Chapter 21 - Too Obvious
876 Words
By lunchtime, the entire school knew.
Not partially knew.
Not suspected.
Knew.
Because apparently Westwood High treated Noah Carter holding someone’s hand like breaking international news.
Lily realized this approximately six seconds after entering the cafeteria.
The room got quieter.
Not silent.
But noticeably quieter.
Which was somehow worse.
“Oh my God,” Lily whispered. “They’re staring.”
Beside her, Emily patted her shoulder sympathetically.
“Yeah. You’re trending.”
“That is not a real sentence.”
“It is at this school.”
Jason appeared carrying an alarming amount of fries.
“Good news,” he announced cheerfully. “Half the junior class thinks you’re secretly dating now.”
Lily stopped walking.
“Half?”
Ryan arrived beside him calmly.
“The other half thinks Noah punched someone over you.”
Lily looked horrified.
“What is wrong with people?”
Jason considered this seriously.
“Honestly? A lot.”
At the table near the windows, Noah looked up from his phone the second Lily walked into the cafeteria.
And there it was again.
That immediate shift in his expression.
Subtle.
Automatic.
Like noticing her was instinct now.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Jason saw it instantly.
“Oh, he spotted her.”
“Jason,” Lily warned.
Ryan sighed while sitting down. “At this point you two are basically a public health concern.”
Noah leaned back slightly in his chair as Lily sat across from him.
“You look stressed.”
“I wonder why.”
“You’ll survive.”
“That’s easy for you to say. People are scared of you.”
“That seems dramatic.”
Lily stared at him flatly.
Two football players literally moved out of Noah’s way at that exact moment.
Noah glanced over.
“…Fair.”
Emily looked between them emotionally.
“You guys are disgustingly obvious now.”
“We are not,” Lily argued automatically.
Noah grabbed Lily’s juice before she could reach it, opened it for her casually, then handed it back without even looking.
The entire table went silent.
Ryan slowly put down his fork.
Jason whispered, “Oh my God.”
Lily stared at the juice box in betrayal.
Noah blinked once.
“What?”
Emily physically grabbed Jason’s arm to stop him from screaming.
Ryan looked exhausted already.
“You opened her drink for her.”
Noah looked genuinely confused. “Okay?”
Jason pointed dramatically.
“That’s boyfriend behavior.”
Lily nearly inhaled water incorrectly.
“We are not using that word.”
“Too late,” Emily informed her happily.
Noah’s eyes flickered briefly toward Lily.
And for one dangerous second—
He didn’t disagree.
Lily’s heartbeat immediately became a medical emergency.
Unfortunately, Jason noticed that too.
“He did the look again.”
“What look?” Noah asked cautiously.
“The one where you stare at her like she personally invented happiness.”
Lily covered her face instantly.
Ryan nodded solemnly. “It’s getting hard to witness.”
Noah looked entirely unimpressed.
“You’re all insane.”
“Maybe,” Jason admitted. “But I’m not the one opening juice boxes romantically.”
“That wasn’t romantic.”
“It absolutely was,” Emily argued.
Lily risked one glance toward Noah.
Huge mistake.
Because he was already looking at her.
Again.
Softly.
Like this entire conversation secretly amused him.
Like she amused him.
And suddenly—
Lily remembered his text from class.
I’m not playing games with you.
The warmth in her chest returned instantly.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Before anyone could continue emotionally terrorizing them further, someone suddenly slid into the empty seat beside Noah.
Chloe.
The table went silent immediately.
Again.
Chloe looked entirely calm despite the tension.
“Well,” she said lightly, “this table gets more interesting every day.”
Jason visibly braced for impact.
Noah’s expression cooled instantly.
“What do you want, Chloe?”
Chloe ignored him completely.
Instead, she looked directly at Lily.
“I owe you an apology.”
Lily blinked.
The entire table blinked.
Even Noah looked surprised now.
Chloe sighed softly.
“I was rude earlier.”
Jason leaned toward Ryan slowly.
“This feels fake.”
Ryan nodded immediately. “Extremely fake.”
Emily kicked both of them under the table.
Chloe continued like they hadn’t spoken.
“You didn’t deserve that.”
Lily hesitated carefully.
Because honestly?
She hadn’t expected this.
Neither had Noah judging by the slight tension in his shoulders beside Chloe.
Finally, Lily answered quietly.
“…Okay.”
Chloe smiled faintly.
Then her eyes flickered briefly toward Noah before returning to Lily.
“Just don’t get hurt.”
And somehow—
That sentence felt heavier than the first conversation had.
Noah noticed immediately.
“Chloe.”
Warning.
Sharp.
But Chloe stood already.
“Relax,” she said lightly. “I said sorry.”
Then she walked away again.
The second she disappeared—
Jason exhaled violently.
“That girl scares me.”
“Same,” Ryan agreed.
Emily frowned thoughtfully.
“That apology felt weird.”
Noah’s jaw tightened slightly, but he didn’t answer.
And somehow—
That worried Lily more than Chloe’s words did.
Because for the first time since this whole thing started—
Noah looked unsettled too.
- Writer
