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Chapter 11
I wait until the last possible moment to see if Noah will come home before giving up. He stormed out of here and it doesn’t look as though he has plans to return any time soon.
I can only imagine how he’s feeling right now.
Betrayal. Hurt. Devastation. Probably the same things that Tully is feeling right now. She hasn’t come out of her room and refused to let her mom in, though I didn’t expect anything else and I don’t expect her to see her pretty face for the rest of the day. She’s stubborn just like Noah but add a heartbreak into the equation and she probably couldn’t even recognize herself right now.
Giving up on the slight hope that Noah will be coming home, I grab my keys off the kitchen bench and get my ass to school, even though I want nothing more than to curl up in Noah’s arms and let him know that it’s all going to be ok.
I can’t miss school, not now. There’s too much that I need to catch up on and every single day is crucial if I intend on giving myself the best chance of securing this scholarship, so despite wanting nothing more than to fuck around all day, fretting about Rivers and searching for ways to help Tully’s heartbreak and find my boyfriend, I have to play it smart and hope that Rivers knows what he’s doing.
I get in my Supra and pull out onto the road, for the first time, not getting that overwhelming giddiness of being in my new car. The novelty is completely lost on me right now as all I can picture is the guy who possibly might be my brother, fighting a war instead of being home safe with the people he belongs with.
Knowing now that he didn’t send that video and that the only reason he’s been staying away is to give Tully hope to move on, only makes it hurt that much more. I miss my friend. I miss the guy who was always there to have my back, always there to tell me when I was acting like a little bitch, and always the guy who truly made me fight to be accepted into this pack.
And now he’s enlisted in the Marines, away at boot camp where he’s going to get his ass kicked over and over again. Not to mention, he’ll end up deployed at some point, fighting in a war that could potentially kill him, all to force himself to stay away from Tully and give her a chance to move on.
He’s so stupid, brave, inspiring, and frustrating all at the same time. I’m so damn lucky to have a guy like Noah who doesn’t feel the need to do a disappearing act, well, apart from right now, but that hardly counts.
Driving into the school parking lot first thing on Monday morning, I was expecting to get that happy ‘look at me in my shiny new car’ vibe to show off to all the other students and remind them who’s the top bitch in this place, but it’s just not there. Too much has happened this morning.
Though, when I do pull in, I see a familiar white Camaro, sitting at the back of the lot, far away from everyone else with a clear sign telling everyone to leave him the fuck alone.
I pull up next to his Camaro and get out of my car. Walking around to his driver’s door, I take him in. His head is hung and my heart instantly shatters. I hate seeing him so full of hurt and pain.
I open his door and climb onto his lap before closing the door behind me. I don’t say a word, just snuggle into him, giving him everything I have.
Noah’s head falls to my shoulder as he wraps me in his arms and holds me close. We sit in silence, both of us held hostage to our thoughts. It’s not until the bell sounds that he lets out a deep breath and raises his head, looking deep into my eyes.
“Are you ok?” I question, not bothering to move. I mean, fuck getting detention. This is more important, so much more important.
Noah shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he murmurs, running his hands down my body until they rest on each of my thighs. “I should have seen it coming. He used to talk about joining the Marines all the time as a kid, but then it just kind of stopped. I used to think it was just some over the top idea he had so he could run away and leave all the shit behind. I never thought he’d actually do it, and then to do it without telling us first.”
“You couldn’t have known that he was going to do it,” I tell him. “None of us could, and I know that it sucks and thinking about your best friend out there fighting a war is never going to be easy, but you need to remember that he’s doing what he thinks is best for Tully while also looking for a chance to better himself. Who knows, maybe this will give him what he needs to feel like a better person.”
