Chapter 55 Chapter Fifty Five
Homeroom was in Mr. Peterson's classroom, it was a bright, airy space with motivational posters covering the walls and rows of desks that had seen better days.
I slipped into my usual seat near the middle, trying to make myself as small and invisible as possible.
Noah had been swarmed the moment we entered the building.
Students asking questions, introducing themselves and offering to show him around.
He'd handled it all with that easy charm, but he'd caught my eye once and mouthed "sorry" before being pulled away by a group of curious juniors.
Now he stood near the door, scanning the room.
When he spotted me, he waved, his face lit up and he started making his way over.
"Is this seat taken?" he asked, gesturing to the empty desk beside mine.
Before I could answer, a high-pitched whiny voice cut through the chatter, gossiping behind us.
"Oh my God, Allie, you need to stop defending him."
I turned to see Allison sitting three rows back, surrounded by her usual entourage.
Tracy was rubbing her back to comfort her while another girl, Madison, dramatically fanned her with a folder.
"He's such a hypocrite," Tracy continued, her voice dripping with righteous anger. "Making you apologize when he's done way worse things? Please."
Apologize for what? I wondered.
"I just can't believe he'd treat me like that," Allison said, her voice wavering as if she was on the verge of tears.
She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead theatrically. "After everything we've been through together. After I've stood by him through everything."
"You're too good for him anyway," Madison chimed in.
"Way too good," another girl agreed.
Allison dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, playing the role of heartbroken girlfriend to perfection. "I just thought... I thought what we had was real, you know? But he chose to humiliate me in front of everyone because of some...."
She stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes had locked onto Noah, who was settling into the seat beside me, and I watched in real-time as her entire demeanor shifted.
Her despair melted away, her posture straightened and her eyes went sharp and calculating as they raked over him; taking in the expensive watch, the designer clothes, and the perfect movie-star face.
I could practically see the gears turning in her head as she load eyes on her new plaything.
Mr. Peterson cleared his throat from the front of the room. "Alright, everyone, settle down. Before we start announcements, I'd like to introduce our new student."
He gestured toward Noah. "Mr. Dawson, would you mind standing up and telling us a bit about yourself?"
Noah stood with that easy confidence, flashing a smile that made half the girls in the room sigh audibly.
"Hey, everyone. I'm Noah Dawson. Just moved here from Washington, Seattle area, so this whole East Coast thing is pretty new to me."
His voice was warm, friendly and approachable. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you all. The company's been great so far." He finished, flashing a smile meant only for me.
I felt a small blush creep up my cheeks bad looked away, too shy for words.
"What brings you to Westbrook?" Mr. Peterson asked.
"Family," Noah said simply. "My dad's working overseas for a while, so I'm staying with my aunt and uncle. Seemed like a good opportunity for a fresh start."
"Well, we're happy to have you. Any questions for Noah?" Mr. Peterson looked around the room.
Several hands shot up immediately.
"What sports do you play?" someone called out.
"Football, mainly. Quarterback. Hoping to try out for the team here if they'll have me."
Murmurs rippled through the classroom. The guys looked less than thrilled, here was another competitor for spots, for attention, and for girls.
Meanwhile the girls looked absolutely delighted.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" a brave sophomore asked.
Noah laughed. "Nope. I'm very single."
There were more sighs, and more interested looks.
I found myself staring down at my notebook, fighting the urge to roll my eyes.
Of course they were all falling over themselves already, he had that effect on everyone.
"Alright, that's enough interrogation," Mr. Peterson said with a chuckle. "Noah, you can sit down. We're glad to have you."
As Noah took his seat, I saw Allison lean over to Tracy and whisper something.
Tracy grinned, and suddenly they started gathering books from the desks around them—grabbing textbooks, notebooks, binders, and creating a really tall stack.
What exactly was she doing?
Allison stood up, taking the massive pile of books into her arm.
It was obviously way too many for one person to carry comfortably.
She wobbled slightly, her face the picture of innocence as she made her way down the aisle.
Toward Noah.
Oh no.
I watched in horrified fascination as she "accidentally" caught her heel on absolutely nothing and fell forward with a dramatic gasp.
Books went flying everywhere.
And Noah, because of course he did, shot up from his seat and caught her around the waist before she could hit the ground.
Time seemed to slow down. Allison's hand came up to clutch his shoulder.
Her face tilted up toward his, eyes wide and grateful, lips parted in surprise. Noah's arm was wrapped securely around her waist, holding her steady.
It looked like something straight out of a romance K-drama.
Click.
I heard the camera shutter from someone's phone.
Within seconds, my own phone buzzed with a notification, so I glanced down.
@WestbrookGossip: New ship alert? 👀 Noah + Allison = #Noalison? The hottest couple Westbrook's ever seen? 💕
The photo was already posted on there. Noah and Allison, frozen in that perfect moment, looking like they belonged on a magazine cover.
A strange feeling twisted painfully in my chest, something sharp and uncomfortable that I didn't want to name.
It wasn't jealousy, after all I had no claim on Noah. We'd only just met yesterday, plus he was just being nice to me because I was helping him adjust.
And it definitely wasn't a feeling of abandonment because that would be ridiculous.
I shoved my phone back into my bag and pulled out my calculus textbook, forcing myself to focus on derivatives and limits.
None of my business. This was none of my business.
Around me, the girls were swooning.
"Oh my God, did you see that?"
"He's so fast—"
"And strong, did you see his arms?"
"Allison is so lucky—"
The guys looked significantly less impressed. I caught Marcus muttering something to Tyler about "show-off pretty boys" and "trying too hard."
Even Mr. Peterson seemed charmed. When Noah helped Allison pick up all the scattered books, then walked her back to her desk like a proper gentleman, our teacher was practically beaming.
"What a polite young man," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "We could all learn from that kind of chivalry."
Noah returned to his seat, and Mr. Peterson actually stood up to shake his hand again, more enthusiastically than necessary.
"Really, Noah, it's wonderful to have someone with your manners in our homeroom. I can already tell you're going to be such a good influence on all of them."
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that."
I kept my eyes trained on my textbook, deciding not to look at the way Allison was now watching Noah with interest, or the way her friends were already whispering and giggling.
Suddenly, the classroom door slammed open and every head turned to see who had just walked in.
Jace stood in the doorway, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
There was practically a dark storm cloud hovering over his head. His jaw was clenched, his eyes hard and hostile, his entire posture radiating barely controlled fury.
A hush fell over the crowd.
"Mr. Dawson," Mr. Peterson said stiffly, clearly offended. "Nice of you to finally join us. Perhaps next time you could manage a greeting?"
Jace said nothing, he didn't even look at Mr. Peterson.
He simply stalked to the back of the classroom and threw himself into a seat in the far corner.
Then he proceeded to glare daggers at the back of my head.
I could feel it, that burning stare boring into me. I hunched lower in my seat, pretending to be absorbed in my textbook.
When I finally couldn't take it anymore and glanced back, his eyes shifted from me immediately to Noah.
The look he gave his cousin could have melted steel.
Noah, to his credit, didn't show any reaction, he just sat calmly beside me, taking notes as Mr. Peterson started the morning announcements.
"...and finally," Mr. Peterson was saying, "today is the last day for cheerleading tryouts. Any students interested in joining the squad should speak with Captain Hartley after school in the gym. That's Allison Hartley, for those of you who don't know."
My heart squeezed painfully.
Cheerleading tryouts.
It was the thing I'd wanted since freshman year, watching from the sidelines, knowing I'd never be allowed to participate, knowing Allison would make my life hell if I even tried.
I remembered being a freshman and watching them practice, dreaming about being part of something. About being seen as something other than the scholarship kid who didn't fit in.
I risked a glance back at Allison who had thoroughly beaten that silly dream out of me.
She'd already turned her attention fully to Noah, leaning across the aisle with an animated expression, touching his arm and asking him something in a low voice that made him smile politely.
I looked back down at my textbook.
Nope. There wasn't a chance in hell I'd ever be allowed on that squad.
Face it, Lena, I thought to myself, some dreams were meant to stay dreams.