All Mixed Up

Sweet talk

"That's a dollar." I hand the shop owner money before continuing my walk to school, stuffing the liquorice so it's hidden in my bag.
"Does that have anything to do with Mathias?" Ella asks.
"Not exactly," I start. "But I think it'll help." Ella doesn't reply, instead she goes silent, a small smile forming across her face but she extinguishes it; I notice it just in time.
"What was that for?"
"What was what for?"
"That smile." I cheekily grin and take her arm, stopping her from walking and raising my eyebrows. "Something to do with that phone call?" She smirks and we both burst into childish giggles while I demand details, both of us inching nearer to the school once again.
"He called me to tell me he needed help with something." She blurts out, a small blush forming in her cheeks.
"Ryo did? What did he need? A smooch?" I pretend to kiss the air while she playfully pushes me away, denying my little suggestion.
"He had to get something into the house. No big deal."
"Is it still there?"
"What?
"Your virginity!" She rolls her eyes and scoffs while I laugh at my own comment. We enter the school and make our way to class, not even halfway down the corridor by the time we hear that stupid danish accent.
"LUKAS WAS SO STUPID," insert stupid but cute and certainly recognisable laugh. "BUT IT WAS GREAT. YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN HIS FACE!" We go into class only to discover the rest of our classmates crowded around him listening to some strange anecdote.
"Mathias." I bravely call out, grabbing the blonde haired idiot's attention. "Do you know where I can find Emil?" He thinks for a minute, before snapping his fingers and smiling.
"He's probably in the bathroom talking to Lukas. He's in Class B if you ever need to find him." He turns back and continues his story while I leave, ordering Ella to stay here. The halls are almost empty and I can hear my own echoing footsteps.
"Stupid Mathias." I utter as I walk. On cue, the siblings exit the toilets, arguing about one thing or the other. Upon noticing me standing there, they wave, their facial expressions staying as serious as always.
"Emil, a word please?" I ask. Emil seems surprised but respecting my question, Lukas leaves. Reaching into my bag, I take out the liquorice.
"You like liquorice?" He doesn't respond, the only response I get is his hand snatching the liquorice out of my hand as he shoves it in his mouth.
"I don't even know your name." He says through his liqourice-filled mouth.
"Well I'm Kaia and I feel like we'll be working together a lot from now on." Yet again, he doesn't reply but isn't that what I expect? "I'm here on behalf of...myself, actually. I need information on Mathias."
"What do you want to know about my housemate?"
"You two live together?!" I sound surprised when in reality, I'm not. Mathias never talks about parents so maybe he's an orphan? Or worse...a teenage boy who's abandoned his family! 

Kaia, no.

"Yes." He answers.
"Well, I need to know-" he interrupts me, putting a finger up to signal my silence.
"What kind of stalker are you?" I stagger back in offence. Who said anything about stalking- or maybe I just come off that way...
"No no no! I just kinda..." this is something I did not plan. How do I explain myself? What do I say that would erase all possible ideas of me coming off as a stalker.
"You like him?" Emil smirks, the last bit of liquorice slipping down his throat.
"What? No!" I lie, my acting on point. He gets thrown off by my alternate truth and shrugs it off.
"Very well," he states and flicks his wrist for me to continue.
"What is it about Lukas?" I ask him and his eyes widen. A secret I accidentally exposed, I suppose.
"Despite your kind liquorice exchange I certainly cannot sell out my brother." Angry, he goes to leave but I attempt to stop him.
"Please!" I beg, and he turns around - only his head facing me.
"How do you know Lukas has a secret anyway?" He asks me and I freeze. Stupid Kaia! He didn't know I knew! "You eavesdropped?!"
"No, I walked by that night." I explain, telling him what I'd call a perfect half-truth. I never intended to find out did I?
"Well I'm not telling you." He stubbornly answers and leaves, not hearing another word of it.

It's not smart to get on Emil's bad side because who can I go to for answers? I only went to Emil because I knew how to bribe him anyway but now that plan is down the drain like our chances of ever being friends. Hell, I didn't even know Lukas had a little brother until now. That's it... if I can't get through to his brother it'll have to be...

Him!