Chapter 123 Chapter One Hundred And Twenty Three
LENA'S POV
"Do a twirl!"
I spun obediently, the soft fabric of the dress flaring around my legs. It was midday now, and my room had been transformed into an impromptu fashion show runway.
There were shopping bags from Nicole's earlier surprise visit littering every available surface, from the bed to the desk and even the windowsill.
The afternoon sun streamed through the windows, glinting on sequins and silk.
"Absolutely smoking hot," Nicole declared from her perch on my small desk chair, clapping her hands together.
"I can't believe we didn't meet sooner. Then we would've been friends for so much longer. It’s such a tragedy.” She sighed, wiping imaginary tears from her eyes while I blushed with embarrassment.
Jake sprawled across the beanbag in the corner, holding up a handmade scoreboard: a white piece of cardboard with a giant "10" scrawled in marker. "Allison and her friends won't know what hit them."
I looked down at myself, smoothing the dress self-consciously. It was beautiful, a pastel blue with a fitted bodice and a skirt that made me feel feminine and pretty.
But still...
"Do you guys really think so?" I asked, trying not to sound as uncertain as I felt.
"Of course," Noah said, rising from where he'd been sitting on the edge of my bed. Though judging by how often he’d fallen asleep in it while lying next to me, it was kind of also his bed now.
He crossed to me with that easy confidence that seemed to come so naturally to him.
His fingers brushed against my collar, adjusting it slightly, fixing an invisible wrinkle.
And when he looked down at me, his expression was so soft and sincere. "You're so beautiful, Lena. So much better than the rest of them. Never forget that."
My cheeks flushed with warmth.
"You see how good guys talk to girls?" Nicole said pointedly, glaring at Jake. "Why can't you be like that, Jake?"
Jake didn't even look up from his phone. "Because you're basically the wicked witch of the west, Nicole, and I may be many things, but I am not delusional."
"Excuse me?" Nicole's voice grew louder. "Did you just call me a witch?"
"I believe I also specified what kind of witch. Get your facts right, geography is important."
"You are such a jerk—"
"And you are such a pain in my—"
Their bickering faded into familiar background noise as Noah leaned in and kissed my cheek, his lips warm against my skin.
“Go on," he murmured. "Go put on something else. Let me see how gorgeous you look."
I hesitated, my hand finding his arm. "Wait. Did you hear? Jace is no longer going to military school."
Noah's expression didn't change, but a scary look flickered in his eyes. "Oh. Really." He paused, then a small, sly smile curved his lips. "I didn't know my plan would work so well."
I blinked, confused. Behind us, Nicole and Jake's argument cut off abruptly.
"What plan?" I asked.
Noah guided me to sit on the bed beside him, his hand warm in mine.
“Well, I saw the look on your face when you heard he was leaving. And even though I really don't like the guy…" his jaw tightened slightly, "I don’t like seeing you sad either.”
He continued, “So I called Mr Dawson and took the fall for the fight. That way, Jace wouldn't have to go."
My heart swelled in my chest, emotion flooding through me so suddenly it made my eyes sting with tears of gratitude. "Really? You did that for me?"
"Of course, sweetheart." He kissed me again, this time on the lip, brief and sweet. "Anything to make you happy."
I threw my arms around him, hugging him tight. "Thank you so much. I was just so worried about Martin not having his older brother around."
"Wait, wait, wait." Nicole's voice cut through the moment. "Why would you want that?"
I pulled back from Noah, turning to face my friends.
Nicole looked genuinely baffled, and Jake was shaking his head, his mouth agape.
"You are a strange, strange girl, Lena," Jake said, his tone somewhere between amused and bewildered. "I'll tell you that for free.”
Meanwhile, Nicole crossed her arms. "I have heard of kindness before, but let's get serious here. Even Snow White wouldn’t do something like that, and Jace deserved some kind of punishment for being the head asshole of Westbrook. I would've put him on a ship to Antarctica if I could."
"And rich kids never actually get punished for these things," Jake chimed in, sitting up straighter.
He pushed away the bag of Doritos he’d been noisily snacking on throughout, focusing on me instead. "I should know since I'm a rich kid myself. The system's rigged in their favour."
Nicole's expression grew dark. "They all have to go down. Allison. Madison. Tracy. Jace. Marcus. All of them." She started counting on her fingers.
"At some point, they have to face consequences, right? And I'll be more than happy to write all about their downfall in the school paper." She finished, already grinning wickedly at the thought of crushing her enemies.
"I really don’t like that guy, Marcus. I think he’s Jace’s best friend, right?” Jake muttered, his usual casual smile replaced with a more ominous look.
“Right.” Nicole chimed in. “Him and that other guy Donovan or Devon or something, I mix up their names sometimes.”
"Do you know he’s the one who keeps me benched? I'm technically on the team, but none of the seniors ever let me play because I'm not part of their little clique. That’s why I watch from the stands like everyone else."
His hands clenched into fists. Jace was usually always playful and making jokes, I had never once seen him mad before, not like this.
He went on to say, "I refused to let him haze me freshman year. I wouldn’t let them treat me like garbage just to earn a spot on the team, and they've punished me for it ever since. According to Marcus, I'm good enough to warm the bench, but not good enough to actually play."
"Fuck them. I’ve seen you practice, Jake. I know you’re a good player. The best.” Nicole went over to his side and gave him a friendly head pat and a bright, encouraging smile.
Jake laughed, leaning into her touch. “See? She knows. Thanks, Nicole.” Then he sighed, his expression going dim. “If only I could get that guy out of the way, so I can show everyone what I can do, and then they’d all know it too.”
“Allison isn’t left out. Queen of Westbrook? More like a tyrant of Westbrook! She’s such a bitch to everyone in general," Nicole said, her voice sharp with fury. "Including me.”
“She needs to be humbled. ”It was Jake’s turn now to run a soothing caress through Nicole’s hair, making her go a little calmer.
Jake added, “Yup. Someone has to take her down a peg."
Nicole looked at me, her expression softening slightly. "And after hearing your story, Lena, everything she put you through, I'm fiercely protective of you now. You're my friend, and I don't let people mess with my friends."
“What she said.” Jake finished.
"Jake? What are you doing?" Nicole asked, suddenly realizing the intimate position they were in, holding each other close for comfort.
"Nothing!" Jake instantly snatched his hand back from her hair and awkwardly looked in the opposite direction.
"Weirdo." Nicole made a face at him, then to me she said. "Anyway, we've got your back, Lena. You've got us now to help you, and we will. Just say the word."
The conviction in her voice made feelings of warmth bloom in my chest.
These people; Noah, Nicole, and Jake, they’d only known me for a short while, and yet they had my back.
They wanted to fight for me when I'd spent so long fighting alone.
“You guys are so sweet,” I whispered.
Noah's gaze found mine, steady and certain. "Our friends have given us their blessing to go ahead with our plan, Lena." His thumb traced circles on my hand. "School starts Monday. You're not still having doubts, I hope?"
I thought about Jace in the kitchen this morning, his confessions and his touch and the way he made my heart race.
He told me he loved me. Out of the blue.
But then I thought about all the times he'd ignored me in public, and all the humiliation, and all the pain.
It would take more than a few empty promises whispered in my ear to get me to go back on my word.
I shook my head. "No. I'm all in."
"Yes!" Nicole whooped, pumping her fist in the air. "No more Disney princess!"
Jake grinned. "Time to show Westbrook what Lena Hartwell is really made of."
Noah stood, pulling me up with him, his hand resting on the small of my back. "Well, we've done… um, Nicole, remind me what we've done again?"
"Hair, clothes, makeup, jewellery, shoes," Nicole rattled off, gesturing to the explosion of shopping bags around us. "The whole new wardrobe, courtesy of my aunt's atelier."
"And emotional support," Jake added, placing a hand over his heart dramatically.
I felt a rush of gratitude so intense it almost overwhelmed me. Without them, without Nicole's generous aunt and their time and effort, I would've had to buy all this myself if I wanted a good Lena 2.0 moment.
And I wasn't exactly rolling in money. My tutoring job paid well, but not designer clothes on top of financial hardship, kind of well.
"Thank you guys," I said softly. "Really. I couldn't have done any of this without you."
"That's what friends are for," Nicole said, her smile bright and genuine.
Noah's expression turned thoughtful, his eyes going sharp and calculating. "Good. Now there's only one thing left."
Author's Note: Special shout-out to user2505319308 and user2604102254 from Novelflow! Your comments always make my day. Thank you for reading! ♥