I storm upstairs to my room, slamming the door behind me. Inside, I feel my own wrath churning up inside of me, and I don’t know who I’m angrier at: me or Gramps. I throw myself onto my bed and smother my face into my pillow. I want to shout into it again, but when I open my mouth it’s not a scream this time; it’s a wail. Angry tears fall hot and fast, absorbing into the fabric.

There’s a knock on my door.

I blubber, “Go away!” But when I pull my face from the pillow, Noah is standing in my doorway.

“What’s with you?” he asks, looking at me with his face all scrunched up like he’s actually concerned.

“Like you really care,” I snort, swiping my sleeve across my wet eyes.

“Try me,” he says, holding his hands up in front of him as he steps inside my room. “Come on, what? Are you in a fight with your friend or something?”

“Yeah.” I sniffle. “Sort of.” I am technically fighting with Jude, but the person I really want to be talking with Noah about right now is Gramps.

Noah takes a seat in my desk chair and says, “I’ve gotten into plenty of arguments with my friends before, so I’m sure I have lots of older-sibling wisdom on the subject.” He grins and stifles a laugh, adding, “I mean, if you wanna tell me about it.”

“Well, what would you do if someone you care about is not making the smartest decisions?” I ask.

“About what?”

“Just stuff,” I answer. Noah stares, waiting for more information, so I continue, “Okay, let’s just say this person is not being completely honest to their . . . parents . . . about something. And I don’t know if I should tell on them or not.”

“Depends. Are they not being honest about something that could get them hurt?”

“No.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Something illegal?”

I laugh. “No, nothing illegal.”

“So, why are you so upset about it, then?”

“Because it’s not like I’m just keeping a secret; it’s like I’m lying too.”

Noah squints, staring into the distance, thinking. “Then I don’t know. Maybe I’m not all that much older and wiser after all.” He sighs. “Okay, my best advice: If you have to tell, tell. But try not to judge Jude, you know?” he adds. “It can’t be easy being in a new place.”

Surprisingly, Noah may not be quite as big of a butthead as I thought. He’s actually managed to make me feel better about both Gramps and Jude.