he'll never be the one (a.i)

"you owe me"

• C H A P T E R • S E V E N T E E N •

Seven years earlier

Noa Peters was eighteen, tipsy, and walking into her first college frat party. Oh, and anxious. Very anxious. Noa loved to drink and party, but she had kept it between friends until that particular September night. Her closest friend in college, Calum, had finally talked her into going out for a change and going to a real party. He was convinced she would love it; it was a nice step up from the small high school house parties Noa would often tell him about from her past.

Noa and Calum were with their friends Luke, Mia, and Jordan. Noa had begged her roommate Hannah to come with her, but Hannah was hardly the party type. Plus, there was an unspoken thing between Hannah and Luke, and Hannah was far too nervous to make a move. She was convinced that if she went out with the group, she would do something dumb and embarrassing in front of Luke that would ruin her chances of getting with him. But Noa knew something would happen eventually; she could feel it in her bones.

"This is going to be fun, Noa. I promise," Calum said as he noticed the nervous look on Noa's face. "But if you ever want to dip, just let me know. Okay?"

"Thanks, Cal," Noa said with a smile on her face. She had met Calum in her first class; they had been inseparable since. She was incredibly thankful to have him as a friend, even if they had only known each other for a couple of weeks.

"I am predicting that Noa finds a hot douchebag to make out with in the first ten minutes," Jordan interjected as she overheard Calum and Noa talking. "You look hot, Noa."

"Thanks," Noa said through a breathy laugh. "I think these lips will keep to themselves tonight, though."

"If you change your mind... you know where to find me," Jordan joked before sending her a wink. Noa jokingly flipped her off before smiling innocently. The group of five started to make their way around the noisy, crowded house. Calum introduced them to virtually every person they came across which continued to amaze Noa. She had made plenty of friends and connections but it was as if Calum knew the whole campus already. She was impressed with him.

"I'm going to get my hands on drinks... is beer okay with everyone?" The group collectively nodded at Calum's question. Noa had taken several shots before leaving the dorm, but she figured nursing a drink couldn't hurt.

"I'll come with. You could use the muscle," Jordan said before jokingly showing her guns. Calum didn't dare object to her help and they walked off together, leaving Mia, Luke, and Noa by themselves.

"Luke, do you have any idea where the bathroom is in here?" Mia asked not long after they had become a trio.

"Yeah, we can walk over that way," Luke told her. "C'mon, ladies."

"What if Calum and Jordan come back? I'll just stay here," Noa told Luke. He didn't seem to like the idea of Noa staying by herself.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. We'll eventually meet back up," Luke promised her.

"Really, it's fine. I won't move a muscle. Scout's honor," Noa told Luke as she brought her hand to her chest, as if pledging to her promise. Luke let out a quiet laugh but still seemed uneasy.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, just take Mia to the bathroom before she pees herself." Both Luke and Mia laugh before leaving Noa in the corner they had been occupying. Noa leaned against the wall and began to people-watch. There were hundreds of people in the unusually large frat house; it was the largest frat house on campus.