The backyard slowly filled as more guests arrived.
Cars lined the long driveway, laughter spilling into the night as people stepped through the gates in groups. Music played loudly now, the bass vibrating through the ground. The pool lights shimmered blue, reflecting against the glass walls and tall palm trees surrounding the space.
Everyone looked relaxed. Happy. Free.
Mia and I stayed close, watching people jump into the pool, others dancing near the barbecue area, some just talking in clusters. It felt surreal being here Noah's father's place was massive, but despite the wealth and noise, the night felt strangely normal.
For a moment, I almost forgot about school drama.
Almost.
Then the atmosphere shifted.
I noticed it before the noise started sharp laughter, the kind that sliced through conversations. Heads turned. Whispers followed. I felt Mia stiffen beside me.
"They're here," she muttered.
I didn't need to ask who.
The mean girls walked in like they owned the place. Perfect outfits, confident strides, eyes scanning the crowd as if everyone else was invisible. The girl in front the one who had confronted me in the cafeteria spotted me almost immediately.
Her lips curved into a smile that held no warmth.
I looked away, pretending I hadn't seen her, but my chest tightened. I told myself not to react. Not to give her what she wanted.
But she wanted a scene.
She walked closer, her voice suddenly loud enough for people nearby to hear. "Well, well. If it isn't her."
Mia stepped slightly in front of me. "Don't start."
"Oh, I wasn't talking to you," the girl replied sweetly, eyes never leaving mine. "I just find it funny how some people like to play innocent."
My heart pounded. I stayed quiet.
That only annoyed her more.
"What? No response?" she scoffed. "Guess it's easier to steal attention than defend yourself."
People started watching now. Phones subtly raised. I hated it. The heat crept up my neck.
Before I could speak, a familiar voice cut in.
"That's enough."
Noah.
He stepped between us calmly, his tone firm, controlled the same way he'd intervened at school. "This is a party. Not a playground."
The girl's expression changed instantly. Her voice softened, fake concern dripping from every word. "I was just joking."
Noah didn't look convinced. "Then joke somewhere else."
For a second, I thought it was over.
I was wrong.
As Noah turned slightly, distracted by someone calling his name, it happened so fast I barely registered it. A hand shoved me hard from behind.
I gasped.
The ground disappeared beneath my feet.
Cold.
Water rushed around me as I fell into the pool fully clothed. The shock stole my breath. Music stopped. Screams echoed. I surfaced coughing, hair plastered to my face, clothes heavy and soaked.
Laughter followed.
My hands shook as I grabbed the pool edge, humiliation burning hotter than the water was cold.
Noah was already there.
"Aria..."
He pulled me out immediately, ignoring everyone else, wrapping a towel around my shoulders. His jaw was tight. Furious.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, embarrassed, teeth chattering. "I..."
"Don't," he said quietly. "You didn't do anything."
People stared. I couldn't stand it.
"Can I just… change?" I asked.
He nodded instantly. "Come with me."
He led me away from the crowd, through wide glass doors and down a quiet hallway. The noise of the party faded behind us, replaced by silence and soft lighting.
"This is my room," he said, opening a door. "You can change here."
He handed me a clean shirt oversized, plain, dry. "It's fine. Take your time."
I nodded, turning away. My hands trembled as I changed, my mind replaying the fall, the laughter, the stares.
When I stepped back out, Noah was standing near the window, looking outside.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I will be," I replied softly.
He nodded, then said, "I'll handle what happened. That won't happen again."
I didn't respond. I just wanted the night to end.
But somehow, in that quiet room, away from the noise and lights, I realized something had shifted again.
And whether I liked it or not, this story wasn't slowing down.
---
Noah's POV
The moment Aria disappeared down the hallway, something in me snapped into place.
Not anger not the loud kind people expected from someone like me but the cold, quiet kind. The kind that didn't need shouting.
I walked back into the backyard.
The music was still playing, but the mood had shifted. People were whispering now, eyes darting between the pool and the cluster of girls standing too confidently near it. They were laughing, trying to act unbothered.
I didn't raise my voice.
I didn't need to.
"Turn the music off."
It wasn't a request.
The DJ hesitated for half a second before the speakers went silent. The sudden quiet was sharp, heavy. Every head turned toward me.
I looked straight at her the girl who had pushed Aria.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" I asked calmly.
She blinked, clearly not expecting that tone. "Noah, it was an accident.."
"Don't," I cut in, my voice still level. "Accidents don't come with laughter."
A few people shifted uncomfortably. Phones were no longer hidden.
I took a step closer, not invading her space, but close enough that she couldn't pretend I wasn't there. "This is my father's house. You were invited as a guest."
She crossed her arms defensively. "So? It's a party."
"Yes," I said. "And you just disrespected it. And me."
That landed.
Her smile faltered.
I turned slightly, addressing everyone now. "For anyone confused pushing someone into a pool fully dressed isn't funny. It's not cute. And it's definitely not something you do in a place you were invited into."
Silence.
Then I looked back at her. "You can apologize. Right now."
She scoffed, clearly trying to save face. "I don't owe anyone anything."
I nodded once. "That's fine."
I pulled my phone out, calm, deliberate. "Security?"
The color drained from her face.
I didn't stop there.
"You're leaving," I continued. "Not just you...you and your so called friends." I gestured briefly to the rest of the girls. "Tonight."
People gasped quietly. Someone whispered her name.
"This is embarrassing," she snapped, voice shaking now.
"No," I corrected, finally letting a hint of steel slip through. "What you did was embarrassing. I'm just making sure you remember it."
Security approached. No yelling. No drama. Just quiet, public consequence.
As they were escorted toward the exit, I added one last thing not loud, but clear enough.
"And don't try that at school again. Because next time, it won't stop at a party."
She didn't look back.
The gates closed behind them.
The backyard slowly exhaled. Conversations resumed in hushed tones. Someone turned the music back on, softer this time.
I stood there for a moment, scanning the crowd.
Not for approval.
Not for attention.
Just making sure everyone understood one thing:
Some lines don't get crossed twice.
And Aria?
She wouldn't have to deal with them like that again.
---
Aria's POV
The car felt quieter than it should have been.
Streetlights flashed past the windows, painting soft lines of gold across the dashboard, but inside, everything was still. Mia sat beside me, hugging her jacket tightly, her knee bouncing like she had something heavy sitting on her chest.
I stared out the window, my reflection faint against the glass. My clothes were dry now, but the memory of the cold water clung to me the shock, the laughter, the way my heart had dropped before my body did.
I exhaled slowly. "I feel stupid."
Mia snapped her head toward me. "Don't."
"I should've seen it coming," I continued. "I should've just stayed home."
"No," she said firmly. "Aria, stop."
I turned to her, surprised by her tone.
"You didn't do anything wrong," Mia insisted. "You went to a party. You existed. That's not a crime."
Silence settled again, thicker this time.
Then Mia sighed. "You know Noah didn't let that slide, right?"
I frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
She shifted in her seat, clearly choosing her words carefully. "After you left with him… things got ugly. But not for you."
My stomach tightened. "Mia, what happened?"
She leaned closer, lowering her voice even though it was just us. "He embarrassed them. Completely."
I blinked. "Embarrassed how?"
Mia let out a breath. "He stopped the music. Like, fully stopped it. The whole backyard went quiet."
I straightened. "You're joking."
"I wish," she said. "He called them out in front of everyone. Said pushing you into the pool wasn't funny, that they disrespected his father's house."
My fingers curled into the fabric of my seat. "He… did that?"
"Yes," Mia said. "And when the girl tried to laugh it off, he told her to apologize."
My heart skipped. You are lying?
"Nope," Mia replied flatly. "So he called security."
I turned fully toward her now. "Security? At a party?"
"They escorted them out, Aria. In front of everyone."
The image formed in my head so clearly it made my chest tighten the crowd, the silence, the humiliation flipping directions.
"I didn't know," I whispered.
Mia nodded. "I figured. He didn't do it for applause. He did it because he was pissed."
"That's…" I trailed off, unsure what word fit.
"Big," Mia finished. "Very big."
I swallowed. "I didn't ask him to do that."
"I know," she said quickly. "And that's what makes it different."
I leaned my head back, staring at the ceiling. "This is going to make things worse at school."
Mia shrugged. "Or better."
I looked at her. "How?"
"They've never been challenged like that," she said. "Especially not by someone like Noah. People saw it. People recorded it."
My chest tightened again. "I don't want attention."
"I know," Mia said gently. "But sometimes attention isn't something you choose. It just… happens."
We rode in silence for a moment.
Then I said quietly, "I don't understand him."
Mia smiled faintly. "You're not supposed to."
"I barely know him," I continued. "He's a player. He lives for drama."
"And yet," Mia added, "he shut it down instead of enjoying it."
I didn't respond.
Because that part bothered me the most.
When the car finally pulled up in front of my house, I hesitated before opening the door.
"Mia?" I asked.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For staying with me."
She smiled softly. "Always."
As I stepped out, the night air felt cooler, calmer. But inside me, everything had shifted.
I went to bed that night thinking I would dream of the pool, the shove, the water.
Instead, I kept seeing silence.
Music cutting off.
And Noah standing there, calm and unyielding, drawing a line no one had dared cross before.
And I didn't know what scared me more
the humiliation that started it…
or the consequences that followed.