Noah
I didn't care that I was standing in the girls' bathroom. I didn't care if the principal walked in right now and handed me an expulsion letter. All I could see was Avery—shaking, broken, and hiding in a corner of a stall like she was trying to disappear.I dropped to my knees, the hard tile biting into my skin, but I barely felt it. I reached out, my fingers hovering for a second before I finally touched her cheek. Her skin was cold, dampened by tears that felt like they were burning my own skin."Let them talk," I whispered. I meant every word. I would trade every 'Star Striker' headline in the world just to see her smile again. "I'm not leaving."For a heartbeat, I thought she was going to lean into me. I saw her eyes flutter, her breath hitch, and my heart hammered against my ribs so hard I thought it might burst. I wanted to pull her close, to tell her she was the bravest person in this entire building.Then, she moved.But she didn't move toward me. Her small, trembling fingers wrapped around my wrist. She didn't shove me, but the way she slowly, deliberately pulled my hand away from her face felt like a lead weight dropping in my stomach."Noah, stop," she whispered.The rejection was soft, but it stung worse than any hit I'd ever taken on the field. She wouldn't even look at me; she just stared at the floor, pulling her knees tighter to her chest."You shouldn't be here," she choked out. "You're only making it worse for yourself. Please... just give me some space. I can't think when you're looking at me like that."My hand felt empty. The warmth of her skin was gone, replaced by the chill of the bathroom air. I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell her that 'space' was the last thing she needed right now. But the look of pure, raw exhaustion on her face stopped me.If I stayed, I wasn't being a hero. I was just being selfish."Okay," I said, my voice sounding rougher than I intended. I stood up slowly, feeling every inch of the distance she'd just put between us. "I'll go. But Avery? I meant what I said. I'm not going anywhere, even if you want me to."I backed away, the heavy door creaking as I pushed it open. I took one last look at her—a small, lonely figure on the floor—before the door swung shut, locking me out of her world again.
The heavy bathroom door thudded shut behind me, the sound echoing like a gavel in the empty hallway.I stood there for a second, my hands shoved deep into my pockets to stop them from shaking. My heart was still hammering against my ribs, but the adrenaline wasn't from the "rescue"—it was from the look in Avery's eyes when she pulled my hand away."Noah, stop."The words felt like a physical weight in my chest. I'd wanted to stay. I'd wanted to pick her up and carry her out of this hellhole of a school, but I knew that wasn't what she needed. She needed the one thing I was terrible at giving: space.I started walking toward the cafeteria, my jaw set so tight it ached. Every student I passed seemed to be whispering, their eyes darting to me and then to the science wing I'd just come from."Yo, Noah! Is the mouse still crying, or did you finally get her to—"I didn't even let Jax finish. I stopped dead in my tracks, turning to face him with a look that usually made freshmen scatter. Jax was leaning against his locker, surrounded by a few guys from the team who looked suddenly very uncomfortable."One more word, Jax," I said, my voice dangerously low. "Say one more word about her, and I don't care what the coach says about the playoffs. I will end you."The hallway went dead silent. Jax's smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before he tried to laugh it off. "Relax, man. It's just a joke.""It's not a joke to me," I snapped.I turned and walked away before I did something that would actually get me expelled. I needed to find Leo. I needed to figure out how to fix this without making Avery feel like she had a target on her back.But as I rounded the corner, I saw Savannah waiting for me, and I realized the day was about to get a lot worse.
Her blonde hair was perfectly curled, and she was scrolling through her phone with a bored expression that I knew was fake."Not now, Savannah," I snapped, pushing off the lockers and trying to walk past her.She stepped directly into my path, a sharp, practiced smile on her face. "Oh, come on, Noah. Don't be like that. The whole school is buzzing. Jax is already telling everyone you've gone 'rogue' for a girl who doesn't even have a social media presence."She reached out, her manicured nails grazing the sleeve of my hoodie. "You're ruining your image. Do you have any idea how bad this looks for the team? For us?""There is no 'us,' Savannah," I said, my voice dropping to a growl. "And I don't give a damn about the image."Savannah's smile didn't falter, but her eyes turned cold. "You should. Because if you keep chasing after that little mouse, I might have to remind everyone why she was invisible in the first place. It would be a shame if her 'scholarship' reputation got a little... tarnished."I froze. The threat was quiet, but it was there. Savannah didn't just bully people; she destroyed them."Stay away from her," I warned, stepping closer until she had to look up at me."Then stay away from her yourself," she countered, her voice a sharp whisper. "Give her the 'space' she wants, Noah. Or I'll make sure she has all the space in the world somewhere far away from this school."