“So, it’s those fat sluts that you want?” Britney asked.
“Don’t even think of getting Kim involved in this. I don’t want you anymore.”
Jessica tapped Britney’s arm. “It’s okay. It’s their loss. We can find what we want anywhere, can’t we, ladies?”
Noah didn’t like that, and he watched as the cheerleaders left the field.
“What the fuck do you think that’s about?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t know.”
After a few seconds, Ryan turned back to look at them. “You’ve got a thing for chubby?”
Before any of them realized it, Kurt had slammed his fist against Ryan’s face. Suddenly Kurt and Ryan were fighting in the mud.
Noah stepped out of the way.
“What the hell is going on here?” Mr. Wood asked.
Kurt and Ryan were separated. “This fucker pissed me off,” Kurt said.
“What? Can’t handle the truth that you’re a fucking chubby chaser?” Ryan asked.
“Both of you, my office, now!”
Noah watched his two friends leave, and he shook his head. He couldn’t believe that they had just fought over this shit.
“What the hell was that all about?” Adam asked.
“It was nothing.” Noah glanced over at Elsa and Kim.
Kim looked ready to cry, and Elsa stared at him.
He could just hear her words in his mind, or at least what he imagined she’d say. “Do you see?”
Yeah, he saw, but like Kurt, he’d fight for her.
No one would say a bad word about her when they were near him, and if he found anyone hurting her, he’d fuck them up.
After practice he waited for Kurt in the parking lot. Ryan and Kurt both walked out. The four of them stood together, waiting.
“What happened?” Noah asked.
“We’re suspended from two games until we can work our shit out,” Kurt said.
“We? You’re the one that went fucking bat-shit crazy,” Ryan said.
“I’ve got a crush on Kim, the chubby girl, the whale, the girl I have fucking bullied all my life. You want the truth? That’s it. I’ve been with Britney, and for a brief moment, I was able to see Kim, talk to her, and even though it was about the fucking assignment we were working on, she saw me as more than a fucking cock, and a guy to show off.” They were the only ones left in the parking lot as most of students had left.
Noah was supposed to be meeting Elsa in an hour, but he’d sent her a text letting her know he was running behind.
“Whoa, dude, I’m sorry. I didn’t have any idea.”
“No, no one has any idea. Kim won’t even give me the time of day. I can’t win her over. I shouldn’t have hit you. I’m sorry.”
Noah watched his friends shake hands. “Is that it? None of you are going to give him shit?”
“It’s not our business. If you like a girl, then you like a girl. Nothing to worry yourself about.”
Noah rubbed the back of his head. He wanted to tell his friends, but he decided against it. The last thing he wanted to do was break Elsa’s trust.
Chapter Nine
“I wasn’t being fair to you,” Elsa said the moment Noah climbed out of his car.
“Kurt got into a fight because of your friend.”
“What did Kim do?”
“Where do you see us going?” he asked.
“What?”
“Us. Is this just something for fun, to pass the time?”
“No!” She didn’t understand why he was yelling.
“Then what is it?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to lose you.”
“You don’t want to lose me, and yet you won’t tell me what the hell this is. I can’t tell my friends about us. I can’t tell anyone about us. I’ve just watched Kurt defend Kim—you know what I mean, he defended her, and I can’t do that. I had an opportunity to tell them about us, and I kept it a secret, for you, because of you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not some asshole, Elsa. I’m not going to walk away and leave you, okay? I’m not going to make you a laughingstock.”
“But look how your friends reacted. Look at your exes!”
“They’re exes for a reason. I’m not here because I want to be with Jessica. I’m here because I want to be with you. I like you, a whole hell of a lot, and that fucking scares me. My whole life, all I ever had was college, football, and my plans. Now I find myself changing my plans for you.”
“Changing your plans?”
“Yes. I have feelings for you, Elsa. Is that so hard for you to understand? I don’t want high school to finish and us to be over. I want this to be the start of something amazing.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. Just promise me you’d think about it.” He climbed back into his car.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“To clear my head. I can’t do this right now.”
She watched him go, and she hated herself.
Going to her car, she climbed inside and made her way back home. Her mother was already home, and Elsa let herself in.