I decided I wasn’t going to go to the boathouse that night. I didn’t want to face Noah again after the towel incident that morning. Not when the embarrassment was still so fresh in my mind. I was also emotionally exhausted after lunch with my father, and I much preferred the idea of cuddling up with a book than socializing at a party.
Anna had spent most of the afternoon trying to convince me to change my mind. She kept telling me what a big deal Noah’s invite was. She seemed certain he’d invited me personally. But what she failed to understand was that I didn’t want to accept any invite from Noah—especially if it had been extended exclusively to me.
I might have developed a morbid curiosity for the guy, but that was about as far as I wanted my connection with him to go. I was quite content to keep my distance. I figured the farther I was from him, the less chance I had of getting trapped in his green eyes or experiencing any kind of unwanted tingles when we accidentally touched.
Anna wouldn’t listen and kept insisting Noah was interested in me. But there were more than enough girls at this school ready and willing to pump up Noah’s ego. Just because he’d spoken to me a couple of times didn’t mean I’d caught his attention above all of them.
Even if Anna was right—and she wasn’t—I had a sense that getting close to Noah would only cause trouble. My heart was already so battered from the last time I took a chance on a guy like him. I knew that if I opened my heart to Noah he wouldn’t just bruise it, he’d decimate it, and that was a risk I didn’t want to take.
I’d only been here a week. I’d only just shaken off the devastating junior year I’d had back in Rapid Bay. All I wanted was to get through this school year without repeating my past mistakes. It was pretty straightforward; I just had to avoid backstabbing girlfriends and steer clear of boys—especially boys with striking green eyes.
I sat in my room that night watching Cress as she got ready for the party.
“You’ve been so quiet this afternoon,” she said, pausing from straightening her hair to look at me through the reflection in the mirror.
It wasn’t surprising since I’d been stewing over my disastrous lunch with my father. I hadn’t told her I’d met up with him. Mostly because I knew she’d ask too many questions. I wished I could tell her about it, but I didn’t know how to open up about Matthew without spilling my guts about the rest of my past. I was terrible at lying, so it felt safer to avoid saying anything at all.
“I’m just tired,” I replied.
“Yeah, first week back can be exhausting,” she said. “Still, I really can’t believe you’re not going to come with us tonight. Are you sure I can’t twist your arm?”
“I’ll come next time, I swear.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.” Cress pointed her straightener in my direction, and I had no doubt she meant what she said.
“So, did Noah end up finding you today?” I wasn’t sure why I’d asked about him, and I kind of wanted to kick myself for bringing him up at all. I was supposed to be putting the guy from my mind.
“Oh, yeah. I bumped into him before dinner. He was asking about you.”
“He was?” I responded a little too quickly.
“He seemed worried that he embarrassed you earlier?” She said it in a questioning way, and she lifted an eyebrow as she waited for an explanation.
“Well, he came looking for you and…” I scrunched up my nose, hating that I had to admit this out loud. “He walked in on me when I was only wearing a towel!”
“Oh no!” Cress burst out laughing. “Your cheeks are going so pink.”
“Because it’s embarrassing.”
“Not really. Most girls wear less to the beach.”
She had a point, but it didn’t seem to cool my flushed cheeks. I’d been hoping to avoid ever remembering that moment again, let alone having to discuss it.
“So, was everything okay?” I asked, hoping to talk less about my towel. “It seemed kind of important.”
“Oh, you know, it was the usual family stuff,” she said. “His grandfather can be a total dick, and I’m one of the few people he can talk to about it.”
“Why’s he a dick?”
“It’s a long story. Thankfully, we’re cousins on his mom’s side of the family, so I’m not actually related to the man. Noah’s not so lucky. He’s constantly trying to live up to William Hastings’ ridiculous expectations.”
I couldn’t help but feel intrigued. “Why does he have such high expectations for him?”
“Probably because he’s going to inherit the family business,” Cress replied. “Noah’s dad died when he was younger, so his grandfather has been head of the household, as well as the business, for many years. Soon, the mantle passes to Noah. I don’t envy him one bit.”
My heart dipped at her words. “Wow, I had no idea about his dad.”
“It’s not exactly a secret,” she said. “There was a terrible accident at one of their labs. But it was a long time ago, so people don’t tend to talk about it. Mostly they like to gossip about whoever my aunt’s shacked up with that week. She’s always flitting around the globe with a different dude on her arm. He never sees his mom. None of us do. When Noah lost his dad, he lost his mom too, and his grandfather is all the family he really has left.”
“That must be really hard on Noah.”
“It’s not easy,” Cress agreed. “I think that’s why he’s always been so accommodating to William’s incessant demands. He doesn’t want to disappoint his grandfather and lose him too.”
My eyes widened, and Cress nodded like she too felt the gravity of Noah’s situation. It was impossible not to feel some sympathy toward him, and I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like growing up in such a way.
“So, what kind of stuff does his grandfather demand?” I asked. I knew I was being far too nosy, but it was hard to keep my curiosity at bay when it came to Noah. Thankfully, Cress didn’t seem to mind chatting about her family, so I didn’t feel too bad about asking so many questions.
“So many things,” she said, shaking her head. “Today’s problem is a doozy as well. You know how we’ve got the Weybridge White Ball at the end of the month?”
“The what?
“The White Ball,” she repeated. “It’s the school’s first big event of the year. They host it in the ballroom, and everyone dresses up in white. Parents and alumni are invited, so it can be a bit dull, but nobody misses it.”
“I had no idea, but I guess I know now.” I was also mildly terrified. My two left feet didn’t belong anywhere near a ball. “So, what’s Noah’s grandfather got to do with the ball?”
“Well, William makes Noah take Veronica to the ball every year. It’s kind of a tradition between their two families. Anyway, Noah came to me today for help thinking of a way to get out of it.”
“What? Why does his grandfather care if Noah takes Veronica? And why is he so against it?”
“Well, it’s Veronica, so that should answer your second question…”
I gave Cress a blank look. “I thought you said the two of them were endgame.” Plus, Veronica was gorgeous and clearly into Noah. I would have thought those were two of the key things he looked for in a girl.
Cress shrugged. “They might be endgame, but that doesn’t mean my cousin is happy about it.”
I hated the way the tense feeling in my chest eased as she spoke.
“For a few years now, Veronica’s family and William have been pushing the two of them together. Veronica’s always been into Noah and has happily gone along, but he doesn’t feel the same way.”
“Why would they push them together?”
“Business. Why else?”
“That’s kind of messed up.”
“That’s the price of being the sole heir to the Hastings’ empire. Noah does his best to wriggle out of things where he can, but William has always been great at manipulating Noah and making him feel like he doesn’t have much of a choice. Family means everything to Noah, and he hates disappointing William more than anything. I wish I could say the same about his grandfather, but all that matters to him is the company.”
“Wow,” I murmured. “What does this company do that’s so important anyway?”
“Ugh.” Cress scrunched her nose up. “Don’t get me started. Hastings Laboratories is one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world.”
“That’s interesting,” I replied. It sounded like my father was in a similar line of work, and I wondered if that meant Noah and I had something in common.
“Interesting?” Cress scoffed. “More like evil. The company is notorious for the way they profit from the sick and dying. William Hastings is not a nice man. He’s been in the news a lot over the years for hiking up the prices of drugs people really need that only he makes.”
I’d never seen Cress so riled up. She was usually so smiley and bubbly, but now she gritted her teeth as she spoke. She quickly took a deep breath and lightly shook her shoulders as if to shed her negative thoughts.
“Anyway, my parents don’t have much to do with the Hastings family, as you can probably guess. But Noah and I are still close.”
“That’s nice.” I didn’t know what else to say. It sounded like there was so much more to the story of the Hastings family, but I sensed Cress didn’t want to dig any deeper. “So, uh, did you find a way to rescue Noah from his date?”
Cress glanced at me, the familiar bright smile returning to her face. “Well, William hasn’t told Noah he expects him to take Veronica yet this year, so I told Noah he should ask someone else to the ball. Then he can tell William he’s already got a date. His grandfather might be all about pushing his own agenda, but there are a lot of influential families at this school, and he wouldn’t risk upsetting one of them by having Noah cancel on a date with their daughter.”
“That could work.” I nodded, but the whole concept was completely alien to me.
“Yes, I thought so too. I guess he’s just got to find someone to go with him.”
“How ever will he do that?” I rolled my eyes as sarcastically as I could.
She laughed. “I have no idea.”
I could easily imagine the line of girls that would be following Noah everywhere he went if they knew he was searching for a date. I was also sure that most girls at Weybridge qualified as coming from an influential family. Most girls but me, that was.
There was a knock at the door, and Anna burst through it before either of us could respond. She frowned when she saw me. “Why aren’t you dressed?” she asked before immediately turning to Cress. “Why isn’t she dressed?”
“I’m not coming tonight,” I said.
“But we already talked about this. Noah asked you to come!” Anna huffed. “Noah!”
“He didn’t just ask me. He invited both of us.”
“While he was looking at you. It was like I wasn’t even in the room. Hell, he probably wished I wasn’t in the room.”
“I told you you’re reading into it too much. He won’t even notice I’m not there.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Anna grumbled before letting out a sigh. “I can’t believe you’re bailing on our first party of the year.”
“There was a party last weekend,” I reminded her.
“That doesn’t count. It was before school started, and you left that one early.”
“She’s promised to come to the next one,” Cress said in my defense. “We should get going, Anna.” She placed her straightener down and walked over to give me a hug. “Call me if you change your mind,” she said. “I’ll come back and walk you out there.”
“Thanks, but I’ll be okay here. You guys have fun.”
“Well, the offer’s there.” She smiled. “We’ll see you later.”
“And I’ll make sure to send you pics of Noah’s sad face when he realizes you’re not there,” Anna called as she skipped to the door.
“Please don’t.”
She winked at me and then closed the door behind them.
I relaxed a little once they were gone. I knew they didn’t like that I was bailing on tonight, but I really thought it was for the best. I wasn’t lying when I told them how tired I was, and I wasn’t sure I was mentally prepared to face another Weybridge party.
With the whole night stretching out ahead of me, I wandered downstairs to the dorm kitchen to make myself a hot drink. There were several girls already in the room, raiding the freezer for ice cream. I didn’t recognize any of them, but they looked quite young, so I guessed they were freshmen. I made my way past them and smiled when I saw Lily standing by the kettle. She was already dressed in her pajamas and wearing a pair of fluffy slippers.
“Hey, Lily,” I said as I came to stand at her side.
“Isobel, hey. You’re not going out tonight?”
“Nah, I’m taking the night off.”
“Me too,” she said. “Amber has a date, so I’ve been taking advantage of having our room to myself.”
“Yeah, Cress is out too. I was planning to curl up and read a book or something.”
“A girl after my own heart,” she said with a smile. “I’m making a hot chocolate. Do you want one?”
“Sure. That would be great.”
I leaned against the counter as Lily grabbed another mug and filled it with chocolate powder.
“What did you get up to today?” I asked.
“Study, study, and then a bit more study.” She sighed. “I have to get top grades to keep my scholarship.”
“That must be a lot of pressure.”
“Yeah, it can be, but I like to think I thrive under the pressure,” she said. “How about you?”
“My dad came to town to visit, and we had lunch.”
“Oh, I’m jealous. I wish I could see my parents, but I won’t be able to get home until Christmas.”
I gave her a sad smile. “Don’t be jealous. I’m not close with my dad, and I probably won’t see my mom until Christmas either.”
“It’s hard being away from home.”
“It is,” I agreed.
She poured hot milk into our mugs and added a big pink marshmallow on top of each one before glancing up at me. “I should warn you the hot chocolate here is addictive. Are you sure you want to get hooked?”
“Yeah, hit me with it.”
“That, my friend, is the right answer.” She grinned and passed me the mug.
We slowly made our way from the kitchen, and I took a small sip of my drink as we walked. The hot chocolate was delicious with a rich, full flavor that tasted a little like an Easter egg had been melted in the cup.
“This is so good.” I groaned with appreciation.
“I told you it’s addictive,” Lily said. “I’m always sneaking down at night for hot chocolate. It’s the best.”
As we started up the stairs back to our dorm rooms, I heard the clopping of heels up ahead. I glanced upward to see Veronica rounding the corner and descending the stairs in front of us. She was followed by a group of five other girls, who were all dressed for a big night out. Veronica was wearing a short skirt and a low-cut top, and her hair and makeup were so perfect she looked like she’d been airbrushed. They were probably all going to the party at the boathouse.
Veronica had her head buried in her phone but looked up as she approached and sneered when she saw us.
“Watch it, Charity,” she said, stepping forward to push past Lily.
Lily jumped back to avoid a collision and ducked her head so she didn’t meet Veronica’s eyes. I refused to budge an inch, and I cradled my hot chocolate closely as I scowled at Veronica and her friends. Who did they think they were?
“Don’t talk to her like that, Veronica.” The words were out of my mouth before I had a moment to consider them.
Veronica stopped in her tracks and slowly turned to face me. “Excuse me?”
The other girls had all paused as well and were glancing between Veronica and me with a combination of shock and anticipation etched on their faces.
“Her name is Lily not Charity. Don’t call her that.”
Lily swallowed and slowly shook her head. “It’s fine, Isobel. Really.”
Veronica shot me a smug smile. “Yes, it’s fine. It’s just a little inside joke. Isn’t it, Charity?”
Lily blanched, and I felt my blood pulse hot with anger. “Nobody’s laughing, Veronica. And Lily isn’t some charity case. She’s incredibly smart and actually earned her place at this school. She isn’t just relying on her parents’ money to get her everything she wants.”
Veronica raised her eyebrows, and a few of her friends started whispering to each other. My comeback could have been addressed at anyone of them, and I realized I’d probably just picked a fight I couldn’t win.
“And what about you, new girl?” Veronica snapped. “What makes you so high and mighty?
“Nothing,” I responded. “But I’m not just going to stand here while you harass my friend.”
“Didn’t Daddy’s money get you into Weybridge?” Veronica continued, ignoring my response. “Oh, wait, he’s not in the picture, right?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“So mysterious, new girl.” Veronica gave an overdramatic sigh and shook her head.
“Come on, Isobel, let’s just go,” Lily pleaded, gently placing her hand on my arm.
“Listen to Charity.” Veronica smirked. “You don’t want to make an enemy of me, new girl.”
“I’m not trying to make you my enemy,” I said. “Just don’t call Lily that name again.”
“Like I said, it’s just a joke between friends.”
There was something unsettling about the way Veronica was smiling at me, like she was completely unaffected by my defense of Lily. Before I could say anything else, she turned and continued down the stairs without a backward glance. Her friends hurried to follow her, still whispering to each other and shooting me judgmental looks.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Lily murmured as we watched her leave. “Veronica’s not the kind of person you want to mess with. But thanks for sticking up for me.”
“It was nothing,” I said. The pit in my stomach said otherwise.
I hadn’t set out to make Veronica my enemy, but I think I just had.
