⚠️Talk of self harm⚠️
Thank you guys so much for 5k reads! It means so much!
"Why are we trying on dresses again?" I ask, trying to get out of this black dress.
"I'm meeting Nicks parents, Carter! I can't wear ripped jeans and an old T-shirt!" I laugh and finally slip out of the dress.
"Okay Lia. But why am I trying on dresses?"
"Because I feel awkward being the only one trying them on." I can hear the panic in her voice.
"Lia, you have to be calm or your gonna cause yourself to have a panic attack." She sighs.
"But what if they don't like what I'm wearing? What if they don't like how I act? What if-" I interrupt her.
"Amelia Jones! Stop it! If they don't like you that's their mistake. Nick loves you and that's what matters."
"She's right, babe. I want them to like you but If they don't then that's on them, my opinion on you isn't gonna change." I smile when Nick intervenes. Him and Noah went to the food court and then went and got a few more things.
They must've just gotten back.
"Okay. Carter try this on it doesn't look good on me." Lia throws a dress over the stall. I let out a groan and slide it over my body. It's a simple white body-con dress that scrunches a little all up the front side.
"This is cute Lia."
"I want to see it." I smile at Noah's voice.
I quickly open the stall and walk out. I perk up at the site of the fry box In Noah's hand. "I want some of those." I walk up to him and bend down to grab some but his free hand quickly comes up and covers my cleavage.
"Babe, I just got a clear shot of your tits." I shrug.
"Lucky you." I smile and stuff some fries into my mouth while he just glares at me. Probably because there's a group of guys standing at the door of the shop staring at me.
"Mhm but I'd rather me be the only lucky one." He stands up to block the guys view while I eat more fries. "You should get that dress, it looks good on you." He tosses the empty fry box into the trash.
"We're not shopping for me, I'm just trying them on." He hums.
"So you can't get it?" I laugh.
"I'm not getting it."
"Please?" Noah smiles at me causing me to roll my eyes.
"I'm going to change." I pat his chest but before I can turn around he grabs my hip with one hand and grips my cheek with the other. I don't even blink before his lips are on mine, I close my eyes and my hands come up to wrap around his neck but before I do I realize that we're in the middle of a dress shop.
I tap his chest so he lets me go.
"What was that?" I whisper so only us can hear.
"Nothing."
"Hm." When I look around everyone is looking at us. Including Lia and Nick. Their eyes are raised. I clear my throat and back away from Noah.
"Okay, uhm I'm gonna just change." I turn to go back inside the stall but squeal when Noah slaps my ass.
"Would you stop?" I close the stall door and shake my head with a smile. I quickly change back into my leggings and Noah's hoodie. I grab the dress and leave the room.
"What are you doing?" Noah follows behind me.
"I'm paying."
"You're getting the dress?" I laugh at his excited tone.
"Yes. I am." He doesn't say anything but I swear I hear a quiet squeal behind me.
"$79.99 please." I try to give her my card but Noah shoves his in her hand first. I glare at him but he acts like he doesn't see it.
I thank him when we all four leave the store. "Why are you thanking me?"
"Because you bought the dress."
"It was more for me than you." I roll my eyes and take a hold of his hand.
"I know."
__________________________
"Another strike!" I high five Noah as he comes to sit back down. Us four decided to go bowling after shopping to get Lia's mind off of her dinner with Nick's parents in a few hours.
"We win!" Noah crosses his arms smiles smugly.
"Again." I point out. Lia rolls her eyes and stands up.
"You guys are horrible." I smile and high five Noah.
"Lia will you enter the names for the next round?" She nods but before she can put the names in someone clears their throat. Our heads turn to the sound of the voice.
"Can I join?"
Amber.
I turn my head to look at Lia, she sends me a pleading look. "Please don't be mad at me." I sigh and turn back to Amber.
"We don't have an extra person so you have to be on your own." She smiles at me before looking at Lia.
She puts in the names and the round starts. "You're up." Noah squeezes my knee before I stand up and grab my ball. I roll it down the isle and get a strike.
"That's my girl!" I turn around.
"We're totally winning this again." I walk over and Noah pulls me into his lap and leaned forward to kiss my collar bone .
"Fuck yeah." The only thing that's missing is Trent. Because the tension between me and Amber is definitely here.
_____________________________
"Hey babe, I'm gonna go to the bathroom then we can get out of here." I nod.
"Okay, I'll wait here." Noah kisses my forehead before walking off to the bathroom. Lia and Nick just left leaving only me and Amber. We both stand in an awkward silence for a couple seconds before she speaks.
"Can we talk?" I look up from the floor and at Amber.
"Yeah." It's been over a month, I guess we should figure this out. I follow her and sit down at a random empty table.
"I'm sorry." Are the first words that come out of her mouth. "I was selfish, I know. I'm really sorry and I really mean that, Carter." I don't answer I just stare at the table.
"I should've been happy for you and Noah, I know that. But I was jealous because you were so happy when me and Trent were having issues."
"But why only me? Lia and Nick are happy too." She nods.
"Yeah, but even though they've been together longer, I could tell the moment that Noah started loving you. He looks at you like you're his whole world, you are his whole world." She looks towards the bathroom so I turn my head.
Noah is standing there waiting, letting us talk. "That man is head over heels in love with you, like you are him. You guys are so perfect for each other and I guess that's what I was jealous of. Me and Trent were toxic from the beginning, we were fighting constantly, but when we were around everyone else we were acting like everything was perfect." Ambers eyes move to her lap.
"When he broke up with me he told me that we both needed to be by ourselves, that we both needed to work on ourselves before we could be in a relationship. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I was pissed so I lashed out on him, and yet he still came back." She looks back up to me while messing with her blonde hair.
"At that party when he came up to me and got pissed that I was making out with that guy, I yelled because I was pissed that he was making out with that women. But I think we were both just hurt. And that's when I realized that we couldn't be with each other, even when we were broken up we were arguing." She smiles sadly.
"And then my parents told me they're splitting up. Because of a damn job!" She laughs but her voice breaks and tears threaten to fall from her eyes.
"Now my mom and dad are living in separate houses, in different states, and we're all acting like everything is okay. And I-I can't even go to a therapist because we're all acting like it's fine." She looks down to her sleeves. "But I think I need help, Carter.," she whispers out before pulling the sleeves of her shirt up.
Cuts line up and down her arms. My eyes widen and my stomach drops. I know what she's going through, people just say that, but I really know what she's going through. My arms and legs would still look like that if it wasn't for Noah.
The scars on my arms and legs still remind me everyday how thankful I am for Noah. But she doesn't have a Noah.
"Oh, Amber."
"I-Im not showing you this for pity but I needed to tell someone before it gets worse or I do something bad." I blink back the tears in my eyes and stand up and slide into her side of the booth and pull her into a hug.
"We'll get you help, okay? It's gonna be okay." I whisper into her ear and she nods while crying. She nods into my shoulder.
"Does T know?" She shakes her head.
"I didn't start until after we broke up." I nod.
"Do you have your car?" I ask when we pull away from each other. She shakes her head.
"I got an Uber here I figured I'd just get one home." I shake my head.
"We'll give you a ride home." She nods so we stand up and walk back over to Noah.
"You ready?" I nod.
"We're gonna give Amber a ride home." He nods.
"Alright, let's go ladies." He opens the door for both of us and when we get to the car he opens both of our doors.
We stay mostly silent the whole twenty minute drive to Amber's house. "Thanks for the ride." We nod.
"I'll see you later, I love you."
"Love you too." She shuts the door and as soon as she gets into the house I turn to Noah.
"I love you." He looks over to me confused.
"I love you too?" What's so confusing about that sentence? I shake my head and lean back against the seat. It's only six haven't even had dinner yet and I already want to pass out.
"Pick up Taco Bell on the way home?"
"Read my mind." He squeezes my thigh before driving off.
___________________________
"I really do love you, you know." I lay my hand flat on his bare chest.
"I really love you too." I look up at him.
"I'm serious. You helped me through a lot." He smiles down at me.
"You helped me through a whole hell of a lot more. Probably saved my life." I roll my eyes.
"I did not save your life."
"Mm you kinda did." I shake my head. "You know what would make me love you more though? If you put that white dress back on." I slap his chest and roll to the other side of the bed.
"Wait. I'm sorry. Please come back." I smile but stop myself from laughing.
"Please?" I don't answer again.
"What are you doing?"
"Going to sleep." He gasps.
"Please come back and cuddle me?" I stay silent and almost burst out laughing when I feel him lay his head down behind mine.
"Please, baby?" That makes me burst out in a laughing fit. "Stop." He pouts like a four year old when I look at him. I stop laughing and smile at him, finally rolling back to my previous position and lay my head on his chest.
"Better." He says wrapping an arm around me and kissing my head I roll my eyes. A literal toddler. "Goodnight, baby."
I kiss his chest. "Goodnight."
_________________________________________
Let me know if there are any mistakes and I can fix them<3
Comment what you thought about chapter
Thirty-three!
Emotional chapter! I love Noah and Carter so much!
I'm sorry this chapter was supposed to be up yesterday but I got into a car accident so late update!
I've also made a Twitter that can be found in my link tree in my bio!