Two Yards from Heartbreak

I never went to the parties. Not because I hated them. I just… didn’t belong there. I was the coach’s daughter. The quiet one. The girl who sat on the sidelines with a tablet and tracked every play while everyone else lived the night. But tonight Noah wouldn’t let it go. We were still on the field after the game. The lights were still on. Players were shouting and laughing, pads slamming against each other. Jace stood in the middle of it all, helmet off, grinning like he’d just won the whole season by himself. Number 7. Star quarterback. The boy I’d been quietly stupid about for years. Noah walked over to me, still in his jersey, captain’s “C” dark with sweat. “You’re coming tonight,” he said. I looked up from my tablet. “No, I’m not.” “Yes, you are.” He smiled that soft, stubborn smile he’d had since we were kids. “It’s Jake’s place. Whole team’s going. You never come. Just once, Ellie.” “I have homework.” “You always have homework.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he tilted his head the way he used to when we were ten and he wanted the last cookie. “Please,” he said quietly. “For me.” That was the problem with Noah Brooks. He had been my friend since we were little. He knew exactly how to get under my skin without even trying. I sighed. “Fine. One hour. Then I’m leaving.” His whole face lit up. “One hour. Deal.” An hour later I stood in front of my bathroom mirror and barely recognized myself. I didn’t go crazy. Just a bit of mascara. A soft pink on my lips. My hair down for once instead of in its usual messy bun. I put on the one nice top I owned — dark green, simple, the one my mom said made my eyes look brighter — and jeans that actually fit. I still looked like me. Just… a version of me that didn’t hide so hard. My phone buzzed. Noah: Outside. I grabbed my jacket and went downstairs before I could change my mind. Noah’s truck was waiting at the curb. When I opened the door, he stared for a second longer than normal. “What?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious. “Nothing.” He cleared his throat and looked away. “You look nice.” The words were simple, but the way he said them made my stomach twist. We drove in mostly silence. The closer we got to Jake’s house, the louder the music became. Cars lined the street. People spilled out onto the front lawn. I almost told him to turn around. Noah parked and looked at me. “You ready?” “No.” He laughed under his breath. “Come on. I’ve got you.” He got out first and waited for me. When I stepped down from the truck, he stayed close, like a shield. We walked inside. The house was packed. Music thumped through the floor. Someone shouted Noah’s name. He lifted a hand in greeting but didn’t leave my side. And then I saw him. Jace was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a red cup in his hand. Two girls were talking to him, both laughing too hard. He looked exactly like he always did — easy, confident, like the whole room belonged to him. I expected him to look right past me. He didn’t. His eyes landed on me and stopped. Really stopped. The girl talking to him kept going, but Jace wasn’t listening anymore. His gaze moved over my face, my hair, the top I almost never wore. Something shifted in his expression. Something I had never seen directed at me before. Noah noticed too. I felt him go still beside me. Jace pushed off the counter and started walking toward us. My heart climbed into my throat. He stopped a few feet away. Close enough that I could smell his cologne mixed with the faint scent of the field. “Ellie,” he said. Just my name. But it sounded different coming from him. Noah’s voice was tight. “Didn’t think you’d show.” Jace ignored him. His eyes stayed on me. “You never come to these,” he said. “Noah made me.” A slow smile pulled at the corner of Jace’s mouth. “Good for Noah.” The way he looked at me made my skin feel too warm. Like he was seeing me for the first time and deciding something in real time. Noah shifted closer to my side. “We’re only staying an hour.” Jace finally glanced at him. The smile didn’t fade, but it changed. Sharper. “Sure,” he said. Then his eyes came back to me. “Find me before you leave.” He turned and walked back toward the kitchen like nothing had happened. I stood there, frozen. Noah’s voice was low next to my ear. “I shouldn’t have brought you.” I looked at him. His jaw was tight, eyes darker than usual. “Why?” I whispered. He watched Jace over my shoulder for a long second. “Because now he’s seen you,” Noah said quietly. “And Jace doesn’t just look… and walk away.” Something cold and hot at the same time slid down my spine. I turned my head. Across the room, Jace was still watching me. And this time, he didn’t look away.