Chapter 18 - Monday Morning Disaster
811 Words
By Monday morning, Lily had come to one horrifying realization.
She had developed a routine.
And unfortunately—
That routine now involved Noah Carter.
Which felt emotionally unsafe.
Lily was halfway to her locker when someone fell into step beside her effortlessly.
“You ignored me for exactly nine hours,” Noah informed her calmly.
Lily nearly dropped her coffee.
“How do you walk so quietly?”
“You’re dramatic.”
“You texted me at two in the morning.”
“Valid point.”
Lily tried not to smile.
Failed slightly.
And of course—
Noah noticed immediately.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The hallway buzzed loudly around them as students crowded toward first period, but somehow Noah still looked entirely focused on her.
Which honestly should’ve been illegal at this point.
“You kept the jacket,” he observed casually.
Lily glanced down at herself.
Right.
Because she was wearing Noah’s denim jacket over her hoodie.
Which maybe wasn’t helping the rumors.
Unfortunately—
It smelled like him.
Which was a problem she intended to never emotionally unpack.
“You told me to keep it,” she reminded him.
Noah’s mouth curved slightly.
“Yeah. Didn’t think you actually would.”
Lily narrowed her eyes.
“You say confusing things on purpose.”
“Maybe.”
Before she could recover from that answer, Jason suddenly appeared beside them carrying three energy drinks for absolutely no reason.
He froze dramatically.
Then pointed at Lily.
“She’s wearing the jacket.”
Oh no.
Ryan appeared immediately afterward like emotional destruction had summoned him personally.
“The Noah Carter Jacket?” he asked with horrifying seriousness.
Lily considered transferring schools.
Noah looked exhausted already.
“Can both of you relax for five minutes?”
“No,” Jason answered instantly.
Emily arrived seconds later, took one look at Lily, and gasped loudly enough to alert nearby students.
“OH MY GOD.”
Within seconds—
People were staring.
Whispering.
Again.
Lily wanted the floor to open beneath her immediately.
“This is exactly why I hate all of you,” Noah muttered.
Jason looked deeply offended.
“You can’t wear a man’s jacket after a rainstorm almost-confession and expect us to act normal.”
“Almost-confession?” Emily repeated dramatically.
Ryan turned toward Noah slowly.
“You didn’t tell us it upgraded to almost-confession status.”
Noah looked ready to walk directly into traffic.
Meanwhile, Lily’s soul left her body entirely.
“There was no almost-confession,” she argued weakly.
Jason gasped.
“He admits nothing. She denies everything. This relationship is thriving.”
“It is not a relationship,” Lily replied too quickly.
Noah glanced at her briefly.
And for one terrifying second—
Something unreadable flickered across his expression.
Not teasing.
Not amused.
Something quieter.
The moment disappeared almost instantly.
But Lily noticed it anyway.
Unfortunately.
Before anyone could emotionally recover, Chloe Bennett suddenly appeared near the lockers with two of her friends trailing behind her.
The hallway shifted immediately.
Lily felt it before she even looked up.
Chloe’s gaze landed directly on Noah.
Then moved slowly toward Lily.
And the jacket.
Oh.
Fantastic.
Chloe crossed her arms lightly.
“Well,” she said smoothly, “this is new.”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Jason stopped talking.
Emily looked nervous.
Even Ryan looked slightly uncomfortable now.
Noah’s expression cooled beside Lily almost immediately.
“We’re not doing this today, Chloe.”
Chloe smiled faintly.
“Doing what?”
Her eyes moved toward Lily again.
“I’m just surprised.”
Lily straightened slightly.
“Surprised by what?”
Chloe tilted her head.
“That Noah’s pretending this is serious.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Lily’s stomach dropped.
Beside her, Noah’s voice turned dangerously calm.
“Enough.”
But Chloe kept looking directly at Lily.
“You should be careful,” she said softly. “Noah gets bored fast.”
The words hit harder than Lily wanted them to.
Because somewhere deep down—
A tiny part of her had already been afraid of exactly that.
Noah stepped forward immediately.
“Chloe.”
One word.
Sharp enough to cut glass.
But Chloe only shrugged lightly.
“I’m trying to help.”
“No,” Noah said coldly. “You’re trying to start something.”
The hallway had gone almost completely silent now.
Everyone watching.
Waiting.
Lily suddenly hated every second of this.
Then unexpectedly—
Noah reached for her hand.
And held it.
Firmly.
Like he wanted everyone watching to understand something clearly.
Including Chloe.
Lily’s breath caught instantly.
Noah never looked away from Chloe when he spoke.
“I’m not playing games with her.”
The hallway somehow became even quieter.
Jason looked moments away from cardiac arrest.
Emily physically grabbed Ryan’s arm.
And Lily?
Lily completely forgot how breathing worked.
Because Noah was still holding her hand.
In front of everyone.
- Writer
