Kayla's POV

When I finally rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I realized Mum had already slipped out of the house. With a sigh, I dragged myself out of bed and began the daily ritual of getting ready for school. After throwing on a comfortable outfit, I made my way downstairs, a plan forming in my mind for lunch.

In the kitchen, the leftover cold pizza beckoned to me from the counter. I popped it into the microwave, letting the warm aroma fill the air. It wasn't a gourmet breakfast, but it would do. For lunch, I decided to whip up a quiche—anything to make my day a little brighter.

After devouring my breakfast and packing my lunch with careful precision, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

The drive was relatively uneventful until my phone chimed, breaking the morning silence. I glanced at the screen to see a message from Lila.

“Hey Kayls, Luca and I are down with a fever. We can't make it to school today.”

A wave of disappointment washed over me. The twins were my anchor in the chaos of school life. Without them by my side, the familiar sense of impending doom crept back in, making the thought of facing the day on my own feel much heavier.

After my unexpected encounter with Fiona in the hallway, I realized that perhaps I didn’t have to face the day feeling so alone. While she could never replace the comforting presence of the twins, having her company might ease my loneliness.

When lunchtime rolled around, I found myself sitting with Fiona for the first time. The initial moments were filled with awkward tension, especially with the twins not around. Normally, when they were absent, I’d find myself mingling with their other friends—who, truth be told, are also my friends. But today, it was just me and Fiona, and despite the unease, I felt a flicker of curiosity about how the rest of the lunch might unfold.

As I made my way to the twins' house, I couldn’t resist stopping by our favourite bakery. The scent of warm bread and sweet pastries wafted through the air, and I couldn’t wait to share the treats I had picked up. Arriving at their front door, I rang the bell, excitement bubbling inside me. When Kate opened the door, her smile instantly warmed my heart.

“Hello, Kayla!” she greeted, her voice like a comforting hug.

“Hey, Kate!” I replied with a beaming smile. “I want to check on the twins. Where are they?”

“They’re in Lila’s room,” she said, her eyes twinkling with affection.

“Thanks! I’ll head up,” I said, already jogging up the stairs.

I eased open the door to Lila’s room, where the twins lay cosily nestled under a duvet.

“Hey, you two!” I called, shutting the door behind me.

“Hey, Kayla,” they croaked back in unison, their voices husky from being under the weather.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, concern creeping into my voice as I approached.

“My fever’s gone down a lot, but poor Luca’s still running hot,” Lila explained, her brow furrowed with worry.

I rushed to Luca’s side, my hand instinctively resting on his forehead. The heat radiating from him made my stomach twist in knots.

“Luca, you’re on fire! Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital?” I asked, my heart racing with worry.

“Calm down, Kayla. I’ll be fine,” he assured me, though his voice sounded shaky.

“But—”

“No buts! I’m going to be fine,” he reiterated, a hint of determination in his eyes.

To lighten the mood, I pulled out the pastries I had brought. “I brought some goodies! Croissants, bread, cake, and apple pie. Who’s hungry?”

“Yeah, we do!” they chimed, their voices suddenly brightening, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

We were all foodies at heart. As I unveiled each pastry, the warm aroma enveloped the room, making my mouth water.

I handed Lila a fresh croissant, and her eyes lit up as she took a bite. A blissful moan escaped her lips, and I couldn’t resist chuckling.

“Is it really that good?” I teased.

“Jenny’s makes the best pastries, you know it!” she replied, grinning ear to ear.

I turned to Luca, who was eagerly nibbling on his slice. “How’s yours?”

“So good. Thanks, Kayla!” he exclaimed, a smile breaking through his feverish haze.

“Yeah, thanks, Kayls,” Lila chimed in, her cheeks full of croissants.

“I missed you guys so much today,” I said suddenly, feeling a wave of nostalgia wash over me.

“We missed you too! How was your day?” Luca asked, curiosity lighting up his face.

“It went okay. Fiona sat with me at lunch,” I shared, recalling the mixed emotions of the day.

“How was that?” Lila prodded, leaning in closer.

“It wasn’t as terrible as I expected. I even shared some of my lunch with her,” I admitted, smiling at the memory.

“That’s good! I hope you felt comfortable,” Lila added with a soft concern.

“I was comfortable enough. It wasn’t awkward at all,” I replied, relieved.

As we indulged in our treats, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Before long, I noticed Luca had fallen fast asleep, the fever clearly taking its toll on him.

“Here, give me your book. Let’s tackle those notes for Luca together,” I said to Lila, wanting to help.

“Oh, no, Kayla. That’s too much for you,” she protested, shaking her head.

“It’s totally fine! That’s what friends are for. And besides, you’ve helped me out plenty of times,” I explained eagerly.

“Fine, but since I’m feeling a bit better, I’ll write some notes myself. You can take a few of mine and the ones from Luca's," she answered.

“Hey Kayla, how’s the application process treating you?” Lila chimed in, breaking the lingering silence between us.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I recalled the stack of untouched forms waiting for me on my desk back home.  “Honestly, I haven’t made any moves yet. But you know my heart’s set on the University of Glasgow.”

“Right! And you're going to Cambridge, aren’t you?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Yep, that’s the plan. Mum and Dad are pretty keen on it,” she said, a hint of uncertainty creeping into her voice.

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Have you ever thought that maybe you’re chasing Cambridge for them? It’s such a big leap into Theatre; what if that’s not what you really want?”

Lila sighed, the weight of my words hanging in the air. “I appreciate your concern, Kayla, but this choice is mine to make. I hope you’ll back me up, no matter what.”

“I’m just looking out for you,” I said softly, hoping to ease the tension.

“I get that, but I’ve really thought this through. I want to pave my own path, not just live up to the expectations of being Kate and Paul Anderson’s daughter. I promise I’ll be okay,” she reassured me.

Shifting the topic, I asked, “How’s Luca doing with his pitch to convince Paul and Kate about the University of Bristol? Is he making any headway?”

She rolled her eyes. “Not at all. They’re hell-bent on him going to Juilliard. It’s gotten pretty intense; every time he tries to talk about it, it ends up in a showdown with Dad.”

“Do you think he’ll ever manage to sway them?” I inquired, genuinely worried for him.

“Honestly? I’m not sure. Fingers crossed he does,” she replied, a worried frown crossing her face.

We both fell into a contemplative silence, the weight of our dreams and decisions pressing down on us.