Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Nine

Elise and Lila continued to walk arm-in-arm until they reached the locker room. There seemed to be an unusual amount of silence and a distinct lack of laughter and shenanigans from the rest of the student body on the way. Had everyone found the news article?

They reached the point where the boys normally left to go to their own lockers, but both steadfastly remained standing there.

"I… don't want to leave you," Asher said quietly, taking hold of Lila's blazer sleeve. She looked back at him.

"I don't want to leave you, either," she replied softly. Her overthinking was starting to steer her thoughts towards a sickening idea – that, with such a murderer haunting their community, if Asher left her sight, she might never see him again.

"We should be safe in school," Isaac said, his expression thoroughly unconvinced by his statement. "Since… Jason and Piper were ex-students when they got murdered."

"We should be safe in school generally," Elise responded gently. "We've got plenty of teachers around, there're cameras everywhere, and there's on-site security, too."

"There is?" Asher blinked at Elise.

"Yeah. They monitor the CCTV, but walk around after hours."

"How do you know that?" Asher asked.

"There's been times where I had to come back and grab something after a Maccas shift 'cause I forgot it in my rush to leave on a Friday night. They lock the doors to the locker rooms, so I've had to call someone to unlock it for me. We've got heaps of valuables on campus, Asher. Especially in the science labs – all the equipment is up to date in there."

"C'mon, let's get ready for class," Isaac interjected. There was something in his voice that gave Lila pause. It seemed like he was swallowing down a potential freak-out over Jason's murder. Should he really be doing that?

"Alright," Asher sighed, running his hands through his hair. "It's… not like skipping class would do anything good. See you in a bit, Lila."

"See you," Lila echoed, watching them turn the corner. Her anxiety hadn't settled at all, but… he was right. Skipping class wouldn't benefit her in any way.

She was about to open her locker when the sound of jogging footsteps caught her attention. She turned to the source and was surprised to feel Asher's lips against her cheek.

"Bye," he murmured, his eyes muddled with way too many emotions for her to untangle in the brief second their eyes met. He turned and jogged back towards a disapproving but silent Isaac. Lila brought her hand to where he'd kissed her with a small smile.

"Well, that was sweet," Elise commented.

Lila glanced at her, letting her hand fall back to her side. "He tends to be."

"Did you give him the necklace?"

Lila shook her head, clutching the strap of the bookbag containing her maths things with her right hand as they walked towards PC. "Chickened out this morning, but I thought I'd give it to him at dinner tonight. Although… I'm not sure if we're doing that anymore."

Elise sighed. "It's unfortunate that Jason was killed, but it's not like you were friends with him or anything. Don't let it stop you from your plans."

'Except for the fact that… I basically had him expelled,' Lila thought to herself. She settled on saying instead, "You say that, but you were pretty intent on telling Asher and me as soon as you could. If it shouldn't stop our plans, then it shouldn't matter when we knew about it."

"That's because it was shocking. But if a body's been found today, surely the murderer isn't just waiting around to kill again straight away."

"It's been less than two months since Piper's murder. Who knows what their cooldown is like?"

"It has to be the same person, right?" Elise dropped her voice as they entered their PC classroom.

"Probably," Lila replied with a shudder. "Seems too specific for a copycat."

Grace was already sitting at their table, her face just barely flushed. Lila didn't want to think about the reason for that, considering the couch in Ms Alexander's office.

"I'm surprised you're already here," Elise observed, sitting next to Grace. "Usually when you have vocal lessons during morning tea, you come running in late."

Lila pointedly looked away.

"I-It just finished early today," Grace replied with a hint of nervousness. "A-Anyway, why's everyone so quiet?"

"Here," Elise whispered, passing her phone to Grace. Grace looked puzzled – an expression that quickly turned to horror.

"Seriously? Jason?"

"Yeah."

"Are… the others going to be murdered too?" Grace breathed, bringing a shaky hand to her mouth and covering it.

Lila's stomach lurched. Would they?

"I heard one of them got hit by a bus," Elise said in a low voice. "Maybe they're being targeted?"

"I'm pretty sure that one was an accident," Lila replied in a similarly low voice. "Daniel saw it from his classroom. The guy tried to make a break for it when the Police were escorting them from campus. I doubt there are any bus assassins."

"But isn't that the best way to… dispatch someone?" Elise said, her tone conspiratory. "Like, by making it look like an accident?"

"What, the bus was just waiting for him to run across the road in the shadows?"

"Maybe."

"So then why brutalise Jason like that, if these bus assassins have buses to kill with?" Lila countered with a frown.

Elise looked like she was about to respond when Ms Wang, her face and demeanour both incredibly grim, walked in.

"Students," her voice was commanding silence, though the room had been relatively quiet anyway. "You may have already seen or heard this news, however, I regret to inform you that Jason Whitley has passed away-"

"Ma'am, you can say he was murdered. It's in the news," Liam called out. Ms Wang sighed.

"Yes, Liam. Jason has been murdered."

The pause in Ms Wang's speech was heavier than any Lila had experienced from her – even more so than when she announced that Piper had died.

"As it had been earlier in the term, our school counsellors have been advised and are prepared to meet any extra demand that may be required during this time. You are all encouraged to add to the memorial wall inside the Counselling Services building, and there will be a group therapy session running during lunch breaks for the next two weeks at this stage. I also strongly discourage any research into Jason's death, for the details are disturbing. I am still appalled that this was published with a similar level of detail as the previous time."

Ms Wang rubbed her forehead, as though nursing a headache at the words 'previous time'. "Please be mindful that there are students who were friends with the deceased, especially as he was the Head Boy. An assembly will be held sometime this week as a memorial for Jason. Classes and activities are scheduled to continue, however the school understands if you need a break to grieve, or otherwise process the news. Some may find that throwing themselves into work is more beneficial. Please know that whatever the case may be, the school will support you."

She looked around at all of Lila's classmates before sighing once more. "If I hear any of you speaking disrespectfully, or otherwise not treating this situation with the utmost respect that it deserves, I will not hesitate to give you detention. This is not a light matter. The rest of this lesson is dedicated to free time. Please keep the noise to a minimum."

The silence in the classroom lingered for quite a while until Lila's classmates started to talk amongst themselves in hushed tones.

"It's crazy," Grace murmured. "I… don't even want to go outside anymore."

"I'm sure it's fine," Lila whispered tentatively.

"Yeah. I mean, it's not like you've been expelled," Elise replied reassuringly, also in a whisper.

Grace's eyes flickered to Lila's and Lila immediately felt awkward. Would dating a teacher result in the expulsion of the student? Surely it was only the teacher who'd get in trouble…

"Yeah," Grace uttered. "There's that, at least."

Lila wasn't feeling up to talking throughout the rest of PC. The visceral imagery of Jason's murder kept playing in her mind. Though she hadn't seen the state he was left in, the details in the news report definitely didn't leave a lot to the imagination.

Was there a connection between Piper and Jason? One that Lila had overlooked? She couldn't think of anything at all. They were in different grades, and with Piper's obsession with Asher over the years, there wouldn't have been a reason for Piper to be involved with Jason in any way. Was the connection purely that they had been expelled?

But if that was the case, was it… someone from their school? Not many people outside of Forestglade College would've known that quickly that Jason had been expelled, especially if he'd been taken on Sunday night.

Lila still hadn't managed to dispel her suspicions about Marlene, but on Sunday, for all Lila knew, Marlene was at Asher's, doing her usual weekend duties. They'd returned to his in the afternoon, and had dinner at around… what time had it been?

Lila brought a finger to her chin, trying to remember. Was it… six? Seven? It wouldn't have been eight or later. Considering that they'd spent almost all of their time in the rumpus room once they returned, Lila did concede that Marlene could have slipped out at any point. Plus, there was the ongoing theory that Marlene may have had an accomplice when Piper was murdered.

She shuddered. Like she'd said to Elise, it was undeniable that it was the same person who'd murdered both Piper and Jason. The similarities, down to the same location, were uncanny. But what would the reason be for Marlene killing Jason? Piper had been a direct threat to Asher himself – but Jason was only peripherally connected to Asher. Lila was far more connected to Jason than Asher was in that sense, since Daniel's business had helped Jason's along, according to Jason's police interview.

'Hang on,' Lila thought with a severe frown. 'Daniel's business, at least from what I thought I knew, only started this year. But Jason's morphine ring started around this time last year. Maybe I should double-check with Daniel when his business started…'

Lila pondered on this some more before a new thought entered her mind. Could the murderer actually be someone from Livi's group? Livi herself, maybe?

Clearly, Jason had had no qualms about throwing any of the blame onto them. Then, there was Piper's tendency to be an invisible stalker. Perhaps Piper had found something out about the morphine ring that absolutely needed to be a secret, and now Jason was killed out of revenge for the breakdown of the ring…

Her mind was still clouded as PC ended. She bid her goodbyes to Elise and Grace before stopping in front of Asher, who looked just as deep in thought as she was.

"Hi," she said, though there wasn't any energy in this greeting.

"Hi," he responded. "Are you okay?"

"I… am, but I really have to tell you what I found."

Asher looked around. He nodded, offering his arm for her to hold. "Lunchtime."

"Yeah."

They headed to the STEM area, with Asher still looking contemplative. Lila didn't want to interrupt his thoughts, but as they approached the point where they usually broke away for Maths and Chem respectively, she spoke up.

"Asher, are we still going on our date tonight?"

He looked down at her as though she'd asked who he was. "Huh?"

"… Are we still going on our date tonight?"

"Of course," he replied, the bewilderment still not leaving his face. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Isn't it… a bit dangerous?" she asked, avoiding his piercing gaze.

"But we'll be together," Asher said with a nod, as though that solved everything.

"Sure, but… what if-"

"Lila, a date is exactly what's needed, don't you think? Some time to unwind a bit, eat some Indian food, share each other's company. We can be hermits from Thursday. Well, we need to be hermits from Thursday – our studies won't survive."

"Are you really going that poorly?"

"I will if I don't start knuckling down."

"… Sorry. For distracting you."

"Lila, you're my favourite distraction."

"Still a distraction."

"Yes, but I've got my own methods of distraction that get in the way. I'd much rather that you do the distracting," he grinned at her, though she still felt guilty.

"Sorry."

"Lila."

"Sorry."

"Lila."

"So-"

"Are you the one trapped in an apology loop now?" his eyes twinkled as he said this. He gently shook her arm. "Don't be sorry for existing. It all comes down to scheduling, and right now my schedule is telling me that we need to go on our date tonight."

"Need to?"

"Of course."

It almost sounded like he had a particular plan in mind.

"… Okay. How are you getting home?" she asked quietly.

"Via Marlene. She can drop you off, too. Considering what's happened, I'd rather we go home in the same car if we can."

Lila paused. She'd asked Clare to pick her up, but… perhaps it would be more convenient for Marlene to drop her off at home.

"Alright. I'll just tell Clare."

He smiled at her again. "Great."

She returned the smile.

"Oh, hey Isaac. Ready for Chem?" Asher asked, nodding at someone behind Lila. Lila turned and saw that it was indeed Isaac.

"Not at all. Practice tests suck," Isaac lamented.

"Probably could've guessed that response. See you at lunch, Lila."

"See you then."

----------------------------------------

Asher was pulling faces in the window as Lila packed away her things. A couple of her classmates snickered, but she found that her eyes were only drawn to Asher. She assumed he was trying to cheer her up, and she couldn't help but feel it work.

"You're being real goofy," Lila grinned once she exited the classroom.

"Really? Never would've guessed," he winked at her, offering his arm again after swiftly taking her book bag. She giggled, accepting his arm. She wondered whether he'd thought about how best to put her in a good mood during Chem. Knowing him though, he probably had.

They strolled to the locker room, breaking away to put their things into their respective lockers. Asher returned to her moments later, passing along a lunchbox.

"Let's go," he said with a nod. She returned the nod and off they set towards the library. Now that Lila and Asher were going to sequester themselves in a meeting room, she felt as though her phone was burning a hole in her pocket.

Once Asher brought their microwaved food to their meeting room and the door was closed, Lila gave a deep exhale.

"I… I can't believe Jason was murdered," she said as she took a seat.

"Neither. It's crazy," Asher concurred, sitting in front of her.

She unzipped her lunchbox to find a bed of rice shaped like a love heart, alongside some sliced, marinated chicken breast.

"That's cute," she smiled, poking at the vegetables, also cut in the shape of hearts, and chocolate-covered strawberries artfully laid on the sides. "Did you ask for this?"

"Might've," he replied, scratching at his chin with an air of bashfulness. "Might not've. Might've instead been going on about today last night until Gabriel was fed up with me."

Lila laughed, taking a bite of the flavourful, ginger-infused chicken. It was humble – but delicious.

"I really appreciate that you're so honest," she said after taking a few more bites.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm too honest," Asher replied, his bashfulness returning in his voice. "Like this morning. Sorry."

"Asher, don't feel guilty-"

"I'll stop, I'll stop. I just wanted to add that to make me feel better. I'm self-serving like that."

"Perhaps not self-serving enough," Lila replied lightly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well… you're quite generous, but I think… if you want something, you shouldn't be afraid to be selfish."

"I feel like you're not speaking in general terms."

She flushed. Of course she wasn't. "I-I'm just saying you can be selfish, too."

He stared at her for a moment before chuckling under his breath. "You're too obvious. It's cute."

She shifted in her chair slightly, the flush on her cheeks feeling as though it would permanently sear itself onto her face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Good. I don't think my heart can take another discussion about it."

She wasn't sure what to make of that statement and instead focused on eating her food. He'd seen through her attempt at encouraging him to give in so quickly. This fact only served to solidify her decision to not tell him she loved him anytime soon.

After spending some time eating, Lila pulled out her phone.

"I didn't take a video this time," she said, opening up her gallery of photos, "but I did take pictures of everything in my Dad's case file."

"Alright," Asher replied, accepting her phone. He was silent as he flicked through the photos, taking bites of his food every now and then. His speed reading seemed to be in full effect as he finished looking through all the photos in only a few minutes.

"It's kinda eerie," he commented, glancing back down at her phone, "reading interviews with Jason after he's dead."

Lila hadn't considered this. "Yeah. Now that you've said it, it really is."

"Do you think he knew?"

"Knew what?"

"That he'd be murdered."

"Doubt it. He seemed confident that he was going to get away with everything, after all. If you knew you were about to be murdered, wouldn't you want to tell the Police everything? That way they can protect you."

Asher made a sound of agreement before shaking his head incredulously. "How did he think he'd get away with everything?"

"I think he's used to blaming other people for his problems and getting away with it," Lila shrugged. "First it was Daniel, though he wasn't named, then Livi. Then, he threw his Mum's boyfriend in there and then was adamant that it wasn't his fault. Then, of course, he threw in all those contacts at other schools."

Asher gave her a dark look. "I'm surprised, but somehow not surprised, that Holly's new boyfriend was involved in all of this."

Lila paused, tempted for a brief second to tell Asher about Dylan and Holly's conversation. But, she held her tongue and simply nodded.

Asher tapped his chin. "Not that I should've, but I definitely didn't know Dad's Vice CEO had a boyfriend – much less one that she's had for around a year."

"Well, Jason did say it was kept under wraps because of her role at the hospital."

He nodded again before entering her passcode into her phone, which had fallen asleep. He seemed to be concentrating heavily on the pictures he was looking at before looking back up at her.

"Take a look at this," Asher said, sliding her phone towards her. "See the top of this CCTV screenshot?"

Lila peered at it intently. It read 'Door 3 – Courtyard – 07.36.12 – 31 Jul 2023'.

"What about it?" she asked, looking back at Asher. He flicked to the access logs.

"Here's where it says Evelyn used her key card to get through Door 3 on 31 July 2023 at 07.36.12 hours."

"You noticed something like this that quickly?" Lila queried, awestruck by how fast his mind ticked. "You sure you need me to help you investigate things?"

"Don't give me too much credit. I just thought that if your Dad had a select bundle of stuff, rather than literally everything he gathered for this case, they're probably all connected in some way. So, with that, I checked whether the access logs matched the screenshot. Turns out my hunch was right."

"Still, though, I didn't pick that up."

He seemed rather chuffed, his cheeks pink, as he pushed past the subject. "So, uh, basically this dude doesn't look like Evelyn."

"Not in the slightest. Do you reckon that's this 'Hunter' guy?"

"Very likely. Who else would have access to the Vice CEO's access pass?"

"But wouldn't she need it to get into work?"

"He might've borrowed it. Said he left his at home or something. From what Dad's told me, the roles of CEO and Vice CEO are pretty desk-bound, now that heaps of meetings are done via Zoom or Teams. Occasionally, they'll do face-to-face things, but that's, like, 10% of the time or something low like that. So, if a Doctor said he needed her access pass, it probably didn't affect her. Dad and Evelyn would have the most amount of access, except for security I guess, in that hospital, in case they needed to attend to something in those capacities."

"I wonder how often that happened – that he wandered around with her pass."

"Who knows? Maybe that's part of what the Police needed to verify."

He looked thoughtful again as she flicked to the money orders. "I felt like these initials weren't matching up, and I don't know why. Can you see something?" she asked, offering her phone back to him.

He narrowed his eyes as he zoomed in. "… they do feel off. It looks like some have a much skinnier 'E', and the 'D' for these ones have tails while the others don't."

Lila relaxed in her chair. "Thanks. That was going to bother me for ages."

He perused through the photos again, this time much more slowly. A new thought occurred to her and she snorted.

"What?" he smiled, glancing up at her before looking back at her phone.

"It's… well, Daniel told me yesterday that Zack got hit by a bus."

"You're joking," Asher replied in astonishment, abandoning her phone altogether. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. He's… fine, apparently. Better than Jason, at least," Lila shuddered. "Daniel saw it from his SOSE classroom. The Police were escorting them off campus and Zack made a break for it and got hit by a bus. He didn't get very far, so Daniel says."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Poor guy. He's probably sitting in hospital, wondering why the Rock abandoned him like that. He'd probably be suspicious enough of the Police to not say anything to them now, though."

Lila laughed as well, surprised that he'd thought the same as she had when she first heard the news, before pausing. "Do you think that's why my Dad doesn't have transcripts of the interviews with the others? 'Cause no one wanted to talk?"

"Could be. But Evelyn's didn't have much in it either. Maybe he just didn't get them, or he didn't think they were important because they're not directly connected to the source. I mean, my Dad requested yours to investigate the missing analgesics, not the morphine ring."

"True…"

"They're connected, but it probably doesn't matter too much to my Dad what they did with the drugs after they left the hospital. I mean, besides morally."

His statement lingered in the air until a new question came to Lila, one that frightened her.

"… who do you think killed Jason?"

"I wish I knew," Asher replied bitterly. "That way… I'd know to avoid them, and keep you safe."

"Keep me safe?" she stared at him as he gave her a solemn nod.

"Of course. Lila, you're the most important person to me. If something happened to you-" his voice broke and he tore his eyes away from her. "-I'd never forgive myself."

"It's not like it'd be your fault."

"But if I wasn't there to protect you, then it would be."

She swallowed, the seriousness of his statements hitting her hard. "Asher, you're the most important person to me, too. You need protection just as much as I do. I'd never forgive myself either, if something happened to you."

He smiled at her, gently caressing her hand. "Not that it's a competition, but I think my fear is a bit more warranted."

"Why? Because I'm a girl?"

"Not… exactly. There are other things, besides a rampaging lunatic, that make me worried about you."

She tilted her head. "Like what?"

He seemed as though he was going to say something but he instead shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, that just makes me worry about it."

He steadily met her gaze before shaking his head again. "Okay, worry about it then. I'll tell you one day, but not today."

His hands seemed restless, so she reached out and grabbed them. "Okay, Asher. I trust that you will."

They twitched in her grasp before his furrowed brow smoothed out and he nodded.

Of course, her curiosity was going into overdrive – but pushing him had more often than not turned out to be counterproductive. So, she swallowed it down and forced herself to think about something else – the connection between Jason and Piper beyond being murdered in the same way.

"It's pretty clear that Piper and Jason were killed by the same person. What do you reckon their connection was?"

"I've been hearing from classmates that it's because they were both expelled from Forestglade College but I reckon that's a pretty bogus theory," Asher replied after a beat.

"But what else is there?"

Asher pursed his lips. "She… might've been a customer of his. Harper was the leader of the Dancettes, right?"

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Right, but Piper bombed the audition. Ayla got in, though."

"Doesn't mean she couldn't be a customer. I mean, Ayla seemed like she was pretty close with Piper. Piper could've still hung around the Dancettes and been mixed up in it."

"I guess. She did also move to Mulberry Heights, who are apparently 'feral' for it."

Asher frowned at the mention of Mulberry Heights, but it quickly disappeared. It reminded Lila that she hadn't told him about Holly and Dylan's… whatever it was at the last sporting match. It further reminded her that she didn't want to tell him.

"She could've been the link from Forestglade College to Mulberry Heights, too. Brought it to Dylan's attention or whatever," Asher eventually suggested. With that, it started sounding like a plausible connection.

"She also, or alternatively, might've found something out about the morphine ring that needed to be a secret and one of them killed her. I was thinking possibly Livi, since Jason's dead now, and she could've killed Jason, too. Since Piper was pretty invisible, I bet she knew heaps of stuff."

"Besides stuff about us," Asher said drily. He placed a hand on his chin for a few moments before snorting. "Either that or the Headmaster is killing them off since expulsion is an inadequate punishment for the stuff they got up to."

Lila laughed. "I feel like that one's a bit too far-fetched."

"Sure, but not impossible."

"Guess not," Lila conceded. She sat back, running through a mental list of what she'd found. There was something they hadn't discussed yet.

"What do you reckon about the blueprints?" she asked. His eyes darted to hers before he shrugged.

"I haven't thought too much about them. Is there something to them?"

"Well, the one Mr Snugglebutt scratched up has a room underneath the morgue."

"Huh?" Asher blinked, opening her phone again. "Oh, you're right. I didn't realise there were two blueprints here."

"You didn't notice that?"

"Not at all. I just thought he'd scanned it and gotten rid of the marks."

"Do you reckon the room is important?"

"Well, it doesn't exist anymore, does it? Since it's not on the new plans."

"How do you just… get rid of a room?"

Asher paused. "Fill it with concrete?"

"That's a lot of concrete."

"Board up the room?"

"So, the room would still exist?"

Asher folded his arms pensively. "I mean, it's the most cost-effective option."

"I wonder what it was used for."

"Storage, maybe?"

"Surely storage is useful until the end of time?"

"Right, but the morgue itself looks like it got a bit bigger," Asher pointed at the dimensions listed by the morgue on both blueprints. "Probably absorbed the required storage into the upgraded morgue."

"Should we… break in?"

He looked at her like she'd asked him to do a standing double backflip. "Hell no. We are not breaking into my Dad's hospital to find a nonexistent room. There's so many cameras, and besides everything is locked behind access cards, not, y'know, door locks."

She sighed with a touch of despondence. "Okay."

"… But maybe we could still visit it? After exams and all that is over. If you're curious about the hospital itself."

She sat up. "That's an idea."

"It's kinda lame though."

"Doesn't worry me. I've never been to the Forestglade Private Hospital."

"We'd just be bumming around."

"You're making me think you're really reluctant about this."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Of course I am. I used to spend my summers there when Gabriel and Marlene were on holidays, and Mum was on her business trips."

"Really? What'd you do?"

"Sit in Dad's office. Beg Isaac to come back from wherever he was so I could hang out at his. Read. Rinse. Repeat. That was when I was much younger and only for a few summers, though. I think they all figured out that I hated doing that and staggered their timings a bit more so I could at least be at home."

"You didn't complain as soon as you figured out you hated it?"

"Me? Complain? Never." He winced as soon as he said that before sighing. "You know how I fought with my Dad about… not going to Vanuatu?"

"Yeah?"

"Well… I've never really fought with my parents. Ever. I've had disagreements here and there, but I could probably count them on one hand. I've fought more with Marlene and Gabriel, but even then, I could probably count those on both hands per person. I think that's part of why my Dad was so angry when I did fight back. He didn't know what to do to get me to comply. Long story short… yeah, I've never really complained – not to my parents, anyway."

"Huh. That makes sense to me."

"It does?"

Lila nodded. "Yeah. You're generally pretty compliant. I guess… I reckon I've seen the most rebellious part of you, and even then you're still… pretty responsible."

He chuckled. "Some days it doesn't feel that way. You're not wrong, though – you have seen the most rebellious part of me. That I know of, anyway." He paused before sighing again. "Look… if you're that keen on seeing the hospital, I can give you a tour – of the areas we can get to, at least."

"Thanks."

They exchanged a small smile before falling into silence. Lila wasn't quite sure if she had anything more to add for the moment about what she'd found, and Jason's murder. She was starting to need a break from thinking about all of that.

"So, tomorrow," Lila said lightly, picking up one of the strawberries from her lunchbox, "what's the go?"

"Well, we were going to 'Beans & Biscuits' again, weren't we?"

"And after that?"

"Dinner at yours. With Alex."

"Okay, then between those two things?"

"I didn't have anything particular in mind, but studying doesn't sound like a bad idea."

She regretted asking. "Okay, sure."

"I know it's not exactly the most entertaining activity," Asher replied, his tone guilty, "but-"

"No, no, it's fine. I'll bring my study stuff with me. A lot of due dates are coming up, so it's not like it's the end of the world if I study."

He reached out, gently caressing her face. "Sorry."

"Asher," she said firmly, grasping his hands in hers. "Don't be. It's important to you, and it should be important to me."

"It's not?"

"Well… I've got other things I'd prefer to do," she glanced at him before looking back at the hands that were holding his. "Like… um, gaming."

"Might be able to fit some of that in," he replied softly. They sat there for a moment, still holding each other, before Asher reached for her phone again.

"It's time to head back," he said reluctantly. "Let's go."

The rest of Lila's classes passed without incident. The mood in both Japanese and Modern History was so dire that Lila was surprised that all of her classmates were still on campus. Even the teachers seemed to have less energy, which only fed back into the students, resulting in an eerily silent Elise and Grace during Modern History.

Once they were released from Modern History, both Elise and Grace took a moment to give Lila some encouragement about the necklace before disappearing into the bustle of students heading to the lockers. Though they'd meant well, the reminder of the necklace in her school bag made her anxiety spike.

Of course, laying eyes on Asher, who was waiting patiently by the trees on the other side of the pathway, made this spike even further. Never mind her fears about whether it was an adequate present – she had to actually give it to him, too.

"Ready for practice?" he asked as they fell into step with one another.

"I'm ready for the season to be over," she replied, looking ahead at where they were walking rather than him.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I can't wait to have full Saturdays again."

"That will be a bonus."

"For study?" she eyed him with a playful smile, which he returned.

"Of course."

"Nothing more?"

"Well, there is something else."

"Something else?"

"Yeah – hanging out with my girlfriend."

She smiled again. "That's a coincidence. I was thinking about hanging out with my boyfriend on Saturdays, too."

"I'll have to meet him," he smirked.

"You still haven't met him? You probably should. He can get a bit protective."

"I can see why," he grinned, clearly enjoying the bit they were partaking in, "you're too cute to be left alone. So, what's he like?"

"Well… there's so much depth to him that it's hard to just list it all. But… he's really kind, really smart, makes me laugh, super attractive and… is an anxious overthinker."

"Oof," Asher replied, touching his chest like she'd shot him in the heart. "I thought it was going to be really sweet."

She laughed. "The overthinking… can be troublesome, but it lets me know he cares enough to get whatever he's thinking about right. I trust him with everything I've got. Especially since he's my best friend."

"Still?"

"Are you supposed to no longer be my best friend?"

"I'd… never really thought about it. Being both."

"Of course you're both. Aren't I both?"

"Yeah."

"Then that's that."

He fell silent, as though he was processing what she said.

"And, above all, you make me really happy, Asher."

He stared at her, his expression, somehow, flickering to guilt before breaking into a wide smile. "Really?"

"Of course. Simply being with you, even if we're at a low point, gives me a comforting kind of warmth – a constant thrum of happiness, in a way. Like a power source. It's really easy to be happy with you," she smiled at him, allowing herself to feel that warmth stretch from her heart to her fingertips and toes.

"I… see," he faltered. "I feel the same way, Lila. You make me really happy too."

"You don't look happy." As she said this, she remembered, with horror, what he'd said – months ago – about Holly telling him he was her 'happy charm'. "T-To be clear, I don't need you to do or be anything for me to feel this way. Like, you don't need to stress about… making sure you're happy. 'Cause even if you're not, we find a way, eventually. S-So you can be honest with your feelings and emotions with me."

He blinked at her, and she was immediately regretting her panic.

"Where'd that come from?" he asked, halting in the pathway altogether.

She shook her head. "Just… trying to reassure you."

He looked like her answer bothered him. "I feel like there's something more to that."

She sighed. "I… just remembered what you said, ages ago, about… being Holly's happy charm."

He snorted derisively. "I think you should take back what you said about me being really smart. I'm the biggest idiot around."

"Asher."

"Fine, fine. Go on."

"Well, you mentioned that… you were scared to lose your smile with her since you wouldn't be her happy charm anymore. And you were scared to lose her, with your vulnerability."

"I… did," he said softly, folding his arms across his chest. Lila's regret was growing, gnawing at her to stop talking and pretend nothing happened. But she couldn't. Not when he was reacting like this.

"And I just wanted to clarify, I guess. If you lose your smile, it doesn't matter to me since I'll help you find it again. When you're in pain, I… feel like I'm in pain but that doesn't mean that you being with me makes me any less happy. I'm not making any sense…" she trailed off before setting off again, towards the locker room. Shutting up here was her only option to save face.

She didn't get very far before feeling Asher grab her wrist. He pulled her to his chest, the collision causing a small 'oof' to escape her lips. He gripped her tightly in a hug, his sturdy hand on the back of her head. He took a deep breath, the sound and feeling of his embrace soothing her almost instantly. She took her own deep breath and melted into the hug, clutching around his waist just as tightly.

"Thank you, Lila," he whispered, not letting go in the slightest. "I trust you, too. And… if you lose your smile, I'll help you find it again, no matter what. We're partners, through and through."

"Yeah," she murmured into his chest, suddenly feeling very emotional.

"C'mon, we better get to practice."

"Y-Yeah."

He stepped back from her but kept their hands linked as they continued to the locker room before briefly separating and returning to each other when they were packed and ready to go. She'd taken his suggestion for study to heart and packed as much as she could whilst still being able to carry her things since they'd be walking to the nearby Indian restaurant after practice.

The walk to Jacoval was spent talking in low voices about games they could potentially play in between study sessions tomorrow, with both artfully avoiding any discussion about Jason, Piper, or even their relationship.

"I'll see you after practice," Asher said once they arrived at the changing rooms. "Good luck."

"You too."

They split up after Asher returned her bags and she toddled off to the female changing room. Both she and Asher were running a little bit behind schedule, but… with the news of Jason's death, she figured that being behind schedule wouldn't be a big deal today.

So, she was surprised to see Alice sitting in her sports uniform on one of the benches inside the changing room. Her face was pale and it looked as though she'd been crying, which immediately alarmed Lila. She looked reminiscent of the Mulberry Heights girls from last weekend's game with her complexion. Was Alice a morphine ring customer?

Alice hurriedly wiped at her eyes, pulling her knees up to her chest as soon as their eyes met.

"Everything okay?" Lila asked, placing her bags down nearby. It seemed like no one else was around – not even Willow.

"Y-Yeah," Alice replied, her voice wavering. A lone tear slid down her face and she wiped it away just as quickly.

"That… doesn't seem like it," Lila observed quietly, coming over to sit next to Alice. "Are you sure you should be at practice?"

"I… need to be," Alice responded, bringing her hands together on her knees. "I can't go home just yet."

"Is no one at home?"

Alice shook her head. "That's… not the reason. I… don't feel well."

"Then you surely shouldn't be at practice-"

"Alice? Are you in here?"

It was Willow's voice. Alice immediately tensed up, turning away from the doorway. Willow entered, concern on her face.

"I said to Ms Wright that you were here, so she sent me to go find you. If you're not feeling up to practice, considering… the news… I can let her know."

Alice brought both her hands over her eyes, the tears overflowing now onto her polo.

"Jesus," Willow immediately came over to Alice's other side as Lila placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I don't think you should be here-"

"I need to be," Alice gasped, though with the way her body was curling into itself, Lila wasn't quite convinced she could get up, much less hold a hockey stick.

"Alice," Willow said softly, placing a hand on her other shoulder and exchanging a concerned look with Lila. "I didn't know you liked Jason that much-"

"I liked him enough to fuck him!" Alice cried, startling both Willow and Lila, before burying her face in her hands. They shared another look.

"You mentioned that a while ago," Willow said gently, rubbing Alice's shoulder. "But you said that was FOMO – a one-time thing."

"I-It was," Alice started sobbing with more force, now clutching her stomach. "And then-" she seemed unable to speak any further. Lila's eyes were unable to look away from Alice as she waited for Alice to collect herself. Alice swallowed before saying, "T-Then I-"

Alice started heaving now, the devastation shaking Lila to her core with each breath Alice struggled to take. Had Alice… been in love with Jason?

"Then what?" Willow whispered, squeezing Alice's shoulder now.

"Then I fucking got pregnant," Alice burst out in a wail before descending into more incoherent sobs.

"W-What?" Lila couldn't help her stammer as she exchanged a stunned look with Willow.

"You're joking," Willow replied, her voice hoarse with shock.

"I wish," Alice whimpered as though she'd been sucker punched. She took a shuddering breath, which seemed to calm her just enough to speak. "I-I found out, two weekends ago. Before our home game with Mulberry Heights. I… took a week to process. Then, after our game last Saturday, I tried t-to organise to meet with him over the week, but he… he was busy, then the Police took him away. He said he'd talk to me when he got out a-and now-"

Her body became overrun with distress once again. Willow pulled her into a hug, her face white with alarm. Lila had no idea what to do – except she thought Alice's water bottle would surely be in her gym bag. Lila rifled through it, as Alice's cries increased in volume, and found what she was looking for. She flipped open the lid and passed it to Willow, who offered it to Alice. Alice accepted it and took large gulps of water. It seemed to help settle her again – enough so that she scooted back from Willow, wiping at her face once more.

"S-Sorry," Alice sniffled, taking another sip of water. "I… I-"

"Don't be sorry," Lila said soothingly. "It's a lot."

A small smile flickered on Alice's face before it wrinkled again with another impending fit of tears. She managed to hold it together for the moment as she looked up to the ceiling, breathing incredibly deeply.

The girls sat there, with neither Willow nor Lila willing to say a word. Eventually, Alice looked back down at her hands, using them to pull her knees even closer to her chest.

"… I… don't know what to do," she whispered, her eyes glassy. "I was… going to tell him, in person, so I could see what he wanted to do. We… we'd never talked about what we should do, if I got pregnant, since it was really casual-"

"Wait, you didn't get pregnant from losing your virginity?" Willow asked before clapping a hand over her mouth as though to seal it shut.

Alice shook her head. "It was meant to be a one-time thing… but… it ended up feeling really good. He was such an asshole, though. Cocky. But at least he paid attention to what he was doing in the moment. So I went back a couple times."

Her body convulsed for a moment, and she heaved again. "I… I'd been thinking about an abortion b-but now that he's dead, I-"

More tears spilled out of her eyes, and she groaned in frustration, dabbing at them with her hands. "It… feels like I'd be killing him twice," she eventually confessed, her voice breaking. The heaviness in this statement settled in Lila's lungs and she fought to keep breathing. She could see where Alice was coming from – and had no solution to this predicament to offer.

"Have… you talked to the school counsellor?" Lila eventually asked as Alice swiped more tears from her face.

Alice shook her head. "I haven't even told my parents. The counsellor would have to tell them, wouldn't they?"

"I have no idea," Lila replied, holding her arms against her body. It was starting to feel cold in here, her stomach twisting. What would she do? If… it was her and Asher, and Asher had passed away, she'd probably keep it – but they were in a relationship, and she loved him. From the sounds of it, Alice hardly liked Jason aside from their casual hookups.

"How far along are you?" Willow queried softly.

"The test I used said about a month. Well, that was a couple of weeks ago, though. And… I haven't seen a Doctor yet."

Now Alice's appearance and demeanour over the past couple of times that Lila had seen her made more sense – including her interest in Holly at the home game.

Willow grabbed Alice's hand, squeezing it comfortingly. "You've got time to think about it. It's up to you-"

"But that's terrifying, Willow," Alice muttered. "I make shit decisions. Clearly."

"You're capable of making good ones, too. We're friends, after all," Willow smiled. Alice gave her a half-hearted smile in return.

"We only just found out about Jason today," Lila said quietly. "I think you should go home and rest-"

Alice shook her head again. "No, I-I need to do something. Sitting at home, now that he's… gone…" her lips trembled but she pushed past the emotion threatening to take hold, "sounds like a terrible idea. I need to be with people. I need to run around. And I don't think I could drive home right now. I'm still feeling terrible."

"Are you sure you can run around? If you decide to keep it," Lila questioned, cringing at the fact that she couldn't figure out how to word that tactfully.

Alice nodded. "I did some research. It's fine since it's early."

Willow rubbed Alice's back. "Alright. Let's get you on the field. See you there, Lila."

Alice smiled gratefully at them both. "Let's go." She picked up her hockey stick, leaving Lila alone in the changing room.

'Holy shit,' Lila thought as she slowly changed into her hockey uniform. 'Poor Alice…'

Of course, pregnancy was a risk when having sex. Lila wasn't stupid. But to get pregnant with a casual fling's child, who then ended up murdered before having a chance to tell him? To even ask what he wanted to do? No wonder Alice was so upset…

Lila finished getting changed as quickly as she could before heading off onto the field. She was beyond late now, but Ms Wright didn't say a word. Perhaps Willow or Alice had said she was coming, or Ms Wright was giving them a pass. A couple of the Grade 12 girls were noticeably absent, and the mood was rather sombre, but practice otherwise went as it usually did. Willow and Alice didn't talk nearly as much as they tended to, but, under Lila's watchful eye, Alice seemed to start feeling better as they progressed through their drills.

Since Lila had arrived late, practice felt as though it had stopped far too soon. But, for Alice, it seemed like it had gone long enough. She looked absolutely exhausted and linked arms with both Willow and Lila as they staggered off towards the changing room.

It seemed like no one was bothered to change back into their usual school uniforms, Lila included, so they simply picked up their bags and made their way up to the carpark.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive home?" Lila asked Alice in a murmur. Alice waved her off.

"Yeah," she replied. She pressed her lips together lightly, her eyes shifting from Lila to Willow. "But I'm glad that tomorrow's a public holiday."

"No kidding," Lila responded, rubbing Alice's forearm comfortingly. "Get some rest."

"I'll try. Sorry for… losing it before practice and making you late," Alice said, her voice laden with guilt. "You missed almost the whole session."

"Eh, I was late already," Lila said nonchalantly. "I'm more surprised you're still standing after everything that's happened today. You're stronger than you probably feel, you know."

Alice gave her a feeble smile. "You're right about me not feeling strong. I still don't know what to do but… it's so horrible, the way he was killed, too." She dropped her voice to below a whisper, though no one was around, lightly pressing her stomach. "What… do I tell our kid, if I keep it? They'd ask one day, surely?"

"I really think you should get some counselling, Alice. Someone who can help you untangle all of this. I mean, do you want to keep it? Beyond… well, beyond the fact that the father's gone now," Lila said, brushing against Alice's bicep in a way that she hoped was reassuring.

"I… I don't know. I've never given much thought as to whether I want to be a Mum, but… I can't help but think… this baby's innocent. A-And, like I said, it feels like… I'd be killing Jason again. I don't know if I can live with doing that since… it's not like I can ask him, i-if he'd be okay with… not having a part of him live on."

Lila could see Alice's eyes sparkling under the lights of the carpark. Lila was glad that there was still no one around just yet, owing to the fact that they'd left as soon as they could.

"S-Sorry, I'm quickly getting back to where I started," Alice mumbled, dabbing at her under eyes. "I better get home."

"Ali, do you want company tomorrow?" Willow asked as Lila disentangled herself from Alice.

"Maybe," Alice replied, "I'll text you. I think I just need to… have a really long sleep. I might wake up having made a decision." She paused, giving them both another smile. "I hope."

"I'll walk you to your car," Willow said hurriedly, walking alongside Alice as she started to head to her car.

"Thanks. See you later, Lila," Alice said half-heartedly.

"See you," Lila replied. Willow waved, looping her arm around Alice's once more. They seemed to be talking in hushed voices, but, for once, Lila wasn't curious. Alice's problems… were so intense that Lila wasn't convinced listening any further would produce any advice from her about how to handle it.

Lila watched as Alice sat in her car, taking deep breaths and drying her eyes again. A moment later, Alice drove off with Willow close behind in her own car.

Lila sighed. Her head was beginning to throb. She wanted to go on her date with Asher – but she also wanted to go home and process.

The sound of footsteps shuffling through the grass made Lila turn around. The soccer boys were trudging up the hill, still in their uniforms. She couldn't see Theo, but she did see Isaac and Asher making their way towards her. Isaac was still wearing his soccer cleats, but it looked like Asher had changed into his normal PE shoes.

"Well, that was the most depressing training session of my life," Isaac commented once the boys reached her, both slightly puffed from the journey.

"Uh huh," Lila replied, unable to keep the nervousness out of her response.

"Everything okay?" Isaac asked, straightening up his posture with his hands on his hips.

Lila met Asher's puzzled eyes. "Yeah. We'll see you on Thursday, Isaac."

"Sure will," he replied with a slight frown. Then, he looked over at the carpark. "Mum's here. See you."

They all said their goodbyes before watching Isaac get into the passenger seat of his Mum's car and be driven away.

"Something must've happened," Asher said quietly, slipping his hand into hers after he readjusted what he was carrying so that he could take her things too.

"Yeah. It's… quite a shock," she said reluctantly. "I want to tell you, but I didn't ask if I could… but if I don't tell you, I might explode." She met his sincere gaze before sighing. "Let's… just walk for a bit. Gather my thoughts. If… I do tell you, you have to promise to keep it a secret. This is privileged information, alright? Something I'd tell you only because we're dating since it's about someone else."

"Sounds incredibly serious," Asher nodded. "Scout's honour."

Lila exhaled in relief. They started slowly meandering out of the carpark and towards the pathway that connected the school to a large complex of restaurants, a local grocery store and a medical centre. The complex itself seemed to be bustling with patrons, including a decent number of Forestglade College students. Being here, instead of over at Jacoval, helped her mind separate from Alice's confession for now. Lila stepped closer to Asher, squeezing his hand for a moment. He looked down at her with a smile.

"Have you tried this place before?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"No, but I've always been curious."

"Good," she said happily, swinging his arm slightly. "I like trying new things with you."

He chuckled, though he didn't say anything else as they approached the Indian restaurant in question. It was elaborately decorated, though it wasn't particularly large. There were several families already seated inside. A waitress, who did look to be at least part-Indian, seated them at a table for two by the far left window and Asher stacked their belongings beside the wall. Lila looked at her bag for a moment as Asher sat down. Should… she get the necklace now?

"Did you want some water?" he asked, holding their jug of table water and a glass cup.

"Y-Yeah," she replied, hurriedly sitting down. She cleared her throat and took a sip of water before picking up the menu. It felt as though it was in a foreign language, though she knew that it was, in fact, in English.

'I thought I got over the nerves about this,' Lila thought with mild annoyance. She lifted her eyes over the top of her menu, seeing Asher perusing his copy with interest.

"Anything stick out to you?" he asked, his eyes darting to meet hers. She hid behind her menu, looking through it again.

"Um, the kadai beef looks interesting," she said after a pause.

"Have you had that before?"

"Definitely not."

"Then… I'll go with… the lamb vindaloo. Would you like an appetiser?"

"… Maybe… the chicken tikka?"

"Would you like dessert?"

"Let's see whether we can get through dinner, first."

"That's fair. Alright, I'll order. Naan?"

"Cheese and garlic, please."

"Perfect choice."

He looked around, catching the eye of the waitress. She stood patiently at their table as Asher ordered before taking their menus with a smile.

"Now that that's done," Asher said, reaching out for her hands. "Happy one month, Lila."

She smiled at him, her heart jumping for a moment as both of her hands made contact with his. "Happy one month, Asher."

"I'm really glad I can say that," he murmured, running his thumbs over her knuckles. "I've made a lot of fuck ups to get to this point, but every second with you, knowing that it's not just a dream, has made all the pain worth it."

"Asher, you'll make me cry," she said, the sweetness of his statement making her heart pang. "I feel the same. It's strange but it… feels like it's been both longer and shorter than a month. I want time to slow down, so I can relish each moment, but I also want to speed it up, so that… I can experience as much as I can with you."

"Luckily, we live right in the middle," he smiled, bringing her left hand to his lips and kissing it gently. "So, we get a bit of both. But please don't cry."

She returned his smile. "It'd be happy tears, Asher."

"Well, that's alright then," he chuckled. "Cry away."

She giggled before saying, "I must ask… but are we going to celebrate every month?"

"We don't have to, but… I just figured the first is special. Mostly 'cause now I can say that it's definitely not an elaborate hoax."

Lila laughed. "I get what you mean."

"Therefore… because it's so special, I did get you something," he said, his voice sounding shy. "Just give me a moment."

He quickly went to their bags and opened a side pocket of his school bag before turning back to her. In his hands was a small leather pouch.

"Now, before I give this to you," he said as he sat down again, his face pink, "I must warn you that it's not the most romantic of gifts."

She curiously accepted the pouch, inspecting it closely. It felt almost like there were pencils in it. She opened the zip, revealing a set of customised lockpicking tools.

She immediately closed it, looking around fervently.

"It's fine," Asher muttered reassuringly. "No one's looking at us."

She glanced at him and he smiled. With that, she reopened the pouch. The lockpicks themselves were thin, with slim, ergonomic, teal handles. She picked one up in awe.

"These are beautiful, Asher," she whispered, grazing her hand over the rest. "What made you decide to get them? Surely these are more useful in your hands?"

"I… figured that it was a bit inconvenient for you, to keep asking me for mine. Not that I mind, of course, but… well, my partner in crime should have her own tools, don't you think? Just in case."

She continued to look at the set, a smile forming on her face. "This… is really unexpected. I love them."

"Really?" he sounded both relieved and incredibly pleased. "I thought… since it wasn't really romantic, it might not go over well."

Lila shook her head. "This is romantic, Asher. You saw that I needed this, and paid enough attention to get them of your own volition."

"I did guess about the colour though," he said with a bashful expression. "I'd never asked what your favourite colour is, but I noticed you had a lot of teal stuff in your room."

"Lucky guess," she grinned. "It is my favourite colour."

"Perfect."

She picked up another lockpick before pausing. There was something engraved on all of these. It was so small that she almost didn't catch it. Lifting the lockpick already in her hands, she saw the numbers '15.07.2023' along the metal shaft, just above where it met the teal handle.

"That's our anniversary date," she said, pointing at it excitedly. He looked even more bashful than before.

"Yeah. I thought about putting your name on it, but… then people would know who they belonged to which might not be a good thing. This date, though – not many people would put it together."

"Thank you, Asher. Like I said, I love them."

"I'm glad," he replied genuinely. "I'd been thinking that you might not since I'm the one that mainly uses these."

"I don't even want to use them," Lila said, beaming at him. "They look so nice."

"Well, feel free to do what you like with them," he responded, "I won't stop you."

She laughed again and he joined in.

"When did you even order these?" she asked, her eyes not straying from his face.

"A couple weeks ago. I… was kinda anxious that they wouldn't arrive in time, so I got you the 'A' necklace as a backup. But, in classic fashion, they arrived at the post office depot the day after I bought the necklace at, like, 7am, so I decided to just give you the necklace before camp."

She grinned at him. "You're so sweet, Asher."

He seemed really chuffed by this. "I'm happy you think so."

She looked at them one last time before closing up the pouch. Since… he'd given her a gift, it was now or never.

"I'm just gonna put this in my bag-"

"I can do that," he said, holding his hand out for the set.

"Nah, it's so full that I'll need to make space. Just a sec."

She was surprised with how smoothly she said that but didn't allow it to distract her as she opened the pocket which contained her gift for him. She placed the lockpicking set in said pocket before heading back to her seat, trying to hide the jewellery bag as best she could.

"So…" she tried to sound casual, though her hands were trembling. "I, uh, got you something as well."

He looked taken aback. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't have to-"

"You didn't either."

He fell silent, which Lila took as her cue to reveal the jewellery bag. She passed it along and he took it with a complicated expression. He glanced at her before pulling out the box. He opened it and froze. His silence stretched on to the point of worrying Lila. Did he not like necklaces at all?

"A-Asher?"

He met her gaze, and she was surprised to see that his expression was quite emotional.

"Lila, is this what I think it is?" he questioned, his voice sounding hoarse.

"… I hope so. It's not an illusion, at least."

He lifted the necklace out of the box, peering closely at the 'L'. Then, with a brilliantly gleaming smile, he lifted it above his head. "Approved!"

She felt all of the tension leave her body in an instant. He fumbled with the chain and she stood up, helping him put it on.

"How does it look?" he asked excitedly, his eyes bright.

"It looks… like it belongs on you," she smiled, taking her seat again.

He met her gaze. "We match."

"We do."

He touched the 'L' on his chest, seemingly appraising it with his fingers. "It feels like it's good quality."

"I'd hope so."

"Lila, this… this is an excellent gift."

"I'm glad you like it."

He looked like he was glowing with joy. "Like it? I love it. It… I'd contemplated getting one for me when I bought yours, but I thought it'd be a bit… much."

"Much?"

"Well, presumptuous that you'd want your initial on me, I guess."

"Of course I do," Lila replied firmly. "I was worried that you… wouldn't like a necklace, or that you'd think it was too girly. Since you're a guy."

Asher almost violently shook his head. "Lila, when Elise said that the necklace I got you was like me branding you, and then you said that you liked that it stood for me, I regretted not getting one for myself with an 'L'. Thank you. Really. I'm going to wear it forever."

Lila laughed. He gave her a serious look.

"Literally," he insisted. She reached for his hands and held them tightly.

"You can wear it forever, but it might end up falling apart," she said softly. "If it looks worse for wear, just let me know and I'll get you a new one."

"I'll take good care of it so that I'll always have this one."

"Still," Lila said, giving him just as serious a look.

"Alright, alright." He looked down at his chest before smiling fondly. "I can see why you wanted yours to begin with. Being able to show everyone that I'm yours… is a really nice feeling, after everything."

"You're not embarrassed to wear it?"

"What, just 'cause it's a necklace?"

"Well, yeah. I'd never asked you whether you'd be into jewellery."

"Good thing you didn't because I would've just said I don't know. This, though… I'm definitely into it."

She intertwined her hands with his. "I'm glad."

He took a deep breath before looking into her eyes again. "Lila, this might be a bit soon, but-"

He was interrupted by the appearance of their waitress with their appetiser. The scent of the chicken tikka made Lila's stomach growl and they abandoned each other's hands, watching in silence as she placed two small plates and the chicken tikka between them. The waitress disappeared with a smile and Lila started dishing out some of the chicken pieces onto her plate. She ravenously dug in, finding that this blend of spices was delicious. She almost regretted not getting a full-sized version as her main course.

She glanced at Asher, who hadn't yet moved to take chicken onto his plate. Instead, he was watching her with a soft, amused smile. She swallowed.

"It's really good," she said, straightening her posture.

"I feel like I can tell."

She blushed, nudging the plate of chicken closer to him. "You must be hungry after practice."

"Not really. Well, I am hungry, but not because of practice. Isaac wasn't kidding when he said it was the most depressing training session."

She lowered her fork, which she'd speared her chicken onto. "… Mine was definitely not better." Her eyes darted to her food then back at his face. "Eat. Before I take it all."

He dished some onto his plate and she waited patiently for him to take a bite. He did so before pausing. "Damn, this is good."

"See!"

He took another bite, and then another in rapid succession. With a smile, Lila finished her portion before setting aside her empty plate.

"I feel like you were cut off before," she said quietly, interlacing her fingers underneath her chin and resting her head.

"From?" he asked nonchalantly, though the faint trace of a blush betrayed that he had, in fact, been cut off from something.

"You were saying something about being too soon?"

He pressed his lips together before speaking. "Was I?"

"Are you trying to gaslight me?"

He froze. "N-Not gaslight you… but…" he sighed. "I did say that."

"So, what's too soon?"

"I… ended up deciding that it was, in fact, too soon."

"Oh." She tried to not look crestfallen, but… a part of her had hoped, in some small measure, that he was going to…

'Stop getting your hopes up,' she admonished herself. 'You're so desperate. Just enjoy it as it is.'

He gave her a brief look before wiping his mouth with a napkin and setting aside his own plate. "It's unbearable when you look at me like that."

"S-Sorry."

"I'm sure it's more unbearable when I make you look like that." He sighed again. "Alright, alright. There's a pupil-free day coming up – the 1st of September, a Friday. It's at the end of week eight, so most of our stuff would be in. It's just exams in week nine so…" his voice faded before he shook his head as if gathering the courage to finish his sentence. "So, I was wondering if you might want to… stay over. From that Thursday night, until maybe Sunday? Whether we do or don't get into the semi-final and final rounds for sports, that week is a break for the season anyway, so… we'd have the full Saturday, too. It's, um, just a suggestion. If you think you'd get sick of me before Sunday, you can go home earlier… since it might be a bit much."

Thursday night until Sunday? That would be quite a while. Would her parents even say yes to that? Though… her Mum had already approved a couple sleepovers in the past…

"I-It's a couple weeks away, which is why I said it was a bit soon."

"I want to," Lila said after a moment. "I'm just not sure whether my parents would let me stay for that long. I'll need to ask them."

He gave a heavy exhale. "That's okay. I… figured. It was just a thought, so no pressure. But it'd be nice to see you."

"Just… nice?"

He looked panicked. "N-Not just nice, I want to see you-"

"I was teasing," she laughed. "I'll definitely see you that weekend – but I'm not sure if I can stay the whole time."

His posture relaxed. "That's fine."

Lila reached for his hand, though before they could touch, their waitress reappeared with their mains, setting them down before them. They dug in, complimenting the food and sharing as they did so.

The rest of the date passed by with plenty of smiles, laughs, discussions of their various upcoming assignments and dessert consisting of gulab jamuns.

"Marlene's here," Asher finally said with a sliver of despondence. "Time to go home."

They shuffled out of the restaurant, Asher having paid for dinner before becoming laden with their bags. Lila was sure that it would've been incredibly expensive, but he didn't say a word about that as they walked along the street to Marlene's car.

"So, tomorrow," Asher said meaningfully, readjusting the bags on his shoulders, "breakfast?"

"Of course."

They reached Marlene's car not a moment later and climbed in. Lila greeted Marlene, who returned it pleasantly, before asking how their date went. Asher could hardly shut up about the necklace Lila had given him, which made her smile. Eventually, he'd run out of things to say on that topic and silence settled in the car.

They were a few minutes from Lila's house when Marlene spoke again.

"I'm assuming you heard about the murder of a teenager around here?"

"Yeah," Asher said quietly. "It's why I asked if you could take Lila home."

"It's a good idea," Marlene replied sagely. "You need to remain vigilant, both of you. It's unsafe out there."

There was something in the way that Marlene said this that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Was it bias? Lila uttered her agreement with this statement, but truthfully it confused her. Was Marlene trying to muddy the waters, if she was the culprit – or at least part of the murders? Or… was she warning them that they would be next? Or was it completely innocent? It was unsafe out there – that was undeniable.

Of course, Lila kept her disquiet to herself, even when Asher jumped out and helped carry her belongings to her front door. She opened it and placed her things inside before turning to Asher. Seeing his happy, relaxed smile and the 'L' sitting proudly on his chest made her own smile appear, despite her thoughts about Marlene. For now, she didn't need to worry about that. For now, all she wanted was to hold him close – both in memory, from their date tonight, and physically, in the form of a goodbye kiss.

He reached out and tucked some stray hairs behind her ear, his eyes seeming to drink her in. She gently took hold of his hand and squeezed it, which he reciprocated.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "I had a really good time tonight, despite everything."

"I'm assuming you mean Jason's murder?"

"Yeah, and whatever else happened today that I didn't enjoy."

"What else-"

"Let's not get into it," he replied in a murmur. "Goodnight, Lila."

"Goodnight, Asher."

He caressed her cheek before tilting her chin, their eyes locking for a moment. Then, they met each other halfway, their lips moving against each other for only a couple seconds before breaking apart. This kiss fell short of their morning kiss in quite a few ways, but she still enjoyed it.

"See you tomorrow," he smiled, squeezing her hand one last time before heading to Marlene's car.

"See you then," she responded, watching him go from her doorway. She waited until Marlene backed out of the driveway before stepping inside and locking the front door – checking it twice, just in case.