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CHAPTERONE

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Achill ran down my spine as I watched my mom’s car crawling away. It wasn’t the biting air that made me shiver. Rather, it was the disquiet I always felt whenever I had to say goodbye to my mother.

I stood there even after her car had disappeared down the treelined avenue that stretched from the main school building behind me to the tall metal gates at the entrance to Weybridge Academy. A light rain misted the air, but I hardly noticed it. My mom had just left, and I wasn’t sure when I’d see her again.

It had been so good to have her at Weybridge this weekend, but it was hard to appreciate the fun moments we’d shared when our evening at the Halloween carnival had turned into a complete disaster. William Hastings had threatened me, and Noah had punched my father. Despite the past between our families, I’d always felt there might somehow be room for reconciliation. But it was amazing how much could change in one night. The burning-hot anger that now flooded my veins when I thought of Noah and William was impossible to deny. I had no idea how I was going to stomach the rest of the school year seeing Noah every day.

I wasn’t sure how long I stood there staring down the driveway, but the rain was no longer spritzing the air. Instead, it was falling in fat droplets, promising a stronger storm to come. I finally considered moving, but it was hard to drag myself away. Walking away meant admitting she was truly gone.

I missed my mom so much already. She’d been reluctant to leave today after everything that had happened last night, but Matthew had to return to New York this morning, and I would be back in class as normal tomorrow. Life didn’t stop, and she needed to get home to her café. Still, I wished she could have stayed. Everything felt so much easier to cope with when she was with me.

I started slowly traipsing my way back to the dormitories. A few students ran past me, trying to get out of the rain as it started to fall even harder. I didn’t join them though. A part of me liked the way it soaked into my jacket and drenched my hair. It was something real when everything else felt so surreal.

When I reached the courtyard between the two dorms, I paused. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back to my room just yet. There were so many things spinning around in my head. Between my mom leaving and the events of last night, I needed to vent. There was only one person I wanted to talk to right now, and I found myself turning in the direction of the boys’ dorm. Wes probably didn’t want to hear me complain about my ex, but he was also one of the most understanding and calming people I knew, and I really needed one of his hugs right now. I felt like they could cure even the deepest of emotional wounds.

When the door to his room opened, I crashed into his arms.

“Whoa,” he grunted, but he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms tightly around me. He hugged me firmly and didn’t question me or let me go until I finally released him and took a step back.

“Isobel, are you okay?” His expression was serious as he reached out to grip my arms and look me in the eyes. I’d briefly spoken to him on the phone last night to tell him that I’d left the carnival early with my mom and Matthew as we’d had a rough night, but I hadn’t explained why.

“I’m okay,” I muttered.

“You don’t look okay. If I’d known you were this upset, I would have come to see you last night.”

“No, don’t worry. You didn’t need to come.” I let out a sigh and walked over to sit on his bed. “I’m just a bit upset now because my mom’s gone home.”

He nodded with understanding and joined me on the bed, the mattress dipping as he sat beside me. He carefully reached out and took my hand in his. “And last night? What happened?”

“It was terrible.” I took a moment to gather my thoughts before I continued. “Noah’s grandfather cornered me in the parking lot and threatened me. Then Noah and my father arrived, and everyone got in a massive argument. I didn’t think it could get any worse, but then Matthew made some comments about Noah’s dad and…” The words caught in my throat. Maybe if I didn’t say it out loud, it would be like it never happened.

"And what?” Wes squeezed my hand to comfort me.

“Noah punched my dad.”

“He what?” Wes’s eyes widened with surprise.

“Noah punched my dad,” I repeated. It didn’t feel any less surreal the second time I said it. I rubbed a hand across my face as a wave of exhaustion washed over me. “I don’t know what he was thinking.”

“He has been acting weird recently,” Wes said. “He had that fight on the soccer field the other night. But this… This is something else. What did your dad say to him?”

“Something he shouldn’t have. But I still can’t believe Noah’s reaction.” I looked down into my hands. “I feel so damn angry about it all. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I see him again.”

“You’ll do what Noah didn’t and what you always do,” Wes said, making me look up at him. “Take the higher road. You might be a LaFleur, but you’re also a Grace. Obviously, that’s a quality Noah doesn’t have.”

I gave him a small smile but then shook my head. “So, I’m supposed to just ignore it? He needs to know what he did was horrible.”

“Maybe he does,” Wes shrugged. “He might apologize next time he sees you.”

“Maybe.” I didn’t feel confident though. Not after last night. “I kind of want to punch him myself all the same.”

Wes chuckled. “Then go for it. He definitely deserves it. I just want you to do whatever puts a smile back on your face.”

As I stared into Wes’s eyes, it hit me just how lucky I was to have him. He had been a good friend since the day I met him, but I had discovered he was an incredible boyfriend. We’d only been officially dating for a week, and already my ex and my family drama were getting in the way. Wes didn’t seem phased though. He just wanted me to be happy.

“And look, I might be biased,” he continued. “But my advice is just forget about Noah. He’s clearly got some issues, but he’s not your problem anymore. I’m your problem.” He leaned in close to whisper the final words in my ear, and I laughed at the tickle of his breath on my neck.