Kissing Booth: Another Take

Chapter 1

Noah's POV

Italics are song lyrics - Before you Go by Lewis Capaldi

"I'm sorry" Those were the last words I had managed to put together as I watched mine and Elle's relationship fall apart in front of me.

Was never the right time, whenever you called
Went little by little by little until there was nothing at all
Our every moment, I start to replay
But all I can think about is seeing that look on your face

If I had any sense, if I had really rid myself of the immature high school pride that I still held onto, I would have just been honest. I would have told her that Chloe was nothing but a life preserving raft trying to save me from drowning at Harvard, which was proving to be far more challenging than I ever anticipated.

When you hurt under the surface
Like troubled water running cold
Well, some can heal, but this won't

"Neither of us should... should be tied down to something that's just dead weight," Elle had said. I knew this is what had stopped me from admitting to anything -- my own securities that I was just dead weight to Elle.

So, before you go
Was there something I could've said to make your heart beat better?
If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather

I couldn't help the anger swell up in me, my own childish ego still getting in the way. Everyone saw me in a certain way – unnecessarily violent, a helpless playboy, a robber of innocence and friendship, and a lost freshman student in college. But Elle was supposed to be different, she was supposed to believe in me; she was supposed to trust me and see me as more than anyone else saw me.

But she didn't. And that's what destroyed me the most. I knew that she had been changing me for the better, and that she made me want to be better. But without her... what stopped me from going back to my old ways?

My phone buzzed as I got into my Uber back to campus from Logan airport. I couldn't help the feeling of excitement that it might be Elle, calling to say that we could fix this and that she changed her mind. I grabbed my phone out and felt the disappointment set in seeing that it was Lee.

With a sigh, I answered the phone. I had left without saying goodbye to Lee. Not by choice, but because it seemed like Lee was barely home in the days that followed my breakup with Elle and I didn't want to ask my mom where he was. I was pretty sure he knew where he was though.

"Little bro?" I said tauntingly as I could knowing this was not going to go well.

"What the fuck is your damage?" He asked immediately. I could practically see Lee's fist clenched at his side, matching my own clenched in anger at the accusation, a Flynn family tell.

I sighed. "Really Lee? She broke up with me," I said through gritted teeth.

Lee scoffed, "Because you're keeping shit from her! What the hell is going on with you and Chloe, Noah? How could you do this to Shelly?"

My hand came to my face as an angry gurgle came out of my mouth. I was ready to explain everything to Lee – that I was struggling with classes, that I had failed my first couple quizzes and was having trouble balancing school work with football and Chloe was tutoring me. But Lee couldn't wait for an answer. Instead, in a tone that I had never heard Lee use before, he spoke first.

"I wished I was wrong about you, you know. This is why rule #9 was even a thing. She's better off without you Noah, so please, just stay the fuck away. I don't ever want to see her like this ever again," Lee said in a voice just laced with disappointment.