-Noah-
“We’ll get you enrolled first thing Monday morning, we’ll have to get you new clothes…” I tuned my mom out once she told me I was going back to school. I dropped out my senior year for a reason, and that wasn’t to repeat it. I did miss more than half, but I wasn’t about to step foot back inside that high school.
“Can I just take online classes or something?” I pushed.
She stopped pacing long enough to look at me. “What? No. That’s not an option.”
“I’m not going back to high school.” I wish Willow would wake up already.
My mom sat down next to me on the couch, which happened to be my bed for the night. They definitely weren’t going to let me sleep in the same bed as Willow. Especially since they know exactly what happened last night.
“Too bad, Noah. You’re going back to school and finishing your senior year.”
“I’m 19, if I don’t want to, you can’t force me to.”
She smiled, placing a hand lightly on my shoulder. “I’m still your mother, Noah. And you’re going back to school. Do this for me, please.”
“Am I not allowed to at least think about it?”
My dad came trudging back into the living room after he left to put Alex in the car. “We’ll continue this when I get back.” She said sternly and rose to her feet. My dad sent a cut off nod in my direction which also told me to listen to my mother.
I leaned my head back and looked up at the ceiling. The only positive thing about going back, would be that Willow and I could possibly have classes together. Willow is the only positive thing about that school period. Why would I want to go back? Dropping out means dropping out and not returning. But I’ve already caused my mom so much pain. I could at least do this for her.
Scott’s definitely not going to like this.
I couldn’t leave again.
With the new information that Scott has given me, I think it’s safe to just let me go. Let me have my life back. Scott can’t come back, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t. He’s ruined my life over the past few months. Absolutely no freedom. And I can have that back now. I can have it all back.
“Thinking hard?”
Willow’s voice brought a smile to my face.
I lifted my head in time to see her sit next to me. “How long have you been up?”
“I never went back to sleep.” She ruffled her fingers through her messy waves and sighed. “Did you at least get some sleep?”
I nodded, “Two hours at least. She woke me up to talk to me about school.”
“School?”
“She wants me to finish my senior year.”
Willow tucked her legs beneath her and rested her head onto the palm of her hand. “That’s not a bad idea. It keeps you away from Scott.”
Another positive.
“It’s time to take control again, Noah. Your life is still here. I think going back to school will help you. Scott can’t touch you there. And you know he’s not going to come around here with your parent’s home. You’re safe again.”
My smile didn’t reach my eyes. What she’s saying is true, but not all of it. “I have to go see Scott.” I said as I stood up.
“What? Why?”
Willow jumped up to stand in front of me. I’m so easily amused when she stands in front of me to stop me. I could overpower her and she knows it. “I can’t let him come here.”
“He wouldn’t. He would be stupid to.”
“I have to.”
I stepped to the side and Willow quickly slid in front of me. “You can’t go.”
I gripped her shoulders, picking her up like she was a feather and moved her to the side. I headed up the stairs and into my old room. I plucked my shirt from the floor and slipped it on quickly. I rounded the corner out of my room in time for Willow to come up the stairs. “You’re seriously going?”
I ran passed her down the stairs. She started yelling my name and ran after me when I made it out of the front door. Her hands wrapped tight around my arm, giving me a slight jerk to get me to stop. I spun around and she took a step back. “Don’t go to him, Noah! You can’t—”
“He’s my brother!” I bellowed, instantly regretting the words once they slipped.
She jerked back like I smacked her across the face.
“Who are you?” Willow’s voice was steady and full of venom.
I searched her eyes, seeing tears reaching the brim. “I can’t help it.” I wanted to apologize and wrap her in my arms. I didn’t want to leave, but I had to. I’m not going to let Scott retaliate against my family that I just got back. Even if he didn’t hurt Jesse, he hurt me.
And to top it off, I just called him my brother. Willow will never forgive me for that.
Willow crossed her arms and walked back up to the house with her head down. I fought to run back inside and tell her I was sorry and I didn’t mean it. Scott is my brother and there’s no beating around it anymore. It hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park, but for some odd reason, I feel like some twisted part of me thinks of Scott as a brother.
A little brother I want to hurt most of the time.
I started towards Mist, where I knew Scott would be. Ever since his adoptive dad left him the club, he’s basically spent his days there. Well, fifty-one percent of the club is his and the other forty-nine percent belongs to his uncle. Scott has been overseeing the small renovation while his uncle was off doing something else.
My heart was beating so hard against my chest when I parked my car behind Mist. I thought it was going to fall out when I reached the door. I walked down the long, brightened hallway until I pushed open two doors that led into the club. Loud noises echoed throughout the empty club, people were running around, and I located Scott close to the stage.
I let my breathing stabilize before walking towards him. He looked up at me and back down at the clipboard someone was holding in front of him. He signed, muttered a thank you, and the person was on their way. “You live.” The first words to come out of his mouth.
“Disappointed?”
Scott shrugged, “Undecided.”
He grinned, but I couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not.
“I just needed to be alone for once. And not have you or Andy breathing down my neck.”
Scott’s expression remained the same, his grin only dropping a little. “Willow’s an exception though, yeah?”
My heart started beating at a fast pace again. “My parents are.”
He instantly stood straighter and his smile was gone. “You didn’t—”
“I’m going home, Scott.” I sighed, running my hands over my face to avoid his stare.
Scott looked terrified. “Is this over some girl? Some stupid girl?”
Nope, not going to strangle him. “Why do you make everything about Willow? Are you that bitter?”
Scott wrinkled up his nose and shook his head. “You were perfectly fine before Willow came back into your life. It has nothing to do with being bitter.”
The fact that he thinks I was perfectly fine makes my stomach twist. And he basically low-key admitted to still being bitter over Willow. “You threatened the people I care about. You held that against me so you wouldn’t have to be alone.”
He flinched and I knew I had hit something. “I’ve come to grips about you being my brother. I don’t hate you but I don’t like you either.”
Scott looked up from the ground and his eyes bore into mine. He was angry. Livid, if you will. If you stood close enough you could see smoke coming out of his ears.
Then he smirked. “You really think I’m just going to let you walk away?”
I clenched my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palm. “What would be the purpose of me staying? You didn’t kill Jesse, I’m not going to tell anyone that you tried to kill me and Willow. What the hell do you have to worry about? You’ll never have to see me again.”
“As appealing as that sounds, believe me, it really is. There’s still a warrant out for my arrest.”
“I’ll drop the charges—”
“Your mom has to.”
I tightened my jaw, resisting the urge to just explode. “You know she’s not going to.” I said through gritted teeth. “And why would she?”
And to think I actually felt sorry for him. Sorry for the way he’s been treated and maybe he didn’t deserve it. No one deserves to have their family taken from them, I get that. But you don’t treat the family you have left like this.
I hate thinking of Scott as my family right now. I hate that we share the same father. We are absolutely nothing alike. Maybe in looks, but everything else was Scott’s doing. He had a rough childhood, his mom died, our dad abandoned him…I wouldn’t know what that felt like, I guess. But that’s no excuse to act completely insane.
“Get your mom to drop the charges, Noah. You’re clearly not ‘missing’ anymore.”
“And what are you going to do if I don’t?”
He stepped closer to me, still smiling like he knew when the world was going to end. “Then Willow will really find out what you’ve been up to these past few months.”
My stomach tightened and it was hard to swallow the lump that formed in my throat. “What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” He slapped the back of my shoulder and walked around me. I turned around and watched him walk away. Scott turned so he was walking backwards, “Oh, and I forgot to mention you and Willow will start work next Friday.”
Anger was pulsing through me.
I rounded the corner, back into the hallway and out the door. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I had to collect my breath before I answered it. “Yes?”
“Where are you?” My mom’s tone wasn’t happy. Annoyed more like it.
“I have stuff to do.”
“Be home before dinner. There’s things we need to talk about.”
I just said okay and hung up before she could talk about school again.
I was on my way to Huntington when my phone rings again. It was Willow for the 5th time. She wasn’t going to like me when I get home. I’m trying to avoid the inevitable. I pulled up to Scott’s house and hurried inside to get my things. I don’t want him showing up here while I’m packing because I can’t tell you now that it wouldn’t end pretty. We’ve gotten into a few fights over the months and it ended with both of us bleeding and disliking each other a bit more.
I had plenty of suitcases from touring which was a definite plus. I packed what I could in a hurry and brought it out to the car. I grabbed a few more useless things and made my way back to LA. It was almost 5 P.M., my mom couldn’t be too mad. But she probably will be anyway because I wasn’t there earlier.
There’s things she needs to talk to me about and I already know it’s about school again. Bugging me about it isn’t going to convince me. It’s going to frustrate me to the point where I’m not even going to consider it. I don’t want to go in the first place, so that will make it easier.
Then there’s Willow. She’ll be there when I get home.
Home.
It feels weird calling it home again. I should be happy, right? Why am I not happy?
I’ve had this day on my mind since the day I left. Things have changed now. They aren’t the same. I guess I shouldn’t expect things to stay the same since I left. It’s not fair. There are some things that’s changed that I didn’t want to change. But I have to face it anyway.
Cutting the engine when I parked, I grabbed the few bags I could. I felt better than I did when I was at Mist. I was still dreading going inside though. I opened the door and dropped my bags because I wasn’t exactly sure where to put them yet. I made my way further inside, spotting my mom in the kitchen and Willow standing next to her.
When I left, they didn’t really know much of each other. They exchanged hello’s and byes, but never thought I would actually see them cooking together. I would say it’s weird, but it’s only weird because it’s something that’s changed since I left.
Willow didn’t exactly look happy to see me, but my mom was. Small relief.
We sat at the dining room table. Willow next to me and my parents are across the table. It’s quiet. A bit odd and awkward. “What did you need to talk about?” I asked to break the silence. I took the chance to glance at Willow, but she had her eyes across the table.
“I understand you and Willow have…history.” She started. “And from what we saw yesterday…”
I closed my eyes, trying to pretend this wasn’t happening right now.
“I guess we don’t need to go into detail about that.” My dad piped.
I silently thanked him and opened my eyes. “What are you getting at?”
“Well I can’t have you staying in the same room. Dating or not.” She said firmly.
Willow was still quiet and it was making me uneasy.
“Willow volunteered to stay in the basement.”
I was afraid the next words coming out of her mouth was to tell me they fired her. “There’s more rules we need to discuss as well.”
My stomach dropped again.
“The rules have been the same since Huntington, Noah—”
“Yes, doors stay opened. Got it.”
“You won’t have to worry about that.” Willow finally spoke.
And that’s not what I wanted to hear.
My cheeks burned.
After the most awkward dinner, Willow ran off. I was told to stay behind for a few minutes to discuss more things. And they didn’t bring school up once. I was eventually going to have to talk to my mom about dropping the charges against Scott. Even if she does, they’re probably going to arrest him still. You can’t do what he did and get by with it.
I was dismissed a few minutes later and I ran up the stairs in search of Willow. I stepped into my room and she was picking up a few things she left behind. She noticed me standing in the doorway and her expression made my heart ache. “It’s all yours.” She walked passed me but I grabbed her arm to pull her to a stop.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s your room.” She held an even tone.
“You can’t stay mad at me forever, Willow.”
She jerked her arm away from me and took a step back. “I can’t even look at you right now without wanting to just hit you.”
Willow’s anger usually amused me. Especially when she didn’t get her way. Call me twisted.
“Will it make you feel better?” I encouraged.
“Maybe.”
She walked down the stairs and I followed.
I followed her down to the basement undetected by my mom. “I’m glad you’re back home and you’re with your family but I just can’t do this with you again.” She turned around to face me. “Last night was amazing and I forgot about everything. When you left me this morning, I saw you. I saw the person who would rather go to his deranged brother then stay with me. The person who tried to kill me is the person you went to today. For what, Noah?”
Her words hit a spot I didn’t know existed. Something shattered.
Maybe it was the realization that she was right. Going to Scott wasn’t smart. I couldn’t have him come here and threaten them again. I wanted to tell her it’s over and Scott wasn’t going to bother us anymore. But that’s a lie. And I’ve done enough of that already.
Willow fell back onto the couch and brought her legs up to her chest. Her arms circled around her legs to pull them closer.
I didn’t know what to say. For once I had nothing to to say. Anything I would say would only backfire. I need to choose my words carefully, but my mind wasn’t working properly and couldn’t form a proper sentence.
“Our relationship isn’t healthy.” She said softly. “I don’t think it’s ever been healthy.”
She tucked her chin between her knees and stared off straight ahead instead of looking at me. I didn’t want her to start crying and I was afraid that’s where this is going to lead.
“I just want you to be happy.” I said slowly.
She lifted her head, moving her gaze to meet mine. “I haven’t been happy in a while.” She admitted.
I hesitated, but slowly slinked toward the couch and sat down on the other side. She hasn’t yelled at me to leave or even make an attempt to kick me out.
“Things between us happened so fast when we met.” She continued. “There was clearly something there and we acted on it. We didn’t care what happened around us because we had each other. We’re always fighting and I hate it. I hate fighting with you, Noah.” She paused and took in a shaky breath.
I wanted to tell her I did too, but I didn’t.
“I don’t know what happened to you since you left.”
I twisted my hands together, trying to rack my brain for an answer. “People change.”
Her eyes were glossed over and her expression softened. She looked fragile. Innocent. Like when I first met her. She had this guard up constantly and I was lucky enough to get through before she put it back up. I hurt her and I hate myself for it. The pain I’ve caused is evident when she looks at me. She looks at me like I’m a stranger now. Someone she doesn’t even know. And that’s the worst part.
“Every time you leave…” She trailed off to collect her thoughts. “I’m so scared you’re not going to come back. For good this time. And that’s something I can’t live with.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” I said without hesitation.
“And how do I know that? How do you know that?”
I didn’t, I guess. “I’m not going anywhere, Willow.” I repeated, but firmer.
She was breaking in front of me and I wanted to help. I’m the one who’s caused her so much pain and I couldn’t bear to cause her anymore. “I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want.”
“Did you not hear anything I just said?” She sighed annoyance. “That’s the exact opposite of what I want, Noah.”
First she tells me she can’t do it anymore and now she doesn’t want me to leave her alone.
I’m confused. And that’s an understatement.
I took the chance and scooted closer to her. I pulled her legs out of her grip so she couldn’t hide behind them. “Tell me what you want me to do.”
She leaned her head against the couch out of defeat. “You know what I want you to do.”
I looked away and nodded. “Be safe.”
The smallest smile tugged at her lips.
It made me feel a bit better.
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I'm gonna start making the chapters longer and a lot of them are probably going to be from Noah's point of view, but I have a feeling that's not a problem.
Something will be revealed in the next two chapters, which is quite exciting if I say so myself, haha.
Don't forget to vote and let me know what your favorite part is out of both stories! :)
Song: Fall for you (Acoustic) - Secondhand Serenade (Old, I know, but classic)
Thanky you guys so much! <3