36| Pizza or Calzone?
NOAH had been ignoring me all week, and maybe that shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. I knew that he was mad at me, but was he really that mad?
It bothered me that I was so affected by the fact that Noah wasn't talking to me. He wasn't even texting me, and he could barely make eye contact with me in class or across the volleyball court. I actually felt... sad. And I hated admitting that, even if it was just to myself.
That was another bad thing about Noah ignoring me: I couldn't tell anyone about it or why it bothered me so much. Although, Gracie, Bianca, and Jeremy caught on pretty fast that something was up with me. Not being able to tell them was slowly driving me crazy. But Noah and I had agreed on keeping things a secret, and even though I was sure we weren't seeing each other anymore, I didn't want to disrespect what we agreed on.
It was sad to say, but I missed Noah.
Today was Saturday, also known as the first official day of state. Noah, as he said, was there on our bench taking stats of the game. It was hard to look over at him every so often and see him blatantly ignoring me. I couldn't even talk shit to him, which was a serious problem. I needed someone to talk shit to, but there was no one. Gracie never liked it when I talked shit to her, she liked to keep things positive. So there was a whole volcano inside of me filled with disses and mean things to say, but no one to say it to. I was expecting myself to just erupt at some point, but I had been doing a surprisingly good job of holding myself back all day.
We had played 2 matches today, thankfully, winning both of them. And tomorrow was the final day of state. And we were going to be playing against our rivals in the final game to win state. If we lost, I don't know what I would do at this point.
"Did good today ladies!" Sophie exclaimed, walking into the hotel room after having showered. She was using a towel to dry her hair as she spoke. "Tomorrow is the day."
"Better win," I mumbled.
"What crawled up your ass?" Sophie scoffed, sitting on the bed. "You went from being all nice to being all moody and shit."
"It's true," Gracie chimed in. "But Logan won't tell me anything. And if she won't tell me, she certainly won't tell anyone else."
I groaned. "Can we just drop it?"
If anything was true right now, it was that I did not want to talk about my problems with Gracie and Sophie. Let alone the entire volleyball team. That was probably the last thing I would ever want to do, if we're being real here.
I sighed and got up, starting to rummage through my suitcase for something to wear tonight. We were all getting ready for dinner, as everyone was going out tonight to this fancy restaurant. It was a tradition, as many things were when it came to the volleyball team. We would all go out to a fancy dinner the night before the big day, and then rest up right when we got back to the hotel. But it was like our last hoorah together before season ended. Which I was actually looking forward to at this point.
As much as I loved volleyball, high school season was never my favorite in the long-run. But I would never have just stopped trying out for the team, since my parents loved it so much, and I ultimately would have regretted it. However, I was beyond ready for season to be over so that I could take some time off of volleyball. Of course club season would start up in a few months, and the boys season, but I wasn't necessarily planning on playing a huge part in their season because of the recent events.
I shook off the thought, not needing to remind myself of Noah and I right now. I grabbed out a black cropped tank top, and a pink jean skirt, also known as the fanciest outfit I would be caught dead wearing. That is, the fanciest outfit that I would wear from my own closet and not Gracie's. Heading to the bathroom, I quickly changed and threw my straight hair into a high ponytail.
Dinner was at 7, and we all headed down to the lobby at 6:45 to start walking to the restaurant. Which was only around 15 minutes away.
As we entered the restaurant, a very fancy Italian one, a waiter immediately took us all to a large table in the back where coach and the boys were already waiting for us. But not all of the boys, only the ones who had come to help out for the weekend. And of course that included Noah. My heart sunk a bit when I saw him, making eye contact with his deep brown eyes that I missed so much. Noah looked away almost immediately.
He was so mad at me.
We all sat down, and Gracie sat next to me, immediately whipping out a menu and blabbing about the endless calzone options. I, however, was unable to focus on her calzone talk, instead drifting off into my own world of endless thoughts.
The extent to which I liked Noah was mind boggling considering our past. And the extent to which I had gotten used to having him around was even more so. I was used to spending off periods studying at the cafe, or making fun of each other playfully at lunch and across the net. I had even gotten used to Noah lacing our fingers together when we were alone, and being someone I could confide in about my parents.
But that was the other thing. I couldn't come to the conclusion that Noah was right about me and my parents. I couldn't just listen to how he had criticized me for not standing up for myself, or him for that matter, and accept it as fact. My parents were all I had ever since Billie disappeared, and the last thing I ever wanted to do was disappoint them or make them look down on me. But they didn't control me. He was wrong about that. He had to be.
As much as I tried, or wished, to stop thinking about Noah, I couldn't. He was always right there at the front of my mind. His stupid, rude remarks, his contagious smile, his studying face where his eyebrows were scrunched together beneath his glasses, and his eyes slightly squinted to focus intently on the papers before him.
I was right to acknowledge the fact that Noah Locke would certainly be the death of me.
"Pizza or calzone?" Olivia asked from across the table.
I snapped out of my thoughts, raising my eyes up to meet hers, then looking down at the menu before me. "Uh... pizza. Definitely pizza."
"I just can't believe Gracie is a calzone girl," Olivia said. "Blows my mind."
"Hey, Clay took me to that one calzone restaurant years ago, and ever since then, I haven't been able to go back to just regular old pizza without feeling slightly disappointed," Gracie shrugged.
"It's practically a pizza!" Clay chimed in from the other side of the table, wearing that priceless grin. "It's like a giant pizza pocket. And everything is better with pockets."
"The man speaks truth," Coach D agreed, raising his glass of water up and taking a sip.
Calzone speak continued, yet the only people sat at the table who were seemingly distant and uninterested were me and Noah. We stayed silent. I focused my attention on the side salad that I ordered, making sure to dump an appropriate amount of blue cheese on top.
I was increasingly annoyed as everyone talked and talked about state. As Savannah went on and on about the one kill that she had today that hit just past the 10 foot line.
More like the one kill all season.
✯ ✯ ✯
When we got back to the hotel after the long, unbearable dinner, we all headed up to our rooms. But not before Savannah insisted we meet in the lounge between all our rooms to discuss something. Apparently, she had a surprise for all of us. And, obviously, I was just so excited to see what it could be.
"Ladies," Savannah said as we all took a seat in the lounge. She stood up by the TV next to Genevieve, who was newly on crutches after her surgery and wearing a heavy-duty knee brace. For once in my life, I felt the slightest bit of pity for her. "For a lot of us, it's our senior year. Our last year playing together, and tomorrow marks the end."
"Go on," Sophie said impatiently. When it came to Savannah, she was easily as annoyed as I was.
"So I was thinking... why not take tonight as a celebration?" Savannah suggested, then lifting a few bottles of wine out from her backpack before hiding them away once again.
Gracie looked over at me, clearly shocked. "This does not strike me as a good idea," she muttered to me.
Jaw clenched, all I could do was nod. That bitch seriously thought it would be a good idea to get shitfaced the night before the state volleyball championship? This was the exact reason I hated her.
"So, if you're down... we'll convene in my room," Savannah finished.
I stood up. "Not a good idea," I said. "Actually, no. A really fucking dumb idea. Probably the worst idea I've ever heard, and most likely the dumbest thing I've heard come out of your mouth. And there have been a lot of dumb things."
Sophie snickered a bit, but Savannah just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Logan. I know you've been super uptight lately, so I shouldn't have bothered you with the idea of having fun. But for those who are counting on having a little fun... head on over." And with that, Savannah and Genevieve left towards their room. Following them was Melissa and one of the freshman, Ruby. Who both shrugged and muttered something about having fun. At least Ruby barely played, but I was more than slightly bitter that Melissa was deciding to be an idiot.
I turned to the rest of the group and gave them my signature death glare. "Don't even think about it," I warned. "The last thing we need is an entire hungover team tomorrow. We play at 9, and we play to win."
Gracie nodded. "We're not going," she said. "But you should also take some deep breaths. You have been a bit uptight."
"I don't care," I snapped. "Just... don't be idiots. I'm going to bed," and I excused myself, heading to the room and quickly changing.
I was annoyed. And obviously for multiple reasons.
1. Savannah. She was already getting the opportunity to play, which should have never happened. And now, on the night before the biggest game of the year, she was choosing to play drinking games with 3 other girls. Downing Chardonnay and Vodka with La Croix chasers. Fucking idiots.
2. Noah Locke was ignoring me, and he was mad at me. He was seriously mad at me for telling my parents what they wanted to hear: That him and I weren't going to last. He was. Mad, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. And right now, all I could think about was how he was probably laying in his hotel room right now making jokes with Cayden and Porkchop about God-knows-what. Which made me even more annoyed.
Annoyed to the point that I was determined to get the best rest of my life. And I was determined, tomorrow, to play the best I had ever played. And I was determined to win and crush our rivals, crush that stupid Christian volleyball team filled with people who were all too nice for their own good. Bullshit.
I had to win.
✯ ✯ ✯
LOGAN. MUST. WIN.
She is angry and she is determined. I know this chapter wasn't exactly oozing with too much drama and DEFINITELY not any romance, but hold on tight. The next chapter is all about state and we'll find out if they win or not. And after that... boy do I have some fun in store for all of you. It'll be great, I promise. Everything will be so happy!!!! I PROMISE OKAY IT ISN'T A LIE.
Let me know if you think they're gonna win state or not... Especially after Savannah's little idea to get drunk or what not... PEACE OUT.