Was I going to see that smile again after today?
“Hey, there,” she said, walking over. “What’s got you so eager today?”
“I’m always eager to see you,” I said automatically because it was true. Today just had a different reason from usual.
Sara giggled, then unlocked her room and led us inside.
“Why don’t you sit down and I’ll bring you a drink,” she said, waving toward the bed. “I’m feeling a little thirsty. It’s a bit hot out, and the AC was broken in the room we used for my last class.”
Taking a closer look, I did notice she looked a bit sweaty. I walked slowly over to the bed and sat down, watching as she opened her fridge door and crouched down to look inside. Suddenly, in my mind, I could remember her the first day we met when she did the same thing. Only, back then, she’d been trying to stall for time because she was nervous.
I knew Sara didn’t have beer, she was still underage, but I wished I could have one right then. She came back and handed me a can of soda. I popped it open and took a long gulp before holding it between my hands.
Sara took a few sips of her own before she noticed I was really quiet.
“Is something wrong?” She asked, sounding concerned.
I grimaced. “Not wrong, it’s just… I need to tell you something.”
She frowned, before taking one of my hands in hers and squeezing it gently, as she shifted to face me.
“Tell me what’s got you so worried.”
I hesitated, before I turned to her. No matter what, I had to tell her. Dad had held off his plans for more than two weeks, who knew how much longer before he made his move?
“Sara, can I tell you something? Something really important?”
She could tell through my voice and expression that I wasn’t playing some joke. She paused for a few seconds before giving me a solemn nod.
“You can tell me anything, Noah,” she said.
And no matter what, you can't hate me, alright?
I wanted to say it, but I knew it wouldn’t be right for me to ask that of her, so I swallowed those words back.
“Remember when I said my dad was going to get money from your mom?” I started slowly.
Sara nodded, tilting her head. “Yeah. It was for that business venture of his, right? I haven’t heard from her yet, so I don’t know if she’s already done the transfer…”
I took a deep breath. “Well… I’m pretty sure that’s all he’s interested in when it comes to your mom. Actually, scratch that, I know he doesn’t care about your mom. I don’t think he plans to stay with her once he gets what he wants.”
Sara was still staring at me, and I didn’t know if she’d understood what I said when we were interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. Looking distracted, she set the can between her knees and groped distractedly for it in the purse she’d set beside her.
“Hello?” She murmured, putting the phone to her ear.
A few seconds later, her face blanched.
“Sara, what is it?” I asked anxiously.
Slowly, she turned to me and said in a mechanical voice. “That was Mom. Greg just left her, and he took all her money.”
Shit!
I was too late!Chapter Twenty
Sara
I paced anxiously around the room, phone clutched in my hands.
“Sara…,” Noah said my name with a sigh.
I shot a quick look at him, but he didn’t tell me to sit down. The guilty expression was still there on his face. I didn’t suddenly hate him, though. I was madder at myself than him, or I would have kicked him out of my room instead of letting him spend the night. Although it had been the first time we’d spent in bed together without anything sexual happening, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to appreciate it.
“Why isn’t she here yet?” I muttered. “She said she’d leave early, so she should have arrived already. Dammit, I’m skipping classes for this.” I turned to him and gave him a weak smile. “You’re a senior, you know. You could have just gone ahead.”
Noah shook his head as he stood up. He came over to me, tentatively raising his arms as if worried I would push him away. He’d been acting cautiously around me since yesterday, and I could have told him not to bother, but if I had to be honest with myself, there was a part of me that was irritated he hadn't just told me everything when he had the chance to.
Still, I walked right into his arms and hugged him tightly, burying my face in his chest.
“I can afford to miss a couple classes,” he murmured, hugging me back and soothing me by rubbing his hand up and down the length of my spine. “Besides, if things really don’t work out, I might have to push back a semester, anyway.”