His face falls. “How can you say that?”
“How can I not?” I all but cry. “Last week you only left with me because she was watching. You wanted to make a point. Well, congratulations, you made a point, and now, your little game is over.”
Regret flashes in his eyes and I realize I was right. “It was a game, wasn’t it?” I question. “Leaving here with me and taking me back to your place. It was all for Monica. You wanted her to see that.”
“Henley,” he sighs, clenching his fists at his sides to resist reaching out for me. “At the start, yeah, but…then it changed.”
The betrayal slams through me.
“Yeah,” I scoff. “Heard that one before.” My eyes grow watery as I reach for my bag inside my locker and look back up at his desperate eyes. “I’m done,” I tell him before turning and walking away, not giving a shit that I’ve just left my locker wide open for anyone to rifle through, but it’s not like there’s anything important in there.
“Fuck,” Noah roars a second later followed by the sound of my locker door being slammed closed with such force I’m surprised it didn’t snap right off the hinges. “It’s fucking real, Henley. It’s not a game to me. Not anymore.”
I keep walking, but I can’t help but look back over my shoulder to find Monica standing at the end of the hallway watching Noah, who’s pressing two clenched fists into my locker with his head dropped down between his shoulders.
As if sensing my gaze upon him, he looks back up and shattered is the only way to describe what he looks like right now. Seeing the desperation in his eye, the fear of me walking away has me reconsidering. Maybe this is real after all. Maybe there is a chance for us and I should give him a moment to explain. I take a step towards him as his head hangs low in defeat. Not a moment later, two simple words come out of his mouth and ruin it all. “She’s pregnant.”
Monica walks forward in triumph as my world crumbles in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
And with tears of finality dropping from my eyes, I walk away, leaving the one guy who could have changed it all behind.
Chapter 13
Tully – Where the hell are you? Wanna skip? We can see who can hold the most tequila before passing out. I’d fucking kick your ass BTW!
Tully – Seeing as though I can’t get a hold of Noah, I’m assuming you two are getting busy somewhere… or being losers and staying at school. Guess I’ll drink my tequila by myself.
Tully – Hello? Are you dead? Did the fake fire swallow you whole and take away your ability to reply to your best friend?
Tully – Hey, SKANK????
Tully – Whore!!!!!!!!
Tully – Did you lock yourself in the bathroom again?
Tully – Shit! Did you start drinking without me?
Tully – I’m not going to stop until you text me back, bitch.
I let out a sigh as I spin my phone between my fingers. I don’t doubt for one second that she means it. She’ll keep going until I let her know that I’m ok. On Saturday night, I unlocked my phone to find thirty-three unread texts from her when I was busy indulging in a bubble bath.
I get busy replying to her texts before I get another one claiming that I’m a soul sucking bimbo with a fat ass.
Henley – I’m fine. I’m at home.
Tully – What? I thought you were with Noahsaurus? I’m coming over.
I giggle at the stupid nickname and instantly hate myself for it. Damn it. Why does that have to be so cute and why does it have to tear through me?
Henley – No. I’m fine. Go have a party or something.
Tully – Tough shit. Already on my way.
Damn.
I throw my phone down and do my best to clean myself up. I put the ice cream back in the freezer and make sure there’s no mascara running down my face from the tears that poured down my face the whole way home.
I pull my jeans off, deciding that comfort is the best way to make me feel somewhat human again before I spy Noah’s shirt and sweatpants at the foot of my bed. I’d slept in them last night and I could have sworn it felt like he was with me all night long.
I guess I’ll never know what that truly feels like.
I grab his clothes and toss them into my washing basket, realizing that with one wash, his sweet scent will be stolen from the fabric, but what does it matter now? It’s not like I’d grown particularly fond of the smell. It was more like a comfort that made me feel like there was more to the world.
Fuck, I’m a liar. That smell made my world turn. It drew me in and made me feel like I could finally move on. It made me feel like I had a chance to heal.
I pull on a pair of my own sweatpants and collapse back down into my bed. Tully will know where to find me and if she doesn’t, I’m sure she’ll figure it out.
It doesn’t take long before I hear the front door being kicked in. “Where the hell are you, party pooper?” Tully’s voice rings through my house.
I don’t bother responding because two seconds after barging her way in, she’s standing at my bedroom door, staring at me as though seeing me crumpled in my bed is a sight she can hardly bear to witness.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she grunts, stepping into my room and making her way around, touching, looking, and snooping at all my things while becoming familiar with my room. “You look like shit.”
I realize this is the first time she’s been here and it’s almost unbelievable. I’ve spent countless hours at her place so far yet this is the first time she’s stepped into the safety of my home.
I’m two seconds from blurting out what the hell went down when I remember this is her twin brother. If she doesn’t already know, then it’s not my business to tell her. If Monica really is pregnant and Tully is about to be an aunt, then Noah needs to sit down with her and their family to talk about it. This isn’t any of my business. I just happen to be the heart that got hurt in the process.
“Thanks,” I tell her. “I love hearing how shitty I look.”
She turns back to me, winks, grins, and then continues snooping through my closet. “Anytime,” she says. “But seriously, what the hell is going on? You and Noah were like fugitives. I swear, I searched for you guys everywhere after the alarm went off. I mean, what was all that about anyway. I wonder who pulled it.”
“It was Noah,” I grumble, figuring if I’m going to blab about something, then this topic would do the least damage.
“What?” she laughs. “Are you kidding?”
“Wish I was,” I tell her.
“Huh?” she grunts, picking up on my Debbie Downer attitude. “Why?”
“Because your brother is an asshole. If he never pulled that stupid alarm, we wouldn’t have had a chance to have the stupid fight we had afterward.”
At that, Tully finally turns around and gives me her full attention. “What are you talking about? Why’d you fight?” she asks, walking forward before dropping down onto the end of my bed.
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess I thought something was happening between us, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
Tully’s face falls and I cringe at how it fell in the same way that Noah’s had earlier today, putting me right back in that hallway, finding out that Monica is pregnant and telling him I was done. I guess these two are more alike than I had thought and that’s something I’ll have to be careful to be more prepared for.
“What are you talking about?” Tully repeats. “Noah is the closest person I’ve got. We grew up side by side, telling each other our secrets. I know him more than anyone and I’m telling you, you weren’t wrong. He likes you. Maybe he hasn’t admitted it yet, but I can see it, just like I can see how much you like him too.” She throws her hands up in the air. “What the hell is wrong with you two? Whatever this fight was about, sort it out and get yourselves back on track. You deserve each other. It’s kind of sickening really.”
“It’s not that easy,” I tell her scrambling for an excuse. “Too much was… sa
id.”
“I don’t get it,” she says throwing her hands up. “What could have been said? You guys hardly know each other enough to fight.”
I shake my head, desperately not wanting to replay the conversation over in my head. “Do we really have to talk about this?”
“Uhhh, yeah,” she scoffs. “Either that or we can go track him down and beat the living shit out of him. I’m keen if you are.”
Damn, that sounds good.
“You really think we’d have a chance against him?” I question, not sure if I’m being serious or not, but the idea of pummelling my fists into his steel stomach over and over again seems intriguing.
Tully studies me for a second too long and I begin to feel uncomfortable with her curiosity. “What…,” she sighs. “He hurt you, didn’t he?”
I press my lips together and finally admit it. I slowly nod my head and disappointment washes over Tully. “That rat bastard,” she curses. “Just you wait until I get my hands on him.”
“Don’t,” I say, replaying the conversation in my head from last night where he told me that I was his. “I just want to forget about it. It’s not like we were actually together or anything.”
“How can you say that? You guys weren’t official or anything, but anyone could see the chemistry between you two. Hell, even Rivers admitted it. You know that’s why he stopped giving you a hard time, right?” she laughs. “Come to think of it, you and Noah were kind of annoying. I didn’t like sharing you with him, actually, maybe it’s a twin thing, I don’t like sharing anything with him.”
I roll my eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “I just want to forget about it,” I tell her. “What’s Rivers problem with me anyway? Does he not like me?”
“He likes you just fine,” she tells me. “He doesn’t like change and that’s exactly what he sees you as, but I think he can see it’s a good change. He sees me happier and he sees Noah opening himself up in a way he’s never done before. I think Rivers is finally starting to see that you’re a good change.”
I shrug my shoulder. “I guess he doesn’t have to worry about it anymore.”
“Come on,” she says. “Noah is a good guy. Whatever it is, you two can figure it out.”
I shake my head for what seems like the millionth time today. “No,” I tell her. “I’d hate to break your little ‘Noah and Henley’ bubble, but there’s no going back. We’re done.”
“It’s really that bad?”
“Yeah,” I breathe, hugging my pillow to my chest. “It’s that bad.”
A throat clears at my bedroom door and both Tully and I gasp as our heads whip around to find Noah, awkwardly hovering in the doorway, looking like a shell of the guy I’ve come to know over the past week.
Tully instantly shoots to her feet and Noah reluctantly tears his eyes from mine as he fights off his sister. “What did you do to her?” she demands. “I swear, Noah, she’s the only good friend I’ve got. You never let anyone else in. If you screw this up for me, I’m never going to forgive you.”
“Tullz,” he murmurs. “Go home.”
“Over my dead body,” she threatens. “What did you do?”
“Just…Tully, go home. Please. We’ll talk later.”
She lets out a frustrated huff before turning back to me. “Do you want me to leave or kick his ass out of here?”
My eyes flick back to Noah and seeing that defeated look in his eyes has me caving. “It’s fine,” I tell her. “Go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Ok,” she says. “Text me later.”
I nod and she turns a ferocious glare on her brother. “You better make this right,” she warns him.
“Trust me,” he murmurs, stepping aside to let her pass. “I wish I could.”
Tully disappears and Noah doesn’t take his intense eyes off me as we listen to Tully making her way out the door and into her Jeep. It’s not until she’s halfway down the street that Noah pushes off the side of my doorway, looking both sick and nervous. “Can I come in?”
“You’ve already welcomed yourself inside my house, I don’t see why you wouldn’t just barge your way in here too.”
He takes that as some sort of ‘yes’ and slowly makes his way inside my bedroom. I watch as he stands at the foot of my bed, not snooping around and touching everything the way his sister had done, instead he only has eyes for me. “You didn’t tell her?” he questions.
“Why would I?” I ask. “It’s not my bomb to drop. I figured if you’re about to disappoint your family, I shouldn’t give them the heads up to lessen the blow.”
He cringes and I hate how bitchy that sounded, but what the hell? My feelings are hurt and my inner bitch is clawing her way out.
I sit and wait expectantly, wondering what the hell he thinks he could say right now to make the situation better. Maybe an apology? Maybe beg on his knees for my forgiveness? I doubt either of those bullshit ideas would be enough as neither of them are going to change the fact that he’s going to be Monica’s baby daddy.
All I know is that after talking to Tully, I might have been wrong. Maybe he wasn’t playing me. Maybe the feelings were real and they’ve just been ruined by Monica’s horny ovaries. Either way, what we had is gone now. I don’t see myself being someone’s stepmom at seventeen.
This guy is about to become a father. Whether he likes it or not, his life is about to change in a big way and call me mean-hearted, but I’m not signing myself up for that shit, especially after only knowing him a week. Besides, I think my dad would kill me.
Noah lets out a sigh and moves forward to lean against the frame at the foot of my bed. I can tell he’s preparing for something, but whatever it is, he’s struggling to get the words out.
“What is it?” I question, unable to handle the suspense.
Noah swallows before standing a little taller. “I have to be with her.” Fuck. I wasn’t expecting that. “I’m sorry, but I have to do the right thing.”
I resist telling him that the right thing to do would have been to use protection, but I have a sneaky suspicion that comment isn’t going to go down well, especially now that she’s already knocked up. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I owe you an explanation.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” I tell him. “It’s not like we were together.”
“Come on,” he says. “You know that’s not exactly true.”
I shrug my shoulder and press my lips into a disappointed line. “It’s easier to believe that than to admit I let you close enough to hurt me.”
He hangs his head and is quiet for a moment as I begin to curl in on myself, wishing this torture would just end. “I never meant for you to get hurt,” he whispers. “Believe me, that’s the last thing I ever wanted and if I could take it back, I would… but all this happened before you and me. If I’d have known…”
“What?” I question. “If you’d have known you never would have driven me home that day? Oh wait, you only drove me home to fuck with your knocked up baby Mumma.”
“That’s not fair.”
I shoot up to my feet. “You really want to talk to me about what’s not fair?” I scoff with unshed tears in my eyes. “You were basically handing me everything on a silver fucking platter. You made me like you. You made me feel something for the first time in forever and just when I thought it was ok to let you in, this shit happens?” I cry. “You walk through my door and here I am, thinking you’re here to tell me you’ve got it all wrong or to start apologizing for today, but instead you come to tell me you have to ‘do the right thing’ and be with her? What does that even mean? Do the right thing? How does doing the right thing have anything to do with being with her?”
“This is my kid,” he shoots back at me. “I don’t know about you, but I was raised with the beliefs that a father is there for his kid. It’s fucking morals, Henley.”
“Morals?” I scoff. “You’ve got this all fucked up. Do you really think being with someone you don’t love for the
sake of a kid is great morals? Do you think teaching a kid that it’s ok to be in an unhappy relationship is great morals? Sure, go and be a great father, but don’t claim you’re with her because of your fucking incredible morals.”
I walk over to my bedroom door and wait there impatiently. “We’re done here,” I tell him. “Congratulations, you really are going to be a great dad, but as for you and me, this is where it ends.”
There’s only one way to describe the look on his face and it’s devastation in its purest form which has the power to complete gut me.
Noah walks over to me and stops right in front of me before he curls his hand around the back of my neck and tilts my head up to meet his. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs before gently pressing his lips to mine.
I can’t help but kiss him back. It’s like some kind of devastating goodbye and when he pulls back all too soon and walks out my door, I’m left gasping for breath.
Chapter 14
The past three days have been a living hell.
On Tuesday night, I cried myself to sleep.
On Wednesday, Noah didn’t show up for school and I held Tully back from beating the shit out of a pregnant girl. I mean, morals certainly have been questioned lately, but that’s one I won’t even budge on.
On Thursday, Monica strutted around as though she’d just won the fucking lottery while Noah looked thoroughly repulsed and broken while constantly watching me from across the school.
And somehow, we’ve made it to Friday night and he hasn’t spoken a single word to me since the kiss in my bedroom doorway.
It’s killed me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. I lived for those afternoons chilling out with Noah while Tully and Rivers argued over burned popcorn. I adored the knowing smiles he’d give me when he thought no one was watching. I loved the way his arm always seemed to find its way over my shoulder, but the way the nickname ‘Spitfire’ would come out of his mouth with his signature cocky sureness breathed life into me.
That’s all gone now and I can feel myself retreating back inside my broken shell. That girl I was just the other week is knocking on the door, threatening to claim me once again and I’m struggling to hold her off.
Untouchable: Haven Falls (Book 1) Page 13