This, of course, was in response to me telling her what had happened moments before she arrived with the rescue goods on Friday night.

"Look, it wasn't super weird or anything," I lied.

"What did he say afterwards? Is he into you? What was that supposed to be?"

"Actually, you came out just after...so..."

Just then, my phone screen flashed and Logan's contact appeared on the screen. Elaine practically leapt up and I could see her take a deep breath in to unleash pure hell upon him. "Ssshh!!" I hissed. "Hello?" I picked up my phone and started pacing up and down Elaine's bedroom. She gestured, mouthing "speakerphone", kindly demonstrating by pressing an invisible button on her invisible phone.

I obliged, hoping Logan wasn't going to say something weird.

"Hey. Thanks for coming on Friday night. I hope it wasn't too bad," he began.

"Yeah, it was...interesting."

He laughed. "But uh my memory's a bit fuzzy... did I do anything weird?"

"You mean, besides being yourself?" I joked.

He laughed. "Yeah I've got a smattering of memories and dreams, and I was far too drunk to tell the difference."

"Yeah, no, you're all good."

Elaine was perched on the bed, waving her arms around, mouthing "what the hell?"

I ended the phone call as quickly as possible, partially because I hated making phone calls, but also because it was quickly getting awkward.

"Why didn't you just tell him what happened?"

"Because that would just complicate things. Because now I don't know what to think."

We hung around in Elaine's bedroom with facemasks on, watching movies and eating popcorn. Her family even fed me before I went with them to the airport.

"I can't believe you're going on an impromptu trip to Denmark. What am I going to do without you for the next week?" I whined. We were both in a taxi while her parents were in another. Apparently, it was normal for them to take two cars just to fit all their luggage.

"Not really impromptu. A business deal finally went through, and also, I really want to go skiing!" She squealed. "You sure you don't want to come with?"

"Um hello – I live on planet Earth! I have school. Also, a trip costs money."

"It's only a week. Pemberton will stream the classes if you ask," she grinned. "And I can totally cover for you. We're time rich but money poor right now, but after we finish school we'll be time poor but money rich. Hopefully rich."

"You make a convincing argument...but no."

"Fine," she pouted. "My parents paid for the taxi to take you home by the way, so don't be silly and pay twice."

"I told you to let me pay for it myself!" I exclaimed.

"No way! You're dropping me off at the airport, I'm not going to make you pay for the taxi!"

We unloaded the luggage and once they were all checked in, the reality hit me that in the middle of this Logan sort-of-mess, Elaine was going to be thousands of kilometres away. "We're going to the gate now," Elaine said.

She gave me a tight hug and I squeezed her back harder. "What am I going to do without you for a week?"

"The internet exists. Call me every day!" She grinned.

Little did I realise that shew as leaving me just as a storm was about to hit.

--

Come Monday morning, the front page of every newspaper and the top articles from online sources all read to some variation "Green Enterprises scandal – who is Logan's half-brother?"

My phone was lighting up. Logan's contact flashed onto my screen. "Hey," I answered.

"It's gone!" He exclaimed frantically. "I left it inside a book, and now that there are articles everywhere and-and I can't find it! It must have been someone at the party. How could I be so stupid!?"

"Ok calm down. What's missing?"

"The results of the DNA test."

"Oh."

"Holy shit. What the hell have I done? I should've burnt it even though I didn't open it."

So that meant that he and Holden were indeed half-brothers. What was this going to mean for him, for Holden, for their families?

"Wait-wait. The letter doesn't say who the second sample is from, right?"

"It shouldn't. I just sent in the samples of hair."

"O-kay. So for now, no one knows who that second sample's from. If we can get in front of it and do something..." The movies seemed to make it out that the rich had very far reach and could make anything disappear. Was this an actual thing?

"Even if they can't work out who it is – my family is going to be destroyed. People will think my dad had an affair."

"It's going to be okay," I tried to comfort him.

"You know it's not! You've seen the families at Pemberton, hell, you've seen what their kids are like!" His voice was frantic and I could hear his rapid breathing even through the phone. "Oh God and Haley had no idea about this. She's already having it rough with the divorce."

"Please – just calm down – meet me at school early today." He definitely wasn't calm by the time he hung up, but he did agree.

I caught the bus early to school to meet Logan.

Heading to school early today, you don't need to pick me up I texted Parker, just in case.

By the time I hopped off the bus, the last person I wanted to see was walking straight toward me. And he wasn't his usual happy self.

"Come with me," Holden said, taking me by the wrist.

--------

FINALLY an update!

I honestly don't know how far from the end this is - maybe 10 chapters?? maybe more?

Admittedly in the last few months I've become somewhat obsessed with the stats for the story rather than writing purely for the love of this story, which is unfortunate because I super loved this. That's why I've been taking a break to see where I want to take the story instead of churning out chapters that are subpar.

I am sort of still in a writer's block kind of a thing but hopefully getting back on track!! :~)

Thanks for reading as usual

stay cool,

Daria xo