The Opposite

deux.

unedited. 

"Okay, so yours then mine?" I finish planning our meetups with Noah. I go to his first then he comes to mine and the pattern goes on.

He nods silently.

"You don't say much, do you?" I ask. He just smiles at me, and holy lord it's like the stars hit me at once. It takes me a while to recover.

"Well see you later, quiet one." I say.

When I'm not very far away I hear him say, "See you later, Callie."

There goes his voice, Jesus Christ save me. I can't even think straight anymore. I was expecting an ugly nerd with braces on who can't even dress properly. But what do I get? Smoking hot boy with the best fashion sense I've seen. On boys at least.

I can't do this anymore. Just no. How is this acceptable? What if I don't concentrate on the project and end up messing up then looking like a total idiot?

Life is very unfair.

When I walk home, all I can think about is brown hair and designer glasses. His brown green eyes staring intently into mine as if he knows my secret.

Boys like him don't like me anyway, they like those girls that are more likely wife material. And me? I just might end up having badass kids. Dad would be so proud.

Only if he were here to see his grandchildren...

I arrive home to a smell of chocolate chip cookies and my mum trying to keep Sammy away from finishing them.

"Hey there, little bugger." I greet my younger brother.

"You're only 30 seconds older!" He yells frustrated.

I chuckle and ruffle his hair, "You're still my little munchkin."

"Whatever, I'm out." He grumbles leaving.

My mum sighs and looks at me, "Was that necessary?"

I shrug and head upstairs not wanting to speak to her. As I said earlier, me and my mum aren't the best match. If I stayed, we would be arguing in less than 2 minutes. I have a grudge against her that I'll never let go.

No matter what, mistakes stay mistakes.

NOAH'S POV

"Come here, come here." I waved my baby husky over. Gosh, they're so cute.

"Honey? Noah, is that you?" My grandmother called.

"Yeah." I called out to her. I wonder how her day went today, sometimes she finds it hard to watch TV or walk to the park.

"Boil some pasta, will you?" She asks while still struggling on the stairs.

"On it," I then turn towards her, "need help?"

"No, sweetie. I'm fine." She grumbles.

I sigh defeated. My grandmother is always acting independent and tough but that the end of the day, we know she needs me. Living with my grandmother is a bit challenging but I'm okay with it. She's the only family I have left. I'm not too sure though, she never says anything about my parents dying.

On top of my gran, I'm also worrying about The Happy Project. Callie looks happy but I don't think she is. Her eyes looked gloomy and dark. Sadness swirled around her, and I sound like a freak right now but the bottom line is, something's not right. I could feel it in my gut.

And I, Noah O'Connor, is going to get to the bottom of it.

My phone begins vibrating and I close the pan on the stove before fishing it out of my pockets.

"Hi, Noah speaking." I say into the phone. Wow, I sound so posh.

A girl giggles, "I know, silly. It's Paige."

"Oh, Paige," I chuckle, "what's up?"

"Doing some lab work, what about you?" 

"Erm, I'm boiling some pasta?" I say nervously.

"I like a man that cooks...," She said on the other line seductively, and let me tell you. It took everything in me to not gag. 

"Well, I have to go." I say quickly before hanging up. Paige is a good girl, don't get me wrong. But I'm just not interested. She never seems to get the hint, even if I bluntly say it, she keeps coming back.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I frown wodering what it is about me that Paige liked. My boring brown eyes aren't appealing, my hair is too messy for my liking and my clothes scream 'nerd', but in a classy way of course.

Guess I'll never know the answer to that question, will I?

NO ONE'S POV:

The night rolled in smoothly both teenagers fighting their own battles. Callie fights with her mother, messes with her brother then goes back to sulking questioning the world. Why me, she would ask herself night after night. She lays alone watching others get expericences, from crushes to heartbreak, all right in front of her eyes.

Her yearning is only growing stronger. And not one day passes where she doesn't pray for her escape. Her little infinity.

Noah takes care of his puppy and grandmother, he has a lot on his shoulders than it seems. There's more to his life than you know now. The memories he holds are lucid and terrifying. Some things we aren't meant to hold, but they stay anyway.

Little did these two know, this project would improve their lives.