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)
“Oh great,” I say, rolling my eyes. “So I’m the bad guy for standing up for Linc?”
“I never said that. I just think you need to relax.”
“Well, that’s not about to happen,” I tell her, grabbing my lunch and starting to make my way down to the cafeteria, dreading what I might see after Noah’s performance with Shannan yesterday. “Noah heard everyone talking about Linc this morning and cornered me in the bathroom. He thought I was the one who told everyone, and—”
“But you were,” she says, cutting me off. “You told us what really happened.”
“Yeah, I know that, but he assumed I was the one who started it when all I was doing was correcting the story and making sure no one was disrespecting Linc in the process. But that’s beside the point,” I tell her. “He was getting all up in my face. He looked like he wanted to tear my head clean off my body, and then Shannan walked in—”
“Oh, shit,” Tarni gasps, her eyes going wide. “If she thinks you’re trying to get close to Noah, she’ll bury you, but if she thinks you’re an enemy of his and she can score points with him by putting you down, you’re fucked.”
“Tell me about it,” I mutter. “Do you remember the hell she put Lucy Stonebridge through last year just for thinking of trying out for captain of the cheer squad? They bound her to a chair and shaved her head. I can’t have that shit happening to me.”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” Tarni says, shrugging her shoulders as though she couldn’t care less. “What did you think was going to happen when Noah showed up? He’s by far the most popular guy in school. Every girl wants to be with him, and once people find out about your history, you’re going to be seen as a threat. And now that they see how adamant Noah is about hating you, you’re an easy target. Shannan’s going to use that against you. But be prepared, you know she’s only going to fuck with you right in front of Noah for his approval, and honestly, I can’t see him stepping in to do anything about it. Not now at least. Kinda sad though,” she adds as we push through the doors and into the cafeteria. “The old Noah would have walked through the darkest pits of hell to make sure you were the happiest girl in school. Not anymore. This Noah doesn’t give a shit about you.”
She laughs to herself and walks ahead of me, beelining for our usual table, and for the first time in a long time, I feel my pace slowing, not sure that I really want to sit with her today. But where else am I supposed to go? I have other friends in the school, but they all have their own groups they sit with at lunch. Hell, I don’t even know if I could call them friends. More like acquaintances.
Tarni, Abby, and Cora are my group. It’s been that way since I started at East View High, and I don’t want to mess with a good thing. They’re just going through a new phase. Their preferences are shifting. We’re all getting older, and their likes and dislikes are changing, which can only be expected, but unfortunately, all they seem to care about is getting the attention of douchebag guys, and it’s not something I want to waste my time obsessing about. I feel like they’re going on this new ride and have left me behind, but I’m not sure it’s a ride I particularly want to get on.
Perhaps it’s time for me to move on and find a group of friends a little more my speed, the type of girls who aren’t going to spread rumors about a dead child while suggesting that the dead child’s brother was the one who killed him.
Shit. It’s East View High. I don’t even know if that type of girl even exists here, otherwise, I’m sure I would have gravitated toward her years ago.
My gaze shifts to Noah at the back of the cafeteria, and unlike yesterday, where I hesitated to look his way, I suddenly don’t care if he sees the judgment in my eyes. I hope he does, and I hope he knows just how disappointed I am in him.
Mom was right. Noah is hurting. He’s a lost soul trapped in a world of darkness, screaming for someone to save him, but he’s also a complete asshole. Why do I have to love him like this? It’s one thing having him here, but this morning was bullshit. Why can’t I seem to let go of the past? He’s made it crystal clear that what we used to have doesn’t exist anymore, so why am I clinging to it so hard? I need to let him go.