by Judy Corry
"What about the whole other part of the rumor?" I raised my eyebrows, hoping he'd get what I was talking about without actually having to say the words out loud.
Understanding dawned on his face. "You mean the part about us having s—"
I clamped my hand over his mouth once more. "Stop trying to say that word."
He laughed. "It's just a word, Lexi."
My cheeks grew hot. "I know. I just don't like to say it."
"So you're worried that people will think we're having—" He paused, trying to think of another way to say it. "Forbidden relations?"
I nodded, unable to speak.
He reached for my hand, lifting it so I could see my purity ring. His hand was warm and calloused, and my skin burned where he touched me. "As long as you keep this on, your reputation should be safe."
I swallowed. "You think so?"
"Yes. Now, don't go spreading this around or anything, but I never did that stuff with Ashlyn, either." He swallowed and let my hand drop. "So, if anyone gives you trouble over it, you can let me deal with them."
He really had never hooked up with Ashlyn? I tried not to let the shock show on my face over his revelation. I thought for sure he did that with every girl he dated. Which had been another one of the reasons why I'd decided we could never be anything more than people who were stuck together because of my brother.
But was it really possible that Noah, the ultimate bad boy who was the kind of guy my dad had nightmares about me dating, really didn't expect that from every girl he was with?
That was such a mind-altering thing to think about.
Noah draped his arm around my shoulder, making my legs go weak. "Now that that's settled, let's give the students of Ridgewater High the show of their lives."
6
Noah
I kept my arm around Lexi the whole walk through the cafeteria, hoping those Sarah and Ava girls would get their view and get all worked up over the fact that the rumors they were spreading really did seem true. Instead of finding them, I caught the gaze of that Harrison kid Lexi liked so much.
I knew the moment Lexi had noticed him too, because in the same instant she stepped away just enough that I had to drop my arm.
She looked up at me, anxiety written all over her face. "Maybe this isn't such a great idea."
"Why?" I was doing this for her. Well, okay, maybe I'd told her I was doing this to get Raven off my back. And sure, part of me also really wanted a distraction from the fact that I was kicked out of my house and sleeping in my car. If we were fake dating, it would give me a reason to hang out at her house even when Easton was working. The less time I spent in my car, the better.
And maybe a tiny part of me also wanted Ashlyn and Luke to see that I had moved on from wanting my ex back.
But this had all started out as a favor to Lexi.
She stepped forward as the line moved. "When you helped me out on Friday, I had no idea how fast it would get out of control."
"Are you embarrassed by me?" I asked.
"Of course not! Why would you think that?"
The surprise on her face did good things for my ego. "I just wanted to make sure I'm not below your usual standard for dateable material." Seriously, what was so awesome about that Harrison guy, anyway?
She shook her head. "Yeah, that's not going to be an issue here."
I grinned and couldn't help myself. "Does that mean you've had a secret crush on me for years and that I'm making all your wildest dreams come true?" I nudged her playfully in the side with my elbow.
Her jaw dropped, and she punched my arm. "Get over yourself, Noah. I-I..." She shook her head, so flustered she couldn't finish her sentence.
I laughed, loving how red her cheeks were getting. She had always been so fun to tease.
"Hey," I said, holding my hands up. "I'm just saying it's not too crazy of an idea. I mean, Brielle is totally in love with Easton."
"Brielle is only eight. I'm twice that." She said it like the only way she'd get caught on a date with me was if it was fake.
Ironic, I know.
"I was just joking with you, Lexi. No need to bring me down a notch."
"Sorry, I just..." She sighed and lowered her voice. "You know as well as I do why we got involved in the first place." She raised her eyebrows as if to communicate something to me that she couldn't say in front of the students surrounding us in the lunch line.
"Because you can't resist this chiseled jaw and magnificent physique of mine?" I gestured to myself, standing as tall as my six-foot-three-inch frame allowed.
She rolled her eyes. "Sure, Noah. Who can resist that."
Her tone told me that she was exactly the type of girl who could resist that. It shouldn't have stung, since we were just pretending to date, but it kind of stung, anyway.
She seemed to notice that she'd offended my man-pride, so she stepped closer and tentatively slipped her hand up to squeeze the inside of my bicep. My skin felt warm where she touched me.
"I was thinking more along the lines of how anyone could resist that shaggy brown hair and million-dollar smile." She winked at me through her black-rimmed glasses. And I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it, but her cheeks got even darker. Could there be some truth to what she'd just said?
We reached the front of the lunch line and grabbed our trays. I'd been starving all morning, having been in a rush to get to school early enough to shower in the locker room while the drill team practiced. And then I'd been too embarrassed to get breakfast at the cafeteria because someone was bound to ask why I hadn't eaten at home like I usually did.
So I loaded up my tray with food, grabbing the biggest slice of pizza they had and the biggest helpings of the other sides.
Lexi eyed my tray as she scooted hers down the row. She had chosen the chef salad and fruit cup. Was she going to fake dump me because I didn't eat as healthily as her?
"Hungry today?" she asked.
Not wanting to go into why I was hungry, I just said, "Yup."
The lunch cashier added up our food and charged our accounts. When we were back in the commons area, Lexi stopped, as if unsure of where to go.
"You should probably sit at my table today," I suggested.
"You think so?"
"Of course. You’re my girlfriend, right?"
She sighed, like she was relieved I'd been the one to suggest it. "Thanks. I've been table swapping ever since Juliette went to Paris."
"You should have said something sooner. Easton and I would have let you sit with us." I led her through the maze of tables to where Easton and Raven were arguing over some vampire show they both watched but could never agree on. I offered Lexi the chair I'd sat in earlier and stole an empty one from the table behind ours.
We ate quietly for a while, listening to Raven go on and on about how the main characters were clearly meant for each other and that the head vampire was just sabotaging everything for them. I tuned her out and took a bite of my pizza.
"Don't look now, but I'm pretty sure Ashlyn and Luke are staring at us." Lexi's voice broke me out of my trance.
"What? Where?" I darted my gaze around until I found them sitting at their usual table with Eliana and Jess. And they were indeed looking our way and seemed to be saying something about us.
"Do you think they're talking about us?" Lexi dabbed her mouth with a napkin, looking uncomfortable under their scrutiny.
I glanced at them again. They weren't looking at us anymore. I knew Ashlyn and Luke weren't the type of people to gossip, but what could they be saying? Were they surprised to see me dating Lexi? Ashlyn had hung out with Lexi, Easton, and me a few times at their house while we dated, so I wondered if she could tell that this was fake. I had certainly not taken much notice of Lexi in the past.
But who's to say that something couldn't have changed between us? People started dating people they already knew all the time. Wasn’t that what happened to them? One moment Ashlyn and I had been together, and then the next, she was falling for
my rival on the football team.
I scooted closer to Lexi and draped my arm across the back of her chair. "If they're hoping for a show, we can give them one."
Lexi raised her eyebrows and leaned closer; the fruity smell that I was coming to know as her personal scent wafted to my nose. "So you really aren't over Ashlyn then?" she whispered in my ear. To an onlooker it would seem like we were having an intimate conversation where she was whispering sweet nothings to me.
So I decided to take her lead and whispered back, "Just because I care that they're watching doesn't mean that I'm not over her."
She shivered involuntarily, like she'd enjoyed being so close. But then she pulled back to give me a look that told me she wasn't buying my load of crap. "That may be, but the way you grit your teeth every time you see them together tells me otherwise."
I automatically clenched my jaw. I was not still in love with Ashlyn.
At least I was trying really hard not to be. I'd messed things up while we were dating. That ship had sailed. I wasn't just going to wait around and hope Luke suddenly sprouted warts all over. We had already called our truce.
So I decided to turn it back on Lexi.
"Okay, since you're this all-knowing psychologist, what would you have to say about someone who noticed all those things about me? Do you think a psychologist might wonder if you were the one with the real crush?"
Her jaw dropped, and she shoved me away. "Just because I'm observant doesn't mean that I'm in love with you."
I shrugged and winked, just because I knew it would make her mad. "Whatever you say, sweetie."
She stabbed her salad with her fork and refused to look at me.
Mission accomplished.
"Is this how it's always going to be then?" Raven said, staring at me and Lexi. She must have finished trying to convince Easton to come to her side of the argument.
"What do you mean?" I sat up straighter.
Raven rolled her eyes and screwed the lid back on her water bottle. "I don't know. You guys are just so weird together. It's distracting."
"Jealousy is not a good look for you, Raven," I retorted, feeling irritated that she couldn't just get off our case.
Raven gasped. "I am not jealous."
I raised my eyebrows in a challenge. "Then, what’s that look on your face you’re giving us?"
She huffed. "I just wanted you two to know that not everyone is comfortable being around that much PDA."
Yeah, since she hadn't just been crawling all over me at the beginning of lunch period.
I took a drink from my water bottle and set it down on the table. "I'll keep that in mind." I was totally going to play up the PDA in front of Raven now. Yeah, she was hot and there was that one time we made out at Jake Haley's party. But if I hadn't been mad at Paul for hitting me, or if I hadn’t been trying to forget how I'd been rude to Ashlyn when she showed up in her pajamas, I would have been in a better frame of mind and never kissed her.
Raven stirred her pudding with her spoon. "So, how long have you two been dating then?"
"Yes, I'm just dying to know how long you two have been sneaking around behind my back." Easton smirked.
I shook my head at Easton. A stab of guilt coursed through me when I noticed Raven’s eyes were glistening. Had she really thought that night meant something to me?
Instead of answering, I turned to Lexi, not having it in me to pound in the final nail.
Lexi shifted in her seat, as if startled that I'd let her take the lead on this.
"Well..." She glanced at me, her gaze searching mine for some kind of indication on what to say. I nodded my encouragement, so she cleared her throat and looked back to Raven. "I guess it's kind of been going on for a while. Probably since the middle of football season when I noticed Noah couldn't seem to keep his eyes off me as I sat in the pep band."
I almost snorted when the image of her in a polo shirt that was two sizes too big came to my mind.
Yeah, that pep band shirt was about as attractive as a circus tent would be on her.
Lexi continued, "Anyway, he practically begged me to give him a chance after that. And I guess you could say things have been pretty serious for about a month."
I nodded, squeezing her closer to my side. "Yep. I just can't get enough of this girl. And I'm just glad we don't have to hide it anymore."
Raven narrowed her gaze, like she still didn't quite believe us. But she didn't say anything. Instead, she started stacking the remnants of her lunch back on her tray and stood. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a test I need to study for."
I called my mom after dropping Easton and Lexi off at their house. I needed to see if I was welcome to come home yet. Sleeping in my car was much colder now than it had been in October. Winter in New York was not going easy on me.
My mom's voice cut through the line. "If you could stay at your dad's house for just a few more days, maybe until Saturday, that would be nice."
"Saturday?" That was five more days of sleeping in the freezing cold. I'd have to buy myself a second sleeping bag if I was going to last that long in my car.
"That's only a week, Noah. It’ll be good for you and your dad to have that time together, anyway."
Yeah, if only my dad cared enough to have me stay there, instead of thinking I was some punk kid who was always getting into trouble.
But I decided to just let her keep assuming that I was sleeping at my dad's house. Ignorance really was bliss, wasn't it?
"How is Paul treating you? Has he done anything since I left?" I asked. Then I perked up my ears to make sure I heard her tone right when she answered.
"He hasn't done anything again. He's still really stressed, but I think things should get better."
"That doesn't sound very promising, Mom. I don't want him hurting you again."
"We'll be fine."
"Is Brielle okay?"
"She's fine. Everything is fine." And she sounded like she really believed the lie she'd been telling herself for years. "Don't worry about us. Let's just wait to hear back about Paul's promotion and then you can come home."
I sighed and leaned back in my seat. "Okay. But make sure to let me know if things change. I don't want a repeat of last time."
"I appreciate your concern, Noah. But you don't need to worry about us. Paul said he was sorry for that night. It won't happen again."
I really hoped that was true. For everyone's sake.
I hung up the phone and tried to figure out what to do. There were still six hours left before my body would be anywhere near ready to call it a night. And since Easton had work, and Lexi didn't need me for any extra fake-boyfriend duties after school, I decided to use the money my dad had put in my checking account and buy myself another sleeping bag that was better for winter.
It was almost like he was giving me a warm place to sleep this week.
7
Lexi
"I still can't believe that you're dating Noah Taylor!" Juliette raised her dark eyebrows at me. I'd messaged her as soon as lunch got over, and she'd immediately made me promise to FaceTime her as soon as I got home.
I sank down onto my bed next to the Yale poster on my wall—the poster that my dad bought as an incentive and a reminder to not get knocked up like Maddie. This room had been hers and my nephew Grant's before they moved out this summer, and Dad had been paranoid that this room might carry some sort of curse. So the very first things to go up once I switched rooms were the Yale posters and paraphernalia to ward off any teenage hormones that might get awakened through my sister’s influence.
"We aren't really dating. Just putting on a show for everyone," I insisted.
"Yes, but you still get to cuddle with him. That's going to be real." Juliette applied a layer of lip gloss and smacked her lips together. While I was about as nerdy as you could get, she was all about fashion and makeup—which was why her semester abroad in Paris had been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that she couldn't pass up.
"Do you thin
k I'm going to have to cuddle with him?" The thought of being so close to Noah sent a nervous jolt through my veins.
"Have to?" Her brown eyes went wide through my phone's screen. "I think 'get to' is a much more accurate description. Those muscles have been known to make girls hyperventilate before."
I shook my head and laughed at her ridiculousness. Yeah, Noah was ripped. And I was pretty sure I'd heard rumors of him being one of the top candidates for the senior class award for best physique, but that didn't mean I needed to pretend like I wanted to see his physique.
Or at least, I didn't need anyone knowing that I might have occasionally sneaked glimpses of him when he and Easton had their hot tub nights on the back deck.
"Do you think it's completely stupid for me to go along with this? I mean, I've never dated a guy before. How am I supposed to know how to fake it? What if he tries to kiss me or something?"
"Then let him kiss you!"
"Seriously? You’re, like, absolutely no help here," I said.
Her head fell back as she laughed. "Fine. If you aren't comfortable with that, just invite him over and tell him you want to go over some rules or something. He plays sports, so tell him you want to have a game-planning session.”
I sighed. "You think that’ll work?"
She smiled. "It's worth a shot. And make sure you tell him kissing is mandatory. At all times."
"Juliette!" I scolded.
She laughed again. "Okay, do whatever you're comfortable with. But try to be open to possibilities. I mean, it's not every day that you have an opportunity like this. Make it count.”
"Okay, I'll try that.” She may have only been six months older than me, but that whole year she had ahead of me in school really had given her a lot more experience with guys than I had.
"And make sure to keep this going as long as you can. I want to see this show of yours when I get home in two weeks. Okay?"
I laughed. "I'll do my best."
"Au revoir." She blew me a kiss through the phone.