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)
I watch his every step, and just as Liam pushes out the back door and holds it open for Noah, he glances back, that sharp stare locking on mine and knocking the breath right out of my lungs.
The door slams shut behind him, and I find myself heaving to catch my breath. Needing to distract myself, I grab my phone and swipe away my notifications when I remember Aunt Maya’s text from this morning.
Opening the text, my gaze shifts over her words, and despite them holding no weight or being particularly meaningful, they still hurt all the same.
Aunt Maya: Hey my little warrior, wishing you all the best for your first day back at school. I know today is going to be hard for you, but stick it out. He’ll come around eventually. Hopefully he’s not too hard on you. If anyone can help shine a little bit of light on his hurting soul, it’s you, Zozo.
Seeing that old nickname of Noah’s has tears welling in my eyes, and I fight them back, refusing to let a single tear fall for Noah Ryan, though something tells me this is only the beginning. Not wanting to leave her hanging, I hash out a response and stare at it all too long before finally hitting send.
Zoey: I’m sorry. I really tried, but you were right. Noah isn’t the same boy I once knew.
Aunt Maya: That’s what I was afraid of.
And with that, I pick up my apple and force myself to take a bite, realizing if I’m about to suffer through an emotional war with Noah Ryan, then I’m going to need all the strength I can get.
6
Noah
The cigarette hits my lips, and I take a deep drag, closing my eyes as the nicotine pulses through my body, easing the fire burning in my chest and making it that much easier to breathe. Fucking ironic. The one thing that’s going to kill me is the only thing keeping me grounded. I didn’t choose the smoking life, the smoking life chose me, and despite my mother’s endless objections, I’m not going to stop. I can’t.
“So, we gonna get this over and done with or what?” I ask Liam, my gaze sailing over him, waiting to see how this is going to play out. He didn’t bring me out here because he wanted to fuck me behind the school.
He takes a drag of his cigarette before blowing a cloud of smoke toward my face, and I wait patiently, knowing exactly what’s coming. Same shit, different scenery. There’s always someone who thinks I’m there just to spite them, just to take away their glory. “What are you doing here, man? This is my school. My team.”
“I don’t give a shit about your fucking school or your goddamn team. I’m here to play football and keep my ass out of lockup. That’s it.”
“I ain’t buying it. You’ve been here less than a day and already have the whole fucking school eating out of the palm of your hand. I’m the captain this season. I’m the quarterback, and there’s a fucking hierarchy. I climbed my way to the top. I earned it, and you’re not about to take it from me.”
My brow arches as I take another drag, watching as this fool gets himself worked up, thinking he can even stand a chance against me. “I don’t give a shit about being captain. I told you, I’m just here to play. I don’t need to be captain to get where I need to go.”
“You’re a quarterback,” he states as if I hadn’t worked that out.
I let him see the darkness swirling in my gaze. “And?” I question, arching a brow in challenge. “I’m gonna keep being a quarterback.”
“Like fuck you will,” he spits. “This is my team. I set the standard.”
I laugh. “You might have set the standard when you thought you were the best player on the team,” I tell him. “But there’s a new standard now, a much higher standard, and if you can’t keep up, then you’re gonna spend a shitload of time keeping the bench warm. Trust me, this is my fifth school in three years. I’ve seen it over and over again. I’m too fucking good. Not even my record can deter the coach from playing me. So, go ahead and fight for it, make a fucking fool of yourself, but you and I both know what Coach Martin is going to say. You might be able to throw a fucking ball, but I win championships.”
Liam clenches his jaw and steps into me, his gaze locked on mine. “I’m not backing down from this.”
“Come on, man. What are you trying to do here? You wanna knock me out? Throw a few punches to save your fucking ego?” I ask. “The second I enrolled at East View, your reign was over. You never stood a chance, so instead of trying to destroy what little scraps I might offer you, stand up and take it like a fucking man. You’ll still be captain and get all the fucking pussy you want. You’re not losing here.”