AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry in advance, this is going to be a bit of a long A/N.
I just wanted to address a few things. Yes, this is the first update since... 2016, I think? Apologies for it taking literal years, but I kind of just lost my passion and my ability to write for a while there, and am only just starting to try and piece it all back together. With that in mind, please forgive any inconsistencies within the story and bear with me as I attempt to bring FoN back to life after such a long hiatus.
Also, I will slowly be editing the entire manuscript and making quite a few changes overall, but I will post a message to all followers when those changes happen, so that those of you who wish to do an entire re-read can do so with the new manuscript.
Some of the changes you can look forward to are: Ashleigh Thomas will be reimagined and in the new version will be Ashleigh Choi, a Korean girl. Courtney Keller's father will be African American. Noah Duke's mother was Argentinian. So as you can see, character diversity is going to be added and I am very excited about this, even if for some characters it only changes some minor details.
I am also working towards two sequels/spin off stories. One is about Courtney when she is 21. The other is about Ashleigh when she is 23. I have so far mapped out the very basics of both stories, and will probably look at posting Courtney's story, maybe even before FoN is complete. We will see - for the moment I just want to celebrate the fact that I managed to write more than a single paragraph lol.
Anyway, this here is a teaser for the upcoming chapter - it is roughly the first four pages of the chapter, so I would say approx 25% of the overall chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and that it gives you a bit of hope that the story will finally begin to get the ending it has been waiting for.
To those of you that have stuck with the story for a long time, I thank you lovely people from the bottom of my heart for still being here with me. I hope you know I appreciate every one of you.
Love always,
Starzee
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I stared at the shirt.
At those two words that defined a huge part of my life. The company wasn't merely a big part of who I was; it was my parent's legacy to Riley and me. The same legacy that Tyson had just revealed to be his constant torment.
I... oh, my God. He hated me.
And if I happened to run into the bastard who actually owns it, I'd only need ten seconds to let him know what a piece of shit I think he is.
Ten seconds was all he'd need to tell me I was a horrible human being. Was that because he'd forego pleasantries altogether and just punch me? Or was it because you could literally call someone a piece of shit in two seconds, giving you another eight to add a few more choice adjectives just in case the point hadn't been driven home?
Numb with shock even as my heartbeat began to accelerate at an alarming rate, I traced the design stitched into the black polo. How had this happened? Why was this happening? I'd woken up this morning determined to tell Tyson who I was and all that it entailed. I'd finally decided to share all of myself with someone that wasn't Riley, Mel, or Courtney, and yet...
The more I thought about it, the more panic set in. I couldn't tell Tyson anything. My grand revelation would not be met with confusion, awe, and curiosity followed by calm acceptance as I'd hoped for. Hell, I'd be lucky if all he did was throw me out of his apartment the second the words passed my lips.
I was his boss!
Well, technically I was the boss of his boss several times over. Just how high did the chain of command go before you reached the top? Not that I could use that as an excuse for the way Tyson was being treated at work.
Hey, sorry to hear your basic rights as an employee are being abused, but maybe you could cut a girl some slack seeing as I'm soooo far removed from the situation I had no idea it was happening right under my nose. No, I'm not blind, it just never occurred to me that my company would hire a racist prick.
Yeah, right. That conversation would go over splendidly.
"Noah?"
I startled, both at Tyson's voice and at his fingertips sliding across my cheek.
"You good? You kinda look like you've seen a ghost."
I blinked at him, trying to quell the panic tightening my chest. "Hmm? No, yeah, yes, I'm fine, perfect, everything's dandy, I was just –"
The sound of a phone ringing cut across me, and also gave me one hell of a fright. I yelped, and would have thrown myself completely off the bed if Tyson hadn't been caging me in with his arms braced either side of me.
Giving me a bemused look, Tyson sat back on his haunches and dug his phone out of his back pocket. His free hand landed on my thigh, and I zeroed in on the heat I could feel through the flimsy barrier of my tights. It was a welcome distraction, or it would have been if it hadn't also brought with it the realisation that I was lying on Tyson's bed, completely topless and with my pants pulled down just enough to expose the top curve of my butt.
Holy teenage hormones, Batman!
Had I really been this close to showing Tyson my birthday suit? The answer to that was obvious. But while I hadn't minded in the heat of the moment, I was feeling more than a little self-conscious now that things had cooled down a little.
Frowning at the display, Tyson murmured, "It's my sister. She knows you and I are hanging out today, so she wouldn't call unless –"
I waved a hand at him. "Emergency or not, she's your sister. Answer it, it's fine, I'm fine, we're fine." And for the love of all that was holy, could I just stop babbling?
Squeezing my thigh, Tyson got to his feet, deftly buttoned his jeans, and walked out into his tiny living room to answer the call. The second he was out of sight I shot up off the bed like I'd been electrocuted, yanking my pants back into place and scanning the room for my bra and shirt. The latter was nowhere to be found, but my bra was sitting on the floor right beneath my foot. I was so frazzled and frantic that I snapped myself with my bra strap twice before I managed to get it done up, and in lieu of going on an extended manhunt for my lost shirt, I snatched up one of Tyson's long sleeved Henleys from his clean washing pile and slipped it on over my head. It hit me mid-thigh, and I had to push the sleeves back to free my hands, but it served the purpose of preserving my modesty as I slipped from the bedroom and went in search of Tyson to spew some kind of excuse at him so I could flee.
Never let it be said that I was mature. Or that I liked confrontation. Or that when in fight or flight mode, my desire to fight won out.
As it turned out, I didn't need to flounder for an excuse. Thank goodness, because the only thing my panic saturated brain could scrape together was: I have to leave right now because my dog ate my homework. If I blurted that out, not only would I paint myself as the world's lousiest liar, but I'd also look sketchy and like I was hiding something. Which I was, but that was so not the point.
I nearly collapsed in gratitude when I padded the entire six feet that was Tyson's main living area and he turned toward me, pocketing his phone. A scowl marred his handsome features, and he swiped a hand through his hair in agitation.
"Hey, look, I'm sorry, I know I said we'd spend the rest of the day together, and I hope you know I wouldn't cut it short unless it was something extremely important, but that was Rachel and she needs me, and I can't just ignore that –"
I was suddenly alarmed for an entirely different reason. "Is she okay?"
Tyson hissed out a breath between clenched teeth. "Yes, I think she's okay. She was a little hysterical on the phone, but she said that she and two friends hit up some music festival about an hour away. They met a group of college guys, her friends were on board with having their own private party at one guy's house. Rach said no, so her friends ditched her. One of the guys apparently stayed behind to try and change Rach's mind, got a little physical, but she managed to get away from him. Lost her bag in the process, so she has no money to find her way home. She's sitting in the first aid tent in case he tries anything else, so I need to go and get her."
My mouth was gaping open by the time he finished, and I rushed ahead of him to open his front door. "Then what are you waiting for, hurry it up. Grab a shirt and get your ass moving."
But he stayed where he was, giving me a pained look. "Noah... I really am sorry about this."
I made a noise of impatience. "Okay, so we never have to have this conversation again, let me be very clear. You never have to apologise to me for taking care of your family, Tyson. In fact, I'd probably think you were a bit of an asshole if you didn't drop everything to go and get your baby sister right now."
Still looking a little uncertain, like maybe he thought I'd call him out on how little time he was able to dedicate to me and call it quits on our relationship, Tyson came over and threaded his fingers through mine. He gave my hand a squeeze, and leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on my lips.
"Thank you," he murmured against my mouth.
I licked my lips, and he was so close I ended up licking his as well.
"Shoes," I replied, planting a hand on his chest and giving him a gentle push. "Shirt. Keys. The sooner you get to her, the better."
Nodding, Tyson headed for his bedroom, and reappeared thirty seconds later fully dressed with his car keys in hand. He shut and locked his front door behind us, then escorted me down his death trap of a staircase with an amused quirk of his lips while I tried diligently not to pass the hell out from accidentally taking a peek over the edge at the miles of distance between me and the ground.
Truthfully, it was probably no more than twenty feet.
I very nearly celebrated hitting the pavement in front of his building, at least until he stopped by his car and said, "You know, you could come with me if you want –"
"NO!" I practically shouted, suddenly bombarded with thoughts of his Azalea Shipping shirt and every negative word he'd said about his place of work. I could actually feel my blood pressure climbing.
Damn, I needed to get a hold of myself. Taking a deep breath, I tried again. "I mean, she called you for help. I don't want her to feel uncomfortable if you show up and surprise her with me. She probably just wants to feel safe and be able to relax, and nobody can do that in front of a near stranger. Besides, I, uh, have a few things to take care of that I just remembered."
I didn't think he believed me, but hey, it was better than telling him the dog I didn't own ate the homework I didn't have, so I'd take it as a win.
I didn't register I was making a beeline for my truck across the road until he called out my name.
"Noah."
I spun to face him so fast I was amazed I didn't give myself whiplash. "Mm?"
He was scrutinizing me intently, brow furrowed as his eyes roamed my face. I wasn't sure what he was seeing. The smile I'd plastered across my face was probably a red flag all by itself; it was so forced I could feel the strain in my cheeks and jaw.
"Are you sure you're good? I just... you seem a little off." He pointed behind him in the general vicinity of his apartment. "You were okay, right, with what we were doing..."
He trailed off, and I blinked as understanding dawned. "What? Yes, I was okay. More than okay. That was, well, you were amazing – are amazing. It was perfectly perfect."
Perfectly perfect? Ugh, shoot me now.
Foregoing speech, since it was clear talking was not one of my many talents, I closed the distance between us and reached up to link my fingers at his nape. Then I pulled him toward me and kissed him like... well, like one of us was dying. Or maybe like one of us was about to discover the other was a completely self-absorbed bitch who didn't ensure her employees worked in a safe and inclusive environment.
He really hates me.
The worst part was, he didn't even know it yet.
I put everything I had into that kiss, hoping it would somehow convey the many things I couldn't make myself say.
I'm sorry, forgive me, please don't hate me, I need you, but more than that I want you to be part of my life.
In the end all I could do was soak him in; his touch, his taste, his scent. The way he gently cradled my face in his hands and curved his body around me like I was something to be cherished.
I tried hard not to imagine this might be the last kiss we ever shared, and had to blink back tears as I pulled back. Tyson looked a little dazed, his eyes half lidded, cheeks flushed the slightest pink, and his full lips kiss swollen.
"Uh..." His voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat and tried again, but after a long moment of deliberation all he could come up with was, "That was... wow."
Back to my forced carefree smile that I was certain made me look constipated, I said, "Right, well, you need to get your sister, and I need to, uh, do some things. But I'll see you at school on Monday."
And before he could do anything else, I was throwing out an overly enthusiastic wave like he was a hundred feet away and not within easy smacking distance, and retreated to the safety of my Ram. I may or may not have sprinted like a hoard of zombies was on my ass, and I was such a coward I didn't check to see if he was watching me. Instead I tore out of my parking space without even putting my seatbelt on first.