The Secrets of Jesse & Noah

Chapter Two - Noah

Noah

(Five Years Old)

So maybe starting school isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's not going so good, with Nathan being mean to the blue eyed boy, but I think he's nice. At least I hope he is. I really want to talk to him. He seems lonely and it's never good to be lonely.

At lunchtime he sits on a bench, alone. His head is dipped down and his blond hair is falling over his face.

His eyes were the first thing I noticed. They look really, really blue. Like the type of blue you see when you go to the beach. They're really pretty but sad. I don't think I've ever seen eyes that made me feel as sad as his do. I wonder why he's sad. I wonder if I can make him happy, or at least happier. Mom always says I can cheer people up without even trying.

I feel funny looking at him. I've never wanted to talk to anyone like I want to talk to him. But I'm afraid, too. I don't want him to think I'm a jerk like Nathan, because I'm not.

I really shouldn't walk over there. I'll scare him. I'm not the type of person everyone likes. But my brain doesn't get the memo and I'm already halfway over there before I realize it.

"Hi," I say when I stop moving. "Can I sit beside you?"

He doesn't respond so I sit down anyway and then I do what I do best. I talk.

Mom and Dad say I can talk more than anyone else they know and that I do it better than most grownups. I don't know if that's true or not, but after a while he starts responding a little and I feel a whole lot better.

I like his voice. It's soft, the type of voice you want to read your bedtime story. It makes me feel calm, something I never feel, even when my mom and dad are reading my bedtime stories. I could close my eyes and listen to his voice and feel the calm wash over me.

But he's not the talkative type, at least not like me anyway, so I'm the one who has to do the talking.

He agrees to be my best friend! He doesn't say yes for a while and I worry he's not going to but then he agrees and the sadness falls away from his eyes for the briefest moment. It makes me happy—and more determined to see him smile. I swear, I will make him smile properly one day. It'll be so natural and feel so good that he might not even realize he's smiling. But it's going to happen and that day will be the best day of my life—maybe the second best day after today—because everyone deserves to smile and I bet his smile will be the greatest smile ever.

I just know it will be.

He relaxes a bit more as lunch continues, but when we go back inside he gets all tense again. I want to make him less tense, but I don't know how. I've never met anyone like him before. Someone who doesn't smile or laugh or talk much. It's weird. But in a really good way. I like him.

He looks over at the teacher and then he lowers his head and refuses to meet my eyes.

"What's going on here boys?"

"What do you mean?" I ask our teacher whose name I forget.

"You're supposed to be sitting with your friends and playing with them."

"I am. Jesse's my friend now."

"I thought Nathan and Jessica were your friends. You were sitting with them earlier."

"Nope. I want to sit here."

"Come on, sweetheart. Wouldn't you rather play than sit here and talk for the next couple of hours?"

"No. I like talking."

"Noah, please do as your told." She sounds angry or maybe frustrated. Like my mom and dad sound when I get really hyper and can't stay still. The only difference is she's being mean and they're never mean. Not like she's being now anyway. I want to shout at her because of how she's treating Jesse.