All Chapters of A Yearning Beyond Years: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Noah’s POV:After the game, Dad decided to host a celebratory dinner, inviting Sophie’s parents and, yet again, Sophie.Come on, if you can thug through a whole game, then dinner won’t be so bad. Besides, what’s the worst that can happen? Everyone was gathered around the long oak dining table, plates full, glasses clinking, and all the fancy shit. The room was filled with laughter and chatter as people recounted highlights from the game.“Outstanding performance tonight, son,” Dad beamed, raising his glass. “You really carried the team when it actually mattered.”Even Sophie’s mom added in, her voice sugary sweet. “You were just fantastic, Noah. Such poise under pressure, congratulations .”Then, all eyes turned to Sophie’s dad. He sat firmly at the head of the table, fork paused mid-air. After a beat, he cleared his throat and said, “You’ve got potential, boy; I’ll give you that.”It wasn’t a complete compliment, but coming from him, it might as well have been a standing ovation.

Stacey’s POV:Michael and I have been hanging around together for the past few days now, and to be honest, it has been nothing short of amazing. It’s been a while since I’ve had a mature conversation with anyone other than Chloe; it was actually really nice. I had dropped Tessa off at school and headed to work. I was already running late, and I knew Principal Clark would throw a fit.I parked and stepped inside the college building, my heart threatening to come out of my chest.I peeked through my office door, expecting to see Principal Clark, but instead was met with Michael.“Michael?” I started walking in my office. “Oh, hey, you’re finally here.”I dropped my bag, now seated opposite to him. “Yeah, I had to drop off Tessa.” “Oh, how’s my little cupcake?” He cheesed. I smiled a bit. “She’s okay.” My eyes popped to the door and back to him.“Have you seen Principal Clark?”He quickly answered. “Oh yeah, I saw Principal Clark waiting for you, so I told him you were in the bathroom

Noah’s POV:“How could she fucking say that to me?! And because of him !? He just showed up out of nowhere! Fuck!” I hit the steering wheel once again with full force.Stacey’s voice still flooded my head: “Whatever it is we have is not supposed to happen.” So basically I was just dumb. Why on earth would I think she could possibly love me? I knew she wouldn’t see past the whole older-than-me thing, but to be honest, I didn’t care about all of that! I loved her despite… no, I loved her regardless, but it seems like I was just fooling myself.I finally parked in our driveway, stepping out. I slammed the car door behind me, the cool night air doing nothing to ease the pain in my chest. Every part of me felt like I was walking through a maze. My head was spinning, and Stacey’s words replayed over and over, like a fucking broken record.“Whatever it is we have is not supposed to happen…”Those words. I couldn’t shake them. Couldn’t escape how they had carved through everything I’d been

Stacey’s POV:Another school meeting is the last thing I need right now. I groaned at myself in the meeting room. Who constantly has joy from constantly calling his workers for a meeting? I looked up to see Michael walking through the door. I didn’t know whether to run or hide or just disappear if I could. After that conversation that day, I've kind of been avoiding him.He walked up and sat next to me, and my entire body felt heavy. There wasn't anywhere to run now in this room. “Hey, Stacey,” he greeted in his deep voice.I cleared my throat. “Hi, Michael,” I replied awkwardly.He faced me fully. “Can we talk?” My body tensed, but I knew I couldn't avoid this conversation anymore. I nodded gently, signaling that he could talk.Michael shifted in his seat, his fingers fidgeting with the corner of his notepad. He looked like he was searching for the right words, and for a moment, I thought he might back out of saying anything at all.“I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” he finally sa

Noah’s POV: The coach had just told us that we were allowed to roam the city today, but just for today, and we should be back before midnight. It was as if he had just told us that we won the lottery. The boys were already planning on which club to hit first, and I was being dragged into it. I barely had time to react before James grabbed my wrist. “Okay, okay, hear me out,” he said, eyes wild with excitement. “We start at that vintage diner we passed yesterday, then bar-hop a little, hit a club by ten, and maybe, maybe sneak in a stop at that fortune-teller shop on the 8th. Because why not?” “You want to hit a psychic?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “I want to be told I’m destined for greatness while I’m slightly tipsy, yes,” he grinned. I shook my head, laughing. “You’re ridiculous.” “Correct. Now go get dressed. Fun mode: activated.” “Actually, I don’t think I want to go, guys.” The entire room erupted with “Noo!!” James held my shoulder. “Come on, Noah, you used to be the k