THE NIGHT was going as Andorra expected it to go. After the initial entrance, eyes were on her wherever she spun, and boy, did she spin. Kyle didn't let her go as he looped her around and around the gym, matching the tempo of whatever song played. She felt joyous laughter bubble up from her chest as she looked into his honey brown eyes, getting lost in wondering what it would feel like to kiss him.
He was a perfect gentleman the entire night. His hand was on her lower back, the other held hers firmly as they moved across the gym floor like it was a ballroom. She felt like a princess in that moment, her dress flowing up and around her, the laugher spilling from her lips genuine and pure.
When Lila arrived, her happiness only mounted. Lila wore a simple blue gown, her hair pinned up, and she was smiling at Andorra when she came over to them. Beside her was a tall, lanky boy with wide eyes and an even wider mouth, currently pulled into an o shape at the sight of Andorra.
"How on earth do you make your skin glow?" He asked, his voice dumbstruck in awe. Andorra blinked up at him for a moment, taken aback, and then she looked down at her own arm. To her, she looked normal, if not dark under the lights. Her tan skin looked like it usually did.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, examining her right arm, and then her left. She saw nothing of the sort, no glowing, no shimmering, nothing. Her eyes met Kyle's, silently asking if he saw it too, but his eyes gave nothing away.
Instead, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "She is radiant, isn't she?"
The boy didn't ask anymore questions for the rest of the night, but Lila had the same question. Her eyes roamed over Andorra, somehow taken aback at how glamorous Andorra looked in their school gym versus the store, or even Andorra's own house. Something about that moment, in the dark gym, surrounded by others, made Andorra shine much brighter.
Kyle too had a glow to him that wasn't artificial, but impossible. Lila felt something wasn't quite right, but her mind didn't want to ask any questions, but rather accept it as is. Of course they glow, she thought to herself, they're beautiful people.
Lila's date made an excuse to go get some punch and left them, hastily moving towards the double doors to the hallway. Kyle lingered for a moment, but headed that way as well, telling Andorra he'd get her something to drink.
"You look stunning," Andorra said to Lila, her voice shy. And, it was true; Lila did look stunning in her dress and with the way her hair was pinned back. Andorra was so surprised that Lila was even there, talking to her.
"Thanks. And so do you, Andorra. I don't know how you do it, but you absolutely transformed into someone you never show at school. I mean, the way you command attention in this room is... magnificent."
Andorra glanced around the room, finding eyes watching her from all over the place. Some were glancing at her, others were outright staring, but everyone seemed to be whispering about her, and it made her face redden at the thought that she was the topic of so many conversations.
"And unsurprisingly, here comes trouble. As predicted, since Kyle isn't here."
Andorra turned to see who Lila was talking about, and she watched as Noah looped over to her with such grace and fluidity that it made her freeze up in place, her eyes connecting with his as he came closer to her. He looked dashing in his tailored suit, and the way his body was totally at ease made her heart begin to race. He had his hands in his pants pockets, and his pace was controlled and dominant. Everything about him was controlled and dominant.
When he finally approached, his face was completely blank, but his eyes were light. He looked at Lila for a moment, then focused his gaze on Andorra. "Can we talk?"
Andorra cast a look towards Lila, and then towards the door where Kyle was getting them punch. She turned back to Noah, deciding a chat wouldn't be the end of the world. But, over his shoulder, she could see Shaniah watching them, her face pulled back into a sneer.
"Sure, but not in here."
Noah took that answer and wrapped his arm around her lower back, pulling her from the crowd. She didn't question why he wanted to talk, or why he had suddenly approached her. Part of her wanted to think it was because he wasn't all that horrible, but another part of her felt as though it was because for once, she was beautiful and the center of attention. As soon as Shaniah wasn't, he was moving on.
She didn't want to believe that about him, even though he was a rude jerk, but a part of her wanted to think he was a decent guy. Yeah, right. Keep dreaming.
He pulled her through the double doors, out of the gym and into the hallway, but he didn't stop there. He continued to pull her through the hallway, and then he turned down another corredor, coming to the door at the end of the hallway. His pace was brisk, like he was nervous someone was following them, and then he yanked them out of the school.
The biting cold instantly made Andorra reel back, flinching in the weather. She was suddenly aware of her bare arms and her bare legs, and suddenly the constant chill that lived in her bones was ignited, and she felt the scramble to get back inside.
Noah pulled her closer to him, still outside. She turned to face him, anger in her eyes. "It's freezing out here! Are you crazy?"
She knew he was. That first day they met, he'd told her that he'd come from some place further north than the north pole, and it was clear that he was acclimated to the weather, unlike she was.
He shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders without saying a word. She wanted to tell him that a little jacket wouldn't make a difference, but she found herself threading her arms through the sleeves, wrapping it around her like a blanket.
She immediately noticed how it smelled like Noah. It smelled like the winter air, like balsam trees and a hint of spice. She didn't want to dig her nose into the fabric at the base of her neck, but the urge was so strong she found herself doing so anyway.
He wasn't even watching her. He was looking out towards the football field, his body rigid and still, like he wasn't sure what to do now that they were both outside, alone. From where they were standing, Andorra couldn't even hear the music from inside, like they were in their own little world.
When he turned to her, his eyes were so white that she let out a gasp, and then her eyebrows dug together in anger. "How do you do that with your eyes? It isn't natural that you can control your eye color."
Noah blinked, and in an instant, his eyes were blue again. He cocked his head to the side and regarded her silently, but his face was still and bare, absolutely nothing in his expression that would tell her what he was thinking.
And then he reached for her, his fingers wrapping around a strand of her hair. "Andorra, we need to talk about something important."
She felt her breath hitch in her throat at the sight of him reaching towards her, his fingers in her hair, his face close to hers. She blinked once, then twice, then looked down at her feet. Her heart was thrumming in her chest at a pace that was far too fast, and she was beginning to wonder why it was Noah she had the reaction to.
"About what?" She wanted to press her question about his eyes, those damn eyes, but she didn't. She looked at him, trying to piece everything together because there was something about him that wasn't like anyone else she knew. When he looked at her, he looked years older than a simple high school student. He looked wiser, stronger, more mature. His confidence surpassed all the boys that went to her high school, and then some.
His hand in her hair stopped moving, and then his fingers found her face, lightly brushing over the soft skin in a feather-like caress. His fingertips were freezing against her cheeks, but they felt good, so good that she wondered if she would react like she had in the library.
His fingers continued their exploration to her chin, and he grasped it tightly. "You need to stay away from Kyle. He's not who you think he is, and I don't think he has your best interests at heart."
Her eyes met his, and her mouth opened to retort, but she found she couldn't. The air around them thickened, and she felt like all the hairs on her arm were standing up, reacting to his soft fingers on her skin. She took a deep breath, then swallowed hard, trying to find the words she needed.
She should have told him to leave her alone, to butt out of her personal business, but she couldn't seem to do either. Instead, she studied the plains of his face, and how his porcelain skin was so clear and smooth, begging to be touched. She longed to drag her own fingers down his cheek, and the thought startled her.
You don't like Noah, she reminded herself. He's a dick.
"He's my friend." Was all she could manage to get out, and even then it was a croak.
"No, he's not. Please think for one moment, Andorra. Think about Kyle, and his flirting, and why he would want to be your friend."
His words hit her like a slap to the face. He was right, of course; why would a boy like Kyle want to be her friend? And why would he ever take her to the dance?
She pulled out of Noah's grip, her face suddenly steel. "It's you I can't trust. You're the one who is friends with Shaniah. You're the one who doesn't back me up when she bullies me. You're the one who just stares with those weird, unnatural eyes and don't say anything, just take it all in! You're the one I can't trust!" She jammed her finger in his chest, her arm shaking at her own words.
Noah's eyes narrowed - the only sign her words had affected him - and he took a step back. "I'm trying to help you here."
She shook her head, then she laughed to herself. "No, you aren't. You never want to help. You want to watch me break down in the hallway. You want to watch while your girlfriend rips me apart. All you want to do is watch and stay away until it's beneficial for you. I mean, don't lie. The only reason you wanted to talk is because I look pretty for once, right? You realized Shaniah wasn't the star of the show, and so here you are, talking to me. Taking me away from the dance and asserting your dominance, your claim like I'm some object you can own!" Andorra was yelling by then, the anger inside of her so hot and so potent that she needed to release it somehow, but she couldn't do that physically, so she settled on yelling.
Noah crossed his arms, but his face was blank. So perfectly blank, like her words didn't matter to him. But, she continued, the anger still there beneath her skin. "You run around with Shaniah, who loves to torment me, and you make it worse by being my partner in english class! When I offer to switch, you won't let it happen. Why, Noah? Why not be with your girlfriend? Is it because you like seeing her mad at me?"
He still didn't answer, his eyes just watching as she threw her body around, clearly agitated, obviously pissed. And that just bothered her more, made her more riled up. "And, what's even better is that you don't talk to me at school, but the moment I go to the dance with Kyle, you suddenly want to talk! How convenient for you!"
At that very moment, the door behind her swung open, and standing there was Shaniah herself. Her arms were crossed, and she looked like she was a moment away from yelling at the both of them. Andorra didn't even let her - she just brushed past Shaniah like the girl wasn't even there. It would have been a grand exit, if Shaniah hadn't reached out to stop Andorra, dragging her back outside.
"Didn't anyone tell you that red isn't a winter color, you freak?"
All the anger and the rage was still inside of her, so Andorra didn't even hold back. She slapped Shaniah across the face, her hand leaving a red mark on Shaniah's face. The dark hair girl gasped, then grabbed her face like she couldn't believe what just happened.
"I'm telling you something, Shaniah. Stay out of my life and leave me alone. I don't like your boyfriend, and I don't like you. From now on, I never want to see you anywhere near me."
Andorra looked over her shoulder at Noah one last time before she stormed back inside, the fury in her blood boiling as she stomped down the hallway, rage pushing her back to the dance. She didn't look back to see if Shaniah and Noah were following, she just continued towards the gym.
She yanked off Noah's jacket and tossed it in the nearest trash bin she could find, not watching to see it fall on the trim of the bin, not quite in but close enough. She didn't even stop to fix it - she just continued forward.
For the second time that night, she pushed open the double doors and stepped through, causing everyone to look at her, their expressions shocked to see her entering again. She didn't even look at them as she went over to Lila and Kyle, their faces scrunched up in shock.
Kyle reached towards her. "What's wrong? I heard Noah wanted to talk."
Andorra didn't touch him, but she stood close enough so that it was obvious they came together. "Oh, he wanted to talk alright."
She wondered if Noah had told Shaniah where they were so that she could find them on purpose. Andorra bet that he had done just that so that he could secretly ambush her. Well, Andorra was so angry, she wanted to laugh at how that plan backfired.
Kyle was still watching her with nervous eyes. "Are you sure you're alright."
She looked at Kyle with a flat look and grabbed his arm. "I'm sure. Now, let's dance." She yanked him onto the gym floor and wrapped her arms around him, and she told herself to forget her run-in with Noah. To forget about Shaniah. To forget about everything but Kyle, who didn't make her heart beat faster, or slower, or harder. Maybe he didn't make her feel like Noah did, but she didn't care.
And neither did Kyle as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She wasn't thinking of what would happen later that night, but he was. It was all he was thinking about.
* * *
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 ;)