One side of Noah’s lips curled. “That’s not what I hear.”
We weren’t in school yet, and the word had already spread about Maiken and me.
I crossed my arms. “My boyfriend may not be here, but he’s still my boyfriend.”
He flicked his head ever so slightly as though he didn’t believe a word I’d said. “Well, Quinn Thompson, see you around.” He strutted off in the direction of his cousin. His long, muscular legs ate up the pool deck until he was seated at a stool behind the bar where Dustin was flipping burgers and Tessa was pouring a drink.
“OMG! What was that all about?” Celia asked.
“No clue.” I was flattered, but that was the gist of it.
Celia’s eyes darted to Noah. “If you ask me, he’s crushing on you for sure. Although I wouldn’t mind crawling up his tall body.”
My phone rang, and I fumbled to get it out of my bag.
Celia looked at my phone. “Go someplace quiet.”
With my phone pressed to my ear, I headed away from the party and toward a cluster of trees in the backyard. “M-maiken?” I stuttered, something I hadn’t done in ages.
“There’s my girl.” His Southern drawl sent delicious shivers down my arms. “Sorry I haven’t called before now. I’ve been practicing and working out and studying. Two days of classes and practice, and I’m already beat to a pulp. How’s the love of my life?”
I was a thousand times better now that I was listening to his raspy tone.
The bell chirped, announcing the end of my second class on the first day of my senior year.
Ugh! Depressing was how I would describe the day so far. I was looking for Maiken any chance I had. I was so used to seeing him strut down the hall or come up from behind and kiss me on the neck or ear.
Kids spilled out into the halls, and the buzz of voices and laughter ricocheted off the metal lockers. Girls huddled close together. Boys gathered in groups, eyeing the girls close by. Others walked to their next class, looking like zombies out of The Walking Dead.
I felt like a zombie. With Carter and Liam at college, I had the pleasure of doing their chores too. I had to get up an hour earlier to help Daddy with the animals. Four a.m. was not a time to be crawling out of bed when all I wanted to do was snuggle under my blankets and sleep until graduation.
Sighing, I hiked my bag over my shoulder, dodging students as I made my way to AP Biology. Most of my classes that year were advanced placement. I had to keep my head down and study hard if I wanted to maintain my high grade-point average and stay on track for valedictorian. I had ticked the boxes so far for the esteemed honor at the end of my junior year. If I kept up my perfect grade-point average, I shouldn’t have any problems.
I passed Jessica Bento, who was holding a ladder while her cheerleader mate Elise Davis tacked a banner to the wall above a bank of lockers.
Smoothing a hand down her cheer uniform, Jessica’s big blue eyes went wide before she waved me over. “Hey, Quinn.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear, sliding in and out of traffic. “So we’re playing Forest Grove in our first football game, huh?” At least that was what the banner read. They were one of our big basketball rivals, but their football team sucked according to Liam.
She shrugged. “Have you heard from Maiken?”
That was an odd question coming from her until I remembered she had the hots for Ethan. At least I assumed she did since I’d seen them together at my party.
“I have.” Maiken and I had spoken a few times since he’d called during Tessa’s party.
She stuck out her pink bottom lip. “Ethan won’t text me back. I’ve tried to call him too, but he won’t answer.” She puffed out her cheeks. “I don’t know what to do. I’m going nuts. I thought he liked me, but I’m getting the feeling he doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
I sympathized with her. It had been maddening when I’d repeatedly texted and called Maiken the night of my party with no response from him. “Maiken says they’re busier than ever with sports and school.” One week without Maiken seemed like a lifetime of hell.
A boy ran by me, bumping me in the shoulder and almost body checking me into a locker.
“What the hell?” I shouted.
The tall black-haired boy with wide shoulders stopped, turned, and hustled back to me.
I did a double take. “Noah? You go to this school? Since when?” After we’d briefly met at Tessa’s, I hadn’t paid much attention to him. Celia and I had hung out, people watching mostly. In fact, Noah hadn’t stayed at the party that long. He’d left before Celia and I had.
Elise had already climbed down while Jessica and I had been chatting. She flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder and grinned at Noah like she wanted to eat him. I could understand the swooning she was doing. Noah was definitely droolworthy, but he was not my type, even though Celia kept saying he liked me.
Whether he did or not, my heart was taken by a sandy-blond-haired boy who was my everything.
A mischievous grin lit up Noah’s handsome features. “Since today. My mom took a job in town.”
“Are you a senior like Dustin?” I asked.
Elise stared at Noah, her hungry brown gaze piercing into him and pleading for him to glance her way.
Jessica was fiddling with her phone, more than likely trying to get ahold of Ethan.
Noah shook his head, his unruly black hair falling into his eyes. “Junior. But I’m late. I need to get to the admin office. Do you know where that is?”
“I’ll take you,” Elise piped in quickly, flashing a radiant smile.
He finally regarded her with a lack of interest. “Thanks. So, Quinn, do you want to hit that burger place in town after school?”
Elise’s cheeks slowly darkened as she shot daggers at me, daring me to say yes. If I did, she looked ready to cut off my head. Luckily, she had nothing to worry about.
“I told you—I have a boyfriend,” I said to Noah.
He kept his expression neutral. “I understand. I’m just looking for a friend.”
Presume much, Quinn? What a ditz I am.
Elise hooked her arm in Noah’s. “I’ll go with.”
Noah didn’t acknowledge her. Instead, he gave me a pleading look, much like Elise had given him.
I could use another friend. “I can’t anyway. I’ve got a ton of chores on the farm.”
“Farm? Do you have horses? I love horses,” he said, not giving up.
Jessica tapped Elise. “Let’s go. We need to finish what we started, or else Tessa will be chewing our butts off.”
“Noah.” Elise gushed his name, batting her long, thick, mascara-laden lashes up at him. “The admin office is this way.” She stuck out a blue-painted nail, pointing down the hall behind her.
Celia bounced up out of nowhere. Her red lips were set in a tight line, and her eyes were narrowed behind her brown-rimmed glasses. I guessed she didn’t want to wear her contacts. “There you are.”
Noah gave me one last cheeky grin and reluctantly left with Elise tethered to his arm and Jessica leading them.
“Was that Noah?” Celia asked.
“He goes to our school now. What’s with the snarly look?”