Page 11 of Remember Us This Way

Abby’s eyes widen, and I watch as excitement flashes through them, assuming she gets to be the one to break the news about Noah attending East View. “Holy shit! You haven’t heard yet?” she gasps. “Noah Ryan is transferring here. It’s supposedly his first day, but I don’t think anyone has actually seen him yet. I overheard these girls outside saying they doubt he’s even coming, and I mean . . . if that’s true, my heart is going to break. I’ve been crushing on him so hard ever since I saw him play against East View two years ago. He’s so freaking hot.”

Well, shit. That’s going to be fun to deal with.

“He’s definitely coming. Right, Zo?” Tarni says, stepping in a little closer, and at the confused looks on Abby’s and Cora’s faces, Tarni goes on. “Don’t you remember? Zoey and Noah used to be like . . . bestest friends. Their moms hang out all the time.”

Her use of our old saying bestest friends makes it feel dirty, and I do what I can to hide the disdain creeping through my chest.

“Oh shit,” Cora says. “I completely forgot about that. You guys used to be like really close, huh?”

“Something like that,” I tell them, desperately wishing to change the topic, but something tells me that Noah Ryan is going to be the center of attention until he finally graduates and gets his ass out of here. I’m going to have to get used to it.

“So, then he’s definitely coming to East View?” Abby confirms.

I nod. “Yep. At least, that’s what his mom told me last night.”

“Holy shit,” Cora says with a dreamy expression. “You’re so freaking lucky. You were talking to his mom! You have a direct line to Noah Ryan. Does that mean his family is always at your place and shit like that? You have to introduce us.”

Ugh. I couldn’t think of anything worse.

I’m just about to tell them where they can shove their introduction when the hallway erupts with excited gasps and shrieks. A path forms right down the center like the Red Sea parting for East View’s newest celebrity.

My stomach twists into knots, and as the girls shuffle forward, trying to get just a glance at the famous Noah Ryan, I find myself shrinking back against my locker, trying to hide behind the crowd. But I sense him there, and I hold my breath, preparing for another blow.

This is too much. I can’t live my life terrified of seeing his face.

It hurts too much.

My breath comes in hard pants, anxiety gripping my throat and squeezing as my gaze follows the movement of the crowd. Eager bystanders try to peer around one another, but I remain braced against my locker. The bell for homeroom sounds through the halls, yet no one seems to make a move.

My hands start to shake and then finally, there’s a break in the crowd and I see him.

Noah Ryan. My Noah Ryan.

It’s still so surreal seeing him after all this time, and even after seeing him in the student office this morning, my world is rocked again. I catch my breath, my whole body burning from the inside out as I feel him, that invisible string between us pulsing with the fiercest electricity. We’ve always been tethered together, and no amount of distance is ever going to change that.

He doesn’t look at me, but I know he feels me here. How could he not? How could he possibly deny something so raw and pure? I know he might hate me right now. He might be desperate to push me away and watch his world burn to ashes around him, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he still loves me. He will always love me, and no matter how hard he tries, he will never be able to escape it.

Our souls formed an impenetrable bond the day we first met, and since then, it’s only gotten stronger. The more he tries to deny it, the more he hurts us both. But something tells me it’s that pain he craves. Right now, feeling the pain is the only thing keeping him breathing.

Come on, Noah. Look at me, just once. Let your eyes light up like they used to. Show me you still care.

He goes to stride past us when Tarni does the unthinkable and pushes herself right out in front of him, stepping directly in his path and trying to stop him with a hand against his chest.

I suck in a breath, my heart thundering with a weird sense of betrayal and hurt, not understanding how she could possibly think this is a good idea. Hasn’t she been listening to me over the past three years? She knows how much this distance has killed me. I thought she cared.

“Hey, Noah,” she purrs, batting her lashes at him as he steps around her, not missing a single stride. Hell, not even bothering to spare her a glance. She’s forced to quickly back up, trying not to fall over her feet. “I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Tarni. You, me, and Zoey used to be like bestest friends—”

His ferocious gaze snaps to mine, the intensity pinning me to my locker as though an invisible hand had physically shoved me back. My breath catches in my throat, my eyes locked on his, held captive as he unknowingly pulls on that tether between us, daring me to make a move.

The moment lasts barely a second, yet it feels like it could have been a lifetime before he finally releases my stare and shrugs off Tarni’s touch, not allowing her the chance to finish her sentence. Noah keeps walking, his herd of loyal fans following his every step as Tarni is left behind gaping at him with hearts in her eyes.

Once the crowd starts fanning out, and students scurry to get to homeroom, I stare at Tarni in the middle of the corridor, watching as her gaze slowly shifts back to mine. “Holy shit,” she beams as Abby and Cora take off. “Did you see that? Noah Ryan touched my hand.”

“He didn’t touch your hand,” I mutter, that thick betrayal slicing through my chest. “Your hand touched him.”

“Same thing,” she says before letting out a heavy breath and falling back into me. “Oh my god, is it going to be weird if I fall madly in love with him? You’re over that, right? Because dammmmmn. Noah Ryan just became my latest project.”

Just great. That’s exactly what I need—my best friend crushing on the other half of my soul.

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