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Noah
Years of forming an exterior hardcover around me, I had started to have minimal emotions. On good days, I wouldn't have any—that's how it is. The blank, void, empty body just covered up with flesh.
But...that girl did something. Unconsciously, she tried to break the hard walls and when I realized that I allowed it too, I knew I had to something.
You may act like you are made of steel but in actuality, you are made of glass—fragile and weak.
The words she said to me did no effect on me; she wanted to slap me I know. But the look on her face after I said those words was enough to pierce my flesh.
I was the one who invited her—more like got her—to come to my place. I was the one who cooked for her and I cook for no one. Heck, only after I met her, I went myself to talk to her friends; I don't do the friends shit but I did.
Bella hadn't done anything; she just slipped down from my bike that is high above her waist—I should have helped her.
Did I? No.
I am an asshole.
I should have reminders of that, instead of alarms, in the mornings.
"Noah," Aditya, my best friend, snaps me out of my thoughts. "Why, the heck, are you here? I don't mind but there's always a reason."
"Because I want to," I answer, curtly. He looks at me with his analyzing gaze and I look back at him with blankness.
After that little incident, I came to Adi's place to stay the night. Adi's right; I always do come here whenever something happens. It happens so much that his guest room has practically become my room.
I wonder why his Mum has not ever kicked me out with how many times I arrive here at late night.
I am just lying on the bed, trying to sleep. I scoff, internally; sleep and I don't get along—pretty much like most of the human population and I don't get along.
"Alrighty," Adi sits on the chair of the desk, near the bed. "Let's rewind all the events that happened, today."
"Will take some time," I mutter, looking up at the ceiling.
"Do not get ahead of yourself, Noah," He huffs out. "If it is not for ignoring people, you absolutely do nothing in a day. You are a lousy person, that's for sure, except when you play football."
"What an outstanding observation," I mutter, sarcastically.
"Oh my god," Adi groans. "I am your best friend—"
"Not like you gave me a choice."
"—Just tell me!" Adi completes, giving me a look.
"I will tell you," I turn to him. "Go to your room and sleep."
"No," Adi says, stubbornly. "I am getting to the bottom of—" He looks at me, wide-eyed. "You took Iris to your place."
I run my hand through my hair and look away. "What about it?"
"It has to be about Iris and you."
No answer and more silence stretch between us.
"You are—" Adi stops himself since he can't curse in the house; his Mum has really sharp ears. "—a donkey-hole."
If I wasn't in a foul mood, I would have given the idiot a look at how creative he is.
"You screwed it up, didn't you?" Adi huffs.
"There wasn't anything to screw about," I reply, curtly.
Adi lets out a humorless laugh and tells me, "Sure, that's why your introverted ass went to talk to her first."
"I was—"
"—intrigued, I know," Adi rolls his eyes and I give him an annoyed look. "Don't you know that is—forget about it, what did you do?"
I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. "If I tell you, will you go to your room and not say anything to me?"
Adi's eyes narrow a bit but he nods. "Yeah, okay."
I tell him what happened within some seconds and he looks as if he is ready to kill me and hug me all at the same time—I prefer being killed than getting a hug from him.
"I will go to the room," He says and I look at him as he goes to the room, next to the one I am sleeping in.
Weird—he actually listened to me? Maybe, it is not bad after all.
I hear my phone ring shortly, indicating a message notification.
Spoke too soon.
Aditya
11:41 pm
WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?
Then starts the string of messages of how I am but should be. Like an ignorant person, I flip off my phone on the bed, next to me, and just hope sleep forgives me and comes back.
***
It doesn't.
Ungrateful brat.
Neither does Adi stop scolding me; the only thing new is the bruise on his fist as he tried to punch me in the morning before we start for school. The guy can't pick up his own school bag without grunting and he tried to punch me.
"Pay for the ice, next time, jerk," Adi grumbles, holding his hand, and I roll my eyes at his antics. "You are such a rock—your body is a fucking rock and your emotional capacity is of a rock."
"That's...innovative," I muse. He grunts, shifting his bag to his left shoulder.
We are on our way to the homeroom. I can feel the stares of some kids on the way but I don't care about it—why care about people who don't know shit about you yet talk shit about you?
I hate high school. Actually, I hate the complete package of every gathering and event ever created. Unfortunately for me, graduating from a school is something I should do, according to fucked up opinion of—
Nevertheless, just some months before I leave this shit of a school.
"So, do you have your sorry letter?" Adi asks.
"What are you talking about?"
I turn to Adi, just as we are walking into the classroom. He gives me a dry look before his eyes shift away towards something. I don't need to look in the direction to know who he is looking at.
Bella.
Just like gravity pulls us back to the ground after we jump, I am propelled to look at her and I do, walking towards my seat, beside hers.
I know she feels my presence as just for a moment, she freezes. Next, when I am near our desk, she looks up and meets my gaze.
She is sitting on her usual seat, reading a novel, but something is different with her. Probably, the way her hair is more messed up in that tiny bun on the crown of hair, or the way she has worn a maroon huge cardigan over a white shirt with black sweatpants and black Nikes—no, it is the blank hostility on her face.
I know that look. I have seen it so many times...in my mirror.
Something recoils within me, realizing that.
I know the front she puts up; I can see through it. Usually, she isn't a sad or broken person but I know she has been through something; this proves my words cut her wounds deeper than necessary—wherever it is.
She looks vulnerable and I am the reason for that.
Fuck.
Without any words exchanged, I just sit beside her and she goes back to reading—more like staring at her book. I try to come up with ways I can initiate a conversation but my introverted ass cannot come up with anything except 'hi'.
Cazzo, I do have an emotional range of a rock.
The class starts and ends but I stay the same; heck, I don't even know what we are studying about. The only time I spring up from my thoughts is when Bella gets up and leaves the room.
Now, I feel someone looking at me. First, I think it is Caleb but he is on the way out. When I look again, I find the bluest pair of eyes of Colt as he stares at me.
Out of all of Bella's friends, it is Colt who has known me since the beginning and has talked to me, often. I do have a certain respect for him, though I am not going to admit to him.
From the corner of my eye, I see Adi getting up but he stops when he notices Colt approaching me and sits back in his place. If Colt notices this, he doesn't say anything.
"Noah," He starts, sitting on the seat belonging to Bella. "Look, Iris didn't tell me what happened but I know something happened between you both. I saw you dropping her home, she slipped and you both talked something. I saw it."
I straighten up my posture, and he continues, "I am gonna ask you this really straightforward, okay? What are your intentions with Iris?"
"Nothing," I say, honestly. "Anyway, after yesterday, I am fairly sure that she hates me and doesn't want to interact with me ever again."
"I like that you are honest but, Noah, she is my best friend—I know her," Colt says to me. "I know when she hides things from me and why she does that. You should be thankful Caleb doesn't know about—"
"Why are you and Caleb so protective of her?" I ask, interrupting him.
A smile tugs on Colt's lips as he replies, "It is not like she can't protect herself—she can. She is strong, mentally and physically." He nods, breathing out. "Things have happened that made us protective of her. It is not my story to tell."
"I understand that," I reply, nodding.
"Good, I hope you also understand if you have done anything or do anything to her in the future, I will cut off your dick, cook it up and make you eat it—I don't care if you are taller than me by some inches or anything," Colt says, sternly, and I hear Adi curse in Hindi.
But I smirk. "That was cute."
"Well, you would see how gorgeous I would become if the situation arises."
"I am sure you would," I say, believing him. He cares about her so much that it is practically written all over his face.
"This was a good talk," Colt gets up from the seat. As he starts to move, he stops and turns to me, saying, "Noah, every human is neither completely bad or good. You are just as human as rest of us, here."
With that, he smiles at me and goes out of the room.
I want to believe him but I can't.
***
"Wha—why?" Adi groans while I balance the ball between my feet.
"Because I said so," I reply back, before hitting the ball into the goal. He mumbles something in Hindi and, now, glares at me.
"What kind of a best friend are you?"
I turn to him and sigh. "The kind that should send you to your class and tell you not to bunk but you do you, whatever."
The gym is one of the few classes I don't have with Adi but this guy is just so adventurous that he is bunking his class and roaming around me without any concern as I try to practice.
I look around and sigh at how much this school focuses on sports than any other activities. Sure, there are non-sport teams who won competitions for the school but sport is still the main focus here. The huge green field is filled with a lot of activities as the gym teachers across supervising the students—I am supposed to run around the track but I am not the one to really listen.
"But I came to ask a really, really important question!" Adi whines, bringing my attention back to him.
I raise my eyebrows and say, "The really, really important question is if we can go to a gathering of highly intoxicated, hormonal, and uninteresting teenagers?"
"Dude, I am questioning your sanity here," Adi blinks, giving me a look. "It is called a party—not what you said."
"You are questioning my sanity?" I look at him, incredulous.
He waves it off and continues with the topic, "But, come on, why can't we go to a party?" Then, he pauses and his lips form an 'o'. "Of course, why didn't I think of it?"
I look at him, confused. "About what?"
"Oh, you know how you are not social—so, obviously, you don't get invites."
I look at him for a moment, before asking, "I don't get invites?"
"You don't," he pauses. "...do you?"
I prefer not to answer that as I turn towards the net, taking a ball.
"I talked to Iris," I turn back to him in surprise. "Thought you might want to know..." he draws out, nodding his head.
I straighten up and look at him. "What did you talk about?"
"Your intimidating looks are not going to work on me," Adi says, rolling his eyes. "And I won't you tell you what I talked to her."
I clench my jaw and turn away with a huff. "I don't want to know."
"Okay," he sighs, dramatically. "Not gonna tell you that you both have the same class, right now."
"I know," I say just as I see Bella starting to run across the field. She is not athletic but definitely, exercises a lot by the way she can run across without much difficulty.
Her raven hair has been pulled up into a ponytail but still, some strands fall on her face. Unlike me, she has worn the gym uniform—yellow t-shirt and blue shorts; they are a few sizes larger but they do nothing to hide her curves or her legs.
Then, something happens. Her dark brown eyes slide to mine and I feel rooted to my spot; I remember how effortlessly yet shyly she talked to my brothers and sisters. Her laughter... her smile...
She looks—
Going to stop you, right there, Heart. Go back to your fucking dormancy.
"Now, I know why you call her Bella," Adi wiggles his eyebrows and grins.
"Shut your fuc—"
"Oh no," We hear a freshman panic, and looking up, I see what's the ruckus about.
A football is about to hit Bella—with full force, probably.
"Iris, look out!" I hear Coach Tucker shout but that seems just like wind rushing by face as I have started to run towards her.
I may not reach her on time but all I know she is not getting hurt.
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- a u t h o r ' s n o t e -
i just got reminded of Rick Riordan's author note for House of Hades--if you know what i mean, a virtual high five! honestly, i hate cliffhangers as a reader but as a writer... hmmm... 👀
what do you think will happen in the next chapter? anyway, noah radcliffe has all of my heart!
until next chapter,
love, Inerys