Chapter 13

Chapter Eleven
A Raven
When I woke up the next morning, I was utterly confused for a couple of minutes.
I blinked my eyes a couple of times, adjusting to the light when I noticed I was not in my bedroom. Not the one in Saratoga Springs and not the one in Long Grove.
I was about to sit up when I felt a weight on me. That's when the previous night started flooding back into memory, the morning daze wearing off as I woke up more.
I looked down to see Noah's arm around my waist as he hugged me with his head nuzzled into the crook of my neck.
Oh how cliché, as if my life were a cheesy novel.
We were on the third episode of Prison Break when we fell asleep, as far as I can recall.
My head was on his shoulder as I stared at the tv screen, oddly intrigued while I slowly ate the popcorn.
Noah was more intrigued by my reactions as he had already seen the show before.
He was eating the popcorn and watching me like I was the show. It sounds creepy but it was fun because he kept laughing when I would get shocked or angry at things that would happen in the show.
"Oh screw off, will you?" I groaned but remained amused as I took a handful of popcorn and threw it at Noah's face because he wouldn't stop saying "wait for it, wait for it," before something big would happen.
"What?!" Noah laughed as he picked a piece of popcorn out of his hair.
"You're ruining the element of surprise!" I took my head off his shoulder and looked at him with my eyes wide as if I were saying 'hello, are you stupid?'.
Noah chuckled even more, seeing how invested I was in the show already - just like he had said I would be. "I'm just as anxious as you are!"
"Yeah but you already know what happens, smart one!" I retort before going back to my spot and placing my head on his shoulder. I felt him grumble with a chuckle. A small smile made its way on my lips as I focused back on the show.
Somewhere along those lines, we must've dozed off. It had been a long day because we were awake since 6/7 am for school and spent a long time studying which does drain you out.
I was lost in thought and hadn't noticed that Noah had woken up. "Quit staring, I might think you're going actual Dracula on me." His voice was hoarse and deeper than usual, still groggy from sleep.
I blinked, coming back to reality. I looked at Noah with my eyes narrowed as I sat up in his bed.
Noah reluctantly let go of me as I sat up but he remained laying as he grabbed a pillow to hug and looked at me with a soft and tired smile, wondering what I was thinking.
I rubbed my eyes and then put my hair up in a ponytail to get it out of my face and realizing it was probably a mess that looked like a birds nest.
"Hey, you have a tattoo?"
I turned my head and looked down at him, "Sorry, what?" Was I hearing correctly?
"You have a tattoo?" He repeated as he pointed to my neck.
My hand instantly went to the back of my neck as I shook my head, "What? Um... I mean - oh, I guess. I mean..."
Noah started chuckling, "It's just a tattoo, sunshine. Can I see it?"
I didn't know how to object and I was still groggy so I awkwardly turned my head so he could see the back of my neck.
Noah sat up a bit, leaning against the headboard as he moved my hair with one hand and traced my tattoo with his other hand.
I shivered at his touch although his hand was warm.
Awkwardly after a moment, I turned to face him again to see him smiling lightly.
"It's a raven."
I nodded my head, "It is."
"It's not noticeable because your hair is always down so it covers it," he murmured more to himself than to me. "Why did you decide to get a raven?"
"What?"
Noah laughed at my lost state, "I mean why a raven? Why didn't you get a butterfly or something?"
I narrowed my eyes, "do I look like someone who would get a butterfly tattoo, Ace?"
Noah chuckled, the corners of his eyes creasing up as he laughed, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Of course not, sunshine. So what made you think to get a raven?" Noah looked at me with a soft expression, his guard down and seeming very comfortable and amused. He looked... well, happy. His eyes were lit up with amusement and pure, genuine interest as he asked me.
I licked my lips, my face straight, "Do you want the real reason or some bullshit I make up on the spot that will suffice as a decent answer so you stop asking me about it?"
Noah grinned, still amused as I spoke blandly. "The real reason would be preferable but I wouldn't know if it's true or not, would I?"
I ignored his joke and debated for a moment as I scanned his face. "Raven's are a symbol of bad luck."
As much as I thought the gleeful smile would be wiped of Noah's face, it wasn't. He still smiled lightly as he narrowed his eyes and scanned my face as if he would get more answered to his unasked questions. "Why'd you want to get a symbol of bad luck on you?"
"I was followed around by some bad luck for a while." I told him honestly. "It seemed good to have a permanent reminder that bad luck goes where I go."
Noah's expression softened although it was already. He licked his lips, "I don't agree with that."
"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes at him.
He shrugged lightly, "You say bad luck goes where you go but you moved to Long Grove and came into my life and that seems like my luck is pretty good."
My face remained straight. I ignored how my cheeks started to heat up at Noah's comment as he continued to look at me with a soft but piercing gaze and smile at me like I was the sun that lit up his whole morning.
I scoffed and swung my legs over the bed, ready to get up, "I said bad luck follows me. Clearly I'm right since you came into my life." I mumbled, retorting some of his words.
Noah chuckled behind me. I didn't have a chance to get up properly because just as I did, he reached forward and grabbed my wrist, pulling me back causing me to fall onto his bed.
"Noah!"
"That's a lie and you know it," he smirked, his much better known cocky look back on his face.
I was lying on Noah's bed, my arms propped on either side of my face as he held both my wrists. He was hovering above me but the other way so I was Long at his face upside down ... like Spider-Man except I was lying down and he wasn't showing up from the sky.
I scoffed, "it's not a lie now let go of me." I tried to wiggle my wrists free but it was pointless.
"I'm not letting you go until you tell me the truth." He smirked.
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at his upside down face, "and what exactly would that be?"
"I'm your bad luck, huh?"
I swallowed. He and I both knew it was a joke but having to admit that would only burst his ego. "Yup. And the raven stands it ground, continuing to show its symbolism."
"You know," he started, his voice light, soft and amused. "Ravens can also mean that there is a big transformation or big changes about to happen in your life. They aren't always a negative symbolism but symbolize an end to a phase in your life. That can be a good thing, you know. Maybe I just turned your so called bad luck into a new phase of good luck." He grinned cockily, like he were sure his answer was right. Wow, my heart just melted. Note the sarcasm.
I don't quite know what I did but somehow, I pushed myself up and twisted around so Noah and I were both on his bed, propped up on our knees with my arms in form of an 'X', Noah still holding onto my wrists.
Our eyes were locked as I glared and he grinned. "Very thorough assumption."
"Very correct analyzation." He corrected.
I narrowed my eyes, "Let go."
"Why? I thought we were having fun, sunshine." His lipped twitched upwards into a smirk, once again. He was enjoying seeing me annoyed although I wasn't really annoyed but my straight face told him otherwise.
"Any-"
Noah and I got pulled back into the real world when one of our phones started ringing. He let go of my wrists and I hooped of the bed and grabbed my phone which had fallen on the ground beside his bed.
"Hey Charlie..."
"Hey sis," Charlie's calm voice entered my ears. "You're at Noah's right?"
"Yes, why? How'd you know?" I was confused.
"Oh, Luke. He said he woke up from his nap and went to see if you needed a ride home but you were already asleep... with Noah." I could hear what he was suggesting in his tone which made me want to smack him.
"Yeah, we fell asleep watching tv. It was late anyways so I guess it was safer not to be driving while groggy." I said random bullshit that didn't really matter so Charlie would sense I was not amused by whatever he was suggesting happened between Noah and I.
I looked at Noah who was sitting on the bed, looking at me with that usual amused look I was starting to get used to - but right now, annoyed by.
"Okay, whatever you say." He mumbled in a sing-song voice. "However, great because we're coming over. Let him know."
"Wait, what?" I muttered, my eyes widening. "I'm confused. Why are you coming over? And who is we?" I looked at Noah who only smiled, not fazed or shocked that Charlie said he's coming over.
"The group, who else. And because we're all bored and want to hang out."
"Okay well... I'm coming home." I mumbled as I took a seat on the edge of Noah's bed, my back facing him.
"What?" Charlie sounded confused. "Why would you come home just to go back to Noah's?"
"Who said I have to stay?" I retorted. I knew Noah was probably smirking and grinning, amused by the one side of the conversation he was hearing.
Charlie laughed, "You really think Luke wouldn't come and personally drag you out of the house to Noah's? You may as well stay there because everyone's almost on their way, sis."
I groaned because he was right about Luke. "I don't care, I want to come home and shower and can't. I'm cold and have been in these clothes since yesterday, Charlie."
"You're making stupid excuses to get out of this but we both know it's pointless and so does Noah who is probably listening to you." This was some creepy twin telepathy shit. He was right. I was just being stubborn. "Shower at Noah's, I'll bring extra clothes, a sweatshirt whatever. We'll be there soon, bye!" Charlie hung up before I could protest again.
I looked down at my phone in my hand. Seriously?
Noah appeared in front of me. I looked up at him, "I'm guessing you're staying, sunshine. Anyways, uh..." he glanced away as he thought for a few seconds, "you can shower in my bathroom if you want. I'll leave a set of clothes and I'm sure Charlie said he'll bring you a change anyways but for now you can borrow mine to get warm. I'm going to see if Luke's still here and if my brothers are around. Help yourself to whatever you need." Then, Noah nonchalantly walked out of his room as if it were a very normal and casual thing for me to borrow his shower and clothes, as if I lived here or something.
After debating for some time, I finally decided to go take a shower because it would freshen me and I didn't want to complain about having some warm and oversized so comfortable clothes. Sleeping in jeans was not fun.
I took a semi-long shower in Noah's bathroom that was connected to his room and it was just as organized and clean as his room, again surprising me.