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Matthew placed a hand on my lower back, and I let him lead me away. I was too shocked to put up any complaint. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I’d thought Noah and I were in a more civil place, that maybe we could rise above the conflict between our families, even if we weren’t going to be together. Any hope I’d harbored that we could both somehow stay out of it had been completely torn apart the moment his fist had come flying toward my father.

I glanced over my shoulder at Noah and his grandfather. Noah was still brimming with barely leashed anger as he stared after us. His eyes were hard, and his mouth formed an unforgiving line. I could tell he was still livid about the way Matthew had insulted his father. But that didn’t excuse his actions, and I found I had no sympathy for him.

William’s demeanor couldn’t have been more different. There was a pleased look in his eyes as he watched us leave. Somehow, it felt like he had just won. And I hated him a little more for that.

“Oh my gosh, Matthew!” Mom cried out as we neared the candle-lit pumpkins.

She was waiting by the entrance to the jack-o’-lantern village, and she rushed over to us when she caught sight of Matthew cradling his cheek, his eyes scrunched in pain. The bright red mark was looking worse. He was probably lucky it wasn’t bleeding.

Mom hurried toward us. She reached out a hand to Matthew’s cheek but quickly dropped her arm to her side. “That’s not fake, is it?”

“No,” he grunted. “I wish.”

“I go to the bathroom for two minutes, and you get in a fight?” Her eyes were wide with confusion. “What happened?”

Matthew glanced at me as both of us hesitated. I didn’t want to explain what had happened with Noah. It hurt my heart too much. I’d known he was on his grandfather’s side in all this. I’d been well aware that he would always choose the Hastings over me. But when I saw him punch my dad to defend his family, I finally realized I’d never even had a chance with him. Not in a relationship. Not as a friend. He would always choose them.

“Somebody better tell me what happened...” Mom said.

I knew there was no way she was going to let this go, so I answered as briefly as possible. “Let’s just say Noah and I will never be getting back together.”

“Noah did this?” Mom gasped.

She looked like she had a million more questions, so I headed them off before she got a chance to start firing them at me. “Can we talk about it later?” I said. “Maybe when there aren’t so many other people around? I think we just need to get Matthew some ice for his face.”

Mom looked around, finally realizing she wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Matthew cradling his cheek. There were several other students and their parents giving him strange looks.

“Okay, we’ll talk about it later,” she said as she turned her attention back to us. There was a sense of promise in her tone, and I knew she’d be wanting every detail. “Now, I’m sure we can get some ice from around here somewhere.”

“I think I’d just like to go home,” Matthew said.

“You’re right, maybe we should call it a night,” Mom replied.

It was still so early, and the thought of missing the rest of the carnival made me sad. I couldn’t imagine staying though. Not after what had just happened. There had been way too much drama for one night for my liking, and I didn’t want to risk sticking around and potentially seeing Noah or his grandfather again.

“Yeah, I think I’m ready to go,” I agreed.

“Give me your keys, Matt, I’ll go get your car,” Mom said.

He pulled them from his pocket without complaint and handed them to my mom. I imagined he didn’t feel up to driving right now.

“You two wait here for me,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”

Mom hated feeling powerless in situations like this, and I had no doubt that getting the car as quickly as possible was her way of feeling useful.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Matthew turned to me. “I’m sorry about what just happened,” he said. “I didn’t mean to upset Noah.”

“I mean, you probably shouldn’t have said those things about his dad, but if anyone should be apologizing, it’s him,” I replied. “I can’t believe he hit you.”

“I deserved it for bringing up his father that way. I was really just angry at William. He shouldn’t have threatened you.”

“I was okay,” I murmured. “And you didn’t deserve to get hit. Violence is never the answer.” I glanced up at his cheek and caught him wincing as he went to touch it. “Does it hurt much?”

“It’s not too bad,” he admitted. “I’m sure it will feel much better once I’ve iced it.”

“I hope so.”

We waited in silence for my mom to return. The car mustn’t have been parked too far because she pulled up and ushered us into the vehicle after only a few minutes.