Chapter 3 #2
“Shit, I’m really sorry, Isobel.”
“Thanks.” I shared a sad smile with her. “It sucks, but there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s not like we were dating long.”
“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt,” she replied. “I just can’t believe he broke up with you. It was obvious how much he liked you.”
“Not enough, apparently. He ended things because his family is business rivals of my dad.”
Her mouth opened and closed several times like she was searching for something to say. Eventually, she settled on shaking her head. “I definitely didn’t expect that to be the reason,” she said. “I swear, I’m never going to understand these people.”
I couldn’t have agreed with her more. Lily’s confusion mirrored my own so closely, and I wondered if it was because, like me, she wasn’t from this world of wealth and social climbing.
“Yeah, I don’t get it either. I didn’t have much choice in the matter though.”
Lily reached out and grasped my hand, giving it a firm squeeze. “Well, it’s his loss. He’s an idiot.”
“A complete idiot,” Anna said, chiming in. “It’s lucky I haven’t seen him here today. I swear, I’m going to tear into that boy so hard when I get the chance he’s going to wish he didn’t have ears.”
“Please don’t do that,” I said. I couldn’t imagine how embarrassing it would be.
“What? He deserves it. I know everyone at this school thinks he walks on water, but that doesn’t mean he can treat one of my besties like crap.” She suddenly glanced at Cress. “Sorry, Cress, I know he’s your cousin, so maybe pretend you’ve got earmuffs on.”
“No need, I’m annoyed too,” Cress said. “Noah completely messed up on this one. Screw the Hastings family. Isobel is worth a million of them.”
“A billion,” Anna added.
“A million billion,” Cress said, making us laugh.
My cheeks flushed as I looked at my friends. They always had my back, no matter what, and I felt like I didn’t deserve them.
Cress turned to me. “So, after all the drama last night, is your dad coming today?”
“He didn’t say.” I shrugged. “He always seems incredibly busy though, so it’s far more likely he’s already left town.” I considered sending him a text to find out, but I didn’t feel all that comfortable contacting him. The message would likely only get as far as Caldwell anyway.
“Did your parents end up coming last night?” I asked Cress. I’d bailed on the ball too early to know whether they’d shown up.
“No.” She sighed. “I would have liked to see them too. I suppose I’ll have to try and get them to come to the Halloween carnival next month.”
“There’s a carnival?” I sat up slightly straighter in my chair. I normally loved Halloween, but I was usually working at the café, so I wasn’t able to really enjoy it.
“Oh yeah, it’s the best,” Lily said. “The local town hosts Halloween Fest every year. It’s set up on this creepy farm, and people from all over the area come to it.”
“The money raised from the carnival goes to charity,” Anna added. “So, the school makes sure all the clubs get involved and help out. As you can imagine, the academy brings in some pretty hefty donations, so the town is always happy to have us.”
“It’s a blast,” Cress agreed. “Way better than some stuffy garden party.” She lowered her voice as she said the last part, like she didn’t want to be caught badmouthing the principal’s event.
Someone cleared their voice behind us, and as we all looked back, we saw my English teacher, Mr. Wagner, standing all too close and frowning in our direction.
“Ladies,” he said before continuing on his way.
As soon as we were out of earshot, we all burst into laughter. I had a feeling Mr. Wagner agreed with Cress.
I’d been dreading the garden party this morning, but it wasn’t half as bad as I’d expected when I got to sit in the corner chatting with my friends in the sunshine.
We relaxed and talked and drank plenty of water as an hour or two went by.
No one seemed to care I was hungover, and I thankfully didn’t see Noah.
I even sent a text message to my father.
I decided to keep it light to give myself the best chance of getting a response, so I asked how the rest of his evening had been and whether he was coming this morning.
Hopefully he, or Caldwell, would reply before the party ended.
But either way, I actually found I was enjoying myself.
It was just the kind of Sunday morning I needed after a traumatic Saturday night.
When Anna started trying to rank which of our teachers were the hottest, I decided it was a good time to excuse myself and find the bathroom.
There was a long line for the one in the cottage, but I overheard one of the girls mention people were also using the bathrooms in a school building close by.
I had to leave the party to reach them, but I wasn’t against the idea of a short walk to stretch my legs.
I cut around the side of the house and was walking alongside the hedge that followed the perimeter of the property when I heard voices on the other side of it.
“I expected better from you,” a woman said. “Your father and I have been here two days, and the boy has barely looked your way.”
“I can’t help it if he’s not interested in me, Mother.”
I froze as I recognized Veronica’s voice.
“Clearly, you’re not trying hard enough,” her mother replied. “Where is he this morning?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure he’s around. Noah tends to do as he pleases.”
“With that kind of attitude, you’ll never catch his attention.”
“I don’t know what you expect from me. He has a girlfriend.”
“You should be his girlfriend,” her mother scoffed. “And you will be. You just need to get this other girl out of the picture.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Now, we should get back to the party. There are still many people I need to speak with. I’m yet to see that intriguing man we met yesterday—Mr. LaFleur.”
Veronica’s mother practically purred Matthew’s name. Perhaps Wes was right. Maybe the news about my secret father would be a big deal at Weybridge.
“And you must introduce me to his daughter,” Veronica’s mother continued. “I’m sure she will be an excellent friend for you to have.”
Veronica didn’t answer, but I could almost hear the steam coming out of her ears. The irony of Mrs. Cordeaux unknowingly wanting her daughter to be friends with the so-called other girl probably wasn’t helping.
I heard movement on the other side of the hedge and quickly kept walking so I wouldn’t be caught eavesdropping.
I certainly didn’t want to meet Veronica’s mother, especially seeing as I was the girl who had, in her mind, prevented her daughter from obtaining the prestigious boyfriend she apparently needed so urgently.
Veronica was calculating and mean, but it seemed like she’d inherited the traits from her mom, and I was surprised by just how strongly Veronica was being pushed toward Noah.
For a moment, just a moment, I almost felt sorry for her.
I quickly used the bathroom before returning to the party, but as I was following the path back down the side of the house toward the marquee, I saw Veronica standing with her mother at the end of the path.
It seemed they hadn’t got far before Mrs. Cordeaux had bumped into someone she needed to chat with.
She was laughing away with two other women while Veronica did her best to feign interest and force out smiles at the right moments.
I hesitated as I watched them. I didn’t want to have to speak to either one of them, but they were standing right in the middle of the path.
I also didn’t want to overhear another conversation that might make me feel any more sympathy toward Weybridge’s evil queen.
Just as I was contemplating turning around and walking back the way I’d come, a hand wrapped around my arm, and I gasped as I was tugged from the path and into the bushes. My heart was racing from the shock, but it started to gallop like a bolted horse when I looked up into Noah’s eyes.
“Noah,” I gasped. “What are you doing?” He was still holding my arm, sending sparks flying across my skin, and I roughly shook him off. Despite everything he’d done last night, my body still yearned for him.
He was dressed smartly with a deep navy jacket over a crisp white shirt, but his blue tie hung loose around his neck as though he had been just as reluctant and rushed as I was this morning.
His hair was a mess, like he’d only recently gotten out of bed, and there were dark bags drooping under his eyes. He looked as bad as I felt.
“I needed to talk to you.” Despite the drained look on his face, his green eyes still bore into mine. Their sparkle was missing, replaced by an emotion I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Pain, longing, anger. It could have been a mix of all three.
“So, you pulled me into the bushes?” The sounds of the party were muffled in the background, and we were completely shielded from view by the low-lying branches of the trees and shrubs surrounding us.
“I can’t be seen with you,” he said. “Especially when my grandfather’s here.”
“So, don’t be seen with me then,” I replied. “I’m going back to the party.”
He reached out and grasped my arm again. “Don’t.”
His voice was low and rough, and that one word sent a ripple of emotion pulsing through me.
His word was a desperate tug, pulling me toward him with more power than if he’d yanked me with his hands.
I closed my eyes for a second and breathed in as I tried to forget just how much I still wanted Noah.
How even now, every part of my body hummed with energy, like his presence was the battery keeping me alive.