Noah just raises his brow once again as Rivers watches on in silence. “Is that true?” Noah asks. “You’ve never told me that.”
“Why would I?” I laugh. “It’s not like you’re here telling me all about the fucking shit you were building during shop. If I start talking about that I’m either going to confuse that pretty little head of yours or send you into a coma out of pure boredom.” Noah rolls his eyes but I continue before he can disagree. “Besides, what does it matter? After graduation, that’s it. School will be over and we’ll probably never talk about it again.”
Noah continues watching me and it feels like his gaze is digging deep within me. “You want to go though, don’t you?”
“Come on,” I laugh. “College is like a distant dream that no one from Haven Falls has the right to even think about. You know that just as well as I do.”
“So, why would Carver bother bringing it up with you?” Rivers questions, finally adding a little something to the conversation while sounding extremely confused about it all.
I shrug my shoulders and consider not showing them the scholarship application. If I don’t talk about it, then it’s not really real, right? If I don’t apply and don’t work my ass off for it, then there’s no chance of getting my hopes crushed when they pick someone else. It’s the safest option, but Carver is right, if I was to do that, I’d be selling myself short.
I groan before letting out a heavy sigh. “He wants me to apply for a scholarship,” I say, grabbing the application form off my lap and sliding it in front of Noah. “He thinks I have the potential to get it if I can increase my grades in all my other classes.”
Tully’s eyes widen in surprise. “Shit. Really?” she grunts. “He’s not fucking with you?”
“Nope,” I say as I watch Noah reading closely over the application, so close that anyone would think it’s the only lifeline standing between him and a million dollars.
Noah grunts without taking his eyes from the papers. “You’d be a fucking idiot not to try.”
I look away from him. From everyone. “Yeah…but.”
Noah looks up at my tone and turns to face me, somehow managing to block out Tully and Rivers so it’s only us in this moment. “But what, Spitfire?”
My baby blues meet his stormy greens and all my troubles come pouring out like word vomit. “I just…what if I start pulling my shit together and working my ass off for it and then don’t get it? It would all be for nothing and I’ll feel like absolute shit. But then, what if I do get it? Dad couldn’t handle Aria all the time. He wouldn’t be able to work.”
“You’re thinking too much into it, babe. Broken Hill University is a fifteen minute drive away and it’s not like you’d be in classes from sun up to sun down. You’ll have a schedule and your dad could work around it, and if not, you’ve always got us. I could pick up Aria from school. She’d fucking love it. She’d show off to all her friends thinking she’s badass.”
“She is badass,” I grumble under my breath as I consider everything he’s saying.
“Besides,” Noah continues, “no one is about to deny you that scholarship.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’ll be down there kicking some asses until they accept it.”
I roll my eyes. “You can’t do that,” I tell him with a groan. “If I’m going to do this, if I’m going to get in then I want to know I earned it because I worked my ass off, not because my scary as shit boyfriend threatened some old rich guy in a suit.”
“Hey,” Rivers cuts in. “You’d be surprised. The old rich guys aren’t exactly easily swayed. Noah would have to put up a pretty big fight. Trust me, I know.”
I ignore Rivers comments as a reminder of what he and Noah do isn’t exactly going to help calm my screaming mind right now. “Noah?” I prompt. “Promise me. If I do this, I do it on my own.”
His eyes soften as he leans in and slides his hands into place on my thighs. “Promise,” he whispers.
Noah’s forehead rests against mine and I let out a breath. “You’re lying,” I murmur, knowing him better than I know myself.
He shrugs his shoulders, completely unfazed by being caught out lying. “What can I say?” he grins, unapologetically. “You’re my girl and I fucking love you. I’m not about to stand back and not even try to give you the world. If this is what you want, then you can bet your ass I’ll make it happen.”
Jesus. It’s not like that is even in his realm of capabilities. “You realize this is a scholarship into a rich person college, not jacking a car? I mean, your manipulation game is strong, but it’s not that strong.”