I met Wes in the library to study that night. I’d missed my afternoon classes, so it was the first time I’d emerged from my dorm room since Veronica’s stunt with the posters. I received more than a few judgmental looks on my way to the library, and even as I sat down at the study table, people kept looking my way. I hated the attention. It felt like people’s interest in the new girl had only just died down, and now I’d been thrown back into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
“People will get over it,” Wes said, noticing I was distracted by a group of girls who were clearly talking about me as they walked past. “I’m sure by tomorrow there will be some other piece of gossip that’s captured their attention.”
“I guess you saw the posters then?” He hadn’t brought it up yet, and he’d been acting so normal I thought perhaps he’d somehow missed the whole thing.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “And Anna told Sawyer who told me all the details, so you don’t have to explain. I totally get it. I just didn’t want to say anything unless you brought it up. You must be having a crappy enough time as it is, and none of that stuff matters to me, so we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.”
I let out a breath and smiled at him. “Thanks.”
“Though, be warned, Sawyer’s probably going to ask you to wear your work uniform to school. He thought you looked hot in it.”
I laughed. “At least, he’s got his priorities straight.”
“Yeah, I really wonder about my brother sometimes.” Wes shook his head. “I sometimes think I might have been better off staying at school in New York just to get some space from him.”
“Oh yeah, you were there this weekend, right? How did it go?” I knew Wes had been nervous to visit his girlfriend because she hadn’t been answering his phone calls, so I was hoping his trip went well.
“It was okay.” His expression didn’t light up the way it normally did when he was talking about his girlfriend. “Sarah was happy to see me, so I was definitely worrying about nothing. But since she wasn’t expecting me, her weekend was already packed. She couldn’t cancel everything last minute, so I didn’t end up spending as much time with her as I’d hoped.”
“Ah, that sucks.”
He pushed a hand through his hair and glanced down at the desk in front of him. “I probably shouldn’t have surprised her. She’s always got a million things going on.”
“Still, you went all that way to see her.”
“I know, but maybe I’ll give her a heads-up next time.”
I nodded, but I didn’t really agree. I loved that he’d tried to surprise her. It was super sweet how he’d gone to so much trouble, and I was shocked his girlfriend hadn’t made more effort to spend time with him. She was lucky she had such a great guy who cared so much about her. I kept my thoughts to myself as I didn’t want to upset Wes more.
We tried to focus on studying, but I was really struggling to get my mind in the right place to concentrate. It had been a horrible day, and homework was the last thing I felt like doing. Especially when I could see and hear people gossiping about me at the next table over.
All I wanted was to go back to my bed and bury myself under the covers. I was desperate to talk to my mom too. We kept missing each other’s calls, so it had been days since we’d talked, and I really needed to hear her voice right now.
Wes placed his hands down on his book and looked across the table at me. “We don’t have to study in here if you don’t want.”
“What? No, it’s fine.”
He lifted one eyebrow. “You’re distracted and rightly so. We could go back to the dorms or even set up in the dining hall. No one really goes in there this time of night. Hell, we can abandon our study session altogether if you want. I can finish off the questions and give you the answers to copy at breakfast.”
“You’d do that?”
“Well, yeah.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. “You’re my friend, and you’ve had a really rough day.”
I shook my head as I tried to fight back tears. I was still feeling so emotional, and just hearing Wes’s offer to do my homework was triggering the waterworks.
“That’s really sweet, Wes. But I want to stay. I have to get over the fact people are gossiping about me.”
“Not tonight, you don’t.”
“I know, but I also don’t want Veronica to win. And if I bail on our study session, it feels like she has, you know?”
“Okay, got it.” He nodded. “How about we just take a break instead? I’ll go grab us coffees so we’re adequately juiced to finish off these problems.”
My shoulders relaxed at his suggestion. “Yeah, a break sounds great. I might try to call my mom.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll meet you back here in ten.” Wes shared a warm smile with me before he rose from his seat and headed for the library doors.
I pulled my phone out to dial my mom’s number, but as I unlocked the screen, I heard sniggers at the next table. I glanced up and saw the girls were still watching me, and I decided this probably wasn’t the best place to call my mom.
I got up from the table and wandered into the stacks. There were a few people scattered about, so I kept roaming until I found a nice quiet section. It was deep in the back of the library and led to a dead end, so the chances of someone bothering me were small.
I settled myself down on the floor, pulled out my phone, and tried my mom again. I held my breath for six rings before it clicked over to her voice mail. I exhaled as I ended the call and stared at my phone. Mom didn’t usually work Monday nights, so I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t answering.
I tried to call the café instead. She didn’t like it when I called there because it monopolized the line, and she didn’t want to miss any telephone orders. I was beginning to feel a little desperate though. I couldn’t remember ever going such a long time without speaking to my mom, and I really needed to hear a familiar voice.
“Hello?” An answer came after the first ring, and I immediately recognized the soft husky tone of my favorite waitress.
“Norma, it’s me.”
“Isobel, sugar, it’s so good to hear your voice.”
Tears touched my eyes as she spoke. I hadn’t realized how much I missed her until now. It might not have been my mom who’d answered, but Norma was definitely second best. “It’s good to hear your voice too.”
“How’s that ritzy school of yours treating you?”
“So far, so good,” I lied. The last thing Norma needed was a reason to worry about me, and if I told her the truth, I’d have to explain that I’d been ashamed of my home life, and it broke my heart to imagine telling her that. I’d never once been embarrassed of where I came from, and I hated that this school had briefly changed that in me. If there was one lesson I’d learned from this whole hideous experience, it was that I should be proud of who I was, no matter what.
“Well, we’ve missed your pretty face around the café, but we’re all so gosh darn proud of you for being so brave and facing a new school in your senior year all by yourself.”
“It’s not all that brave.”
“It is in my books.”
“How is everyone?” I asked, not wanting to talk so much about myself.
“They’re all good,” she said. “We’ve got a new waitress to cover for you. She started today and can’t remember an order to save her life, but she’s sweet, and the customers seem to like her.”
I didn’t know my mom had hired a new recruit, and I was surprised she hadn’t mentioned it. Perhaps if we’d actually talked this week, she might have brought it up. Then again, maybe not. I knew Mom wanted me to be at Weybridge Academy, but I felt like I was letting her down by not being at home. The café really didn’t need any added expenses right now, and it was my fault she’d had to go and hire someone new. I should have been there to help her out.
“And that ex-best friend of yours has also been sniffing around the place,” she continued.
“Nina?”
“That’s the one. Though I thought her name was Dory.”
I snorted. “She’s not a fish.”
“Well, after what she did, she’s always going to be wet and slimy in my books,” Norma said. “Anyway, she’s come by several times asking after you. She said everyone at school was worried as no one has seen or heard from you.”
“Oh.” I was surprised they’d given me a second thought. I had been doing my best to forget my old school and the people I once thought were my friends. “I blocked their numbers. After everything that happened, I wanted this year to be a fresh start.” Though after today, things didn’t feel quite so fresh.
“So, what did you tell her about where I’ve gone?” I continued.
“The truth. I said you’d been whisked away by your father and were at one of the most prestigious schools in the country. She seemed hurt to hear you left without saying goodbye.”
“I don’t know why.” She certainly hadn’t missed me over the summer or worried about me when she’d stolen my boyfriend. And a goodbye was the last thing I expected she’d want from me after our encounter at the café on my final day there.
“Well, I might have overheard her talking with one of the girls she was with,” Norma replied. “It seems like things aren’t going too well with the boy. They broke up.”
It didn’t shock me to hear the news, but I was surprised by how little I cared. I should have felt a sense of vindication, but I just felt sad. Nina and Levi had caused me so much pain, and in the end, it was all for nothing. I wondered if that was why Nina was checking on me. Had she finally come to her senses and realized how stupid it was to throw away years of friendship over a guy?
Unfortunately, it didn’t matter what realization she might have come to. Things between us would never be the same. It was a fact I was only more certain of after today. I’d seen what true friendship was, and what Nina and I shared didn’t compare to the relationships I’d built with my friends here.
“Anyway,” Norma said. “My psychic senses tell me you didn’t call to talk to me about Dory.”
I laughed in response. “No, I was trying to get ahold of my mom.”
“Ah, I thought you might be. She’s not here right now. You know she takes Monday nights off.”
“I know, but I’ve been struggling to catch her all week. I thought maybe she’d been pulling extra shifts.”
“Not tonight. I wish I could help.”
“That’s okay. Any chance your psychic powers can tell me where she’s at?”
“Hmm… Well, they’re currently telling me that she’s not near her phone.”
“Anything more concrete than that?”
Norma chuckled. “I’m afraid not, love.”
“It was worth a try.” I let out a sigh, knowing I was just going to have to wait until Mom finally got back to me. “It was really good to speak to you, Norma.”
“You too, sugar. Feel free to call here again anytime. I know your mom hates the line being busy, but I don’t mind if we miss a few phone orders. They always call back.”
“I think Mom might disagree with you.” I smiled.
“Well, she can’t disagree if she doesn’t know.” I could easily picture Norma’s sly grin over the phone. “Now, I’ve got to run. Talk soon.”
“Yeah, talk soon.”
I lowered the phone from my ear and closed my eyes as I slumped back against the bookcase behind me. I’d really hoped to talk to my mom, and I was struggling to understand where she could be and what she was doing. On Monday nights we usually stayed home, ordered pizza and watched movies together. Did she have some new tradition now that I was gone?
“Hey.”
I opened my eyes and found Noah standing over me. His hands were tucked into his jeans pockets, and he was frowning as he watched me. “I’m not interrupting, am I?”
“Not at all,” I replied.
He took that as an invitation to sit at my side. He slid to the ground and leaned back against the bookcase as he stared at the shelves across from us. He didn’t speak right away, and the silence that stretched between us was like a huge empty void. He was sitting so close to me that our shoulders gently brushed, but he still seemed so distant. I was guessing he’d seen Veronica’s posters.
“I was hoping I might run into you tonight,” he said, still keeping his eyes locked on the books on the other side of the aisle. “Veronica showed me your Instagram account.”
Given the way he still refused to meet my eyes, I knew he wasn’t reacting well to the news. I should have known that if, by some miracle, he hadn’t seen the posters himself, Veronica would have still made sure he knew the truth about me. It sounded like Anna was right; Veronica had done this whole thing to sabotage my chances with Noah.
“She said you were hiding who you were to manipulate me.”
I drew a deep breath in before I responded. “Is this the part where you say you want nothing to do with me?” My voice sounded surprisingly scratchy, probably from the nerves that had started bubbling in my chest.
I hated to think that Noah and I would be over before we even began. I’d foolishly begun to open myself up to him and the connection I felt between us. The idea of abandoning those feelings upset me more than the stunt Veronica pulled today. But if Noah couldn’t accept me for who I was, then it was probably for the best. I wanted someone who would love every part of me. Still, I knew I would be in for a tough year pretending my pulse didn’t quicken whenever he was near.
“No, this is the part where I ask you why you felt you needed to keep it a secret.” He turned to me and his eyes were clearly filled with hurt and confusion. “I know there are a lot of jerks at this school, but I didn’t realize you thought I was one of them. Did you really think I was so shallow that knowing your mom runs a café would make any difference to me?”
“I don’t think you’re a jerk or that you’re shallow,” I replied. “I wish I had been honest, but when I first arrived, I was so overwhelmed.”
“So you lied?”
“I didn’t know what else to do. Weybridge is a completely different world to the one I grew up in. I knew I didn’t belong, and I didn’t think anyone here would understand.” I could feel my emotions welling up in me as I spoke. For some reason, this felt so much harder than when I’d explained it to my friends.
“I’m kind of broken when it comes to trusting people,” I continued. “My ex-boyfriend cheated on me, my friends back home betrayed me, and I have a father who just appeared out of nowhere and will probably disappear just as fast. So, yeah, I lied.”
I blew out a breath and stared across the aisle at the books on the shelves opposite us. As I looked at some of the titles, I realized they were history books. I might have laughed if I wasn’t so upset. It was pretty ironic that Noah would end up breaking things off with me in what Anna considered the romantic corner of the library.
Noah’s hand brushed against my leg, and my eyes shot back to his. There was still hurt in his gaze but perhaps a flicker of understanding too.
“Just because you had a different upbringing than everyone else here, it doesn’t mean you don’t belong,” he said. “If anything, it might make you more worthy than all the kids here who don’t appreciate what they’ve got. I wish you would have been open with me, but maybe if we’d gotten to know each other better, you would have realized where you come from doesn’t matter to me. I guess this is why we need our date on Saturday. So we can both learn to trust each other.”
My mouth dropped open with shock. “You still want to go on a date with me?”
A smile tugged the corners of his lips as he nodded.
“But why?”
“Because as much as I was surprised to know you were keeping something from me, I can see you weren’t doing it to try and manipulate me. I want to give us a chance.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
I hadn’t realized when he sat down how close we were or how his scent seemed to wrap its way around me. We were far too cozy in this corner of the library, and I could see why Anna found the secluded spot so appealing. His eyes lowered to my lips like he wanted to kiss me.
My phone beeped with an incoming text, and I quickly looked away. I was somewhat grateful for the interruption, because I had no intention of kissing Noah for the first time in Anna’s secret make out corner.
As I glanced down at the screen, I was hoping to see a notification from my mom. Instead, it was a text from Wes saying he was back at the study tables with our coffees. It was hard not to be disappointed. I let out a sigh as I returned my gaze to Noah.
He nodded at my phone. “Are you expecting something important?”
He was always so surprisingly perceptive, and I could see he was genuinely concerned. I decided to tell him the truth. He’d probably think I was pathetic for missing my mom, but if I’d learned anything today, it was that I needed to be more honest.
“It’s my mom,” I finally said. “I haven’t been able to talk to her all week. She keeps missing my calls, and since she’s not working tonight, I was hoping to catch her.”
“You miss her.”
“So much.” I gave him a sad smile. “I’ve never been separated from her for this long before, and I’m finding it really hard. It’s especially difficult when I can’t even speak to her. I know she’s busy, but after today, I just want to hear her voice, and I would do anything to have a hug from her right now.”
“It’s never easy being separated from the ones you love,” he murmured.
Looking at him now, I got the feeling I wasn’t the only person missing my family, and I wondered if he was thinking about his parents. Cress had told me his father passed away some years ago and his mom was never around. It was difficult being separated from my mom, but I couldn’t even begin to fathom what it was like for Noah.
“What about your dad,” he asked. “Would it help to talk to him?”
“No. He’d probably just give me a lecture on how I’m embarrassing his legacy.”
“I get the same one from my grandfather all the time,” Noah admitted. “What does your father do?”
I let out a tired sigh. “Sorry, I don’t really like talking about him.”
“I understand. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“It’s no intrusion. It’s just, after everything that happened today and when I miss my mom so much, my father is the last thing I need on my mind.”
He gave me a sad smile. “How far is Rapid Bay from here?”
“Far enough that it feels like forever away. I’m guessing I’ll have to wait until school holidays to visit my mom though. It’s too far for me to visit for a weekend.”
“Surely you won’t have to wait until the holidays to see your mom. Won’t she be coming to the ball next week? Parents are all welcome.”
I hadn’t found a chance to tell my mom about it yet, but I already knew there was no way she’d come. She never took weekends off at the café. “No, she’ll be working, so I don’t think she can come.”
“That’s a shame.” From the touch of sadness in Noah’s eyes I could see he truly understood.
“It is.” My phone lit up with another text from Wes, telling me he’d also smuggled us cookies into the library. “I should probably get back to my homework.” I slowly started to stand.
Noah pushed himself up as well. I wasn’t sure why, but I always seemed to forget just how tall Noah was, and as he straightened to his full height, he practically towered over me. His broad shoulders seemed to fill the aisle, and when I raised my gaze to his face, I could see him watching me with concern.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked. “What Veronica did today… Well, I know it can’t have been easy.”
“I’ll be fine.” I somehow always was.
Noah nodded before his eyes dipped to the phone in my hand. “Can I have that?”
“Uh, sure.” I passed the phone over, wondering what he wanted with it. His fingers flashed across the screen, and when he handed it back, I could see he’d given me his phone number.
“If you can’t get ahold of your mom and need someone to talk to, you can call or text me anytime.”
He’d surprised me again, and I wasn’t quite sure what to say. That was actually pretty sweet of Noah and the last thing I would have expected from him after everything that had happened today.
“And, Isobel?”
“Yeah?” I glanced back up at him.
“I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t trust anyone here.” His voice was quiet, and his eyes were earnest, like he truly wished I hadn’t felt so alone.
“I’m beginning to wonder if perhaps I can…”
He shared a soft smile with me. “I’m glad to hear it.” I’d never seen him smile that way before, but it seemed to reach out and thump me straight in the chest. Noah stepped back so I could pass, and it took me a moment to figure out how to use my legs again after being hit by his smile.
Anna definitely had one thing right. There was something special about the history section of the library.
