It was morning the next day. Liam woke up very early and got ready for school. He didn't even know what he should be feeling, happy that he might see the new girl, Lily, again, or anxious that she might finally tell him the truth about what he saw her do the previous day.
He just hurried out of the house before anyone could say much. Everyone was surprised because he rarely left that early.
When he got to Blacklake Academy, the school was still quiet. He searched around the classrooms, even the library, but Lily was nowhere to be found. So, he stood by the balcony that faced the school gate, watching as students arrived one after another.
He kept looking, scanning every face that passed through the gate. Still no sign of Lily.
Then, he saw Vanessa, the dark-skinned girl who had been avoiding him since yesterday. He rushed toward her before she could turn away.
"Vanessa, wait," he said as he caught up with her. "I know you're mad at me. I'm not here to explain what happened yesterday. I just want you to know that I'll make things right. I promise. I'll find a way to help you guys, like I said. Please, just hang in there."
Vanessa didn't say anything. She only gave him a cold look, brushed past him, and kept walking.
That was how she always was, tough on the outside and hard to read.
Liam sighed and turned back toward the entrance again. A few minutes later, he saw another familiar face, Mary Lee, the Chinese girl. He hurried over to her and said the same thing he told Vanessa.
Mary didn't say much either, but she smiled faintly. "Thank you," she said. "At least you're trying."
Liam nodded, but his eyes still searched the gate. He was sure he hadn't missed Lily. She just hadn't come.
Then the bell rang, and students began heading to their classrooms. Theo came up beside him. "Come on, man, stop staring at the gate like a guard dog," he said, dragging him toward class.
Liam reluctantly followed.
Inside the classroom, he sat quietly, staring at nothing, until the genetics teacher, Dr. Elara Quinn, whom he had encountered the previous day, walked in. She was young, strict, and one of the few teachers who actually got the students' attention.
"Good morning, everyone," she said as she set her books down. "Let's get started…"
Just then, the door opened.
Liam's eyes widened.
It was her. Lily.
The teacher looked up and smiled. "Oh, before I forget," she said. "Class, we have a new student joining us today."
Lily walked closer to the teacher's desk.
"This is Lily Frey," Dr. Quinn said. "She'll be finishing this semester with you before moving to her final year. Please welcome her and make her feel comfortable."
"Welcome, Lily," the class chorused.
Liam just sat frozen in his seat, his heart racing.
The teacher looked around. "Lily, you can sit beside Gwen Scott. She's one of our brightest students. She'll help you catch up."
Lily nodded politely and moved to sit next to Gwen, Liam's sister.
That moment hit him harder than he expected. The girl he'd been searching for all morning was sitting right there in his class, beside his sister.
He couldn't even focus through the rest of the lesson. His mind was spinning and as soon as class ended, Lily stood up and walked out. Liam quickly packed his things and followed her.
"Lily!" he called out.
She turned for a second, saw it was him, and then faced forward again, walking faster.
"Lily, wait!" he said, catching up to her and lightly holding her arm.
"Leave me alone," she said coldly, pulling her arm back.
Liam stared at her, shocked. "Wait, what? We had an agreement yesterday," he said.
She stopped, looked at him blankly, and asked, "What agreement?"
Liam frowned. "You were about to tell me something yesterday before your dad showed up."
Lily took a deep breath, looked at Liam, and said, "It was a mistake. Thank goodness my dad showed up. I'm not saying anything to you, I have nothing to say."
Liam pleaded again and again. "Please, I really need your help. I'll get it one way or another. I won't stop until you tell me the truth."
"In addition to being weird, you're stubborn too, huh?" Lily said, pulling her hand away from his. Then she continued walking.
Liam didn't give up. He followed her everywhere she went. Lily went to the registrar's office to drop off some of her files, and when she came out, Liam was still there. She moved to her locker, and he was there too. Throughout the break period, Liam didn't stop following her.
Lily didn't like it. She didn't like the way Liam kept staring at her. Even in class, she could feel his eyes on her every few minutes. It made her really uncomfortable.
When classes finally ended, Lily hurried out of the classroom, but Liam also rushed out right behind her. She decided to play along and purposely walked around the school, hoping he'd get tired and leave, but he didn't.
So she went into the refectory, which was empty at that time, and Liam followed her again.
She turned to him and said, "So, you really aren't going to stop?"
Liam replied, "No, I'm not. Not until you tell me who you are and what you can do."
Lily stared at him for a moment, then said, "I already told you who I am. I'm Lily. And what can I do? Oh, I can dance. Want me to show you?"
She took out her phone, played a song, and began to dance. It was graceful, like a ballet performance, and she kept spinning in a circle. Liam stood there, confused at first, thinking, What am I even doing here?
Lily knew what she was doing. She realized it was better to act silly than to reveal who she really was, so she kept dancing.
Liam, though annoyed at first, found himself unable to look away. She really was a good dancer.
Just then, the door opened, and they heard the sound of footsteps towards them.
"Well, well," a voice said. "Here are the lovebirds I've been looking for."
They turned around. It was Jack, and he wasn't alone. Four boys stood behind him.
"So you two are sneaking around the school now, huh?" Jack said, smirking.
Lily stopped dancing and looked at the group. "So you can't handle two people, and you had to bring your minions? Such shamelessness," she said, referring to Jack.
Liam looked at her nervously. "That's not what you should be saying right now," he whispered.
"I don't care if you're afraid of them," Lily said without looking at him. "I can handle myself. Can you?"