Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Seven

Lining up for assembly was chaotic that Monday morning. It seemed that not everyone had been told that there was one, aside from Lila and Asher's PC classes. Though they had been sternly warned about wearing the formal uniform on Monday, Lila could see that many students were afforded some amount of grace for their transgressions.

"What's this even about?" Lila could hear a Grade 10 student ahead of her grumbling as they joined the swarm into the gymnasium.

"Beats me," came the annoyed response. "Do they not realise we have assignments?"

"You want to do schoolwork?"

"Being an idiot sounds worse than doing school work, Felix. Not that I'd know."

"Hey!"

Lila swiftly exited this throng when she could, making a beeline towards the Grade 11s. It was a shame that she couldn't sit with Asher, since they needed to sit in PC rows, but she might be able to catch his eye-

"Fancy meeting you here," his voice was low in her ear, causing a ripple of goosebumps to dance across her skin. She spun to face him and was struck by how bright with mirth his eyes were.

"Fancy that," she smiled.

"Shame that English has been taken away from us this fine morning," he commented as they joined the slow procession towards their PC rows.

"Yeah – though I'm happy enough to delay getting my draft feedback."

"You would've done fine," Asher insisted.

"Doubtful."

"Do you need me to-"

"Asher, you're heading to the wrong row," Isaac's voice called, drawing their attention. He waved before gesturing for Asher to sidle into the row he was in the middle of.

"See you later," Asher sighed ruefully.

"See you."

He departed, ruffling his hair with apparent annoyance, as Lila moved on to the row just ahead. She swallowed, anxiety suddenly taking hold. Grace was sitting next to Elise, with the next free spot being right beside Grace. Lila glanced at the students still meandering to their seats that she was stuck behind. None of them were in 11E.

After everything she'd been through that weekend, she'd entirely forgotten about this part of her school life. She drew in a deep breath, shuffling into her row with a shakiness in her legs that she couldn't fend off.

Elise and Grace looked up at her as she arrived.

"Do you want to swap?" Lila heard Elise say through the rush of blood that was suddenly thundering through her ears.

"Nah," Grace replied with a soft smile. "I'll be right."

'Yeah, but will I?' Lila thought as she tucked the skirt of her dress beneath her and sat down next to Grace. She immediately knotted her hands together in her lap, staring off towards the empty stage. They had Modern History together today, and it was too late in the term for Lila to sit somewhere else so… she'd have to get used to sitting with Grace, she supposed.

"Lila," Grace murmured gently. Lila jumped, staring at her with wide eyes.

"W-What?"

"Can… I borrow you? And Asher. At morning tea?"

Morning tea? Lila shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I… guess."

"Thanks," Grace smiled once again. Instead of putting Lila at ease, it made her feel rather uncomfortable and she quickly looked away, back at the stage. Grace didn't seem upset, at least. Would they be making amends? Or…

Lila swallowed, her blazer suddenly feeling far too heavy across her shoulders. She didn't want to think about that just yet.

It took about ten more minutes for everyone to be settled, including the Headmaster and associated teachers and students who sat on the stage. Lila could see that the Vice Head Boy and Vice Head Girl were sitting primly next to the Headmaster, their expressions unreadable. Lila recalled their names – Toby Nguyen and Hannah Redfern. She knew virtually nothing else about them – which was probably a good thing, considering the circumstances the whole school was finding itself in just now.

The onstage screen displayed the school crest, motto and name but nothing else. No hint as to what today's emergency assembly was about. Not that Lila thought a PowerPoint slide with the words 'Morphine is bad' would've been appropriate either, but a smidgen of something would've been nice.

Mr Lockwood stood, a mixture of fury and forced calm battling across his face. He made his way to the lectern, waiting for silence to befall the gymnasium.

Lila glanced around, noticing with distaste that Liam, of all people, had sat next to her. She whipped her head back around to the stage.

"Students," Mr Lockwood's authoritative voice boomed with the assistance of the onstage speakers. An immediate hush settled over everyone. "This should be a short assembly. Settle down."

Lila could hear the scraping of several chairs as Mr Lockwood cast his eyes around. He nodded in satisfaction before continuing.

"Some of you may have noticed that the previous Head Boy and Head Girl are not on stage with me this morning."

He was starting there?

Whispers started up before Mr Lockwood gave the whole student body a stern look, silencing them all.

"The ethos of this College is such that we have zero tolerance for illegal activity," he continued. This statement made Lila feel slightly awkward and she turned her gaze to the screen rather than Mr Lockwood. From the corner of her eye, she could see Grace compulsively straightening the skirt of her dress and Lila's awkwardness shot sky-high. "As a result, due to a recent investigation into the activities of several Grade 12 students, there was no other outcome than to expel those involved."

"In particular," he added, his voice harsher than before, "drugs are unacceptable in any form on campus, or connected to any of our students – especially the distribution of drugs."

The atmosphere descended into something incredibly grim.

"I note that the College is cooperating fully with a Police investigation into these illegal activities. Witnesses are encouraged to come forward, either to myself directly or via the contact details on screen."

The screen changed to the details of Detective Constable Louis Conrad. Lila was privately glad that the Detective Constable wasn't familiar to her, given her experience at the Forestglade Police Station.

He then changed the screen again to some videos – one regarding drugs in general and then another about drug addiction to opioids, produced by the Department of Health. It was rather confronting. Lila had no idea how opioids affected a person – aside from, well, death, which Asher had mentioned to her – until now.

The silence following this could only be described as stunned. Even the teachers onstage were looking uncomfortable now. Then, Mr Lockwood changed the screen to yet another video – a more positive one, about getting help when personally affected by drug addiction, and how to support those who were. Once that was over, Mr Lockwood spoke again.

"Our counsellors are available, should you need them regarding the topics spoken about today. In particular, I note that the attendance of Police last Wednesday on campus may have been distressing for some students. Please know that the school does care for your well-being."

He paused before turning to Toby and Hannah. "For some lighter news, please join me in welcoming Toby and Hannah to the positions of Head Boy and Head Girl respectively. They will be invaluable assets in leading our student body and truly embody our school's ethos."

Shocked applause rang out through the gymnasium as Toby and Hannah stood.

"They would like to say a few words before our assembly wraps up this morning," Mr Lockwood said before heading to his seat.

Both Toby and Hannah made their way to the lectern, and Lila couldn't help but notice how nervous they seemed. It would certainly be a lot of pressure to take the most coveted positions one could have as a student amidst a scandal, this late into the school year.

"Hello everyone," Toby began, his voice soft despite the microphone. He cleared his throat and shuffled forwards. The silence changed from stunned to uncomfortable in an instant, and Lila couldn't help but squirm slightly.

"Hannah and I just wanted to address you all, as we know that this will have come as a huge shock," he continued, his voice trembling. "We are committed to supporting you as your new leaders."

Hannah took over, her dazzling smile at odds with the severity of this assembly. "We are also committed to supporting the ethos and values of this great College. It's a big change, with Toby and I taking the lead now."

"Though it may seem like the next few months of this school year will be uncertain, we will be your certainty. We can't let the actions of a select few define or destroy us," Toby added, his voice much more stable.

It sounded a bit cultish, but what else could they say? Lila pursed her lips as Hannah started speaking again.

"There may be many rumours floating around school, however, they can be part of the problem. Please know that there are still friends and family of these students who are at school and may be affected by unfounded gossip."

Lila's eyebrow twitched. Clearly, from Wednesday until now, things had gotten wild in the rumour mill.

"We hope to serve and lead you in the way that you all deserve. Please, if you see us in the hallways, don't hesitate to have a chat. Any concerns that you may have, we will do our best to help," Toby finished off. They exchanged a glance before Hannah gave closing remarks.

They… sounded a bit more approachable than Jason and Harper had ever been, at least. Lila recalled Jason's snide comments about her and Asher when they visited the Banker's operations with a scowl. At least they wouldn't need to deal with any of those kinds of comments from Livi or Jason, or anyone else connected to them for that matter – not that she had been inclined to see them again, what with how quickly they disbanded after the Banker had been sanctioned.

Mr Lockwood returned to the lectern, finalising the assembly as a whole. He was right – it had been a short one. He announced that the Grade 9s would be packing away the chairs and she could almost hear Daniel's heart break from where she was sitting. The rest of the students were sent off to their PC classes, which meant that the morning's schedule was moved forward by about ten minutes since PC was the shortest class of the day.

Lila unenthusiastically stood once they were released, waiting for the row to empty. She followed Grace once they were moving, hoping to disappear into the crowd as soon as possible so she wouldn't need to walk with Grace to PC.

She spotted Asher and Isaac up ahead, though neither seemed to be speaking which was in stark contrast to the flurry of conversations rising all around them. She pushed past several students until she was able to grab Asher's hand. He flinched, taking his hand away before turning to her.

"You spooked me," he confessed, pulling her closer to him and rubbing the hand that he'd unceremoniously discarded. Isaac looked similarly spooked as he looked down at Lila.

"Sorry," Lila replied sheepishly. "There's just so many people. I thought I'd lose you if I didn't reach out."

"I don't mind," Asher clarified, "just wasn't expecting it."

"It's like you've been working on your stealth skills," Isaac laughed. Neither Lila nor Asher joined in.

"Damn, that assembly got you both real serious," Isaac frowned after waiting a touch too long for a response from either of them. The trio burst out of the gymnasium doors, blinking against the sunlight.

"Of course," Lila responded. "The Head Boy and Head Girl expelled over drugs?"

"Oh yeah, you were right on the money there, Asher," Isaac said suddenly, nudging Asher's shoulder over Lila's head.

"Huh?" Asher frowned at Isaac in confusion.

"On the bus back, you said it was probably to do with drugs. They weren't specific about which, but it seemed to be an opi-whatsit."

"Opioid," Asher corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, those. Man, I thought your suggestion was silly, but like always, you were right."

Asher looked incredibly uncomfortable. Of course Asher had been right – he'd been instrumental in exposing the whole thing to the school, if only from the shadows by Lila's side. Lila caught sight of Isaac's suspicious expression and hurriedly changed the topic.

"By the way, Grace wants to talk to us at morning tea."

Asher looked alarmed. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"That's a good thing," Isaac interjected with a grin. "Told you that you just needed to wait."

"Yeah, but… what if it's bad?" Lila asked quietly.

"It won't be," Isaac said confidently. "Like I said, she'd been regretting how she was acting. Can't be bad if she feels that way."

She felt slightly better from Isaac's assessment. "Thanks, Isaac."

"No worries. Literally. Don't worry about it. Morning tea's soon anyway. Worry about it then."

"Seems like you're well-practised in telling overthinkers to stop worrying," Lila smirked, glancing up at Asher.

"Very," Isaac returned her smirk before gesturing at Asher. "You seen that guy?"

Asher looked over his shoulder dramatically. "Who?" he asked.

"You, dumbass," Isaac snorted.

"Can't be me. I'm a chronic underthinker."

"Well, with the way you were going on at camp-"

"Shut up," Asher's face was bright red as he whacked Isaac on the arm.

"Alright, alright. No need to get handsy," Isaac chortled.

Their PC classrooms were just ahead and Asher slowed his pace, the colour of his face having returned to normal.

"We'll walk over to the STEM area after this, yeah?" he asked Lila in a low voice, as though divulging a secret.

"Of course," Lila smiled. "See you."

"See you."

Asher and Isaac strolled over to their classroom and it looked as though Isaac was still teasing Asher. Lila was curious about what Isaac had meant, but with how defensive Asher was about it, she wasn't sure whether she should ask.

She entered her PC classroom, taking her usual seat with a sigh. There were just under twenty minutes remaining of PC – not enough time to really do anything.

Moments later, her classmates piled in, including Elise and Grace. They sat in their usual spots as well, though they were both quiet. Lila tapped the table absently, trying not to look at either of them. Would Elise be joining their morning tea discussion? Lila highly doubted that Grace had told Elise that she was dating a teacher – but perhaps she had ended up confessing at camp.

Ms Wang entered shortly after, her expression rather no-nonsense.

"I hope you all paid attention at today's assembly," she said sternly, placing her laptop on the desk before leaning against it, facing her students. "The school is very concerned that something like this won't happen again."

Liam raised his hand. "Ma'am?"

"Yes, Liam?"

"What exactly did they do?"

Ms Wang rubbed her forehead. "I'm not at liberty to say any more than what was explained at assembly."

"But I don't get it though," Liam frowned. "Like, it seemed really random to bring up drugs?"

"I'll explain it to you later, dude," someone from Liam's table hissed. "Stop asking dumb shit."

"Bailey," Ms Wang said sharply, "I appreciate your assistance, but I have to ask you to refrain from swearing in my classroom."

"Sorry ma'am," Bailey McPherson mumbled.

"So, they weren't banging?" Liam asked, turning to Bailey.

"No!" came Bailey's exasperated response. "Well, maybe? But that's not why they were expelled."

Ms Wang evidently chose to ignore the continued antics of Liam and Bailey as she pulled up the roll and signed the students in. She then set aside her laptop and explained the protocol for returning their hiking bags, and that photos from camp would be uploaded onto the Grade 11 intranet by the end of the week. She also reminded everyone that the timing for classes would be a bit off until lunch, much to the groans of Lila's classmates. With her announcements otherwise done with, Ms Wang sat down behind her desk and announced that it was free time until the end of class – not that there was much of that left now.

Lila spent her remaining few minutes looking through her phone. Neither Grace nor Elise spoke, with both of them looking absorbed in their own phones.

Upon being dismissed, Lila left the class, bumping almost immediately into Asher's chest.

"Someone's eager for some mathematical equations," he chuckled, stepping back.

"Definitely not," Lila sighed, taking a quick look behind her. Elise and Grace looked to be making their way towards their lockers.

"I see you don't have your stuff. Pit stop at the lockers?" he asked.

"Yeah – where's Isaac?"

"Already rifling through his locker, no doubt."

They meandered over that way, splitting and rejoining once they had their belongings and Isaac in tow.

"Still," Isaac said conversationally as the trio began their journey to the STEM area, "what an intense assembly."

"Yup," Asher murmured noncommittally. Though they weren't holding hands, Asher was drifting closer and closer to Lila, which began to stir the butterflies lying dormant in her stomach.

"They don't just do assemblies for expulsions, either," Isaac observed, placing his hands on the back of his head.

"I feel like the Head Boy and Head Girl generally don't get expelled," Lila replied pointedly. "It'd be a bit weird for them to just insert Toby and Hannah into the roles without an announcement since we've spent most of the year knowing Jason and Harper were the Head Boy and Head Girl."

"I guess," Isaac sighed. "I wonder how the school found out."

Lila prevented herself from responding. She'd probably give it away if she said anything – even a simple 'I don't know'.

"Someone with a conscience must've found out," Asher shrugged. Lila refused to look at him.

"Maybe it was a bad deal," Isaac suggested. "I bet they were hella surprised on Wednesday when the Police showed up."

"I think anyone would be surprised if the Police showed up to school," Asher responded plainly.

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"You'd hope – unless you called them in," Isaac grinned. "Man, all that action and there we were, lazing about on camp."

"Sounds like we got the better end of the deal," Asher remarked idly. Lila finally looked at him and saw that he looked rather casual. He… was pretty good at hiding secrets. Not that she thought he shouldn't be – but, with an active display like this, it really brought this skill to light.

"Anyway, do you reckon they've enrolled in new schools?" Isaac queried.

"Beats me," Asher shrugged. "So late in their final year? Would anyone even take them?"

"I'm sure someone would – or maybe they just do that, like, certificate thing."

"Certificate thing?"

"You know, just to say that they're competent up to Grade 12 or whatever. I mean, that's all we're here to get in the end."

"I guess so," Asher acquiesced.

"Who else got expelled, do you reckon?"

"Isaac, you're being such a gossipmonger," Lila chastised.

"Aren't you curious?" Isaac questioned incredulously. "This is, like, the most exciting thing that's happened around here for ages. I thought you'd be going feral for answers."

"Not like I'm going to get answers out of the two of you," Lila retorted, her face growing pink. Again, she avoided looking at Asher. "Besides, I may have tried to get some info from Daniel yesterday."

"What'd he say? Did he see it go down?" Isaac's voice rose with keen interest.

"He didn't, but he said it was Livi, Zack, Jake, Jason and Harper who'd been expelled. He wasn't sure if there was anyone else."

Isaac gave a low whistle before a dark look crossed his face. "They definitely deserved it. Greedy bastards. I'm surprised they didn't go down for the loans they were just dishing out without a care."

Lila held her tongue.

"Anyway, we should get serious about studying," Asher interjected. "We're at that point in the term."

"Yeah, yeah," Isaac uttered dismissively. "I'm working on it."

"Are you taking less Maccas shifts to compensate?" Asher gave him a hard stare. Isaac met his gaze before shrugging.

"I will if Elise does."

"Have you told her that?"

"Definitely not."

"Isaac," Lila said exasperatedly, "you should tell her you like-"

"Wow, class is starting. I'm gonna go ahead," Isaac cut her off before jogging in the direction of the Chem lab. They had reached the usual break-off point for their respective classes, so it wasn't completely odd timing – but she was well aware he was mostly trying to avoid the topic.

"I'll continue working on getting him to turn around to the idea," Asher said in a low voice. "Looks like it will take a while, though. See you at morning tea."

"See you," Lila replied dejectedly. He gave her a slight smile before heading off in the direction that Isaac had hightailed it to.

Lila threw herself into her maths lesson, writing down as many notes and examples as possible. Asher's reminder of the importance of these next couple of weeks had definitely sunk in and she left maths feeling rather satisfied with her progress.

Asher was waiting for her, as usual, outside her classroom once she was released. She sighed – both in relief at seeing him, and with anxiety for their impending conversation with Grace.

"Isaac scrammed as soon as class was over," Asher said after they greeted each other.

"Probably to avoid me asking about him and Elise again," Lila replied, curling her arm around his.

"Probably. It's kinda funny to watch."

"I reckon he felt the same about us."

"Should probably remind him of that when I see him next," Asher murmured. He gave Lila a sideways glance. "Did Grace say anything about a meeting place?"

"No," Lila replied. "I think she'll just meet us in the locker room and we'll go from there."

Asher exhaled deeply before gently shaking his arm. "I hope you're not freaking out about it."

"Sorry to dash your hopes."

He pursed his lips, bringing her closer. "Like Isaac said, can't be bad if she was regretting how she was acting."

"I just… I don't even know what outcome I want," Lila lamented. "Do I want her to break up with her partner? I… don't know. I know that it's wrong, for them to be together, but at the same time… I'd be pretty mad if my friends tried to break us up. Especially since… she… feels in love," Lila trailed off, staring down at the road they were walking across.

"I wish I had an answer for you," Asher replied softly. "But, like you said, it's wrong. It's pretty black and white, as far as the law is concerned."

"It is – but if… if they hadn't met the way they had, it wouldn't be. Right? Like, if they just met at the shops or something, since she's over the age of consent, the law-"

"I don't know," Asher dropped his voice even lower, eyeing the students toddling by them. "We can talk about it later – in private."

Lila also eyed the students around them before nodding. "Yeah. Okay."

Lila felt her pocket vibrate and she dug out her phone. Glancing at the screen, she saw it was a message from Clare.

'Shit,' she thought, throwing her phone right back into her pocket and zipping it up. She was probably messaging about the gift Lila wanted to get for Asher.

"Everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Uh, I-" Lila wildly looked around, spotting, to her relief, a bathroom. "I'll be right back."

She rushed towards it, pulling her phone back out as she did so.

I'm about to get ready to go to the shops

Need anything else?

The double-texting from Clare had worried Lila for a moment, but this was quickly replaced by annoyance.

No – I thought you were already getting it. I ran away from Asher

Lol, love me some drama, was Clare's nonchalant reply. Lila rolled her eyes.

Message me later – 12 or so, Lila sent back. Clare simply sent a thumbs-up.

Lila sighed, washing her hands out of habit before staring at her reflection in the mirror. She was a splotchy, beet-red colour and her hair was askew – likely from both the sudden sprint and panic she'd just endured. She fixed it up, lightly patting her face when she was done. It felt like so many things were happening all at once and, surprisingly, taking this moment to breathe was doing wonders.

She left the bathroom, shaking her hands to get out the residual adrenaline. Asher's expression was relatively concerned as she resumed her place beside him, her arms back around his arm.

"You know I'm going to ask again if everything's okay," Asher said, his tone just as concerned as his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just thought, um, my hands were really sticky."

She saw his mouth twitch in amusement out of the corner of her eye. "You ran in there like that for sticky hands?"

"Yeah, I needed to wash them."

He smirked and she felt her blush deepen. She definitely needed to think of a list of excuses she could dish out that weren't lame for situations like this. If Clare messaged during English or at lunch, she doubted the 'sticky hands' excuse could work a second time – if it even worked the first time.

"Well, I'm glad I'm wearing a blazer to protect me from your abhorrent, sticky hands," Asher laughed. Lila's blush deepened even more. They continued walking towards the locker room, with Lila's feeling of embarrassment only abating once they were inside. She shoved her things in her locker and took out bits of her morning tea before turning to find Grace on the other side of her locker door.

"Jesus," Lila jumped, placing a hand on her chest. "How long were you standing there for?"

"A minute," Grace replied quietly. Unlike this morning when she first spoke to Lila, there was a distinctly nervous air about Grace which set Lila's own nerves on edge. They looked at each other for a moment before Lila locked her locker.

"… I'm guessing we're not going to talk here," Lila murmured, taking stock of who was walking past.

"No," Grace whispered. "Um, we need to go to the Performing Arts area."

"Performing Arts area?" Lila gave Grace a bemused look. "Not just some meeting room in the library?"

Grace shook her head, seeming unwilling to say anything else. Was there something in the Performing Arts area that she wanted to show Lila and Asher? Perhaps some weird trick of the light, so that Grace could say they hadn't seen her and Ms Alexander kissing at all? That didn't make sense, since Grace admitted that they were dating during their canoe… experience.

Elise stopped next to them, tossing a couple of cashew nuts into her mouth. "Why're you both so whispery?"

"Sorry, Elise, but you'll have to have morning tea on your own," Grace said in a hushed voice. Elise blinked at Grace, before exchanging a look with Lila.

"Allllrighty," Elise drawled, a puzzled expression taking hold of her face. "I guess I'll see you guys at Modern History?"

"Yeah," Lila uttered. Elise glanced at them again before moving towards the exit. Asher and Isaac rounded the corner and she stopped dead in her tracks. She was a mere metre from Isaac and took an immediate step back.

"Hey, Elise," Isaac said, looking at her for a moment. He then leaned to the side and looked around her at Lila and Grace. "Hey, everyone else. Gang's all here. Should we have morning tea together?"

"Absolutely not," Asher replied, shaking his head forcefully. "See you later."

Lila took this as her cue to hurry along towards Asher, Grace keeping pace just behind her. They left the locker room in silence, with Lila leading Asher towards the Performing Arts area since Grace was still trailing behind them.

Eventually, they reached the square space outside the auditorium, still without a word. Like the last time they visited, there wasn't anyone milling around out here. Lila didn't really have any idea where they were going now – or if they were going somewhere at all – so she spun towards Grace, whose anxiety was apparent in the sickly colour her face had turned.

"Um… so… we need to go to Mia's office," she muttered, clutching the sides of her dress and looking at neither of them.

"I'd rather not," Asher said immediately.

"Asher, please," Grace implored, now looking directly at him. "Please at least… meet her."

Asher pressed his lips together before sighing. "It's not like we haven't met her before. What do you think, Lila?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"She's important to Grace," Lila said plainly.

He ran his fingers through his hair before sighing again. "Alright. Let's go."

Grace stepped past them, leading them into the office building. Their footsteps echoed against the hardwood floor, which only built upon the tension in Lila's shoulders. Then, Grace stopped outside the office three doors down, the plaque below the door's window reading 'M. Alexander'.

She opened it with a creak, gesturing at Lila and Asher to head inside. They did so, encountering Ms Alexander, hatless this time, sitting behind a desk upon which were several music-related knickknacks and a school-issued laptop reserved for teachers. Charts of musical notes adorned the walls, along with a degree bearing Ms Alexander's name. There was also a grey fabric sofa just to the right of the door – a sofa that Lila hadn't seen from the sliver of unfrosted glass on the office door's window.

Ms Alexander stiffened for a moment. Then, her face pulled into an uncomfortable-looking smile as she stood up.

"Welcome, Lila and Asher."

Lila wasn't quite sure what to say, so she simply nodded. Asher otherwise didn't react.

The four of them now stood in the most awkward silence that Lila considered possible. Surely Grace didn't want them to come all the way here just to look at Ms Alexander and leave, though she was tempted to turn around and run away, never to return.

"… I… hear that you know about Grace and me," Ms Alexander finally said, moving so that she was in front of her desk now. "Take a seat," she added, gesturing to the sofa.

"I'm okay," Lila replied, taking a step back in reaction to Ms Alexander's approach. Asher still didn't react. Lila snuck a peek at his face and was surprised by how utterly unimpressed his expression was.

Ms Alexander sighed, rubbing her forehead. Lila noticed that she was once again wearing the bracelet Grace had bought for her at the museum.

"I wanted to speak with you two directly about this," Ms Alexander stated. "Grace and I are in a consensual relationship."

Lila could feel the disbelief emanating from Asher from where she was standing.

"It may be hard to believe, but it's a genuine relationship," Ms Alexander continued, as though reading Asher's doubt. "I'm no longer able to imagine a life without her."

Asher unfolded his arms, which seemed to encourage Ms Alexander to continue.

"As a result, I'd like to make a deal with you."

He folded his arms again.

"I don't want to break up with Grace – so, I'll be moving on from Forestglade College after this term is over."

"W-What?" Grace's voice trembled, causing both Asher and Lila to look at her. Her expression was entirely dumbstruck by the news.

"I've already accepted a position at Mulberry Heights High."

Lila suppressed the urge to wince at the name of Holly's school.

"Mia, you didn't tell me that-"

"Grace," Ms Alexander's face looked incredibly pained as she stepped back, now leaning against her desk, "I don't think you realise what it means – the fact that Asher, of all people, knows about us. Making a deal like this is the only way to protect us."

"A-Asher wouldn't tell, right? You guys wouldn't tell anyone," Grace sounded desperate, her eyes turning red with unshed tears.

"Wouldn't I?" Asher challenged, raising an eyebrow. Somehow, he looked incredibly peeved by this turn of events. "Lila might not, but I'm still thinking about it."

"Lila," Grace turned to her, tears streaking down her cheeks. "Lila, you can't let him-"

"Grace," Ms Alexander's voice was soft – tender, even. "Grace, this is just how it has to be."

"I… I don't want it to be like this," Grace began to cry in earnest now, furiously swiping at her eyes. After a heaving breath, she said, "Mia, I w-want you to stay. I love you."

"I know," Ms Alexander replied plainly. "I love you too. Which is why… I have to leave."

"But-"

"The alternative is that we break up and never speak again," Ms Alexander's voice was now harsh – much more authoritative, as most teachers' tended to be.

Though Lila would have preferred that outcome, with how distraught Grace looked, she felt her own heart shattering. She thought that Ms Alexander should've sounded more emotional – especially since she was apparently in love with Grace – but maybe that was the result of being an adult? Or had she already let out her emotions prior to this conversation, since she'd made the decision without telling Grace beforehand?

"I'm concerned that neither of you are willing to consider why this is prohibited by law," Asher said through gritted teeth. "Changing schools doesn't change the fact that it started in this one, when Grace was, and still is, your student."

Ms Alexander looked at him for a long moment. "You're right. But what Grace and I have is special."

"Special because of the power imbalance?" Asher's words made both Ms Alexander and Grace flinch. "Or special because she's under eighteen?"

Lila was torn between stopping him and letting him continue grilling Ms Alexander on the topic.

"Our friends will know that you were a teacher here," Asher said pointedly. "Are you just going to be in a secret relationship forever? What are you going to say when someone asks how you met?"

Ms Alexander looked like she wanted to sink into the floor. Lila couldn't help but wonder yet again how old Ms Alexander actually was – she really didn't seem much older than Lila, Asher and Grace, especially now in the face of Asher's direct questioning.

"Have you met Grace's parents?" Asher pressed. "What are you going to say to them?"

"She has, actually," Grace piped up.

He whirled to face her. "And they know she's your music teacher and vocal coach?"

"… No."

Asher's eyelids fluttered briefly. "Do they approve of your girlfriend being so much older?"

"They're happy that I found someone. When… I told them that I'm a lesbian, I also told them about Mia. Then, they met and they got along super well. They like the fact that she's stable and so mature."

Asher now looked conflicted. Lila could guess why – if Grace's parents were okay with it, then… perhaps it really was fine.

"Look, I get that you're trying to… protect me, I guess, since I'm one of Lila's best friends. But… it's my life, you know. If I want to go down this path then… should you stop me? We've hardly spoken – and only really started this year," Grace said, her tone reasonable. "I really love Mia, and the thought of us separating scares me. I'm not with her because I'm being forced to."

Asher looked between them both before turning to Lila. "You've been awfully quiet," he observed. "What's your thoughts?"

Lila caught sight of Grace's hopeful expression, which was still blotchy from her crying. Ms Alexander, by contrast, seemed to be forcing neutrality upon her face.

"It… well, like I said to you earlier, I can't… it feels wrong to try and break them up. Since… Grace seems happy," Lila said after a lengthy pause. "And… they say they're in love. It's… at least, from what I've heard, um, pretty powerful." She shifted the weight between her feet as she said the last part. She could tell that her face was starting to turn red, but she hoped that by avoiding Asher's gaze, he wouldn't be able to guess that she was feeling that way about him. She still wasn't ready for a confession of that level.

"Lila, I'm also really sorry," Grace suddenly cut in. "About how I was at camp… I was… really scared you'd run to a teacher."

Lila couldn't help but feel hurt by this accusation, but she managed to quell her immediate reaction by reminding herself that it had been a major shock to Grace that Lila had known – especially for as long as she had.

"And… I was scared that you thought less of me."

"Grace, this wouldn't make me think less of you. All this time, I've been worried that… you weren't…" Lila faltered as she tried to find the right words. "Well, that you were being taken advantage of, and you couldn't see it."

Ms Alexander covered her mouth, though Lila couldn't think why she would do that. Was it an admission of guilt? Or shock at Lila being so wrong? She didn't have enough information to support either case, though the possibility of the first continued to worry her.

"Would… it be too soon to ask if you accept us?" Grace asked in a wavering voice, her eyes fixed on her fidgeting hands.

"As a friend… I can't say outright that I don't," Lila said hesitantly. "However, I… can't also say I condone it – the law… is the law for a reason."

She couldn't believe she'd said that with such a straight face since her illegal blackmailing of Zack led to several expulsions and this morning's intense assembly. She began to tremble and wrapped her arms around her stomach in an effort to hide this, a cold, creeping wave of nausea swirling within her stomach. It was a strange sensation – almost like the beginning of a tsunami being sucked back out to sea, driven entirely by the guilt of her hypocrisy.

Asher moved to rub her shoulder, his frosty demeanour melting almost entirely. Once again, she had the uncanny feeling that he'd read her mind with how reassuring his touch was, and the threat of the tsunami consuming her disappeared – at least, for now.

"I, for one, don't," Asher said, his hand still on Lila's shoulder. "But does it actually matter if I do? Probably not." He stopped for a moment. "Since… you're moving on from Forestglade College… I guess I can keep my mouth shut."

Lila looked up. His expression was entirely unreadable now. Had she guilted him into agreeing to not report this? She didn't necessarily want to force his hand.

"Asher, are you sure?" she asked quietly, her eyes drifting to the poorly-hidden glee on Grace's face before snapping back to Asher's face.

"Positive," he replied, steadily meeting her eyes. "As a person with loose and fast morals, it'd be stupid of me to run to the Headmaster or something when she's moving to a different school anyway."

Lila gave him a tight smile. Should he really have said that here?

"Thank you," Ms Alexander said, followed by a deep sigh of relief. She looked to be on the verge of becoming emotional but held it together. "Truly."

Asher simply nodded.

"I think we should go," Lila murmured, briefly touching his hand. "I'll see you in class, Grace."

"T-Thank you, Lila – and Asher, too," Grace's words matched her stumbling as she reached out for Lila's hands. Lila let her take them, the clamminess from Grace's touch taking her by surprise. Lila squeezed them gently before letting go, returning Grace's bright beam with a much softer smile.

Lila and Asher swiftly left. She thought she'd heard Grace collapse on the couch with a small whimper as the door shut, but she wasn't about to double back and check.

"I feel disgusting," Asher muttered once they exited the office building.

"Same," Lila admitted. "It's… a shit decision. Damned if you do, damned if you don't."

"Well, it's not like we'd be damned-"

"Maybe not in the sense of, well, the law; but certainly my conscience would be, considering the big commotion that happened from our unsavoury methods of investigation," she said, her tone harsher than she'd intended. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's not like I've got anything to back me up if I were to say you were wrong," Asher replied, throwing his hands into his hair with palpable frustration. "Fuck this sucks."

They aimlessly continued walking in silence, with Lila taking an apple out of her blazer pocket. She didn't feel hungry, but chewing might help her gather her thoughts…

"If… I was the Asher of last year," Asher said softly, his hands firmly jammed into his blazer pockets now, "I would've gone straight to the Headmaster when we saw them kissing. But I can't say shit like 'the law's the law' and be all high and mighty when…" he gave her a brief look before staring straight ahead again, "well, I literally gave you my lockpicks yesterday afternoon, which I'd bought specifically for breaking and entering."

"… Yeah. The… hypocrisy was getting to me, too."

"At the very least, she'll be gone at the end of this term," he sighed. "I know Grace is upset by that, but… it puts me at ease, even just a little, that she won't be on campus anymore. Then… maybe with some distance, Grace can figure out if she really does love her without that… inappropriate dynamic."

"I guess we'll have to see," Lila replied, her voice weary and defeated. Though she'd made a decision, she couldn't help but wonder if it'd been the right one after all.

The rest of morning tea in Asher's company comfortably blended into their English lesson, during which Lila did get her draft back. She didn't necessarily want to admit to Asher that he was right – that it hadn't been as bad as she'd anticipated – but she did have quite a lot of work to do on it; enough that it kept her busy until class was over.

Asher walked her to Modern History before making himself scarce as soon as they spotted Elise and Grace standing outside the classroom door. He promised to see Lila at lunch and almost sprinted off to Advanced Maths, doubling back to give her bookbag to her. She chuckled as she watched him go for the second time.

When Lila rested her eyes on Grace, she could tell that Grace had been crying again. Grace's smile was warm, however, which… felt encouraging to Lila. All things considered, whether or not the decision she'd made – to keep the relationship a secret – was morally or legally correct, at least Grace hadn't ended their friendship.

Elise seemed concerned throughout Modern History, but no one had time to chat, what with how quickly they were meant to absorb this week's material ahead of their practice exam next week. At 12pm on the dot, however, Lila's phone buzzed in her pocket, distracting her enough to put her pen down to pull it out.

She could see that Clare had sent a photo, but she needed to unlock her phone to see it. She glanced at Mrs Popovic, who looked entirely engrossed in her lecture and opened the message.

It was an image of a sterling silver necklace on a black, velvet board. The 'L' pendant was strong yet plain, and the chain was certainly thicker than her dainty one. It looked perfect – but Lila was suddenly doubting her choice in present. Asher had never expressed a desire to wear a necklace, and he didn't typically wear jewellery when they went out. Was it… too girly? Was he bothered by perceived gender norms in that way? She didn't know, and that was starting to make her panic.

Clare sent a simple question mark, having clearly noticed that Lila had seen her message.

Lila cast her eyes at Elise and Grace, who were absorbed in Mrs Popovic's lecture. This… was exactly a question to ask her best friends, but… they still weren't quite 'normal' yet, after camp.

Elise's eyes flickered to Lila's and she put her pen down. "You look like you're in strife," she whispered.

Perhaps Isaac was rubbing off on Elise after all.

"I…" Lila discreetly laid her phone out on the desk between the trio, with Elise and Grace immediately shielding it from Mrs Popovic's line of sight, "well, tomorrow's my one-month anniversary with Asher." She felt a twinge of embarrassment as she said that out loud. She could see Clare's point, about month anniversaries perhaps being excessive.

"Go on," Elise nodded. Lila unlocked her phone screen.

"I want to get him this. To, y'know, match mine. Except… it's just occurred to me that I don't know if he even likes jewellery, or would wear it, or would be offended or something-"

"Lila, it's cute," Grace murmured encouragingly. "Get it."

"Well, I mean, he's a guy," Lila said in a low voice.

"Knowing how head over heels that guy is for you, a matching necklace sounds like a great idea," Elise said quietly. "I agree with Grace – get it."

Lila took a deep breath. She'd almost given in to her overthinking.

"Thanks, guys. I will."

Lila slid her phone back to her lap and messaged Clare that it looked perfect. Clare gave her a thumbs-up emoji in return, and she pocketed her phone with a smile.

The rest of the lesson passed without much incident. As usual, once class was over and Lila stowed her belongings into her locker, Asher passed her a lunchbox lovingly prepared by Gabriel. They proceeded to hide away in an empty meeting room in the library after bidding goodbye to Elise, Grace and Isaac. Neither Lila nor Asher seemed up to talking about Grace or the expulsions, so instead they spent their time joking around and discussing much lighter topics.

Every so often, Lila thought that a good opportunity for a kiss arose, but she didn't take it. She'd decided that, since Asher was the one who stopped them more often than not, he should be the one to start them – otherwise, he might get the wrong impression, or she'd freak him out. She could live with the idea that kissing (or, rather, making out) was restricted – but she didn't want him to associate them with negativity.

Finally, she reached her final class – Biology – with relief. She was both exhausted and wide-awake, what with the heaviness from today generally and her subsequent plans for immediately heading home and breaking into her Dad's filing cabinet for more specifics on the investigation.

Cecelia and Lucas were in high spirits, though their conversation did turn to this morning's assembly. Lila kept to herself, instead preferring to actually pay attention to the lesson content this time. It remained that way until Cecelia lightly tapped her hand with the back of her pen.

"So," Cecelia grinned, her eyes sparkling with her usual enthusiasm, "did you tell him?"

Lila had completely and utterly forgotten that she'd made a commitment to update Cecelia on whether she'd told Asher she loved him at their next Biology lesson.

"No," Lila replied vaguely. She didn't necessarily want to tell Cecelia that the reason why she wasn't going to anymore was because she was worried that doing so would pressure Asher into having sex with her before he was ready. And that she'd realised she wasn't actually ready to say something so intense to him just yet anyway.

"Oh," Cecelia deflated in her seat. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Lila responded, shaking her head. "It's not like it's your fault."

"I mean, it kinda is since I interrupted you at camp."

Lila shook her head again. "I was going to back out anyway."

"Doubt it," Cecelia replied loftily. "The way you guys were ogling at each other made me jealous."

"Did you purposefully interrupt us then?"

"No – but I'd been missing Lucas."

Lila remained suspicious that Cecelia had, in fact, purposefully interrupted them.

"Anyway, let me know when you do," Cecelia smiled. "It's actually really freeing, once you say it the first time. Well, once you do anything the first time, I guess – since there's no more pressure tied to ones afterwards as being 'the first'."

"You reckon?" Lucas asked, looking up from his notebook for the first time since Cecelia engaged in this conversation. "I still get nervous sometimes."

Cecelia tenderly rubbed his hand. "And I love that about you."

Lucas immediately flushed a deep red as he hurriedly looked back at his notebook. "I-If you say so."

"See! How could I not?"

Lila tuned them out for the rest of Biology.

Once class was over, Lila met Asher outside. He smiled at her, which she returned, and offered his arm for her to take. She mentioned nothing of her conversation with Cecelia and Lucas to him on their way to the locker room, instead letting him guide their conversations all the way up to the bus station.

"Well… I guess… this is goodbye," Asher said reluctantly as they stood a few metres from the teacher on hat duty – one that was unfamiliar to Lila.

"Yeah."

"You… confident about tonight?" he asked evasively, casting his eyes around at the students passing them.

"I've done it before," Lila replied with a nod. "No reason not to be confident."

"Alright. Call me if you need me."

"Okay."

The roar of an approaching bus caused Lila to look. Her bus had arrived.

They speed-walked up the path to where it was now idling, with Asher returning her things to her once she joined the back of the line to get on. He looked behind him before suddenly reaching towards her face, caressing it gently with his thumb.

"See you tomorrow, Lila," he murmured, leaning in towards her. Her breath spiked as she eagerly met his lips with her own. At least goodbye kisses were reliable – both in how warm they made her feel and in the fact that Asher seemed to have little to no problems giving them to her.

She stepped back with a brilliant smile – the widest she'd had all day.

"See you tomorrow, Asher."