Best of Friends 42 - Who Was She

"Oh my god, Noah?!" Allison said as she stepped toward him, all too eagerly.

Noah couldn't register what he was seeing. It was Allison, but also a complete stranger. She had changed so much since he’d last seen her. As always, she was beautiful, but it had become something dangerous. She was more tan, her face more angular, her lips fuller, her eyes darker. It was as if he was looking at a warped version of his Herferd ex.

"Allison?" he asked.

"Stoooop, do you not remember me?!" Allison stretched out her arms as she spoke, going in for a hug.

Noah felt his skin curl in on itself, and without thinking, he took a step back. The gesture made Allison pause as a look of shock formed on her face. It was quickly replaced with a wicked grin, however. And finally, with pouting lips.

"Awe… is someone still mad?" she asked.

The question made Noah’s blood boil. He wanted to tell her how much he hated her. How much she'd hurt him. How awful she was, and how much he hoped they would never see each other again. But like always, her presence made him cold and stiff.

It felt like he was back in the Herferd gymnasium, watching as she danced with another man.

He hadn't seen her since that night. He'd tried to call her the next day, but she'd blocked his number. She left him to fend for himself amongst the rumors and laughs of the high school hallways. And now, here she was. Arms open, greeting him like no time had passed at all.

"I'll admit, it wasn't my proudest moment," Allison continued, her vocal fry palpable. "But we were young, and the past is in the past."

Her eyes drifted to Rachel as she spoke, the smile on her face fading as they glared at each other like hungry wolves.

“And who are you?” she asked.

“You know me, Allison,” Rachel said shortly. Allison squinted and leaned forward exaggeratedly.

"Wait, Rachel Wicker? Is that actually you?" she said.

"Yes," Rachel replied coldly. Allison looked back at Noah, then let out a laugh.

"Oh my fucking god, are you two a thing now?" she asked. Her tone was dismissive, but Noah knew her better than that. It bothered her that they were together. At least he had that going for him.

"We are," Rachel said sharply, stepping to Noah's side. She glared at Mel, who still remained in her seat. "And apparently you two know each other?”

"Oh," Allison looked back at Mel with a smile and playful bounce. "We were just getting to know each other today, actually."

"Is that right?" Rachel said. Allison turned back to the couple.

"For suuuure, she was telling me all about how great of friends you three are."

"That's not–" Mel tried to speak up, but Allison interjected.

“Remind me again, though,” she said. “How is it you three met?”

She was doing what she always did, manipulating, scheming, finding weaknesses. Noah had been away from it for so long that he’d forgotten just how much Allison enjoyed it. What was worse, it woke something up in him. His heart raced as she swayed. As her eyes caught his over and over. As her familiar sweet scent filled his nostrils.

“We barely know each other,” Rachel said blandly. “When did you decide to come to Godfrey? I thought you were planning on doing a program in New York.”

“Oh, that?” Allison flipped her hair. “I forgot I’d even mentioned that to you. It’s old news, Godfrey had a lot more to offer me.”

“Right…” Tension bled from Rachel’s voice as Allison’s tempered gaze remained fixed on her.

"So when did you two start this… thing?" Allison looked at Noah. "Was it right after our breakup?"

She knew exactly where to hit him. The question felt like a hammer to his legs. She wanted to belittle him, every part of him, including what he had with Rachel.

“Obviously,” Rachel said flatly. “We weren’t dating while he was with you, if that’s what you’re asking. We prefer to keep things clean.”

Allison smiled at that.

“Oh, I’m sure. I just think it’s funny, that’s all.”

“Why would it be funny?”

Noah knew why. Allison had made comments like this countless times in the past. She knew that she had Noah wrapped around her finger. He did whatever she wanted him to do, no matter how awful it made him feel. She made him eat raw eggs as a joke, filmed it, and put it on her socials, laughing along with her friends at how stupid he was. She made him undress naked in her place and put a blindfold on him, only to reveal him to her group of friends as a prank. She made countless dumb boyfriend shorts about him and posted them online. Every single one airing out his personal stories and dirty laundry.

And no matter how much she abused him, Noah always kept coming back.

Because, deep down, they both knew the truth.

That Noah actually liked it, and so did she.

Allison looked him in the eyes and licked her teeth. “No reason. So what have you two been getting up to on campus?”

The anger that came next was part of their ritual. Noah felt it every time she began to manipulate him. Only this time, Rachel was by his side.

This time, he could see her clearly. Well, maybe not clearly. Old desire clung to him like thick mud, and it took everything he had to trudge forward and finally form the words he had wanted to say to her for years.

"It's none of your business.” They came out weak. They came out sputtering. Half-hearted and half uncertain if they were even true.

Allison stared at him with a blank expression. As if someone had just flipped a switch in her brain. Then, that old familiar smile formed on her face.

A smile signaling it was time to play.

"It's not my business?" she echoed back, her voice coiling like a viper.

"No, it's not," Noah said firmly. "Not after what you did."

Allison rolled her head and let out a long laugh.

"Oh my god, Noah! I said I was sorry! Things happen." She let her droll roll on for a long time. She let her tongue click as she puckered her lips.

A calling card for him. A lasso to pull him in.

"N-not like that they don't." His whole body trembled. It took everything he had to keep himself focused and steady.

"Wooooow, not even hearing my side of the story like always," Allison pulled out her phone and began to check it. It enraged Noah all the more. Encouraged him to step closer. Encouraged him to play the game.

Noah could barely think straight. He glanced over at Mel, who looked at him with an apologetic expression. A thousand questions ran through his mind. But none had the chance to fully surface.

And before he had a chance to get his mind straight, Allison spoke, lunging at him with well-timed fangs.

"You still didn't tell me how many hours you waited before seeing someone else,” she said.

Noah’s breath grew hollow as she looked at him.

“Did what we have really mean so little to you?”

"Our relationship had nothing to do with you," Rachel interjected. Allison's piercing eyes shot to her.

"Sure, Rachel,” she was loving this, like always. They were playing right into her hands. He knew it was all lies. All theatrics. And yet, he couldn’t stop his heart from racing, and his mind from asking questions he should have run far away from.

Why was she asking? Did she still like him? Did she still have feelings for him? Was this a game? Was that night just a big misunderstanding?

Noah tried to figure her out. But that was the problem with Allison; she was always impossible to figure out. No matter what he tried, no matter what angle he took, he always ended up confused and in the wrong place. Just like she wanted him to be.

Allison’s coiling smile made Noah cold.

"But none of that matters, right? It’s a new beginning, for all four of us Herferd alumni," she said.

"Four?" Noah asked cautiously.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Allison's eyes danced between them. "Brian's on campus too."

Noah’s brain buried the name as soon as he heard it. He watched as Allison savored their shocked expression.

"And I'm sure he'll be very interested to meet you both."

"I'm sure," Rachel said coldly. "Well, this has been fun, but Noah and I have to get going."

"Oh, same, babe," Allison checked her phone one last time, then put her sunglasses on. “It was so fun catching up!”

“Sure,” Rachel said coldly.

“Can’t wait to see you around campus.”

“We’ll see.”

Allison laughed softly as she walked past them both. And when she reached Noah’s side, she leaned into his ear, whispering quietly enough for only him to hear.

"Be seeing you, Noah."

–

"Are you sure you're ok?" Rachel asked him. Noah sighed, slumping down further onto his tiny dorm bed.

"I'll be alright," he said.

"I can't believe Mel was talking to her."

"There's no way she could have known she was my ex," Noah said. Rachel felt a sting when he defended her, but she made sure not to show it.

“I guess you’re right,” she said. But deep down, she didn’t believe that for a second. In her opinion, Mel was just as bad as Allison, and there was no way this was a coincidence.

“Still, that was pretty crazy,” Noah said.

"Of all the schools she had to pick, right?"

Noah laughed. "Tell me about it."

Rachel glanced at him as curiosity gripped hold of her.

"Can… can I ask you a question?"

"Sure?"

"Why was it you liked her so much? I mean, no offense, she was pretty awful in high school, and she seems even worse now."

Rachel watched as Noah closed his eyes. He let out a long, pained sigh. She didn’t want to care about Allison, but seeing how he had reacted to her. And feeling that… energy between them. It was as unnerving as it was baffling.

"She wasn't always like that,” he said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, when we were a lot younger, she was actually really nice. She used to be a nerd. This funny, quiet, awkward girl." Noah paused. "She was just like me back then. Then, things changed when she started becoming attractive."

"How so?"

"She just… changed. People started treating her differently, so she started acting differently."

Rachel felt a pain in her heart.

"I hate to say it, but that I can understand."

Noah turned to her.

"Really?" he said. Rachel nodded.

"When I was a kid, I was treated normally. I was just another child on the playground. Making friends was easy, and I didn’t need to worry about little things like what I was wearing. I had this one friend, his name was James. We did everything together. I remember fishing with him over the summers, riding our bikes along the forest trails. Then seventh grade hit… and so did my growth spurt. It was like, overnight, the way he treated me completely shifted.”

“How so?” Noah asked.

“How do I explain it? It was like… I had turned into some kind of strange alien. I wasn’t a person to him anymore. I was something he wanted to have sex with. Or, someone he could have sex with? Something he wanted for himself. We stopped joking, we stopped laughing, and all he cared about was dating me.”

Rachel closed her eyes and remembered.

"It wasn't just him, either. It was my teachers. My peers. My dad."

Noah tensed when Rachel paused.

"Rachel… did your dad—"

"No! No, I didn’t mean it like that. But he did treat me differently. Very different. He got stricter, colder, meaner. He stopped giving me hugs. Stopped looking at me directly. Stopped asking how I was doing. He talked about rules, curfews, and how I was dressing. It's like his daughter had died and been replaced with me." Rachel looked over at Noah and smiled weakly. “And it was like that with everyone. The comments started. The looks started. Teachers started writing me up for wearing the same clothes I already wore. My girlfriends started to hate me, and all the guys I was friends with started hitting on me. It was like, overnight, my life and my friends were gone.”

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Noah said.

"Happens to a lot of us," Rachel replied. "The pretty ones especially. And Allison is really pretty."

Noah sighed. "But you didn't decide to manipulate people."

"No, I didn't. Don't get me wrong, I'm not excusing her behavior. I guess I'm just saying it makes sense why Allison became who she is, you know?"

"No, I hear you."

“Noah.”

“Yeah?”

“Did… did you two…” Rachel wasn’t sure how to phrase it. How to ask if he had done with Allison what they were doing. Or why it even mattered to know.

“Did we?”

“Well, did you two do… You know… do what we do?”

Noah cleared his throat. “Uhm… kind of.”

“Kind of?”

“It was different, but… yes, I guess we did.”

“Oh…” Rachel wasn’t sure why that hurt as much as it did.

“Yeah.”

“But you said it was different?”

“It was.”

“How?” Rachel asked.

“Well, it wasn’t as healthy, that’s for sure. For her, it was mostly a game. She enjoyed that it made me uncomfortable. And uh… well… it ended up with her cheating on me, so…”

“Oh my god, no, you’re right. I’m sorry that was a stupid question.”

“No,” Noah’s hand found hers, and he squeezed it gently. “No, I totally get it.”

Rachel knew the real question she wanted to ask. If Noah had liked it. If he still thought about the way she treated him. She wouldn’t admit it to herself, but Rachel could see the way Noah had lit up in their exchange. It was a measure of excitement and strange passion Rachel had never seen before.

But, instead, she asked the safer question.

"Can… can I ask you something else?" she said.

"Sure."

"Was she your first?"

Noah laughed uncomfortably. "No, you were."

"What?! So that time in my bedroom?" Rachel shifted her body toward him, her heart warming as she stared into his eyes.

"That was my first time," he confirmed.

"You never told me that! I would have made it more special."

"I was embarrassed. I meant to tell you at some point. But time went on, and I kind of forgot about it," Noah said. He looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Was… I your first?"

Now it was Rachel's turn to feel embarrassed.

"No, that was James," she said softly.

"Ah."

"Sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry," Noah said gently. Rachel found herself unable to look away from him.

"Can I be honest?" she said.

"Always."

"I'm glad Allison blew her chance with you." Rachel leaned forward and kissed Noah tenderly.

“Can I be honest?” Noah said.

“Always.”

“I’m glad you were my first, and not her.”

Passion found them quickly. A strange mixture of their love, their affection, their connection, and the tantalizing nature of their sexual exploration.

Knowing that, despite all those who desired them, they each continued to choose each other.

Noah pulled Rachel in close and squeezed her ass. She moaned softly, rolling onto her back as Noah pulled off her blouse and kissed her chest. She grabbed handfuls of his hair as his lips danced against her skin.

Noah’s head fell to her breasts, and he sucked on her nipples eagerly. Her toes curled in pleasure as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She felt his tongue swirl, and the pressure of his lips as he sucked.

And when her eyes finally opened again, Rachel looked over Noah’s shoulder.

Only to find Fred staring from a crack in the bathroom door. He had appeared silently. She had no idea how long he’d been there.

Rachel froze, unease mixing with adrenaline.

"Noah," She whispered nervously. Noah looked up at her.

"What?" he said, following her eyes to the bathroom.

There, Fred stood, still as a statue.

Rachel looked at Noah, and he looked back, before smirking and giving a shrug. Jesus, did he really want to do this? Rachel felt her heart race as she bit her lip. She looked back at Fred one more time.

Watching as his hand dropped to bulge between his legs.

Why not? It was becoming more routine these days.

And now Racel knew that Noah liked it.

So she would make sure he got it from her, and no one else. Exes included.

Rachel rolled Noah onto his back and slipped out of her pants. She spread her legs wide, making sure Fred had a good view of her red lacy underwear. Her fingers slid down Noah's torso, pulling his joggers off as she kissed the space between his thigh and cock.

She felt herself growing wet at the sensation of his shiver.

Rachel felt guilty about her own excitement. Mel’s voice still rang in the back of her ear.

That this was a mistake.

That she was a whore.

That it was unfair to Noah.

Perhaps she was right. Perhaps this wasn’t the smart thing to do.

But after Allison, after her father, after everything that they had endured. Rachel was beginning to realize something.

She liked being watched. She liked being desired. She liked that Noah liked it, too.

And now, she liked that Fred was watching her slowly take her boyfriend’s cock in her mouth.

--

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