The night had grown cooler, but the alcohol rushing through my veins seemed to combat the chill as I left the boathouse. I walked to the end of the small wooden pier and sat so my legs dangled over the edge. The full moon was reflecting brightly on the smooth surface of the lake before me, and a light breeze ruffled my hair. Aside from the slight autumn nip in the air, it was almost the perfect evening.
As I sat there, I wondered what my mom was up to. She’d been so busy the last few times I’d tried to call her, and I felt a twinge of guilt that she was working harder in my absence. It had been two weeks since I’d seen her last, and I wished she had a smartphone so I could call and see her face.
“I guess your secret is out.”
I didn’t need to turn to know it was Noah who’d snuck up behind me. There was no mistaking the deep timbre of his voice, and I swallowed down a nervous lump that had risen in my throat as I looked up and over my shoulder to meet his eyes.
“Secret? I don’t have a secret.” My voice wobbled slightly as I spoke, and I struggled to calm my racing heart. Had he somehow discovered the truth about my past? That I was only here because I’d randomly won the genetic jackpot and, unlike everyone else at this school, I hadn’t been born with a silver spoon in my mouth? I wasn’t ready to try to explain my messy family situation, and my throat felt dry as I imagined what Noah would think about me if he knew I usually spent my weekends waiting tables.
A smug smile pulled at his lips. “Really? Because I could have sworn you’re not the beer pong prodigy Sawyer said you were.”
“Oh, that.” My shoulders relaxed as I slowly breathed out. “Was I really that terrible?”
He laughed and lowered himself to sit on the edge of the pier beside me. “You missed every shot.”
“Maybe I was just having an off night.”
“Crash, you didn’t even know the rules.”
A small laugh left my lips. “I guess you know my secret then. I’ve never played beer pong before in my life.”
“No? Really?” He nudged his shoulder against mine in jest, and the slight touch drove the butterflies in my tummy wild. He seemed light and carefree, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I tried to remind myself that I’d decided being close to Noah was a bad idea, but it was much harder to convince myself of that when he was sitting at my side.
“I thought you might want a drink of water,” he continued, holding out a plastic bottle. “Here.”
It took me a moment to respond. I was both surprised he’d noticed I needed a water bottle and shocked he’d thought to bring one out for me. For a guy who didn’t tend to engage much with others, he sure was observant. I hadn’t seen him anywhere near the beer pong table while I’d been playing either.
“Thanks.” I gave him a grateful smile as I took the bottle.
“I’m glad you came tonight,” he said as I took a sip. “I was worried you might not show again.”
I swallowed the water and glanced up at him. “Well, Cress and Anna didn’t leave me much choice.”
“Oh.” He exhaled and rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “So, they’re the only reason you came?”
“One of the reasons.”
He perked up a little.
“I also wanted to challenge the beer pong world champions, but turned out that was a bad idea.”
He chuckled, but his eyes still seemed a little tense. “So, my invite had nothing to do with it?”
I wasn’t really sure how to respond. If Cress and Anna hadn’t forced my hand, I think I would have bailed again. It was probably because I didn’t believe there could be anything more to Noah’s invite than a kind gesture. “I figured you were just being friendly to the new girl.”
“I wasn’t.” He quickly shook his head before he continued. “I mean, I was. But I also asked you because I want to get to know you better. You’re different from the other girls here.”
“I wish people would stop saying that,” I muttered. This school made me feel like a pigeon amid a flight of doves, trying not to draw attention to myself as I flapped awkwardly among them. It wasn’t the nicest thing to know that other people saw it too.
“Why?” he said. “It’s a compliment. You’re real and honest, and you’re not blinded by someone’s surname or what their parents do. People always have hidden motives in this place or lie just to get close to me.”
My stomach dipped at his words. Noah thought I was honest, but in reality. I was probably the biggest liar at Weybridge Academy. I didn’t want to know how he’d react if he found out I didn’t belong here.
“I’m sorry you have to deal with that.”
“Tell me about it,” he muttered. “Plus, you’re one of the few people who has yelled at me in a long time.”
I buried my head in my hands and groaned. I felt my cheeks warm as I recalled our collision in the woods and Noah walking in on me in a towel. Neither of those incidents were really his fault, yet I’d nearly snapped his head off. Add that to the list of reasons why I was so surprised he continued to seek me out.
“Don’t worry, I liked it. It was…” He paused as he searched for the word.
“Different?” I guessed.
“I was going to say refreshing.”
“You found my yelling refreshing?”
“Maybe.” Noah laughed. “Also, you’re kind of cute when you’re angry.”
My face felt like it was burning, and I struggled to look him in the eyes. Surely, he was just joking around to make me feel better.
“Then again, you’re cute when you’re not angry too…”
Was Noah Hastings really calling me cute? Perhaps the beers had altered my hearing somehow. I knew Noah didn’t date girls at school, so there was no way he could be interested in me of all people, but here he was, sitting beside me on the pier in front of the pristine lake, looking at me with his striking green eyes and calling me cute.
“You don’t actually think that,” I murmured.
“Why not?”
“Well, because you’re you and I’m me.”
His lips curved in a small smile. “And what exactly does that mean?”
“It means that a guy like you would never be interested in a girl like me.”
“Why would you say that? Don’t you know how beautiful you are?”
I was taken aback. I couldn’t remember anyone calling me beautiful with such certainty, like I was a fool for not believing it as strongly as he did. I rolled my eyes, trying to make light of his comment, but Noah wasn’t laughing.
“I’m serious,” he insisted. “Both inside and out.”
“I bet you say that to all the girls,” I whispered, glancing up at him from the corner of my eye.
“I’ve never said that to any girl.”
His voice had dropped as he stared deeply into my eyes. His gaze was searching, as if it was diving into the depths of my soul and shining a light on all the messy, dark corners of it. When he looked at me that way, I felt bare before him, and I kept waiting for him to turn from me as he realized he didn’t like what he saw.
It would be better that way. If he could simply realize what a terrible match we were. I was a girl who came from nothing, trapped in a world where everyone had everything. I was never going to fit in here, and Noah was the epitome of all the things I never had and could never be. We were totally wrong for each other. But, even realizing that, I couldn’t seem to do the smart thing and push him away.
“You really don’t believe me. Do you?”
I shrugged and glanced away.
Noah saw far too much when he looked at me, and it left me feeling torn. A part of me was enjoying whatever this was between us and wanted to keep living the fantasy. But that was all this was—a fantasy. And I kind of wished he’d see through my charade to the real me. I was sick of pretending to be something I wasn’t, and I hated lying to my friends. But the moment I revealed I’d been lying about my past, everything would come crashing down around me.
I knew I should get up and leave. Especially when Noah was saying such sweet things to me. It was too easy to get caught up in his eyes and to bask in the tingles that were ever present on my skin whenever he was near.
“You really should believe me.” He’d drawn closer, and I could smell the soft scent of his aftershave as I looked into his eyes. They almost seemed to sparkle in the darkness, and all I could think was how much harder it was to remember why Noah was wrong for me when I was sitting so close to him. This was a mistake, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to move away.
I needed him to talk about something else, anything else, other than how beautiful he thought I was. And I definitely needed him to stop staring dreamily into my eyes. Between the moonlight, the soft music in the background, and the light ripples on the lake, this all felt far too romantic. Somehow, we’d landed in dangerous territory, and I’d come thoroughly unprepared.
“So, there’s this ball the school hosts in a few weeks…” Noah said.
“Oh yeah, I hear you’re taking Veronica.”
“You heard that?” His expression dimmed, and he pulled back slightly as he frowned. Somehow, my words had broken whatever moment we’d been sharing, and I couldn’t help but feel grateful. It felt like I could finally breathe and think a little more clearly again.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Uhhh…” I didn’t want to say Cress because it felt like I’d be throwing her under the bus. “Just around. You know how this school is.”
“Yeah, I guess I do.” He eased back to rest his hands on the wooden slats of the pier. “It’s probably because Veronica and I go together every year. It’s a stupid tradition, and I’d prefer to take someone else.”
“You don’t want to take Veronica?”
“I don’t want Veronica to get the wrong idea. Besides, like I said, I want to take someone else.”
I’d seen the way she constantly threw herself at Noah, so I could definitely understand why he might be worried that taking her to a ball would lead her on. Still, his answer was rather diplomatic, and it made me wonder how he actually felt about Veronica.
“Well, I’m sure you’d have no problem getting another date to the ball.”
“Ah,” he replied. “See, there lies the problem. The one girl I’d like to ask is the one girl who would say no…”
He hadn’t taken his eyes off me for a single second. He couldn’t be talking about me, could he? I knew the plan Cress made with Noah hinged on him taking a girl from an influential family to the ball, so I was the last person he should consider. I couldn’t tell him I knew that without betraying Cress’s confidence.
“Maybe you should try someone who will say yes then,” I suggested.
Noah started to chuckle. “Isobel, I’m talking about you…”
I shook my head. “You don’t want to take me to some ball.”
“I do.”
“Really, you don’t. I would make a terrible date. You should invite someone who knows how to dress for these things. Who can dance without causing grievous bodily harm. Someone from your world…” I quickly stopped myself. If I kept going, there was a risk I’d expose myself as a fraud at this school and reveal that Cress had told me about her little plan to get Noah to find a date with an influential family. I’d already said too much.
Noah frowned. “Isobel, I don’t care about any of that stuff. I like you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re you and I’m me,” he said with a small smile. “I just feel drawn to you, and it’s been that way ever since you came crashing into my life.”
I stared into his eyes, uncertain what to say in response. Noah felt the same connection between us that I’d been experiencing since the first moment we met. I’d been trying to ignore it, to deny it even existed, but as much as I resisted, the connection wouldn’t go away. Any other girl would probably throw her arms around him and accept his invitation a million times over, but I held back.
“You don’t even know me,” I said.
“I know enough to know I want to know more,” he said. “Look, don’t worry about the ball for now. Just give me a chance. Let me take you on one date.”
There was so much hope in his eyes, and it triggered a warm feeling inside my chest. It should have been simple to refuse him. Especially when I had a list of reasons a mile long for why it was a bad idea. But my heart was starting to overrule my head. I wanted to get to know him too and understand why there was such a strong connection between us.
“One little date,” he continued. “And if it’s a complete disaster, I’ll never bother you again.”
Perhaps I was overthinking it. Sure, Matthew had warned me against Noah, but I hardly trusted my father’s judgment. And while I didn’t know if I was ready to put my heart on the line again could one date really be so bad? It would certainly put me in Veronica’s crosshairs, even more than I already was, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. Maybe it was time to follow Wes’s advice and go with my gut.
Noah’s gaze continued to implore mine, and before I realized what I was doing, I nodded in response. “Okay, fine, one little date.”
He couldn’t stop a wide grin from stretching across his face as he released a heavy breath he’d been holding. “I probably would have preferred a more excited response, but I’ll take what I can get.”
“Sorry.” I laughed. “I’m just ninety-nine percent sure I’m going to end up regretting this.”
That didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest though. “Well, Crash, I guess I’m just going to have to prove you wrong.”
