Hey, hey, hey!!! First of all, I wanna thank you all for helping me reach over 1,000,000 reads!!!!!!!! Thank you soooo much!!! You have no clue how thankful I am!!! :D second of all, I wanted to thank all the new fans for fanning and all the old one's for sticking around. :) I also wanna thank all my readers and voters and commenters!! (aren't I just in a thankful mood?) BUT seriously, if it weren't for every single one of you, I wouldn't have made it this far, so I truly am grateful. :D
Besides that, cover on the side is by BrambleBriar! Thanks! :D And my new cover is also my them!!
And unfortunately, there's not much of this story left. Only a few more chapters...like 3, maybe 4 at the most. But after that, I have to rewrite the first chapters since they honestly sucked more than just bull. Like really, what was up with all the "I's"?
And I'm sorry to those of you who hate it when POV's keep changing a lot, but it's necessary in this chapter.
And to the chapter...
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One and Only
Chapter Thirty-Four - Broken
"So," Emily looked at Rose and I in turn with a raised eyebrow, "I was thinking that since the boys are going out, we'd have a girl's night out, too?"
Rose answered with an excited, "That'll be fun!" at the same time I cheerily said, "Where are we going?"
"Hmm," Emily replied, rubbing her chin in a phony thoughtful way, "I don't know."
My brain hummed to the joy coursing through my body as I thought of an excellent idea. It was something I hadn't done since I came here. "How about we go bowling?" I asked, enthusiastically.
They're faces lit up before Emily's fell. "But I can't bowl," she said, her mouth was a thin frown as she drew little circles on my sober bedspread with her fingers.
"That's okay!" Rose exclaimed, "It's just a game."
After Emily agreed, albeit a little reluctantly, we were set to go.
"Can I please drive?" I yelled, elongating the please, "Please? I haven't driven my car in so long!"
"Okay! Okay!" Rose put her hands up, "No need to beg, I'm amazing enough to let you drive."
I raised my eyebrow and looked at her, "You've been hanging around Alex for way too long."
"No," Rose said calmly, but with a tinge of defensiveness in her voice, "he's simply made my inner awesomeness come out."
Emily nodded her head sarcastically, "Uh huh."
"What?" Rose cried, "I am awesome!" she turned to me with her large, pale blue eyes, "Aren't I, Jade?"
I smiled reassuringly, "Of course you are, Rosie-pie."
"No," she frowned, "cool people don't have nicknames that end in pie." she pauses for a second before saying, "Or cake for that matter."
"Hey! Cupcake is a very cool nickname!" I objected.
"Yeah, yeah, sweet-cheeks, keep moving. We want to get to the bowling alley before it gets dark." Rose exaggerated highly. The sun was still high behind the vapor-thin clouds, shining brightly from beside the light blue sky.
The moment my hands curled around the steering wheel of my baby, I was at peace. My heart soared from the joy of being able to drive my own car again. I closed my eyes and sighed contentedly as I waited for Emily and Rose to file into it. I inhaled, the faint lilac freshener mingled with the scent of leather filled my nostrils.
"Are you gonna drive or what?" asked Emily from behind.
I rolled my eyes in response and shifted the gear into reverse to back it out of the vast driveway of my house. My car was so much better than Noah's.
Thirty slow minutes later, we were in our neon orange bowling shoes starting a game. The light was dim, the neon blue tubes not giving much off, but I preferred the dark atmosphere to one that'd be too bright. But nonetheless, I wondered why bowling alleys were so neon.
"Okay, so I'm first, you're," Rose pointed at Emily, "second and you're," she moved her finger to me, "last. Got it, guys?"
We nodded, compliantly.
As Rose placed three fingers into her green bowling ball, I asked, a bit out of the blue, "Where did the boys go?"
"Do you mean where did Noah go?" Emily asked, her eyes glinted with amusement. "You need some 'Noah time,' if you know what I mean." And this is where I regret telling her what happened in LA.
"Do you miss your Loverboy?" Rose teased, talking to me as if I was a child.
"Ha ha," I crossed my arms over my chest and spoke sarcastically before reverting my tone to a much softer one, "I'm just curious."
"They went surfing," Emily replied nonchalantly, but my mouth started to water at imagining Noah surfing. His golden-brown skin shining in the sun as droplets of water glinted on his bare back, his muscular arms weaving through the water as his confident grin seeped onto his face, knowing he'd be able to catch the next wave with perfect ease.
I snapped out of it and felt relieved since neither Emily nor Rose had noticed me zone out, or the bit of drool that had dribbled down. I had envisioned him just as he had looked the day he took me to the beach to try and teach me how to surf, but ended up doing all the surfing while I had watched his self-assured figure. But I wasn't complaining.
"No, Emily!" Rose huffed, frustrated, "If you swing like that, there's no way the ball's even going to go down the lane!"
I chuckled a bit as all of the hour was spent with Rose shouting at Emily and Emily shrinking away from Rose's rage. Though, in the end, Emily got a pretty good score for being a beginner, so maybe the shouts had paid off.
"Ow!" I covered my eyes with my hand as we stepped out from the neon dark bowling environment into the brutally sunny day. "It burns!"
"Dude," Emily looked at me, "don't be such a vampire."
"Ah!" Rose yelled. "I'm going to incinerate!"
I raised my eyebrow at Emily, having already recovered from the sun attacking my eyes, and said, "You call me the vampire?"
Emily laughed and shook her head while trying to usher a charred Rose along to my car. "Come on, guys, let's go eat somewhere."
Rose immediately dropped the vampire act and asked, "Where?"
"Um, what about that Chinese place down two streets?" Emily asked.
"Sure," I answered, "but you're going to have to give me directions."
"Ooh!" Rose jumped, "Can I give directions? I've always wanted a driver!"
"I'm not your driver, Rose." I told her flatly.
Her smile dropped like a metal weight had depressed it, making me feel bad instantly, but she cheered up again, "Can I still give directions, though?"
I laughed, "Of course, and you can sit in the back and enjoy the whole driver experience."
"You'll be my driver?" Rose asked, while getting to the backseat.
"Of course, Rose."
"Okay, then. Driver, take the next left turn." Rose commanded as soon as my butt touched the leather seat.
"Don't overdo it," I said, looking at her warningly from the mirror.
"Wouldn't dream of it." she responded, grinning cheekily.
She did, however, call me driver a few more times before we reached the shabby Chinese restaurant. The little building didn't look so impressive, but the aroma that drifted through the small cracks of the red doors was enough to make my appetite double. I hadn't even realized how famished I was.
"It smells great," I said, hurriedly walking towards the crimson doors, "I hope the foods just as good."
"It is. Trust me," Emily answered.
"I just need some food in my system," Rose complained.
"Table for three?" the receptionist asked, her slanted eyes and slightly pudgy face were kind. We nodded in unison. "Right this way!" she said cheerfully, the shadow of a Chinese accent in her voice.
After we sat down and ordered, it wasn't long before our food arrived. Just looking at the sizzling, spicy noodles in front of me made my stomach rumble loudly, much to my embarrassment. It was time to feed the beast. The instant the noodles met my tongue, I almost moaned from the taste. This was literally the best Chinese food I had ever ate in my life so far. It was wonderful.
When I was done with a little more than three-quarters of my plate, my phone started ringing and I picked it up quickly, "Hello?" the question came out rather muffled considering all the food stuffed in my mouth.
"Yeah, Jade?" I heard Noah's suave voice on the other side, but it oddly had a nervous edge to it.
I swallowed before speaking, "Yup, it's me."
"I was wondering if you could come to the lake? Do you remember it?" he asked.
"Uh-huh, I remember," flashbacks ran through my mind of the beautiful place, "but I'm out with Emily and Rose. And weren't you out surfing?"
"I was, but there's something important that I have to tell you," he said, with that same uneasiness in his voice.
"Well, just tell me now," I said stubbornly.
"I can't. It's too important." he replied. I was surprised he hadn't demanded me to come yet. "Just get over to the lake as soon as you can." I spoke too soon.
"Fine," I sighed, heaving a deep breath in an overdramatic way, as if what he was requesting me to do seemed too much like a chore, though I really wanted to know what he had to tell me.
"Hey, guys?" I shut the phone and faced Emily and Rose again.
"Hmm?" they looked up and answered in unison.
"Do you mind if I go? Noah has something to tell me, which he can't tell me over the phone for some reason."
"Yeah, yeah, you go and get some Noah-bear time," Rose said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
"Noah-bear, seriously?" I asked.
"I thought it was cute," Emily added.
I shook my head, "But how will you get home? I have the car."
"It's called a bus, Jade." Rose said.
I hesitated still, "You guys sure?"
"Yes!" Rose cried, "Now go!"
"Okay..." I paused for a second before grabbing my keys and walking quickly out the door.
As I got into my small car, only one thought replayed itself in my mind like a broken record. What does Noah have to tell me?
[*]
I turned my car off on the rocky path and stepped out of it. Looking around, I found Noah's car a few hundred yards from mine. Noah, himself, was under a succulent cherry blossom tree picking pale pink flowers from the dark brown branches. As I walked closer to the richly-colored tree, I remembered why I loved this place so much. The breathtaking view set aside, the place was just comforting and calm. It was like a beautiful sanctuary from the stress and fatigue of real life. An entrancing escape.
"Boo!" I snuck up behind Noah in an effort to scare him.
Much to my dismay, my attempts were fruitless as he muttered, "I heard your car."
"Guess I'll just have to be more sneaky next time." I said.
He turned around and I found my eyes locked on his blue one's. They were a glowing azure. The orbs that peered back at me radiated such tenderness that I felt my knees weaken. I wouldn't mind staring into his eyes for the rest of my life, I found myself thinking, not for the first time.
"You can't." I heard him say, but was confused as to what he meant since I had no recollection of our previous conversation.
"I can't what?"
"You can't be sneaky," he told me, matter-of-factly.
"And why's that?"
"Because your foot steps are too loud."
"Well then I'll just have to work on those, too." I smiled, a natural feeling I had when I was with Noah. At least when I wasn't too occupied being flustered.
I turned and advanced on the plush green grass towards the luminescent lake water. I didn't have to look back to know that Noah was following me.
I laid down in front of the lake, propping myself up on my elbows and stared at the gorgeous view in front of me. Noah seated himself beside me, arms draped over his knees. He had a few stems of cherry blossoms in one hand, the flowers were minuscule in his hand, but he held them delicately.
Averting my eyes back to the scenery in front of me, I noticed the sky was a dark variety of different pinks, blues, and purples. The assorted colors reflected in the clear blue lake water that twinkled in the sun.
"It's beautiful," I murmured, disrupting the comfortable silence.
"It is," Noah said, turning around to me. He changed his position so all his weight was on propped-up arm as he reached towards me with his other hand-the one that contained the blossoms. He tucked the flowers into my dark hair. His fingers trailed along my jaw, sending tingles. The wonderful feeling of his touch made me close my eyes and lean into his caress. I felt him lean closer until our noses touched. "You're more beautiful, though," he said against my lips, making them brush slightly.
My lips twitched upward as my heart melted at his sweet words. My heart soared up into clouds and stayed there, content.
At first I was surprised when his lips brushed against mine, but an electrifying jolt ran through me. It caused me to kiss him back, so I could have the feeling run through me again.
As our lips touched again, my hands went straight into his soft hair, tangling themselves involuntarily into the silky strands. Noah pulled me, which resulted in my falling over him as he fell onto his back with his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. The kiss wasn't rough, but nice and gentle, experiencing every feeling and every touch. But as soon as his hand trailed down to my bare thigh, I couldn't help it and kissed him hard. He rapidly flipped us over. His hand, though, stayed on my thigh, pulling it around his waist as he continued to rub it. I moaned and heard him mirror it with his own groan.
We pulled apart, breathless. He rolled off me, but pulled me into his side and I naturally curled into him. My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I tried to bring the alarmingly quick pace back to normal. It almost hurt at how fast my heart was pounding itself against my ribcage, probably trying to give itself to Noah. I rested my head on his chest and used his steady-but slightly rapid-heartbeat to slow my own heartbeat down.
I was gazing at the little multi-colored birds flying from treetop to treetop when I hear Noah say hesitantly, "Jade?"
"Hmm?" I muttered, looking up at him since I was confused why seemed so nervous.
But all signs of such feelings left his face as he looked down at me with affection written in the creases of his countenance. "I-I think I'm in love with you."
My eyes widened and my breath caught as those words left his lips. It was my worst and most beautiful nightmare coming alive. But I couldn't, I just couldn't. "I-I can't, I'm sorry," I whispered, getting up and scooting away from him. I stumbled until I was fully up.
I started running away, wiping the stray tears that betrayed me and leaked, with the palm of my hand. I sniffed, feeling a growing pain in my heart. I clutched my chest, barely able to handle it. I kept running, but when I knew I was far enough, I fell to my knees, still holding my chest.
That's when I heard it. The sound that shouldn't even be audible was so loud in the still silence that it swayed the trees. But maybe that was just an illusion. Maybe only I could hear it. The sound of my heart breaking.
I felt a piercing ache where my heart was, and I let out a heartwrenching cry at the agonizing torture as it travelled in waves down my body. The pain came again and again and I found myself clawing at my chest, trying to rip out the source of such suffering. But to no avail, could I succeed. I slumped down till I was laying on my side, curled up in a ball, sobbing to my heart's content. My shoulders shaking vigorously and hugging my chest with both my arms, I couldn't help but think that I had said no, so why did it hurt me? But I knew why, I knew damn well why.
I knew it, love always ends up breaking a heart, or in this case, two.
--
+Noah+
"Jade!" I shouted, my arm reaching out to her running figure.
I turned away, knowing she wasn't coming back anytime soon. Why? My heart clenched, thinking about how she rejected my love. Why couldn't she just believe that I would never hurt her? I'd want to kill myself before I'd ever let her feel an ounce of pain. I know she has trust issues, but I could keep it inside me any longer. It had been clawing my insides and there were so many times the words almost tumbled out. But now, now I wished I had kept my mouth shut because the horrible feeling it gave me when I kept the confession sealed inside me was nothing compared to the feeling I was experiencing now.
The heart felt like it was being shredded with a shape knife, and I could feel every slice, every puncture the blade brought to my heart. I brought my hand to my chest, rubbing the place try and soothe the terrible aching, even just the barest bit. Something moist fell on my hand and it wasn't after the torrent of water had been unleashed did I realize I was crying. And once I started, I couldn't stop.
I love Jade. I would shout it to the world if I had to.
I had true feelings for her. If only she would see. If only she could somehow she understand I was so much different than her asshole of a father. I would never cause her pain intentionally, because seeing her hurting pained me more than anything else in the world. Seeing her cry made me want to beat the shit out of the bastard who was responsible.
I wiped the overflow of tears on my cheeks with the back of my hand and got up. With the urgency to get out of the place, I started walking towards my car quickly. I had to get out of here. I just...I just needed some time alone.
Sitting into my car, I turned angry at my weakened state. I had NEVER cried over a girl. I had NEVER felt so strongly for a girl. Is this what those countless girls felt when I left them? No, a bitter taste made its way up my throat as I thought this, I had never done something this mean. No girl had ever told me that she had loved me and actually meant it with all her heart. Not like how I had to Jade.
My hold on the steering wheel turned vice-like as I turned onto the black road. Outrage flowed through my veins, but no matter what I did, I couldn't stop my tears. This only made me all the more indignant.
I stepped harder on the acceleration, pushing the car to go faster yet. How could she? How could she think I'd ever betray her? Why did she have trust issues? And how come the one girl I fall in love with is the one girl I've ever met that is afraid to fall in love? But most of all, how could she run away from me when she loved me, too?
I let out a frustrated groan and looked out the window briefly to notice I was back in town, but I didn't slow my speed down. Perhaps my gaze lingered out the window a moment too long because when I looked back, I only saw bright headlights. My arms instinctively shielded my eyes from the brilliance of the light as honks were heard.
But my mind was somewhere else, occupied with someone else. I hoped Jade was making her way home safely. That was the last thought that passed my mind before I heard glass breaking and my vision blurred to black.
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So, I guess it wasn't as many POV changes as I thought. But I am thoroughly annoyed with Jade, too! Don't worry, she will get a yelling.
But tell me what you think!! Vote and comment please!!
I felt like I used a lot of alliteration in this chapter.
Quote of the Upload
"When you run from something
it only stays with you longer.
When you fight something,
It only makes it stronger."
~I don't know (yet again)
Song of the Upload
Say You Like Me by We The Kings
(kinda what Noah is feeling towards Jade) (not sure if I used it before)
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