Summer

Chapter 25

I expected to hear from Noah by now, and now that I haven't, I'm seriously having doubts about whether or not I should show up to Justin's without him knowing. Hopefully, Justin mentioned something to Noah. Or, maybe, I'm delusional and last night was just a mistake?

Cassie said to dress casually so I opt for skinny jeans, flats and a white rib tank top. I pull my hair back in a sleek, high pony and highlight my cheeks with some blush, but nothing more.

Cassie kept to her word and ended up driving tonight. I'm not going to lie, it was weird seeing Kyle in the passenger's seat. It didn't take lots of begging on Cassie's part to get him to come. The kid will do anything for her.

We're forced to park several blocks away from Justin's house. There must be, at least, 50 cars in front of us. Note to self: when Justin says he's having a few people over, he really means that he's having a party. I mean, I can hear the house music from here.

"I don't have a good feeling about this," I tug at Cassie's arm and whisper as we make our way towards Justin's house.

"You will once you have a few drinks in you," Cassie says. Why does her solution always have to involve alcohol?

When we enter Justin's house, it's so crowded that it takes us a good 10 minutes to get from the front door to the living room. As we make our way to the bar, Cecilia and her minions greet me with eye rolls and sneers. But I choose to avoid them, as per usual.

Now that Kyle's excused from practice, he's guzzling alcohol like it's nobody's business. He might drink more than Cassie. I avoid the punch at all costs and help myself to some club soda with a drop of Casamigos instead.

"You made it!" Justin exclaims when he sees us. He tilts his body to Cassie and whispers 'thank you for coming' into her ear, which catches Kyle's attention.

"Hey man," Justin walks over to Kyle and says. "I just wanted to apologize for the other night. Truly. I was out of line and acted like an asshole. You didn't deserve that, and I hope we can put our differences aside and start fresh."

Kyle chews on his lip and looks over at Cassie, who's practically nudging him with her eyes. "We're good, bro," he finally says, and shakes Justin's hand.

"Alright, great." Justin claps his hands together. "You guys enjoy yourselves. Let me know if I can get you anything. A cocktail. Maybe a joint?"

"Get out of here, would ya?" Cassie playfully smacks his arm, and he walks away, laughing.

I glance around the packed room to see if I can spot Noah anywhere, but, so far, nothing. 

"Looks like people are chilling out by the pool," Cassie says as she looks out the window. "Should we go check it out?" Kyle and I nod, and she takes his hand as I third wheel beside them.

We make it to the green and white striped lounge chairs when I feel my phone buzz.

Caller ID: Liam

"I'll be right back," I tell Cassie before making my way from the crowded backyard to the front of the house. I stop next to a Jaguar that's parked in the driveway and dial Liam's number. "Hey," I say when he picks up.

"Just wanted to check in. It's getting late."

"I know, I'll be hom-." But, I don't finish my sentence. Instead, I instinctively drop my phone when I see what's in front of me.

Noah. Making out with some skinny, blonde-haired girl who's wearing the tightest dress ever.

I blink a few times, hoping that it'll wash away the sight, but it's no use. He's leaning against the car while she's positioned in between his legs; her fingers dipped inside the front of his jeans.

The sound of my iPhone hitting the cobblestones is enough to get him to pull away from her and look straight ahead. At me. We stare at each other for a couple of seconds before I nervously bend down and fidget for my phone.

When I bring myself back up, Noah's eyes are still on me; his jaw gaped. The girl gives me a dirty look like I just interrupted her only chance of scoring a hookup with the town's hottest guy. I want to run, but my feet feel permanently glued to the floor. Thankfully, the voice inside my head encourages me to turn around, which is what I finally do.

"Fee, wait," I hear him shout as I make my way back to the pool. I pick up my pace in the hopes that he won't catch up to me, but he's too quick, and before I know it, he's grabbing my hand and stopping me from reaching the backyard.

We're now standing to the side of the house so that no one can see us. I try to turn away from him, but he doesn't let me. "Fee, please. Just hear me out."

"Don't touch me," I shout, powerfully pulling my hand away from his. "I can't believe I trusted you."

Noah looks offended by my words and I'm happy to know that they hurt.

"Wait a minute," he begins as he moves closer to me. I take a few steps back until my feet hit the wall. "Don't sit here and judge me, okay? We kissed, Sophia. It was a simple, harmless kiss. It's not my fault you let that get to your head. Just like you said, I don't do girlfriends, so if that's what you're looking for then maybe you should forget that last night ever happened."

His words sting and I want to say that I can't believe what I'm hearing, but I can. I want to say that I wasn't warned, but I was. Cassie basically implied that this would happen. That's why she was protecting me from falling for Noah. But it's too late. I've fallen.

"We don't need to put last night behind us, Noah, because last night didn't mean anything. Clearly not to you, and most definitely not to me."

My words seem to strike a chord with him because he scowls at me. I hope I took a swing at his damn ego. Who am I kidding, though? I probably didn't even make a dent.

I'm trying hard to hide the fact that I'm actually hurting inside, but I don't think it's working because Noah goes to cup my cheek in an effort to console me.

"Don't," I slap his hand down and say, but he resists my force and tries again. "I said 'don't', Noah."

"Fee, I didn't mean it like that, okay?" he says softly. "I just...I can't give you what you need."

"Don't pretend like you know or care about what I need."

Noah just stands there before me with his hands tucked inside his jean pockets.

That face.

Those eyes.

His short wavy hair moving slightly with the mild breeze.

The way the lamppost illuminates his chiseled jawline and perfectly full lips.

"Trust me, Fee, you don't want to be with a guy like me. I'm not good for you. And you know it. A few days ago, you couldn't even stand me. What you saw tonight — that's the real me. I wouldn't even know how to treat you right."

His words sound like a cop-out, and I hate that he's using what he thinks is best for me as an excuse to let me go.

"For your information, Noah, how you treat me is totally in your control. But you're right. You wouldn't. You never did."

He opens his mouth to say something, but stops, and that's all the answer I need to nod, brush past his shoulder and walk away.

For good this time.