Love & Carnage✗Noah Foster [2]

Chapter Two// Pretty

+++

"All of this is all about some messed up daddy issues, really?"

--Audrey Jensen

+++

"Hey! We've got our internet hero!" Noah called, as he opened the front door to Kieran's house. Inside was Brooke and Jake. I rolled my eyes, walking in. "Ooh! That was awesome, bi-otch. Up high!" Jake told Audrey immediately. "Get this out of your system now, Jake." Audrey hissed at him. "There's no post-gaming when Emma gets here." Audrey and Noah walked past Jake towards Kieran in the kitchen. "Not a word, Jake, not a word!" Brooke scolded her sort-of-kind-of boyfriend. "She just texted. She'll be here in a minute." Kieran told Brooke. I followed them to the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the barstools in front of the kitchen counter. "Sandalwood, a hint of citrus...someone's very excited to see Emma this evening."

"Oh!" Noah raised an eyebrow at Kieran, as Brooke walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room. "Beer in the fridge?" Kieran changed the subject. "Yes, please!" Noah said in a sing-song voice, placing the beers he and Audrey had picked up on the way here in the fridge, while Kieran held open the refrigerator door. "You're a tough bitch, Audrey!" Brooke called from the living room. There was a sudden knock at the door and Kieran, Audrey, Noah and I all looked at one another. "She's here!" Brooke came into the room. "Light the candle!" I hopped off of the stool, and rushed to help Audrey as she grabbed the candle from the counter, that was right beside the cake that said, 'Welcome Home, Emma'. Kieran rushed to the door to greet her. We stabbed the big candle into the cake, and beside me, Jake lit it. "What's taking so long?!" Jake called to them. Brooke hit his shoulder. "Shut up!"

"They're having a moment." I informed him. Noah grabbed the cake and brought it to the living room, where Emma was just coming in, Kieran behind her. "Hey!" We said in unison. "Welcome home, girl interrupted!" Jake told her. Brooke's huge smile dropped from her face. "Tact." She hissed. But Emma didn't care. Her face was bright and she seemed like she couldn't be happier. "No, it's a compliment 'cause Angelina's hot." Jake told. "Guys," Emma sighed. "It's okay. I had some issues and I dealt with them. And now I'm back here because I want things to go back to normal. Okay? It would suck if you guys started acting all weird around me." Emma announced. "It's... really good to have you home." Audrey whispered. They smiled at each other and everyone went silent. Brooke broke the silence, "I love you." She told her best friend, rushing towards her and wrapping her in a hug. Noah put the cake down on an end table and rushed towards them. "It's so good to have you back." Soon, we all joined the group hug, engulfing Emma.

xxx

"Okay, what's wrong?" Audrey and Brooke walked towards me, sitting down in front of me. I sat in Kieran's living room, eating my piece of cake, feeling particularly sad. "It's nothing." I whispered, shoving cake into my mouth. "Arielle, what did I tell you about eating desserts?!" Brooke said, totally outraged, grabbing my plate from me. I held onto my fork, feeling even more angry. "I don't know; don't?" I asked. "Exactly. Don't." Brooke placed my plate on the coffee table, and I stared at my cake longingly. "Don't eat your feelings. Discuss with your friends. That happens to be us." She gestured to her and Audrey. "Ugh, it's nothing. Noah's mad at me." I groaned. "Why--"

"I could tell the entire drive here." Audrey interrupted Brooke. "You're usually all over each other. Even though I tell you guys to stop when I'm around..." Audrey added, rolling her eyes. "But this time, you sat in the backseat and you were quiet the entire time, and Noah just kept looking at you in the rearview mirror." Audrey explained. "What happened?" Brooke sighed. "Noah told me that he loved me." I answered them. Brooke gasped, while Audrey's face stayed neutral. "I already knew that." She scoffed. "Wh--how?" I asked. "It's Noah. He's my best friend. He loves you. Now, did you say it back?" She asked, clearly interested. "No... I changed the subject." I revealed. "Ooh!" Brooke sucked in her teeth. "You don't love him?" Audrey asked me. "No, it's not that... I do... I mean, I don't know. It feels early." I told them. "Poor Noah."

"But then he made this cryptic comment on my shoes." I whined. "What? Those shoes cost more than his damn car." Brooke said, suddenly defensive. "Brooke." I rolled my eyes at her. "Sorry, go on."

"And... I really don't know what he meant by it."

"Well, what did he say?" Audrey questioned. "He said, 'you don't wear heels, Arielle'." I informed them. "You don't wear heels." Audrey pointed out. "Okay, what's the big deal?" Brooke said, totally confused. "I don't know. Do you think he... he might be angry about me wearing heels?" I asked, laughing at my words. "Oh, I know what this is about." Audrey told me. "What? Tell me. Please, please tell me?" I begged her, sitting at the edge of my seat. "You're Arielle. You don't wear heels or fancy clothes and you definitely do not act like Brooke." Audrey explained. I squinted at her. "So, what? I got a few new clothes... what's that got to do with me and Noah?"

"Did you not just hear me?" Audrey watched me with a bored expression. "Noah doesn't like the 'New Arielle'." Audrey enunciated. "There's no 'New Arielle'. I'm just Arielle, so I think maybe Noah's a little insane." I scoffed. "He's really not." Audrey shrugged, sitting back. "I don't know...You're dressing differently, your hair is different. Better, actually. And you're wearing makeup." I watched Audrey's face and began to realize that she was right. "Oh, my God."

"She's exactly the same, I don't see the problem." Brooke frowned. "You'd think that. She's been hanging out with you way too much these past three months." Audrey rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I should get going, I told my dad I wouldn't be home late." Audrey stood up. "Tell Emma I said 'bye'." She leaned down to hug me. I hugged her back absentmindedly. When she left, Brooke watched me with a weird look. She got up and came to sit beside me. "What?" I asked her, looking at her. "You look pretty." She answered. I sighed, and turned my head, looking at my hands.

"There's nothing wrong with being pretty."