The Stand-In Boyfriend (Greyford High Book 5) Page 10

  “It was just a bunch of girls talking shit behind my back, nothing new about that.”

  “You know they’re jealous, right?”

  “I don’t care if they’re jealous or not. Hell, they have nothing to be jealous of nor do I want them to be. I just want them to leave me alone. Is that too much to ask?”

  “Of course not. But people like to meddle and give opinions nobody asked them to give. You can’t change that.”

  “If people would concentrate more on their own lives instead of other people’s, this world would be a much better place,” I mutter, giving him a side glance. Noah’s also leaning against the bench, but instead of looking at the sky, he’s looking at me, those baby blues of his not wavering.

  “It would,” he agrees quietly.

  We sit in silence for a while after that. Not saying anything, just looking at each other.

  “You shouldn’t let them get to you, Jessy. There will always be petty people ready to tear you apart. Don’t give them power. Don’t let them belittle you just because they’re jealous. They’re the issue here, not you.”

  His words hit close to home. Too close. They warm my heart and make it ache all at the same time.

  Another wave of tears gathers in my eyes, so I look away, not wanting Noah to see me as weak.

  “You’re not such a bad guy, Noah.”

  And that scares me more than I’d ever care to admit.

  Chapter Seventeen

  JESSICA

  “Girls, get in your positions, and we’ll go through the whole routine one more time.” Miss Lopez claps her hands.

  In silence we get back on the mat, each of us taking our position. Miss Lopez nods approvingly and claps her hands in the familiar count. “Five, six, seven, eight.”

  One of the girls who’s off the mat turns on the music, and we begin moving to the familiar routine.

  It’s the most complex thing we’ve ever done. Hell, that any Greyford High cheerleader ever tried, and although my muscles ache from all I’ve put them through these past few weeks I can’t help but smile as I move to the music.

  Two backflips, and then my teammate’s hands are on my hips, lifting me into the air. Down, two claps, then I’m back in the air, this time using more leg power to lift myself upward. Front flip and I’m securely in the pocket, but only for a moment before I’m thrust back into the air.

  My heart is pounding rapidly, and my breathing is ragged since this is at least the fifth time we’ve gone over it just this morning, and that’s not counting the warmup. Sweat is dripping off my forehead and I pray it doesn’t fall in my eyes.

  Spin. Down. Up. I lift my leg to the side, pull it back and fall down. The sound of skin hitting against skin is in sync with the beat of the music.

  I’m tossed back up, doing a backflip.

  I feel it before it happens. It’s that uneasy feeling in my bones. It has been there, even before my body realized what will happen. One moment I’m in the air, and the next, the air is being kicked out of my lungs. I’m falling, and there is nobody to catch me. I brace myself as best as I can—which in reality isn’t much—before I fall on the floor, my whole body rattling from the impact.

  Fuck that hurts.

  Inhaling sharply, I bite my lower lip to prevent myself from groaning out loud. People start calling my name all around me as they dismount, the floor shaking when each person jumps down.

  “Sunshine?”

  My head snaps up almost instantly, a sharp stab of pain spreading down my neck from the sudden movement. A strand of hair that slipped out of my ponytail from all the tumbling and jumping falls in my face, so I puff it away.

  “Noah?”

  What is he doing here? And when did he get here?

  “Are you okay?” he asks as he kneels next to me.

  “Fine,” I groan, trying to turn on my back, but when I try to use my right foot a jolt of pain makes me wince.

  Fuck, everything hurts. At this point I don’t even know what hurts the most. My head? My leg? My whole body?

  “You’re not okay,” Noah protests, helping me turn on my back.

  I puff out another breath of air, my head hurting from the blinding lights. Closing my eyes, I force out, “Leg.”

  Noah moves instantly, his sure hands patting over my legs, looking for the source of pain. When his palm grazes my ankle my whole body jolts.

  “Jessica, are you okay? Does anything hurt?” Miss Lopez asks as she slides down next to the two of us. A matching worried expression on her face.

  “I think she sprained her ankle,” Noah says, his hand still resting on my leg. I try to lean on my elbows to see the extent of the damage, but Noah glares at me, so I stay put.

  “Let me look.”

  Noah moves to let Miss Lopez inspect my leg, her gentle fingers inspecting my hurt ankle as she slowly turns my foot this way and that.

  “It’s not that bad,” I try to protest, hating all the attention. I can feel the eyes of my teammates on me.

  “It doesn’t appear to be broken, so there’s that. But it is swollen and it’s already starting to turn purple.”

  “I’ll be fine. My entire body hurts, but I guess that’s to be expected when you fall,” I try to joke, but neither of them laughs. Fine, suit yourself.

  “Can you try and stand up?” Miss Lopez asks.

  Gritting my teeth, I nod and push up to get into a sitting position. Noah notices my expression so he wraps his arms around me and helps me.

  I look at him over my shoulder. “I can do it,” I insist, but don’t try to struggle out of his arms. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine. Your ankle is already purple and double its size,” he grumbles, not even trying to hide his displeasure. “And I’ll feel better if I help you, so be quiet.”

  “You’re bossy.”

  “And you’re infuriating, so I guess we’re even.”

  “I guess we are.”

  “I think you should go and see the nurse,” Miss Lopez says, breaking our stare-off. “Just in case.”

  “Fine,” I sigh, knowing there is no sense in trying to fight them, because there is no way I’m going to win.

  “I’ll take her there,” Noah pipes up almost instantly, not giving me a chance to protest.

  I glare at him, hoping he gets my message. He does, but he chooses to ignore me instead. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

  “You guys were supposed to show us the routine for the homecoming game.”

  “Routine, right.”

  I start getting to my feet, but my mind turns fuzzy, and my legs give out on me, dull pain shooting through my leg. Strong hands wrap around me, holding me upright.

  “I’ve gotcha,” Noah whispers in my hair.

  “I’m…”

  “Fine,” he finishes for me, but I can see that he doesn’t trust me one bit. Then again, I did almost do another faceplant, so I guess there might be a reason for him to worry. Not that I’d admit that out loud.

  “I just need time for my body to stabilize, that’s all.” Which is true; I can still feel it shaking from the impact.

  “Does anything hurt?” Miss Lopez asks, breaking through my Noah haze. “Do you think you can walk?”

  I press my foot against the floor, testing it. “I think so,” I say tentatively. “My ankle hurts, but the pain isn’t overwhelming.”

  Miss Lopez hums, still inspecting my foot.

  “It was one nasty fall. I’m surprised you didn’t break something,” Noah chastises.

  I look at him. Holding me like that, he’s so close I can see the smallest details of his face. A few yellow spots in his otherwise blue-gray irises. A fair dusting of freckles covering the bridge of his nose. A faint scar on his chin.

  “I guess I’m lucky.”

  He shakes his head, his lips pressed in a tight line. “Don’t joke like that. You could have been seriously hurt.”

  If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was actually worried about me.

>   “Are you sure you don’t need me to go with you?” Miss Lopez asks once again.

  “Yeah, you guys go on without me.”

  “She’s right. First period will start soon. We’re pushing it as it is,” Lisa chimes in. I’m not sure where she came from, or how long she’s been here at all.

  “Okay, Jessy will go to the nurse to get her ankle checked out. In the meantime, let’s go through the routine.” Miss Lopez claps her hands to get everybody’s attention and only when I turn around, do I see that the gym is filled with both cheerleaders and football players, and all eyes are on me.

  “Why is everybody staring at me?” I ask, feeling uncomfortable with all the attention.

  “Oh, I don’t know, because you almost broke your neck?”

  I roll my eyes, trying to hide how much it actually hurts to move. “It was just a little fall, no need to get your panties in a twist.”

  He sighs and shakes his head, but says nothing.

  “Let’s get this over with.” I start hopping toward the edge of the gym where I left my bag earlier.

  “Noah, who’ll be your partner?” Lisa asks, batting her eyelashes at him.

  My back stiffens, but I don’t turn around to face her.

  “Jessica,” he grits. I can feel his irritation like it’s a living breathing thing. “But she needs to go see the nurse.”

  “Can’t she go alone?” Lisa asks, huffing. “We don’t have that much time to get it perfect.”

  “She just fell and probably sprained her ankle. She can’t go alone!” Noah says, his voice rising with every word until he’s outright yelling.

  Everybody quiets, all eyes turning toward us.

  He takes a deep breath, calming himself.

  “Jessica will show me the ropes later when she’s feeling better. Now I’m taking her to the nurse’s office,” he says with finality. I can feel his frustration with the whole situation so I don’t say anything to contradict him.

  Noah pulls me closer, his touch softer. “Let’s get you checked out.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  NOAH

  What the hell is wrong with people? I can still see Jessica losing her balance as she was trying to do some kind of flip, her body falling in slow motion right before my eyes. Slow enough that I can see every detail happening, but too fast for me to actually be able to do something to stop it.

  And everybody’s acting like it’s nothing.

  I’ve suffered my fair share of injuries playing football, my body’s been beaten and bruised more than once, and I even broke my arm once, but it’s nothing compared to watching Jessy’s small body crash into the ground from six feet in the air.

  “How are you feeling?” I ask from my space against the wall.

  The nurse was working on her until a moment ago, making sure her leg is properly wrapped and elevated to stop the leg from swelling before she put some ice on it.

  I should probably move closer, but I need the space. If I come any closer, I might be tempted to strangle her.

  “I’m…” Jessy starts but stops herself when she sees the look on my face. Because if she said fine one more time I wouldn’t even have to move, I’d strangle her from where I’m standing. “Better.”

  I nod my head, my eyes going to her ankle. “Do you need me to bring you a new ice pack?”

  “This one is still cold enough.” The silence settles over us. “Noah?”

  “Yes?”

  She looks away, her cheeks turning pink like she’s embarrassed by what she wants to say. “Thank you,” she murmurs. “For taking care of me.”

  Something inside of me cracks at the vulnerability in her voice. Sighing, I push from the wall and move closer to her. Sitting down on the bed beside her, I place my hand over the ice pack, checking it’s still cold enough.

  “No thanks needed, Sunshine.”

  The nurse comes back, breaking us out of our bubble. “Are you feeling better, or do you need me to call your parents?”

  Of course Jessy assures her she’s fine, and after the nurse checks in on her ankle one more time, she gives her a green light to go to class, telling her to use crutches for a few days so she doesn’t put all of her weight on that leg and come back if it becomes too much.

  “I’ll keep an eye on her,” I promise.

  “I don’t need a babysitter.” Jessy glares at me as she starts getting off the bed, but her feet wobble underneath her a bit. I shoot forward, steadying her.

  “You were saying?” I lift my brows, waiting for her to say anything, but she just huffs.

  Grabbing both our bags and throwing them over one shoulder, I offer her a hand.

  She looks down, and then puffs a strand of hair that slipped from her ponytail. “I didn’t have a chance to change after everything that happened.”

  I let my eyes slide over her body. She’s wearing a loose top and a pair of leggings. “What’s wrong with this?”

  Jessy starts putting a shoe on her good leg, and when I try to crouch down to help her, she gives me such a murderous stare that I back up.

  “Besides the fact that I’m all sweaty? Nothing, absolutely nothing.”

  I want to roll my eyes at her, but don’t think she’ll take it well, so I keep my mouth shut. Once she gets to her feet, I give her the crutches the nurse found somewhere in the storage. Jessy glares at them unhappily, but a grimace appears on her face after she takes one step, so she changes her mind.

  “If nothing else, I’d suggest you stop by during lunch to put another ice pack on the ankle.”

  “I’ll think about it. Thanks for all your help.”

  Slowly we get out into the quiet hallway. First period has already begun, and we’re late as it is, so I take it extra slow, looking down so I can read Jessy’s face.

  Jessy gives me a side glare. “I’m not dying. You don’t have to hover over me like that.”

  “I never said you are. What you are is one huge pain in the ass.”

  “That’s because I’m not used to… this.” She waves her hand. “I’m not some weak damsel in distress.”

  “Again, never said you were. Needing help occasionally doesn’t make you weak, it makes you human.”

  She looks at me for a few moments, those dark eyes sucking me into their depths.

  “I’ll remind you of that when somebody tackles you to the ground.”

  I crack a smile. “Deal.”

  Our trigonometry teacher gives us the stink eye when we enter halfway through class, but I ignore her. Leaving the hall pass on her desk, I help Jessy to her seat and then take mine.

  I’m taking my books out of my bag when my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out to check the message.

  Sunshine: I know it might not seem like it, but thank you.

  My head shoots up, and I find her looking at me over her shoulder, a small smile on her lips.

  Shaking my head, I mouth, “Anytime.”

  “Where are you hurrying off to?” Elliott asks me as I rush toward the locker room. Practice has just ended and my muscles are aching in protest, but I don’t have time to drag my ass back.

  Sometime during the day Evie heard about what happened to Jessica at practice, and she was furious that she was the last one to find out. She also offered to take her home after school since there was no way Jessica could drive herself and apparently her mom had to work late. I agreed since I had practice, and Coach would have killed me if I didn’t attend so close to the homecoming game.

  But as much as I tried to convince myself that she was all right and that I should concentrate on finishing practice and getting my ass home so I could get started on the mountain of homework that was waiting for me, I couldn’t push Jessy out of my mind.

  All alone in her house.

  There’s nothing wrong with stopping by to make sure she’s all right, is there?

  “I have somewhere to be.”

  “Oh, a mystery.” He rubs his hands together, a big grin on his face. “Could it maybe have some
thing to do with the missus?”

  I glare at him humorlessly.

  “Oh, it does,” Elliot laughs. “God, she has you wrapped around her finger, man!”

  I shake my head at him, completely exasperated. “You’re insane. It’s not like that,” I say for his benefit as much as mine. The lines between us are getting blurrier by the second, and it’ll do me good to remember that.

  “Oh, no? Then how do you explain all the driving around…”

  “I drive you around too, and I didn’t hear you complain once.”

  “Bag carrying?”

  “She hurt her ankle!” I protest.

  “Moon eyes?”

  “What are you even talking about?”

  “Ha! You didn’t say you’re not making them at her.”

  I stop at the door, staring him down. “You. Are. Crazy.”

  Not waiting for his answer, I continue inside, pulling my shirt on in the process. I can feel my own stink so there is no way I can skip the shower.

  “All I’m saying is that you have it bad for your girlfriend. What’s so bad about it?”

  Sighing, I pinch the bridge of my nose.

  What really?

  I look toward the door, listening to see if the rest of the team is close by, then I turn toward my best friend. I haven’t told him because I knew Jessica wanted to keep it on the down low. The less people that know, the less are the chances that somebody will somehow figure it out.

  But the thing is, this thing between me and Jessy isn’t fake. Not anymore. Not for me.

  God, I really hope I don’t regret this.

  “That’s because she’s not.”

  “She’s not what?” Elliot looks confused.

  “She’s not my girlfriend, not really,” I explain in a hushed voice, throwing another glance at the door. “It’s fake. We’re fake.”

  His eyes all but fall out of their sockets. “What the—”

  “You can’t tell anybody,” I rush out, hearing the footsteps and voices of our teammates. “I wasn’t even supposed to tell you.”