I stand by Noah’s front door, shifting on my feet. I’m not here to talk to him. I’m not here to beg for forgiveness. I’m not here to apologise.
I’m here because I looked through my laundry half an hour ago and saw that I still had Noah’s clothes from the morning after the party. Sure, I could have kept them, but that would be theft. I have to return them at some point, and better now than later.
When I think no one is going to answer, the door opens. I feel a twinge of disappointment when I see that it’s Ben. Which is silly. It’s better that I avoid Noah.
“Hey Eve! Are you looking for Noah? He’s not here at the moment.”
“He isn’t?” I ask.
“He went out with Declan and Kaito. I’m not sure when he’ll be back.”
“That’s okay, I’m only stopping by to drop off some of his clothes.” I hold out the folded shorts and t-shirt.
Ben takes it. “I can let Noah know you dropped by—”
“No, don’t. He wasn’t expecting me.” I take a step backwards.
Ben frowns. “You haven’t come over in a while.”
I shrug. “We’ve both been pretty busy.”
“He hasn’t gone to yours either.”
“Lots of schoolwork,” I say.
“But you used to study together,” Ben says.
“We’re just busy.”
He nods. “Okay. Have a good day, Eve.”
“You too!” I say, waving a hand. “See you!” I turn away and start walking down the front path when Ben calls out.
“Eve?”
I turn around.
“You’re a good friend to Noah,” Ben says. “You know that, don’t you?”
If only he knew. I force a nod. “He’s a good friend to me,” I say.
As I walk away, I wonder if I’ll ever return to Noah’s house again.
28
Noah: The Last Day
I would have thought that Tiana telling everyone that I used Eve to make my crush jealous would have a bigger effect on my reputation, but no one appears to care. Maybe it’s easier to ignore or forget the rumour when no one knows who the crush is, or maybe people don’t believe Tiana, or maybe people don’t want to make an enemy of me and my friends.
Declan and Kaito haven’t asked about the rumour, dismissing it and worrying about what’s going on with Henry and me. We haven’t spoken at all since Monday. In class, either Declan or Kaito will sit between us and we avoid being left alone together.
“You guys need to kiss and make up,” Kaito says in Economics class after Henry leaves for the bathroom. I watch him go. The sight reminds me of that Monday more than a month ago when we met in the sports shed.
“Yeah, quit your bitch fight,” says Declan.
“What bitch fight?” I ask. While I haven’t spoken to Henry — I didn’t want to start a fight in public — I’ve called and texted him. There’s been no response, of course.
“We may not be smart, but we’re not stupid,” Declan says, rolling his eyes. “What’s up with you two?”
