Noah Baker || ✔

27

27 | Lies Behind the Eyes
Song: When you love a woman
By: Journey

I open my eyes to see green fresh grass and a light summer breeze.

I sat up to the smell of fresh flowers and the warming sun. It hit my skin sent warmth down my spine.

I took a deep breath in and out. I looked around and saw that I was at home. My old home. Before me and my mom moved.

Then I heard a laugh from a child.

I saw that the girl had short dark brown hair, hazel eyes. She had a garden hose in her hands. She would whip it around as the water came out and flew everywhere. When the water would hit the ground, the little girl would scream.

Because the water would splashback at her. But then her head turned in the direction of the house.

And there came out was a woman. She was wearing a sundress as she walked on the grass barefoot. She smiled as soon as she saw the little girl. She picked her up, making the girl drop the hose.

The woman spun her around in a circle as she sang to her.

I couldn't make out the face of the women but she looked familiar. Until she said, "Noe, what are you doing out here?" As the little girl giggled.

But then she stopped and saw me. The little girl . . . looked like me?

The little girl lifted her arm and pointed her finger towards me. Seconds later the women looked in the direction of me and when she did, it made me gasp and take a step back.

I covered my mouth with my hand and felt tears running down my cheeks.

The women were my mother when she was young.

Mine hitched really loudly and my hands start to shake.

She was beautiful. She looked like an angel. My mother was so pretty.

She just stared at me with her dazzling green eyes while she had me in her arms. She looked so caring and happy.

"Mom?" I cried.

But she didn't hear it. All she did was looked back at baby me in her arms and laugh. Then she started walking back into the house.

"Mom." I quietly said.

The door closed and all you could hear was the sound of the water running from the hose.

All a sudden, I'm falling into the water. I try to swim but all I could see was darkness. No light. No nothing. I swim up but it felt like I wasn't moving a lot. But it was too late, I ran out of air. It felt so real. Feeling the water fill up my body and letting myself shut down. Then I started to cough and cough and scream and scream until...

I sat up straight, my eyes popped open, my breathing uneasy and my hands shaking. I also heard voices. Realizing it was just a dream, I lay back down, and for some reason, I closed my eyes again.

I was awake but I wanted to listen. It felt like someone set me on a couch on my back. I could hear yelling coming from the other room. Sounded like Mereck and Grayson were both arguings.

"I can't believe you decided to show up here!" Mereck yelled, sounding as if Gray hurt him like the way he hurt me. "How did you know where I lived?"

"Does that matter?!" Gray yelled back. It's like I felt like he ran his hands through his hair, sighing in frustration, pacing back and forth. "What matters is that I saved Noah from drowning," he said, I could feel the rage in his voice.

"Oh don't turn this into you being Noah's hero," Mereck mocked, he sounded annoyed.

"Are you f*cking kidding me?" I heard Grayson mumbled, even from here. Then he yelled, loud. "I saw that Noah was trying to drown herself! Did that not transfer into your tiny, pathetic brain—"

The sound of a fist hitting on the skin, made me open my eyes and sit up. I looked towards the doorway of the next room but hesitated to get up after I heard a feminist voice.

"Guys! Stop it, that's enough!" JT yelled.

"Stay out of this Joanna!" Mereck yelled to her. His voice stressed.

My feet, at the moment, were present in the ground. I stood up, hands formed into fists, my blood boiling with fear and worry. Mereck hit Grayson. Every part of my skin feeling hot underneath my wet clothes, I breathe through my mouth, quietly as I inch closer and closer to the side wall next to the doorway.

"And your little comment, so stupid, what does it even mean?!" He yelled I didn't hear Mereck a word. "You should ask Ben. What did Ben do?! No one will tell me, it f*cking bullshit!" Gray growled as he ranted.

"Maybe if you didn't ignore Noah, you would already know!" Mereck fired back, this time with more rage.

"Don't you put this on me, a**hole!" Gray yelled. "How hard is it to explain what the hell happened?!" I could hear that Grayson was out of breath. I peeked into the room and to the side their they stood. Mereck stood in front of Gray while Gray was holding his now very red cheek. His expression, he seemed miserable, tired maybe even puzzled. JT was sitting in the corner with her arms crossed as she stared out the nearby window.

As they started back up again, I retreated back behind the wall. "If you want answers, you're gonna have to ask Noah, it's not my story to tell." Mereck surprisingly said very calmly.

"She won't want to talk to me," he confirmed. I narrowed my eyes. "She's scared of me," I tilted my head. What?

Without my control, I walked out into the room and within a sec, all three of their three sets of eyes were on me. Before anything happened, I focused my attention on Grayson. His cheek now turning purple.

The worst part of this is me knowing it was Mereck. Keeping my gaze on Gray's cheek was a bad idea, my eyes started to water and I felt really warm all the sudden, in embarrassment from Mereck action. Feeling that this was my fault, my tears always find its way out to be on display.

Two single tears from each eye slowly streamed down my cheeks. My eyes finally meeting Grayson's, I melt. Without thinking, I walked towards Grayson and pull him into a hug. I arms wrapped around his torso and my head nuzzled in the crook of his neck, I embrace him. Feeling like it's been forever since I hugged Gray, I take in every second. I hold back my emotions and feelings inside as this goes on. I missed him.

At this moment, I forget why I was ever mad at him, what was the point of it all. I could never be scared of him. I eventually felt his arms move up, hoping that he would hug back but instead he pushed me away, making me stumble back until Mereck caught me.

Wait, what?

To be continued —