Summer

Chapter 5

"Trouble?" I repeat, trying to sound concerned, when really, I'm intrigued.

"Yeah, trouble. You know — rebellious, man-whore, wild child..."

"I get it," I chuckle, cutting Cassie off. "His friends don't seem that way, though. They seem, I don't know...well-mannered and put together."

"If you're referring to Justin and his crew, which I'm sure you are because Noah doesn't hang out with anyone else, then you don't know what you're talking about. First off, Justin and Noah weren't always super close. Freshman and Sophomore year of high school, Justin pretty much used Noah just to get ass. I mean, you should see the way girls throw themselves at him. It's pretty pathetic if you want my honest opinion. Cecilia, she's the one with the long, blonde hair who I'm sure you'll get the privilege of meeting — that girl's been in love with Noah ever since we were 14. Don't get me wrong, Justin really values his friendship with Noah now because they've been through some tough times together, but when it comes to the rest of the crew, it's nothing like that. They could care less about Noah, and vice versa."

"Why would Noah want to hang out with people who just use him?"

"Well, he doesn't really have a choice. I don't know specifics, but I do know that Noah comes from a fucked-up family. His dad left when he was 7, and he hasn't seen him since. Their relationship is basically nonexistent. I heard that Mr. Collins relocated to California and remarried some random rich barbie doll. And his mom, well, let's just say that when she's not working, she's out dating the wrong guys. It's practically just Noah and his 13-year old sister Maggie at home. They also don't have a penny to their name. They never really did, but it got worse when Mr. Collins left. Why do you think Noah works while the rest of his friends fuck around? Don't let his friends fool you, Noah's nothing like them. I will say that Justin's an exception. His family actually took Noah and Maggie in when their mom started drinking and shit got really bad. Like really bad. It took a while for them to get to where they are now, but they're basically like brothers. Cecilia and the others, they could care less about Noah's well-being. Luckily, I think Noah's smart enough to know who he can and can't trust at this point. Noah's not a bad person, but he makes bad choices, and for that reason, I need you to promise me that you'll stay away from him."

She catches me off-guard when she says the last part, because — if I'm being honest — part of me doesn't want to stay away from him. At the same time, though, I know nothing about him. So, if Cassie's telling me to keep my distance, then I'm going to keep my distance.

"You have nothing to worry about, Cass. I ran into him earlier today and he completely ignored me, so we're all good."

"Okay," she looks at me skeptically. "I'm trusting you."

I just nod, ready to move on from this conversation. It's like Cassie reads my mind because she changes the subject. "Anyways, what are you up to this weekend? The town's throwing this festival on Sunday night. They do it this time, every year, as a way to kick off summer in Charleston. Ferris wheel, bumper cars, cotton candy, the whole shebang. Kyle and I are going. You should come with your brothers," she says.

"That sounds fun, let me run it by Liam. I mean, we don't have anything else planned, so I'm sure he'll be down."

"Great!" Cassie smiles, and I force one back. I can't help it; she just told me to stay away from the one thing I wasn't expecting her to.