Thunk.
I sat upright in my bed sharply as my heart pounded in my chest. I waited, listening out for more sounds and trying to make my breathing as quiet as possible in case there was a murderer outside or something.
Thunk.
There it was again. I crept out of my warm sheets and over to the window, shaking with fear as I grabbed my large purple umbrella to use as a weapon. What if someone wanted to kill me? What if they had a gun? What if--
Thunk.
I watched wordlessly as something ricocheted off of the window, and I tip toed over with my umbrella cast high into the air, ready to swing at any second. I peered through the glass cautiously, and the oxygen I'd been saving released from my lungs in a whoosh. I pushed the window open harshly.
"Noah?!" I shouted, glaring down at the stupid boy who was stood on the ground beneath my second-story bedroom window. "What are you--" I began to yell, but then I remembered my dad asleep in the next room and lowered my voice to try again. "What are you doing?" I whisper-yelled, looking around the yard to see if he'd brought any of his hooligan friends with him.
"Can I come up?" He called to me, eyeing the huge tree that spanned across the side wall of my house.
"What? No! What are you even doing here, it's like 3am?! And how do you know where I live?" I hissed, watching with wide eyes as he ignored me and hitched himself up onto the lowest branch.
"Noah? What are you... Noah! Stop!"
He continued to ignore me as he hoisted himself up the tree, stopping when his face was inline with mine. I stood staring at him, mouth gaping as he waited for me to move out of the way so he could jump through the window.
"Are you going to let me in? It's freezing out here." Noah muttered, scrutinising the goose bumps on his arms like they were foreign to him.
"No! What are you even doing here? Go home Noah." I pleaded, rubbing my tired eyes with my palm.
"C'mon Isabelle, it's hard to balance up here. You don't want to be the reason I fall do you?" As if to prove his point, he purposely wobbled on the branch he was stood on, his Nike shoe snapping a twig that sailed down to the ground. He lifted one leg, swaying in the breeze as he pretended that he was losing his balance.
"Would you stop that before you actually fall and break your neck?" I hissed.
Noah smirked. "Not until you let me in. Look! Tip toes!" He taunted, rising onto his toe on the one foot that was still on the tree. The boy was flirting with death and he knew it.
"Are you stupid?" I snapped at him, watching the idiot as he continued with his game.
"It's a long way down, that would hurt. You don't want to be held responsible for me falling do you? Because—"
"If I let you in will you shut up?" I asked grouchily after a few moments of him babbling, feeling too tired for niceties.
He looked at me with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Yes."
After doing a quick scan of my room to make sure there was nothing offensive lying around, I half-heartedly beckoned for him to come in. He latched onto a branch above his head and swung gracefully through the window, landing silently on his toes like a cat.
Stupid athletes.
"This is breaking and entering, you know."
Noah ignored me and looked around my room in wonder before flopping down onto my bed, picking up my teddy bear and hugging him to his chest. I hovered awkwardly against the wall, not really sure what to do with myself. I'd never had a boy in my bedroom before, and suddenly I felt self-conscious. I mean, Noah had been with hundreds of girls before, but I highly doubted that any of them had had Cabbage Patch Kids on their shelves and a portrait of Minnie mouse hung on the wall. My cheeks flamed red as I tried to shield the Cabbage Patch Kids from sight with my body, and Noah stared at me with amusement as I did so.
"Cute dolls." Noah smirked, nodding towards the Cabbage Kids that I was trying so desperately to conceal. I crossed my arms and sighed deeply.
"Look Noah, as nice as it was of you to stop by at 3 o'clock in the morning, unlike you it seems, I actually like to sleep at this time. So please enlighten me as to what you want so that I can go back to sleep please?" I asked, and Noah sat upright on my bed, still cuddling my teddy bear-- creatively named Ted--to his chest.
"What makes you think I want something?" He asked nonchalantly, his dark eyes wide and innocent.
"What do you mean?! You chucked rocks at my window at 3am and—" I trailed off when I saw his expression become mischievous, realizing that he was baiting me. I clenched my jaw in annoyance.
"Seriously, Noah, this isn't funny."
Noah sighed and set down Ted, sitting upright on the bed. He stretched his legs out in front of him, and they were so long that our toes almost touched, even though I was still standing near the wall.
"I came to beg, and grovel if I have to. What I said earlier, at the diner, about needing your help? I wasn't kidding, Sabrina and I we're..." He trailed off, glancing up at the ceiling, which was covered in glow-in-the-dark stars. "We're complicated. But I need us to be uncomplicated, which is where you come in."
"Me? Noah, what am I supposed to do about you and your girlfriend not getting along?" I asked him exasperatedly, desperately hoping that my dad wouldn't wake up and spontaneously decide to check on me. My dad wasn't that strict, but boy-in-daughter's-bed-at-3am probably wouldn't sit right with him regardless.
"You're Cupid's daughter, Isabelle, surely you've seen what your mom does and have learnt a little bit, no? All I need you to do is tell me what to say and what to do to win Sabrina back. Plus," He paused for dramatic effect, "if you help me, I'll get my dad to write you the most glowing letter of recommendation that you've ever seen. I know you're hoping to go to Princeton."
I considered his offer for a moment, my heart pounding in my chest. Charles Jones, aka Noah's father, was the head Professor of the Literacy department at Princeton University. Princeton had been my dream since Freshman Year, and with the right grades, extra-curricular and references, I actually had a shot. A recommendation from a faculty member at Princeton could be enough to push me over the edge. The only thing was I would need one hell of a scholarship to be able to attend... a scholarship that Mr Jones might be able to help me receive.
"And what if it doesn't work? What if I can't help you?" I asked wistfully, an image of my reference getting shoved into the garbage flashing through my mind. Noah bit his lip and turned back to me, his eyes sparkling.
"If we give it 100% and she still doesn't want me back, then fine, we did all we could and you still get your letter. Say, three months?" He queried, raising his eyebrows.
I stared dumbly at him. "Three months for what?"
"If in three months time she still doesn't want me, you get your letter and I don't bother you ever again. Deal?" He held his tanned hand out to me, and I stared at it for a moment.
"I don't know, Noah. I'm really not an expert and I don't know how I feel about sticking my nose in Sabrina's business." I stated unsurely. What kind of parallel universe was I in?
"All I'm asking is for you to try." He looked up at me, sincerity in his dark eyes for maybe the first time all night. "Please? You have my word that regardless of how this turns out, you'll still get that letter."
Three months. All I had to do was help him for three months, and I practically had my ticket to Princeton. A few chocolates, some roses and we're done, right? It was a win-win.
I don't know what it was, but something in his eyes made me want to agree. Made me want to help him, even if it was a stupid idea. Taking a huge breath, I leaned over and shook his outstretched hand, feeling the warmth of his palm against my own cold hand.
I was going to regret this.
Noah smiled at me, the type of smile that you saw on a toothpaste advertisement. "Oh, one more thing." He said, growing serious again. "Don't tell anyone about the deal. If Sabrina found out I went to another girl for help, or really, went to see another girl at all, it'd be game over before we know it." Noah informed me grumpily, leaning back against his hands.
I nodded slowly, still trying to process what I had just gotten myself into.
We didn't speak for a while.
"Can I ask you something?" I asked into the darkness. He didn't respond, so I took his silence as a yes. "Why are you turning to me for help after like, one argument? Why not just go and talk it out with her? It seems a little bit weird to be running here if you ask me." This whole situation was weird. Didn't most people just talk when they had a fight, not bolt to the nearest matchmaker's daughter whenever they saw warning signs?
"One argument?" Noah scoffed coldly. "Try the third one that day. Sabrina's broken up with me hundreds of times before, but she always takes me back. This time she wouldn't even open the door for me when I went to see her. I think she means it." He replied darkly, his voice laced with bitterness.
"Are you even happy with her? Why would you want to be with someone that you're constantly on the outs with?" I questioned, and then suddenly wondered if I was crossing a line. I'd known Noah five minutes, who was I to judge. This was strictly business.
I peered over to look at him, hoping I hadn't offended him. Noah only grinned though and ran a hand through his tousled brown hair. "Look at you," he teased, "already going into Cupid mode." He hoisted himself up and pushed the window open, pausing to look at me as he stuck one leg out. "See you tomorrow, Cupid." He winked and gave me a small smile.
"Don't call me that!"
He was already in the tree when I heard him call back, "Sorry, Cupid!"
I slammed the window shut behind him and fell back down onto my bed, wondering what on Earth I had gotten myself into.
Hey guys! How are you? What do you think of the second chappie?? Let me know in the comments what you think and don't forget to give a cheeky vote! XD
Love, Meg :)