“What do you mean, the physical part?” Principal Hawkins questioned, momentarily distracted from Noah’s obvious disrespect.
I looked to him, feeling a change in me. A few weeks ago, I never would’ve said what I did next, but Noah’s appearance in my life gave me a new confidence. His zero fucks given attitude was rubbing off on me. I guess that was why I hit Sally today.
“Sally’s a bully. She says horrible things to me and to lots of other girls at school all the time.”
“Why haven’t you come to me with this before?” Principal Hawkins asked, pursing his lips.
“Would you have done anything about it if I had?” I asked back boldly. Noah gave a low sound of approval.
“Of course, something would be done. We don’t tolerate bullying the same way we don’t tolerate fights.”
“Okay, well, now you’ve been told so you can do something about it.”
Noah sat back, folding his arms in delight as he gave a whistle. “She has you there, John.”
Hawkins scratched his head, looking perturbed and not very thrilled about Noah referring to him by his first name. Finally, he stood from his desk. “Two days suspension, and I don’t want to hear about any more fights between you and Miss O’Hare once you come back to school. She’ll face a two-day suspension also, and I’ll talk with her father about the bullying issue.”
“See that you do,” Noah said, standing, too.
Principal Hawkins walked us out, a flustered look on his face as he gave Noah a wide berth. Okay, I needed to find out what had happened between them because I’d never seen my principal act so strangely.
Sally still sat in the waiting area, shooting me a venomous glance from across the room as we left. I spotted Vee’s car outside and was slightly disappointed Noah hadn’t come on his bike. The thrill of being on the back of it, the exhilaration that filled me, was exactly the kind of pick me up I needed right now.
I climbed into the passenger seat while Noah started the engine. “Thanks for coming,” I said quietly.
“I answered the phone when they called,” Noah said with a shrug. “Didn’t have anything else to do. Thought it might be fun to fuck with Hawkins.”
“Was it fun?”
He grinned, his gaze running down my exercise clothes. “I always have fun putting dickheads in their place.”
“Hawkins is a dickhead?”
Noah got a violent look in his eyes. “Oh yeah, a real piece of shit.”
I stared at him, eyebrows drawn. In my experience, Hawkins could be strict, but he wasn’t the worst. Also, since the school was all-girls, Noah clearly hadn’t attended here, so how did he even know that much about Hawkins? It must’ve had something to do with his parents being friends with him.
“Did something happen between you two?”
“You could say that.”
I made a sweeping hand gesture. “And …?”
Noah’s eyes met mine, and there was a heat in them that made me flush. He didn’t elaborate like I requested, instead his voice dipped low. “Did you think about me the other night?”
I blinked. My body stiffening at his unexpected change of subject. I completely forgot my earlier line of thought because I’d never felt more embarrassed or self-conscious. I had thought about him. I thought about him quite a bit.
He must’ve seen the guilt written all over my face because he chuckled low. “I bet you came hard.”
Oh. My. God.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whispered.
He glanced at me, arching an eyebrow. “No?”
“No,” I stated firmly.
Noah didn’t say anything else, instead focusing his attention back on the road. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, choosing to stare intently out the window.
“Did Vee enjoy her party?” I asked a few minutes later, needing to break the thick, inescapable tension.
“More or less.”
“I don’t know why you threw it. She didn’t deserve a party.”
He frowned. “You don’t think so?”
I shook my head, taking in his handsome profile, masculine yet delicate in a way. Aoife was right. His face really was full of shadows. And I had a sneaking suspicion Vee was the one who put them there.
“Noah,” I said, my tone serious.
He glanced at me briefly, “Yes?”
I swallowed for courage, then asked. “Did Vee treat you the same way she treats me?”
He appeared perplexed. “What do you mean?”
“Was she cruel to you when you were a boy?”
I didn’t know how I thought he’d react, but I certainly didn’t expect the burst of uproarious laughter that erupted from him. He threw his head back, his laugh manic, but he never answered the question. He kept on laughing as he pulled into the driveway at Ard na Mara, and I started to feel annoyed and upset. What on earth was so funny?
“Okay, if you’re going to be childish, I’m leaving,” I said, opening the car door and stepping out. He was still chuckling when I reached the house. Why did he have to be so odd? His laughter felt offensive. It made me feel stupid and I had no idea why.