Page 15 of Sweet Ruin

“He hasn’t asked me to choose between you and him, if that’s what you mean,” Cress said, her voice surprisingly gentle. “Maybe because he knows I’d pick you.”

My heart warmed at her words, and I felt like I could cry. It was stupid, but I’d needed to hear that. To know that Noah couldn’t steal another person from my life. Especially not one I cared about so much.

“Well, of course, you’d pick her,” Anna said, bristling at the idea that might be in doubt. “You’d have to be an idiot to pick someone as grumpy and irritable as Noah. He might be pretty to look at, but who would want to be friends with the guy?”

“He’s not so bad once you get to know him.” I came to his defense before I’d even realized. “At least, he wasn’t…” I quickly corrected myself. Noah didn’t deserve defending anymore.

“You’re right; he’s been different,” Cress agreed. “He’s been spending a lot more time with his grandfather recently. That doesn’t usually have a positive impact on Noah.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“William has started flying Noah out to the company headquarters on weekends,” she explained. “I think he wants Noah to take on more responsibility there. And apparently, they are making a major announcement soon.”

“What kind of announcement?” I wondered out loud.

“I’m not sure,” Cress continued. “All I know is that spending more time with William can’t be good for Noah.”

“You think William could be the reason Noah got Luther and Kaden to cut ties with me?”

“Maybe. I wouldn’t put it past him.”

I cast my gaze over to where Kaden and Luther were sitting. Noah was almost always with them in the dining hall, but having seen him getting in a car with a large backpack, I assumed he was on his way to see his grandfather as Cress had explained.

I should have felt relieved my weekends would now be free of Noah. I’d hated seeing him at school this week. I’d despised sharing the same air as him. But even when I hated him, this place still felt oddly empty without him. Even now, my body felt strangely flat without the constant tension I experienced knowing he could enter the room at any moment. It was a little messed up.

As I watched Kaden and Luther, I almost felt grateful they had chosen Noah over me. He really needed those guys in his life. They grounded him and made him feel like he had a safe space in a world where everyone wanted something from him. I worried what his life would be like without them. His grandfather would have complete control over him, to mold him in his own twisted image. That was something I hoped to never witness, but from the way Noah had been acting lately, it felt like it was happening before my eyes.

* * *

It rained all weekend,so I spent most of my time inside. It was probably a good thing seeing as my English assignment onRomeo and Julietwas due next week. I’d missed the play when our class went to see it in New York, so it felt like I had to put in extra work to try to make sure my essay was up to standard.

I’d been looking forward to seeing Wes when he got back from his rowing regatta, but as Sunday evening neared, he sent me a message to say they were delayed because the bus had broken down. He was going to arrive after curfew, so I wouldn’t get to see him until Monday.

His text message had also seemed quite blunt. I was surprised he hadn’t called me, and I was starting to worry he was still upset about the way I’d kissed him in front of his teammates. In front of Noah. It was a disappointing way to end an already crappy weekend.

As I headed back to my room after a long study session, my phone rang, and I was pleased to see it was my mom calling. I needed to hear a friendly voice right now, and even though I’d only just seen her last weekend, I was already starting to think about when I’d get to see her next.

“Oh, I’m so glad I caught you, Iz. I’ve missed you,” Mom said. “Is it too soon to come back to Weybridge?”

“Maybe.” I laughed. Other than our daily texts, we hadn’t spoken since Halloween, and just hearing her voice made everything a little better. “But perhaps it’s not too soon for me to come back to Rapid Bay? I was thinking for Thanksgiving…”

“Really?” Mom gasped on the other end of the phone. “You’re coming home for Thanksgiving? That would be wonderful.”

”Yep, I’m coming home.” I hadn’t fully decided until this moment. It was only a four-day break, but while Mom and I had discussed me coming home for the holiday, I’d been worried about taking too much time away from school when I had so many projects due and tests I needed to take in December. But I also needed to see my mom, and I couldn’t let my life revolve around schoolwork. If I didn’t take this opportunity, I might not see her again until Christmas, and I wasn’t okay with that.

Mom sounded like she was over the moon. “This is the best news,” she gushed. “Okay, I better start working on my pumpkin pie recipe now.”

"Mom, every year you try to perfect your pumpkin pie, and every year I tell you it’s already the best there is.”

“No, there’s still something missing. it will be even better this year.”

I smiled, knowing there was no point arguing with her when it came to pumpkin pie.

“Also, I was thinking of inviting your father,” she continued.

“You were?”

“Yeah. He was so welcoming to me over Halloween. I thought it would be nice for us all to spend the holiday together. But I wanted to check with you first. What do you think?”

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