I cried until my butt went numb from sitting on the floor, but even then, I still felt miserable. There was a box of tissues on my nightstand. The bed looked like a better option than the floor. At least there I could cry myself to sleep. With far more effort than I had expected, I hauled myself away from the door and up onto my bed. I felt a little better with a cleared nose and a cushioned bottom, but not by much. Small steps, I told myself. Small steps.
“Izzy? You okay?” Brooke asked, carefully opening the door and peeking in. She must have heard me crying. She saw me and my new pile of tissues and gave me a sympathetic look. “We'll figure something out with the Grove and your research. It'll be all right.”
“I never should have fallen for him, Brooke. I should have listened to you.” I looked up at her, fresh tears welling up in my eyes. I could tell her to go away, but knowing Brooke, that would only make her nosier. It was better just to get it out now. At least then she'd go buy me ice cream.
“What?” Brooke closed the door behind her and knelt on the floor by my bed. “What'd he do?”
My chin quivered. “My Noah is the Noah Black who bought the Grove. He used me.”
Brooke's face went pale. Then red. Then pale again. Her mouth opened, and she worked it silently for a moment as she decided which emotion she wanted to feel first. She finally settled for shock as she stood up and wrapped her arms around me. We could be angry together later. That's why I loved Brooke. She was always there for me.
“Oh, Izzy,” she whispered in my ear as she hugged me close. Her hand ran down my hair to my back in a soothing, petting motion. “I'm so sorry.”
The words were still bitter in my mouth. My Noah was Noah Black... A heaviness descended on my soul. I had said it out loud and made it a reality. Until that moment I had hoped that it wasn't, that if I didn't say anything, by some sort of strange magic, it wouldn't be true. But it was. My Noah was the one who had bought the Grove. My Noah was the one who was going to destroy my research and dreams. And my Noah wasn't here because he loved me.
With Brooke's comforting arms around me and my world teetering on crumbling apart again, I started to cry. Brooke didn't say anything. She just held me close and rocked me gently, like a child. I cuddled into her, wishing I was still small enough that I could hide under my blankets and make the monsters disappear.
Sandcastle Kisses: Chapter 21
“Izzy doesn't want to see you.” Brooke's voice drifted through the open window and interrupted my nightmares. I was in the Grove running from a giant backhoe that was ripping it up. Noah sat in the driver's seat and laughed as he chased me. I was glad to wake up and find I was safe in my bed and not running and tripping on mangrove roots.
I sat up in the dim gray of twilight with a blanket tucked neatly around me. My face was crusty with tears, and my ribs ached from sobbing. My laptop was still open on Noah's Wikipedia page but set neatly on the desk. I must have fallen asleep crying, and Brooke had tucked me in and saved my computer from falling off the bed. I stood up and tiptoed through the living room to stand at the entrance of the kitchen.
Devon and Lucas were sitting stiffly on the couch pretending to read. They were doing a lousy job at it, though. Their ears were practically falling off their heads with how much they were straining to listen. I couldn't blame them. Devon flexed his fist a couple of times. At least I knew if I wanted Noah beat up, they would happily hold him down so I could hit him.
“Please, I just want to see her. She just left this morning and won't pick up her phone. I just want to make sure she's okay.” It was Noah's voice. Just hearing it made my whole body hurt.
“Okay?” Brooke sneered. “You sold her out. She had her heart wrapped up in the Grove, and you stole it from her to make it into something she'll hate!”
“I didn't know!” he shouted back.
Brooke made an exasperated noise. “Right, sure you didn't. You need to leave.”
“Please,” he begged. “I just need to talk to her. Just for a minute.”
I went to the screen door and looked out at him. Brooke was standing on the edge of the porch, not letting him step foot on it. She reminded me of a rather fierce poodle I had been terrified of as a kid. Noah's eyes met mine through the screen door, and I took pity on him. His hair was a mess, as if he had repeatedly run his hands through it and it had gotten stuck, and his eyes had a lost look to them. He was right. I had just left. I hadn't given him the opportunity to explain himself. I owed him at least that much.
“It's okay, Brooke,” I said, opening the door and stepping onto the porch. My voice sounded ragged and rough. I looked right at him. “You get one minute.”