Scattering Lilac Ashes

Chapter Nine

Friday was plagued with heavy, windy rainfall, to the point where umbrellas didn't do much except to turn inside out and drag students away without notice. Elise and Grace had avoided speaking to Lila about the rumours, however, now that Lila was hyper-aware of the contents of those rumours, she occasionally caught snippets of her latest negative attributes between classes, in the locker room and during lunch.

She tried her best to not pay it any mind, though it was proving to be just as difficult as everyone around her had warned. Lila found herself wishing almost every hour that there was an 'off' button for the rumours, but, in the absence of such a miracle button, rationalised that something new would happen soon and the heat would be off Lila. She would just need to be patient.

And, as luck would have it, eventually the discussions in the hallways had begun to also be peppered with discussions of Valentine's Day plans for next Tuesday. Some took the opportunity to sneer that Lila would definitely ask Asher to be her Valentine, not caring whether Lila was in the vicinity or not. Truthfully, Lila didn't have anyone in mind to be her Valentine. Not that it was a requirement to enjoy an otherwise boring Tuesday. Besides, Asher was avoiding her at every chance he could now, short of bolting into the distance whenever he saw her roaming the school. He had even resorted to sending her formal emails during English instead of talking when it came time to work on their assessment per Ms Shard's instructions.

With the rain not letting up even a smidge, lunch meant sequestering in the library with the rest of the school. Luckily it had been recently remodelled to a massive two-story structure with plenty of seating space, so it didn't feel nearly as squashy in there as it could have been. Elise, Grace and Lila found the most secluded spot they could on the bottom floor, which actually meant that they sat in the middle of groups of Grade 8 and 9 students who didn't know or care about them.

Unwrapping her heated container of spaghetti, made with a Jollibee-inspired twist, Lila couldn't help but notice Grace looking forlornly at her own creamy chicken pasta.

"Everything okay, Grace?" Lila asked, a teensy bit grateful that she wasn't the one receiving that question.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah."

"Do you have any Valentine's Day plans?" Elise asked conversationally as she tucked into her cup of yoghurt.

"No," Grace sighed. "Can't really do anything then."

"Why's that?" asked Lila through a fiery-hot mouthful of cheesy spaghetti.

"Everything's already booked," replied Grace, stabbing at a piece of chicken. "Or 18-plus."

"Damn. I'm assuming you're not up for sneaking into places you shouldn't be?" Elise asked, sipping on a bottle of Coca-Cola.

"No thanks. I happen to like not being in trouble."

"Should we have a girls' hang out, then?" suggested Lila, frantically blowing on her spaghetti. "I don't have any plans."

"Sorry Lila," replied Elise solemnly, shaking her head. "I've got a shift at Maccas until late."

"Boo," huffed Lila, taking a bite.

"And I've got to catch up on my music practice," Grace said apologetically, the faintest trace of a blush across her cheeks. "Been slacking a bit."

"All good. I'll just do the same old things I normally do on Tuesdays," Lila replied, slightly dispirited.

"And what would that be?" a voice from behind Lila queried. Lila turned around and saw Isaac pulling a spare chair to their table and sitting down.

"Uh, why are you here?" Elise asked, staring at him with obvious disapproval, a spoonful of yoghurt halfway to her lips.

"I've been wandering around the library all lunch, trying to find a spot somewhere, but it's so packed," Isaac replied, unzipping his lunchbox. Lila and Grace moved their respective lunches to give him some room.