Micah’s POV
My feet practically dragged themselves toward the hockey arena. The freezing air of the rink hit me the moment I stepped inside, but my chest was burning with a mixture of anxiety and quiet determination. Looking around, I spotted a few other members of the media team lingering near the sidelines, their cameras slung over their shoulders. I wanted nothing more than to walk straight over to Noah, to pull him aside and ask him about the party. But I couldn’t. Not now.
Not with the brand-new head coach standing right there on the ice.
The new coach was busy introducing himself to the varsity squad, his loud voice echoing off the metallic rafters. Noah stood right beside him, acting the part of the perfect, disciplined captain as he walked the man through the team’s current roster and defensive playbooks.
Trying to distract my spiraling thoughts, I lifted my camera and began taking shots. But the moment my lens focused on Noah... on the sharp line of his jaw, the damp curls of dark hair clinging to his forehead, and the effortless authority radiating from him... my cheeks flared with a sudden, betraying blush. My heart did a slow, heavy roll in my chest.
"You’re Micah Miller, aren’t you?"
A bright, cheerful voice suddenly piped up from right behind my shoulder, catching me completely off guard.
I gasped, nearly dropping my expensive camera as I whipped my head around. Standing right in my personal space was a girl clad entirely in neon pink. From her oversized pink top to the fluffy pink bag slung over her arm, everything about her was loud.
"Oh, yeah," I stammered defensively, quickly turning my back to her and lifting my camera to resume taking photos.
The girl didn’t take the hint. She stepped up right beside me, raising a professional camera of her own and snapping a quick succession of shots of the team.
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, a sudden realization hitting me. "Are you... one of the ghost members of the media team?"
She cut her eyes toward me. She didn’t say the word yes, but the sudden, knowing spark in her eyes gave her away instantly. As ghost members, they were permitted to work completely behind the scenes, never having to formally reveal their civilian identities to the rest of the campus.
"My older sister has told me a lot about you, Micah," she said, her tone dripping with effortless playfulness.
I raised a skeptical eyebrow, my camera lowering slightly. "And who exactly is your sister?"
"Huh? I honestly thought we looked completely alike," she giggled, gesturing to her face. "Raven."
I turned my head and shot her an involuntary, flat glare. I didn’t mean to be rude, but I honestly couldn’t help myself. Looked alike? with Raven?
Raven was a walking storm of dark, gothic lace, heavy eyeliner, and cynical smirks. This girl looked like she had been dunked in a vat of liquid cotton candy.
"I’m incredibly sorry, but I do not see even a single shred of resemblance," I muttered.
The girl let out a bright, melodic laugh that echoed off the glass. "Right... fair enough. I’m Sunny."
"I’m Micah," I replied softly. "Though, apparently, you already knew that."
"So, Micah," Sunny purred, leaning in closer. "Are you planning on heading to that massive varsity pool party tonight?"
"I..." My fingers tightened around the grip of my camera. I looked down, my throat suddenly tight. "I can’t go."
"Oh, let me guess. You’re a total, hopeless introvert, aren’t you?" Sunny cooed. Before I could flinch away, she reached out and playfully poked my cheek with her index finger.
I froze, too stunned to even brush her hand away. She was just as aggressively touchy-feely as Raven was. Maybe they really were cut from the exact same cloth.
I quickly lifted my head to snap another photo of the ice, desperately wanting to escape her gaze. But the moment my lens focused, my breath caught in my throat.
Noah was staring directly at me.
He was standing near the center line, but his posture had gone completely rigid. He was staring across the distance with an intensity so fierce, so dark, that I felt my heart physically drop into my stomach. His icy blue eyes flickered slowly down to Sunny’s hand, where her finger was still lightly resting against my cheek.
Then, just as quickly as he had locked onto us, he abruptly tore his gaze away, turning his back to me.
"We’re both in our first year, so we should absolutely be best friends," Sunny chatter continued, but I couldn’t hear a single word she was saying. My mind was spinning in chaotic circles. Why had Noah looked at me like that? Why had he looked so... angry, only to instantly shut me out?
Maybe he was just stressed about the new coach. But I still needed to give him the metallic invitation card tucked in my bag.
Deep down, a desperate, aching longing was blooming in my chest. I wanted to attend this party. I wanted it more than anything. Noah had never told me about the last wild party he went to... the one where I had to sneak out of the house just to track him down to Damon’s place. But this time, I wanted to experience it. For the first time in my sheltered, suffocating life, I wanted to go to a real college party.
The sharp, piercing trill of the head coach’s whistle echoed through the rafters, signaling the end of the afternoon training session.
The moment the sound faded, Noah didn’t hesitate. He skated with terrifying speed directly toward my section of the stands, sliding to a stop and leaning his broad, padded shoulders against the protective glass barrier separating us.
"Micah," he called out, his deep voice carrying over the din of the rink. He gave a sharp, commanding tilt of his head toward the side gate.
I got the message instantly. I quickly murmured a quiet goodbye to a pouting Sunny and hurried over to the edge of the ice where Noah was waiting.
"Are you only here to take photos for your media registration?" Noah asked, reaching up with a gloved hand to push his sweat-dampened hair out of his eyes.
"Uh... actually, no," I stammered. My hands trembled slightly as I reached into my backpack. I had intended to pull out both of the invitation cards, but a sudden wave of cowardice made me grip only one. I pulled it out and held it toward him. "You... you got invited to this."
Noah glanced down at the metallic card, a dismissive scoff escaping his lips. "I’ve already received over ten of those exact flyers today, Micah," he said, reaching out to take it from my hand.
But instead of letting him have it, I pulled the card back, clutching it tightly against my chest like a shield. I stared up into his eyes, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Noah... can I go with you?"
"Go? To the varsity pool party?" Noah’s voice dropped, his eyes narrowing instantly.
I gave a frantic, desperate nod, my eyes wide as I pleaded with him. "I really want to attend a party, Noah. Just once. Thanks to father, I wasn’t even allowed to attend my own high school graduation after-party. Can I please go to this one? Please?"
I watched Noah’s face closely, and my stomach instantly twisted. His strong jaw clenched so hard the muscles jumped, and a thick, angry vein throbbed on the side of his temple.
A wave of fear washed over me. Had I said something wrong? Was he furious with me?
Before I could even process the sudden change in his demeanor, Noah reached out and violently snatched the invitation straight out of my hands. I stared blankly down at my empty palms, a sudden, bitter lump rising in my throat as I slowly looked back up at his cold face.
"You do not need to go to that party, Micah," Noah said, his voice laced with a flat, absolute authority that brooked no argument. "It is absolutely not a place for someone like you."
"Why?" I demanded, my voice cracking under the weight of my rising tears. I lowered my head, my shoulders beginning to tremble violently with a mixture of humiliation and rage. "Because I’m not one of the cool kids? Because I’m just your fragile, pathetic little brother?"
"No, Micah. It’s because you are pure, and those people—" Noah started, taking a sudden step closer as if to reach out and comfort me.
But before his hands could touch me, I shot my arm straight out, forcefully pushing against his chest.
Noah froze, his eyes widening in complete shock.
It was the first time. The absolute first time in my entire life that I had ever pushed Noah away. I hated the feeling of the distance between us, but the suffocating anger bubbling in my chest was entirely too much to contain. I was so sick of being locked in a golden cage. I was too angry to even look him in the face anymore. I just wanted to escape.
"It’s fine," I choked out, blinking back the hot tears threatening to spill over my lashes. "I’ll just stay at home. Like always."
I turned on my heel and bolted.
"Micah! Wait!" Noah’s commanding voice echoed behind me, but I didn’t stop. I ran through the heavy double doors of the arena, bursting out into the blinding, cool afternoon air. I ran all the way to the edge of the campus road, desperately searching the passing traffic for an empty cab.
I had another mandatory lecture in twenty minutes, but screw it. I wasn’t going to go. I was entirely too exhausted, too angry, and too broken to sit in a classroom.
I stood by the curb, biting my lower lip raw to keep from crying as the cool wind whipped against my face. I hated this. I hated how Noah consistently said no to absolutely everything I wanted. I knew he claimed it was to protect me, but what on earth was he actually protecting me from? He was planning on going to the exact same party tonight. If he had just let me go, I would have happily remained right by his side the entire night.
And then, like a lightning bolt in the dark, a sudden, sickening memory flashed through my mind.
I remembered the night I had snuck into Damon’s house. I remembered watching that scene on the massive TV and seeing a beautiful, heavily made-up girl sitting comfortably on Noah’s lap, her hands tracing the back of his neck.
My eyes widened in pure, paralyzing horror as the pieces suddenly began to align in my head.
"Does Noah... does he actually have a secret girlfriend?" I whispered to the empty street, my chest tightening until I could barely breathe. "Is he keeping me locked away just so I don’t find out?"