The Girl in the Hoodie

34

He chuckles. "You wound me, Carter."

"I know." I state, still grinning. "So, you and Hazel?"

The smile slowly slips off his face. "Yeah."

"How long?"

"Seven months." He opens his eyes. "Dylan, Max, Megan and Pablo question my sanity everyday."

I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Pablo?"

"My subconscious." He tells me. "He has a Mexican accent and wears a sombrero."

I choke on my spit before laughing loudly for a few minutes.

"Are you done?" He asks in fake annoyance.

"Not yet." I say before laughing a bit more. "Okay, now I'm done."

"Good." He rolls his eyes, a hint of a smile on his face. "I know you want to say something. Spill it."

I grin. He knows me too well.

"I'm questioning your sanity, too, Pebble." I lie back on the rock. "Of all the girls and guys in this college, you choose Hazel?"

I feel him lie back on the rock too. "I don't know what I was thinking when I asked her out, Carter. I mean, I guess I liked her, and I still do, no matter how much of a bitch she is. I mean, I'm not in love with her or anything, but I still like her, you know?"

Wow, thanks, Noah, for ripping my heart out and stomping on it until it looked like Plankton's chum from the Chum Bucket.

I gulp. "Not really, but sure, let's pretend I know what you mean."

*~*

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Noah pipes up, shoving his hands in the pockets of his hoodie as we reach my dorm.

It's about 8:00 now. We were in the woods for a good few hours. We left a couple of hours after he admitted he actually likes Hazel. He insisted he walk me to my dorm and we walked back in silence. It was a comfortable silence, but at the same time, there was a bit of tension. Now we're in the girl's dorm building, standing in front of my dorm.

I smile softly. "Yeah."

I surprise the both of us by stepping forward and wrapping my arms around his neck. His arms slowly wrap around my waist.

"I missed you, Noah." I mumble into his shoulder.

"I missed you, too, Carter." He admits quietly.

I pull away and we just stare at each other. His eyes flicker down to my lips as his grip on my waist tightens. I feel myself unconsciously leaning forward and so does he.

Wait. Hazel!

We both quickly pull away from each other.

"You have a girlfriend." "I have a girlfriend." We both say at the same time.

I pull out the key to my dorm and open the door. "Bye, Pebble."

"Bye, Carter." He rushes out before quickly walking down the hall as I shut the door.

"What happened?"