To Know More

31 | someone like me

My eyes widened, as did his, as our bodies stumbled into the room under my weight and our feet shuffled on the floor.

He's going to kill you.

With that realisation, I forced my feet to skid to an immediate stop, causing an unpleasant screech to echo through the space.

Flinching at the sound, I looked back to find my hand still placed on Noah's mouth and his fiery green eyes glaring daggers right through my skull.

I was half-certain that if I didn't forgo my grip, he would literally bite my hand off.

I retreated immediately and backed away to a safe distance.

Partly embarrassed and mostly terrified, I stammered, "I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me...I just came here to-"

"To what? Beg me for forgiveness?" He tilted his head in mockery, venom dripping from his voice. "Is the princess sad 'cause she got expelled?"

I can't believe this guy's nerve.

Despite the small spike in my own anger, I took in a deep breath and shook my head. "No, I'm here to give you this."

Ignoring the look of impatience on his face, I forwarded my hand to his.

Raising my eyes carefully to assess his reaction, I unfurled my fingers to reveal the box lying atop my palm.

It was the first time I had seen the distinct terror of vulnerability cloud his features.

"What..."

He walked closer to me, eyes fixated on the piece of wood I held in my hand and voice uncharacteristically low.

"I...I got it from Calvin, the day before you..."

-got me expelled.

I didn't finish my sentence, choosing instead to focus on the vivid green of his eyes and the way they drifted ever so softly onto my form as I spoke before returning back to the object I was clutching.

A shiver involuntarily crawled down my body when his fingers brushed the skin of my palm and, silently, he picked the box up from it.

The moment was one of complete stillness; the only movements were the ones of his fingers as they clicked the container open to reveal the bright light of the pendant resting inside it.

"This is really it..." he whispered under his breath, lips parted in wonder, and I questioned to myself whether it was really the tone of incredulity that I had heard in his voice.

"Yeah...yeah, it is."

Silence engulfed the space like a veil.

I had always known the pendant held importance to Noah - it was apparent in the way he was so desperate to get it back from Calvin. But never had I anticipated the look that dominated his face at this moment, as he was unable to tear his eyes away from the object - a mixture of shock and disbelief.

He seemed so unlike himself. So unlike the boy I was used to. 

Not knowing what to do, I shifted on my feet awkwardly before deciding to slowly begin taking steps backward and remove my presence from his room.

You've done what you came here to do.

"I'll get-"