NOAH’S POV
I wanted to see the reaction on Steven's face and I saw it. He was mad with rage and Elle was too. She held his hand and they walked away. A smirk played on my lips when I remembered the kiss. She looked really sexy in that dress. I had to stop myself from ripping it off her.
Someone called my name and I saw it was Tyler. He waved.
"Thought you said you were not coming?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"I changed my mind," I said to him, trying to sound casual.
"Because of Elle?"
I glared at him, wondering for the first time ever since he had always teased me about crushing on Elle, as to why he always thought that.
"You still think I have a crush on her, that's why I always bully her?" I challenged.
"Yep." Tyler didn't even hesitate.
I laughed. He was right. Maybe I liked her. No, I definitely liked her. At first, I thought it was just the fun and the excitement that comes with teasing her and making her mad. But after that first kiss on the floor of the piano class when I felt my heart beating wildly in my ribcage, I knew I was doomed. I knew I liked Elle. I knew all that bullying was just to hide what I felt.
"It's written all over your face, man," Tyler said, clapping me on the shoulder. "You look at her like she's the only girl in the room."
"Shut up," I muttered, but there was no heat behind it.
Tyler dragged me to the bar and I began to drink. I took glass after glass hearing them talk about girls and when they mentioned that Maddy was coming my way, I quickly stood up and walked away without looking back.
"Noah! Where are you going?" Tyler called after me.
"Need some air!" I shot back without turning around.
I made it look like I was heading to the bathroom but I quickly made for the staircase to hide for a while. The quietness upstairs was soothing as I stared out of the window, thinking about Elle and Steven. I wondered why he was here all of a sudden. I thought they had moved to Australia.
My mind went back to what I'd told Elle about Amanda. The look on her face—shock, disbelief, horror. Would she believe me? Or would Steven's charm win her over again? I downed the rest of my drink, the alcohol burning a path down my throat.
Perhaps I should have told her what Steven really did. I should have spilled it out that Steven was a jackass rapist.
There was no point giving a jerk like him a benefit of doubt.
A scream reached my ears and I turned away from the window with furrowed brows. When the scream came again, I moved towards it and it led me to a bedroom at the end of the hall. My heart hammered in my chest as I approached the door.
I opened it slowly to see Steven on top of someone. What Mason told me about Steven getting caught raping a girl once—which was why his parents had to move—got to me and I rushed in, grabbed him away and punched his lips.
I turned to the girl to see it was Elle. Her dress was pushed up, her eyes unfocused and half-closed. She wasn't fully conscious.
"Elle!" I called out, but she barely stirred.
Rage fueled my insides as I turned back to Steven, grabbed him and dragged him from the bed.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I roared, landing another punch to his face.
Steven struggled against my grip. "Get off me! This isn't your business!"
"You drugged her, didn't you? Just like Amanda!" I slammed him against the wall, my forearm pressed against his throat.
"She wanted it," he choked out, blood trickling from his split lip. "She came up here with me."
I punched him again, harder this time. "You're fucking done, Smith. Everyone's going to know what you are."
I dragged him through the doorway and toward the stairs, punching him until his face was bloodied. His attempts to fight back were weak and uncoordinated—I guess he wasn't expecting anyone to interrupt his sick plan.
By the time we were downstairs, the music had stopped and people were watching me drag him down the last stairs. I flung his body to the ground, glanced around and my eyes locked on Mason.
"Call the police!" I shouted at him and he nodded immediately, pulling out his phone.
The party had come to a complete standstill. Everyone was staring, phones out, whispers rippling through the crowd.
I was about to turn back and go get Elle when someone asked, "What happened?"
"He drugged Elle," I continued, my voice shaking with fury. "Just like he did to Amanda at Westlake."
Steven tried to get up, blood streaming from his nose. "He's lying! I didn't—"
"Shut up!" I kicked him back down. Tyler pushed through the crowd, his face pale.
"Is it true?" he asked me quietly.
I looked around at the sea of shocked faces and revealed, "This jerk's a rapist."
Gasps filled the air.