Page 15 of It Was Always You

Noah looked over his shoulder at Raven before leading me out of the lunchroom. "We'll be back in a few minutes."

We found a private spot outside in the hallway. Easton crossed his arms and demanded, "So what's really going on? Because, so help me, I will beat you up if you're really messing around with my sister." His jaw clenched, and he'd never looked so much like my dad before. He wasn't quite as big as Noah, but from the protective glint in his eyes I wouldn't put it past him to get a few good punches in before Noah stopped it.

"Calm down, Easton, and let me talk." Noah leanedagainst the cinderblock wall behind him, not seeming nervous at all. "It's kind of a crazy story..."

Noah told Easton all about how he'd pretended to be my secret boyfriend on Friday night.

When Noah finished, the fire that had been in Easton's eyes before completely extinguished. "So you're not really trying to date my sister?"

Noah scoffed. "Of course not."

The incredulity in his voice stung, especially after everything Raven had said.

"He was just helping me save face in a really embarrassing situation."

Easton pursed his lips. "But this doesn't explain why everyone was talking about you taking my sister's virtue. What did you do to getthatrumor going around?"

"They think we hooked up?" Noah turned to me with a mixture of shock and confusion on his face.

I looked at my Chuck Taylors, feeling myself blush. "I um..." I bit my lip. How was I supposed to tell him thatIhad started that rumor?

Noah stepped away from the wall and tilted his head toward mine. "Who told people that we hooked up? Was it Sarah and Ava?"

I shook my head and forced myself to meet his intense gaze. "I accidentally said something this morning that got twisted into something about that. And before I knew it, the whole band class thought we were..." I letmy voice drift off, not daring to say the actual word out loud.

"They think we're having s?—"

I covered his mouth with my hand before he could finish his sentence. "Shh. Don't say that out loud."

I slowly removed my hand from his lips. I could tell the moment when he realized exactly what was happening, because he got this shocked and dazed look in his eyes. Then he appeared nervous for the first time.

He held his hands up in surrender at Easton. "I swear I didn't lay a finger on your sister. I didn't even kiss her."

Easton folded his arms across his chest. "I would hope not."

Noah pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "Is that what all those people in there think we're doing?"

I nodded. "I think so."

He ran a hand through his tousled hair and blew out a long breath. "Wow. That's uh..." He scratched behind his ear and stared at me like he really didn't know what to say. "That's not what I was expecting to come from this."

"Yeah, me neither." I shuffled my feet and looked down, wanting to turn invisible.

"I know I don't have the best reputation, but they should know that that's the last thing I would do," Noah said.

"Hey," I said, feeling offended that the thought ofbeing with me would be thelastthing he'd ever do. Was I really that gross to him?

He shook his head. "You know I don't mean it like that, Lexi. I'm just saying that I know all about the purity ring and college thing, and I'd hate any guy who would take that from you."

"So now that we've got that all cleared up," Easton said awkwardly, rocking back on his heels. "Let's all just focus on the real win for today."

"And that is?" Noah asked.

Easton clapped Noah on the back. "I didn't have to beat up my best friend for hitting on my sister."

Noah laughed. "Like you could even hurt me."

Easton laughed, too. "I know." Then after he'd laughed some more, he asked, "So are you going to keep this lie going?"

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