Page 67 of The Kissing Booth
Chapter 15
AT LAST THEschool week was over. I hadn’t seen much of Noah, unless you counted the times when we passed each other at lunch or in the corridors on the way to class, or when I saw him briefly when I went to Lee’s to hang out.
It was Friday night. The sun was just setting, staining the sky pink and red before it turned inky black and starry. It looked so picturesque and pretty.
The boys were dive-bombing into the pool, challenging each other to make the biggest splash, to do the wildest stunt, and all the other stupid things boys will do. I was lying back on one of the sun loungers with Rachel and Cam’s girlfriend, Lisa, from one of my classes. They were talking about going shopping, but I was perfectly happy just to lie there and close my eyes, completely relaxed, bopping one of my feet in time to the song that was coming from the speakers on the decking.
It was still mild enough for me to feel comfortable in my bikini. It wasn’t quite the weather for sunbathing, especially at nine in the evening, but it was nice to just lie there.
‘Hey, you girls coming in?’ I opened my eyes lazily to look at Oliver, who flicked his dripping hair off his face as he leaned on the edge of the pool.
‘Maybe in a minute,’ I said.
‘Um, maybe,’ Lisa said. ‘I don’t know...’
‘Yeah, I don’t really want to get my hair wet,’ Rachel admitted with a sheepish smile. Oliver rolled his eyes but I smiled.
‘Isn’t it really cold?’ Lisa asked dubiously.
‘See for yourself,’ Warren challenged, surfacing next to Oliver.
‘No thanks,’ Rachel laughed. ‘We’re good.’
Warren looked at me expectantly. ‘You coming in, Elle?’
‘Maybe...’ I replied lazily, letting my eyes droop shut again.
‘Elle, what’s going on with you and Flynn? I mean,really?’ Rachel asked quietly. I heard a chair creak as Lisa leaned toward me too.
I shrugged. ‘Nothing.’
‘But you act so... I don’t know. It’s strange. You’re so normal around him.’
‘Yeah, but that’s hardly surprising,’ I pointed out. ‘I grew up with Lee, and Noah was always around. That’s why I don’t call him Flynn. But also because I know it gets on his nerves when I call him Noah.’
I heard Lisa laughing a little and I smiled. Rachel said, ‘He’s just so protective of you I thought maybe there was something... you know...’
I shook my head slightly. ‘No. That’s just how he is. It’s not that big a deal.’ It wasn’t exactly a lie...
‘I guess,’ Rachel said.
‘I think you’d be quite cute together,’ Lisa commented. ‘You’re so opposite it’d be, like, a perfect match, don’t you think?’
I couldn’t help but snort dubiously. ‘We argue constantly. If we were ever like that – not that we would be: God, no – we’d end up killing each other.’
They both laughed, and then started talking about some new movie. I tuned out, too content and drowsy to be distracted for long.
After a few moments of peace, I felt something grab my ankle. Another something snatched up my other leg, and my arms were pinned at my sides. The sun lounger disappeared from under me too, all in the space of a second.
My eyes flashed open, and I saw Lee, Dixon, Warren and Joel all grinning and laughing down at my horrified expression.
I started thrashing around as they carried me off. ‘Let me go! Put me down!’
They just kept laughing. Lee said, ‘No can do, Shelly!’
‘Put me down! You’re going to drop me!Put me down!’
‘If you say so...’ Joel said mischievously. The boys swung me back and forth, once, twice...
