Fridays were the only days I felt completely free. I slept longer doing those days and only learnt for an hour or so. But today, that's about to change. My stomach has already disagreed with my agreement of letting Lora tutor me. It grumbles loudly and uneasiness settles in.

I look at the hour hand striking twelve and sigh. I pull out my phone from the pockets of my khaki shorts and quickly text her.

ME: Are you free now?

I glance to the top of the screen where it is mentioned that she is online. A part of me feels a bit guilty about not telling Ma or Pa about letting Lora tutor me but I know better than to tell it to them. They might mostly get upset over some nobody tutoring me. They would just insult me further and I don't want that to happen. My ego is hurt enough.

I hear a small beep and glance back at the phone.

Lora: Yeah. I am free right now. Don't forget your chemistry book.

I switch the phone off and check twice to make sure I took my books. Checking the mirror one last time, I head out the room. I descend down the stairs and am welcomed by the blaring sound of the news channel. I quickly look to my left and notice my mother sitting on the couch with a mug in her hand. Her eyebrows knit in worry and her lips are slightly parted. I decide to not ponder much on it and am about to leave before the headlines strike my ears.

"THIS IS KIERA RICH HERE BRINGING YOU THE LATEST UPDATES ON THE UNSOLVED TEEN MURDER MYSTERY. EVA MARY, A NINETEEN YEAR OLD COLLEGE STUDENT WAS REPORTED DEAD SOME WEEKS AGO AND NO SIGNIFICANT CLUES HAVE YET BEEN FOUND..."

My heart drops as I look at the bright screen. To the right of the news reporter is an enlarged photo of Eva. Her red hair dances with the wind as she strikes a bright smile to the camera. Her olive complexion glistens under the scorching summer heat. Her brown eyes stare through my body and at my soul. I find it hard to retreat my eyes from her. From the person I envied so much. Feeling my heart beat slightly increase, I rush out the door and out to the street.

I recheck my phone to make sure I dont mess up the directions and approximately calculating the walk to take only some minutes, I decide to walk at a normal speed. The breeze is warmer today and I regret my decision of wearing a long sleeved tee. Rolling up the sleeves in response to the sweaty feeling on my arms, I tie my hair in a basic bun.

The unsettling feeling doesn't leave me alone. I try to chill the burning pit at the bottom of my stomach but it fights back with more perseverance. I feel guilty all over again and a chill runs through my spine as I remember Max's words.

Be careful. They might come for you as well.

I roll down my sleeves as fears creep inside me. I should've never even read her diary or even interfered in his business. I should've stayed out of this matter. None of this would've happened if it wasn't for my nosy behaviour.
The last time I felt this guilty over nothing was when I left Chester all alone. It hurts me to this day. The way he looked at me with betrayal etched in his features was enough for me to lose my courage. I ran off, leaving him in the darkness. Little did I know that I was leaving the only candle I had in a distant darkness.

When one flame extinguished, it extinguished the other. Max stopped speaking to me after a few months. I press my forehead, trying to forget the past and stressing myself much. A beep alerts the presence of my phone.

Lora: Where are you? It won't take this long.

I immediately look up and realize that I am just a block away from her building and almost curse at my carelessness. I immediately text her and walk to her building.

*

"Feel free if you need water or something to eat in general," Lora says as she walks me through her house. I nod my head but keep my focus at the bauty of her house. I expected her to be rich but I never expected her to be this wealthy. Beautiful paintings are hung up on the walls. Each might cost a fortune. Pa isn't that interested in art and hence decided to keep our house decor a bit minimal. I want to ask Lora if any of her family members is interested in art but keep my mouth shut. I am here to do work. I don't want any further talks that can lead to some distractions.

She tucks a stray golden hair behind her ears and directs me to her room. She reaches for the door handle but immediately looks back at me.

"Room or the hall?"

I blink back at her and then at the hall. I don't really mind which place it is as far as it is quiet. But I usually prefer studying in my bedroom so I stick to my usual option. She shrugs and opens the door. As soon as I am about to enter, her voice stops me.

"Grayson! Get out of my bed!"

I try to keep to the left and notice a guy of about our age sitting cross legged on a huge bed. He bobs his head up and down to the supposed music that he is hearing on his phone. His blonde hair bounces softly but he cringes when he hears Lora yell again.

"Chill! I am going!" he rolls his eyes and unplugs his earphones. His eyes meet hers and immediately meets mine. I noice the bright blue irises and immediately realize who he is.

"Is that your twin?" I ask Lora whose gaze is fixed sternly on the boy.

"Who's that chick?" he asks to Lora with a brow raised. I look back at him and let that comment slide. But I made a face just to let him know my thoughts. The girl next to me nods to my question and apologizes before turning to yell at him. He quickly gets off the bed and puts his hands up in the air. Strong perfume hits my nose as he walks past us. I hear him muttering something before I hear some footsteps fading away as they hit against the wooden floor.

"I am so sorry," she says before shaking her head and walking towards the bed. I sit on the bed and she follows suit.

"So...which part of chemistry did you find extremely difficult?" she asks as she fixes her spectacles on her eyes. It suits her more than when she had none on but I don't voice it out.

"I don't really know..." I drag my sentence before realizing what she meant. "I don't actually find any part that hard. It's pretty easy," I quickly add. She raises a brow but doesn't say anything and nods her head.

"Which do you find pretty boring then?"

I chew my bottom lip and look above for a second before answering.

"Maybe thermodynamics."

She hums as a repsonse and flips the pages to start teaching me.

*

Throughout the lesson, my mind was super clouded by thoughts. She did a pretty good job at explaining things but I still feel like she should use proper terms while teaching certain topics. I could've maybe done a better job but she is still better than almost all the other students in our class. As though noticing finally, she asks me if something is bothering me. I quickly shooed it off but my face didn't quite convince her.

"Is it about Kayla? Avi?" she asks. I immediately get taken back and I look at her with a flabbergasted expression. She immediately realizes and smiles cheekily.

"Sorry, just got a bit carried away. Is it related to maybe... Jayden?"

My face takes another one-eighty degrees turn as she said that. But she doesn't let me answer back immediately.

"You know, we always thought that you kind of had a thing for him," she says, shrugging her shoulders as though it is the most obvious thing in the universe. I feel a pang of hurt as I hear their names again but immediately cover it up.

"No, nothing like that. We were just really good friends."

Lora begs to differ. She shakes her head and replies, "You were a good friend. Not the vice versa. You still need to get back on Kayla, remember? Don't let these sentiments blind you."

I recollect why I was here in the first place and for a second forget about Eva and Max. I nod my head weakly to Lora's silent yet powerful eyes and feel myself falling into doom deeper than I would like.