crossing paths

noah james

"jack, i quite honestly am getting tired of your shit." i deadpanned as my older brother gave me yet another comment about my inability to see color. i got it- he could see pink. i couldn't. the jokes were old.

"aww, but bubby, you know i love you," jack said, leaning over my shoulders. i sat at my desk watching netflix on my computer, and jack apparently didn't understand that when i did so, i was not looking for company.

"fuck off." i said, pushing him away. "i don't have time to deal with your shit right now."

"but you've been watching 'arrow' all day, noah," jack said. "tommy and i are worried for your mental health."

tom and jack were my twin brothers. annoying as fuck, they were always in my shit when i stayed in my room for more than an hour. they both had met their soulmates, and from what i could tell, they were very fitting for them. not very normal in my opinion, but hey, neither were my brothers.

and neither was i.

"my mental health would be better if you'd leave me alone." i said, glaring at him. "just let me mope in peace, please. we leave for florida in a week, jack. i need my downtime."

"exactly. we leave for bloody florida, noah. doesn't get much more pro-downtime than that." jack replied, pulling up my bean bag chair. "and besides, you haven't packed."

"have i shown you the field in which i grow my fucks?" i snapped. "no, i haven't, because unsurprisingly, it's fucking empty!"

"noah grayson james!" mom yelled. "watch your mouth!"

i rolled my eyes as i leaned back on my desk chair. mom stopped in the hallway, basket of laundry in her hands. "your brother is right. you've been on your computer for far too long."

"well of course jack's right," i growled. "it's fucking jack. jack's always right."

"noah! where has this come from-?"

"oh, i don't know, maybe the fact that nobody leaves the depressed kid alone?" i snapped, standing up. jack reached his hand out and caught my chair as i stomped out of my room, grabbing my keys off the hook and sliding down the stairs railing. mom yelled after me and tommy looked up, confused, but i was out the door before anyone could say anything, and halfway down the street before jack made it outside.

i understood where my family was coming from with the whole "don't leave noah alone" thing, but i was a year clean, and my depression had turned to pent-up anger. there was no reason to always be in my shit. jack did it, mom did it, dad did it. tommy just couldn't care, honestly, but i mean, come on. i was almost eighteen. how the fuck was i supposed to live on my own if everyone and their uncle was always up my ass?

i guess i should explain my depression.

in my world, the world of noah grayson james, (and everyone else on the planet), nobody sees color. you live your life in black and white, and it's pretty dull. when you find color, however, is when you find your "soulmate". then you see pink and blue and red and orange and from what i hear it's pretty great. problem is, finding your soulmate varies from person to person. some see color when they're five, some fifty. it just depends on when you meet the person. jack and tommy got pretty lucky, considering the fact that jack and tommy are only twenty and can see color. jack's soulmate is victoria, and tommy's is jakob.

that's right. soulmates weren't always the opposite sex. it wasn't uncommon to see two boys together or two girls, but it wasn't exactly every day. i, personally, didn't care. if jake made tommy happy, then that's that. and at least they didn't hate each other like my aunt and uncle do.