Page 67 of Remember Us This Way

Resident Asshole: You saw that right? I dominated that game.

A smirk settles across my face as I grab Hazel’s hand and lead her down the grandstand while trying not to trip and fall. And because I’m just so nice, I do what I can to keep Noah’s ego in check.

Zoey: Wait. What did I miss? I was too busy watching the hottie on the other team. You know, the one who nearly took you out. Did you see the arms on that guy?

Resident Asshole: You’re an ass. Just tell me how great I was.

Zoey: You were a dazzling shining star. I’m sure if your game were a ballet, you’d be showered with hundreds of bouquets of the most stunning roses this world has to offer.

Resident Asshole: …

Resident Asshole: I don’t know what to make of that.

Zoey: Just tell me how great I am.

Resident Asshole: Touché, Zoey James. Touché.

I laugh to myself for a job well done before focusing on getting the rest of the way down the grandstand, pleased that Hazel and I managed to make it through a whole football game without either of us being shamelessly tormented.

We make our way back across the field to the lot, and I listen to Hazel’s recap of the game from start to finish as though I didn’t just watch the whole thing right by her side. I unlock the car, and we’re just getting in when my phone buzzes again.

Resident Asshole: Soooo…There’s a party tonight, and I know I told my mom that I’d come to dinner at your place. But do you wanna bail with me and party instead?

Zoey: Wow! Is that your way of asking a girl out because it kinda sucks! But also…I don’t know. Me and parties don’t really mix. You remember what happened at the last one, right?

Resident Asshole: Shannan knows what’ll happen to her if she goes anywhere near you again. Let your hair down, Zozo. Have a little fun. Besides, think of all the things we could do at a party that we can’t do at your dining table.

Resident Asshole: Also, for the record, you’ll fucking know when I’m asking you out.

Butterflies swarm through the pit of my stomach as Hazel groans. “Are we just going to sit here all night or are you actually going to turn on the engine and drive us home? I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry, and watching you grin at your phone isn’t helping me get fed.”

I roll my eyes and groan before tossing my phone down into my bag and getting us out of here. The drive home is filled with music and Hazel’s mindless chatter about how cool Noah was, and I find myself zoning out, wondering exactly what it would mean to go to a party with Noah Ryan.

Though, would I actually be going with him, or will I just happen to be in the same place at the same time while both of us watch each other from opposite ends of the room like we’ve been doing ever since he got to East View? It’s not like I get to complain about that. I was the one who put limitations on us. I told him not to kiss me again until he was mine, and now I’m regretting that decision. I want to feel his lips on mine, even if he’s not quite ready to emerge from the hell he’s been living through these past few years.

The reality is, high-school girls are mean, and when it comes to Noah Ryan, they’re absolutely brutal. I don’t want to be caught doing anything with him, not even having a simple conversation, until I know it’s endgame. Well, I already know he’s endgame for me. It’s been that way since before I can remember, but there’s still a lot we need to work through until we can get there. Not to mention, he’s trying really freaking hard to break down my walls. It’s like something clicked into place for him, and he’s somehow managed to let go of some of his pain.

He’s coming home to me. He’s so damn close. I just have to be patient a little while longer.

Then there’s the issue of Tarni. With every passing day, her ridiculous crush on Noah gets worse. Not that I pay much attention to it. These past couple of weeks, I’ve practically been a ghost sitting next to her. Our friends don’t even try to include me in conversations anymore, and I sure as hell don’t force it. To be completely honest, I don’t even think they’ve noticed the wedge between us, and it breaks my heart. Tarni has been one of my closest friends for so long, but lately, she’s felt like a stranger.

Pulling my Range Rover into the driveway, I barely get the engine shut off before Hazel flies out the door and slams it closed behind her. I roll my eyes at her performance before grabbing my bag and following her inside, only I get all of two steps through the door when an excited gasp fills the air.

My gaze swings around to the living room to find Mom and Aunt Maya lounging on the couch, each with a glass of wine in their hands and their sharp, knowing gazes locked on me. Mom looks like she’s about to start crying, while Aunt Maya beams at me and springs to her feet. “Oh, my little warrior,” she says, clearly a few glasses deep as she strides across the living room. She reaches me in no time and throws her arms around me, pinning me to her chest and squeezing me tight. “I always knew this time would come.”

What in the fresh hell is she talking about?

She holds me for a second too long before gripping my upper arms and pushing me back, tears of happiness in her eyes. She looks at me like her whole world finally makes sense. Then it hits me.

Noah.

That big asshole.

He said something.

“Okay,” I say slowly, inching away from Maya. If I stay for dinner, my whole night is going to look like this. Only at some point, they’re going to pry for details, and I really have no idea what to tell them. For some reason, I think mentioning the whole unbelievably hot make-out session up against the wall of my walk-in closet isn’t exactly an appropriate dinner conversation, especially in front of Hazel and my dad. “So, um . . . There’s a party tonight, and I was kinda hoping that—”

“Fine,” Mom says with a heavy sigh. “Just don’t do anything stupid. And no drinking. Oh, and certainly no walking home in the middle of the night by yourself.”

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