26. Noah

26

NOAH

It took all my willpower not to go up to that Harrison kid and tell him to get his hands off my girlfriend. I was just about to stand up and go give him a piece of my mind when reality brought me back: she wasn't my girlfriend, she never really had been. So I needed to be okay with her talking to other guys. That was our plan after all. And, at least where she was concerned, it had worked. So, it was time for me to move on as well.

I swiveled forward to watch what was happening on the floor. The cheerleaders were doing one of their routines. Raven was straight in front of me, smiling as she waved her pompoms and chanted with the rest of the cheer squad in their short skirts that I used to drool over.

And Easton was sitting next to me with his new girl Mercedes by his side. Everything was back to normal. It was almost as if this last week hadn't even happened.

The announcer's voice came through the loudspeakers, introducing tonight's game and the players. Raven took a few steps closer to me as the guy read through the visiting team's roster.

"So now that you're broken up with Lexi, do you want to come to my house tonight? I was thinking about getting the old gang together and watching a movie or something." I couldn't miss the way her dark eyes ran along my body before lingering on my mouth. She was hoping for a rebound make-out.

And that was exactly what the old Noah would've wanted in a situation like this. Break up with a girl or get into a fight with his stepdad, and then go numb himself with another girl’s lips.

But I didn't want to fall back into my old habits. So I said, "Thanks for the offer, Raven. But I'm actually going to Easton's house tonight. Maybe some other time."

Her expression fell, but she soon replaced it with a smile. "Okay, maybe next time."

I nodded. "Sure."

"Have you seen Easton?" a familiar voice asked after the game was over .

I turned to find Lexi standing right behind me with her trumpet case.

"No, I think he already left to take Mercedes home."

"Oh, that's weird." Her expression fell. "I thought he was going to give me a ride home after the game." She adjusted her glasses on her face, a habit I had noticed her doing a lot when she was nervous about something.

"I can give you a ride home if you want."

She looked around as if to check the perimeter for anyone who might be watching or listening to us. I understood her agitation, since we probably did have a lot of people watching us today.

"Don't you think that's against the rules?" she whispered.

I shrugged. "I don't think there's a manual for this kind of thing. I think it's fine—just adds more interest to the Noah and Lexi show," I said, hoping it came across lightly.

She nodded. "Okay yeah, that would be great. I think my dad is out on a date or something."

I raised my eyebrows. "Your dad went on a date?" I'd never heard of him going on a date since I'd known him.

Lexi shrugged. "Yeah, I know. It was weird when I got his text a few minutes ago, telling me not to wait up for him."

Interesting. Maybe if her dad was busy dating someone else, he wouldn't have time to be so paranoid about his own children. That could be a good thing .

I shook the thought out of my head, though. Lexi and I were done. Over with. I was just giving her a ride home.

I pulled my keys out of my jacket pocket. "Ready to head out?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

I almost held my hand out to her, the habit that I'd formed over the last week, but I shoved it back in my pocket before she could notice—hopefully, she hadn't noticed the impulse, anyway.

I was going to have to get used to that.

I led her out of the gym, and I couldn't help but notice that we did have quite a few people looking at us as we walked past. I was tempted to tell them to mind their own business and that I was just giving her a ride home. But I didn't. I would let them think whatever they wanted. Whatever happened between me and Lexi was now just between me and Lexi. The public didn't need to be a part of this anymore.

"I noticed you and Harrison getting close during the game. Does that mean that our plan ended up working out after all?"

I couldn't get that image of his arm around her shoulder out of my head, no matter how hard I had tried throughout the game. And each time I had looked over my shoulder to check on them, an image of my fist connecting with Harrison's pretty-boy face came to mind.

I needed to stop thinking these violent thoughts .

Lexi buckled her seatbelt and looked at me with a smile that I didn't understand. "Yeah, actually, Harrison was asking me out."

"You're going on a date?" My voice came out too loud for my small car, and it felt like she had just kicked me in the stomach. Lexi wasn't supposed to go on dates with other guys.

Her smile broadened. "I'm kidding, Noah. He was just comforting me over our break-up."

I released my grip on the steering wheel, feeling more relief than I should have. "Oh, that's good."

I turned on my car and pulled out of the parking lot a moment later.

"What about you and Raven?" Lexi glanced at me with an expression that I didn't understand. Was it a curious one? Or jealousy?

"What about Raven?" I said it like I didn't understand what she was getting at. Lexi had teased me, I might as well do the same.

"She just seemed like her old self again. I'm guessing she isn't handing out too many ‘I'm sorry you broke up’ condolences."

I shrugged as I turned the corner onto the street that led to her house. "She invited me to watch a movie at her house tonight."

"Oh." That was all she said.

I smiled. She was jealous .

When I didn't say anything, she asked, "And are you going?"

She was really cute when she was jealous.

But I had had my fun. We were even now. "Easton invited me over to hot tub tonight."

Her shoulders sagged like she was relieved. "That's good."

"Yep. So, me giving you a ride home actually isn't that far out of my way."

We pulled up to her house a few minutes later, and I followed her inside.

"Well," she said, turning to me, and I could tell she felt awkward about being alone with me in the house. "I guess I'll see you later. I'm sure Easton will be back in a few minutes."

"You could join us in the hot tub if you wanted?" I offered before I could think better of it.

She scratched the back of her neck like she was actually considering it, making my heart pound in my chest. But then she said, "No, that's okay. I think Easton wanted some guy time tonight. I would just be in the way."

My heart, which had swelled in my chest, shrunk again. "Well, you have a good night. I'll just wait for Easton then."

She nodded. "Yep." And she went down the hall to her room.