Page 89 of Chasing Infinity

I sit up straight and hold her gaze steady. My blood thrums in my ears as I get more and more agitated at the thought of Monty trying to take it too far with her. “You tell him no. If he does something you don’t want him to do, you tell him no, and you call someone—Sullivan or your dad or… me.”

“Wouldn’t that be weird?” she asks, her nose wrinkling. “If I called you for something like that? I didn’t realize we were friends in that way. Or at all.”

“It doesn’t matter if we’re friends or not. No girl should be put in a situation like that, and they need to have people they can call. I’d do the same for any other girl in our school,” I tell her forcefully. “Don’t go feeling like you’re special or anything.”

Her cheeks turn a light shade of pink, and she looks down at her book again, a smile playing on the corner of her lips. “Thanks, Noah.”

I grumble something unintelligible under my breath and lean back again, closing my eyes. I listen to the sound of the creek underneath the bridge and the birds chirping in the trees. It’s a perfect day outside. Fall in Willow Heights is always my favorite because of days like this.

As much as I try to fight it, I can feel her heavy gaze on me. I peek at her with one eye and frown. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

She blushes as if I just caught her doing something she wasn’t supposed to be. She thinks about her response for a second, too long, before looking me in the eye. “You’re just different from what I always thought you were.”

I sigh, tossing my head back. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t go getting any wild ideas. I can’t have you tarnishing my reputation with rumors that I’mniceor something.”

“You are nice. Underneath it all, I think you have a good heart.”

“Don’t mistake my being a decent human for something it’s not, Parks. You know who I am. Who my father is.”

“I don’t think that has to mean what you think it means. You don’t have to be that way.”

“Is this turning into a nature versus nurture conversation? Because I hate to break it to you, but I’ve got a shitty deal on both accounts.”

Parks squints her eyes at me as if she’s trying to see something more clearly. “Don’t sell yourself short, Noah. You’ve got a lot of life yet to live.”

“Don’t go getting all mushy on me now. We’ve barely been cordial with each other for two minutes. Should I be expecting a homecoming proposal from you next?” I tease her, and she laughs.

“Highly unlikely. I don’t think you’re my type,” Parks replies and sticks her tongue out at me.

“Likewise,” I say with a crinkle of my nose, but I can’t help but notice the uncomfortable tightness that settles in my chest. I cough to clear it, but it doesn’t work. It’s still there, reminding me that I just lied through my teeth.

We fall into another slightly awkward, slightly comfortable silence. Parks continues with her homework, jotting a note down here and there. Meanwhile, I peel the bark off of the stick I found to pass the time. Finally, I can’t take it anymore, and I push up into a standing position, making a show of stretching my back.

“Well, I better get home before the mayor finds out I’m late for dinner,” I tell her. “Wouldn’t want him to put me in jail or something.”

“I think that’s more Charlie’s dad you’d have to worry about,” she says, looking up at me.

“Good point. Well anyway, I’ll see you around. And seriously, Parks, if something happens with Monty, you kick him in the nuts and go find someone you trust. Someone who can give him the real beat down.”

Her cheeks blush, and she fights a smile. “I will, thanks, Noah.”

I wave her off as if it’s nothing and head home without another word on the matter, but truth be told, it bothers me incessantly for the next few weeks. I’m tempted to bring it up to her, tell her I don’t think she should go to the dance if she’s worried that he’ll try something. I get a lot of opportunities. For some reason, she’s taken to joining me at the bridge almost every afternoon. We don’t always talk much, but it’s nice just sitting with her.

But at the end of the day, I just leave it. I’m not her keeper. It’s not my responsibility to protect her against Monty getting too handsy—even if the thought of it makes me want to throw up.

Parks is old enough to handle her own, And besides, from my limited knowledge of her, she’s not the type to want a knight in shining armor, anyway. If I had to pick a type for her, it would be someone who would challenge her and make her question her very existence. Parks is bookish—academic—not so much the roses and rainbows type.

Hopefully, Eli Montgomery is wise enough to realize that because I sure as hell won’t be telling him. I don’t know what she even sees in him, anyway. He’s too clingy and pathetic. Definitely not someone I would pair her with. Not for a thousand years.

And yet the Monday after homecoming, I see them walking together hand-in-hand. Parks looks happy with that post-dance glow, so I can’t be too upset. I think back to our conversation a few weeks ago and wonder what happened with that. Did she end up giving it up to Monty? The thought makes my blood burn and bile rise in my throat. Not that it’s any of my business, but the idea of her and Monty in the sack makes me want to barf. She deserves someone way better than him.

Someone like you?

I shake my head and turn back to my locker. Not me. Never me. Not after the way I treated her all those years.

Still, as the days move on, I can’t help but paying attention to all the little things about her. I notice how she twirls one of the front pieces of her hair around one finger while listening to a lecture. I pick up on the scrunch of her nose when trying to solve a difficult math problem, her tongue darting out in concentration.

I even notice days later when Eli leans over to say something to her and she tosses her head back with a laugh. Her hazel eyes light up with mirth, and she smiles from ear to ear. My heart constricts, but I quickly dampen whatever feelings I’m deluding myself into having.

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