"Oh honey, didn't you wear that dress for Barnaby's summer party?" Gabrielle greeted me by pulling me close, kissing my cheek and insulting me. I squirmed uncomfortably in her arms, I would never admit to her in a million years that I couldn't afford to buy a new outfit.

"Gabi, be nice. I've just been to her apartment and quite frankly I wouldn't let a wild rat sleep in it. The dress is hardly number one on her list of worries." Micheal laughed, I gave him a disappointed stare. He ignored the look and just waved over the bartender, taking a glass of champagne off a silver tray and casting his lips around the edge. Within seconds he spluttered the liquid out everywhere.

"This is disgustingly warm, you're not getting paid tonight." He told the waitress. She looked as if she were about to cry and I gave her an apologetic stare. Micheal waved her off in dismissal like she was merely a pest intruding.

Nobody bat an eyelid at how Michael treated the server, this was normal behavior for these kids. I, however saw things in a different light. That server is working her ass of just to earn next to nothing. She deserved to be treated with more respect than all of these trust fund babies put together.

"Did you hear Kimberly lost her trust fund because she got caught giving Chad a nosh in her bathroom." Gabrielle intentionally asked, her dark eyes peered at me behind her expensive mink lashes. "Sorry Mia, did I offend you by talking about trust funds?" I could hear the malicious tone in Gabi's voice.

She tossed back her black hair and ran her fingers along her pearl necklace, smiling sweetly at me in order to fool me of her apologetic stance. I have known Gabi all of my life, I could read her like an open book. Her manipulative manner, her dark personality and her subtle bitchiness were all talents she possessed. At one time she had me fooled, I called her my best friend and I treated her like one. But recently I woke up to the fact that she had been a frenemy all of this time.

"I need some air." I turned and headed towards the door, walking down onto the port to put some distance between me and the pretentious losers I used to call friends.

"Mia, wait." Michael grabbed my arm and halted my steps, I turned to face him, first looking at the grip he kept on my arm. "What's your problem?" He asked fiercely.

"Nothing, let go." I warned, attempting to pull away. His grip tightened, clenching his claws into my skin.

"Bullshit, you've been acting strange ever since you started at that darn school. Are you jealous or something?" I tried to walk away from his ridiculous accusation but he held my arm tighter, pulling me back.

"Get off Michael, you're hurting me, I'm leaving." I tried to pull away again but he pulled me back.

"Don't be such a fucking slut Mia, just come back to the party." He dragged me back towards the party and I protested dragging my feet along the floor and shouting at him. Struggling to fight him off while wearing high heels was no walk in the park.

"She told you to let go so I think you should do what the lady asks." A voice stopped us in our tracks and Michael turned around with a frightening expression on his face.

"Who the fuck is this Mia? Someone you've sucked off in the toilets for a couple of dollars?" I could feel my eyes filling with tears and for some reason I really didn't want to cry in front of Noah.

"Let go of her arm." Noah said calmly but it was the calm in his voice that felt most threatening.

"Come on Mia." Michael dragged me closer to the party, ignoring Noah and I stumbled after him, losing my balance.

Noah grabbed Michael by the shoulder and forced him to turn around, as he did, Noah landed his fist in his face, knocking Michael to the floor. Michael groaned in pain, clutching his bleeding mouth.

"My tooth!" Michael shouted as he held his tooth in the palm of his hand. Noah chuckled to himself and shook his head with amusement. I shouldn't have enjoyed his little chuckle as much as I did but it really warmed my insides, regardless of my boyfriend rolling around on the floor, toothless and in pain.

Noah turned to walk away, disappearing into the darkness of the port. Michael looked up at me from the floor, clutching his mouth that was currently leaking blood through the barricade of his hands.

Noah was no longer in sight now, not lingering long enough for me to express my gratitude so I started running towards the way he left. Very slowly of course, I can barely walk in these shoes let alone run.

"What was that?" I shouted at him. He swiveled on the spot and looked at me with confusion.

"He was being a dick." He pointed out.

"Yeah I know that, but you hate me, why would you defend me like that?" His brows furrowed into a frown and I knew he was thinking about the reasons why he had stopped Michael.

"Can't you just say thank you and we move on?" He finally settled as a reply.

I bit my lip as silence filled up between us. After a few lingering seconds he turned to walk off again.

"Hang out with me tonight." I shouted back to him.

"What? No." He scoffed and continued walking away.

"Please!" I begged and he stopped, keeping himself facing away from me. "You broke my boyfriend and I really don't want to go home." Slowly he turned around, weighing up his options.

"Fine." He said after a few thoughtful seconds. "But we do what I want to do and you don't get to ask me any questions." I nodded my head in acceptance and ran to catch up with him. Keeping a quick pace just to keep up with his footsteps.

"So where are we going?" I asked.

He sighed in annoyance and shook his head. "Not even a minute in." He complained, placing his palm against his forehead with another exhausted sigh.

Noah took us to a street food truck and ordered two hot dogs. He handed me one of them and I looked down at it, I've never trusted food from a street vendor before. I didn't want food poisoning.

"Uh, excuse me... do you have a hygiene safety certificate I could look at?" I asked the big guy behind the counter. He had a snake tattoo going up the side of his neck and he offered me a deep scowl in reply.

"Sorry about her, she's a princess." Noah frowned at me and walked ahead fast, trying to get away from me I think.

I knew everything about me irritated him and I was surprised he accepted my offer to hang out tonight. He took a seat on a wall that overlooked the whole port, all the beautiful yachts lined up on the still water. I watched him with caution as he tucked into his hot dog but I made no efforts to eat my own.

"You're not going to die, just eat it." He ordered me. Very slowly I raised it to my lips, screwing up my eyes before I took a bite. It actually tasted good, but that didn't stop me chewing it to tiny pieces just to avoid swallowing. Noah watched me with complete interest and shook his head in disbelief when I finally swallowed.

I leaned back on the wall, looking out at the boats again. I could spot my fathers in the far distance and it made me think about him. I was drowning in the negative thoughts of my own mind when Noah ran his thumb up my arm and I looked down at my tingling skin, his touch was warm and strange. It freaked me out.

"You're bruised." He pointed out, his face was full of concern for a small moment but when he looked up at my eyes he dropped the concern and straightened his face of any emotion. I mimicked his action, stroking my thumb softly up his arm.

His scar was a deep white-pinkish line running from his wrist all the way up his forearm until I could no longer see it thanks to the hoodie that he was wearing. The bump of his scar was a different texture to his other skin, smoother but harder. He watched my thumb trace the entire visible length of his scar.

"We're both marked." I said quietly. He pulled his hoodie down over his arm, hiding his forearm away. "Joel told me there was an accident." I inquired. Noah's face screwed up in disapproval and his body tensed.

"I told you, no questions." He sighed, pulling his arm out of my reach completely.

"I didn't ask any." I defended, although I really wanted to.

"Yeah, but you want to." He raised his eyebrows at me and pursed his lips.

"So you would rather me piece together rumors from everyone else that are probably not even true rather than hear the real story from your own lips?" Noah chuckled to himself, I knew he was going to be awkward about this.

"You think I give a shit what stories you hear? I don't even know you, why do even care so much? Stay out of my business." He started pulling away from me and for a second I thought he was going to walk off.

"You told me to ask around." I argued.

"Yeah well, stop talking about me. Mind your own business." He looked back towards the boathouse, everything seemed a little more rowdy now. "Come on princess, it's time." He muttered as he jumped down from the wall.