Page 12 of Feel Free to Scream

Noah: I’m sorry.

Noah: The guys are wondering how you’re doing.

Me: Good! I grabbed the books I needed. Eager to start Monday.

Noah: That’s my girl!

Noah: Your grandma says hi!

Noah: Facetime tonight? I miss you.

Noah: ??

I glance at the time. Ten thirty. Lily isn’t back yet, so that’s perfect. I call, with video, and only when the phone has started to ring do I realize that I’m wearing the skirt.

I scramble to climb under my sheets just as the call connects.

“Hey!”

I grin at the screen. Noah’s handsome. Shaggy brown hair, warm honey-gold eyes, he’s well built after four years of varsity sports—perhaps less so right now. He hasn’t played since last semester, and won’t be playing in college.

“Claire Bear. You move to a fancy town and forget all about the rest of us, huh?” He’s grinning, but there’s a bit of accusation both in his tone and the way his eyebrow raises questioningly.

He last texted over two hours ago.

“I was socializing. I ate dinner with my roommate, Lily. She’s super nice.” I start to tell him about her cosplaying, but I haven’t gone far when he interrupts me.

“Listen, I’m out with the guys. We were just about to head home and I’m the DD, you mind if I call you in the morning?”

“Oh, right!” By the looks of the background, he’s in a quiet room—there’s no loud noise, and the wall’s plain, so I didn’t realize he wasn’t home. “I was just returning your text. Catch you later.”

In truth, I’m relieved to keep it short tonight.

The guilt doesn’t shift, because I still haven’t confessed to any of what I’m up to. But to be fair, he didn’t give me a chance to get to it.

Tomorrow, I’ll tell him about the party, I decide. I also consciously make the choice to bypass any mention of Keller. That’s truly not worth it.

Maybe that’s why the guilt doesn’t dissipate—because I’m hiding something. But little white lies don’t hurt anyone. It’s not like I’m cheating.

The problem is, Keller is very, very handsome. No, he’s hot, point-blank. There’s a reason he’s a freaking model, taking after his superstar dad. And acknowledging I find him attractive—moreattractive than my boyfriend—makes the guilt about hiding anything associated with him worse.

“I’m back!” Lily sings, opening the door. “The guys are eager to meet a fellow nerd, by the way. I told them all about you. They’re highly impressed at you getting us an invite to the wyverns’ tonight. Get this: apparently, those cards let you intoanyof their parties, all year. Unless a wyvern revokes your welcome, but that hardly ever happens. Amazing, right?”

“That’s great.”

She’s all excitement. “Of course, I’ll give you back the second invite after tonight, if you want to take someone else next time. They’re yours.”

“Oh, no, don’t sweat it. Please, keep it.”

She’s far more enthused about the whole deal than I am. And I’m all for keeping her on my side.

“You’re too sweet!” She hugs me. “Come on, I’ll do your makeup.”

My eyes widen. “Oh, no need.”

Lily isn’t one of those girls wearing too much makeup. Her skin is fairly clean, with just a discreet blush, eye liner, and some lipstick, as far as I can tell. But her lipstick is bright red, which looks epic with her straight haircut and those large glasses, but it’s far more in-your-face than my go-to pink blush.

“I insist.”

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