Last Dance || 5sos

Chapter Twenty Three

Noelle's POV:

It's been a few weeks and I haven't talked to Ashton since he blew up at me at the party. It really hurts that he hasn't been answering my calls. Now he's in France until Christmas break, and I won't be able to see him at all. As I'm laying on my bed, my stomach is flat against the mattress, my elbows propping me up, and my eyes staring at my phone in front of me. I decide to try to call him one more time, and if he doesn't answer, I'll give up. 

Picking up my phone, I dial his number that I've had memorized since day one, and hold the phone to my ear. It rings, but this time it isn't immediately sent to voice mail like it has been doing. Someone on the other line picks up, and I'm relieved when I hear Ashton's voice. "Hello?"

"Ashton? It's me, it's Noe... it's Noelle," I correct myself. If he's still mad at me, he won't correct me. If he isn't, he'll say Noe. Naturally, I'm confused when he doesn't say either.

"Oh, hey. What's up? I don't have much time to talk." He isn't excited to talk to me like he usually is. His voice is monotone and expressionless. I sigh, taking a deep breath.

"I just wanted to call to say hi. I have a game today," I mention.

"Really? Well, good luck. I know you can do it." Okay, his voice sounded a tiny bit more normal then, but not completely. 

"Thanks..." I say.

"Listen, I've got to go soon," Ashton reminds me.

"Oh, right. Well, I guess I'll get off then. I'll talk to you later, yeah?" There is silence on the other line and I'm about ready to cry when he answers.

"Yeah, I'll call you tonight. Bye, Noe." Thank God. Relief floods over me as I hang up and sink into my bed. At least this time he answered the phone. I decide to take a shower after I get off the phone, to ease my nerves. Climbing into the shower, I turn on the hot water and let the steam roll off of me. I'm only in there for a short while before exiting, heading back to my room and getting dressed for the game tonight. Luke's coming to watch, as are the rest of my family. Emily is also on the team, so Sasha will probably come. 

As I'm putting my hair up, there's a knock on my door. "Can I come in?" Sadie asks, smiling. The door was already half opened, so I pushed it open all the way for her. "I was hoping we could have a little talk," Sadie admits.

"Sure, what about?" I join her in sitting on my bed and sigh, smiling a half smile.

"I heard you on the phone with Ashton," she frowns. "Are you two okay?" I sigh, frowning as well.

"No, not really. He saw me at the party with Luke and freaked out. He was mad that I didn't tell him about us, and I don't think he's quite forgiven me yet." Sadie places a hand on my shoulder, comfortingly.

"Well, I'm sure he'll get over it. He shouldn't be mad that you're hanging out with Luke, even if you two are dating or not."

"No, he has every right to be mad at me," I sigh. "I lead him on without even realizing it! I'm such an idiot sometimes." Burying my face into my hands, I press them against my eyes, trying not to cry. My sister hugs me, squeezing tightly. 

"No, you're not. Boys are just stupid. They don't know how to say they love you, so they just don't. I should know," Sadie explains. 

"Did you know?" I ask her, after minutes of hesitation. "Did you know that Ashton was in love with me?" By the sigh she lets out, I already know her answer.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, so many times! I swear, but Tristan and Ashton made me keep it a secret. He loves you, Noelle, and he always will, no matter how angry he gets at you. No one can ever replace you, and I hope that one day he tells you that himself."

"Yeah, me too," I almost say, but I don't. I don't know if I want to be his girlfriend, but I know that I want to be his best friend. You can have more than one best friend, but the ones you have first are special, and I don't want to lose that.

"So, pick your head up, but a smile on your face, and get pumped, because you have a game today, and we're all coming to see," she smiles. I smile back, hugging her.

"Thanks, Sadie."

"No need." Sadie leaves me to finish getting ready, closing my door behind her. Looking over at my ledge by the window, I walk over to my dresser to grab a small key. There is a compartment under the ledge that only I and Ashton know about, and it's where I keep some of my most cherished memories. I unlock the chest, lifting the lid, and grab my green photo album. This album has almost all of my favorite pictures of me and Ashton that we've taken together. Some of my favorites where of when we were really little. I smile as I look through them, and realize that one is there that doesn't belong. 

"What..." I whisper. In the front of my book, there is a photo that never should have been in here. And if I had put it in, it certainly wouldn't be in the front. I remember that I had kept it out of the book on purpose, and it being here now can mean only one thing; Ashton was here, looking at the same green photo album. 

***

"Yeah Noelle!" My brother cheers for me as I dribble the ball down the court, passing it to Emily, who, after weaving in and out of the other team, passes it back to me. I jump, shooting it, and make the shot! I look over at the stands for a brief second and can see Luke smiling down at me. I smile back, getting my head back in the game.

"Good job, Noelle!" Sandy, a girl on my team says, giving me a high five.

"Thanks, come on girls, we can do it!" We were winning, seven to four. As the game continued, we picked up our game. "Emily!" I yell, passing her the ball. She shoots it, and misses, but luckily Haley is there for the rebound, and makes the shot. We win the game at the end, thirteen to nine. When the buzzer goes off, our team goes crazy. Emily points behind me and I can see Luke walking down onto the court. I smile widely, running over and into his arms in a tight hug.

"You did amazing," Luke smiles. 

"Thanks!" I could tell that Luke was about to kiss me but my mother walked over at that exact moment. I sigh quietly to myself, and smile at her.

"That was amazing, sweetie. You did such a good job!" 

"Way to go, sis," Tristan smiles. Sadie doesn't say anything, but she smiles at me, and it's enough.

"Thanks guys." Emily comes over a few seconds later.

"The team is going out for ice cream. You wanna come?" I look back at my mom and the others.

"Fine by us," my mother answers.

"Yeah, I'd love to," I answer her. "I'll be there in a minute." Emily smiles and returns to the other girls. I side glare at my mother, standing with Luke still. Finally she gets it.

"Well," she says. "We better get going. Errands to run, and whatnot," she announces. Slightly embarrassed, I wrap my arms around Luke's waist and bury my face in his shirt. 

"I liked watching the game," he tells me, hugging me back. 

"Thanks. We had a good game today." I pull my face away, still holding him though, and smile up at him. He's looking down at me, and this time our kiss isn't interrupted. Our kiss seems to last longer than our other ones have, not that I'm complaining. There's nothing to complain about, to be honest. Luke is the one to pull away, only because he knows that the team is waiting on me.

"You have to go," he smirks, pressing his forehead against mine.

"I know," I grumble. I kiss him once more quickly on the lips before parting. "I'll see you later," I smile, running back over to the girls. I'm glad that he came to watch the game today. It means a lot to me, actually, so I'm grateful. I could tell that when I was standing with Luke though, that Sadie looked a bit uncomfortable, and I wondered what it could have possibly been. I know that she doesn't exactly like him, but she said she was fine with us being together. I don't know what exactly that was about, but I plan to find out soon.