"Hey." Andre speaks softly as he enters his room to find Iliana finishing off a bottle of something strong.

"Mmm." She nods, acknowledging his presence. She looks up at him with mascara-streaked eyes, drowning in grief. "What happened, Magnet" She croaks and Andre's heart quite literally shatters into a million pieces in his chest. He's never seen Iliana like this. She's always so composed, or having fun and not giving a shit about anything. He's never seen her so... broken- but that's because she's so good at hiding it.

Truth is wearing a mask, especially around those you're closest to, is exhausting. This finally gave her the opportunity to let everything out, all at once.

Andre rakes his hand over his face, mentally, and emotionally, exhausted from dealing with Luke, Iliana, the photoshoot, Marie, his dad... the list goes on and it's not getting shorter anytime soon.

"I-I don't know." He shrugs, truthfully at a loss for words and answers. "I wish I knew, Goldie. I wish I fucking knew."

Tears begin to spill as her words pour out faster and faster by the second. "I-I just don't it, Magnet, I fucking don't get it! Damn it." She throws the bottle at the wall and the glass flies everywhere. "Luke would never do something like that for no fucking reason."

"I know, I know." Andre quickly rushes to her side.

"An-and for fucksake I just got back!" Iliana cries out. "I mean- God, I was only gone for a year!"

A lot can change in a year, unfortunately. Iliana has been slapped in the face with that reminder over the past couple days, enough to give her whiplash.

"And what does my dad have to do with it?" Andre wonders out loud, shaking his head.

"Who the hell is 'he?'" She mumbles and starts laughing, causing Andre to turn to her warily. "And they want me to come to some dumb fucking photoshoot and act like I'm just so fucking excited to be number one?" She turns to Andre. "He hasn't even been gone for one fucking day!"

Andre's jaw locks. "I know. They kept asking where you were."

Iliana laughs even harder. "And they want to pin him off like he was some crazy fucking druggie?!" Her body fills with rage as the lights in the room, well the whole floor, begin to flicker as sun rays begin to burn a hole in the carpet and her hands on her knee's start to heat up before Andre wraps an arm around her and pulls her in. "I should've done more." Iliana's breath quickens as she begins to hyperventilate "I should've done something, anything! And he would still be here."

"No. No, you are not going to blame yourself, you here me?" Andre holds her arms as he forces her to look at him. "You did not kill Luke, and you are not the reason he is gone, okay?" Andre knew that Iliana would do this. That she's gonna make herself sick with guilt for the rest of her life over what happened.

But he refuses to watch his other best friend drive herself mad over something she did not do. He embraces her once again. "There was nothing we could've done."

But him and Iliana both know that's not true.

𖤓 𖤓 𖤓

After their moment, Iliana finally charged her phone back up and broke down and called her parents. They said press were bothering them non-stop and that was most of what anyone could get out with uncontrollablly crying. Iliana didn't know how much more her parents could take. After losing a second kid? That takes the kind of toll on a person that you can't bounce back from. And the Riordan's were the last people on the face of the Earth who deserved it.

Iliana's parents were some of the nicest people to ever exist in human history. And they made sure to always spoil the absolute shit out of their kids and give them the best possible lives.

So why did this keep happening to them?

"Did you see this?" Andre quietly walks back into the room once Iliana is off the phone.

She shakes her head. "No. I can barely even breath on this thing." Her phone has all but exploded with thousands of news outlets and reporters trying to reach out to her to get the scoop on what happened with Luke. About her being number one, about how she supposedly 'fought him off the betterment of the school and everyone around', her head was absolutely spinning out of control.

"We got a message. Mandatory meeting in the Crimefighting building." He sighs. Iliana licks her lips. Guess this is something she'll actually have to attend...

𖤓 𖤓 𖤓

"Professor Brinkerhoff died the same way he taught: a hero." Dean Indira Shetty starts off to the room full of students. Iliana scoffs to herself as Andre looks at the Dean blankly as she continues. "He molded the Lamplighter School of Crimefighting into the shining exemplar it is today. Nobody could possibly replace him, so... I will. Or at least I'll try." Andre rolls his eyes.

Are you fucking serious- Iliana thinks to herself.

"We will cover everything Brink would cover, but we'll also get into the intersection of superpowers and mental health, which was my dissertation." Shetty informs as the door opens. Iliana doesn't bother to look up as Shetty pauses. "Oh. Marie."

That does cause Iliana to snap her head up.

"Sorry I'm late." Marie says sheepishly.

"I'm Dean Shetty. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Can we go yet?" Iliana mutters under her breath to Andre as she catches Jordan glancing in her direction intensely.

"Please, take a seat." Shetty tells Marie nicely. "We're letting Ms. Moreau audit the junior-year classes." Shetty explains to the class. Iliana scoffs once again. So this girl gets to just show up, watch Luke kill himself, and bam she gets everything handed to her now? "What you, Andre, and Iliana did, well, it's obvious you belong here."

Iliana's nostrils flare as she squeezes her hands tightly into a fists, singeing her skin and cutting into her palms with her nails. Don't get expelled, don't get expelled she chants to herself as she's three seconds away from melting Shetty's head.

𖤓 𖤓 𖤓

Iliana practically sprints out of the room as the meeting ends, having quickly told Andre she was heading back to her room and that she'd catch him later.

"Congrats on being number one." A feminine voice scoffs as Iliana lets the fresh air hit her face after exiting the building.

She spins on her heel, coming face to face with Jordan, as she narrows her eyes. "Fuck off Jordan." She spits out. "Go to fucking hell." How dare they try to make some snarky comment about her being number one as if she really fucking wanted to be this way.

"Hey." Jordan quickly steps forward and grabs Iliana by the elbow, switching to their male form as they do.

Iliana looks up them, hating the slicked-gelled look they have going on, thinking it looked better the other night- as if that's what was important right now. "I-I'm sorry." Jordan looks at her like their puppy got ran over.

"I think I'm all out of fucking sorry's for one day." Iliana snaps, jerking her arm out of their grasp.

"I'm sorry about Luke, I am." Jordan insists, following her as she tries to keep walking, ignoring the fact that she's standing right where it all took place. "I know this isn't easy on you..."

"Then why the hell are you bothering me?" Iliana shouts, turning back around. Jordan is the last person she wants to deal with right now.

"Because it's not fair!" Jordan raises their voice. "I'm actually the one who fought Luke off, and you, Andre, and Marie get to take all the credit? Marie ran, she's the last person who should be getting in the top ten."

Iliana lets out a chuckle, well there's one thing they can agree on. "You think I'm fucking happy I got my number one spot back because my twin fucking died?!" She takes a step forward. "Huh, do you? You think I like that they're saying I fought him off? That I saved the school from my druggie, insane brother who just went on a killing rampage?!" Her voice raises with each word as she continues closing in on Jordan as they step backwards as she does. "Hmm? I mean do you think I want any of this fucking press while I'm trying to cope with the fact that my twin, my other half is fucking gone, Jordan!! DO YOU?!" She screams causing anyone walking or standing around within a close radius to turn their heads and a few people start trying to snap some pictures of Iliana.

Jordan swallows, unsure of what to say, as they begin to sweat, feeling almost suffocated by the heat and the gaze Iliana's drowning them in. They've never seen Iliana like this before. The rage mixed with a hallow grief was nothing they had ever experienced from the golden blonde standing in front of them. Jordan was just desperate to be recognized, desperate to not be thrown back into the shadows and only used as a diversity tool. And they know, oh do they know, that Iliana is suffering, hurting. But for some reason every time they are around her all they can think about is how much she hurt them and their mouth gets the best of them.

Iliana didn't want to talk to Jordan, ever again. But especially not in these circumstances, where all they've done is snap and yell at each other. But when there's so much unsaid, so much pain they've caused each other and too much history... what more is there to say?

"I just thought you could tell them the truth." Jordan's voice softens. And I wanted to check on you Jordan also thought, but didn't say.

Iliana heard Jordan fought her brother off, but she still didn't even know what the hell happened. She doesn't even want to do interviews at all, but they're gonna force her to do them sooner rather than later, especially the one with Hailey Miller. "With Luke and Brink gone, and you back, I go back to not existing."

Good, lets keep it that way, Iliana thinks.

"You know I can't just say whatever the hell I want." Iliana narrows her eyes.

Jordan scoffs. "You could. You just don't want to." They argue.

Iliana's spine stiffens, as if she hasn't heard that before.

"What I want, is Luke back. So, looks like neither of us are getting what we want." Iliana says bitterly before turning around once again and marching off.

Jordan shakes their head, regretting ever saying anything as their eyes zero in on blood dripping from Iliana's hand as she squeezes her fists tighter, storming away. Everyone around them buzzes with noise's of complaint as they shield their eyes, the sun blaring down so intensely, it's almost unbearable.

Why do you even still care? Jordan chews themself out, angry for attempting to fall back into the trap that is Iliana Riordan.

But she's just so mesmerizing.

Sad, mad, or on top of the fucking world, there was something about Iliana Riordan that turned heads and had everyone wanting to make a fool of themselves around her in a desperate need for her attention.

"Iliana can we get a-" A couple of fellow students begin as they see her go by.

"Fuck off." She mutters their way, and yet they still giggle in awe that they got her attention at all, negative or not.

She will always be in the spotlight,

for better or for worse...

𖤓 𖤓 𖤓

𝟶ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀʙɪsᴄᴜɪᴛ𝟽 sᴘᴇᴀᴋs!

Iliana-Jordan moment, Iliana-Jordan moment!!! Ahhhh, ahasdhjbsh. They make me melt <3

But of course, they have to bicker, and ugh I can't take out Jordan being mad at not being number one, that's literally so them!! And it just adds double salt to the wound that it's Iliana!! They are some academic rivals after all, hehehe.

Also, can we take a moment to appreicate just HOW much Andre is worried and considerate of Iliana, ugh they're def one of my fav platonic soulmates I've ever written now, for sure! And let's talk about Iliana's unhealthy coping habits...

Okay, I'll stop now or just rehash the whole chapter lmao, don't forget to comment you questions, reactions, and thoughts, they are so motivating for me to write!! And see you in part 3, mwauh!!