Total pages in book: 215
Estimated words: 199344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 997(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 997(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Come on, Noah. Look at me, just once. Let your eyes light up like they used to. Show me you still care.
He goes to stride past us when Tarni does the unthinkable and pushes herself right out in front of him, stepping directly in his path and trying to stop him with a hand against his chest.
I suck in a breath, my heart thundering with a weird sense of betrayal and hurt, not understanding how she could possibly think this is a good idea. Hasn’t she been listening to me over the past three years? She knows how much this distance has killed me. I thought she cared.
“Hey, Noah,” she purrs, batting her lashes at him as he steps around her, not missing a single stride. Hell, not even bothering to spare her a glance. She’s forced to quickly back up, trying not to fall over her feet. “I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Tarni. You, me, and Zoey used to be like bestest friends—”
His ferocious gaze snaps to mine, the intensity pinning me to my locker as though an invisible hand had physically shoved me back. My breath catches in my throat, my eyes locked on his, held captive as he unknowingly pulls on that tether between us, daring me to make a move.
The moment lasts barely a second, yet it feels like it could have been a lifetime before he finally releases my stare and shrugs off Tarni’s touch, not allowing her the chance to finish her sentence. Noah keeps walking, his herd of loyal fans following his every step as Tarni is left behind gaping at him with hearts in her eyes.
Once the crowd starts fanning out, and students scurry to get to homeroom, I stare at Tarni in the middle of the corridor, watching as her gaze slowly shifts back to mine. “Holy shit,” she beams as Abby and Cora take off. “Did you see that? Noah Ryan touched my hand.”
“He didn’t touch your hand,” I mutter, that thick betrayal slicing through my chest. “Your hand touched him.”
“Same thing,” she says before letting out a heavy breath and falling back into me. “Oh my god, is it going to be weird if I fall madly in love with him? You’re over that, right? Because dammmmmn. Noah Ryan just became my latest project.”
Just great. That’s exactly what I need—my best friend crushing on the other half of my soul.
What could possibly go wrong?
I guess I was wrong about Tarni understanding how much I yearn for things between me and Noah to be good again, to go back to how they used to be. She’s too busy crushing on him to notice anything else. If she’s looking for my permission to pursue him, she won’t find it here.
5
Zoey
Ihate him. I hate him. I hate him.
Crap, I love him so much.
Today has sucked. Every corner I’ve walked around has been done with shaky hands. The only time I felt safe was during class when I knew I wouldn’t see him, but even then, I sat in fear. What if he walked past my classroom? What if I were sent somewhere and passed him? What if we were to do a fire drill and we were all crammed into the hall together? I can’t handle the unknown. This is not how I pictured my junior year.
It’s just after one in the afternoon, and the school is still buzzing with the news of Noah walking our halls. It’s as though they’re starstruck, unable to wrap their tiny minds around the fact that they’re in the same room as the one and only football legend. I mean, I know he’s good, but is he really that good? I don’t particularly care for football. At least, I used to back when . . . you know. But ever since then, I stopped following it.
I used to go to all of his games and was always the loudest one cheering in the grandstand full of admirers, but I haven’t seen him play in three years. He was always amazing, and I’m sure he’s only gotten better, especially considering the hype around his name.
My heart races as I approach the cafeteria doors for lunch. I don’t want to be here. I should have just grabbed my car keys out of my locker and taken off for lunch. It would have made this so much easier. All morning, my only saving grace has been the knowledge that I could easily avoid him, but here in this cafeteria where the whole football team usually eats, there’s no avoiding him now. Especially considering Tarni’s newfound love for Noah Ryan, there’s no way in hell the girls are going to agree to eat outside. The whole school is going to be crammed into the cafeteria.
Striding through the open double doors, I keep my head down, but as the hairs on the back of my neck stand on edge, I know without a doubt that he’s here.