Chapter 14

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I got home to an empty house on a Sunday evening, which would be weird to some people, but it was normal for me. Mom was either out on a date or off with friends for dinner on the weekends, which meant I was on my own. I was becoming quite the cook for my age. I felt like I could be on one of those cooking competition shows. Who was I kidding? My cooking wasn't "that" good. It was edible the majority of the time.

Instead, I made a sandwich with a small bowl of fruit and a glass of sweet tea and went to the family room to watch a movie while I ate. I was used to being alone, which was rather sad, seeing I was only seventeen. Most kids my age were sitting at home having dinner with their families. I missed having family dinners when Dad was still alive, just the three of us sitting around the table talking about our day. When Dad died, dinners at the table became fewer and fewer as the months passed.

"Gem! It's Ashton!" His hollering brought me out of my daydreaming. I took a sip of my tea and got up off the couch. "No date tonight?" I asked, opening the door.

"Nah. I just came over real quick before dinner to see how you were doing. Sorry, you weren't able to find a date. I see your Mom is gone. Would you want to come over for dinner? You know Mom's got plenty." Ashton motioned his thumb over his shoulder toward his house.

"I was just about to sit down and watch a movie while I ate. Thanks, though. As for the date..." I couldn't get the rest of the sentence out before Ashton interrupted me.

"Nice, Gem. Who asked you out?" He flashed me one of his flawless smiles.

I was about to tell him when his Mom called for him that dinner was ready.

"I'll be right there!" He shouted over his shoulder. He turned back around, rolling his eyes. "I better go before she comes over here and drags me back home. "So, who asked you out?" He asked again, backing away from the door.

"Noah."

Noah? He's a player." Ashton's eyes narrowed.

"Kinda like you." I retorted.

"Oh, that's harsh. Sticks and Stones, Gem. Speaking of Stones. Check out these rock-hard abs as I'm leaving." He pulled up the bottom of his shirt, exposing his six-pack abs.

"I don't want to see that." I motioned my hand for him to put his shirt down.

"Later, Gem." He turned and ran down the steps and across the yard to his house. I waited until he was in his house before closing the front door and returning to my sandwich and fruit, waiting for me in the living room.

I managed to make it through most of the morning without having to answer questions about my upcoming date with Noah. Besides, I didn't have all the details about the date yet, so there wasn't much to tell. I knew Ashton wouldn't believe me either, so I tried to avoid him as much as possible.

"I can't believe you agreed to go out with Noah," Ashton said, walking up behind me.

"What do you want, Ashton?" I sighed, grabbing my tray of food.

"Gemma, are you hitting on my ex-boyfriend again?"

"No. I'm just trying to get my lunch, and he approached me." I turned around, grasping my tray. Claudia was standing next to Ashton, glaring at me. I didn't know what she wanted from me.

"Save it, Gemma." She turned and kissed Ashton. "I know..." She turned and walked across the lunch room, where her friends sat at a big round table.

"Wow...That's a confusing thing you got going on there." I raised my eyebrows, trying not to get sick in my food.

"Later, Gem." He grabbed a tray of food and walked over to his friends.

I joined Chloe, Sarah, and Ava over at our usual table off to the side of the lunch room. I sat down and started to eat my questionable lunch because I forgot to pack one last night. After a couple of bites, I pushed my tray to the side.

"So, has Noah told you what time he's picking you up Saturday night?" Chloe asked, popping a cherry tomato in her mouth. Then, she handed me one out of her bowl.

"Thanks." I popped it in my mouth. "No. What if he changed his mind?" I grabbed another tomato out of her bowl.

"Who's changed his mind?" A low voice asked, walking up behind us.

I could tell by the smile on Chloe's face, who was standing behind me. I knew it wasn't Ashton by the voice. I turned around and saw the most gorgeous grey eyes peering down at me. "No one..." My voice cracked.

"What are you doing after school today, Gemma?" Noah asked, sitting down in the empty chair beside me.

"Probably getting something to eat." I pushed my tray further away from me.

"Funny, you said that. I was just going to ask if you'd want to get something to eat." Noah smiled, placing his hand on the back of my chair. "So, would you want to get something to eat with me after school?" His fingers brushed against my back, making my body scream for more.

"Ow," I mumbled, glaring at Chloe as I rubbed my leg under the table. "What?" I asked as she motioned her eyes toward Noah. "Huh?"

"Oh, my god, Gem! Yes, she'd love to get something to eat after school." Chloe huffed, rolling her eyes at me while shaking her head in disbelief as she popped another tomato into her mouth. Ava and Sarah sat there swapping glances in between giggles. As for me, I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. I couldn't believe I just sat there staring without answering him.

"So, I'll see you after school." Noah got up out of the chair.

"Sure." I smiled.

"Great." He turned and started to walk away, with his hand in his pocket, as he ran his other hand through his light brown hair. I sat there and watched him walk through the cafeteria, weaving through the groups of tables and chairs to the other side, where he joined his friends. I quickly turned around before he could catch me staring at him. I'd already embarrassed myself enough in front of him.

"He's so hot," Sarah said, popping a grape in her mouth.

"Sarah!" Ava smacked her on the arm. "You've got Ty." She glared.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a hot-lookin guy. Did I say I wanted him? No. I said he was hot. Big difference. Do you think Ty doesn't look at hot girls? Please..." She waved her hand in disbelief.

"He's hot." Chloe chimed in.

Ava rolled her eyes at Chloe. "Not you, too?"

"What?" Chloe shrugged her shoulders, her brows furrowed. "Oh, come on, Ava. You can't sit there and say he's not hot." Chloe tilted her head to the side, pressing her lips together.

"Well..."

"Thank you!" Chloe raised her hand, then popped one of Sarah's grapes in her mouth.

I sat there listening to them go back and forth about how hot Noah was, and all it did was make me freak out. Why did he want to go out with me if he was so hot? I wasn't the school's hottest girl or the most popular girl. Until recently, I was invisible around here, and most of the guys didn't even know who I was, let alone wanted to date me. Did I change overnight and suddenly become visible to the guys around here? I still felt like the same awkward Gemma on the inside. I glanced down at myself, trying to figure out what had changed about me.

"Gem, everything okay?" Chloe asked.

"Huh...Yeah...Just wondering if what I'm wearing is okay for after school." I glanced down again so they'd buy my lie.

"You look fine. In fact, you look great. So, much better than t-shirts and leggings all the time." Sarah added.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"Sorry, Gem. But you aren't dressed like you just rolled out of bed and came to school, is all." Sarah smiled, trying to make me feel better. I knew she didn't mean it viciously, but it still stung. I smiled to let her know I wasn't mad at her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed me lightly. "Shit. We need to get going to our classes." Sarah motioned around at the half-empty tables around us. We stood up and started gathering up our stuff. They headed to their classes, and I went to Chemistry, where I'd spend the next hour trying to stay focused.