Two Yards from Heartbreak

Chapter four

The next morning Noah was already waiting at my locker.

“Hey,” he said, holding out a coffee. “Two sugars.”

I took it and smiled. “You’re really making this a habit.”

“Maybe I like doing it.” He leaned against the locker next to mine. “How are you feeling about yesterday?”

“I’m still thinking about it,” I admitted. “But I’m glad you said something.”

He looked relieved. “Good. I barely slept.”

Before I could say more, I heard Jace’s voice down the hall.

He was walking toward us with Brooke and another cheerleader. His arm was casually around Brooke’s shoulders. When he saw Noah, he grinned.

“There’s my captain,” Jace said. “You ready for practice later? Coach is gonna kill us if we mess up those new plays again.”

Noah smiled back, easy and familiar. “Yeah, I know. I’ll be there.”

Then Jace’s eyes landed on me. The smile stayed, but it changed a little — more teasing, a bit cocky.

“Didn’t expect to see you out of your usual corner, Carter,” he said. “Thought you only appeared during games with that tablet.”

It wasn’t mean exactly. Just… the way Jace talked when he wanted to remind someone of their place.

Noah glanced at him, still relaxed but watching. “She’s allowed to exist outside of Friday nights, you know.”

Jace laughed and clapped Noah on the shoulder. “I’m just messing with her. Relax.” He looked back at me. “See you around, Ellie.”

He walked off with the girls, already talking about some party this weekend. Noah watched him go for a second, then turned back to me.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. That’s just how he is.”

Noah nodded slowly. “Yeah… it is.”

He was quiet for a moment, then said, “Are you free after school? I was thinking we could go somewhere that isn’t my kitchen for once.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Is this a date?”

He smiled, a little shy. “Only if you want it to be.”

“Okay,” I said. “Let’s call it a date.”

Later we sat on the hood of his truck near the river with milkshakes. The conversation flowed easily, like it always did with Noah. After a while he went quiet.

“I’ve been thinking about what I told you,” he said.

“Me too.”

He reached over and carefully took my hand. “Is this okay?”

I nodded.

His fingers laced through mine. We stayed like that for a while, just talking and holding hands. At one point he leaned in a little closer. My heart started beating faster.

Just before anything could happen, my phone buzzed.

I pulled it out. The name on the screen made my stomach drop.

Jace.

Noah saw it too. His hand loosened slightly around mine.

I opened the message.

Jace:

You looked different today.

Not saying it’s a good thing. Just saying I noticed.

I stared at the text, unsure what to feel.

Noah’s voice was quiet. “What did he say?”

I locked the phone and looked up at him. The moment between us was already gone.

And I had no idea how to explain the message without making everything more complicated.