Chapter 124 Chapter One Hundred And Twenty Four
LENA’S POV
“So tell me,” I asked, my curiosity piqued. “What exactly is the last thing I have to do? I mean… haven’t we already done everything?”
We were all in Noah’s car now, the leather seats still warm from sitting in the afternoon sun.
Noah had opened the door for me to sit shotgun beside him, leaving Nicole and Jake to hop in the back where they could both have a good time annoying each other.
Noah navigated through the familiar streets of our neighborhood, making one turn and then the next with one hand on the wheel, the other drumming softly against my thigh.
“I’m starving,” Jake had announced twenty minutes ago, interrupting our fashion show.
Nicole had rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Why are you always hungry all the time?”
“Let’s go to Marco’s.” Jake said, “C’mon guys, it’ll be fun. Plus the old guy probably misses us by now.”
I stood up and stretched on my toes, “I guess I can take a break from trying on so many clothes.” I turned to Noah, inviting him with a smile. “What do you think Noah? Want to come?”
He shrugged and said sure, “Ill drive. Hold on, let me get my car out of the garage.”
Marco’s pizza was still the same legendary spot it always was. The last time I was here, I was with Jace. And between all our bickering, I couldn’t hang around to appreciate it for longer.
They still served the same thick crust, with tangy sauce and cheese that stretched on for days.
Plus, it was neutral territory, away from the Dawson house and all its complicated feelings. Once we got there, I could speak freely without worrying if Jace was in the next room, listening in and plotting to bite my head off.
Nicole leaned forward to face me, her expression suddenly going dead serious, breaking me out of my thoughts. “You need to get on social media.”
I blinked. “But I am on social media.”
“Oh, you sweet summer child.” Nicole shook her head sadly. “No, you aren’t. You have barely any social media presence. You’re almost never on your phone, and I’ve never even seen you text anyone before.”
Heat crept up my neck and I turned red with embarrassment. She wasn’t wrong. I mean I had a few accounts on some platforms but they were all ghost towns.
I had one profile picture I posted from four, maybe five years ago. Maybe three posts total, and zero followers who weren’t spam bots or distant relatives.
Sometimes I turned on notifications for posts that I was interested in, like when everyone was cursing me out over the photo with Allison’s boyfriend thing, a few days ago. Or when I was still hoping on updates about Jace’s injury.
But other than that…
“Can I at least maybe stick with my old one?” I asked. “That should be easy enough, right?”
Nicole shook her head no. “New Lena, New account. Think about it, a bright fresh start, full of sexy but also tasteful photos of you being an absolute all rounder, A+ students, cheerleader and hot girl.”
I went a little pale at the thought of that. “Um… I think adorable is more my speed. Or normal. Sexy is a bit of a stretch.”
Nicole scoffed, “Please. I’ve seen the way Noah looks at you. Guys would totally buy your bathwater if you sold it.”
Jake face palmed and said, “Gross!”
Noah shrugged, smirking at me, saying “I mean, Nicole does have a have a point. My girlfriend is incredibly hot.”
I blushed awkwardly, hiding my face in my hands while Noah rushed to plant a kiss on my forehead so he could turn back to the road. “But guys…”
“If you actually want to come out on top, you have to learn to control the narrative,” Noah said from beside me, his voice calm and measured while he traced faint patterns on my thigh.
“Control the narrative?” I repeated, blushing at the close contact. “What do you mean?”
“How do I explain this?” Nicole tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Okay, think about the situation you were in just now with that photo of Jace.”
My stomach clenched at the memory. “It wasn’t real. I wasn’t actually kissing him, things just got too out of hand way too fast.”
“Exactly,” Nicole said, pointing at me. “But everyone went along with what the blog wrote because there was literally no other narrative available.”
“They didn’t actually hear it from you,” Jake added, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. “So they filled in the blanks with whatever story someone else told them.”
“But I’ve never really…” I trailed off, tapping a soft rhythm on the back of Noah’s hand. “Cared about that stuff. Like having followers and things. Isn’t that Allison’s turf?”
Noah’s hand found mine, his fingers interlacing with my own. He squeezed gently. “Trust me, Lena. It’ll be your turf real soon if you want it to be. Way sooner than you’d think.”
Jake pulled into Marco’s parking lot, and the familiar red and white striped awning coming into view.
The place was busy, it was always packed on the weekends, chock full of families spilling out onto the outdoor patio and the smell of fresh pizza wafting through the air.
We climbed out of the car and headed inside. The bell above the door chimed cheerfully as we entered.
“Nicole! Jake!” Marco’s booming voice greeted us from behind the counter.
He was a massive man, all muscle and warmth, with flour perpetually dusting his apron and forearms like snow. “You brought your friends again, I see? How was your trip to New York?”
Nicole smiled and said, “Awesome. It would’ve been way better if Jake didn’t leave me stranded half the time to go after food trucks on the street.”
While Nicole glared at him, Jake grinned and nodded at Marco. “Ignore her, she’s a hater. Anyway, I brought you a souvenir.”
He dug into his pocket and brought out a lighter shaped like a pizza cutter, looking impressed with himself as he handed it to Marco, “I see you on your smoke breaks behind the building, Marco. Have fun on the next one.”
Marco laughed heartily and accepted it, saying, “Thank you for contributing to my chances of getting lung cancer. I couldn’t have asked for better customers.”
“Hey, Marco,” Noah said with an easy grin, leading me to the counter. “The usual for me and Jake. Ladies?”