Chapter 5 – The new guy

Lila's pov

I could not believe it. The first boy I've ever masturbated to was here…in my new school. And the best part? He was calling me baby.

“Uh…we just moved down here and my parents sent us here. What a coincidence!” Jax exclaimed, hugging me again.

 I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, letting his perfume wash over me. Once upon a time I'd been madly in crush with Jax, who had been a classmate at my former school. He was also my closest friend's twin brother.

He never saw me as anything else other than his sister's friend. I know because he always called me sport, and he calls his sister that. 

“Yeah…uh, wow.” I tried to keep it breezy and chill, but I could feel my toes tingling as he hugged me. He'd never hugged me before. In fact this was the closest we'd ever gotten.“Wait? Wasn't I over him already?” I asked myself, pushing out of his hug. 

“Uh…what about Kiesha?” I asked, not even bothering to hide my excitement that my friend would be here too.

He ran his hand through his wavy brown hair that fell over his bewitching green eyes, then he leaned by the nearest locker and smiled. “She's resuming tomorrow. Apparently, she doesn't have enough clothes.”

I rolled my eyes at that. My friend Kiesha made it her duty to show up and out everytime. “Well, it's really great to see you, Jax.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear suddenly feeling sheepish.

Even though we made no eye contact, I could feel Vivian's eyes digging into me.

"So," Jax continued, his smile widening as he crossed his arms over his chest, "You look different. Like…really different. Good difference." His eyes swept over me in a way that made my stomach flip. "Is the new school treating you well?"

I shrugged, trying not to show how much his attention affected me. "It's been…interesting. Definitely not what I expected."

"Yeah? In what way?" He leaned in closer, and I caught another whiff of his cologne. The same one he'd worn back in Manhattan. It brought back memories of sitting in Kiesha's living room, stealing glances at him while pretending to do homework.

"Just different," I said vaguely, not wanting to get into the whole stepbrother-fake-dating-scholarship-drama situation. "How are your parents? And what made them move all the way out here?"

"Dad got a job offer he couldn't refuse. Some executive positions at a tech company." Jax made a face. "Mom wasn't thrilled about leaving downtown where all her friends are, but you know how it is. She'll make it work. She's already joined three country clubs."

I laughed at that. Mrs. Richardson was the type of woman who could walk into any room and own it within minutes. She was the complete opposite of her daughter Kiesha, who preferred to lurk in corners and judge people silently.

"I really can't wait to see Kiesha," I said, feeling a rush of excitement at the thought of having my best friend here. 

"Does she know I'm here too?"

"Nah…." Jax grinned mischievously. "She's going to lose her mind when she sees you. She was literally just complaining last week about how much she missed you."

My chest warmed up. I'd missed her too. More than I realized until this moment.

"Do you mind showing me around? I think we're in the same class," he winked at me, and I felt a very hot chill run up my back.

"Sure, I'd love to—"

"Actually," Asher appeared at my side out of nowhere, his presence like a sudden storm cloud blocking out the sun. "We have that thing. Remember?"

I blinked at him, momentarily thrown. There was something dangerous in his eyes. Something possessive that made my pulse quicken for entirely different reasons than Jax's proximity had.

"What thing?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"The thing where you're my girlfriend and we eat lunch together." His voice had an edge I'd never heard before. 

 He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me against his side with more force than necessary.

Jax's eyebrows shot up, his easy smile faltering for just a second before he laughed. It was that same carefree laugh I remembered, the one that had made me melt a hundred times before. "Girlfriend? That's great, sport! You finally got over that crush you had on me—"

"Jax!" I cut him off, my face flaming red. I could feel the heat spreading from my cheeks down to my neck.

But it was too late. The damage was done. Asher's entire body had gone rigid beside me. His arm dropped from my waist like I'd burned him, and when I looked up, his eyes had gone dark. "Crush?" His voice was quiet.

"It's old news," I said quickly, my words tumbling over each other. "Ancient history. Like, back at my former school…it's pretty ancient. Prehistoric, even—"

"Doesn't sound ancient to me." Asher took a step back, creating space between us, and I hated it. I hated the distance. I hated the look on his face. "You know what? Show him around. I've got better things to do than play pretend."

The word 'pretend' hit me like a slap. He said it loud enough that a few people nearby turned to look, their expressions lighting up with interest. Of course they were interested. Drama was currency at Harrington Academy.

"Asher, wait—" I reached for him, but he was already turning away. I also noticed Vivian going after him.

He walked into one of the empty classrooms and slammed the door behind him hard enough to rattle the frame. I stood there, frozen, feeling something crack in my chest. This was fake. This was all supposed to be fake. So why did it hurt so much?

"Whoa," Jax said beside me. "Did I just…? I didn't mean to cause trouble, Lila. I was just joking around."

"It's fine," I lied, still staring at the closed classroom door. "It's…complicated."

"Clearly." Jax shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable for the first time since he'd arrived. "Look, if you need to go talk to him—"

"No," I said too quickly. "No, it's fine. He's just…he gets like this sometimes." I didn't even know if that was true. I barely knew Asher, not really. Not beyond the deal we'd made and the few stolen moments that had felt more real than they should have.

Before Jax could respond, the fire alarm shattered the moment. Its shrill wail echoed through the hallways, impossibly loud, making me jump.

"Everyone out!" A teacher shouted, rushing past us toward the main exit. "This is not a drill! Move, people!"

Students poured out of classrooms, filling the hallway with a panicked rush of bodies. 

Someone shoved into my shoulder, nearly knocking me into the lockers. The energy had shifted from curious to genuinely frightened in seconds.

Jax grabbed my hand instinctively, his fingers wrapping around mine. "Come on! We need to get out!"

But I couldn't move. My eyes were fixed on that classroom door, the one Asher had disappeared behind. "Wait, Asher's in there—"

"He'll come out!" Jax tugged at my arm, trying to pull me toward the exit where the crowd was thickest. "Lila, come on!"

I checked the classroom through the small window in the door, but I couldn't see him. The room looked empty except for a backpack propped on one of the chairs which was Asher's backpack. Black with a band logo patch on the side. Which meant he was still somewhere in there. Or nearby.

"Where the hell is he?" I muttered, my heart starting to race for reasons that had nothing to do with the alarm.

Then I saw smoke curling from under the door to the east wing. The same wing where the chemistry labs were located. Where they kept all the volatile chemicals locked up.

"Asher's still inside!" I yanked free from Jax's grip and spun back toward the building, pushing against the tide of students rushing for the exits.

"Lila, stop!" Jax called after me, his voice barely audible over the alarm and screaming students. "Are you insane?!”

But I was already at the doors when I heard the explosion.