time.

Lila caught his eye and his grin grew even wider as he jogged over towards her side of the oval, his eyes sparkling and cheeks red from the physical exertion.

“Hey,” he breathed, his hands on his hips as he stood a couple of metres from her.

“Hey,” she replied, placing her empty orange peel in the rubbish bag Ms Wright had organised. “How’s the game?”

“It’s going well,” he said confidently. “We’re in the lead.”

“Nice save at the end there.”

“You were watching?”

“Of course.”

He seemed bashful as he rubbed his chin. Then, he asked how her game was going.

“We’re in the lead too. Only just, though. But with St Peters, it’s still anyone’s game,” Lila sighed. He looked sympathetic, his mouth opening to say something else when Lila narrowed her eyes, having picked out a familiar face behind Asher.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking behind him.

“That’s Elise, in the stands there,” she said incredulously. “Except, she’s in your stands, rather than mine.”

“It’s no wonder,” Asher replied, his tone teasing, “since soccer’s far more interesting than hockey.”

“You wanna say that again when I’ve got a hefty weapon in my hands?”

He chuckled. “Touché.”

She grinned at him before looking again at Elise. She was dressed in casual clothes, a toasty-looking burnt-orange scarf wrapped around her neck. There wasn’t anyone else near her that Lila recognised – except, it seemed, Isaac, who had trudged up the steps and was standing beside Elise, engaging her in conversation.

“Do you reckon he invited her to watch?” Lila asked, a hopeful edge to her voice.

“He probably would’ve told me if that was the case,” Asher responded, pressing his lips together in contemplation. “Maybe she invited herself. Got curious, since we’ve been talking about it all week.”

“True… man, I wish they’d get together already,” Lila laughed, shaking her head. “Look how happy they look, just talking over there.”

Asher smiled at Lila. “Hopefully they get together soon. It took us a while, though, so it might take them a while.”

“You had a girlfriend, though,” Lila said pointedly. A strange expression crossed his face before he placed a hand on his forehead.

“I… can’t believe I actually forgot,” he said after a moment. He looked back at Lila, his smile blinding in its joy. “Like, legit, I was confused for a moment when you said that.”

“Really?” Lila was floored, a budding sense of elation inflating her lungs as she stared at Asher.

“Really,” he nodded. He glanced around before easily crossing the distance between them, kissing her with an intensity that conveyed far more than the implication behind his reaction to the fact that he’d forgotten, however briefly, that he’d dated someone else. Was there something deeper going on in his mind? The question fell away as she returned the kiss, hoping to share the same amount of intensity with him.

“Alright, alright, you two,” Ms Wright’s sharp voice startled them both as they jolted away from each other. She looked rather unimpressed as she pointed towards where Asher’s teammates were congregating. “Off you go, Asher.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said automatically, beginning to jog away. Then, after he was a few metres away, he turned around, waving energetically at Lila before turning back and sprinting the rest of the distance to his teammates. Lila watched as a couple nudged him with their shoulders, a raucous cacophony of laughter and whooping just reaching her ears.

“You can stop ogling him now,” Ms Wright said reproachfully. “We’re one point ahead, but we know that doesn’t mean anything. Come on, play’s going to resume soon.”

Lila sighed as she reluctantly followed Ms Wright’s lead towards her team, which had already moved to the other side of the oval.

“Bit bold of you to be kissing at half-time on the sidelines,” Alice said once Lila was within talking range of their team.

“I hope you’re focused on the game,” Charlotte added, sticking her mouthguard to her teeth. “I need you to give me some good passes so I can take it from there.”

“I know, I know,” Lila replied unenthusiastically. It was starting to irk her, how everyone’s focus was entirely on the game. Other things were important, too.

Willow glanced at Lila and the other girls before piping up, “You have been playing well so far, though.”

“Thanks, Willow,” Lila smiled, though it was with far less gusto than was probably being implicitly asked of her. She sighed again, returning to her mouthguard case and pressing her mouthguard to her teeth in anticipation of starting the game again.

Ms Wright engaged in one last pep talk before heading back to the sidelines, sucking on a piece of orange as she did so.

Gameplay resumed again soon after, with St Peters playing as though Forestglade College had majorly pissed them off with their singular goal. The aggression was far more intense, leaving absolutely no room in Lila’s brain to even think of Asher’s name as she intercepted, passed, and weaved through her zone. Finally, St Peters scored a goal against Forestglade College, which only seemed to intensify their aggressive playstyle rather than relax it.

From there, both teams were matched in their fervour to win the game, with Lila doing as much as she possibly could to pass the ball along where it needed to go. Given the aggression displayed by St Peters, Lila fell back in her midfielder position far more than she usually would, so as to not get in the way of her team’s forwards and inners, who were playing just as aggressively.

With only a minute or so to spare, Lila puffed, leaning against her hockey stick for support as she strained her eyes to see where Charlotte and Alice were battling against the opposition at their goal. It looked neck-in-neck, and Lila and Willow exchanged a nervous expression.

“They’ll get it,” Rosa Lang said through her Goalie mask, clapping her hands together.

“Don’t worry about it,” Christa Nguyen, one of the Defenders, said confidently.

Lila brought her thumbnail to her lips, nearly ready to chew it off in anticipation of the outcome. Then –

“Shit,” Willow sighed, shaking her head.

“Shit,” Rosa agreed, exhaling loudly.

“Shit,” Lila murmured, tapping her hockey stick on the ground. The St Peters spectators were far too loud and boisterous for Forestglade College to have come out on top in the final battle for a goal. This was confirmed by the referee, declaring that St Peters had won – 2 to 1 – which elicited more cheers and high fives from the St Peters team members. Once they settled down, they showed their sportsmanship, shaking hands as they departed Jacoval in high spirits.

“Sorry guys,” Alice’s meek voice carried through to where the Defenders and Midfielders were standing. She sounded close to tears.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lila said as she and Willow hurried towards Alice. They held onto one of her arms each as she dejectedly continued to make her way.

“I missed the goal,” Alice’s voice cracked. “I’m so sorry.”

“We would’ve tied, then we probably would’ve lost the tiebreaker anyway,” Lila responded smoothly.

“Lila,” Willow frowned.

“It’s St Peters. When have we won against them over the past three years?” Rosa interjected sensibly. “It’s our last year for hockey, but that doesn’t mean that St Peters will automatically play nicer.”

Alice bit her trembling lower lip, the guilt clearly weighing on her. Lila desperately looked around to see where the rest of the team was. She saw that Charlotte was on all fours, seeming just as distraught as Alice, with a couple of other teammates surrounding her.

“Ladies,” Ms Wright’s voice, much softer and kinder than usual, forced them all to look at her. “You did well.”

Alice shook her head and Ms Wright immediately crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Alice, I know you feel terrible for missing back there, but it could’ve happened to anyone. Everyone misses once in a while. That doesn’t mean that you didn’t play as well as you did. I can see the improvement in your form that you’ve made over the years. Go on, go grab some Maccas or something on the way home. Next match we’ll get them. It’s an Away game, but I’m sure you’ll play brilliantly.”

Alice stiffened for a moment before she nodded, releasing herself from Willow and Lila’s grasp. “We’ll get them next time, ma’am.”

“Atta girl. Righto, hurry along now. I’ll see you all next Tuesday arvo,” Ms Wright smiled, gesturing towards the carpark.

“See you,” Lila’s teammates chorused as they scattered across the oval, collecting their belongings and despondently shuffling towards the carpark. Lila noticed Ms Wright turn to Charlotte, squatting next to her and speaking in a hushed whisper. It seemed intrusive for Lila to look any further, so she spied where her belongings were and collected them with a sigh.

She then looked over towards the soccer game as she approached the stands where Elise was still sitting.

It seemed the boys had a few minutes to spare, so Lila wearily climbed the stairs. Elise looked over in her direction before her expression changed from one of keen interest in the soccer game at play to one of nervousness.

“Morning,” Lila smiled slightly, stretching her legs as best she could once she was seated.

“Hi, Lila,” Elise replied quickly, bringing her scarf up higher, obscuring her face. “Fancy meeting you here. I… was watching your game. Congratulations on winning.”

“From this distance?” Lila grinned. “You don’t have to lie to me. You’re here for Isaac, right? Besides, we lost.”

Elise sighed, hugging her torso as if for comfort. “… Sorry. Yeah, I am. You guys kept going on about the St Peters match, so I asked Isaac if I could come watch. He didn’t seem keen at first… but now it seems okay.”

Lila smiled again. Knowing that the calibre of the St Peters soccer team was also of a high standard, she could understand that Isaac didn’t want Elise to watch him lose.

“No morning shift today?” Lila asked, her eyes drifting back to the soccer match.

“Nope. Afternoon shift.”

“Isaac working with you?”

Elise glanced at Lila, the faintest trace of a blush peeking out over the top of her scarf. “No, he decided to cancel his shift, apparently. He told me yesterday that he expects to lose.”

“Probably a conservative estimate. The boys looked really relaxed this morning.”

“That’s a good sign,” Elise murmured. Not a moment later, Lila watched as Isaac tackled the ball from the opposition, deftly passing it to Harrison with an impassioned yell. The Forestglade College supporters in the stands stood in unison, each person craning to see whether the top goal scorer for their side could do it again.

Lila held her breath, her eyes taking in the St Peters Goalie bracing his knees, hands at the ready.

Harrison raised his foot, ready to strike with a powerful kick when a Defender from the St Peters team slide-tackled him, the force pulling Harrison to the ground.

“Foul!” bellowed a parent a couple of rows below them. Lila guessed that they were probably one of Harrison’s parents. More supporters grumbled in agreement, sitting back down in disappointment, and it appeared the referee agreed with it too. Lila smirked, glad to see Harrison with his face to the grass, but continued to watch as play resumed, with Isaac having helped Harrison to his feet. It seemed they still had some time left – which, in Lila’s opinion, meant that anything could happen.

Surprisingly, the match was concentrated purely on the goal defended by St Peters as Harrison sprinted towards it, calling for the ball from Isaac. But, this time, St Peters was ready, almost swarming Harrison immediately. Isaac joined the fray, rescuing the ball and kicking it to Zack.

Lila’s eyes darted to Asher, who was pacing inside his goal at the far end of the oval. She couldn’t see his expression, but she could tell he was anxious by his body language alone – much like she had been in the final minute before her game was called.

Watching a sporting game was entirely different from being in one. Lila was at the edge of her seat, her attention back to Harrison, Zack, and Isaac and tensely observing their push forward. Elise gripped Lila’s arm as they watched Isaac shoot straight for the goal –

And the St Peters Goalie missed.

The force of the roar that erupted from the Forestglade College spectators nearly bowled Lila over.

“What, what, did we win?” Lila asked, looking wildly at Elise.

“Yes!” she cheered, jumping up. She pulled Lila back to her feet, her face aglow with an exhilarated beam. “He kicked the winning goal!”

Lila couldn’t hold back her exuberant grin as Elise hugged her tightly, swaying them both. Her excitement was infectious.

Finally, Elise let her go, and Lila cast her eyes over at the oval. It looked as though the Forestglade College team had piled on top of Isaac and she watched with another smile as Asher sprinted to join them, jumping in where he could fit. She heard them bellow the school war cry, with the St Peters team attempting to quietly make their exit. Mr Kovac intercepted them though, and they finished the match with reluctant sportsmanship handshakes with the Forestglade College team, who were still clearly buzzing from the win.

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The spectators began to file out from the stands, and Lila gestured to Elise to exit with her.

Most of the boys had started to make their way off the oval, still hollering about their success. Lila’s legs felt like jelly from her match, so she hung back as Elise ventured onto the oval, clearly looking for Isaac. As more of the soccer boys departed, Lila spotted Asher, who had his arms slung around Isaac’s shoulders, ruffling his hair as they stumbled towards more open space on the oval.

It was almost like slow motion, as Lila saw Isaac break away from Asher’s grasp and jog to Elise, scooping her into a hug. Lila could hear Elise’s musical-like giggle from where she was standing, accompanied by Isaac’s trademark hyena-like laugh. Lila’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and she locked eyes with Asher, who seemed just as surprised and pleased with this, his right eyebrow raised. She quickly made her way closer, giddiness at the idea that, perhaps, maybe, they were closing in on getting together moving her forward.

But, just as quickly, Elise and Isaac stepped away from each other, their faces identical in their reddish hue, and body language immediately closed off and awkward.

“What was that?” Asher asked, looking between them both. Elise glanced at Asher before throwing her arms around him, leaving him evidently bewildered as he lightly patted her back.

“Congrats on winning!” Elise squeaked into his shoulder before stepping back. “Good game!”

Isaac crossed to Lila and wrapped his arms around her in a decidedly much more awkward hug than any Lila had ever received in her life. “G-Good to see you.”

Lila paused, unsure whether she should try Asher’s question again, or instead move the subject on to something else. Elise looked incredibly mortified, almost as though she wanted the ground to swallow her whole, so Lila decided on a cheery “Congratulations! Impressive goal, Isaac.”

Isaac stepped away, his left hand cautiously rubbing the back of his neck, with a rather bashful expression. “I just did what I had to. A-Anyway, I’ve gotta get home. Don’t you have a shift soon, Elise?”

“Yeah, I should go home too,” Elise said quietly.

“Do you have a ride?” Lila asked, looking over at Elise with concern.

“I, uh, didn’t think about that part,” Elise replied, her cheeks turning a deep red.

“I’ll check with Clare, but we should be able to drop you off,” Lila offered warmly. “The buses run at awful times on the weekends.”

“Thanks,” Elise smiled appreciatively, her eyes flickering to Isaac for a split second. “I guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”

His posture relaxed as he smiled down at her, nodding. “See you McThen.”

She snorted and he chuckled, giving both Lila and Asher a short wave before climbing the hill towards the carpark. Elise sighed, holding her head in her hands once he’d disappeared.

“What’s wrong?” Lila queried, gently touching Elise’s arm. Elise shook her head.

“Nothing… just… I can’t believe he hugged me,” she said quietly, a fleeting trace of a smile crossing her face.

“Elise, I think…” Lila exchanged a look with Asher, who subtly shook his head. Lila pursed her lips before exhaling deeply. She’d almost said that she thought Isaac had a crush on Elise. “I think… you guys would be good together.”

“Really?” Elise looked hopeful as she looked between them both. Asher nodded, confirming the same with a smile. Elise’s hopeful expression waned and she looked down at her shoes.

“I mean… that’s nice of you guys to say, but I don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon… I’m too… nervous,” she muttered before tightening the scarf around her neck. “It’s freezing, is Clare here yet?”

The trio slogged their way up the hill after Asher grabbed his backpack, avoiding any further discussion of Isaac, or Elise and Isaac getting together. Given Elise’s reaction to Isaac hugging her today, Lila wasn’t too convinced that pushing the point would get them anywhere good for now.

Clare was indeed waiting for them in the carpark, and seemed pleasantly surprised to see Elise. Lila explained the situation briefly through the front passenger window and Clare agreed to drop Elise off. Lila was about to open the door when Asher blocked her with his hand.

“I’ll sit in the front,” Asher suggested hurriedly. “It might be uncomfortable if I’m in the back with you, Elise.”

“Thanks,” Elise replied genuinely. Lila shuffled back to the back passenger door, sitting next to Elise and buckling herself in.

“So,” Clare grinned as she pulled out of the carpark. “How’d it go?”

“Lost,” Lila stated shortly. “But Asher’s team won.”

“Damn,” Clare looked shocked as she glanced at Asher. “Against St Peters? They were tough when I went to Forestglade College. Are they easier now?”

“Dunno,” Asher responded with a shrug. “I was just in my goal, waiting to see what happened towards the end. I did nothing.”

“Not nothing, I’m sure,” Clare said kindly, turning around the roundabout. “I can see you came to support Lila, Elise. That’s good of you.”

“Well, actually,” Lila interjected, mischievously grinning at Elise, who stared back with obvious panic in her eyes, “Elise was here to cheer on Isaac.”

“Isaac?” Clare snorted. “The weirdo who gave us a ketchup packet? Your ex, Isaac?”

“One and the same,” Lila confirmed. “And Asher’s best friend.”

“That’s right,” Clare replied. Lila could see Clare’s head briefly turn towards Asher. “You talk about my life being messy. This just sounds messier each time you remind me.”

“Why’s that?” Asher’s question sounded entirely perplexed.

“For all your brains, I would’ve thought you could see it,” Clare laughed. “It’s fortunate that no one has hard feelings about the fact that you’re dating your best mate’s ex. In most cases, it’d result in a punch-up. Personally, I’d never go there. Too messy.”

Lila caught sight of Elise fidgeting with her hands next to Lila. She would need to tread carefully in responding to Clare, it seemed. “Clare, it’s not like me dating Isaac meant anything, really. Like, there’s nothing to get into a punch-up about. He kinda just asked me out, and it was really awkward since I didn’t like him beforehand. Then we broke up after, like, two months.”

“That was my fault,” Asher stated stubbornly.

“Definitely not,” Lila replied firmly. “I was about to break up with him when he broke up with me. Either way, it’s old news, and Isaac was trying to get us together anyway. He obviously doesn’t care. But that’s beside the point. Elise was here to cheer Isaac on, yes.”

Elise remained silent, though her fidgeting continued.

Clare chuckled. “You’re sure full of pep still. Sure you don’t need to run around some more so you can go to sleep?”

“We’re not toddlers or dogs,” Lila retorted. “So, no.”

“Just a suggestion,” Clare laughed. It wasn’t much further before they slowed to a stop outside Elise’s house.

“Thanks, guys,” Elise called as she jumped out, her expression seeming muddled, somehow. “See you next week.”

“See ya!” Lila sang as the door shut. Everyone in the car waved at Elise, who returned the wave, before she hurried up to her front door, keys at the ready. Clare remained parked until Elise opened the door and stepped inside without another look towards them.

“Is Elise dating Isaac?” Clare asked as she smoothly reversed down the driveway, resuming the journey towards Lila’s family home.

“No,” Lila sighed. “We’re trying to get them together, though.”

“Ah,” Clare breathed. “Hope it goes well.”

“It will,” Asher piped up. “I’ll make sure it does.”

There was a certain intensity behind his words that Lila mentally noted with a smile.

“What, it’s your turn to try and get Isaac a girlfriend?” Clare teased.

“Well, when you say it like that,” Asher laughed. “Except… he’s never really been interested in dating, besides Lila. So, she’s gotta be real special to him for his attention to be on Elise in that way.”

“I see,” Clare seemed thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head. “Man, you make it sound so easy, getting together with the person you like in high school.”

“Easy?” Asher sounded incredulous. “I wish. Took me a billion years.”

Clare snickered before asking why. Lila felt her cheeks turn pink. She was glad that she was still hiding away in the back. She recalled that he’d previously mentioned that he thought he wasn’t good enough, and that Lila would be better off, more or less, with someone like Theo or Isaac… but was there something else?

Asher was quiet for a few moments and Lila almost shifted in her seat so she could look at him from the back when he spoke.

“I just never thought she’d like me back.”

“You didn’t even want to try?” Clare’s voice was bemused. “Like, not even a little?”

“Nah. I’d thought about it, a lot. But… after Lila and Isaac got together, I figured that she was into someone like him. Which I’m not. He’s… well, absurdly confident about most things. Sure of himself, I guess. I don’t even know who I am when I think back to the Asher of last year.”

“Wow,” Clare gave a low whistle. “That’s heavy.”

“Shit, sorry. Was that too much?”

“No, no. I just never expected you to be so candid about that kind of thing.”

“May as well,” Asher sighed. “I’m hoping to stick around for a while, anyway. No point in being dishonest with you, since you’re Lila’s older sister.”

Clare suddenly turned to look at Lila, who was still feeling rather flustered. “Keep this one, yeah?”

“I-I’ll try,” Lila stammered, the whiplash of emotions running through her leaving her frazzled. “I thought you didn’t approve of him when you first met, though.”

Clare turned back to the road in a huff. “Water under the bridge. I was dressed as a dancer, you looked like a hooker, and Asher looked like he was pimping you out. I don’t think anyone could call that a happy first meeting.”

“You thought he was pimping me out?” Lila’s pitch was almost a shriek.

“He was way too awkward to be your boyfriend!” Clare replied defensively.

“I think he was awkward because Alex had figured us out so quickly,” Lila responded frankly.

“I was awkward because everyone around us was half-naked,” Asher interjected. “And I could hardly look at you, Lila.”

“Because I looked like a hooker? That’s harsh.”

“No!” Asher sounded panicked, twisting in his seat to look imploringly at Lila. “No… You looked-”

“Wow, look at that, we’re home,” Clare cut Asher off, zooming up the driveway and parking the car. “Thank God, I didn’t want to hear about anything you horny teenagers are saying about how each other looks.”

“We’re no-” Lila’s heated response was cut off by Clare jumping out of the car and slamming the door behind her.

Lila sighed, grabbing her belongings before exiting the car at a much more reasonable pace. She was surprised to find that Asher hadn’t moved yet.

She opened the passenger door for him, finding that his face was a deep red.

“Whoa, everything okay?” she asked, stepping back so he could stand.

“Y-Yeah,” he replied, avoiding her gaze entirely. He awkwardly climbed out, the colour on his face subsiding.

“Didn’t seem okay,” Lila smiled tentatively. “Was Clare being too much? I can tell her off.”

“No, no,” Asher shook his head, following Lila into the house. “Just… not used to being called out about… that.”

“Being a pimp?”

He glanced at her before smirking, having cottoned on to the fact that she was joking. She was pretty confident that he was talking about Clare’s comment about being ‘horny teenagers’, given how embarrassed he looked. The lack of denial from Asher, when Clare had said that, was something that Lila was trying not to read too much into, but her heart betrayed her attempt to do so with how heavy it was pounding.

She knew, of course, that he wanted to do more things with her, but he seemed quite content to just keep it to kissing for now. Her curiosity was starting to set in – what did a horny Asher look like? How would he act? Would she get to see it? She felt as though she’d only glimpsed it on Wednesday, before he cut their kissing short. It wasn’t enough to satisfy her questions in any sense – but instead made her curiosity burn even brighter.

“You seem really tired,” he said softly as they took their shoes off in the entryway. “Did you want to rest for a bit?”

“I’m fine,” Lila replied, glad once more that he couldn’t read her mind. “Let’s head up.”

They made their way through the house before stopping to say hello to Lila’s Mum who was watching TV in the living room.

“Hello Asher,” Lila’s Mum said warmly. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you again too, Mrs Moloney,” he said just as warmly.

“You look like you had a good game,” Lila’s Mum observed. “Would you like to have a shower?”

Asher paused, looking uncertainly at Lila, who shrugged.

“I-If that’s alright with you,” Asher replied hesitantly. “A shower would be great.”

“Let me get you a towel. Do you have spare clothes?” Lila’s Mum asked, immediately standing.

“I do, actually,” Asher said somewhat bashfully. “I wasn’t keen on staying in these sweaty ones.”

“Good idea,” Lila’s Mum called as she disappeared into the laundry. She emerged a moment later, a fluffy grey towel in her hands.

“Thank you,” Asher smiled, taking it gently from her. Lila’s Mum smiled in return before she returned to the living room.

“You can go first,” Lila said as they climbed the stairs to her room.

“It’s alright,” Asher shook his head, placing his towel on her desk. He turned back to her, running a shaking hand through his hair. “You go.”

“Are you sure?” Lila queried with a slight frown. “You seem cold.”

“I… I’m not cold,” he said quietly, lowering his hand. “Just nervous.”

“Nervous? About what?”

Asher gave a strange cough before shrugging his shoulders. “Beats me.”

Lila pursed her lips for a moment before turning to her wardrobe. “Alright.”

She heard him sink to the floor near her bookshelf as she dug through her clothes, picking out a jumper and some comfortable pants. She paused as she opened her drawers to search for some underwear, suddenly very aware of how close Asher was to her.

She finally found some and shoved it between the rest of her clothes, bundling it all together to her chest. He seemed to be resolutely looking at his knees as she passed him and scurried out of the open door.

She hurried into the bathroom, slamming the door shut and turning the shower on. She still felt anxious, the fact that Asher was just so close still playing on her mind. With a shake of her head, she sighed and hopped into the steaming shower. Would she ever get over this feeling? It wasn’t as though he was in the shower with her.

As she worked her shampoo into her hair, a new thought occurred to her. ‘Was… he shaking because he’ll be having a shower at my place?’ If so… then… they weren’t so different in that regard.

She finished up as quickly as she could, drying her hair with a towel. She threw her clothes into the laundry basket and checked to make sure she hadn’t left anything embarrassing in there. She seemed to be in the clear and returned to her room with a smile.

“Shower’s free,” she said, looking down at Asher, who was still sitting on the floor. He’d pulled out a book, which was splayed on his lap.

“O-Oh,” he hurriedly stood, carefully placing the book upon her bookshelf. “I won’t be long.”

“The shower’s got two taps, so it’s just turning them both to whatever temperature you like,” Lila explained, settling herself onto her bed.

“Got it,” he nodded, taking his backpack and towel with him into the hallway. She heard him close the bathroom door and she fell backwards onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

She hoped that his shower would be comfortable, at least. Had he figured out the right levels? Would the body wash and shampoo be agreeable to him? Actually, was he allergic to anything?

Lila placed her hands over her eyes with a heavy exhale. She was freaking out over nothing. He’d be fine… it was just a shower.

Though, a shower meant that he was naked… Would she ever get to see him like that?

‘Shut up,’ she commanded of her mind, throwing a pillow over her face. ‘Stop thinking about that stuff. He’s here to help with Daniel… besides, the door’s wide open. Nothing’s going to happen.’

Lying in bed wasn’t helping her in the slightest, though. She reluctantly sat up. Perhaps she should check in with Daniel and see what the plan was…

Just as she was about to, he passed her doorway before doubling back.

“Oh, hey,” Daniel said casually. “I thought you were in the shower.”

“Nah, Asher is though.”

Daniel nodded, his expression suddenly looking grim. “When he’s out, can we talk?”

“Yeah. I was actually going to talk to you now, but I can wait.”

Daniel looked conflicted for just a moment, but he nodded once more. “I’d rather wait for Asher, in case he’s got any ideas.”

Lila pressed her lips together. It seemed like she couldn’t use Daniel as a way to stop her ridiculous thoughts about Asher.

“Anyway, I’ll just be in my room,” Daniel said awkwardly before sidling away. She heard the door to his room close behind him, and she pressed her hands together, contemplating what to do in the meantime.

Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long – Asher reappeared in her doorway, dressed casually, his backpack hanging loosely on his shoulder and towel slung over his arm.

“Feeling better?” she asked with a welcoming smile.

“Yeah,” he replied, stretching his shoulders. “I was planning on just getting changed, but I’m glad your Mum suggested a shower. A shower after a match is always great. Where should I put this towel, though?”

“Ah,” Lila crossed her room and collected it from his hands. “I might just put it in the laundry basket.”

He placed his backpack down next to her shelf and made to sit down when she explained that Daniel wanted to chat in his room. They left together, Lila ducking into the bathroom and chucking his towel into the laundry basket.

Lila knocked on Daniel’s door once she was done, and he opened it for them with a grimace.

“Welcome, I guess,” he said, gesturing to the inside of his room. It looked much the same as the last time Lila was here, and she immediately sat on his bed. Asher glanced at Daniel, and he offered his desk chair.

“I’ll stand. I’ve been sitting all day, and now that you’re here, I’ve got all this nervous energy,” Daniel explained. He leaned against his desk, looking between them both.

“Today’s the day,” he said with a pained expression. “I’m gonna tell Mum and Dad about being the Banker.”

“You ready?” Lila asked, leaning back slightly. She surveyed him carefully as he seemed to be trying to find the right words to answer her.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he finally said, hanging his head. “I don’t want to do it though.”

“Do you need me there?” Asher queried earnestly.

“… I’ve been going back and forth between having you there or not,” Daniel confessed. “I think… I think it’d be better if you were.”

“Alright,” Asher smiled reassuringly at Daniel.

“I know I can’t have either of you speak on my behalf,” Daniel added, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s my secret, after all. My business, literally and figuratively.”

“Yeah. Knowing our parents, I think they’ll have lots of questions that only you can answer, anyway,” Lila said.

“I know,” Daniel sighed. He pointed to the small pile of notebooks on his desk. “I’ll be bringing those along to show them.”

“When are you talking to them?” Asher questioned.

“Honestly? I haven’t made a time or anything, so… I was thinking about just talking to them now,” Daniel said hesitantly.

“Now?” Lila couldn’t hide the alarm in her tone.

“No point in waiting,” Daniel shrugged. “Besides, if it goes badly, I’d need more time to process.”

“Makes sense,” Asher replied approvingly. “You know, I mentioned this to you a while ago, but even I wouldn’t tell my parents if I was doing something like this.”

“Part of it is because… it’s been hard keeping this in. Every time Mum asks if I need money, I have to say yes when I really don’t need it at all. Plus… if the school’s going to sanction it, I can’t guarantee that they won’t want to talk to my parents. I’d rather they hear about it from me than the school,” Daniel responded.

“You sound really mature,” Lila grinned. “It’s actually kinda weird.”

Daniel rolled his eyes at her. “I’ve had to be, you know. Though, sometimes I wish I could’ve just… lived my life as a normal teenager.”

“Relatable,” Lila laughed.

“Relatable? How?” Daniel blinked. Lila glanced at Asher, who looked suitably horrified. She suddenly realised that perhaps she shouldn’t have said anything. Unfortunately, nosiness was something all the Moloney siblings shared, after all.

“U-Uh, well, you saw the insane bullying,” Lila said hurriedly. “Like, that’s surely not a part of normal teenage life. A-And helping you with the Banker stuff. N-Nothing else.”

Daniel looked incredibly doubtful.

“It feels like there’s something else,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Are you guys doing weird sex stuff or something?”

Lila flushed a vibrant red, chucking a pillow at Daniel. It landed squarely on his face and he stumbled.

“Geez,” Daniel muttered reproachfully, tossing his pillow back at Lila. “I was kidding, dude. No matter how curious I am, I don’t need to know about any of that- whoa, why’re you so red, Asher? Was I actually right?”

Lila whipped her head to look at Asher, seeing that he was indeed beet-red.

“N-No,” Asher stuttered. “Not at all.”

Daniel wrinkled his nose. “Ew.”

“I’m being serious,” Lila grumbled. “Nothing like that is going on. Stop thinking about weird shit, Daniel.”

He laughed, his face finally relaxing properly for the first time that she’d seen that day. “Alright, alright. Anyway, I guess it’s time. Let’s go.”

Lila stood with a stretch as Daniel collected the notebooks he’d pointed out. Asher sighed, standing as well.

“Do you need anything else? Your laptop?” Asher asked, looking around Daniel’s desk.

“Nah. I’ll just show them the Square stuff on my phone if it gets to that point,” Daniel replied, opening the door. “I think Dad’s in his room, so I’ll just grab him. Could you get Mum for me? We’ll talk in the study.”

“Roger that,” Lila saluted, earning a snort from Daniel before they parted ways in the hallway.

“You reckon it’ll go alright?” Asher murmured as they traipsed down the stairs.

“If you’re there, I think it will,” Lila murmured back.

“How do you figure?”

“Well… besides the fact that it’s you, it’ll be harder for Mum and Dad to totally lose their shit in front of someone from outside the family.”

“Makes sense.”

They entered the living room, in which Lila’s Mum was still watching TV.

“Ah,” Lila’s Mum beamed. “How was your shower? Was everything okay?”

“It was just what I needed, Mrs Moloney,” Asher responded genially. “Thank you for letting me use it.”

“That’s okay. Are you two hungry? Or were you going to play board games again?”

Asher looked at Lila who shook her head.

“Actually, Nay… uh… can you come with us? To the study?”

“The study?” Lila’s Mum turned down the volume of the TV, giving them both her full attention. “Why?”

Lila didn’t know what to say. What would Daniel want her to say? She hadn’t asked.

“A-Actually, um… Daniel wants to talk to you and Dad.”

“Daniel?” Her Mum looked startled. “Is everything okay?”

“Well… he’ll explain,” Lila replied evasively. “B-But it’s not like he’s hurt, or anything.”

Her Mum slowly stood up, looking incredibly confused. “Okay…”

“We’ll be there too,” Lila added awkwardly.

Her Mum’s expression changed from confusion to suspicion. “I don’t like the sound of this.”

“It’ll be fine,” Lila insisted. “Let’s go.”

“Does Clare need to be there?” Lila’s Mum asked.

Lila shook her head. “Clare doesn’t know about it.”

“Then shouldn’t she be there?”

“He… didn’t ask for her,” Lila said after a couple of seconds.

Lila’s Mum clicked her tongue before sighing. “I still don’t like this, but I’ll go.”

“Thanks Mum. It’s… really important.”

“You’re not making it sound any better,” her Mum shook her head before heading towards the hallway to the study. “Is Daniel getting your Dad or something?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll make some tea. You two can go to the study first.”

Lila silently led Asher towards the study, remembering vividly the last time she had been in it. Neither of her parents had confronted her about her breaking into the locked filing cabinets, but now that they were going to be hanging around in there together, would they realise?

‘Ridiculous,’ Lila insisted to herself, gripping the doorknob. ‘It’s been weeks. They would’ve said something much earlier if they’d noticed.’

She swung the door open, gesturing for Asher to head inside before her.

“Thanks,” Asher smiled before pausing. “Are you okay?”

“Me? I’m fine,” Lila insisted. “Of course I am.”

He met her gaze and held it for a couple of seconds. “I can see why you seem nervous.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… last time you were in here, it was to dig for information,” he whispered. “Since you never said anything, your parents didn’t notice, right?”

“They didn’t.”

“Then you don’t need to worry. They’re going to be so focused on Daniel, even if you started opening the filing cabinets now, I doubt they’d notice.”

Lila gave a breathy laugh before gesturing again for Asher to head inside. He did and she followed, leaving the door open so her Mum could get in with the tea.

They stood in the study for a few moments in silence, with Asher surveying the space.

“Looks the same as your video,” Asher nodded. “It was the right call, having you go in by yourself. There’s no way I would’ve been able to help you without looking suspicious as heck.”

Lila was about to respond when she heard approaching footsteps. It seemed that their meeting was about to commence.