Rule

chapter three

"Is this about milk cartons again?" Sizwe asked as the five made their way to the board room
"Because if it is -"
"It isn't! I swear!" Asher said putting his hands up like he was surrendering.
"It definitely is" Ada whispered in Lilly's ear. Her arm was around Lilly's shoulders and Tim was walking next to Asher on the opposite side of the corridor
"Are you and Tim fighting?" Lilly whispered and Ada looked concerned but then quickly her face was nonchalant
"What? Of course not."
"Then why aren't you together?" Lilly questioned, Ada's eyebrows furrowed and she answered,

"Because I wanted to spend time with you and believe it or not we don't spend every waking moment together" she smiled but Lilly didn't.
"You usually only spend time with him," Ada sighed and tried again saying- "Well I'm trying to change that-" 

"Don't lie, Ada." Lilly said more loudly and now the three boys walking beside them were sparing concerned glances at the two of them, "What the hell Lil? Can't I just spend time with my best friend?" Ada asked defensively,

"You're only doing it because you two are fighting" Lilly said shrugging Ada's arm off of her shoulder. Lilly didn't know why she was so irritated, there was some rational part of her that knew she was being unfair - making assumptions and being mean to Ada. But, there was another part of her, that was larger and angrier, green with envy. She missed spending more time with Ada and she didn't know how to calmly communicate that. "No - we aren't, " Ada says frustrated at her friend's sudden outburst 

"Yes, you are! Admit it, Ada! that's why you were with me today." Lilly accuses, instead of, I'm upset that you haven't been spending time with me. It feels as if I'm being used
"No, it's not Lilly, I was trying to spend time with my best friend," Ada says breathing in and out, trying to calm herself down before she matched Lilly's level of anger. Ada didn't like being angry or irritated because those emotions grew inside of her too quickly and escalated to a level she found difficult to control.
"You haven't spent time with me for months some best friend you are!" Lilly had stopped walking to stand against Ada who was trying her best to control the redness beginning to cloud her vision. She needed to communicate, like a big girl, Ada thought "I understand that I have been neglecting you - and I am sorry, really Lilly, but I am trying to change that," Ada says and she means it. She really does miss Lilly and all the time they would spend together, lately, she'd found it a little difficult to balance her life and friendships and growing relationship with Tim.

"No, you aren't Ada" But, Lilly didn't want communication, nor did she want to accept Ada's apology. She wanted to be angry and she wanted Ada to feel her anger, to feel her level of pain.
"Then what am I doing?" Ada asked folding her arms,
"You're using me as a distraction because you're fighting with Tim!" Lilly didn't even believe what she was saying.
"No, for the thousandth time, I am not! Are you in a relationship with Tim? No, I am. And we aren't fighting!" Ada said unintentionally raising her voice. Both girls were breathing heavily and Lilly felt like hitting Ada, like hitting her so hard she'd bleed, she could almost see the crimson coming from Ada's nose, could smell it. There was a crazed look in her eyes, when Tim saw them he became concerned for Ada. He'd seen first hand that Lilly's rage was dangerous and ugly. Lilly tried as hard as she could to avoid meeting his gaze again,

"I don't want to fight with you Lil" Ada sighed, sounded desperate, and even though no one said it - Lilly felt she was the one who looked as if she were in the wrong because, after all, she had started the fight. Her first thought was that she needed to turn the tables and quickly. She thought of Lolita, the kitchen maid, and willed tears to come to her as easily as they overtook Lolita.
"Oh, Lil don't cry," Ada tsked as she wrapped her arms around the blonde girl who sobbed. Lilly tried to catch Tim's eye again and instead of concern for his girlfriend she saw sympathy for her, she liked it.
"It's just that -" Lilly said wiping her tears with no real intention of stopping them. She needed them all to feel terrible and sad for her,
"You and Tim have been so close lately and I don't know, I guess I want what you have - and Eric" Lilly hiccuped, oh Eric. She'd gotten over him a while ago, she was still hurt that they had used her, but she only really tried to like him because she was desperate and he looked like Topher Grace, "I thought he liked me, you know?" Ada squeezed Lilly tightly and kissed her temple
"It's so okay! I get it, I'm so sorry babe. Why didn't you say something?" She said looking concerned. Lilly had to force her oncoming smirk into a frown
"I didn't want to rain on your love parade,"
"You never could," Ada said smiling "Promise?" Lilly wiped the last of her tears with the sleeve of her shirt, she couldn't will anymore to come to her.
"Okay guys, group hug!" Asher said waddling toward Ada and Lilly with a big goofy grin on his face. Sizwe joined them and then so did Tim.
"We all love you, Lilly -" Sizwe said
"So much". Asher finished and Lilly smiled.
"Okay, now let's get to that meeting about Asher leaving the empty milk carton in the fridge again" Tim spoke up untangling himself from his friends
"It's not about that!" Asher said defensively
"Why do you do that anyway? It's so weird, you know it's empty just throw it away" Ada said,
"Can everyone just stop judging me!"

*

As the five approached the glass doors of the board room they saw that everyone was already seated and were grateful that they left their rooms early enough that the debacle between Lilly and Ada didn't make them late.

"Sweetheart, can I speak with you for a moment?" Tim asked Ada as Sizwe and Asher made their way into the board room
"Oh, but we'll be late -"
"It'll only take a minute, please? It can't wait" He said scratching the back of his head nervously. Ada became concerned that her boyfriend suddenly needed to speak with her urgently and said
"Okay, sure". She let go of Lilly's pinkie, but Lilly only stood there, she didn't make a move to go inside. Tim looked over at her confused, 
"Sorry, Lil but I kind of need to talk to her alone?" Lilly's right eye twitched but she nodded her head anyway,
"Oh yeah, of course, okay" she forced herself to seem just a little bit hurt.
"Really sorry Lil" and it worked, really she was just nosy.
"Save me a seat beside you?" Ada called and Lilly nodded then she entered the board room. The door closed behind her and Lilly chose a place at the table where there were only two available chairs left and then she stared out of the glass doors at Tim and Ada, the conversation didn't last long. Then he tucked a braid behind her ear and kissed her forehead and then her lips
Once
Twice
Three times
Lilly turned to look at Damian who cleared his throat as the couple walked in smiling. Ada sat down next to Lilly and Tim, who didn't seem concerned went to take up a seat further along the table, next to Sizwe.

"Right, so now that everyone is here -" he started, looking conspicuously in Ada and then Tim's direction "we can begin" he nodded toward his sister
"We are going to be having another Teenager joining our pack,"
An audible hum of excitement went around the board room table "Boy or girl!?" Asher asked excitedly and Danika looked to her brother
"Do you think we should make them wait?" She asked and he stared at them for a moment and then said "Mh-hm, Asher'll be super annoying about it" Sizwe laughed as Asher frowned at Damian "let's just tell 'em now"

"It'd be cool to have another girl around huh?" Ada whispered and even though Lilly nodded her head she hoped to God it was a boy because as selfish as it seemed Lilly wanted Ada all to herself. She also hoped it'd be a boy because she needed someone she could be with in the way that Ada was with Tim. She needed someone romantically... Lilly thought about having someone press against her and had to shake her head before the thoughts progressed and became something beyond her control.

"It is - drum roll please" everyone's hands banged on the table in unison
"A boy!" Ada's disappointed intake of breath was just barely audible and so Lilly pretended not to hear it.
"It is a boy named, Maverick"
"Maverick" Lilly tasted the name in her mouth.
The people around her hollered and whooped excitedly, "Why does this sound like a gender reveal party?" Asher asked still smiling. The room quieted down and Damian shook his head sighing quietly to himself
"I get concerned about you Asher-" and then louder he said
"Meeting dismissed."

*

Okay so Hi, I didn't really know how to end that and I wanted it to be all dramatic but like Asher is just such a goofy dummy and I couldn't resist. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Maverick is coming and you've been introduced to a bit of a darker side of Lilly so let's see how next chapter goes...