Two Yards from Heartbreak

Chapter eight

I didn’t go outside.

I stood at the window for a full minute, heart pounding, then forced myself to step back and close the curtain. My phone kept lighting up on the bed.

Jace:

I know you’re awake.

Just come out for a second.

I didn’t answer.

A few minutes later I heard a car engine start. When I looked again, his car was gone.

I sat on the edge of my bed and tried to calm down. Noah had only left twenty minutes ago. His kiss still felt fresh. And somehow Jace had already been sitting outside my house.

I hated how confused I felt.

The next morning Noah was quieter than usual when he picked me up.

“You okay?” he asked as soon as I got in the truck.

“Yeah. Why?”

He glanced at me. “You look tired. And you didn’t text me last night after I left.”

I hesitated. “Something happened.”

Noah’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “What kind of something?”

“Jace was outside my house. After you dropped me off.”

The truck went silent. Noah didn’t say anything for a few seconds. He just kept driving, jaw tight.

“Did you talk to him?” he finally asked.

“No. I stayed inside.”

He nodded once, still not looking at me. “What did he want?”

“I don’t know. He just kept texting me to come outside.”

Noah let out a short breath. “He’s crossing a line.”

“I know.”

We stopped at a red light. Noah finally turned his head toward me.

“Ellie… is there something going on between you two that you’re not telling me?”

The question hurt more than I expected.

“No,” I said firmly. “There’s not.”

He searched my face for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Okay. I believe you.”

But the way he said it didn’t sound completely sure.

The rest of the drive was quiet.

At school the tension followed us.

Jace was already in the hallway when we arrived, leaning against the lockers with two girls around him. When he saw us, he pushed off the wall and walked straight over.

“Morning,” he said to Noah, completely normal. Then his eyes shifted to me. “Sleep well, Carter?”

Noah stepped half a step closer to me. “Back off, Jace.”

Jace raised his eyebrows, still smiling. “Whoa. Easy. I’m just saying hi.”

“You showed up at her house last night.”

For a second the smile on Jace’s face faltered. Then it came back, sharper.

“I was in the neighborhood. Didn’t realize it was a crime.”

Noah’s voice stayed low. “Don’t do it again.”

The two of them stared at each other. For the first time it didn’t feel like best friends joking around. It felt heavier.

Jace was the first to look away. He glanced at me one more time, something unreadable in his expression, then walked off without another word.

Noah exhaled slowly.

“I don’t like this,” he muttered.

“Me neither.”

He looked at me. “Promise me you’ll tell me if he contacts you again.”

I nodded. “I promise.”

But even as I said it, part of me already wondered how long I’d be able to keep that promise.