Lovely

Chapter 9

|Chapter 9|

The week dragged and I hadn't spoken to Isabella since. After I got over the initial shock and anger of everything she accused me of being, I got upset with myself. A couple days after the fight I read every word of that stupid newspaper and felt dirty for even doing that. As a result of everything I'd distanced myself from Paul and Carson, and they noticed. 

"Nova, are you coming to my house right after school to help set up today?" Drew asked. I looked up from my food and shook my head with a small smile.

"Sorry," I told him. "I'll be there though?"

"Is that what you're wearing tonight?" he pointed at my clothes and I looked down at what I was wearing. I shook my head and he frowned. "Then why are you all dressed up?"

"She's seeing her little friend today," Carson explained. Carson had explained to Drew that a friend of a friend of a friend had just recently moved to town and I was getting him accustomed to Chicago for the  next couple months. It was weird, but Drew bought it. 

"You need to dress up for her?" Drew asked me. I opened my mouth to speak, but Holly cut me to it. 

"It's a guy and they've gotten pretty close recently," she informed. I glared at her. Paul looked between the two of us, but his gaze lingered on me. 

"Nova would tell me if she liked a guy," Drew waved her off, thankfully. She frowned at him. "Like she did with Jesse."

"The point is, I can't come straight after school," I told him quickly.  

"You've been showing this kid around for, what? Three weeks now?" Drew questioned. "Why don't you just bring him to the party tonight?"

"I don't think that's a good..." I trailed off, noticing how Drew narrowed his eyes and got suspicious. "We'll both be there early to help you."

Paul choked on his drink and lifted a brow at me. 

"You know Ross will never agree to it," Paul murmured as we walked to our next class after lunch. 

"I know," I huffed. "But Drew was going to be suspicious."

"What's been up with you lately?" he asked me suddenly. I froze and stopped walking, making him stop as well. His hazel eyes squinted. "Nova?"

"Nothing," I breathed. He didn't budge. "It's just been a long week."

"I'm sorry for being so upset with you about sharing with Ross," he said, placing his hand on my back to make me start walking again. "As your guardian it's weird having someone else connected to you in the same way I am. I don't expect you to understand."

"Holly told me Ross has never shared with anyone else," I remembered. "Is that true? Not even his parents?"

"Yes," Paul affirmed. "He only did it to piss me off, and it worked."

"Oh," I frowned. I wouldn't be surprised that Ross would have done something just to make Paul angry because their relationship was rocky, but that being the only reason didn't sit well with me. Paul noticed my discomfort with that fact, but didn't say anything. 

That was the last we spoke of it until the end of the day. 

"You seem excited," Drew announced as he neared my locker. I was stuffing my books into my bag rather quickly as to not make Ross wait for long at the end of the day. 

"We're partying tonight," I grinned. He smiled back. 

"That we are," he agreed. "So am I meeting your mystery guy now or later?"