C9 Chapter 9

As expected, my Instagram was full of party pictures the next day, and it went on until Monday.

I found time to approach Noah right after English, when he was getting up from his chair once the bell had rung.

“And don’t forget that this project is due next week and a really important grade this semester. You don’t do it, you fail.” Mr. White reminded us before people started leaving.

“Hi.”

He turned to me, not really saying anything as he walked out of the classroom, so I went on.

“I kind of forgot my jacket at your house on Friday so I was wondering if I could like, come by to get it? Or you could bring it tomorrow at school?”

“I don’t have time to look for your jacket so you can come by today after school.”

“Okay. Thanks. Is it okay if we also work on the project?”

“Do I look like I have time for a stupid project?”

“This might be stupid to you, but I don’t plan on failing a class because you’re lazy and would rather get high than study.”

“You don’t know me.” He said in a low voice, tightening his grip around the handle of his backpack.

“Oh I know what type of guy you are. You think everything is about sex and getting mortal, but once high school ends, you’ll have none of that because you won’t get into college and people will eventually grow up.”

“How do you even know I’ll be alive then?”

“Why wouldn’t you be? Don’t you like living or something?”

“Live fast, die young.” He said and oh my god, he was actually serious.

“That’s ridiculous.” I said and rolled my eyes.

He shrugged. “I don’t need to explain myself to you princess. Just drop by after school and pick up your jacket. See you.”

Noah adjusted his snapback and I looked down at his football varsity jacket. He kind of looked good in it and I felt like a potato in my own clothes.

I watched him walk away from me and I actually wished to have his long, skinny legs.

“Do you have practice after school today?” I asked Jake at lunch. I wanted to know if I should drop by Noah’s house at three or at five.

“Not today, why?”

“Oh. Well, I’m going by to Noah’s house after school to get my jacket and to maybe study, so I just wanted to know his schedule.”

“Whoa, wait. You’re going over there?” Emma interrupted.

“Yeah.” I answered nonchalantly and Carly shook her head, smiling.

“What?”

“Just keep your legs closed.” Emma advised.

“And don’t come back pregnant.” Jake added.

“Are you serious? You’re the ones to talk! You were humping a couch on Friday and you were trying to get Liam’s tonsils out with your tongue!” I said pointing at them.

“Oh yeah, about that? Whatever happened to going on a date before letting him reach third base?” Jake asked.

“Shut up, we didn’t even get to that.”

“Then what did you do?” I asked, happy that the attention had shifted off of me.

“I blew him, but that’s it.”

“Is he big? I hear him they call him eleven inch.” Jake spoke, completely absorbed in the conversation.

“Ten inch. But pretty close.”

“Why are we talking about Liam’s dick?” Harry asked as he sat down next to me at the table.

It wasn’t as weird as I expected it to be the first time we’d interact after the party, so I was kind of relieved. We started talking and after Jake asked us what was going on with us we just laughed it off, because there was nothing interesting there.

But I had other things to worry about.

Like the fact that I’d go over to Noah’s house after school and I had no idea what to expect.

Maybe I’m just overthinking things

Nothing will ever happen

Right?

***

School finished quickly that day and I was still nervous about going to Noah’s house, even though literally all I had to do was to get my jacket and maybe work on our project a little bit.

I was just overreacting as usual.

So as soon as the final bell rang to announce the end of the day instead of being happy about it, I had sweaty palms.

I needed to find someone to offer to drive me there, and Noah was completely out of the question because he came to school on his motorcycle.

He has a motorcycle

Jesus Christ

“Hey can you maybe drive me over to Noah’s today?” I asked Jake when I found him in the hallway talking to Emma and Max.

“Oh sorry bae but I promised Max I’d give him a ride home and then I’m on babysitting duty for my annoying sister.”

“Oh okay sure. No problem. Thanks anyway.” I answered and shot him a look that was supposed to be an innuendo. He caught it and nodded, before mouthing ‘later’.

At least one of us was having sex.

I did not just think of that

Oh my God

I spotted Harry in the parking lot, leaning against his black Audio, arms crossed as he talked to Lucas. They seemed to be having a pretty secretive conversation because as soon as I neared them they stopped talking completely.

“Hi.” I said to no one in particular.

“Hey.”

Harry was the only one to greet me; Lucas just looked me up and down without saying a word. I felt so bad and shitty that he seemed to dislike me because I hated it when people didn’t like it. On one hand, I wanted to be liked, but on the other I agreed with them because there wasn’t really anything to like about me.

“I was um, kind of wondering if you could maybe give me a ride after school?”

“Yeah Harold, could you give her a ride after school?” Lucas asked in a sarcastic tone.

Why are you so rude to me

What did I do to you

Harry blushed and looked away from him.

“I’d love to. But Lucas’ coming with us too because I have to drop him off at work.”

“Oh, where do you work?”

“In a record store outside the mall.”

“I know that one.”

“Yeah. Pay is okay although they need to find someone else to look after the cash register because I’m tired of having to work the aisles too.”

I was surprised by the fact that he actually talked to me nicely. We got into the car after that; Lucas and Harry in the front and I in the back.

I didn’t really talk for the whole ride to Noah’s house because it was too fascinating to listen to them talk about literally everything from school to peeing in the shower.

“Everyone pees in the shower don’t be ridiculous Harold.”

“I’ve never peed in the shower for your information.”

“You know, there are two kinds of people on this planet. People who pee in the shower, and liars. You’re the second one.”

“I never lie.”

“You lie everyday.” Lucas said seriously and Harry gripped harder into the steering wheel.

I didn’t have time to look into it too much because he’d already driven up Noah’s driveway and stopped by the fountain.

“Thanks Harry. Bye Lucas.”

“Bye.” They said at once and I shut the door once I got out of the car.

I watched it drive away and after a few moments on inner pep-talk, I finally walked up to his giant double door. I rang the doorbell and waited approximately three whole minutes until it was opened.

Noah was looking down at me with eyes rimmed red and disheveled hair. He looked like he’d been either crying or smoking pot. I had a gut feeling that it was the second one.

He didn’t bother to invite me in, he just turned away from the door and walked towards the stairs. I ended up closing it and following him.

“I need to um-get my jacket? It’s in-where is it?”

He groaned and turned around, motioning for me to follow him into the room he’d placed the coats on Friday. I immediately found the black hoodie.

“Thanks. I guess.” I said awkwardly. I hated awkward silences with people I had nothing in common with.

“You need anything else?”

“We could maybe work on the project in English for a bit? I know you don’t want to but I really need a good grade because I want to go to Uni and get rid of my parents and-“

“Stop rambling, I get it. We can work in my room.”

“Okay then.” I said in a high-pitched voice, trying to keep cool about the fact that I was about to go in his room. A room that many girls at our school had seen and done not so PG rated things in.

As expected, his room was the one of a typical teenage boy: clothes thrown everywhere (except of the bed), an open pizza carton on the dresser, a paused Xbox football game on the TV and the weird smell of weed. So he’d been smoking pot, not actually crying.

The metal box was on his desk by the window, right next to an open MacBook Air. He was on Facebook-of course he was.

“So which is the book again?” he asked and sat down at his desk.

“Uh…just a minute.” I mumbled and quickly fumbled through my backpack, trying to find it.

“Catcher In The Rye.”

He took it out of my hand before opening a new tab and quickly typing the title in the search bar, adding ‘chapter summaries’ after.

“What are you doing?” I asked confused and stepped closer.

“Using the Internet for homework, like any other normal teenager.”

“Yeah but this way you won’t learn anything.”

“Are you serious?” he asked looking up at me.

I shrugged and he rolled his eyes, turning his head back to the screen.