“Istill can’t believe you’re going on a date with Noah,” Cress said as we made our way to class on Monday morning. I’d told her and Anna he’d asked me out on Saturday night, and to say they were both shocked was an understatement. They weren’t surprised he was going on a date with me specifically; it was more the fact Noah was going out with anyone at all. Everyone at Weybridge knew Noah Hastings didn’t date.
“I can’t believe I agreed to go.” All I could think was that the alcohol must have gone to my head because there was no way I would have agreed to go out with him if I’d been thinking straight. Noah and I had nothing in common. He was a wealthy, popular, soccer-playing, high-school icon while I preferred life in the shadows with my nose thoroughly buried in a textbook. Not to mention the fact that I wasn’t even sure if I was ready to date again. This was only going to end in disaster.
Cress looked thoughtful as she considered me. “He must really like you.”
“I doubt that.” I scoffed. “I’m just the shiny new student.”
“I think you should give Noah more credit,” she replied. “I don’t think he likes you just because you’re new here. I think he likes you because you’re genuine. There aren’t many people like that at our school. Hell, there aren’t many people like that outside our school. You’re kind of special, and don’t you forget it.”
She emphasized her final words by waving her finger at me before turning on her heels and marching into English class.
I watched her walk away, guilt flaring in my chest. Cress thought I was genuine, and yet I’d been lying about my mom and how I grew up since the moment we met.
Dishonesty didn’t come naturally to me, and I hated skirting around the truth. I’d been growing increasingly sick of feeling ashamed about my home life and hiding it just so I could fit in. I’d always been so proud of my mom and how she’d kept the café running all these years despite the obstacles in her way. I was still so proud of her, and I wouldn’t give up the years spent waiting tables with her for anything.
I knew it was my failed friendships back home that made me so nervous about being open and honest with my new friends. But was I really going to let previous betrayals hold me back for the rest of my life? I’d never been the kind of girl who lied to fit in, and I didn’t want to be that person now.
As I stared after Cress, I came to the realization that it was time to tell her and my other friends the truth. I knew them all well enough now that I felt confident they wouldn’t judge me about my life in Rapid Bay. But what might upset them was the fact I hadn’t been honest from the start.
That wasn’t a good enough reason to continue lying though. I needed to come clean, and the sooner, the better. I was done pretending to be something I wasn’t. It was a risk, but if my friends didn’t want anything to do with me once they knew the truth, then perhaps they weren’t friends worth keeping.
A small voice in my head also wondered how Noah would react, but I quickly silenced the thought. We hadn’t even been on one date yet, so he should be the least of my worries.
I followed Cress into English with a whole lot more on my mind than my date with Noah. She flashed me a smile as I sat at the table beside her, but I didn’t return it.
“There’s something I want to talk to you about tonight,” I said to her.
She frowned slightly when she caught the nervous look in my eyes. “Why do I get the feeling it’s about something more serious than what you’re going to wear on your date?”
I hesitated.
“What’s wrong? Is it something bad?” Cress had swiveled in her seat to face me now, and there was more concern in her voice.
“No, you don’t need to worry.” I glanced around as I shook my head, worried that other people in the class might sense something was wrong.
“So, what is it?”
“Not here. We’ll just talk about it tonight, okay?” I needed the next few hours to figure out exactly what I was going to say and to build up my nerve.
“Okay, sure.” Cress gave me a cautious smile, but her expression quickly turned cold as she caught Veronica watching us. “Is there something we can help you with?”
“Oh, nothing,” Veronica replied with a shrug. She kept her gaze locked on me though, an unsettling look of smug satisfaction on her face. She’d probably been listening in to our conversation and was enjoying the idea that there might be something wrong.
Thankfully, she didn’t say anything else before she turned to face the front of the classroom once more. The look she’d been giving me stayed etched in my mind. There was a vindictive glint in her eyes, and I had a bad feeling she’d heard about my date with Noah. I knew the news would get to her eventually. It was near impossible to avoid the spread of gossip at this school. But I’d hoped we’d have at least a few days of peace before the gossip started.
I couldn’t worry about Veronica right now. Not when I had much bigger problems. I needed to focus on what I was going to say to my friends. I just hoped that I was strong enough to withstand the fallout if they didn’t accept me once they knew the truth.
I was distracted as I walked into math, but when I heard my name being called, I let out a groan.
“Newbie!”
I’d almost forgotten I shared this class with Luther and Kaden. The two of them were sitting at the back of the room grinning at me.
“Newbie, over here.” Luther was waving frantically at me.
I shook my head, taking a seat at the front of the room. I had enough on my mind without Luther and Kaden distracting me all class. Besides, I was still annoyed with them. I blamed their beer pong skills for the headache I’d been fighting all weekend and the alcohol-induced haze I was certain led to me agreeing to a date with Noah.
I’d barely sat down when I felt a presence at my side.
“What you doing, newbie?”
I scowled up at Luther. “Sitting.”
“You’re sitting in the wrong place.”
“Yeah, because you and Kaden are on my shit list for getting me drunk on Saturday night.”
Luther laughed. “Don’t be silly. You barely drank anything, thanks to Sawyer’s willingness to help you out. He, on the other hand, was wasted.”
“I still don’t want to sit with you guys. You’re a bad influence.”
“What if I promise to be good?”
There was a look of pure innocence in Luther’s eyes, but I didn’t believe him for one moment. I barely had a chance to respond because he started talking again. “Ding, ding, ding,” he sang out in a high-pitched voice. “You’re too late, and that offer is officially expired. Looks like we’re doing things the hard way.”
Before I could react, he grabbed my bag and carted it to the back of the room.
I watched him go, irritation sizzling down my spine. I was tempted to just ignore him, turn back to the front of the room, and sit through class without my laptop. I couldn’t stand the idea of not being able to take notes though, and he totally knew it.
I huffed before slowly trailing after Luther. “You know I hate you, right?” I said, sitting in the chair next to him.
He smiled brightly and placed my bag on my desk. “You can’t hate me. You’re dating my best friend.”
“We’re not dating. It’s one date.”
“Which will turn into two, then three, and then you’ll both live happily ever after.” Luther was speaking so loudly I was scared the whole class would hear. “And it’s all thanks to me.”
“Calm down,” I hissed at him. “And you’re to blame for this because you got me drunk before he asked.”
“You were barely tipsy,” Luther argued “And no, you and Noah should both be grateful because I was the best wingman ever and figured out all your deep dark secrets beforehand.”
My eyes widened, and I worried he’d somehow learned the truth about me.
“Though I still never learned what your type is…” he continued. “Noah really wanted to know the answer to that one.”
“Wait, Noah made you ask all those absurd questions?” I wanted to relax because Luther clearly wasn’t talking about my life back in Rapid Bay. But it was hard to calm down when it sounded like Luther had been trying to get dirt on me for Noah.
“Well, he didn’t have to. I’m just that good a wingman and wanted to help a brother out. I may not know your type, but I know Noah’s, and you are exactly the kind of girl he likes.”
“You don’t know that.” I blushed. “And besides, you started quizzing me the first night we met…”
Luther shrugged. “I saw the way he was looking at you when you arrived at the party. I knew right away he was interested.”
I found it hard to believe him. There was no way Noah was interested in me from my first day at Weybridge. He hadn’t even said two words to me that day, and he had completely shrugged me off when Cress introduced us.
“You should probably name your firstborn after me,” he continued. “He wouldn’t exist if not for my matchmaking, after all.”
I often wondered what was going through Luther’s head, but this conversation really took the cake.
“Look, Luther, I hate to burst your bubble, but Noah and I aren’t going to end up together.”
“Sure, you are.”
I looked at Kaden, who was sitting on his other side listening with an amused smile. “Kaden, will you tell Luther he’s wrong?”
Kaden’s smile only grew. “But I don’t want to lie to him.”
“Ugh, you both suck.”
They chuckled in response.
“Nah, you love us,” Luther said.
I hoped the boys would quiet down once class started, but Luther seemed to have no inclination to listen to the teacher at all.
“So, are you excited for the date on Saturday?” he asked.
Apparently, we weren’t done talking about Noah, and his question had drawn the attention of several other students in the room. Veronica, in particular, shot us a scowl over her shoulder.
“Luther, can we talk about this later?” I pleaded. “I’m trying to listen.”
“But it can’t wait.”
“I’m pretty sure it can.”
“It really can’t. My curiosity is going to kill me.”
“Wouldn’t that be a shame,” I muttered, making Luther splutter out a muffled laugh.
“You get kind of feisty when you’re annoyed.”
“Funny, you’re the only one who brings that out in me.”
Luther laid a hand against his heart. “I’m touched I have such a profound effect on you.” He was enjoying all this far too much. Even Kaden, who usually seemed more interested in listening to the teacher, was smirking as we spoke.
“Come on, newbie, talk with me.”
“Not going to happen, Luther.”
“But math is boring. Wouldn’t you rather talk with me?”
“No.”
I focused on the teacher, but a moment later, someone poked my arm with a pen. With a sigh, I looked at Luther once more.
“Just answer my one little question, and I’ll be quiet.”
“Fine. Are you asking if I’m excited for the date because you want to know or because you’re digging for information for your friend?”
“Can it be both?”
“Well, if it’s both, then no comment.”
“Oh, then only I want to know.” He winked at me.
It was hard not to smile in response. “I’m not answering that.”
“I promise I won’t tell.”
I let out a sigh. “I wouldn’t have agreed to the date if I didn’t want to go.” My answer surprised me. I kept telling myself this was a bad idea, but I’d gone with my gut, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little intrigued to find out what a date with Noah was like.
Luther beamed in response. “I knew it. You like him.”
“Now I’ve answered your question, can I concentrate on class?”
“Of course.” He gestured toward the front of the room, and I returned my attention to the teacher.
A moment later, there was another prod in my arm. “Do you think the two of you will kiss?”
I turned once more to see Luther innocently batting his eyelashes at me.
“Luther, you’ve had your one question.”
“But I just realized I have another one…”
I was never going to get any work done in math this year.
