Page 14 of Remember Us This Way

Liam Xander isn’t just an ass. He’s trouble—and not the good kind. If Noah gets involved with him, I hope God has mercy on every single one of our souls.

“Are you shitting me?” Tarni says, wide-eyed, her gaze flicking between Abby and Liam and taking in the way he stands behind one of the cheerleaders, his hands braced on her shoulders as he whispers something in her ear—something filthy enough to make her face flush brighter than the sun. “That’s huge! You slept with Liam? Holy shit. You have to tell me all about it.”

Abby’s cheeks flush, and when a wide grin stretches across her face, I realize the rest of my lunch break is going to be all about Liam Xander’s dick. The girls start talking animatedly between themselves, and when Abby recaps their third night together, I zone out.

My gaze lifts back to Noah’s table to find him carelessly shoving Shannan off his lap before getting to his feet, and I watch with dread as the one and only Liam Xander gets up with him. They say something I can’t even try to hear over the noise of the cafeteria, and with that, the two of them cut through the many tables toward the back exit that leads behind the school, a pack of cigarettes in Noah’s hand.

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.”

He holds my stare when a loud bang reverbs through the school, and my gaze cuts across to the back door of the cafeteria, the same one we’d walked through only a minute ago. Two of the cheerleaders appear and linger at the door, touching up their makeup and talking, when the one who’d been on my lap glances up. Her eyes go wide seeing us over here, and a seductive grin stretches across her face.

They start walking our way, and I let out a sigh, not remembering her name, despite only learning it a few short hours ago. Not that I care. I don’t really want a damn thing to do with her. “You wanna make this right,” Liam murmurs beside me, keeping his tone down so the cheerleaders don’t overhear. “Then give up Shannan. She’s mine.”

Ah, Shannan. That’s her name.

I laugh. “If you can take her, she’s all yours,” I tell him, having been around enough of these over-the-top cheerleaders to know when one of them thinks they’re going to be the light of my life. Shannan is no different. She wants to ride my success right to the fucking top. It’s not going to happen, but if she wants to offer herself up for me, I’m not going to say no. As long as she’s aware I won’t be going back for seconds.

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