Chapter 2

I walked back home with Nathan constantly watching over my shoulder, terrified that Noah might show up out of a dark alley and kill me for mocking him. What I said couldn't have been that bad, right?

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Nathan said as I looked over my shoulder one more time before crossing the safety of the iron gates of my apartment building. I shook the feeling off me, "It's nothing."

"Come on, spill to your agony aunty," he pulled me into his chest. Unable to say no, I told him what happened this morning. Nathan rolled his eyes, "You guys aren't in high school anymore, so why is there so much drama in your lives?"

"I wish I knew," I sighed, turning the lock of the house, carefully listening to any sounds. The TV was running, but the rest of the house remained silent. Deeming it safe, I pushed the door open, relieved to see only River on the couch. Her shirt was inside out, so it was obvious that her visitor had left recently, but I didn't care. At least I could come home.

"I was lonely without you guys," she complained, pulling me in for a hug.

"Sure you were," Nathan winked as he turned the TV off.

"Hey!" she complained, "Just because you don't have a life doesn't mean that none of us can have one!"

"I'll have you know that I got absolutely annihilated at Brett's party last week," Nathan shook his butt at us, "And I have scored the guy's number too."

"Oh my god, you sneaky bitch! Spill the details!" River screeched.

"We have more important things to discuss," Nathan filled her in with the events of this morning while I brought out a fresh set of sheets to spread over the couch. I couldn't be arsed to sit and disinfect the whole thing, so this was the next best alternative.

Phone in hand, I was clenching and unclenching my fists to read the message. Why did the app not preview the messages on the notification screen?

"Do you guys follow each other?" River asked me as I opened the app finally, building my courage. Me and my dumb mouth shouldn't have run like that, knowing full well I should have been careful about the Sterlings. I shook my head though, I didn't follow Noah Sterling on Instagram or any other social media. We had never crossed paths before unless you counted the one time I accidentally bumped into him at a party two months ago. He hadn't even looked at me, hadn't so much as apologised before walking away.

"Okay, open it," Nathan prodded me when my fingers hovered over the requests folder. Rolling his eyes, he offered his hand, "Do you need moral support?"

"What's the worst that could happen?" River asked, making Nathan and my head snap to her.

"He's William Sterling's son, I'm sure the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree." Nathan shrugged before encouraging me again, "Go on."

Please don't be a death threat, I prayed to whoever was spinning the planet, finally tapping on the message.

*

I checked the time on my phone again, reminded of the text from Noah last night one more time. Even after the night had passed I was no closer to shaking off the odd feeling from my back. I felt incredibly seen, like someone had stuck a target on my back. I huffed, I had been the one to place the target on my back. Sophie was still narrating the same story from the past fifteen minutes, and I was only responding appropriately to keep her talking. When Eleanor giggled, I let out a half laugh too, unsure of what was so funny. The greenery on the campus was far too distracting.

Amidst our giggling, I didn't notice when Alex walked into our compact space, "Can we talk, Sophie?"

Sophie's face fell and shoulders slumped. I knew this would not be a straightforward conversation, nor was it a conversation I should know about, so I asked Sophie if she would be okay, and took their leave at her nod. Moving off the bench we were seated on, I gave Alex the stink eye before turning away and walking off. Eleanor had something to do at the library, so she went away too, leaving me alone.

Earphones plugged in, I stood against the trunk of a tree. The campus greenery was beautiful, and I absolutely adored every bit of the encouragement to create an eco friendly place. Eventually, the mission statement read, they were aiming to make a carbon sink for the whole town, not just the institute and its allied activities. Judging by the initiatives by the botany and environment majors, I was sure that the future wasn't too far when they could proudly stake their claim on being a deep carbon negative hole.

Every time I looked at my phone, those two words haunted me: Hello gorgeous :) What was Noah even thinking? And who used 2010 emojis anymore?

"I didn't quite take you to be a pop music girl," Noah's voice next to my ear was frightening, making me yelp. I could have sworn I was alone until a minute ago.

"What the hell, Nolan!" I clutched my chest, taking my earphones off to give him a knock or two again. Noah was unfazed by my ignorance of his name, but I figured if I said it enough, he could possibly be annoyed by it gradually.

"Noah," he corrected calmly, "I never pegged you for an Ariana Grande fan."

"Well, that just goes to show how little you know about me," I rolled my eyes.

"I fully intend on changing that though," Noah winked, "You should come with me on a date."

I stared at him for a moment, wondering if his question was even real. Seeing only seriousness on his face, I laughed, "You've got to be kidding me."

Almost as if Noah didn't see what was wrong with the proposition, he stood there confused. Ugh, I had to spell it out for him, "You slept with my best friend two weeks ago, then went on to insult her like that literally yesterday, and you think I want to go on a date with you?"

Noah rolled his eyes, "You were far worse yesterday to say negative things right before a very important practice."

I scoffed, "Right because it's only natural to compare having a bad day at practice to literally crushing a girl's self esteem."

"If saying two words about her can crush her self esteem, how much did she have to begin with?" Noah's response left me stumped. People's self esteem was absolutely none of his business. And what a vile thought that he did not owe kindness to everyone all the time!

"Listen, Nico-"

"Noah," he corrected with half a smile, probably understanding that I was now saying the wrong name on purpose, "But you can call me whatever you like." He even winked at me, as if that was going to charm my panties off.

I did the whole shebang of crossing my arms over my chest, tapping a finger against my chin, "How about I call you... manipulative? Egoist? Oh, I found the perfect one," I clasped my hands in excitement, "dickhead. It has a nice ring to it, no?"

Noah laughed heartily, "One day, I will change your mind Brianna. Trust me." With that he walked away, leaving me utterly frustrated and filled with a strange energy buzzing through my veins.

Strange fucker. I went back to my Ariana Grande playlist till Sophie texted me.

Sophie: I'm going home. See you tomorrow?

Brianna: All okay? What was that about?

Sophie: Same circles as usual. Will talk tomorrow about it.

Of course, I knew this tomorrow wasn't coming anytime soon, but I didn't press it.

Brianna: I'll get you notes from class.

Sophie: You will if you run now.

I looked up at the time. Fuck, I was running late again. Bag in tow, I sprinted almost to class, making it just in time for the door to slam in my face. Fuck. No point trying to force my way in, Prof. Smith was very rigid with her rules, so I turned on my heel to leave, still catching my breath.

"Late for class?" Noah seemed to jump on me at the oddest of times, scaring me again. Disappointed by the shut door, I didn't have it in me to argue or fight with Noah at that moment. So I simply nodded.

Noah nodded in understanding, pursing his lips. A moment of awkward silence passed before he asked, "Who's teaching?"

"Smith."

Noah rolled his eyes and grabbed me by the elbow, turning me around and shoving me towards the class. Oh no, I would not make a fool out of myself by trying to reason with that old hag. Despite my weak protests, Noah opened the door to the classroom, and I immediately became the center of attention and curiosity for nearly a hundred and twenty students, and wrath for a certain Prof. Smith. Beady eyes stared into mine, looking for any reason the clearly laid out rules were disobeyed.

"Excuse me ma'am, I'm sorry for holding Brianna up before class. I needed help with something. Would you be kind to let her attend the lecture?" Noah's tone was polite, calm and respectful, a complete reversal of anything I'd heard before from him.

Of course, even in her old age, Prof. Smith could not have disagreed to Noah's charms. There was something about the Sterling men, that they disarmed you with their charm faster than you could say the word. Hiding a blushing smile, the professor only nodded, and I hurried into the class before she could change her mind.

"Bye babe," Noah called, winking at her and then sending me a meaningful look, shutting the door of the class behind him as he left. I scrambled to get my notepad and material in order while she stood there, still blushing, a large smile on her face. Clearing her throat, she shook her head before returning back to the lecture and I tried to follow along as much as I could, especially since Sophie wasn't there to supplement my notes.

I checked my messages only after I had finally left class.

@noahsterling: I can think of a few ways you can thank me

@noahsterling: But I'll just ask for a date for now.