I was trying to study when my phone started ringing. It wasn’t the beaten-up old flip phone I’d been using for the last five years. No, it was the new iPhone that had arrived for me earlier in the day. There was only one person who could have sent it and only one person who had the number, so I knew it was Matthew on the other end of the line. I was suddenly cursing myself for taking the damn thing out of the box.
I scowled down at the device as I saw the screen light up with the words “Matthew LaFleur.” Because, of course, my father had already added himself to the contacts list. I was going to have to change the name to something like “Do not answer” so I was reminded to not pick up.
I couldn’t imagine why he would be calling, and I had no desire to speak to him, yet I still found myself answering the call. “Hello.”
“Miss Isobel, I have your father on the line.” I recognized Caldwell’s voice but didn’t have a chance to respond as I heard the click of the line changing. They had called me, and yet I had to wait several minutes before I was connected to my father.
“Hello, Isobel,” he said. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
I highly doubted he was genuinely apologetic. I imagined he kept people waiting all the time.
“I wanted to touch base with you,” he continued. “I trust you are settling in at school.”
“Well enough.” I didn’t feel the need to go into more detail. I doubted he really wanted to hear how I was getting on anyway.
“And it seems you received your new phone without any issues.”
“Yep.” This had to be the most painful conversation of my life. “Was there anything I can help you with?” I figured it was better to cut right to the chase, rather than sit here and listen to his woeful attempts at small talk.
“Actually, yes. I would like for us to have lunch on Saturday.”
“You would?” My voice betrayed my surprise. He’d bailed and gone to New York almost immediately after meeting me, so I was under the impression he had no plans to see me again anytime soon—if at all.
“I would. It will be around midday. I’ll have Caldwell contact you with the details.”
“But—”
“I’ll see you then.”
He hung up before I had a chance to reply, and as I lowered the phone from my ear, I frowned at it. Matthew actually wanted to see me? I struggled to believe it. Surely, he had some ulterior motive. Maybe there was someone else he wanted me to stay away from, or perhaps he needed to give me another lesson on the expectations that come with the LaFleur name. I shuddered at the thought. I didn’t particularly want to see him, but he hadn’t given me the opportunity to object. Perhaps that was why he’d hung up on me so fast. He probably knew I wouldn’t be thrilled by the idea.
“Why do you look like you just sucked on a lemon?” Cress asked as she entered the room. She was still dressed in her dance gear and looked as bubbly as ever despite the fact she’d been at practice for hours.
I tossed the phone down on my desk. “Oh, parent stuff. You know how it is.”
“I really do,” she replied before collapsing on her bed.
“How was practice?” I asked, hoping to steer the subject away from Matthew.
“It was great.” Her face lit with a wide smile as she stared up at the ceiling. “The choreography for our latest dance is amazing. I can’t wait to perform it at the game on Thursday. You’ll come watch me, won’t you?”
“Yeah, of course.” I had no idea what game she was talking about, but I was happy to go and support her.
She smiled brightly and rolled onto her side to face me. “Perfect.” She hopped off her bed again with a surprising amount of energy. “I’m going to grab a quick shower. Should we head to dinner after I’m done?”
My stomach grumbled in agreement, and she laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Cress flitted into the bathroom, and the smile on my face dropped as she closed the door behind her. My talk with Matthew was still at the forefront of my mind. Did I really have to see him again so soon? Mom had told me I needed to give him a chance, but I felt like he’d already had his opportunity and wasted it. He was making an effort to see me again, so perhaps I’d judged the guy too quickly. It was just one lunch. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
Just as she promised, Cress had a quick shower, and we were soon heading for the dining hall.
As we were crossing the courtyard that separated the main building from our dorm, my phone rang again. This time, it was the banged-up old one rather than the shiny new iPhone, which I’d left in my room. As I pulled it from my pocket, I noticed Cress giving the phone a strange look. I quickly realized why. The device was probably older than I was, and I imagined no one in this school used anything other than the latest devices.
Cress didn’t question me about the phone, so I hoped she had simply ignored it. Still, I probably needed to switch to using Matthew’s iPhone from now on.
I glanced at the screen and smiled when I saw it was my mom calling.
“I better take this,” I said to Cress. “It’s my mom, and we’ve been missing each other’s calls for the last few days.”
“Of course, I’ll see you at dinner when you’re done.”
I waited until Cress had walked away before I answered the call.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Oh, you finally answered.” My mom let out a happy cheer. “I was worried that school was working you too hard and we might never speak again.”
I let out a laugh. “Sorry, I keep accidentally leaving my phone in my room.”
“You really make a terrible teenager,” she said. “That thing should be glued to your hand.”
“Well, someone must have raised me wrong then.”
Mom’s delighted laugh lit up the other end of the phone, and I realized how much I missed the sound.
“How’s school?”
“It’s fine.” I wandered over to one of the decorative benches that lined the edges of the courtyard and sat down. It was growing dark, and there weren’t many students about, but thankfully, it wasn’t too cold. “I like my classes, and I’ve started to make a few friends.”
“That’s great, sweetie.”
Her voice was filled with happiness but also a hint of relief, so I suspected she’d been worrying about how I was going to fit in at such a fancy school. The way my friendships back home all ended so disastrously last year had also probably given her a scare.
Coming to Weybridge was a little like being splashed in the face with cold water and being forced to take a fresh look at my life. It was only now, when I looked back on the last few months, that I realized just how miserable I had been. Just a few days ago, I’d been so angry with my mom for sending me here, but it was hard to stay mad at someone who only ever wanted the very best for you.
“How’s the café?” I asked.
“It’s good.” She replied quickly, like her answer was already prepared. “We’ve been quite busy even though the summer rush is over. The air conditioner has finally been replaced. And Norma is still insisting she’s a psychic. Yesterday, she used her abilities on Frank and told him that he’d already met the love of his life and that she was right before his eyes and he didn’t realize it.”
I laughed as I easily pictured the scene. Frank had been a regular for years and came to the café every morning for bacon and eggs. It had always been clear to Mom and I that Norma was in love with him.
“She was talking about herself, wasn’t she?”
“Oh, there’s no doubt about it. Unfortunately, Frank thought long and hard about it but said he had no idea who it could be. You should have seen the way Norma stormed off.”
“Oh, poor Norma. I hope Frank finally gets a clue. They’d be so cute together.”
“The cutest,” Mom agreed. “She told me to say hi and check to make sure you’re not breaking too many boys’ hearts at your fancy new school.”
“Well, you can tell her I say hi back. And that her psychic powers must be wonky because I’m definitely not breaking hearts.”
“I’ll make sure to let her know.”
I couldn’t stop smiling as I relaxed back into my seat. Everything felt so much better when I was talking with my mom. Being away from her was probably the hardest part of adjusting to my new school. We’d always been so close, and I don’t think I’d truly appreciated how lucky I was to always have her around until I’d come to Weybridge. I missed being at home with her, and I hated that I couldn’t just wander into the living room whenever I wanted to talk.
“I miss you so much, Mom.”
“I miss you too. I know it’s hard being apart, but I’m so proud of you and all the amazing things you’re going to achieve. This school is just the beginning.”
I nodded and tried to stop tears from gathering in my eyes. Mom truly believed that being at Weybridge was going to help me conquer the world, and I wanted to make her proud.
“Well, if I achieve anything in life, it isn’t going to be because of some school. It’s going to be because I have the world’s most amazing mom.”
Mom was silent on the other end of the line for a moment, and I could have sworn I heard her sniff. She started to chuckle, so I must have been mistaken. “You know you don’t have to suck up to me right now—there’s no leftover pecan pie in the fridge.”
I smiled. “What? No pecan pie? Is the world ending?”
Mom laughed. “No, it turns out Norma has a thing for it too. I’ve had to start sharing the café’s leftovers with her instead of you.”
“Tell her to have an extra bite for me.”
“I will.”
“Speaking of food, I should probably head to dinner.”
“Okay, sweetie. We’ll talk again soon. I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
I hated hanging up on my mom and quickly rubbed my eyes as tears started to surface. It was so hard being here without her, especially when we couldn’t always get each other on the phone. I really needed to make sure I didn’t let days pass between calls again.
“Are you okay?”
Shivers ran down my spine as I recognized the voice. Somehow Noah’s deep, slightly husky tone had become familiar to me. Like I’d been listening to him for years rather than just a few short encounters.
I slowly lifted my head to look up at him. He was standing by the bench, his hands tucked into the pockets of his sweatshirt. He wasn’t in school uniform anymore. Instead, he was wearing a pair of gray sweats and a hoodie. It was irritating how easily he managed to make even the most relaxed outfit look good.
“You seem upset,” he continued.
“I’m fine.”
“Of course, you are.” A small smile lifted his lips as he lowered himself to sit on the bench by my side.
I really didn’t know what to make of Noah. Just yesterday, he’d been accusing me of deliberately crashing into him in an attempt to get his attention. Surely, if he believed that he’d be avoiding me like the plague. And yet, he’d helped me back to school and sent the nurse to check on me. He’d talked to me in class, and here he was coming to sit with me as though we were close friends. Cress insisted there was more to Noah than what most people saw, and I was beginning to wonder if she was right.
“How’s your ankle?” he asked.
It was an innocent question. Something you’d expect any normal person to ask. But, coming from Noah, it made me uncomfortable. He wasn’t like most people. He didn’t seem to care about anyone other than Cress and his little trio of friends at Weybridge. He also wasn’t afraid of bluntly telling people outside of that small circle exactly what he thought of them. I got the impression Noah was never polite for the sake of it, so why was he bothering to check on my injury?
I followed his example and asked him outright. “Why do you care?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
His reply threw me for a second, and it took me a moment to figure out how to respond. There were so many reasons why I didn’t expect Noah to care about my ankle. He was known for steering clear of most girls at school, and he thought I was some sort of crazed fan girl who would do anything to get him to notice me.
But the biggest reason should have been obvious to him. I was a nobody, not worth a second thought, especially to someone like him. Apparently, he needed it spelled out…
“Because you’re Noah Hastings and I’m just…” I paused, unsure what to say. I couldn’t reveal the true differences between us—the vast chasm of wealth, power, and privilege.
“I’m just the new kid,” I finally continued. “You don’t know anything about me.”
He searched my eyes for several long seconds, almost as if he thought he could gain access to all my secrets with just one look. He must have failed because he leaned back on the bench, making himself comfortable. “Okay, so tell me about yourself?”
I tilted my head and frowned. What was his game now?
“Like, do you have any brothers or sisters?” he prompted.
A crease still crinkled my forehead, but Noah’s face was calm and relaxed, and his green eyes were staring at me expectantly, waiting for my answer.
“No, I’m an only child,” I finally responded.
“How about pets?”
“No, no pets. I always wanted a rabbit, but my mom would never let me get one.”
“You’re from a place called Rapid Bay, right?”
I swallowed and nodded, wondering how he knew that. He must have been chatting to Luther and Kaden, or maybe Cress had mentioned it to him.
“What’s it like there?”
“Uh, it’s just a small seaside town. People like to vacation there a lot. It’s crazy in the summer but peaceful in the winter.”
“So, you get to live in a place that people wish they were in all year-round?”
“Something like that.”
“How did you swing that?”
“Just lucky, I guess.”
He looked like he was going to continue firing off questions, but I didn’t like the way he was quizzing me on my hometown, so I quickly cut him off. “What’s with you and your friends and asking questions? Finding out a few facts about me doesn’t mean you know me. For all you know, I could be a serial killer.”
A small laugh left his lips, and I thought I could live for that sound. “Are you a serial killer?”
“Well, no.”
“Are you sure? You sounded quite certain…”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Because with the way you’re glaring at me right now, I feel like you could have a little Dexter in you…”
“Oh my gosh, Noah, I’ve never even killed a spider.”
He grinned, and wow, it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. That boy should do nothing but smile. Ever. Then again, perhaps that would be dangerous. The girls at school were already falling over themselves to get to him—well, all the girls except for me. I just liked to fall on him by accident.
“I like it when you say my name,” he said.
Again, I felt unnerved by his words. He had a way of shifting the ground under me and knocking me off balance without even trying. I tried to act unaffected. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Only the stabby ones.”
“Great,” I muttered. “I’m never living that down.”
“No, probably not.” He was still smiling as he stood. “It was nice getting to know you a little better, Crash.” He turned and walked away before I could remind him not to call me that.
I sat there, staring after him.
I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to punch that boy or kiss him. But what surprised me most was that I hadn’t totally hated our conversation. One thing was for sure. I was doing a terrible job of staying away from him.
