A phone call wakes me up and I search for my phone, an unconscious and conscious attempt. It takes me more than a minute to discover it's in my pocket.
That's right I barely changed out of my clothes. I pull my phone out of my pocket, picking the call.
"Hello?", I ask into the speaker groggily.
"Hi Gin- Abby, how's uh.. how are you doing?", Hernandez's voice booms through the speaker and I nod. So I raise a brow at my action, why did I just do that?.
"Uh yeah.. I'm okay", I say still feeling a bit sleepy. What time is it anyway?.
"I'm sorry I didn't call you yesterday, I just wanted to give you some space but I promise I'll come see you today", he assures.
"Aren't you coming to school?", I ask, wondering why he'd come see me after seeing me in school.
"Are you?", he questions and I nod. Oh Abby, you're meant to speak.
"I am or am I late?", I ask, panicking mid sentence.
"Oh no it's still 4 am, sorry for calling so early", he apologizes and I smile at how sweet he is.
"It's okay", I tell him.
"So um I guess I'll see you in school?", he asks and I nod. Oh God.
"Yes.. I'll see you in school", I respond.. with actual words.
"Okay bye..", he trails and I wait a minute to hear what he has to say but when nothing comes next I conclude that he's waiting for me.
"Bye".
I fall back in bed and continue my slumber cause I'm pretty sure I'm not done yet.
**
I step out of the bathroom with a brush in hand, weeping as I brush my frizzy ginger hair. I sigh at my reflection.
It's not even my hair color anymore, it's the texture. It's so unruly and impossible to straighten. I put on my hair stretcher as I temporarily brush through my hair, waiting patiently for it to get hot.
When it's hot enough I slowly start to straighten my hair. Any sharp or swift move will leave me with a burnt skin.
There's a knock on my bedroom door and my eyes move to it. My mum comes in with a footed tray and her eyes widens when she sees me awake.
"Where are you going?", she asks placing the tray on my bed.
"Uh school", I state the obvious.
"Why? I thought you'd be resting today", she says and I scoff. First Hernandez now her.. it wasn't a seizure!.
"I'm fine mum", I tell her as my hair gets stuck with the stretcher. "Ugh", I groan, trying to pull it out.
"Let me help you with that", my mum offers so I let her. She sits me down in front of the mirror then slowly helps me get my hair out of the mess it's in.
I watch her through the mirror as she carefully stretches my hair. Our eyes meet and there's an involuntary smile spreading across our lips.
She focuses on the hair again, "You know, I always wanted to have a girl first", she says meeting my eyes again.
"I know", I say. I could tell she wanted a girl, it was so obvious. There was this love in her eyes everytime she looked at me. It told me how precious I was.
"Before you came, your dad and I..", she pauses looking at me. I nod to let her continue. "We went shopping.. got everything for a baby girl and to think I was just 5 months pregnant", She chuckles.
"What!", I exclaim then laugh as she nods. "But.. how'd you know it was gonna be a girl?", I ask.
"I had a feeling. I just felt like it wouldn't be a boy", she says then adds, "Or maybe I just wanted a girl so badly".
We laugh at that.
"So um.. why'd you think he left?", I ask and she stops looking up from my hair.
"Sometimes.. things don't always work out", she says then puts her lips in a straight line. "Well I guess that's it", she digresses putting the stretcher down.
I look at myself in the mirror and I smile. For once in my life, I could say.. it does look like the Kardashians.
"Always knew your hands were magic", I say and she chuckles but then stops when she notices something.
"What's that on your neck?", she questions moving closer to look at it through the mirror.
My eyes move to where she's focused on and they widen when I realize it's the hickey. Damn Noah.
"Um I.. probably a mosquito bite I itched", I shrug then hurriedly move away.
"C'mon on now, don't want my food to get cold", I say moving to my bed.
"Uh okay", she says following me.
I sit on it quickly then put the tray over me. I survey it, looking over the eggs, avocado toast, nuts and.. green tea? She really out did herself in the 'healthy meals' thing.
"Thanks mum", I say, frowning slightly at the green tea and she smiles.
"Eat up so you won't be late", she tells me and I nod, taking a bite out of the toast. Wonder how many hours this is gonna last me.
When I'm done with breakfast I change out of my bath robe and into a sleeved dress. I put on my trainers and with everything I need I grab my bag and head downstairs.
As I move into the living room I'm surprised to see my mum dressed.
"Where are you going?", I ask and she turns from the coat rack.
"To drop you off", she casually says like she normally drops me off at school every day.
"What?", I ask, maybe I heard wrong?.
"You heard right", she says and I snort at the way she answered my thoughts. She raises a brow at me so I clear my throat.
"Uh, why? I can go on my own", I say and just as she's about to say something the doorbell rings.
Since she's closer to it she gets it. I'm fully surprised to see Noah by the door with a basket in hand. What is he doing here?.. and with a basket?.
"Noah", my mum says brightly and I roll my eyes. She's totally charmed by him.
"Hi Mrs Flenory", he says with a charming smile, the one he reserves for grown ups.
"How are you doing?", she asks but then realizes that he's still outside, "Oh c'mon in", she says moving away so he can come in.
Noah walks into the house and his eyes immediately finds mine. They move from my face, settling on my hair a little longer than expected and to my body swiftly before meeting my eyes again. OMG, did he just check me out?!.
My heart thuds against my chest at the stare so I look away. His gaze has this immense power and it grew stronger after that night.
"My mum wanted you to have these", he says then hands me the basket. I take it and I smile a bit at the sweet smell of the fresh muffins.
"That's thoughtful of her", my mum says taking the basket from me to the kitchen. "I'll keep them till you get back".
I nod to that watching her go, avoiding Noah's eyes. He notices so he clears his throat and I turn to him.
"I heard what happened, are you okay?", he says and I sigh. Let me guess my mum told his mum at the book club and then his mum told him. Great. Everyone's gonna know I passed out in public.
Well at least it's not the first time.
"Yeah I'm fine", I say holding the straps of my school bag.
"I'm sorry I didn't come yesterday-".
"Doesn't matter", I cut him off and he sucks in his bottom lip nodding.
"Okay well, um.. can I.. take you to school?", he asks and I turn to see my mum standing just out the kitchen with a small smile.
I sigh, "Let's go", I say walking pass him to the door.
"Bye honey", my mum says cheerfully.
"Bye mum", I say but not as cheerful as her though.
Noah and I walk out of the house and to his car that's already parked in front of our lawn.
He reaches the car before me so he gets the door for me. I get in and he closes it after me then walks around to get in as well.
Noah lets out a breath as his back touches the car seat, then says, "Abby I'm sorry".
And I wonder what he's sorry for.. the not listening to me part or.. or the fact that he was playing with my feelings.
"We're gonna be late", I say instead and he sighs then starts driving.
Noah drives us to school and we get there in a while. I tense up when I see his usual parking spot filled with his popular friends. I grimace when I see Loren's there too.
But surprisingly Noah drives pass. I look at him, his face hardened even the grip he had on the steering wheel was tight.
The car rolls to a stop and I take my seatbelt off. With my hand on the door I take one last look at him and when I see he's looking out the window I take that as my cue to actually leave.
I get down from the car and swiftly, I walk into school. Don't need people seeing me get down from his car. I walk straight to my locker with a frown but my expression goes neutral when I see Hernandez holding a small flower bouquet in front of it.
He looks up and when he sees me he quickly hides the bouquet behind him.
"Uh hey", he says sheepishly and I walk closer to him.
"Hi", I say.
"Uh.. I.. how are you?", he asks.
"I'm fine and I'm sorry for scaring you yesterday", I say and he shakes his head.
"No, no of course not. I wasn't.. I was only scared for you", he says then pulls out the flowers. "I um.. I got you these flowers".
I take them and in that moment I felt an aura, his aura. I felt the way people stopped and stared. Hernandez looks behind me so I turn and not so surprisingly I see Noah.
His eyes on me, his gaze shifts from me to the flowers and then to the person who gave me the flowers. I gulp when they land back on me. The look he gives is hard to decipher and I watch as he walks away.
I let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding then turn to Hernandez.
"That was intense", he says.
"Thanks for the flowers, see you at lunch?", I say in a rushed voice.
"Uh.. yeah, sure", he says and I scramble out of there.
**
Carrying a bouquet around school wasn't in my bucket list but receiving flowers was and I'm striking it.
I stop by my locker at lunch break to keep the flowers. Because something tells me if I keep carrying it around some nosy beings are gonna lay down their useless opinions.
"Hey", I hear so I turn and there's a small smile on my face when I see it's Callie.
"Hi, didn't see you at second", I say.
"Oh wasn't feeling too well", she says pushing her lenses up.
"Oh you okay?", I ask and she nods then gestures to the flowers in hand.
"Oh uh, Hernandez gave me these", I say putting the flowers into my locker.
She gives out a single nod then asks, "So um.. why though?".
I shrug not wanting to elaborate on my little situation yesterday.
"Wow okay. Let's head to lunch then", she says and I nod so we walk to the cafeteria together.
We grab our meals and as we walk closer to our now usual table, worry emits from my face.
Hernandez and a familiar brown haired boy glare furiously at each other.
"Who's that?", Callie asks with a raised brow.
"That's Noah".