Page 47 of Catching My Dreams

“No,” Noah said through gritted teeth. “Most parents would have flown straight here after you were nearly stabbed by a psycho who’s obsessed with you. Most parents would be too scared to leave you alone in this house while he’s still out there. Most parents would rather die than leave their daughter alone and without any money.”

Ella smiled, but it was thin, filled with hurt and resignation. “I mean, they did leave me ten dollars,” she tried to joke.

Noah stepped closer and swiped a tear from her cheek.

“Fuck them, Ella,” he murmured. “They don’t deserve you. I know they’re your parents, but I hate them for how shitty they’ve been to you.”

“Honestly, I kind of hate them too.” She said the words so quietly, as though she were ashamed of them, of feeling that way.

He cupped her face, keeping his touch as light as possible. “What do you say you go smash that quiz, and when we come back, I’ll suffer through hours of Taylor Swift with you?”

Ella chuckled. “If by suffer, you mean exist in a state of ecstasy, then yes, that sounds really nice.”

“It’s settled then. Let’s go.” He lowered his hands reluctantly, wishing he didn’t have to let her go.

She nodded, the movement barely visible but still causing her to grimace. “Let’s go.”

“Oh. I should probably have mentioned that Chris and Brady are in the car. I hope that’s okay?”

Her eyes widened slightly. “I haven’t made them late, have I?”

“No, you’re good.” He hesitated before continuing. “But they were a bit surprised that you called me.”

She let out a snort, surprising him. “Right. I guess we haven’t been on great terms lately. Or for the last five or six years.”

He lifted his brows. “That’s putting it mildly since you once implied we’re at war.”

Her eyes shifted to the ground. “Well, that’s how it feels sometimes.”

“Then what do you say we call a cease-fire for today?”

He didn’t feel like discussing how she’d ripped out his heart when they were younger anyway, tearing it to shreds before throwing it in the trash with his homemade Valentine’s Day card. In fact, he never wanted to talk about it ever again. It was the most humiliating day of his existence, and if he could have buried the memory altogether, wiping it clean from his mind, he would have.

Her lips twitched like she was fighting a smile. “Sounds good.”

Noah shouldered her bookbag, carrying it for her as they walked out to his car. His hand was resting on her lower back, and he tried not to let it get to his head that she didn’t step away from him or shrug him off.

She let him guide her to the Jeep, and Noah found himself imagining what it would be like if he wasn’t there because she’d needed help. If he was giving her a ride to campus for no other reason than she wanted him to. It was dangerous territory to let his mind wander into, but he couldn’t push the image away. Nor did he want to.

Chris had moved into the back of the car, so Noah opened the passenger door for Ella and helped her in.

“Hi, Ella,” Chris said from the back.

“Hey,” Brady added.

“Hey, guys. Sorry you had to pick me up.”

“Don’t stress,” Brady said. “How’s the neck?”

“It’s a mess,” she replied with a sigh. “But I’ll survive.”

She winced in pain when she lifted her arm to grab the seat belt buckle, so Noah put her seat belt on for her.

He had to lean across her to clip it in, and he couldn’t help but breathe in the scent of her perfume. She smelled like flowers, and the pleasant smell immediately took him back to their first time together. He would always link that sweet and floral scent to that day.

He stepped back before it became obvious how greatly Ella affected him, and once he was settled into the driver’s seat, he handed Ella his unlocked phone. “You’re in charge of music.”

“You realize I’ll be playing nothing but Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, right?” She sounded skeptical, but she happily started tapping his screen.

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