Chapter 65 Chapter Sixty Five
"Yeah, just…" Noah tapped the screen and a voicemail started playing on speaker.
"Hey, Noah boo." Allison's voice poured out, saccharine sweet. "I hope you haven't forgotten about our Biology project..."
"Since when does she care about school?" Nicole whispered.
Noah boo? I thought. Interesting nickname.
"I think we should meet up at my family's estate uptown," Allison continued. "It's really gorgeous, you'd love it. My dad just had the pool house renovated so it’s private."
She paused, then her voice dropped to a sultry, seductive tone. "Then maybe I can teach you a thing or two about my biology, if you know what I mean."
Jake scrunched up his face as he'd bitten into a lemon. "Oh, dude. That's… no."
"Yuck!" Nicole gagged. "I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.”
My face burned. I studied my hands intently, pretending I hadn't understood the double meaning even though I absolutely had.
Meanwhile, Noah just sighed and tucked his phone back into his pocket. "Subtle as a brick to the face."
"Are you actually going to do the project with her?" Jake asked.
"I have to. We're partners." Noah shrugged. "But it'll be in the library. During school hours. With other people around."
"Smart," Nicole said approvingly. "Don't let her get you alone or you'll end up as her next Instagram trophy."
"She posts her boyfriends on Instagram?" Noah asked.
"Not boyfriends exactly, she never really goes steady with anyone, because it’s really Jace she has her eyes on. But best believe she’ll get with any other guy she wants, just to make him jealous.”
She continued, “So usually she’ll caption with bullshit about how he's the best guy ever." Nicole rolled her eyes. "Then she dumps them two weeks later. Pretty pathetic if you ask me."
"Harsh," Noah responded.
"That's Allison," Jake said.
“How do you know so much bout her?” I asked Nicole.
“Oh, didn’t I mention? I’m the junior editor for the school paper.” Nicole said, grinning widely.
“Yup, following in her mom’s footsteps.” Jake laughed.
“That’s right, so it’s basically my job to know everything about these people, even though they suck and I hate them.” Nicole nodded, sniffing happily at the air when the pizza-baking smell filled the air.
"Order up!" Marco called from the counter.
Noah slid out of the booth. "I'll get it."
He returned moments later balancing three pizza boxes with impressive skill, setting them calmly down in the centre of our table.
Jake immediately grabbed a slice, the cheese stretching so far from the table to his mouth. "Okay, so important question, Lena. Be careful, because this’ll help us decide if you can sit at our table or not…”
I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself, hoping I could give the correct answer. They’d barely been my friends for a day and I was already so attached that I didn’t want to lose them.
“So…What's your stance on pineapple on pizza?"
"Um, I've never tried it?" My eyes blinked open in surprise.
"WHAT?" Nicole looked scandalized. "Okay, we have so much work to do with you."
I continued, "Though it really doesn't sound so bad..."
"Yeah, it doesn't sound so bad... because it sounds horrible! C'mon Lena, seriously?" Nicole gasped, frowning at me.
"I knew she would be on my team! I’m telling you It's good," Jake insisted. "Sweet and savoury is the absolute perfect combo."
"It's an abomination!” Nicole countered. "Fruit does not belong on pizza."
"Tomato is a fruit, did you know that, smartass?”
"Don't start with me, Jake."
"Alright," Jake said, gesturing dramatically at the booth beneath us. "Before we continue this important culinary debate, we need to introduce you properly. Lena, Noah… meet Tabitha."
"Tabitha?" I asked, confused.
"Yes, Tabitha the table," Nicole clarified with complete seriousness. "She’s our most prized possession and confidante. We've sat at this table together since we were in our mothers' wombs."
I laughed. "What? How is that even possible?"
"Our moms used to be best friends," Jake explained. "They got pregnant around the same time, so they had us a month apart and brought us here to hang out as babies."
“Really” Noah asked.
"Yup," Nicole said. "Same kindergarten, same elementary school, same high school, same everything. Been stuck with this guy ever since." She jerked her thumb at Jake.
"Can't shake her," Jake agreed. "Believe me, I've tried."
"Why would you want to get rid of me?" Nicole demanded. "I'm amazing, not to mention super hot."
"In your dreams," Jake shot back, but his ears went slightly pink.
"Tell him, Noah," Nicole said, turning to their newest member for backup.
Noah didn't miss a beat. "She’s basically a model. Superstar in the making."
"See?" Nicole preened, flipping her hair dramatically.
"Take it easy," Jake muttered. "It'll go to your head."
"Too late," Nicole said cheerfully, taking a massive bite of pizza.
I picked up a slice of my margherita. It was a little too greasy at first, but after a few bites, it started to grow on me.
The cheese was perfectly melted, the basil fresh, and Marco had been right about it being light. I could really get used to this, I thought.
"So what's the plan?" Jake asked. "For the cheerleading thing. You don’t have a lot of time."
"We'll figure it out," Noah said. "I already had something in mind but…"
I reached for my Sprite and mistakenly knocked it over.
"Oh no—" The soda splashed across the table and onto my shirt, I was thankful that I hadn’t gotten a Coke instead, because at least this wouldn’t leave a stain.
"Here—" Noah grabbed a handful of napkins and immediately started dabbing at the wet spot, muttering apologies. "I'm so sorry, I should've moved it—"
Then he seemed to realise what he was doing, that his hand was literally pressed against my chest, and he froze.
His face went a little red. "Oh my God. That's.. I shouldn't—here." He shoved the napkins at me and looked away. "You should probably… yeah."
I took the napkins, my own face burning hot with embarrassment, and tried to clean up while Jake and Nicole very obviously tried not to laugh.
"Smooth, Romeo," Nicole whispered, but she was grinning.
"Shut up," Noah muttered.
"Hey, at least you tried to help," Jake offered. "Nicole here would’ve just drank the rest of the Sprite.”
Nicole rolled her eyes and thumped Jake at the back of his head.
The conversation flowed after that. Jake told stories about their childhood; the time Nicole convinced him to eat a worm for five dollars, the time they got lost in the woods behind Jake's house and had to be rescued by the fire department.
"We were six," Nicole defended. "How were we supposed to know north from south?"
"You told me moss grows on the north side of trees!"
"It does!"
"Obviously it doesn’t, because then we wouldn’t have gotten lost!”
Noah joined in on the conversation, flowing naturally with them as he shared stories from his old school back in Washington.
First, the teacher who'd accidentally set his toupee on fire during a chemistry demonstration, and then the time the entire football team got food poisoning the night before championships.
I noticed that while he told his stories, he conveniently left out the name of the school, as well as the names of everyone in his stories, except for him.
"Did you guys still play?" I asked curiously.
"We had to. Half the team was in the bathroom between quarters but yeah, we played." Noah grinned. "We lost spectacularly, but we played."
I found myself actually relaxing, laughing along with them and feeling like maybe I belonged here.
Then I glanced at the clock on the wall and my stomach dropped.
4:47 PM.
"Oh no." I stood up so fast I nearly knocked over what was left of my Sprite. "I have to go."
"What? Why?" Nicole asked.
"I'm so sorry… I have to tutor tonight, and practice for tryouts somehow, and redo my English report that I completely bombed…"
"Lena, wait, slow down—" Noah started.
"Thank you so much for everything. For being so nice and including me and for the pizza…”
I grabbed my bag, then impulsively leaned down and kissed Noah quickly on the cheek, so fast I barely registered that I’d done it.
“Thank you. For today, for standing up for me and helping me achieve my dreams. I never would've been able to do it without you."
I didn't wait for a response, nor did I give anyone time to stop me.
I just ran.
"Wait, Lena, what about---" Noah's voice followed me, but I was already pushing through the door, out onto the street, the bell above the door jingling behind me.
I ran the whole way to the Dawson house, my bag bouncing against my hip, my heart pounding, that Sprite stain cold against my skin.
And the whole time, I could still feel the ghost of that kiss burning on my lips.
What did I just do?