"ROSIE!"
Closing the door to Dad's office behind me, I smile, taking in the soothing sound of an excited child. There was no sweeter noise, or a better way to forget about all the fires in my life.
"Logan!" I shout back as I kneel down with my arms extended, ready to be embraced by the three-year-old racing towards me.
Logan nearly knocks me over when he finally slams into me. He cradles his little arms around my neck as I hold onto him and waits for me to kiss him on the cheek before pulling away.
Looking at Logan, I notice his green eyes and the freckles cluttering around his nose, only now noticing his resemblance to Victoria. Seeing it all now makes me wonder why I never made the connection sooner.
I knew Victoria and James had an ongoing fling, just never expected it to grow into something more than that. Maybe I was in denial. There was no way a hot head like Victoria could create such an amazing kid.
"I missed you, did you miss me?" I ask Logan in an overly happy tone.
Logan nods and sways in his spot. "I missed you lots, Rosie," he says struggling through his lisp. "Daddy got me a truck!"
"He did? What kind of truck?"
Logan hesitates before spreading a huge smile. "I'll go get it," he says before running back to the living room.
While I wait, I hear the rough clack of heels approach from behind me. I crook my head to the side in order to gaze up at the long frame belonging to Victoria. She stood arms crossed and ready for an apology that she knew my dad had order me to give.
I stand, resenting what was about to happen and growing more frustrated. I stare at Victoria, thinking of all the things I want to say to her.
I'm sorry, Victoria, that you were too good to join Logan and James in their visits to see me. Sorry that you never spoke to me about your son or spoke to me at all, in fact. Really, Victoria, I'm sorry that you're such a petty bitch who needs to blow everything out of proportion.
"Sorry I offended you," I decide to say, gritting my teeth.
It was obvious that my apology wasn't sincere, but still was good enough for Victoria. Before she could say anything, Logan races over with a red firetruck in his arms.
"Here it is," he says while showing it off like he was one of those showgirls in the gameshows I hate.
"Wow," I say with too much enthusiasm as he passes it to me to inspect.
"He's been showing everyone that ever since James got it for him," Victoria says while eyeing her son with admiration. She kneels down to Logan and uses her finger to wipe something off his face. "Why don't you go pick something nice to wear with your Dad, baby, and we will all go for lunch together."
Logan's face lights up as he takes back his truck and runs for James who I didn't notice was sitting on the couch. Maybe it was him who I saw in the living room when I first got here, not Andy. Though, who could blame me for mixing the two up? They were practically identical, the only difference between the two being their eyes. James were blue, while Andy's were a dark brown.
Victoria smiles at me before strutting back into Dad's office, leaving mean annoyed with the strange image of her unwarranted smile.
I look back at the living room, watching Logan jumping on James, shouting for him to get ready for their impromptu lunch. James begrudgingly stand up, carrying Logan in one hand and his water bottle in the other.
He eyes me from down the hall and shares a sincere smile unlike Victoria's. I speed down the hall, taking this as my chance to give James a long overdue hug.
"Hey," Logan says as we squish him between us.
James laughs before setting Logan back onto the floor. "Go wait for me downstairs, okay buddy? I'll be there soon," he says.
I wait for Logan to disappear into the basement before turning back to James with a smug look. "Why didn't you tell me that Cruella De Ville was your baby mama?"
James laughs and avoids the questions, making me believe that he was slightly embarrassed. Which makes no sense, Victoria was Valedictorian, she was the kind of girl you would tell strangers off the street about.
"How's Ryan," James deflects by putting the image of cute but crazy Ryan back into my mind. I forgot that James met my latest fling two months ago. "Last time I saw you, he was sleeping on your crouch... something about the CIA putting a wire in his lights."
The reminder of Ryan's paranoid tendencies was enough to make me laugh, finally breaking me out of my tense stature. "We're not together anymore."
"What? How can this be? You two were the Romeo and Juliet of our time." Sarcasm was never James's thing.
"Very funny," I laugh. "How are things?"
James shrugs and looks away. "It's been hard since Lily," he looks back at me, more careful of what to say. "I...uh...I just can't believe she's gone, you know?"
"Yeah I do." I hold in my breath. "I guess, I just keep thinking that she's going to come back. That one morning I might wake up and hear her music across the hall. I haven't been able to go into her room since..." I look at James with glassy eyes. "...you know. It's just too hard."
James pulls me into another hug, holding me tightly and breathing heavily into my ear. I never thought about how her death would affect him. We were all so close as kids, and still, I didn't imagine him to be so broken up. I guess, I just thought this unbearable grief was only reserved for the immediate family. A misguided thought, I am now realising.
James forces himself away from me, backing up and wiping his eyes. His cheeks have turned red, and I can't tell if it was because he was crying or if he was embarrassed.
"Sorry," he says to prove to me that he was ashamed of his sudden emotion.
"You don't have to be," I say while rubbing his shoulder. "Have you seen Andy this morning?" My body tenses, I don't know where that question came from.
James clears his throat. "Finn flew in early and surprised him. I imagine the two love birds are making sweet noise some place that isn't your father's house." James jokes but it only sounds forced through his sad tone.
Hearing that Finn is in town made my stomach turn. The thought of Andy telling him about what I did and what it cost the two of them was enough for me to want to lock myself in my room for the rest of the week.
I'm tired of disappointing people. I want their wedding to be one that people talk about years later, I want it labelled as a historical event. Which obviously won't happen if the guests have to wear nose plugs to block out the scent of week-old cow manure.
I will make it better, Andy, I promise.
#
"Nope, nu-uh, not happening." Charlie says as he shakes his head. "Do you know how pissed they are?"
Charlie and I have been sitting in Liza's diner for only a half hour and I'm already fed up with our conversation. I called him here so we could come up with a way to clean up the mess I have created.
For some reason I thought that Charlie was the answer to all my problems, that somehow, he would be able to get us back his family's land. I couldn't have been more wrong.
"What? They're mad? I had no idea?" I say in a regrettable fit of anger. "Listen, I know, okay? I know I messed up, but Andy did nothing. Tell them to-"
"To what, Rose? Forget about it? We both know how well my parents can hold a grudge."
I stare at Charlie, this time not in anger but in defeat. I cower in silence as I finish off my chocolate milkshake.
"Can I get you another one?" The waitress asks upon noticing my empty cup. She sways in her spot as she waits for my obvious nod, and upon receiving it, hustles to the back in a peppy jog.
Liza's was crowded tonight. It took us fifteen minutes to get a table, and since Charlie is in a wheelchair we couldn't sit at my normal booth. Instead we ate at a shaky standalone table in the middle of the diner which made me feel even more claustrophobic.
Picking at my fries, I watch Charlie as he pokes at his salad with disgust. I told him he could order anything but he insisted on picking one of the cheapest things on the menu. Does he think I can't afford to pay for our dinner? I wouldn't have offered if I couldn't.
"Why aren't you eating more?" I ask.
Charlie shrugs. "Haven't been that hungry lately."
A statement I knew to be a lie. Just last night he was scarfing down mouthfuls of steak and potatoes, so, I wonder what's going on. Has something happened?
"I didn't see your Jeep in the parking lot," Charlie states.
I tense up at the mention of my Jeep. It's true I walked here and it only took forty minutes. The night was nice for a walk anyway. The wind didn't exist, the heat from the day still lingered in the air and the stars were just beginning to poke out when I stepped into Liza's.
Even if the night was miserable I still wouldn't drive here. There was no way I was getting into my Jeep again, not for a while anyway. I need to wait for the stench of crazy to wash off it.
"Charlie," I say forcing the conversation back on track, "I know I'm putting you in a difficult spot, and you know I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important. I just need your parents to realize how dumb they are being and give my brother his wedding back."
Charlie raises his eyebrow, making his eyes bulge further out of their sockets. "Why are you wasting such a fancy dinner on me?" He changes the subject.
"Well if I can't buy food for a cripple who can I buy it for?" That was a terrible joke, but it was enough to finally release Charlie's award-winning smile upon the world.
"I don't know, your brother perhaps. You know, the one with horrible taste in women and a deep-seated thirst for your head." Charlie's laugh was forced and short lived.
He was right, though. This dinner should be for Isaac. I should be watching my little brother scarf down a double bacon cheeseburger instead of watching Charlie pretend that he eats salads.
Even if I tried to fix things with Isaac, he wasn't willing to break bread so soon. He hasn't returned any of my calls, and I am certain that if I had invited him, he would have stood me up and I would have deserved it.
"One problem at a time." I slide further down my chair and play with my fries.
"Here you are," the waitress returns with my needed milkshake. "Enjoy!" The perkiness of her tone was like tires screeching and made my ears miss the gruff sound in Isaac's voice when he basically told me to fuck off.
With my chin leaning onto my hand, I chug my milkshake, only stopping to catch my breath.
I miss my little brother. Even before last night's disaster, I hardly saw him. He was always at his girlfriends, or in his room, or watching TV. Basically, avoiding every chance to catch up with me. The most time I spent with him this whole month was at Liza's, the day of Lily's funeral.
It sucks, we used to be so close. I used to be the one he would talk to about his problems and help him out of tough situations, it was the only thing I was good for. I couldn't play video games as well as Lily could, or help him with school like Andy did. I wasn't athletic or funny, but dammit I was a good listener.
I was always there for Isaac, ready to deal with every little one of his problems, and now I can't be in the same room as him. Now I was the problem and who was he going to talk to this time? Andy? Haley?
No, he should be crying on my shoulder, not theirs. It should be me! It's what I'm good for. It's all I'm good for.
"Rose..." Charlie trails off again. He looks serious, the same look he had on last night when he was trying to tell me something before stopping himself. I wonder what secrets lie behind his bitten lip. "I'll talk to them." There he goes, changing the subject again.
"Thank you." I ignore his obvious need to tell me something. Soon enough, he will tell me. I just have to be patient. "So," I say in the same chipper tone the waitress used and hate myself for it, "are there any girls in your life I should worry about?"
Yeah, I know, I'm recycling questions from last night, but I never actually got to talk to Charlie about his life these last four years. All I know about him was that he was a damn good math teacher.
Charlie laughs uncomfortably and runs his hand through his shaggy hair. He pokes at his salad some more before finally answering my awkward question. "I'm not dating anyone, if that's what you're asking." He smiles, then stops, and looks at me, serious but not the same kind of serious he was a few minutes before. "There was this one girl, Leanne, we were together for a year. She, uh, she was my fiancé."
I have this thought in my head that is trying to tell me I should be offended that I was just finding out about this fiancé of his. I have this thought trying to convince me that I was still on Charlie's priority list, that I should have been the first person he called the second he got engaged. No, the second he met her.
I used to be that person. I know I'm not anymore, so I can't be upset.
Judging by the lack of a ring on Charlie's finger, I'm scared to ask what happened to Leanne. "Yeah? What was she like?" I feel like that was the wrong question.
"She was special... charming, blonde, tall-"
"She couldn't have been that special," I say. It didn't work out between them, I need to remind Charlie that she isn't the sun. He needs to know that I already am on his side. "I mean, everyone is tall to you." Charlie smiles a child-like smile. This is it, this is the Charlie I remember.
"You're right," he laughs. "She was actually fairly awful, insane even. Leanne loved fighting in front of other people and adored her own reflection. She owned about a thousand pairs of shoes and insisted that I did too, like how important are night shoes to you, Rose?" I wasn't given anytime to respond to that question. Charlie was on a role now, naming off everything wrong with the woman. "Oh, and she ate her steak well done, I mean what kind of monster..." I actually enjoyed listening to him go on about her, it was just like the old times. "She was actually the one who convinced me to stop smoking weed."
This was the one sentence that had me choking on my own food. If there was ever a moment for an entire room of people to turn and gasp this would be it. "Oh, my god," I say louder than I anticipated. "What a horrible woman. How did you last a year with her?"
"I loved her," he says with a sad tone, one foreign to Charlie. "She was the girl who didn't constantly remind me that I was in a wheel chair. She made me feel tall." Charlie wasn't smiling anymore, I feel like the expiration date on this topic had finally came.
"Next time call me, I'll make you feel tall." I spread a big smile, the kind I only ever use when someone is in need of cheering up.
"I always feel tall around you, Rose." Charlie looks at me long and hard. "I'm sorry I never called you after you left town. I feel terrible for the way I acted before you left."
Flashes of the last week resurfaced in my mind. I can hear mine and Charlie's many arguments and see the betrayal in his face. I remember the night of my farewell party and all the tacky decorations my parents hung up. I don't remember everyone who was there that night, only the one who didn't show.
I wasn't expecting his apology, honestly, I never thought it was coming. Charlie wasn't happy I left, he was against it since the second I brought it up. This town was his favorite place, he didn't get that it wasn't mine.
"Don't apologize, it wasn't just your fault." I never called either. "What happened that night was-"
"Has been eating at me for the past four years. It was selfish, it-"
"Charlie, you don't have to-"
"Yes, I do." He was twitchy, angry, but not at me. "You wanted to get away from this town, and after all that has happened, how could I blame you? That night I lost my best friend, and I will always regret that."
I was furious at him for the way he acted when I left and resented him for a long time afterward. I didn't seek him out when I came to town or call him when I really needed someone to talk to. I left him behind like I left this town, turning my back on him as he had done to me.
I reach my hand across the table and squeeze onto his. "Friends fight, they don't talk to each for long periods of time, and they even hate each other sometimes, but that doesn't mean that they don't love one another." I look him straight in the eyes now. "You are my best friend Charles Xavier Collins, you always will be."
Charlie squeezes my hand tightly and pinches his eyebrows together. "You know Xavier isn't my middle name, right?" He smiles, a real smile this time.
"Well it should be," I let go of his hand, "as far as I am concerned, your middle name became Xavier the second you sat into that wheelchair."
Charlie and I laugh for a ridiculously long time. It was the kind of laugh that hurt your stomach, the kind that left you feeling lighter afterwards.
"Glad to have you back, Rose."
The night grew darker and hours seemed to pass in a blink as Charlie and I reminisce and caught up on the last four years.
I invited him to Noah and Zach's bonfire tomorrow night, the invitation was just a formality, I knew Charlie was going to be there even if I didn't bring it up. He never missed a good get together. The life of every party, with or without the wheelchair.
I admire Charlie for holding onto his spirit after what happened at Andy's graduation. Even after being shot in the spine and unable to walk again, he was still able to smile, to laugh, to live his life.
If it had been me, I don't think I would have survived it. Charlie was so much more resilient than I ever was.
People began vacating the diner, one after the other, until it was just Charlie and I left. The employees were readying the diner for close, counting the cash in the registers and watching us in complete annoyance.
I understand why they were so upset, as a waitress I absolutely hated the people who stayed until closing. Or worse, the ones who arrived the second we closed and still demanded us to serve them.
Out of respect for the workers, I wanted to leave, but there was still one question that I have been avoiding all night.
"So," I say with nerves bundling together. "What's going on?"
"What do you mean?" he asks.
I couldn't help but get upset that he was playing dumb. I know something is up, I have known since yesterday. He wants to tell me, so why hasn't he yet?
I wait a couple more minutes, expecting him to cave and tell me everything. When he doesn't, I decide that if I told him something, he would open up and talk to me.
"Someone smashed in my driver side window," I decide to tell him.
Charlie's eyes go wide. "Who did it, did you see them? I will kick their asses right now," Charlie says all tough. Hearing him so protective and willing to help made me want to tell him more, but when I opened my mouth to do so I heard Jasper's voice in my head. He was telling me how stupid it would be and only put a target on Charlie's back.
Then the thought occurred to me, if telling Charlie would make him a target what would telling my father do? Or the Sheriff for that matter. Are they now in danger because I said something?
I already paid for talking to the sheriff, but nothing has happened for speaking to my father. Maybe nothing will happen, how would the stranger know that I told him?
"I don't know who did it," I say.
Charlie takes a couple of minutes thinking about what I had told him, and hopefully contemplating that my news was enough for him to share his secret. He watches me with an unfamiliar look in his eyes that I could have sworn was fear.
"Do you want help fixing it? I can get Patrick Russo to fix it for you, for free." I shake my head.
"I don't want to fix it." Charlie nods, though not completely sure why I was denying his help.
"Are you okay?" he asks me.
I don't know how to respond to that question. I am definitely not okay. Things haven't been okay in a long time. "Seriously, what's going on with you?" I say ignoring his question. "I know something is wrong."
Charlie hesitates and looks at me with a bitterly. I don't understand what was so important that he had such a hard time telling me. "Nothing, okay, just drop it." his voice was sturdy with a pinch of anger hidden within it.
"Fine," I say through gritted teeth. "Sorry."
I didn't really mean to say sorry to him, I just felt like he needed to hear it. I didn't want to anger him and then force us to ignore each other for another four years.
"We are closed," our waitress says, noticeably less cheery than she was earlier.
I nod and pay our bill as quick as I could, so not to anger the staff any more than we already have, and we leave the diner in silence.
The parking lot was vacant, only the cars from the employees were left in the parking lot. The wind had picked up since I was last outside and blew hard against my skin. I shiver, rubbing my hands against my arms in an attempt to warm myself up. I really wish I had brought something warmer than my sweater.
I stare down the dark road that I was bound to walk through. The street lights were flickering down the narrow street, not a single person was in sight. My heart thumps against my chest as I resent my decision to walk.
I wasn't anticipating staying here so long. I thought that people would still be walking the streets and that cars would still be roaming around. I'm completely vulnerable out here, there was no way I was going to make it home if I walked there alone tonight.
The stranger is out there, watching, waiting.
I jump as the back door to Liza's suddenly opens and hits the wall. Out walks five employees, all ready to head home. The chatter among them was loud and echoed off the empty streets.
I recognize our waitress immediately as she talks loudly to a man beside her. It took me a couple seconds, but it soon dawns on me that the man she was speaking to was Noah.
I didn't know he was working tonight, then again, he was a cook and stuck in the back the whole time. There was really no way that I would notice him.
"Can I get a ride with you?" I ask Charlie, looking away from their small crowd.
"Patrick is picking me up, I can ask him."
"You're hanging around Patrick?" I say not realizing how judgmental I sound. "How is he doing," I say to cover it up.
Patrick Russo was always a dull card in a vibrant deck, if you ask me. Nicest guy I can think of, but constantly talking about cars. I remember him in high school always stuck in the workshop, or working on a project car that he can later flip for a profit. He was smart but we had little in common.
I never thought Charlie was into cars either which made it hard for me to imagine the two of them friends.
"Yeah, he's doing pretty well for himself. He's started up his own shop and sometimes fills in for the mechanics teacher at the high school." Charlie looks at me funny. "He's a good guy, Rose," he adds.
Just as our conversation began to grow dry, a massive black truck busts into the parking lot. The truck stops just in front of us and Patrick smiles from behind the wheel. Charlie rolls over to him as he steps out and informs him of my predicament.
Patrick has grown a couple inches since our grad year and cut his hair so that there was a subtle fade along the sides, leaving the top half longer. He was better looking than what I remember, and I couldn't stop looking at him.
Patrick smiles and waves when he notices me staring. My cheeks grow red as I return his wave. I fix my sweater as I walk towards them.
"Yeah, of course I can give you a ride home," Patrick says when I reach them. "But I have bunch of stuff in the back, so you would have ride in the bed if that's alright."
"Not a problem," I say a bit too relieved.
"And you might want to hold onto Charlie's wheelchair just in case it goes flying everywhere back there," Patrick laughs.
"Alright let's go, it's getting chilly," Charlie says as moves himself over to the passenger side and gazes up at the door in defeat. "I don't think your truck is tall enough, mate, you could probably add a couple more feet," Charlie jokes.
"Sorry about that, but Lana is the only vehicle that I have that would be able to carry your wheel chair right now."
"Lana?" I laugh.
"I name all my vehicles," Patrick says in an innocent way that makes me feel bad for making fun of him.
Patrick moves to the other side of his truck and opens the passenger door. Charlie shifts uncomfortably as he stares up at the seat. I can tell he doesn't want help into the truck but he knows that at this point there is really no other way for him to get in.
Charlie is not a heavy guy but when Patrick picks him up and helps him into the truck, I couldn't help but be impressed by his strength.
"There goes the ego," Charlie says with red cheeks and diverting eyes.
I couldn't hide my pity for Charlie. I couldn't imagine how horrible it must feel to not be able to lift yourself into a simple truck.
"Do you need help into the back?" Patrick asks now looking at me.
His dark brown eyes peering at me kindly as he extends his hand as if to guide me away to some magical land. I was caught up staring at him for a moment and it must have taken at least a minute for me to respond.
"That would be nice." I return his smile.
Patrick guides me to the back and opens the tailgate, readying himself to help me up, but just as I was about to step up, I heard a noise terrible enough to make me cringe.
"Hey Roz," Noah says through his window as he drives up next to us in his pickup.
Noah had his arm placed in the space where his window was and looks back and forth between me and Patrick. I figure that he was wondering why I was being escorted into the back of his truck and probably coming to a conclusion that I didn't want him to.
"Do you need a ride?" he asks causing my heart to sink into the ground.
"That would be great," Patrick says for me. "Definitely safer for you to go with him."
Patrick looks at me with his big puppy dog eyes that make me see reason for a brief second. However, the fact remains that I didn't want to drive with Noah, I wanted to go with him.
Then I look at Noah, his smile was worn and bits of his hair was falling as he watches me with green eyes. He looks exhausted which had me realizing the kindness in his offer.
"Yeah, sure, thanks," I say to him in a noticeably unenthusiastic way.
I said my goodbyes to Charlie and Patrick and watch in despair as they drive away into the non-existent sunset.
Noah reaches over the passenger seat and opens the door for me as I move around his pickup. He watches me as I jump inside and didn't start moving until he heard the click form my seatbelt.
"Where are you staying?" he asks.
"With my Dad at the mansion." I didn't need to give him an exact address, he knew it off by heart.
Our trip was mostly accompanied by silence. It was so present that I began thinking of the quiet as an old friend, one who saved me from the numbing conversation Noah and I would have had if we spoke.
"What have you been up to lately?" Noah asks in a poor attempt to start a conversation.
"Not much, working dead end jobs and moving around a lot mostly." I didn't know what else I could add without going into too much detail. "How about you?"
Noah squints his eyes at the road as another vehicle blinds him with their headlights, he doesn't answer until they have long passed. "Same thing I was doing in high school. Can't seem to push myself to do much more."
"Why don't you leave town? Go to school?" I ask, intrigued by the hint of regret in his tone.
"This town is the only home I've ever had. Why haven't you gone to school?"
I stumble over a poorly constructed sentence that basically told him that I had just as little motivation as him. College was never a thought for me. I never dreamt of the times I would have in there, or the life I would have afterwards. If I'm honest, I don't really think much about the future, I don't really see one.
Looking at Noah, I realize that it must be the same for him. That he didn't need to ask that question because he already knew the answer. He was living the answer, just as I have.
"Why were you fighting with Victoria yesterday?" I ask.
My entire body grows cold and my brain yells at me asking why in the world I thought that was a good thing to say. I wouldn't be surprised if he left me on the side of the road for my nosiness.
Noah's knuckles turn white on the steering wheel. "You were watching us?" he asks.
"Kind of hard not to notice."
Noah directs his eyes to me and I find myself caught sinking within their green marsh. I couldn't look away. "She was just accusing me of things." He adjusts the plastic name tag on his uniform. "But that's none of your business," he says to end the conversation.
Admittedly, I was disappointed. For some reason I thought he was going to tell me every dirty detail of their fight. I don't blame him for not trusting me though, I wouldn't tell him my secrets.
"Are you coming to the party tomorrow?" Noah changes the subject.
"Yeah I am. I invited Charlie too."
Noah contemplates my words and nods his head slightly. "Cool," he says.
We were nearing my Dad's house as the silence crept back in. I was both thankful and annoyed to have it back. Part of me wants to press Noah further, while another part was wondering if I should ask him about Jasper.
I couldn't help but wonder if Jasper had yet reached out to his former best friends. I never got a definite answer form Zach but judging from the expression on his face when I asked, I can conclude that he didn't know.
Great, now I am wondering if Zach had gotten into touch with Jasper now that he does know. Maybe I should have just left everything alone. If Jasper wanted to see them, he would have.
"You and Zach are still friends?" I don't know why I said that.
"Yeah?" Noah doesn't understand why either.
I search my brain looking for some answer as to why I felt the need to bring that up, but the only thing I could come up with was that I was trying to worm Jasper into the conversation.
"Has it been nice having your friend back?" I was begging myself to stop talking.
Noah looks at me with mixture of annoyance and curiosity. "Why are you being weird?"
I really wish I could answer that, Noah, I really do.
"I don't know, I just thought that you guys haven't seen much of each other since we graduated."
"Actually, we do. He and Emily come to see me all the time. I sometimes visit them if I can afford the time off. It's really just you we haven't seen since grad."
I would be lying if I said that didn't hurt. I guess I figured that everyone just split off after school, but Noah was right, it was just me. I don't know why I just realized this, or why it took Noah to open my eyes. I've been a jerk.
Noah and I never got along, but we were friends. We hung out in same group, saw each other every day, known each other for years. And yet, I still think of him as nothing more than an acquaintance. Shouldn't I care for him more?
I can't remember anymore, but I can say for certain that if Noah and I were on bad terms he wouldn't be driving me right now.
"Do you miss Jasper?" I ask as Noah begins pulling into Dad's driveway.
Noah shares a look stuck between shock and sadness. "He was one of my best friends..."
Noah didn't have to finish the sentence for me to understand. He knew Jasper since they were children and then he left, of course Noah missed him. I'm starting to wonder if I should tell him that Jasper was here, if Zach hadn't already. He probably already knows.
"Are we friends?" I ask instead.
The truck came to a stop in front of the garage that we used to hang out in and Noah shifts into park. I didn't leave just yet, I wasn't ready to. I wanted to hear his response.
Noah scratches the back of his neck and sighs. "Yeah, Roz, we are."
I raise my eyebrow and nod my head. The heavy feeling in my chest had dispersed leaving behind a feeling that I wouldn't call happy, but it was upset either. I just felt light, better even.
"Good." I say.
Ready to leave, I pop the door open and allow the outside air into the warm interior of the truck. Before I could leave Noah stops me. "Don't listen to Victoria," he says.
"What?" I ask confused.
I didn't get an answer before Victoria calls to me from the front door. "Come inside, Rose," she says eyeing Noah.
Victoria stood slightly less tall now that her heels were off, but she was still just as intimidating. Her long hair was tied into a high ponytail and had strands poking out, she was dressed in pajamas that looked out of place on her. Her arms were crossed, as they always were, and she stared over at us with an icy look. I had to admire the strong presence she had in any given situation.
I look at Noah who had now sewn his mouth shut. I ready myself to ask Noah once again what had happened between him and Victoria but there was no point in doing so. From the way Noah looked I wasn't sure if he would ever speak again.
"Thanks," I say as I exit his truck and walk towards a concerned Victoria.
Noah's headlights roll down the driveway and off into the distance behind me. I felt as if I missed an opportunity. If Victoria hadn't interrupted I was sure Noah was going to tell me everything I wanted to know. I'm not sure I will ever get his trust back to that point now that he knew Victoria was staying with us.
Victoria closes the door behind me and locked it. From the foyer, I could see directly into the living room to my left. It was brightly lit and crowded. Everyone was awake and playing games on the coffee table in our living room.
Dad sat in the lone chair closest to the table and leaned over his knees scanning the monopoly board. On the long couch, that had its back towards me, was James and I'm guessing Victoria had her spot next to him. Sitting on the floor with his legs sprawled out under the table was Andy, as always, he was the banker.
I notice Finn sitting close to Andy on the floor. He was hard not to notice, if I'm honest. He a shaved head, dark skin and a strong build fit for the quarterback he was in high school.
I look for Isaac but he was nowhere in sight, either staying with Mom or with the Collin's.
My heart aches as I think about Isaac again. I want to say sorry and that I was an idiot for letting Haley goat me into a fight. But, more than anything, I want to tell him that he was a jerk for choosing his girlfriend over me, especially since she through the first punch.
"Rose," I almost forgot that Victoria was still next to me, "why were you with Noah?"
"He offered me a ride home."
Victoria tightens her ponytail. "You could have called, I would have picked you up."
It never occurred to me to call anyone to come get me, especially not Victoria. If I was going to call anyone it would have been James. Even if everyone told him about how I acted last night, I knew James would sooner give me a high five than a lecture.
"What happened between you and Noah?" I ask.
Victoria sighs and presses her manicured hand to her forehead. "He's not who you think he is. Noah has been harassing me and following me around for a while now. He's obsessed, Rose." Victoria stops huffing as if those words had taken the life from her. "Trust me, sweetie, stay away from Noah."