Chapter 11

Chapter Nine
My Knight In Shining Armour
I groaned when Noah pulled into the driveway at my house. He gave me a funny look, "What'd I do now?"
"Not you, idiot." I grumbled, rolling my eyes at him. "It's Ezra.. and Charlie. I need to apologize and..."
"You're not very good at it?" Noah offered, finishing my thoughts for me. I glared at him at which he put his hands up in defence to. "What? The devil apologizes now?"
I reached over and punched his shoulder while he laughed at me, "Oh, screw off. I can apologize, I just... I bitched at you guys okay, it's pathetic."
Noah looked at me more seriously now, "They're not mad at you, sunshine. We all understand you weren't trying to yell at us, you just took your frustration out on us and that's okay."
I looked at Noah, thinking for another minute before I opened the car door and got out after grabbing my bag.
I wasn't surprised when Noah also got out of his car and followed to the front door. I had picked up that Charlie's- now also my house, was the usual hang out spot seeing as the guys were literally always here so I didn't have to ask why Noah was coming.
When the guys weren't on the main floor, I went to the basement with Noah following behind me. The basement was basically the man-cave- video game consoles with a very, very big large screen TV, a pool and air hockey table, indoor mini basketball court, you name it and it was probably here.
Back in Saratoga it was about the same. My old friends and I would always hang out in the basement. My mother was hardly ever home but even if she was, she never went down there because she didn't really have a reason to. You can probably imagine how big Charlie's basement is; the one at my mom's house was probably triple the size. It was bizarre how enormous her home is considering she's rarely ever there. Aside from that, it was the two us so I don't know why we never moved into a smaller house.
"Princess!" Luke exclaimed as soon as he saw me walk downstairs. He ran over and indulged me into a big hug.
After he released me, I turned to look at all the guys. Noah had joined my brother and Leo who were playing video games while Ezra sat on one of the couches and sipped on his Coca-Cola.
I felt awkward but held my ground. "I am sorry for the way I reacted. You guys didn't deserve that." I said firmly, my face straight.
"Aw, it's okay princess. Nobody is mad." Luke hugged me again.
"Yeah, no biggie." Charlie shrugged it off, going back to his video game.
I looked at Ezra questioningly, seeing as I was the rudest to him and I knew Charlie never held any grudges. Ezra looked at me with a straight face before he sighed and nodded, telling me that it was okay without actually saying anything. Ezra and I were like that; we could communicate without actual words.
When the boys got busy with their video games and conversation about soccer practice, I turned around and started to head up the stairs.
Of course Luke noticed and called out to me, "Where are you going, princess?"
"Homework." I responded dully, not looking over my shoulder as I continued up the stairs and left.
I had my head stuffed in a book when a knock interrupted. I looked over to see Noah stick his head through the door, "Can I come in?"
I placed the book down and turned to sit so I was facing him on the window bed. Noah walked in with a small box of pizza, "Thought you'd be hungry."
I quirked an eyebrow as he came over and took a seat on the window seat, placing the box of pizza between us. I turned so I was sitting with my legs crossed, facing him.
"My knight in shining armour keeping me fed. Wow, life is beautiful." I murmured sarcastically although I was grateful because I was hungry but was too lazy and caught up in my book to go downstairs and get myself food. "Did you order a whole box just for me?"
Noah laughed as he took a slice himself, "The other pizza was half and half because Luke likes pineapple and nobody else does. The other guys wanted olives which I just learnt you are allergic to."
I gave him an amused look, "You're telling me you're sticking with cheese because I'm allergic to olives?"
Noah gave me a flat look but didn't hide his amusement, "Nope. I am sticking with cheese and only cheese because I don't like pineapple on pizza."
I smiled lightly, looking away from Noah. I didn't fail to notice the confused look he gave me when I went quiet but instead of asking me, he changed the subject which I was grateful for.
"A Thousand Splendid Suns?" Noah asked, nodding to the book that was in my lap.
I looked at the book, nodded as I looked at Noah, "Dad's got a huge library. I found a random book and started it."
"It's a good book," he shrugged.
"You've read it?"
"Why is that surprising?" He chuckled, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion.
I shrugged lightly, "I guess it's not. Being the golden boy who is somehow good at everything. It fits the goody-goody title." I gave him an innocent smile.
Noah rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, you and your judgment on me being the golden boy. I'm not all that perfect."
I narrowed my eyes at him, "Why would you deny your perfection if that's how someone pegged you? - not that I am saying you're perfect."
"What can I say? I'm humble." He joked, grinning.
I shook my head, a smile playing on my lips though. "Whatever, Ace."
Amusement lit up in Noah's eyes as he watched me eat my pizza. I quirked an eyebrow, giving him a questioning look. "I'm really not."
"Not perfect?" I asked. "I know you aren't. You're still the golden boy, though."
"Don't you have to be perfect to be the golden boy?" He retorted, narrowing his eyes.
I shrugged, "Maybe but a few flaws don't make a difference."
"So you're admitting I'm close to perfect, Tiffany?" He sent me a cocky smirk.
I scoffed, "Definitely not. Like I said, it's your reputation, not me dubbing you. I know you aren't perfect."
"How would you know?" he looked at me curiously, now seeming a bit more serious like he really wanted to know the genuine answer.
"Aside from the fact that you've told me you aren't," Noah laughed at that, "I'm not one to assume I know everything about someone. You may be perfect, you may not be. I don't need to know."
"You're not curious about anything at all?" Noah looked at me skeptically, his eyes searching my face as if he would get an answer but he wouldn't because I was good at putting up walls and refraining myself from being an open book.
I looked at him and wondered on whether I really was curious about him or not.
Nope. I wasn't.
I titled my head, "No, why would I be?"
"We're all a little curious. Hell, even monkey's can be curious. The impulse comes from our subconscious, which is responding to our genetic programming." Noah stated firmly as if his statement was something you'd hear everyday. "So you're telling me you aren't curious what so ever? Because I'm not sure I'd believe that."
"You're too full of yourself." I chuckled as I sat up straighter. "Curiosity might be a natural thing that is part of human nature but you don't have to be curious if you simply don't care. Like, I don't really care what was going through Picasso's head when he painted that weird and ugly portrait of himself. I don't really care what the paints are made out of, or what advantage one medium might have over another. I just don't care so I'm not curious about the further meanings behind those things."
"We're not talking about paint and Picasso." Noah retorted, his eyes soft but expression hard to read. His face was neutral like it was a lot of the time.
I looked at him with my eyes narrowed, holding the same expressionless face. "Sure, I am curious about why you ask me so many questions and why you want to figure me out and understand what's going on in my head. I am curious about why it was so important for you to stop me from beating up Madison not one, but two times in the same day and why you cared enough to bring me pizza. But, you're not asking me that. You're asking me if I'm curious about you and to that I say no. I am not curious about you because I didn't know you a month ago and I don't know whether or not you're allergic to olives, hell I don't even know if I will be talking to you a year from now so why get curious enough to learn more about you to get more attached to you? No, I am not curious about you because I don't want to figure you all out and learn about your weaknesses and vulnerabilities so I have that burden on me. No, I am not curious about you because why would I want to get emotionally invested with you if I don't know whether you'll be around a month from now."
I finally stopped talking and it was when I had finished my mini explanation-rant that I had realized what an idiot I was.
Not only did I make no sense, but I basically told him that I was afraid of getting attached to him which I had thought about earlier at the bleachers too.
I didn't need him reading into my words to think there was some deeper meaning that had to do with him when really, it was just me not wanting to have the burden of someone else on me. It had nothing to do with Noah. It was my mindset with people in general.
The only people I cared about were Charlie, Ezra, and my dad and that is all I needed to worry about.
I'm not saying I want Noah to go out and get hit by a bus; I'm just saying there is no need for me to get more attached to him than necessary because he's just another guy, another student I go to school with just like the thousands of other people in my school. That's all.
Noah's eyes were dead-set locked with mine. His eyes were soft and looking at me like he was trying to read me - a look I was starting to get used to seeing from him.
"You're afraid of getting attached." He finally said. Yup, just what I wanted. Perfect.
I narrowed my eyes and looked at him blandly, "Don't flatter yourself, Ace."
"Why get more emotionally invested, that's what you said, right?" He asked although he knew the answer. His eyes remained locked on mine, seeming like he made sense of this when really he had it all wrong. "You're afraid to get attached. What, afraid you'll fall in love with me and then I'll fall of a cliff?" He chuckled, amused.
I stood up and looked at him in disbelief, "Why the fuck would you say that, Noah?"
Noah's expression contorted to one of bewilderment, "What? What did I say wrong? I was just joking, sunshine."
"Don't call me sunshine!" I snapped.
"Tiffa-" Noah huffed out a frustrated breath as he stood up and tried to reach out to grab my arm but I instantly backed away from him. "What's wrong? What did I say?"
I shook my head as I let out a dry and humourless laugh, "You're right. I don't like getting attached to people and this is exactly why. I start to get comfortable around someone and they just up and smack me in the face with what I expected when I first met them and why I didn't allow them in in the first place."
Noah looked at me, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion, "Tiffany, what?" He exasperated, unable to comprehend anything I was saying. He again took a step closer to me but I backed away, again.
"Don't." I held out a hand and stopped him from coming closer to me. "You don't just... you don't just say bullshit like that, Noah. That's fucking morbid and nothing you'd wish upon someone. What the fuck are you going to do? Go jump off a cliff now?"
Noah sighed, his features softening as he looked at me with guilt all over his face, "Tiffany, I was joking. I'm not going anywhere." I could tell he was still confused but was now concerned as well. He felt bad which I could easily see.
I shook my head, "Please leave."
"Tiff-"
"Please. Just leave." I starred down at my feet, no longer able to move or look at him.
Noah stood there for another minute. I could feel his gaze on me as he hesitated moving. Then he sighed and slowly walked to the door.
When he got to the door, I could tell he stopped and looked at me one more time before finally deciding it would be best to leave.