Chapter 15: The Truth, The Confrontation, and Heartbeats
The day started like any other, but the air felt charged. Noah couldn't focus in class, his thoughts spinning around one memory—one he had buried deep under guilt, regret, and confusion.
It had taken a week of watching Lily casually live her carefree life, protecting her in public, and seeing Amy flounder spectacularly, for something to finally click.
The accident.
It happened months ago.
He had been walking home late one evening after a school event. The streets were slick with rain, and he had been distracted—focusing on his phone, thinking about Amy, thinking about how everything was "perfect."
He didn't see the car until it was almost too late.
A scream, a push, a body slamming against him—and then darkness.
When he woke, there had been a blur of faces. He remembered Amy being there—smiling, panicked, holding his hand.
That's what I thought, he muttered now. That's what I told myself…
Except it wasn't Amy.
It was Lily.
She had been walking home too, carrying a stack of books, when she saw him about to be hit. Without hesitation, she had shoved him out of the way, taking the full brunt of the impact herself.
She had bruises along her arms and legs.
Her books had scattered and soaked in the rain.
She had cursed under her breath.
And before she could be caught in any chaos or the screaming crowd, she had picked herself up, wiped off the dirt, and left quietly.
Amy had arrived moments later. She had seen Noah on the ground, assumed (without checking) that she had saved him, and let the story take her credit.
Noah slammed his fist into his locker.
All this time… all my gratitude… all my guilt… I gave it to her? Amy?!
That afternoon, Noah found Amy in the courtyard, surrounded by her usual entourage, acting as if she had done something heroic.
He walked up slowly, his footsteps heavy, his eyes sharp.
"Amy," he said, voice cold.
She looked up, smiling nervously. "Noah! About the game yesterday—"
"Stop." He cut her off, voice sharp enough to silence everyone nearby. Students turned. Teachers froze. Cameras whispered.
He stepped closer, eyes blazing. "Stop lying. Stop pretending. Stop stealing credit for something that wasn't yours."
Amy's mouth opened, then closed. "I… I—"
"You know what really happened the night of the accident?" he asked, voice low, dangerous. "It wasn't you. It was Lily."
The crowd gasped.
"No… that's not possible," Amy stammered.
"No," Noah growled. "You took credit. You let people think it was you. You lied to everyone. And I trusted you."
He stepped back, his gaze sweeping the students around them. "Consider this… over. There's nothing left to say."
He turned on his heel, walking away with authority. Amy's face paled, her credibility destroyed, whispers filling the courtyard. Noah had broken all ties—social, personal, emotional—with Amy, in front of everyone.
Later, in the quiet of the school rooftop, Lily waited, leaning casually against the railing.
Noah appeared beside her, breathless from chasing down truth and confronting the chaos.
"You…" he said, exhaling, voice softer now, "you saved me. Not her. You… you actually saved me."
Lily smirked, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Took you long enough to figure that out."
"No, I mean it," he said seriously, stepping closer. "I owe you everything. And… I've been an idiot. I should have seen it from the start."
Her smirk softened into a smile, teasing but gentle. "Oh? And now you're finally admitting you're an idiot?"
"Yes," he admitted, his voice low, raw. "And I'm not apologizing for liking you either."
Lily laughed softly, a sound that made his chest tighten. She reached up, lightly poking his chest. "I didn't say I like you back yet. But I am saying… that I'm starting to see you in a slightly better light. Maybe even… dangerously better."
Noah's eyes widened. "Dangerously better?"
She leaned closer, voice dropping to a teasing whisper. "Yeah. The kind that makes me think… maybe I do like you. You know, finally making me reconsider some of my grudges. Step by step."
Noah's heart raced. "So… that means…?"
Lily tilted her head, smiling softly. "That means… I like you, Blackwood. Just… stop acting so crazy in public or I'll start teasing you for real."
He laughed—half relief, half disbelief. "Stop teasing you?"
She winked. "Not a chance."
And for the first time, Noah realized that the teasing, the chaos, the grudges, the obsession… it had all been leading to this.
To them.
To Lily Hart, standing in front of him, real, teasing, and fully, undeniably his.