Pierced by Love

by Laura L. Walker

“No worries there. She’s the one who’s letting me know where she stands.” Pierce might have been offended at his question if Hannah had not asked him the same thing. Why had he invited Noelle to go to San Diego with him? He’d never admit it to anyone else, but a small part of him wanted her to go and hoped that she would like his family. Or at least his brothers. It bothered him that he couldn’t even answer the question of why it mattered so much to him. A love match between the two of them was about as likely as Noelle and Melody reconciling before the wedding.

  TEN

  ROOMMATES COULD REALLY be annoying at times. Especially the kind that knew a person backward and forward and shared the same set of parents! Noelle silently fumed at Melody as she jogged the Foxglenn Trail from the Foxglenn Skatepark near Butler Avenue. Initially, she had been thrilled with the warmer weather permitting her access to this more challenging run that followed along the canyon bottom of the Rio de Flag River. But right now, she was simply pounding out her frustration. Only a few minutes ago, Noelle had been sitting on her bed, entering statistical data on her laptop for the thematic unit she and Jill were working on, which was coming along nicely, when her phone rang. It was Pierce, confirming that he’d been successful at securing an airline ticket for her. Ecstatic, Noelle had thanked him and hung up, focusing once again on their lesson plans.

  A knock then sounded on her bedroom door. Noelle had opened it to find Melody on the other side. “Mind if I come in?”

  In the past, Melody would never have needed to knock. But now, Noelle appreciated her sister’s discretion. “Sure. What’s up?”

  An awkward pause followed Melody’s entrance. Instead of saying whatever was on her mind, Melody apparently chose to take the easier way in breaking the ice that had existed between them lately. “What are you working on?” She pointed at the various sheets of paper and school supplies that were spread out on the bed. Noelle explained the science- and math-based activities that she was working on in conjunction with the language arts and social studies lessons that Jill was preparing, which followed a spring theme that included plant and insect life cycles.

  “Good idea,” Melody said. “I can see how much work you’ve put into this. I’ll bet you’re excited to do your student teaching this fall.”

  “In some ways, yes, but I’m a little nervous because a name on a piece of paper doesn’t tell me what kind of a teacher I’ll be teaching under.” Noelle had received notification in the mail concerning her student teaching assignment. She had put in a request for an elementary school near her parents’ home so that she could save money on living expenses. While she was sad to be leaving Flagstaff soon, she was excited to be moving on with her life.

  “Maybe you could meet with her some time during the summer.”

  “I hope so.” They talked for a few more minutes about the possibilities, then Noelle looked speculatively at her sister. “Melody, I know you didn’t come in here to talk about teaching. What’s on your mind?”

  A slight hesitation followed. Then Melody expelled a breath. “Last night, when we had everyone over, we were all having a good time in the living room when I went to grab a drink of water. You and Pierce looked pretty cozy, washing dishes together. Dishes that Jessie was supposed to do, by the way.” The roommates took turns with the chores. Noelle recalled the moment Melody was referring to. She and Pierce had been chuckling over something Pierce said when Melody had entered the kitchen. Suddenly and by unspoken agreement, they had turned their attention to the dishes, not saying another word.

  “We decided to do her a favor.”

  Melody searched her face for a long moment. Noelle kept it carefully neutral, hoping that Melody wouldn’t pick up on the fact that her heart had started pounding. “Noelle, is there something going on between you and Pierce?”

  She shrugged. “He’s a good friend.”

  Melody’s face clouded over. “I’ve heard some things about him. I’m wondering if you’re making a very good choice by hanging out with him so much.”

  That statement really got Noelle’s ire up. “Are you trying to keep me in line like a wayward child, Melody? That isn’t your responsibility, nor do I need your interference. And as for your statement about hearing things about Pierce goes, who did you hear them from?”

  “Kasey Hamilton.”

  Noelle sighed. Kasey was one of those people who buddied up to others whom they felt would forward their interests. She and her roommates had learned to endure her presence when it would be rude to not include her with the others. But as far as Noelle was concerned, Kasey was just plain catty. Melody hadn’t been up here long enough to learn who was who. She turned back to her lessons.

  “Noelle?” Melody’s voice came out a little more sharply—well, sharply for Melody, anyway. “Aren’t you going to say something?”

  She gave her sister what she hoped was a demure smile. “Melody, I don’t put much stock into anything that Kasey Hamilton says. You’ll eventually see her true colors. They always come through sooner or later.”

  Melody huffed in exasperation. “You’re sidestepping the question, Noelle. Are you telling me that there is nothing going on between you and Pierce Logan?”

  “Come on, Melody. You aren’t Mom. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been here at NAU for two years on my own. I can handle myself just fine without you keeping tabs on me.”

  “But, Noelle, Pierce is a—”

  “Player. I get it. Quit nagging me.” She shot Melody a pointed look. “As far as I’m concerned, you lost any credibility with me when you stole my boyfriend.”

  “Are we really going to rehash all of that?” Melody asked in exasperation.

  “Nope.” The wispy ends of her hair brushed against her neck as her ponytail swayed back and forth with the motion of her head. “We don’t have to. But I need for you to understand that what I do is my business. You’re out of this jurisdiction, sis.”

  “And you’re not worried that you’ll get hurt?”

  “No, not in the least because he really is just a good friend,” she said evenly. “I’ve known him for a while. He’s always been nice to me and in the past few weeks, I’ve seen a side of him that I don’t think too many people get to see.”

  Melody’s brows raised in query. “Really?”

  “Uh-huh.” But Noelle refused to elaborate. She’d let Melody stew over that one a bit.

  Melody waited a few more minutes, but when no more information was forthcoming, she shook her head in disgust. “I give up, Noelle. I’ve been trying to make amends. But you won’t let it go.”

  “Maybe that’s the guilt talking to you.”

  “Get over it!” Melody exclaimed. She turned and slammed the door on her way out.

  Noelle sat there, her heart hammering in her rib cage. What had just happened? Was it genuine concern that motivated Melody’s actions or a need to control Noelle? Why did every conversation they had with each other lately have to end so badly?

  Briefly, Noelle wondered if she should back out of Pierce’s offer to take her to San Diego. If Melody was freaking out this much over the two of them simply washing dishes, then she would positively explode once she found out about the trip. Noelle decided that it would be better for Melody—and the others, for that matter—not to know.

  Slowly, she stacked her papers and put her supplies in her backpack, feeling dejected. Even the excitement she’d felt for her lessons, which she thought were winners, was gone. The grade she’d been hoping to receive on it no longer seemed to matter.

  Melody might not see it, but Noelle had been trying to make amends too. She had tried to stifle her own jealousy, although she hadn’t been completely successful. She promised herself—again!—that she would try harder to overcome these negative feelings. Noelle reached for her tablet and tapped the screen. Matthew 18:21–22 appeared. She’d been reading the four gospels at her parents’ urging and had bookmarked this scripture about forgiving a person seventy times seven. It might take that many tries
to get it right.

  She put on her Nikes and headed out the door to clear her head.

  Spring break had officially begun. Hannah had gone home on Friday afternoon and Jessie, who was in the Relief Society presidency in her ward, was staying for church today and would be leaving for her home tomorrow morning. When asked earlier in the week what her plans for spring break included, Noelle’s blithe answer that she would be visiting a friend’s family seemed to appease Jessie and Hannah, though Noelle couldn’t shake the feeling that she hadn’t fooled her sister. The long look Melody had given her just before heading out the door with Chase had filled her with dread.

  Now, as Noelle stood before the mirror getting ready for church, she jabbed herself with her earring when the doorbell rang. “Ouch!” She hurried to answer it since Jessie had already left to fulfill her calling. The three Flagstaff singles wards were combining into one meeting today due to the sparseness of the students left on campus. Noelle would meet up with her later.

  She was pleasantly surprised to see Pierce standing there. “Hi,” he said with an easy smile. “You want to ride with me to church? I figured we might as well just take one vehicle rather than two.”

  Noelle smiled. “That would be super.”

  “Anyone else need a ride?”

  “No. It’s just us. Come in. I’ll be ready in a few minutes.” Without a backward glance, she hurried back to her room to insert the second earring and grab her tablet. When she reentered the living room, she was surprised to see Pierce still standing on the doorstep with the door wide open. Surely their friendship had progressed past the point of him feeling awkward around her, hadn’t it? “I’m ready.”

  She flashed him a brilliant smile before following him out to his Explorer. “So how did your midterms go?”

  “I had a killer of a test on Thursday. Actually, I had just finished it when I called you.”

  “Oh,” she said guiltily. “I hope you didn’t have to give up too much of your time for studying to find a ticket for me.”

  “Nope. It was fine.” He glanced over at her while driving. “Were you able to get the time off work to come to San Diego?”

  “I’ll have to work tonight and next Sunday as well, which I don’t like to do, but that was the only way I could swing it. Another girl traded her hours with me.” Noelle bit her lip, debating about telling him the next part. Finally, she cleared her throat and said, “Pierce, I know you only asked me to go out of sympathy. I’m sorry that I put you on the spot like that, but you don’t need to worry about me. I can stay home this week. It’s no big deal. I can even refund the money for the ticket if you’d like.”

  She expected him to agree, but he surprised her by saying, “I thought we already agreed that money for the ticket is not an issue. What if I want you to come?”

  Aside from not quite knowing what to think of that question, Noelle was unsure of what her answer should be. It sounded like fun, actually. And it would be nice to get away for a few days. But the argument she’d had with Melody was weighing on her shoulders.

  Pierce must’ve noticed her reticence because he asked, “What’s wrong, Noelle?”

  She chose her words carefully. “My roommates have noticed that we’re spending a lot of time together lately. Melody thinks I’m dating you on the rebound. I told her that we’re just friends, but she doesn’t believe me.”

  Noelle braved a look at him. His jaw was set and he was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “That doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, although I feel bad that you had to listen to her worries. The truth is that I heard the same thing from my roommates.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He lifted a shoulder. “That’s life. But, hey, they can’t give us too hard a time for hanging out since we haven’t had much of a chance to do that lately.”

  “Yeah.” Her voice came out sounding flat. “The thing is, if I go to San Diego with you, I’ll never hear the end of it from the others. Especially Melody. She’ll throw a conniption fit.”

  His face hardened much the same way it had when he’d been on the phone with his dad before they left for the temple. “Why? Does she think I would take advantage of you?”

  Her cheeks warmed under his scrutiny. “I’m sure it’s not that,” she said quickly. Though in truth, she wasn’t sure what Melody would think at all. “Actually, I haven’t told them yet. I’m sort of hoping to avoid that scenario.”

  “And so you’re backing out of coming to avoid the repercussions?”

  She looked at him apprehensively.

  Pierce looked her squarely in the eyes and said firmly, “Look, Noelle. We all have choices to make. We can’t control the way other people react to those choices. Are you going to let what other people think determine your actions?”

  “When you put it that way, I guess I’d have to say no.”

  “So do you want to come?”

  “Only if you want me to.”

  “Is that how it was with you and Chase? ‘Yes, Chase. Whatever you say, Chase.’ What’d he do, turn you into a zombie?”

  Noelle’s jaw dropped. “No. It wasn’t like that.”

  “Oh, yeah?” He lifted his brow in obvious challenge.

  “Of course it wasn’t!” she insisted hotly. “Stop it!”

  He was instantly contrite. “Okay. I’m sorry.” They had arrived at the institute building and he found a parking space. Pierce shifted the Explorer into park and cut the engine. “He just seems a little conceited to me. He’s always telling a story about his mission, as if he can’t get over himself for serving one.”

  Noelle laughed. “You’re right about that.”

  “I don’t know what you saw in him anyway.”

  Noelle was silent for a long moment. “As you know, I was engaged before I transferred up here. I was devastated when my fiancé broke it off with me. I told myself that I would be very careful about beginning a new relationship. I appreciated how nice Chase was to draw me into his circle of friends. I felt safe, like I was being taken care of. But after a while, his cutting remarks made me feel like a little kid.”

  “That’s exactly what he was hoping for, even if he didn’t consciously admit it.”

  Noelle was in a somber mood when they walked inside the institute building and down the hallway into the chapel, finding a seat next to Jessie just as the prelude music ended. Noelle couldn’t concentrate on the talks. Pierce had given her a lot to think about. There had been times after having stated her opinion in a discussion between the two of them that Chase had given her a cursory smile and murmured, “That’s nice” or “That’s what I love about you, Noelle. You’re a dreamer.” Noelle had worked hard to gain the courage to express her opinions during group discussions as well. While he never said anything at the time, Noelle inevitably knew that he would lecture her later, discounting what she’d said. At the time, Noelle had squelched her irritation, thinking that she was just being sensitive.

  Noelle didn’t realize how fidgety she was becoming until Jessie leaned over and whispered, “Are you okay, Noelle?”

  Noelle turned toward her and smiled for her roommate’s benefit. “Fine.” Jessie eyed Pierce and Noelle speculatively before turning her attention back to the speaker.

  From her right, Pierce took her hand and squeezed. Then she saw his concerned expression. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said quietly. “Are you all right?”

  She swallowed past the lump that had suddenly formed and nodded. His warm hand and gentle smile steadied her instantly. She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand in return. To her surprise, he didn’t immediately let go. Secretly, she admitted to herself that it felt kind of nice.

  When sacrament meeting ended, Pierce waited for Jessie to exit the chapel before turning to Noelle. “I wouldn’t have invited you to San Diego if I didn’t want you to come. But only you can decide if it’s worth the hassle. Jessie seemed to handle us being together all right, but I can understand Melody being upset because of
my reputation. I don’t want to place you in a difficult situation.”

  “I’m already in one, as far as I’m concerned,” she stated matter-of-factly. “I’m going,” she decided, determination sealing the deal. “And if they don’t like it, that’s their problem.”

  She liked seeing the look of admiration on his face. “Great.”

  ELEVEN

  WHILE PACKING HER bags later that night after returning home from work, Noelle’s phone rang. Seeing Melody’s number on the screen, she sighed. She was tired and not really in the mood for the conversation she’d known was coming. “Hello, Melody.”

  Melody’s voice was urgent. “Noelle, I’ve been wrestling with myself all day over whether to call you or not. I haven’t talked to Mom and Dad about this yet. They asked if something is bothering me and I was able to put them off. But I have the sneaky suspicion that you’re going off somewhere with Pierce this week. Am I right?”

  Noelle wouldn’t lie even though she wanted to. “Yes. He’s going to visit his dad and stepmom and invited me to come along.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that, Noelle? If you’re just friends, then you will definitely be sending the wrong message to Pierce and his family.”

  She shrugged even though Melody couldn’t see her. “It’s just for a few days of fun in the sun. Swimming and relaxing by the pool.”

  “So you’re using him for a good time? That makes you just as bad as him.”

  “Knock it off, Melody. Intimidation isn’t your style. I’m not breaking any commandments nor am I using anybody. Pierce invited me on a trip so I took him up on his offer. And he’s not like that anyway.”

  “How can you be sure? Look what happened between Pierce and Kasey Hamilton.”

  Noelle’s brows wrinkled in confusion. “He took her on a date. Isn’t that what guys do?” Why was Melody so uptight lately? Noelle couldn’t say anything without setting her off. “When did you become so by-the-book, Melody? You’ve always been a little bit of a Goody Two-Shoes, but this is a little over the top, even for you.”