Chapter 14

Elena Cruz

Elena sprawled across her bed with her laptop, highlighter in hand, trying to make sense of the Anthropology reading that was due at midnight. The words kept blurring together. Something about territorial disputes in early pack settlements. Something about hierarchy structures. Something she should probably care about but couldn’t focus on.

A knock on her door pulled her attention.

“Come in.”

Mrs. Parker opened the door. “Your friend Lila is here, dear. She says you’re working on a project together?”

“Oh. Yeah. Send her up.”

Mrs. Parker nodded and disappeared. A moment later, Lila appeared in the doorway, backpack slung over one shoulder, looking around with wide eyes.

“Okay, this house is insane,” she said, dropping her bag on the floor. “Your room is bigger than my entire apartment.”

“It’s not my house.”

“Still. This is how rich people live.” Lila flopped onto the bed next to Elena. “Do you have a butler?”

“Mrs. Parker is the housekeeper. And there’s other staff but I don’t really know all their names.”

“That’s so fancy.” Lila pulled out her laptop. “Okay, let’s get this assignment done so we can do literally anything else.”

They worked in silence for a while. Elena on her bed, Lila at the desk, both of them typing and occasionally groaning about how boring the reading was.

Then Lila started asking questions.

“So what’s it like living here?” she asked without looking up from her screen.

“It’s fine. Quiet.”

“Do you see Dr. Hale a lot?”

Elena’s fingers paused on the keyboard. “Sometimes. He’s usually at the hospital.”

“And his wife?”

“She travels a lot for work.”

“So you’re just here alone most of the time?”

“Pretty much.”

Lila glanced over. “That sounds lonely.”

“I’m used to it.”

“What about back home? What was your family like?”

Elena shifted on the bed. “Normal, I guess. My parents, my younger siblings. Just regular stuff.”

“Do you miss them Have you talked to them lately?”

“My mom calls sometimes. My dad’s been busy. Can we just work on the assignment?”

Lila held up her hands. “Okay, okay. Sorry. I’m just trying to get to know you better.”

“I know. But some things are just personal.”

“Fair.”

They went back to typing but Elena could feel Lila watching her. Could feel the questions hovering in the air even when Lila didn’t ask them. After another half hour, Elena couldn’t sit still anymore.

“I need to use the bathroom,” she said, standing up. “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time.”

Elena left her laptop open on the bed and walked down the hall. She used the bathroom, washed her hands, stared at herself in the mirror for a minute trying to convince herself she looked normal.

When she came back to her room, Lila was standing by the door. Her phone was in her hand. Her backpack was already on her shoulder. Her face looked tense.

“Hey,” Elena said, confused. “You leaving?”

“Yeah. I’m so sorry. Family emergency. I have to go right now.”

“What happened? Is everything okay?”

“I can’t really talk about it. I just need to go.” Lila was already moving toward the stairs. “I’m sorry. We can finish the assignment separately and compare notes later.”

“Lila, wait…”

“I really have to go. I’m sorry.”

She disappeared down the stairs before Elena could say anything else. Elena stood in the doorway listening to Lila’s footsteps fade, then the front door opening and closing.

She walked back to her bed slowly and sat down. Her laptop was open where she’d left it. The assignment document stared back at her, half-finished.

Had she left it open? She couldn’t remember. She must have. Elena pulled it closer and tried to focus on the reading but her mind kept drifting back to Lila.

The way she’d looked stressed when Elena came back. The way she’d left so fast. The way she wouldn’t say what the emergency was.

Elena felt a pang of worry settle in her chest. Lila was always so upbeat. Always making jokes and pulling people into conversations and acting like everything was fine. But Elena had noticed the cracks. The way Lila’s smile would slip sometimes when she thought no one was looking. The way she’d change the subject whenever anyone asked too much about her family.

She’d mentioned her brother before. The one who’d been killed. Elena knew that kind of loss didn’t just go away. Knew it left marks that stayed even when you tried to hide them.

And now Lila was dealing with another family emergency she wouldn’t talk about. Elena wished she could help. Wished Lila would let her in the way Lila kept trying to get Elena to open up. But maybe that’s just how Lila was. Maybe she cared so much about other people because it was easier than dealing with her own pain.

Elena set her phone down and stared at the ceiling. She felt bad for Lila. Bad that her brother was still struggling. Bad that she had to deal with all of that on top of school and everything else.

At least Elena only had to worry about herself.

Well. Herself and whatever was happening with her body. And the nightmares. And Dr. Alex looking at her in ways that made her chest tight. And Vivian watching her like she was a problem that needed solving. And Ethan still texting her even though she wasn’t responding.

Okay, maybe she had more to worry about than she thought. But at least she didn’t have a family in crisis.