3; He’s not

“Mom, please,” I begged, my voice trembling. 

“I’m not ready to move in with them. Can’t we at least stay here until the rent expires?”  

Mom sighed, running a hand through her hair like she was already exhausted. 

“Rosalie, this is a good thing. David is offering us stability. A fresh start.The sooner the better! Don’t ruin this for us.”  

““I’m not ruining anything,” I shot back, 

“I know all these, but I need time to process it all! You can’t just ghost for three weeks and come back with a wedding ring and tell me to move in with them! This is psycho behavior!”

“Are you calling me a psycho?” My mom shot.

“I’m doing this for us Rosalie.”

“I know but do something for me. Please mom, do this to make up for when you forgot my birthday.”

My mom glared at me. She knew she couldn’t say no now.

“Fine, the rent expires in three weeks. But you have to promise you’ll be coming home for dinner.”

I nodded.

“And also you need to be nice to Noah.”

A lump grew in my throat.

“I am, it’s Noah who’s the asshole, not me.”  

Mom’s eyes narrowed, and she pointed a finger at me. “You still will be nice to him, do you hear me? Asshole or not.  This is our chance to finally have a better life. Don’t screw it up.”  

I opened my mouth to argue, but before I could say anything, there was a sharp knock at the door. My face twisted in confusion.

“Oh Noah’s here.”

My stomach dropped.  

Noah.  

Mom practically skipped to the door, her mood shifting instantly. “Noah! Right on time. Rosalie’s just about ready.”  

I wasn’t ready. Well I thought I was till Noah showed up. Now, I wasn’t even close to ready. But before I could protest, Mom was shoving my bag into my hands and pushing me toward the door.  

“Have a great first day at your new school!” she chirped, like this was some kind of normal, happy moment.  

I wanted to scream. Instead, I found myself standing in the driveway, clutching my bag like a lifeline, as Noah leaned against his car, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.  

“Get in,” he said, his voice flat.  

I hesitated, my feet rooted to the ground.

“I can take the bus.”  

Noah’s eyes narrowed, and he pushed off the car, taking a step toward me. “Get. In. The. Car.”  

I swallowed hard and slid into the passenger seat. My hands trembled as I buckled my seatbelt. Noah got in beside me. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscle twitching. He started the car, and the engine roared to life, but he didn’t pull out right away. He just sat there, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel. He continued to stare into thin air as his breathing uneven.  

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He looked off. Like he was panicking, but trying to hide it. Oh I know what’s eating him up alright. His knuckles were almost turning white where he gripped the wheel, and his leg was bouncing like he was seconds away from exploding.  

“What are you staring at?” he snapped suddenly. His voice was  sharp enough to make me jump.  

“Nothing,” I dropped my gaze to the floor. “You just seem… uneasy.”  

Noah’s head whipped toward me, his green eyes blazing. “Mind your da*m business, Rosalie.”  

I flinched but didn’t back down. “Stop yelling at me!”  

Noah’s hands tightened on the wheel. For a moment, I thought he might say something else. Instead, he slammed his foot on the gas, and the car shot forward so fast my head snapped back against the seat.  

We drove in silence for a while. The tension was so thick I could barely breathe. Then, without warning, Noah swerved onto a lonely side road and slammed on the brakes.  

My eyes widened as I took in a sharp breath. 

Noah got out of the car, and before I could react, he yanked open my door. 

“Get out.”  

“What? No!” I protested, my voice shaking. “It’s about to rain!”  

Noah didn’t care. He grabbed my bag and phone from the seat and threw them at me. “Hope you know how to use G****e Maps, because you’re walking to school.”

“Noah, please—” I started, but he was already getting back into the car.  

“You are a psycho!” I yelled as he roared the engine to life.

“You better start walking or you’re gonna be late,” he said, before peeling out and leaving me standing there in the dust.  

Tears were building up in my eyes. I blinked them back as I picked up my bag.

“You’re not going to cry for a filthy bastard.” I said to myself.

The rain started just as I pulled up the directions to the school on my phone. By the time I got there, I was soaked to the bone. My clothes were clinging to me like a second skin. I stood outside the building, shivering and unsure where to go. The school was massive, with rows of lockers and hallways that seemed to stretch on forever.  

I finally found the office after asking a passing teacher, who gave me a sympathetic look but didn’t offer to help. The secretary handed me a timetable and a map, but the words and lines blurred together as I tried to make sense of them.  

My first class was on the second floor, but I had no idea how to get there. I wandered the halls, my wet shoes squeaking against the floor, drawing stares from students who whispered and laughed as I passed.  

My eyes finally landed on the classroom. I let out a shaky sigh of relief. I could feel my heart pounding. I took a deep breath and stepped inside. I felt everyone's eyes on me. I dropped my gaze to the floor, only to peel them away as a guy stretched out his foot. I stared at the brown eyed boy as he bit his bottom lip.

“Nice tits.”  

“F*ck girl You just got out of a porno?” another added, followed by laughter.  

I glanced down at my chest, my black bra was a little bit visible. 

It’s not that bad, is it?

My face burned, but I kept my eyes on the ground and hurried to an empty seat. The teacher didn’t even look up from her desk, like this was just another day at this hellhole of a school.  

I was just starting to relax when the door opened again, and the room fell silent.  

Noah walked in with his head down. His knuckles look scraped and raw. My stomach dropped as his piercing green eyes locked onto mine. 

“Babe!” a girl called from the corner. Oh he has a girlfriend? I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s hot after all. But he didn’t acknowledge her. He continued to walk to the back of the room with his gaze never leaving mine. He sat down directly behind me then stretched out his legs to either side of my chair. It’s like he’s trying to let his presence scare me, over power me. I closed my eyes then let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding in. I opened my eyes, then let a small smile plaster on my lips.

Oh he’s not going to intimidate me, I’m the one who knows his dirty secret.