Scattering Lilac Ashes

Chapter Forty-Nine

A text message interrupted Lila's concentration as she was studying that night in her room. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms above her head, yawning. Asher's insistence that she study was certainly influencing her. She checked her phone – it was a message from Asher. Smirking, she idly wondered if she had clairvoyance, given he'd just popped into her head.

Hi, he'd sent. There was nothing else.

Hey, Lila replied, slightly confused. He never really sent her a greeting when texting her. It was usually straight to the point.

Isaac's being weird, Asher sent. Immediately afterwards, he sent another message. Can we have lunch tomorrow again?

Sure, Lila replied instantly. What's he being weird about?

Nothing, Asher sent.

Then he's not being weird? Lila replied, chuckling aloud in bemusement.

Uh he is. But it's nothing, Asher replied. Sorry, gtg. See you tomorrow

See you tomorrow, Lila replied, shaking her head. Asher's evasiveness with telling her what was up was a bit unusual, but maybe he'd go into it in person.

It was surprising, then, when Isaac himself appeared by Lila's locker at the start of morning tea the next day. Elise and Grace were nowhere in sight, which wasn't exactly unusual. While they mostly had morning tea together, it was also common enough that they were caught up after class, or with other classmates and didn't have enough time to have morning tea as a trio. Though, after Elise and Grace's suspicious behaviour yesterday, and Asher's report that Isaac was being 'weird', Lila thought that perhaps there was a conspiracy brewing behind their absence.

"What's up?" Isaac asked with a lopsided grin, leaning against the locker next to Lila's.

"Nothin' much," Lila replied, her eyes narrowed. "Why aren't you with Asher?"

"He got called into a meeting with Mr Barsch," Isaac said with a shrug. "So, I'm all on my lonesome today."

"Is it 'lonesome' or 'ownsome'?" Lila asked, closing her locker door after retrieving some fruit.

"Dunno," Isaac replied simply. "Clearly."

Lila snorted and turned to look at Isaac properly, crossing her arms. "Righto. So why are you here?"

"Wanna chat with you," Isaac said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"About?"

"Let's walk and talk," Isaac said quickly, gesturing for Lila to follow him. She couldn't deny her curiosity and fell into step next to Isaac. They found their way to the Home Ec building, and Isaac led her towards the spot under the awning where he typically sat with Asher. He flopped down with a heavy sigh as if the weight of the world was pressing against his shoulders. Lila sat beside him, biting into her apple.

"So," Isaac said after noisily opening a snack-sized packet of Shapes. "Asher and I had a fight yesterday. Kinda."

"About what?" Lila asked, lowering her apple in shock.

"Well," Isaac drawled, giving her a sidelong look. "I may or may not have confronted him about you."

"What about me?" Lila asked, her heart feeling as though it had stopped beating altogether.

"I may have said something about you being into him, and something about him being into you since the dawn of time."

Lila began to splutter, teetering between being angry and bewildered. He grinned at her and continued.