Chapter 8 #2
She was protesting a little too much, which only made me wonder again if she liked the guy more than she let on.
“Anyway, we should go dance,” Anna said.
“Yes!” Cress cheered. She gulped down the rest of her drink before grabbing my hand and dragging me toward the makeshift dance floor. I stumbled after her, caught off guard, and Anna followed behind as the three of us made our way into the middle of the dancing crowd.
I didn’t dance much, other than on the rare occasion when I had the apartment to myself back home.
I usually sung along to the radio while I cooked dinner, probably looking like a complete idiot as I spun my spatula around the room.
The kids here seemed to have none of my reservations though, and they were all bumping and grinding like they were auditioning for a rap video.
I, however, felt like a total klutz as I shifted from side to side.
Anna and Cress threw themselves into the music, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy at how easy they made it look.
Anna’s style was more seductive while Cress danced with the kind of energy and enthusiasm that I could never match.
I already felt out of place at Weybridge Academy, but that was nothing compared to how odd I felt on the dance floor.
I stayed with them for two songs before I quickly made an excuse to leave. “I’m going to grab a drink of water.”
“Aw, but we only just started dancing,” Cress replied.
I shook my head. “I’ll be quick. You keep dancing, and I’ll come back to find you.”
Cress nodded and smiled. “Don’t be too long!”
With a relieved breath, I made my way off the dance floor. I didn’t head for the drinks table. Instead, I walked over to one of the bonfires and sat down for a breather on a nearby log. A girl was sitting just a few feet from me, but her head was buried in her phone, and I felt pretty much alone.
It was strange sitting here, watching the party.
It was far more extravagant than any party I’d ever been to back home, but really it wasn’t all that different.
There were still couples making out and kids who’d already gotten too drunk being tended to by their friends.
There were people like Cress and Anna who were intent on dancing the night away and those like me who’d rather hang on the periphery.
As my gaze drifted across the party, I noticed one area where the crowd thinned out.
The ground was higher there, and a small group of kids sat on a large rock that protruded from the base of the cliff face.
It reminded me a little of Pride Rock from The Lion King as it jutted out, overlooking the clearing.
When I caught sight of who was sitting on it, I had to smother a snort.
Of course, Noah was up there, surveying the party like a ruler on his throne.
There were others with him, sure, but none had mastered Noah’s kingly expression.
He was watching the party with the aloof expression of someone who truly believed he was better than everyone around him.
In that moment, he reminded me so much of Levi, and I couldn’t for the life of me understand how I’d ever found my ex-boyfriend appealing.
How did I date someone so self-obsessed for nearly a year?
I watched as Veronica, the redhead the girls had pointed out to me earlier, sauntered over to Noah.
She lowered herself onto his lap, gazing up at him with adoring eyes.
He barely glanced at her and didn’t react as she ran her hand across his chest. It was probably all part of his self-inflated belief that he was too good to be here.
I almost felt sorry for her as she continued to try to get his attention.
It was hard to believe everyone thought they were destined to be together, as Anna and Cress had explained.
Noah clearly hadn’t gotten that memo. I wondered what it must be like for Veronica to be with a guy who so clearly wasn’t interested in her.
Levi wasn’t the best boyfriend, but at least he used to talk to me and knew how to crack a smile.
Eventually, Veronica seemed to give up, and she reluctantly left Noah’s lap to go talk with her friends.
I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes away from him though.
What was it about this guy that made my father so wary?
And why was everyone so enamored by him?
He seemed thoroughly bored by the whole party, and I didn’t understand how he could just sit there, surrounded by so many people but still appear so untouchable.
So detached. I was trying to work it out; did he really think he was better than everyone here?
“Hey, you’re the new girl, right?” The girl who was sitting near me was no longer concentrating on her phone.
Instead, she was looking up at me and smiling.
She had short curly hair and big hazel eyes that were emphasized by her dark-rimmed glasses.
The oversized knit cardigan she was wearing made her look ready for a night curled up by the fireplace rather than a party in the woods.
She had the kind of sweet expression that just couldn’t be faked though, and I warmed to her immediately.
“Isobel,” I said, returning her somewhat nervous smile.
“I’m Lillian,” she replied. “But everyone calls me Lily. Well, everyone but my mom that is. It’s nice to finally meet the girl everyone’s been talking about.”
Her words tumbled out in rapid succession, and it took me a moment to process them. When I did, the smile slipped from my lips. “Everyone’s talking about me?”
“Oh, crap, I didn’t mean it like that.” Lily’s big brown eyes widened with concern when she saw my reaction.
“Sorry, I have a habit of putting my foot in my mouth,” she continued.
“I just meant that we’ve all heard there’s a new girl joining us.
No one’s gossiping or anything. I also tend to ramble a bit, so feel free to shut me up at any time. ”
“It’s fine.” I laughed. “I hear you guys aren’t used to getting new recruits.”
“No, we aren’t.” She let out a long breath and relaxed. “So, are you enjoying your first Weybridge party?”
I shrugged and glanced back at the crowd.
“Parties aren’t really my thing.” As I thought about it, I wondered if maybe they could become my thing, I’d just never really enjoyed them back home.
Levi had always ended up getting too drunk, and I usually spent most of the night watching girls throw themselves at him.
It didn’t help that the music was always too loud, and there was far too much dancing for my liking.
Perhaps a smaller party would be more my style.
“Me neither,” she agreed. “I’ve been reading a book on my phone all night. The only reason I’m here is because my roommate was already drunk before she left our room, and I wanted to watch out for her.”
“You must be a good roommate.”
She blushed and averted her eyes. “Anyone else would do the same. Who are you rooming with this year?”
“Cress. Do you know her?”
“I think you’ll find everyone knows everyone here.” Lily laughed. “And Cress is great. She gets along with everyone. Not that anyone would ever dare dislike her given who her cousin is …”
“Noah,” I murmured.
“Yeah, Noah Hastings pretty much only has one soft spot, and that’s Cress. No one would ever do anything to hurt her because it would mean dealing with him.” She gave a nervous glance in his direction.
“You’re not a fan of Noah?” I guessed.
“He’s okay.”
I got the impression Lily had much stronger feelings about him that she was keeping to herself. “You really don’t like him, do you?”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, he’s fine.
I just don’t know him, and I’m not obsessed with him like so many other people here.
I get that he’s good-looking and his grandfather’s a billionaire, but I’m really not into the whole dark and brooding thing.
He never says much, and I don’t understand how girls can fall at a guy’s feet when he’s never said more than two words to them. ”
I didn’t get it either. It didn’t stop me from being curious about him though. “My father warned me to stay away from him this year.”
“Oh, really?” Lily looked like she was about to question me, but then she paused. “Actually, I’m not really surprised,” she continued. “Noah has a terrible reputation with girls. Most of the parents here run in similar circles, and they love to gossip. I’m not surprised your dad is worried.”
I slowly nodded with understanding. That probably explained Matthew’s warning, but I was surprised he cared enough to bother.
Maybe he was concerned this boy might distract his new daughter from doing well in school and upholding his precious reputation.
I didn’t feel any responsibility to follow Matthew’s advice.
I was more likely to jump off a cliff just because he told me not to.
But as I looked back at Noah, sitting on his makeshift stone throne, perched above us all, I got the feeling Matthew might have been right to warn me.
“So, do you have a boyfriend?” Lily asked.
“Not anymore. We broke up at the—”
“Oh no.” Lily shot to her feet. Her eyes were on the dance floor, and it wasn’t hard to see who she was looking at.
A girl had stumbled into a drinks table and sent glasses and bottles flying.
There was already a crowd of people forming to clean up the broken glass.
“That’s Amber, my roommate.” Lily gasped. “I better go help her.”
“Do you need a hand?”
Lily was already making her way from the bonfire. “It’s okay. I think I’ll manage.” She waved a hand over her shoulder before jogging across the clearing to where her roommate was climbing to her feet. I didn’t envy her one bit. At least my roommate was more interested in dancing than drinking.
I watched as Lily reached Amber. A couple of boys were helping to steady her, as she was barely able to stay standing. I imagined she would be in a world of pain tomorrow. Being hungover on the first day of school couldn’t be a fun way to start the year.
The party was back in full swing moments later. A shocked silence had descended over the dance floor when the glasses smashed on the ground, but that seemed to be forgotten very quickly.
I considered returning to Cress and Anna but was reluctant to go. It was far more peaceful sitting by the fire, watching the party from the periphery.
Without Lily distracting me, my gaze seemed to naturally drift back to Noah.
His expression had barely changed since I last looked at him, and not even the two girls who were now fawning over him in Veronica’s absence seemed to capture his attention.
He still seemed to be observing the party like he was above it all, but I was continually fascinated by him.
Levi had become the king of our school through his sporting prowess and his ability to charm anyone, but how did someone like Noah, who clearly didn’t care for the affection of the masses, command their respect?
Surely, there was more to his influence than the fact he filled out a shirt nicely and had a gorgeous face.
Lily had mentioned his grandfather was a billionaire, but was that all there was to it?
Were the people here really so blinded by money?
This was one of the most prestigious schools in the country.
Surely Noah wasn’t the only kid here who came from that kind of wealth.
Noah pushed a hand through his tousled hair and then suddenly looked in my direction, as if he sensed me watching him. I expected to find the same disinterest in his eyes that I’d observed all night, but there was something about his gaze that made me feel like he was lost.
He was a king at this school, but perhaps he found the weight of his crown a little too much to bear?
Either way, it shouldn’t matter to me. I’d been stupid enough to get lured in by the appeal of our school’s resident royal back home.
It didn’t matter how intriguing Noah Hastings was.
I wouldn’t be falling into that trap again.