Chapter 40 As I helplessly watch Noah walk away, following his brother-in-law with his head bowed, I break out of my mom's embrace and run to Fisher, who immediately gives me a hug. "Are you okay, Ally?" "I'm fine." I shake my head, frustrated. "I just don't want Noah to get in trouble because of me." It's why I told Noah he should go with Mitch, because I didn't want any more of a scene to go down publicly, in the presence of spectators and cameras. I know how much Noah hates media attention, how much he cares about protecting his privacy, and now he's going to be all over the internet in the worst light possible. "Not because of you, because of that asshole." Fisher's mouth sets in a firm line as he turns a withering look in Tyler's direction, who's now being tended to by a team medic. "What the hell is he doing here anyway?" "I guess he saw me at the Expressions audition with you guys and thought he might find me here," I tell Fisher. "I think he wanted to take his chance to gaslight me into thinking nothing happened that night. Make sure his golden boy image was still safe." Fisher's face is seething angry. "That dirty motherfu⁠-" "Pucker," I cut him off with a wan smile, attempting to lighten the mood. It's a comment that would usually make him laugh, but his stoic expression doesn't budge, so I continue, "I don't give a damn about Tyler right now, Fish. I'm only worried about Noah. Do you think Coach Anderson will discipline him for something that isn't his fault? Can you talk to him?" Fisher looks around. "Coach Anderson already has Noah in his office, but maybe I can talk to Coach Slater." I nod, my heart beating too fast. "Sure, whatever. Just-you have my permission to say whatever you need to for people to understand that Noah didn't do anything wrong." I glance over to where Penn is standing off to the side, his features contorted in confusion. "And Penn, too; he deserves to know what the hell is going on." "Okay," Fisher agrees. "Why don't you get out of here with your family, away from this mess, and I'll do what I can to take care of things here." I want to argue, say I'll wait for Noah, but I know my family also deserves an explanation. So reluctantly, I nod. "Thanks, Fisher." I look at my friend gratefully. "Anytime, Ally. You know we've always got your back." Fisher says, and then his green eyes gleam with hatred as he jerks a thumb in Tyler's direction. "Do I have permission to deal with that asshole, too?" And despite everything, my lips slide into a little smile. "Absolutely." My dad drives my vehicle back to the loft, Jamie riding shotgun and my mom sitting in the back with me. A heavy silence hangs in the air, but when we pull up outside, I watch as my mom and dad look at each other, a million unspoken words moving between them, like they're talking their own little silent language. "I'm gonna take Jamie to grab some of San Francisco's famous cioppino," Dad says out loud a moment later, and I blink. In the heat of everything that went down at the practice facility, I'd totally forgotten the original plan was for mom and dad to take everyone out for lunch. "What's cioppino?" Jamie asks. "Seafood stew." My brother wrinkles his nose. "Gross." "Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, kiddo." Dad looks back at me and mom. "We'll bring enough back for everyone." "Thanks," Mom puts a hand on Dad's shoulder before she opens her car door. Jamie tries to do the same. "I'll just get out here and hang with Mom and Legs⁠-" "No," my mom cuts him off softly, but firmly. "We'll see you boys soon." And with that, Dad drives away, and Mom and I go inside and upstairs. "What a beautiful place," she says as we step into 3B. She's clearly impressed, and this makes me glad. "Who's the art collector?" My eyes go to the beautiful modern art decorating many of the loft's exposed brick walls. "Fisher." "He has great taste," Mom says, leaning down to scoop up Harry Styles, who has trotted out of my room and made a beeline for her. "Don't tell him that, it'll go to his head." "Noted." Mom smiles, scratching Harry's head. "Now, honey, why don't you tell me what's going on? And start at the beginning." I nod. Bite my lip. "There's so much I need to tell you." Mom sinks to the couch and pats the empty cushion beside her. "Good thing I'm a great listener." I sit down next to my mother, her soft hand taking mine and stroking gently over my knuckles as I explain everything, starting with last semester and ending with the moment we're in right now. I hold nothing back, and true to her word, she listens intently. Her eyes flicker in pain multiple times as I talk, but her expression is gentle and non-judgmental as she holds space for me to bare everything and put it on the table. By the time I'm finally done, we're both crying, and she takes me into her arms, holding me as we both cry. When I eventually sit up from our embrace, she leans forward and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. "First and foremost, I love you, Allegra. I love you beyond words. You and your brother are my life's crowning achievement, and there's not a day gone by since I brought you into this world that I haven't worried about you. It's a mom's prerogative, and if you ever decide to become a mother, you'll understand it. But I've been especially worried sick about you these past few months-it was so out of character for you to up and leave like that. I knew something was wrong, but I also wanted to respect you as an adult and trust you in your decisions." I suck in a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, Mom." "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, my sweet girl." Her hand comes up and cups my cheek softly. "My heart breaks to hear everything you've been through, but I'm glad you told me. I just wish you'd felt able to come to me earlier." I look down at my hands. "I wanted to...but I was scared. Not of how you'd react, but scared that if I told you, it would feel more real. So I kept it to myself for a long time, because I thought if I didn't have to think about it or talk about it, it wouldn't haunt me anymore." I shake my head. "That didn't work. But thankfully, I met Noah." A smile tugs at my lips as I think of our first meeting and how far we've come. "He was able to help me process what I was going through. He's been through so much more than I could ever imagine, and yet he was there to help me when I needed it." "You love him," Mom says simply. "I do." "And he loves you, too." "I think he does, but he hasn't said it." "Legs," my mom chuckles softly, a glint in her eye. "That man loves you, trust me." "He's the best thing that's ever happened to me," I admit. "I just don't want him to suffer on my account because of his actions today." I look up at my mother. "I don't want you to think any less of him because of this. It's not who he is." I'm shocked when my mom snorts. "Sweetheart, now that I know the full story, I think more of him. I want to punch Tyler in the face myself." A half sob, half laugh escapes my mouth, and Mom smiles at me. "Do you want to call him and see how he is?" she asks. "I do." I pull up my phone and call Noah, but it rings and rings before finally going to voicemail. The same thing that happened the last three times I tried to call. The front door to the loft swings open and I look up to see Penn and Fisher walking in, wearing matching grim expressions. Guess Fisher filled Penn in on what's going on. "Where's Noah?" I blurt, knowing they all rode to the practice facility together in Fisher's vehicle. I half-expect Fisher to make some wisecrack about how the word "hello" is usually the socially acceptable way to greet people, and when he doesn't, my nerves jangle. "We don't know. Coach Anderson left his office, and Noah was still in there. Not sure if he was waiting for someone to come look at his hand or something, but when I asked Coach Slater, he just told us to go home and get some rest before the game instead of telling us where they'd gone, which is some bullshit-" Fisher glances at my mom. "Sorry, ma'am, I meant, um, bullcrap..." Mom laughs. "Please, it's Lana." "Noah's not answering his phone," I say, glancing down at the screen in front of me. I have that shirtless pic of Noah with Harry as my background, and it usually makes me smile every single time I pick up my phone, but right now looking at my boyfriend smiling is just making me feel sick with worry for him. "Honestly, I wouldn't worry, Ally." Penn looks at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners with concern and kindness. "I've known Noah for years, and he needs space and time alone to process when things go wrong. He's probably feeling terrible, doubting himself and what he did when any one of us would have happily knocked that loser out without a second thought." "Damn right," my mom says, nodding her agreement. Penn smiles at her before continuing, "He'll talk to you when he's ready, that much I can guarantee. And injured or not, I know he'll be present at the game tonight, so at worst, you can see him then and be reassured he's okay." It's a hard pill to swallow, but I have to trust what Penn's saying. He's probably right. As much as I just want to be with him right now, I have to respect Noah's need for space after such a jarring event as this morning's. "Wait, what happened with Tyler?" I ask suddenly, my mind immediately swirling with scenarios of him pressing charges against Noah, of my boyfriend being arrested... At the mention of Tyler's name Penn cracks his knuckles, but surprisingly, Fisher just smiles. It's a menacing, almost sinister kind of smile I've never seen on him before. "Let's just say that if he knows what's good for him, that asshole is already on a plane back to Atlanta as we speak." Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!