I was still agitated as I hurried from the parking lot and into the dining hall. I wished I could blame my irritation on the fact I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet or my failed driving lesson. But, no. Surprise, surprise, it was Noah who had yet again gotten under my skin. For a boy I wanted nothing to do with, who seemingly wanted nothing to do with me, he sure was an expert at riling me up.
“What’s wrong?” Cress asked as I sat at the table with them.
Considering how late in the morning it was, I was relieved to find her and Anna still at breakfast. “Am I that obvious?
“Uh, sort of,” Anna said. “You should have seen the way you marched in here. What happened?”
I let out a sigh. “Noah happened.”
Cress’s expression fell while Anna rolled her eyes.
“What did he do this time?” she scoffed.
“He was trying to tell me Wes and I don’t have chemistry.”
“That’s crazy,” Anna gasped. “You and Wes are hot AF. Right, Cress?”
“Of course,” Cress agreed. “I thought the school was over that stupid rumor.”
“Apparently not.” I sighed.
“Noah, of all people, should know better than to give oxygen to gossip like that,” she continued. “Why is he being like this?”
“Yeah,” Anna added. “Can’t he just leave you alone?”
I had asked myself the same two questions many times since the Halloween carnival. One minute it felt like Noah wanted nothing to do with me. The next minute, he seemed to be going out of his way to hurt me. I couldn’t figure him out.
“That’s not the only thing he’s done recently,” I said. “I swear he’s purposely parading Veronica around in front of me, and he told Luther and Kaden not to talk to me.”
Cress’s mouth dropped open. “He did what?”
“He told them not to be friends with me,” I explained. “They wouldn’t let me sit with them in math.”
“What the hell.” Anna gasped, shooting a glare across the dining hall at the two boys who were sitting at their usual table. Neither of them seemed to notice. “Why would they agree with that?”
I shrugged. “They’d do anything for Noah.”
“Still, it’s ridiculous,” Anna continued. “Anyone who forces you to do something like that is no true friend if you ask me.” Anna looked like she was finding it hard not to stand up, walk over to Kaden and Luther, and give them a piece of her mind.
“Has Noah said anything to you, Cress?” I asked.
“He hasn’t asked me to choose between you and him, if that’s what you mean,” Cress said, her voice surprisingly gentle. “Maybe because he knows I’d pick you.”
My heart warmed at her words, and I felt like I could cry. It was stupid, but I’d needed to hear that. To know that Noah couldn’t steal another person from my life. Especially not one I cared about so much.
“Well, of course, you’d pick her,” Anna said, bristling at the idea that might be in doubt. “You’d have to be an idiot to pick someone as grumpy and irritable as Noah. He might be pretty to look at, but who would want to be friends with the guy?”
“He’s not so bad once you get to know him.” I came to his defense before I’d even realized. “At least, he wasn’t…” I quickly corrected myself. Noah didn’t deserve defending anymore.
“You’re right; he’s been different,” Cress agreed. “He’s been spending a lot more time with his grandfather recently. That doesn’t usually have a positive impact on Noah.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“William has started flying Noah out to the company headquarters on weekends,” she explained. “I think he wants Noah to take on more responsibility there. And apparently, they are making a major announcement soon.”
“What kind of announcement?” I wondered out loud.
“I’m not sure,” Cress continued. “All I know is that spending more time with William can’t be good for Noah.”
“You think William could be the reason Noah got Luther and Kaden to cut ties with me?”
“Maybe. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
I cast my gaze over to where Kaden and Luther were sitting. Noah was almost always with them in the dining hall, but having seen him getting in a car with a large backpack, I assumed he was on his way to see his grandfather as Cress had explained.
I should have felt relieved my weekends would now be free of Noah. I’d hated seeing him at school this week. I’d despised sharing the same air as him. But even when I hated him, this place still felt oddly empty without him. Even now, my body felt strangely flat without the constant tension I experienced knowing he could enter the room at any moment. It was a little messed up.
As I watched Kaden and Luther, I almost felt grateful they had chosen Noah over me. He really needed those guys in his life. They grounded him and made him feel like he had a safe space in a world where everyone wanted something from him. I worried what his life would be like without them. His grandfather would have complete control over him, to mold him in his own twisted image. That was something I hoped to never witness, but from the way Noah had been acting lately, it felt like it was happening before my eyes.
IT RAINED ALL WEEKEND, so I spent most of my time inside. It was probably a good thing seeing as my English assignment on Romeo and Juliet was due next week. I’d missed the play when our class went to see it in New York, so it felt like I had to put in extra work to try to make sure my essay was up to standard.
I’d been looking forward to seeing Wes when he got back from his rowing regatta, but as Sunday evening neared, he sent me a message to say they were delayed because the bus had broken down. He was going to arrive after curfew, so I wouldn’t get to see him until Monday.
His text message had also seemed quite blunt. I was surprised he hadn’t called me, and I was starting to worry he was still upset about the way I’d kissed him in front of his teammates. In front of Noah. It was a disappointing way to end an already crappy weekend.
As I headed back to my room after a long study session, my phone rang, and I was pleased to see it was my mom calling. I needed to hear a friendly voice right now, and even though I’d only just seen her last weekend, I was already starting to think about when I’d get to see her next.
“Oh, I’m so glad I caught you, Iz. I’ve missed you,” Mom said. “Is it too soon to come back to Weybridge?”
“Maybe.” I laughed. Other than our daily texts, we hadn’t spoken since Halloween, and just hearing her voice made everything a little better. “But perhaps it’s not too soon for me to come back to Rapid Bay? I was thinking for Thanksgiving…”
“Really?” Mom gasped on the other end of the phone. “You’re coming home for Thanksgiving? That would be wonderful.”
”Yep, I’m coming home.” I hadn’t fully decided until this moment. It was only a four-day break, but while Mom and I had discussed me coming home for the holiday, I’d been worried about taking too much time away from school when I had so many projects due and tests I needed to take in December. But I also needed to see my mom, and I couldn’t let my life revolve around schoolwork. If I didn’t take this opportunity, I might not see her again until Christmas, and I wasn’t okay with that.
Mom sounded like she was over the moon. “This is the best news,” she gushed. “Okay, I better start working on my pumpkin pie recipe now.”
‘Mom, every year you try to perfect your pumpkin pie, and every year I tell you it’s already the best there is.”
“No, there’s still something missing. it will be even better this year.”
I smiled, knowing there was no point arguing with her when it came to pumpkin pie.
“Also, I was thinking of inviting your father,” she continued.
“You were?”
“Yeah. He was so welcoming to me over Halloween. I thought it would be nice for us all to spend the holiday together. But I wanted to check with you first. What do you think?”
I paused as I considered it. It had been nice hanging out with both Matthew and my mom over Halloween. Right up until my ex-boyfriend attacked my father. Inviting Matthew to our home felt like a big step. But I was surprised to find it felt like a step I was willing to take. I hadn’t spoken to my father since the day after the carnival, and I suspected he was snowed under with work in New York.
“I don’t have a problem with it,” I said. “But Matthew is always so busy. He might not be able to make it.”
“We’ll see,” Mom said. I got the impression she’d already been in touch with Matthew and invited him because she quickly changed the subject.
“How’s school going?” she asked. “Have you seen Noah after what he did last weekend?”
“School’s fine. And let’s not talk about Noah.”
‘That bad, huh?”
“Well, he refused to apologize for punching Matthew. He seems to want nothing to do with me. Oh, and he’s dating Veronica.”
“Is that the girl who was so mean to you?”
I loved how that part shocked my mom the most. “Yeah.” I sighed. “But it’s fine. I’m fine.”
“It’s okay if you’re not,” she continued. “Even after everything that’s happened between you and Noah, I know how hard it can be to turn off your feelings. It’s not like there’s some switch you can just flick, and they’re gone.”
“I know.”
“I mean, even after all these years, I still felt something when I saw your dad again.”
“Wait, you felt something for him? Like, romantically?”
“No, no, not like that.” My mom said the words a little too quickly. “I just mean that familiarity was still there. It was good to see him. I didn’t realize I’d feel that way especially when we haven’t seen or heard from each other in seventeen years.”
“Well, I’m glad you guys got along.”
“Me too,” she agreed. “Which is why I think it’ll be nice if we all spend time together at Thanksgiving. We have a lot of missed time to make up for. I know Matthew certainly feels that way.”
“Yeah, that does sound nice.” I had to wonder what Matthew would think of our Thanksgiving meal. It wasn’t exactly conventional. Mom usually closed the café, and all the staff and a few of our favorite customers joined us there for lunch. It was always an eclectic group of people, so it was never boring. Sometimes I invited friends as well, but I guessed that part of the tradition was over now.
“You should ask if your new school friends want to come,” Mom said. It was almost as if she could read my mind.
“Really?”
“Of course. If they don’t already have plans with their families, that is.”
“But where would they stay?” Our apartment was hardly big enough for my mom and I, let alone any others.
“We’ll make it work,” Mom said.
I wasn’t as optimistic as her. “I’m sure they already have plans…”
“Well, it doesn’t hurt to ask.”
“Okay, I’ll think about it.”
“Excellent.” I could feel Mom’s smile in her voice. “Now, I better run. Frank hasn’t been in for his usual coffee for a couple of days, so Norma is sulking. She’s been handing out prophecies of doom with every coffee she serves. I can’t trust her with the customers for too long.”
I laughed. “Why hasn’t Frank been in?”
“I think he’s on vacation.”
“Ah.” It was probably the first time in years Frank had gone more than one morning without visiting the café.
“I wish the two of them would just get together already.”
“Yes, well, if they haven’t both realized they’re in love with each other by now, maybe they never will.”
“Well, maybe they need a little push in the right direction,” I suggested.
“Maybe they do.” My mom laughed, but then she swore under her breath. “Norma just warned someone they should check their fire alarms.’
‘Jeez, that’s gloomy.” I laughed. “Go, stop her already.”
“Okay, have a good weekend.”
“You too.”
Mom hung up the phone, and I let out a sigh. Our conversations were always over way too quickly. We were both so busy and our schedules seemed completely at odds with one another. I missed talking to her every day, but the thought of going home for Thanksgiving made me feel like the weekend was finally turning around.
CRESS AND ANNA were both hanging out in our room when I returned. It wasn’t hard to tell they were excited about something.
Cress was grinning and bouncing up and down on her bed when I walked in the door. “You’re back!” she squealed. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“Kaden just asked me out.”
“Oh my God!” I gasped and ran over to sit on her bed beside her. “Really?”
“Uh-huh. He caught up to me after I left the dining hall at lunch and asked if I want to go see a movie with him.”
“That’s so exciting. So, when’s the date?”
“There isn’t one.”
“What? But you just said—”
“I told Kaden to ask me again once he’s stopped ignoring my friend.”
“You didn’t.”
“She did.” Anna gave an approving nod. Apparently, she was completely onboard with Cress turning down the guy of her dreams just because he and I were having a little falling-out.
“Of course, I did,” Cress said. “I really like Kaden, but there’s no way I’m going on a date with him if he’s being mean to you.”
“Cress, that’s crazy. You’ve liked him forever. You don’t want to miss this opportunity because of me.”
She scoffed. “I’m not dating a guy who ditched my friend just because my cousin told him to.”
“Yeah,” Anna agreed. “Besties before testes”
“Anna!” I gasped.
“What?” she replied with a shrug. “You know what I mean…”
I shook my head and focused back on Cress. “Seriously though, Cress. That’s really sweet of you, but it’s okay if you want to date him. I don’t want to come between you and Kaden.”
“I’m not changing my mind,” she said. “He can ask me again once he’s come to his senses.”
She sounded so certain about her decision, but I couldn’t work out why she still seemed so excited by the whole thing. I would have expected her to be upset.
“Okay, but why are you this happy after you just had to turn down your crush?”
Her grin grew wider. “Because it means I was wrong. He does like me.”
I laughed. “Well, of course, he does. I still can’t believe you didn’t say yes.”
“Well, hopefully he’ll start talking to you again soon. But if he doesn’t, I’ll just have to find a new crush.”
She was being very rational about all of this, which was surprising because Cress was usually led by her heart rather than her head.
“I still think you should have said yes,” I replied.
Cress’s expression turned more serious. “I’m never going to do anything to jeopardize our friendship, Isobel. Especially not over a boy.”
“Yeah, you’re stuck with us for life,” Anna added.
I was so touched by their words, and I struggled to contain my emotions. “I really don’t deserve friends like you.”
“Bah, stop, you’re going to make me cry.” Cress jokingly averted her eyes from me, and I smiled.
All this talk of friendship got me thinking about my conversation with my mom and how she’d told me to invite the girls to spend Thanksgiving with us. Part of the reason I hadn’t immediately agreed with her suggestion was because I was nervous about what the girls would think of my home.
I was still slightly nervous, but talking with them now only made me realize I was falling into old habits. These girls were my friends, and they truly cared about me. They weren’t going to change how they felt simply because I grew up differently than they did.
“So, I talked with my mom on the way here,” I said. “And I wanted to ask you both if you’d like to have Thanksgiving with us in Rapid Bay.”
“Really?” Cress squealed. Her whole face lit up, and she clapped her hands together. “That sounds so fun.”
“So fun,” Anna agreed. “Count me in.”
It was not the response I’d expected from either of them. “I thought you’d both have plans with your families.” Despite knowing I could trust my friends, my nerves returned with a vengeance. Cress and Anna were both so used to living in luxury. How were they going to feel about staying in such simple accommodations? What if they hated it?
“My family are back home,” Anna said. “I won’t see them until Christmas. I was planning to just hang here over the Thanksgiving break.”
“Me too,” Cress said. “My parents aren’t coming back until December, so I was going to be stranded at school as well. This sounds much better.”
I was still so shocked they’d both agreed it took me a moment to gather my thoughts. “I should probably warn you both that someone will likely have to sleep on an air mattress, and my mom’s Thanksgiving lunch can be a bit chaotic. There’s always some sort of drama. I think there’s something in the turkey.”
Anna and Cress waved away my concern. “I’m sure it will be great,” Cress said.
“It’s got to be better than being stuck here,” Anna agreed.
“I guess that’s settled then.” I slowly started to smile and did my best to ignore the unease that had surfaced when they had actually accepted. Anna and Cress might not be used to the kind of cramped living I’d grown up with, but I knew my Thanksgiving would be a whole lot more fun if they were with me. “I’ll let Mom know.”
I spent the evening happily chatting with the girls. And despite Cress’s earlier excitement about Kaden asking her out, she didn’t bring him up again. It was only once we were in bed with the lights turned out that she mentioned it.
“Isobel?”
“Yeah?”
“How long do you think it will take before Kaden comes to his senses?” she asked. Given the anxious tone to her voice, it sounded like she’d been worrying about this all night.
“He’ll come around eventually,” I said. “I know it.”
“Yeah, but how long is eventually?”
“Not long if he’s smart.”
“Well, he’s the closest thing to a genius I’ve ever met, so hopefully that means really soon.”
“Yeah, hopefully,” I agreed.
I only worried about what this might end up meaning for Noah and Kaden’s friendship. I didn’t agree with a lot of what Noah had done lately, but I knew how much he needed his friends. I hoped Noah wasn’t selfish enough to hold it against Kaden if he did decide to be friendly with me again. Especially when it meant he’d be hurting his own cousin if he did. But if felt like I barely knew Noah these days, so, unfortunately, anything was possible.
