"How can you say that when he dumped you after two weeks?" My hands were balled into fists and I tried so hard to keep the anger out of my voice. She wasn't the one I was furious with — he was.

The audacity. The freaking nerve of this guy. Sure, his very existence bothered me — seeing him date two different girls a month without any bad rumors following him was unfair, unusual, unnatural. But now? Now he'd done it to one of my best friends. His little jedi mind trick, or whatever it was that he pulled, and seeing it first hand was both terrifying and infuriating.

"It's really not like that, Sky. He was good to me for the two weeks we were together. I knew the chances he would fall for me were slim. That wasn't even why I did it." There was a small smile on her face, a complete contrast to the tears streaming down it.

Furrowing my brows, I stared at her, totally incredulous. "Lily, what are you even saying? He's a jerk! Noah plays around with girls and then he tosses them aside when he's done. I don't know how he threatened you, but--"

"I told you he's not like that!" Despite her distraught demeanor, Lily's voice raised a few octaves and my eyebrows shot up in surprise. She let out a deep sigh and entwined her fingers together. "Sorry, but don't—don't talk about him like that. He's a really good guy, I think he's seriously just looking for a girl to fall in love with."

Letting out a frustrated huff, I bumped my head against the back of her couch and closed my eyes. It was like she'd been brainwashed. Who spoke like that about someone who had dated them for a measly two weeks before tossing them like yesterday's garbage?

Everyone who dated Noah Archer, apparently.

Pulling my knees up to my chest, I shook my head in disbelief. "Then help me understand. You're the best person ever so I find it impossible that he'd be actually looking for love and then not fall for you." There had to be a way I could get her to see this my way.

Lily sighed, a sad but soft smile on her lips. "It's not. Being with him was like living in a different world, Sky. Almost like a dream really.... To be honest, I don't think I could even keep up with him." She chuckled. Chuckled! This was starting to feel a lot like the teen romance version of the Body Snatchers.

"Sounds more like a nightmare," I muttered through gritted teeth, and crossed my arms over my chest. 

"Sky, stop it. I had a great two weeks. Like I already said, I knew from the start that he wouldn't fall for me." She shrugged, as if it was no big deal, but just looking at her face would tell you she was far from indifferent.

"Then why did you even—" I felt bile rising up my throat and jumped to my feet, afraid I would actually end up vomiting all over her burgundy carpet.

Pacing around her living room, I tried to organize my thoughts. Lily had always been a kind person, but this went beyond just simple kindness — and she was far from being the only one to act in this disturbing way. There wasn't one single speck of dirt on Noah's reputation, and that just wasn't right.

"I just wanted to make some good memories before—" She stopped mid-sentence and I froze in place. All the spiteful images that had flared through my mind — of tripping Noah at school tomorrow and watching him face plant onto the disgusting floor — instantly dissipated. Maybe there was more to the sadness that coated her eyes.

"Before... what?" It was hard to keep the dread out of my voice. Nothing good ever came after a but or a before. My stomach clenched.

Lily let out a sigh, and glanced up at me, guilt and regret clear in every crease of her pretty face. "Will you please just sit back down first, you're making me nervous...."

I let out a huff and complied with her request despite every nerve in my body standing on high alert and wanting for me to just keep moving. Biting down on my lip, I turned to her and nodded my head.

Another sigh, before she looked down at the floor. "I'm—I'm moving to Florida in two weeks." She blurted it out in impressive speed and the words took my breath away. "I'm so sorry, Sky, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just knew that once I did it would become real, too real."

Shock. I was probably in shock, just staring at her with my mouth wide and my eye bulged out. My mouth opened and closed several times but words wouldn't come out.

What exactly were you supposed to say when one of your two best friends tells you she's moving cross country?

"D-Does Mel know?" Lily shook her head, guilt pooling in her blue eyes. "Shit."

"I was going to tell you both when she came over, but—" Lily's hands shook, her eyes focused on the floor with a desperate intensity.

"Tell us what?" The familiar voice of our third musketeer rang from the door of the living room, "The front door was open so I let myself since I was late—wait, what's going on? Why the long faces?" Melissa looked from me to Lily, both of us trying to avoid her eyes.

"Um, will-will you sit down first?" Lily spoke in a small voice, and I could see Mel's face crumble to pieces right in front of my eyes.

"How are you doing?" I broke the silence that had fallen over us as soon as we left Lily's place. There was no rush in our slow, wooden steps. Our minds were still processing what had just happened. Red eyes proof that we had spent the last hour crying while hugging each other.

"About the same as you probably," Mel mumbled in a weak voice. I reached out and took hold of Mel's hand, stopping us in place.

"It's not the same." My voice was gentle, full of understanding and worry. I knew she would take it harder than me, much harder than me. She wasn't just losing her best friend.

Confusion and panic swirled through Melissa's eyes. "What do you—" She stopped mid question, realization finally hitting her, "You know."

I nodded, unsure of what to say.

It wasn't something I would have brought up normally; wasn't something I should have brought up, but the worry was eating me up. The thought that she would go home and cry to sad love songs, alone, made my heart clench in pain. Knowing that she would force herself to pretend she was fine in front of me — about the same as me — especially now that it would be just the two of us, was unacceptable.

"Does she know?" Her voice shivered, along with the rest of her body, and I vehemently shook my head.

"No! Of course not! You know how clueless she is with all of that." I squeezed her hand, and Mel let out a deep sigh, as if a heavy burden had fallen from her chest. And along with that burden came a new wave of tears, silently trickling down her cheeks.

"Sky, I don't know if I can do this. I love her, so much." Her voice was so broken, so defeated. I couldn't even imagine the pain she felt.

Tears pooling in my own eyes, I reached out and hugged her tight. As soon as my arms went around her she broke down, sobbing into my shoulder like her entire world had come crashing down around her.

I had never been in love, so there was no way I could know how she felt. Hearing her soulful cries, made me wonder if I even wanted to be.

After a few minutes, her cries stopped, and her hiccups started.

"Wanna sleep over?" I asked, and she nodded wordlessly.

The next two weeks passed in a blur of tears and laughter. The three of us had been inseparable before, but now we were glued to the hip.

Every time I saw Lily look at Noah in passing, a calm smile on her face, my anger at him intensified.

Everytime my burning rage took over and I brought the topic up with Lily, she would defend him. But at the same time, she never explained it. It was exactly what she expected, and even more so, what she needed - it was all she'd say, and never elaborate further.

I wanted to understand it. I wanted to be the kind of friend who could just nod and accept that as an answer, but sadly I wasn't. The whole situation was completely unfair, and it just wasn't something I could come to terms with.

"Maybe you should just date him, Sky." Lily had surprised me a few days before moving, her voice sincere but melancholic. "You can see for yourself."

"I wouldn't do that to you," I muttered, a deep frown settling on my face. Did she not get the girl code memo?

Then, she laughed wholeheartedly, clutching her stomach, and wiping away tears.

"Do what to me? He's dated countless girls already, heck, he's dating Christine this week. It's not like he's mine. Not like he ever was." Lily shrugged, placing a hand on my shoulder. The sincerity in her voice surprised me. "I know you, I don't think you'll let this go, and it'll eat you up inside. If you're that curious about him might as well give it a try."

"I'm not curious, I'm disgusted! Over my dead body would I play-date Noah Archer," I squeezed out between gritted teeth, my hands balling up into fists. Lily just shook her head as if I was a small child she couldn't reason with.

Sometimes it felt like Lily was an old woman stuck in a teenage girl's body. Her calm rationality was why our trio functioned so well — with my hot temper and Mel's flare for the dramatics she evened us out. If I was the brains, Mel was the heart, but Lily, she was our soul.

I had no idea how we would function without her.

The first day after she left, it felt like a limb was missing. Mel was in a daze, a fake smile plastered on her usually expressive face. Others might not have noticed how broken that grin actually was, but I could see the pain and regret she hid behind her mask.

Maybe you should have told her, I wanted to say to her, but the words caught in my throat. I knew it wasn't that easy for her. It was complicated when you fell in love with your male best friend, let alone your clueless female best friend.

In a way, it felt like when Lily left she took a piece of Mel with her. The piece that smiled freely, jumped around excitedly, and laughed openly.

And I wasn't doing much better either. All I felt was loneliness and anger. Anger that had no place, no outlet.

However, when I saw Noah, walking the halls with his signature headphones —  the same ones I'd gotten as a gift last Christmas in pale pink —  I had a sudden urge to smash his attractive face. In that moment, my anger simply bubbled over, and found a target.

Without Lily there to defend him, I was free to despise this boy. The boy that broke other girl's hearts as if they were just playthings. The boy that dated my lovely, beautiful friend for only two weeks, and then dumped her when he didn't fall in love — as if that was even enough time to fall in love.

Maybe if he had dated her longer, or he had fallen in love, she would have stayed. She would have fought her parents to let her stay and finish senior year here, instead of moving almost three months after the school year had already started. Maybe.... Maybe....

I had to focus on something so I just focused on my anger. My hate toward the boy that no one would speak badly about, and so, a new determination started flourishing in my chest.

A determination to uncover his secrets, and figure out the truth behind the flawless Noah Archer. No matter the price.

Hi lovelies! ❤️

And so it begins — thank you so much for reading the first chapter of my new story!

What did you think? Was it interesting enough or does it lack a bit of that oomph?

It's my first time writing a YA romance in high school, so I welcome all feedback, and I'll try to incorporate it as I write! (or edit!) ❤️

The next chapter will be posted on Sunday this time around, but I'll usually do Wednesday and Saturday updates — that seemed like the best days, what do you guys think? Do you have a day preference when you prefer to read new updates? I'm super curious about that, haha.

Anyway, I hope you're all having a wonderful week, and if it's a less-than-great kind of week, remember that YOU are wonderful and things will get better. *virtual hugs* ❤️

Love you all, stay strong and stay safe!

P.S. If you like the story I always appreciate your comments or votes!