LILA DIDN'T MENTION a word of what had happened two nights before. Livia hadn't expected her to. Lila didn't like to ask for anything. She waited until you got uncomfortable, waited until you gave it all up yourself.

In a way, Livia realised, she was the exact opposite of Pamela. Pamela relied on keeping on the good side of everyone. She smiled and tittered until people gave her what she wanted. Lila did nothing but remain quiet and stare at you disapprovingly, waiting until you eventually cracked.

Livia wondered where she'd learnt it. But even though she knew exactly how Lila worked, it didn't stop her from succumbing under the intended effect.

"You want to know what happened?" Livia asked an hour into their shopping spree. They'd visited the Chanel store, which was Livia's personal favourite, and left with a new lip gloss she really didn't need. But she'd gotten it anyway.

Lila replied with a simple hum, as was customary with her. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" she replied. Answering questions with questions. That was another thing she liked to do. It was like she thought that if she never answered a question directly, no one would ever have a way of attacking her. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

"If I don't tell you," Livia snorted, "you'll figure it out anyways."

"If you want to tell me now, while Brie isn't here and it won't spread anywhere else, be my guest. But me, really, I don't care."

"Oh please," Livia laughed. "You're dying to know. You just won't let yourself show it, that's all."

A mocking smile curved over Lila's lip. "Oh, Livia darling, you know me so well."

But then Livia changed the topic abruptly. "I talked to Sarah yesterday. It was actually quite pleasant. She attempted to point out all the things wrong with me. Apparently I'm very arrogant."

"You can be," Lila murmured, "but I don't think you're any more arrogant than... well, her, or even Amphion."

"She said that Amphion was arrogant on the surface but humble on the inside, and that I was the opposite."

"Since when did you start caring about what Sarah Hepburn said?"

Lila had no qualms with Sarah. The two girls were not close, but they got along fairly well anyways. Lila was saying this because she understood very well the situation between Livia and Sarah, all the delicate intricacies, because she was also a girl their age who felt the same feelings they did. No one else got it. Especially not the twins. Zeth had, at numerous occasions, attempted to set Sarah and Livia up in close proximity, as if he believed that would solve the hidden rivalry. It wouldn't.

"I don't," Livia replied, though that was a lie. She didn't care much, but if she really didn't care at all she wouldn't have mentioned it to Lila in the first place, and the other girl knew that very well.

"What else did she say?"

"Veronica."

Lila paused for a moment, though they kept walking forward. After some long seconds she asked, "Will I be correct in assuming that your conflict with the twins has to do with Veronica as well? If you must know, I never quite liked her either. But she never directly had any clashes with me, so I saw no point in voicing that particular dislike. She was fake."

"She was very fake," Livia snorted. "And as always, my dearest Lila, you're correct. It was because of Veronica."

Lila's voice was quieter now. "I'm going to start making guesses here. From the things I noticed last year and now. Correct me if I'm wrong. You had a crush on Amphion, didn't you? I say had, because I think you're smarter than Brie with this kind of thing and won't continue liking someone who hurt you."

"Very clever, Anderson."

"You guys started becoming distant in that last week. I thought you just got into some other argument again, the way you guys always did. It wasn't until we came back and you mentioned it still that I realised that it might be slightly bigger than that. And the only main source of disagreement you guys had last year would have been Veronica."

They kept walking. This mall had always been lit up obnoxiously bright, and all the walls had recently been repainted a painful white. If they didn't have so many good shops Livia wouldn't have come here at all. There were lots of people around, since it was the holidays, but she didn't care if anyone overheard. Let them.

"It was that night at the Hepburns," Livia revealed quietly. "I overheard them saying some rather... disheartening things."

"About you? Or about Veronica?"

"Both. Apparently, my presence wasn't as welcomed as I thought."

"I hope you gave them both a good beatdown."

"I screamed at them."

"Excellent response. From their reaction to you now, I'd say you hit a few good nerves in your outburst."

"I think I did, yes. But they also hit some of mine, which is why I'm refusing to speak to them as well. By the way, what happened with Veronica? After last summer, she just disappeared. Haven't heard a word from her since. Or Gavin. Or Keith, for the matter, though I wasn't really friends with him in the first place."

Lila looked amused, stopping in her tracks for a moment to glance at Livia with an incredulous expression. "Did no one tell you? Though, I suppose you and Pamela were both gone by then and it wasn't like the twins would tell you. My bad, I would have told you earlier but I didn't think it was particularly necessary. I didn't think it was that bad of a situation with you and the twins at that point."

Livia raised a brow as they continued strolling forward. "Wait, what? So something did happen then. When was it? You guys didn't stay for long after we left."

"We were there for one more day," Lila said, the humour not having left her voice, "and apparently that was all we needed. It seems Amphion and Zeth had some kind of revelation after your confrontation."

She didn't continue on after that, and Livia turned to her with an alarmed expression. "Oh, don't you dare leave me hanging, Lila Anderson. What the hell happened?"

"You won't believe it," Lila said in a singsong voice.

Livia glared daggers.

Lila let out a loud laugh. "Fine, fine, I won't keep teasing you. It was that morning, after you guys left. You left at like, five in the morning or something, I don't know. We met up, all of us, for lunch that day. Sarah was obviously already gone, and Brie and I were leaving that evening too, but the twins were still here for another day."

"I know that," Livia said, annoyed. "Actually, I don't, but I don't need to know that either, do I? Get to the point."

"Be patient." Lila sounded like she was talking to a little child. "My point is, that day at lunch, Veronica openly admitted her undying love for Amphion in front of everyone."

Livia moaned into her hands. "Oh my god. I think I'm going to die of secondhand embarrassment.

"She was so sure it was going to work," Lila remarked, "I could tell. She was so certain Amphion liked her back, that they were going to have their happily ever after right then and there. Keith was not very happy. You know, I always thought he had a small crush on Veronica. He hid it very well—about as well as you did, I think. Gavin just looked like Gavin." Which meant he hadn't betrayed a single inch of his true feelings on his face.

"And then?" Livia demanded. "What did Amphion say?"

"Shush, child, patience. Or I'd think you still secretly like Amphion after all that." Lila rolled her eyes, flinging her hair back. "I want to dye my hair blonde, by the way, what do you think—"

"Just get on with it," Livia gritted out.

"Fine. He said no. He looked quite surprised."

"He knew," Livia said. "I heard him and Zeth talking about it. He knew very well. He seemed to like her still that night. I was sure that if she did confess, he'd accept."

"Clearly, something changed." Lila gave her a knowing look. "I was confused then too, because I did think Amphion had some feelings for her, but I think I know what happened now." She tilted her head. "Either way, either way, she didn't give up after that immediate attempt. She seemed to assume that he was joking, and she continued on with her speech. I think she wrote it beforehand. All kinds of pretty, flowery accolades. Sounded like poetry. Very bad one, at that, and I think she copied Lord Byron at some point, who probably isn't the best person for that... but you get the idea."

"And then?" Livia demanded.

Lila started laughing, as if something really funny had just happened. Livia glared at her. She was doing this on purpose, dragging the story out as long as possible. Even she didn't do that when she was writing her stories. She liked to get right to the point.

On that note, she hadn't written in a few days. She hadn't been in the mood to do so.

"He told her to fuck off." Lila turned to her, shaking her head. "He told her to fuck off, right in the middle of that restaurant. You should have seen the way Veronica's expression just froze. She hadn't been expecting that at all. She's used to getting her way around boys, I think. He told her to fuck off and that she ruined everything. And he said that he wished she'd never come to Briarville, never showed her face around ever."

"Holy fuck," Livia whispered, wide-eyed. That had been wholly unexpected. It wasn't precisely out of character for Amphion, who did let his rage get the better of him more often than not, but it was still surprising to actually hear him explode like that. Especially on someone he seemed to like.

And she'd be lying if she said it wasn't a bit satisfying, to know that Veronica had gotten her due after all, that she was not the only one who suffered last year.

"And that's when shit hit the fan," Lila laughed. "Trust me, somehow, it got worse. Keith started defending Veronica and insulting Amphion, because of course he did. Gavin got a bit annoyed too, though he was more calm about it. It was immensely entertaining to watch."

"And?" Livia asked. "What then?"

"Amphion and Keith started brawling it out," Lila huffed. "Right in the middle of the restaurant. We're all banned from it now, but the food was kind of shit anyways so none of us exactly cared. Amphion had to pay quite a lot of money for it. Mr and Mrs Calvert-Egerton were quite annoyed, but it was the first time I think Amphion ever got into a physical fight and Keith instigated it anyways, so they weren't that mad at him."

"What the fuck?" Livia asked, completely shocked. "They fought? Amphion fought Keith? Did they get injured?"

"Amphion had to get stitches," Lila recalled. "Keith had a black eye and a slightly broken nose. We didn't see those three again after that. Brie and I left that night, so I don't know what happened after that. But it was an interesting way to end the summer. I didn't understand what caused Amphion's completely one-eighty then, but I think I do now."

"Maybe part of my speech did get through to him after all."

Lila gave her a long and hard look. "Yes. I think he listened after all."

She wondered if that meant anything, and then decided that it only suggested that Amphion wasn't as big of an idiot as she'd originally thought after all. Which was nice to know, but she couldn't care less now.

"So, are you going to do anything with this information?" Lila asked curiously, glancing at her as they strolled into a Hollisters.

"No," Livia replied instinctively, surprised. "Why would I? What is there even to do about it?"

"Amphion doesn't like Veronica."

Livia let out a startled laugh. "I got over him a long time ago. It was stupid in the first place anyways."

"Hmm," Lila looked doubtful. "In my experience, this kind of crush doesn't go away this easily. You've known each other since childhood. You didn't have any feelings for him until last summer?"

"No," Livia confirmed, but she wasn't sure if that was the truth. "If it wasn't for what you told me and Brie, I'd never have developed a crush on him in the first place, I think. I'd have always just seen him as a brother."

"Yeah right," Lila said with a laugh. "Blame it on that if you want." She picked up a baby tee, wrinkled her nose and then placed it back down. That was one piece of clothing rejected by Lila Anderson. "This kind of thing doesn't just appear out of nowhere, you know. You've probably had a secret crush on him for years that even you didn't know about."

It could be true. But Livia was inclined to believe that it wasn't. She'd greatly prefer that, because the other option was just embarrassing. She'd kissed other boys before. Had other crushes. Sure, they didn't last long—what was it Pamela said about her again? That she was crazy rational about this kind of thing. It was true. The fever would overtake her for a few days, maybe, but then it would fade away and Livia would be viewing the world through the same hardened lenses again. And then that logical side of her would go, there is no future in this and she'd break it off before it ever became something.

When she was younger she wondered if there was something wrong with her, the way everyone else around her fell in love and started the games of love, but she had no interest in it at all except watching as a spectator. Then she'd boiled it down to her being mature, but she wasn't certain either. It was almost as if no one could ever match up to her standards, but she could never name it either.

It was another thing she'd stopped caring about a while ago. And this time not just because of Amphion Calvert-Egerton.

There'd been a boy, back at school. A sweet boy, with a handsome smile and perfect manners. In another world she might have accepted his affection, but he'd confessed his feelings to her in September, while she'd still been brooding over Amphion, and she'd rejected him with almost brutal cruelty. He stopped speaking to her afterwards, but all throughout the school year, until the very end when he found another girl he liked and moved on, she'd caught him stealing glances at her.

Sometimes she wondered if she should have accepted him. Given time, she rather thought she would have liked him. Loved him, even. But she hadn't, because she'd been too angry over her feelings for a boy who saw her as nothing but an annoying brat, and thus she'd missed out on what might have been.

After that, she swore to never let the matters of the heart trouble her again. It was a weakness. It was a weakness she did not want to ever have. She did not think she could afford it again.

Livia's strongest asset had always been her rationality. Her ability to think straight even in the most dire situations. When she lost that, she made fatal mistakes. Like her choosing to confront Amphion and Zeth in that manner, in that kind of way. She could have done it far better, most definitely, and some nights she wished she had.

If she'd handled it better, would everything still be the same as before? Could they have all made it through this summer before breaking apart? Would the split have been less ugly, less rough?

Too many maybes in her head. It was all pointless in the end. Better not to waste her time on it.

"Livia! Lila!"

A call interrupted her thoughts, and Livia glanced up, surprised. Lila had already identified the callers: Eunice and Jason. Eunice looked ecstatic, and Jason followed behind her.

Livia greeted them with a bright beam of her own. "Nice to see you two here."

"Doing your shopping?" Jason asked, eyeing the bags they carried with them.

Lila nodded. "Thought we might come out and replenish our wardrobes. I'm running awfully low on summer wear, as you might have been able to tell from that atrocious outfit I wore to Taliyah's party."

"It wasn't that bad," Eunice laughed. "You looked slightly underdressed, but it was still a really cute fit."

"Thank you," Lila beamed. "But yeah. I still need to get some more clothes, hence why I've dragged Livia here."

"It's her favourite shop," Livia explained. "Literally we can't go out to shop without coming into the Hollisters at least once."

Eunice smirked. "It's one of my favourites too, so good taste, Lila."

Jason sighed. "It's not one of my favourites." He glanced at his cousin, one brow raised. "You sure I can't go to the nearby menswear shop to get something I could actually wear?"

"They sell men's clothes here," Lila frowned.

"Yes," Jason said blandly, glancing at her, "but I don't like it. I literally saw one of my favourite shops right down the alley and instead I'm here, suffering."

"Don't be melodramatic," Eunice snapped. To the other two girls, she smiled knowingly. "Ignore him. He's being annoying."

"Men," Lila agreed, nodding with a hum. Jason opened his mouth to protest, and then seemed to realise that there wasn't much of a point, since he was clearly outnumbered (and Livia had the idea that he wouldn't even be able to beat Eunice, much less all three of them).

The four of them decided to continue on their shopping journey together. Clearly Lila and Eunice felt like spending much of their time in Hollisters anyways, so Livia joined Jason in trailing behind them.

He glanced at her in surprise. "Are you not going to shop too?"

"I'm still shopping," Livia pointed out. "I'm just a bit more selective, compared to them anyways."

He let out a snort. "Eunice is a slight shopaholic."

"Lila is a bit better," Livia murmured, "until it comes to Hollisters. Are you not a shopping enjoyer?"

"I don't mind it," Jason said, "but like, at least let me buy things for myself." He winced. "I don't get why Eunice insists I follow her. It's not like she's using me to hold her bags or anything, she just wants to make me suffer."

"It's just sisterly affection."

He huffed. "We're cousins."

"She treats you like a brother, does she not?" Livia asked, one brow raised. "I have a sister of my own, I can tell how close you two are."

"Yeah, fair enough," he sighed. "But yeah. Here I am. Being tortured."

"It's not that bad," Livia said, slightly amused. "Come on, we're going to lose them."

Livia ended up leaving Hollisters a full hour later with a nice bralette. Lila left with two bags, Eunice with three, though one of them was for Jason, who had found a pair of jeans that suited his fancy after all. Eunice had had some enjoyment mocking him over buying it despite having been so against it. Jason had rolled his eyes and ignored his cousin as he paid for it.

The sudden company left her with little time to think about the things Lila had revealed to her earlier. In a way the distraction was enjoyable and wanted, but Livia also internally craved some quiet to settle her own thoughts. Her mind felt hazy as she went through the day from shop to shop.

They ended up all going to lunch together. A French restaurant, they decided, though looking at the menu Livia failed to see anything unique about it. But according to Eunice it was good (and Jason agreed), so in they went.

They spent the rest of the day together. Eunice and Jason were good company. They had good stories to tell, and were excellent listeners. Lila explained her relationship to Brie (celebrity gossip, she laughed with a flip of her hair) and what her mother got up to most of the year. Livia told them about Livia, since Jason asked about her little sister. Both of them expressed an interest in meeting Brie and Pamela in the future, and they promised that they'd arrange something if they could in the future.

"Well," Lila murmured when Eunice and Jason left after lunch, saying that they had some appointment with their aunt/mother. The two girls stood there, watching their disappearing figures.

"What?" Livia asked curiously.

"I didn't notice it at the party, but Eunice is kind of hot." There was a smirk on Lila's face.

"I didn't know she was your type," Livia said, one brow arched.

Lila grinned at her. "You don't know a lot of things about me, Livia Wong. Expect," she said slowly, "to hang out a lot more with Eunice Ying. I might consider inviting that cousin of hers out in a while too. He's got quite a nice face as well, don't you think? And a rather pleasant personality."

Livia groaned. "No. I can see the cogs turning in your head, and I say no."

"Consider it," Lila laughed. "Your rebound, from your brutal rejection by Amphion Calvert-Egerton."

"I already had a rebound," Livia lied. In a way she did, but not really. After all, she'd rejected that boy too. But it still kind of counted, right?

"Yeah no," Lila said, easily seeing through her. "Come on, let's continue on. I want to go back to that one shop we passed, I saw this really cute crop top there that I want to check out again."