Chapter 3 3

"What happened to your face?"

I shot a glare at Yasmin as I slid into my seat at our lunch table, my hand automatically going up to the huge red mark that had formed on the corner of my forehead as I muttered incoherent words under my breath, wincing when I applied too much pressure.

"Nothing," I grumbled, and watched as she raised a brow but then shook her head.

"Whatever you say. Anyway, you hear about the party?"

I nodded. I had, in fact, heard about the party the class president was throwing, and as far as I knew, everyone in our grade was invited. Many girls had been talking about what they were going to wear while most of the guys had been boasting about the alcohol they would consume (although I had no idea why someone would brag about that).

I hadn't been planning on going but now that Yasmin had brought it up, I'd realized that I was free for the night and really had nothing else to do. So, why not? "Yeah, I'm going. Are you?"

Yasmin shook her head with a pout, "Can't. Parents watch me like a hawk."

I laughed, "Trust me, I've dealt with that before. Maybe next time then?" She chuckled, "Maybe."

We settled back into a peaceful silence when a familiar voice broke through the air and rang in my ears, causing me to look up and groan when I saw that it was Connor and his friend that I'd bumped into. "Wassup, my dudes?" Connor greeted, and plopped down in the seat next to me.

"What are you doing here?" Yasmin questioned, just as his friend slid into the seat opposite of Connor. "Can't I visit my partner-in-crime when I miss her?"

I rolled my eyes at the cute smile he sent my way before my gaze landed on his friend, "Hey, I didn't catch your name when I bumped into you earlier. I'm Kiara You are...?"

He grinned, "Noah. Nice to meet you." A grin twitched on my own lips and I was about to respond when someone cleared their throat, and all of us looked up to see none other than Ms. Queen Bitch Layla herself.

She had a sardonic smile on her face but the way her eyes were glittering menacingly told me I was in for a long ass speech. So, I decided to be the mature person and speak up. "Sup, bitch?"

Ah, but I could never be mature. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she crossed her arms, "I thought I told you Connor was my boyfriend."

"I thought I told you I didn't care," I mocked, and watched as her jaw set.

"I warned you."

"Yeah, I know, I'm still shaking in my boots. Can't you see?"

The fumes were practically blowing out of her ears from the way her face was turning a bright shade of red, all while I sat there with a shit-eating grin on my face. I was not dealing with Satan twice in one day.

"Now, if you'd kindly excuse me, I'd like to eat my food now. Thank you and goodbye." She looked like she wanted to punch me in the face but at the last moment, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before flashing me a cool smirk and sauntering away.

I watched her go with narrowed eyes. If she didn't argue with me on that, then clearly she was up to something. But before I could think more into it, Yasmin spoke up. "Oh my God, that was amazing," she gushed, her dark eyes filled with amusement as she excitedly clapped her hands.

Noah nodded, a grin forming on his own lips, "Yeah, that was pretty awesome. Layla doesn't take shit from anybody." His gaze flickered towards Connor, who'd gone unexpectedly quiet.

"Well, except from Connor but he doesn't last long." Connor snapped out of whatever trance he was in and rolled his eyes, "Shut up, Noah."

"What? It's true." Shaking his head, Connor muttered something under his breath before he lazily started playing with his salad, causing me to blink in surprise.

Him not having a response was a bit unexpected but I didn't press it. After all, I didn't even know the guy.

"Hey, that reminds me! Are you two going to Hunter Anderson's party?" Noah asked, eagerly. I cracked a small smile, "Yasmin's not, but I am."

Connor perked up, his dark brows shooting upwards in surprise, "You are?"

"Why? Aren't you?" He shook his head, a strand of his wavy hair falling onto his forehead as he did so. "I wasn't planning on it." Now, it was my turn to look surprised.

"Seriously? You're one of the first people I'd expect to go." "Let's just say I don't have a good relationship with Hunter," he muttered, and pushed his chair back, rising to his feet as he avoided my eyes.

"Anyway, I have to go visit Mrs. Bane. She requested to meet me. See you, guys." He then flashed me a tiny smile, "Later, Clumsy."

I watched him leave the cafeteria, his bag slung over his shoulder before I turned towards Noah, my brow cocked up as I asked, "Good relationship? What does that mean?"

He shrugged, "It's not really my place to tell." I sighed, but then nodded, "Alright. You're still going to the party though, right?"

He gave me a thumbs-up. "Expect to see me near the snacks table." I laughed as the bell rang, indicating the lunch period was over us and stood up, along with the rest of the students as we all started to file towards the cafeteria's exit doors.

"See you tonight then, Kiara!" I gave a wave of agreement to Noah before following Yasmin through the crowd, my mind reeling with what the reason for hate was between Hunter and River before a bigger problem registered inside me. How was I going to convince my dad to let me go??

I stared at my reflection as I brushed my unruly hair, watching it curl immediately as soon as each strand was out of my comb. I never liked my hair. I thought it always made me stand out among others, since it was a weird mix of brown and blonde but lately I'd come to adore it.

Probably because it was the one thing that my mother would always compliment. My mother had been a beautiful woman of Irish descent, with large, playful green eyes and fiery red hair that always managed to look attractive, even when it was a mess.

She had sprinkles of freckles across the bridge of her nose, one of my father's favorite characteristics about her. He had always praised her about her beauty, and I could still remember the times when he would stop by her office with a bouquet of flowers and an ' I love you,' immediately winning the hearts of her co-workers. But he didn't care about them. He only had eyes for my mom.

Tears had formed in my eyes and I gave a watery smile to my reflection, when a knock on my door broke me out of my thoughts. I hurriedly wiped my face before calling to my dad that he could come in.

"Hey, sweetheart, you ready to go?" I nodded, avoiding his gaze as I grabbed my phone, my eyes still stinging from the memory of my mother. But of course, he could figure out that I wasn't okay "What's wrong?"

I looked up when he gently tilted my chin up, his warm brown eyes gazing into my similar ones. "Nothing," I said, softly.

"I was just thinking about Mom." The worry in his eyes faded into tenderness and I could see the tiny bits of pain he tried so hard to keep hidden from me. But he couldn't always hide it. After all, he was the one who always cried on Christmas, when my mother wasn't there to decorate the house.

"You're missing her, aren't you?" he questioned, quietly.

I nodded, lowering my gaze to the ground. My father wrapped me into a fierce hug, his arms holding me against him as he kissed my hair, "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Fresh tears sprang to my eyes but I buried my face into his chest, not wanting to cry to hurt my dad even more. He had already dealt with so much heartache. I didn't want to be the cause of more. "It's okay, Dad," I mumbled. "It's not your fault."

He pulled back, his hands cradling my face as he kissed my forehead, "I know, kiddo. But I just wish...I just wish things weren't like this." I knew what he meant. But I didn't want to create any more problems for him so I inhaled a deep breath and plastered on a smile. "Me, too. But we can't change the past, Dad. Mom would have wanted us to be happy."

He nodded in agreement, "You're right. Now, let's go drop you off at that party." My smile widened.

"Let's."

•-•-•

I pushed through the dancing students, my head spinning with all the smells of alcohol, sweat, and puke. It had been an hour since I'd arrived and to say I was dying of boredom was an understatement.

I had been searching for Noah for a long time, but hadn't seen him anywhere so I had just gone to get a few drinks when the host of the party had come along, joining me for an unwanted chat.