SCHOOL THE next morning was hell for Andorra. She slipped into Kyle's car that morning, surprised to see him in her driveway, but shameful because of what happened last night in the library. Kyle of course had no clue she'd been with Noah.
It was hard to keep secrets from Kyle because he was so joyful all of the time. When he saw her slip into the passenger seat, his smile was so wide and contagious that she smiled too, wishing him a good morning, laughing when he grabbed her knee and squeezed it. And she felt genuine happiness when he kept his hand there the entire drive to school.
But, upon arrival, things had shifted. Kyle had to meet with a teacher, and so the two of them didn't enter school together. The moment she stepped into school, Shaniah had been waiting for her. She was standing by the front door, arms crossed, waiting for Andorra to step through the door. An ambush of sorts.
As Andorra stepped through the door, Shaniah was there with a sadistic grin on her face, trailing Andorra to her locker. "So, I heard the freak went shopping yesterday for a dress."
Andorra opened her locker and didn't look at Shaniah as she put her stuff away. "Yeah, I did. So what?"
Shaniah grabbed Andorra's arm to yank her back so that Andorra was looking into her eyes. Shaniah's face was twisted up into anger, so strong that Andorra wondered what she'd done this time to offend Shaniah.
"It shouldn't be you going with Kyle. Tell him you no longer want to go to the dance."
Andorra's mouth ran dry at the thought of telling Kyle that. She'd already bought the dress, and she already told Kyle yes to his proposition. There was no turning back, and she didn't want to.
"I'm going with Kyle, end of story." Andorra yanked her arm out of Shaniah's grip, then watched as Noah approached them from the other end of the hallway. For a moment, Andorra imagined he was coming over to talk to her like he had last night, and she could practically hear his voice say her name.
But, he wasn't coming over for her. Shaniah squealed when she caught sight of Noah, and then she laughed. "Noah, don't you think this freak should stay home during the winter formal? Freaks don't belong at the dance, isn't that right?"
Noah's face didn't change to show how he felt about Shaniah's words, but it was his response that killed Andorra and reminded her just why she didn't like Noah in the first place. "I'd say that's about right."
Noah moved to stand behind Shaniah, not touching her but close enough that it was clear who he was choosing. And he was choosing Shaniah.
Andorra turned back towards her locker, blinking away tears. She wondered what Shaniah's reaction would be if she told her that Noah gave her a ride home last night, but she couldn't say that. She wasn't that mean, nor did she have the guts to deal with the aftermath. So instead, she continued putting her stuff away, slowly and mechanically.
Shaniah didn't stop there, though. "I mean, it doesn't matter anyway. Kyle's going to see Jessica and realize he should have taken her to the dance all along. Her dress is absolutely gorgeous. I bet by the end of the night, she'll be in Kyle's arms, moaning his name!" All of them laughed at that, mockingly, and Andorra pressed into her locker, trying to fight the tears of shame and embarrassment.
She didn't hear Noah laugh, but she didn't care. He was siding with them, and that was what mattered. Andorra couldn't believe she'd let him bring her home last night, and she couldn't believe she'd fallen for his act.
She slammed her locker door shut and composed herself, turning towards Shaniah and her friends. She looked Noah in the eyes and then took a breath. "I think you're just jealous that Kyle picked me, not any of you. Why on earth would he take a freak like me to the dance instead of one of you, right? Is that why you're so mad?"
Shaniah's face twisted up into anger, but Andorra didn't care about making her mad, not anymore. "I don't care about taking Kyle when I'm with Noah, who is clearly the better of the two."
Andorra let out a laugh, but it was forced and sounded dull to her own ears. "If you think Noah is the better of the two, that's your own problem." And then, she surprised herself and walked away, leaving them in the dust.
She hadn't looked at Noah when she said that, and she was glad she hadn't. Part of her felt broken that he was there with them, clearly digging the knife in her back deeper than he already had.
She wanted to figure out his game, but she couldn't. She had no clue what he was playing at, and why he wanted to be her partner, or why he purposefully found her last night just to bring her home.
She was stomping by the time she got to class, and her mood was sour for the entire rest of the day. She couldn't help it though; she had foolishly thought something had changed between her and Noah, but nothing had changed.
When she met Kyle for lunch, she stayed in the cafeteria, not daring to look at Noah and the table he sat at. And she was pleasantly surprised when Lila joined them, sitting beside Andorra.
Kyle dropped in the seat across from her. "Why do you look so mad?"
Andorra tried to smooth her face into a neutral expression, but she couldn't even do that. Her blood was still boiling from earlier, and the anger was beginning to frighten her, because she wasn't a violent person, and didn't want to become one because of Noah.
She took a deep breath. "It's nothing. Just a rough morning, that's all. How has your morning been?"
Kyle grinned, his face lighting up as he took a bite of an apple. There was something catching about his happiness, like he was always eager to be smiling and having a good time. Andorra admired that about him.
"Really great. I had gym first period, and my team won basketball. Of course, it was my winning shot that brought us to victory, but what's a man without his team." Kyle held his hands up, and Andorra giggled at the sight of him making muscles with his arms and kissing them.
"Stop, you're being ridiculous," she said, but she was grinning from ear to ear, her laughter louder than her voice. Beside her, Lila was biting into her sandwich, trying to fight a smile and losing. Lila leaned forward and flicked Kyle on the arm, and Kyle made an exaggerated motion of grabbing his arm and slumping in the seat, squeezing his eyes shut in mock pain.
"Stop being such a baby," Lila demanded, but there was a smile on her face as she said it, marveling in how ridiculous one boy could be at the lunch table, surrounded by so many other people who were watching with interest.
Kyle opened one eye. "Stop this, stop that. That's all I get with you two girls."
Andorra shook her head, but she couldn't shake the grin as she opened her own lunch box, feeling like a weight had been taken off of her shoulders. So, she was having a horrible morning, but at least Kyle could make her feel better.
Because he's your friend, that's why he can make you feel better. She knew it was true, but she still found it hard to believe that the boy across from her with the bright blonde hair and the flawless tan skin and the honey colored eyes even cared about her. He was so gorgeous, so completely perfect that Andorra wondered how he even did it. How he could come to school with such a bright and charming attitude everyday.
What shocked her even more was how he picked her as his friend.
Lila shrugged at Kyle as she bit into her sandwich again, then she set it down and swallowed. "So, you're going to be absolutely blown away by Andorra's dress. It'll be the best dress at the dance."
Kyle's eyes lingered on Lila before he settled his gaze on Andorra, his smile telling her that he already knew she would pick the best dress. "Well, I'm blown away by Andorra everyday, so this dress better be something else if it's going to impress me."
Andorra snorted out a laugh and tugged on her hat. Today, she was warmer than usual, and had taken off her jacket. But, that didn't stop her from wearing a sweatshirt over a thick sweater. "That's such a lie, Kyle. Cut the BS."
Kyle propped his chin in his hand and grinned lazily at Andorra, but there was nothing but honesty in his stare. "I'm serious. You've already blown me away, so I doubt the dance will change my mind about anything."
Lila nudged Andorra and gave her a knowing look that only the two girls could decipher. Then, her expression darkened and she tossed her shoulder length hair back. "Trouble is coming this way. Perfect."
Andorra looked behind Kyle to see Shaniah coming towards them, tray in hand, and a sweet smile on her face. Noah wasn't with them, but rather still seated at a table towards the center of the room. His eyes caught hers, and she immediately looked away, not wanting to give him the time of day.
Shaniah stood behind Kyle and placed a hand on his shoulder, her manicured fingers long and pressing hard into his shirt. She bent down a little, leaning into Kyle's ear. "Do you want to sit with us, Kyle? We have plenty of room at our table."
Kyle put a on a smile, bending back towards Shaniah, his face looking happy to see her. Andorra wondered how he could even smile at Shaniah, or why he even liked her. Then, his lips found her cheek, and he pressed his mouth into the skin there in a kiss. "I'd rather sit here, thanks."
A grin flirted on Andorra's lips as Shaniah straightened and then glared at the table, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder. She looked so angry that Andorra couldn't stop the smile that came across her face, just for Shaniah to see.
Then, Shaniah turned back to Kyle. "We hope to see you at the dance tonight." And then she turned to leave, her friends following. Andorra watched as they left, heading towards the table that Noah frequented, and then she made eye contact for a second time with the dark haired boy, his eyes on her the entire time.
Kyle reached across the table and put his hand on hers, dragging her attention away from Noah and back to him. His smile was soft and tentative as he leaned towards her. "I'm excited to see you at the dance. Can I pick you up around 7:40?"
She bent her head and smiled at that, nodding that he could do so. Lila elbowed her and began packing away her sandwich. "We have lots to do before he shows up tonight. Want me to come over after school? I'll do your makeup, and we can figure out what to do with your hair."
Andorra regarded Lila for a moment, trying to find the lie, but couldn't. So Andorra smiled instead, nodding her agreement. Giddiness filled her chest at the thought of the dance, something she hadn't cared about before, but now she was excited.
The lunch bell rang and all three of them stood. Kyle leaned down and placed a kiss on Andorra's cheek softly, his hand resting under her jaw, angling her face perfectly. She felt the heat in his fingertips, felt the burning of his lips as they pressed into her skin, and her cheeks reddened.
When he pulled away, he was smiling at her in such a way that made her smile back, aware at the warmth that filled her entire body at just that one little kiss to her cheek. "See you tonight," was all he said, winking as he melted into the crowd of people, smiling the entire time.
Lila stood beside her and patted Andorra's arm. "I really think that boy has it bad for you."
A part of Andorra hoped that was true, and it was because she thought she too was beginning to have it bad for him.
* * *
THE SEQUEL IS ALMOST HERE!
Go check it out on my page and leave a vote on the prologue! I'll be picking a random voter to dedicate my first chapter to!
GOLDEN will be released January 1, 2021
See you soon ;)
Happy friday my lovelies <3
I hope you're enjoying this story. drama is about to go down soon (;