Chapter 8
Word about my breakup with Noah got around quickly once Veronica found out. She hadn’t wasted any time informing the whole school, and by Thursday lunchtime, it was all anyone could talk about.
I found I was actually relieved by the gossip. All week, it had felt like I was waiting for a bomb to detonate, and now that it had, I just needed to lie low until the initial shockwave blew over. Once the dust began to settle, I could slowly begin to pick up the pieces.
I decided it was best to skip Noah’s soccer game on Thursday night. I wanted to keep my head down while everyone worked the news about Noah and I through their systems, and the last thing I felt like doing was watching Noah lead his team to glory while the whole school cheered him on.
Cress was bummed because missing the game meant I also missed her dance at halftime.
I hated that I wasn’t there to support her, especially when she’d been there for me all week, so I promised to make it up to her.
I probably should have considered the offer more carefully because, as soon as Friday night rolled around, she insisted I went with her to the boathouse party.
I knew it was a terrible idea, but there was no way I could let Cress down again.
And so, as soon as it grew dark, I found myself trailing after her and Anna to the old boatshed by the lake.
As I stepped through the wide-open wooden doors, I took a deep breath in.
Tonight, I had a chance to show I really was putting Noah behind me.
Still, I couldn’t help doing a quick scan of the room for him as soon as I arrived.
The place was packed with people, and I was all too relieved I didn’t see him.
I wasn’t sure how he’d react to me being at the party.
His friends had invited me, but I was almost certain they wouldn’t have run it by him first.
“Come on, let’s get drinks,” Anna said, grabbing me by the hand and tugging me toward the fridge at the back of the room.
I’d vowed after last weekend that I never wanted to drink again, but I found myself reaching for the beer Anna offered. I was way too tense, and perhaps the drink might help me get through the party.
Anna and Cress seemed to have the same idea because they were both knocking back their drinks too.
“I still can’t believe your dad bought you a new car and you’re not going to drive it,” Cress said.
“What do you mean you’re not going to drive it!” Anna practically shouted.
“Don’t listen to her,” Cress said. “Anna likes cars more than she likes most people.”
Anna ignored her. “You’re really not going to drive it?”
“I’m not a very confident driver,” I murmured.
“So, you’re going to let your poor car rot in the parking lot all year?” Anna made it sound like I was committing some kind of cardinal sin.
“I crashed trying to avoid a dog that ran in the road the day after I passed my test,” I said. “I’ve been too nervous to drive ever since.”
“Accidents happen.” Anna tried to reassure me. “I’m sure you’re a great driver when dogs aren’t running in front of the car. You just need to get your confidence back.”
“And how do I do that?”
“I’ll go with you. Like a driving lesson. I’m a great teacher.” Anna waved a hand and flicked back her hair like she had already solved the problem.
“Uh, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“What’s the worst that can happen?”
“Well, we’d be driving, so a lot.”
“Our school is in the middle of nowhere, and the chances we’ll encounter a stray dog are minuscule,” Anna argued. “Come on, please. If it’s that bad, you can go back to ignoring your car for the rest of the year, and I won’t mention it again.”
I hesitated.
“Come on, please?”
“Okay, fine, but only because I know you’ll keep bugging me all night if I don’t agree.”
“Yes!” She clapped her hands together excitedly. “This is going to be fun.”
I didn’t see how driving lessons could be fun for anyone, but she seemed genuinely excited about it.
Cress hadn’t spoken since we’d started talking about driving lessons. She’d been staring off into the distance for most of our conversation, and as I followed her gaze, I could see why. Her eyes were fixed on Kaden who was chatting with a group of girls.
Anna also noticed where Cress’s attention was because she started to squeal. “Ohmygosh, Cress! You’re totally checking out Kaden!”
Cress blushed and glanced away. “I am not.”
“You definitely are,” Anna replied. “And I don’t blame you. He’s looking superhot tonight.”
“I’m not checking him out.”
“He does look pretty good,” I agreed with a knowing smile.
Cress’s cheeks only grew pinker.
“You’ve crushed on him forever,” Anna said. “You should go for it. You are both single, after all.”
“I don’t think so.” Cress was normally so bubbly and enthusiastic, but she lacked Anna’s confidence when it came to chasing after guys.
I hoped she wasn’t waiting for Kaden to make the first move because he wasn’t very forward either.
They might spend their entire senior year sending each other furtive glances and nothing more.
“You don’t have to make a move on him, but why don’t you just go chat with him?” I asked her.
Cress lifted her drink and finished the bottle in one long swig. “Maybe later. I just saw some of the dance squad arrive so I should probably go say hey.” She placed her empty bottle down on the table before rushing away from us.
Anna shook her head. “She’s being a chicken.”
“Not all of us have your confidence with guys, Anna.”
“Pshh, I’m not confident. It’s all about faking it till you make it. I’ve been faking it for such a long time now I forget my confidence isn’t real.”
I shook my head but smiled. I had to disagree with her. I thought Anna was one of the most confident people I’d ever met. If she was pretending, then I was very impressed because I was thoroughly convinced.
“Newbie, you came!” I turned to find Luther walking up behind me. “You ready for our beer pong rematch?”
I snorted. “Do I look like an idiot?”
He squinted as he looked me up and down. “Not particularly.”
“Then the answer is no.”
Luther shrugged and turned to Anna. “How about you, London?”
Anna folded her arms and glared at him. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m not from London? I’m from Oxford.”
“Maybe one more time.”
Anna rolled her eyes at him. “Go bother someone else, Luther. I’m not playing your little game with you either.”
“Suit yourselves,” he said before sauntering off to find another victim to play against.
“Is it just me, or does he get more annoying every time you see him?” Anna asked as she watched him leave.
I laughed. “No, it’s not just you. His ability to annoy people is a true talent.”
She shook her head before focusing on me again. “Speaking of talent, have you considered any of the guys on the rebound list I gave you?”
Anna had actually provided me with a full list of names earlier in the week. I hadn’t looked at it because there was no way I was going to kiss a guy just to get over another one.
“A few of those guys are here tonight…” Anna raised her eyebrows and nudged me with her shoulder.
“I might need a few more drinks before I can seriously talk about rebounds.” I hoped that would be enough to end the conversation. I was never going to consider that list. Not anytime soon, at least. I couldn’t even look at other guys right now.
Someone loudly cleared their throat behind me, and I turned to find Noah standing there. When I realized how close he was, my stomach dropped, and the glare in his eyes did nothing to ease my nerves. He’d clearly heard us talking about rebounds, and he wasn’t happy.
It felt like a thunderstorm had just entered the room and I was standing directly in its path.
Noah was practically crackling with irritation, and his hands clenched at his sides.
It was like he was having to restrain himself from throwing me over his shoulder and stealing me away from the party to stop any more talk of rebounds.
“Oh, hey, Noah,” Anna said. Usually, her playful personality could defuse the tension in any situation, but now her tone was cold as she glared at Noah. He didn’t respond. It was almost like he hadn’t heard her at all.
“So, how many drinks will it take?” he asked. “You know, before you start working your way down Anna’s list.”
My cheeks heated in anger. “That’s not your concern, Noah.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not. You made that perfectly clear when you broke up with me.
” He had no right to question me. He wouldn’t even answer my questions about what happened between our families.
He just made it plain and clear, time and again, that we would never be together—unless, of course, we kept it a secret from the whole world.
I met his glare with one of my own. I wanted nothing more than to be done with this conversation. To be done with him. I swallowed the remainder of my drink and shoved the empty bottle into his chest. “I guess that’s one drink less now,” I said before stalking past him.
Anna quickly rushed after me, her eyes filled with concern as we pushed through people and made our way to the other end of the room—as far from Noah as possible.
“Wow,” she murmured.
“What?”
“I can’t believe that just happened. You are my breakup idol,” she said. “That was badass.”
I shook my head. “It really wasn’t. He just got to me. He keeps getting to me.”
“Yeah, because he’s clearly jealous. He doesn’t want anyone else to have you.”
“Well, that’s not up to him.”
“Totally.” Anna shrugged. “But no one ever said boys were sane.”
“Yeah, well, he’s acting like an ass...”
Anna gave me a sad smile. “I’m sure he’s just upset. Your breakup was hardly normal. It’s not like you stopped liking each other, and it’s never easy to see someone you care about moving on.”
“You’re sounding far too reasonable,” I said. “I prefer to think he’s an ass.”