"𝙱𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚎"
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ
𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘺
𝕥𝕙𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕠𝕠𝕟

     "SEE YOU AT LUNCH?" Jess asks as she stops in front of the door of her next class.

"Of course," Noah beams and walks off to her own class.

As she turns the corner, she smiles to herself.  She stops at her locker on the way to drop off some of her textbooks.  As she unlocks the door, she can feel the girls standing near her staring at her.  She ignores the feeling and puts her books away.  The teen closes her locker and resets the numbers on her lock.

"Bitch," A boy mumbles as he passes Noah.

"Why don't you say it to my face?" Noah asks and turns to face the boy.

"Huh?" The boy asks as he turns to see Noah glaring at him.

Noah recognizes the boy — Jacob Howard.  He is one of the football players and they have crossed paths at many parties.

"You wanna call me a bitch, be my guest." Noah says as she steps up to the boy, "But have the balls to say it to my face."

"Alright," Jacob agrees and drops his bookbag, "Bitch," He states and everyone around them giggles and whispers to their friends.

"That make you feel better?" Noah sarcastically asks with a small smile.

"Look, I'm not the one you gotta talk to. I'm just simply calling you out." He says and throws his hands up in defense.

"I'm glad you find joy in that," Noah shakes her head and goes to walk away.

"Hey, don't fight the messenger," Jacob calls after her.

"Why? I'm not in the best mood and my patience is just so thin right now." Noah snaps as Jacob takes a step closer to her.  The closer he gets, the more he seems to tower over her.

"Look, I don't fight girls—"

"You're too weak? Think I'll bruise your ego?" Noah asks with sarcastic innocence.

"You gotta lotta nerve—" Jacob grits, his anger rising.

"I take that as a compliment," Noah says, her own anger bubbling.

"Well, how about this.  You can fool Reef, but you're not fooling anyone else." Jacob says as he gestures to everyone in the hallway watching them, "When you gonna make blondie your girlfriend?"

A feeling of ice cold anger strikes Noah's body.  Her hands ball into fists as the hallway goes silent.

Striking like quick lightning, Noah punches the boy.

He backs up from the impact.  People that were passing by stop and stare in disbelief. Jacob stands and viciously pushes Noah against the lockers. The brunette gains her balance and pushes him back, sending him to the ground.

"Noah, chill!" A voice shouts.  Strong arms pull her back and hold her away from the boy.

"What the hell are you doing?" The voice asks as he turns Noah around — it is Clay who held her back.

"He—I—" Noah stutters as she looks around at everyone's scared and shocked expressions, "I don't know." She chokes out and pushes by Clay to walk down the hallway.

As she wanders down the hallway, the warning bell rings.  Suddenly, the crowded hallways are becoming empty.

"Noah—" Clay shouts down the hall.

"I—I need to be alone," Noah mutters.

"Prentiss, it's alright—" Clay says as he hands her her bookbag that he picked up.

"No, I—" Noah says as she grabs her bookbag from him.

"Noah," He stops her and grabs her arm, "Hey, I get it.  He was outta line, you don't have to explain — not to me."

"I told him the truth!  I told him everything!" Noah gasps for air, "I trusted him...I shouldn't have trusted him!"

"Noah, it's Reef—"

"I don't care!  He's supposed to be my friend!  God, he's such an ass!" Noah rants as she leans her back against the brick wall.

"That's a high school boy for ya'." Clay states as he pulls out his phone for a second.

"Did you know he told me he loved me?" Noah asks him as she stares at her shoes.

"Prentiss, he's head over heels for you.  He's upset — not that that's an excuse." The boy tells her and leans on the wall beside her.

"Why're you being nice to me?  Isn't Howard one of your friends?" Noah asks as she looks up at Clay.

"Sure, but that doesn't change that he's an ass.  He's an idiot — guess he didn't see that punch coming."

"Neither did I," Noah admits, turning her focus back to her sneakers.

"Everyone gets angry.  He was pushing you—"

"I got your text!" Brittany exclaims as she runs down the hallway, "Oh, babe, what happened?" She asks Noah as she takes the brunette in her arms.

"We've come to a conclusion — Howard's an ass." Clay says with a small smile.

"Oh, we've known that for three years now." Brittany replies as she pulls away from the embrace, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Noah sighs.

"C'mon," Brittany says as she takes Noah's hand.

"I have class—"

"Fuck class, let's go get some shakes from Antonio's." Brittany pleads and sees Noah caving, "You coming, C?" She asks her boyfriend.

"I'll leave you girls to it, I've got a test." He replies and places and kiss on Brittany's cheek, "I'm checking on you later though, Prentiss." He adds and rubs Noah's shoulder before running off to his class.

"Alright, c'mon, Noah." Brittany says and walks the brunette to her car.

—
𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘰'𝘴

"So, you punched Jacob Howard?" Brittany asks in disbelief.

The two are sitting in her car in the parking lot of Antonio's. They are sipping their milkshakes, although Noah has barely touched hers. She feels sick to her stomach at her own actions.

"Yeah, and it was stupid." Noah says as she looks out Brittany's windshield.

"Are you kidding?!" Brittany exclaims, "A punch is just what he needed.  I almost wish you'd kicked his ass."

"Clay held me back," Noah sighs, "Or else, who knows, I might have."

"He didn't want you to get in trouble—"

"I'm already in trouble." Noah groans, "The second my Mom finds out about this, I'm done. She won't trust me."

"Trust can always be earned back," Brittany says and sits up in her chair, "Listen, I've done so many things that piss my Mom off, like, so many things." She says as she puts her milkshake down, "But, at the end of the day, she's my Mom and she loves me."

"My Mom and I are very different," Noah replies with a tight-lipped smile.

"How so?"

"Well, she gave me up when I was a baby and, somehow, I ended up living with her again about seven months ago." Noah loosely explains, "I've done things that I feel like she'll never forgive me for."

Noah looks out her window, hiding her red eyes. The thought of her actions in the past and now are building walls in her mind. She wants to knock them down, but they are too strong.

"The Noah I know wouldn't hurt a fly," Brittany pauses, "Well, not unless the fly really deserved it."

Noah lets out a small giggle. Brittany smiles to herself as Noah's eyes find hers again.

"You wanna tell me about the blondie the asshole was referring to?" She asks with a smirk.

"You know Jess Finch?" Noah asks as she slumps in the passenger seat.

"Chess Jess, right?" The blonde asks.

"Yeah, uhm..." Noah pauses, "I don't really know. I don't really understand any of it."

"Does she like you?" Brittany questions the brunette.

"Maybe?" Noah says, "I don't know, I haven't told her anything."

"But you told Parker?"

"He told me he was in love with me," Noah tuts, "And he wouldn't leave it alone until I told him what was holding me back."

"And you wanted to tell someone," Brittany figures and watches Noah slowly nod.

"Well..." Brittany says as she hands Noah her milkshake, "You're gonna drink this milkshake and tell me all about this girl and everything you like about her."