Obsessive ~ Noah Foster [1]

Chapter One// Nina Bobina

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"Some guys like sports. I like serial killers. And Brandon James is my Dallas Cowboys."

--Noah Foster

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I still couldn't believe it. Nina. She was gone. Slashed in the backyard. The blood was still there, no matter how hard they tried to clean it, they couldn't get it all out of the concrete. I stared at it in horror. We were expected to stay in this big empty house, while Nina's parents took a long "vacation" away from Lakewood. "Arielle?" Kat opened the sliding glass door, and stuck her head out. "Are you ready?" I sighed, and gave her a convincing smile. "Yep."

While Mom was in the office, getting both, Kat's and mine's schedule, I waited in the hallway, sitting down on an uncomfortable chair, next to a girl with black, short hair, who looked way-y-y too familiar. Kat leaned against the wall, talking to her friend, Melanie, who was back in New York. "I miss you, too. I mean, I'm gonna try--" Kat spoke. I rolled my eyes. The people passing by stared at me. They gave me weird looks. I sighed, and felt myself getting antsy. I didn't like when people stared. It made me think there was something wrong. Like I looked... wrong. "They're not staring at you." The girl beside me whispered, as if reading my mind. "W-what?" I asked, turning to look at the girl, who was slumped in her seat. "I said," she sat up in her seat. "That they weren't staring at you." I frowned at the girl. "Hi, I'm Audrey." She gave me a little wave, before going back to looking at her phone. THAT WAS IT. Audrey. Audrey Jensen. "And, your name is?" She asked. I choked on my words before actually getting them out. "I'm Arielle." I spit out. "Arielle Collins." She looked at me weirdly again. "I knew it. I knew you looked familiar." Audrey stood from her chair, slipping her phone into her back pocket. "Audr--"

"No, I actually have to get to class." Audrey grabbed her backpack from under the seat, and took off. "What the--?"

"Ari?" My mom stood in the office doorway, and watched me expectantly. "Yeah?" I stood up, and walked towards her. "Here is your schedule, honey." She handed me a piece of paper, and looked at me with sadness. "Mom... I'm going to be fine." I patted her shoulder, smiling. "Oh, I know. It's just..."

"Mom." I interrupted her. "I'm going to be fine." She sighed, and smiled. "Okay. I'll pick you up after school."

As I walked outside, I saw the whole memoriam for Nina. I nearly burst into tears, but I held it in, as I stopped to stand in front of all the people and flowers.

Kat had ditched me, and was already fitting in, even though it was the first day. That always happened. She was always the one who'd fit in everywhere. That's why her and Nina fought all the time. They were exactly the same.

"I miss you, Nina Bobina. Rest in Prada. Love, Miranda." A voice caught my attention. I looked over to see Audrey again, but this time, she was with a boy. I walked closer to listen to what they were saying. Audrey had her camera out, with a solemn look on her face. "Isn't that the girl Nina fat-shamed into some questionable Guatemalan liposuction?" The boy scoffed. I frowned. It was the sort of thing Nina would do. I mean, she called me fat until we were in eighth grade, and I grew bigger boobs than her... That shut her up. "Sounds like our Nina." Audrey commented. They both suddenly turned around, and I couldn't have been more "subtle".

I launched myself at the "wall" of sweet notes to Nina, and pretended to be reading them. But turns out, they weren't looking at me. "Who's that?" Audrey asked the boy. I looked in their direction, using my hair to cover my face. There was a women, who was shaking the hand of a teacher, and with her phone out to her like that, I knew that she was some kind of reporter. The women looked up at them, and walked closer. And I couldn't have been more awkward standing there. "Hey, guys. I'm Piper Shaw. I'm doing a story for--"

"Autopsy of a Crime. Yeah, your show is completely addictive." The boy interrupted her. I shifted a little, to see him, but still hid my face. Eavesdropping is wrong, Arielle. I could hear my mother's voice now. "Thank you. Fellow crime geek." Piper said, though it sounded more like a question. Audrey still had her camera pointed at the notes, and unfortunately, me. I turned my head to the wall, and looked up, as if I were trying to read it. "Totally. Uh, I'm Noah Foster. This is Audrey." The boy said. Oh, my God. That was it. Noah. In the first grade, I remember Nina bullying him a whole lot. And I never said anything, because... well, it was Nina. "She's shy." Noah commented. "You look really familiar." Piper told them. "You probably saw my video." Audrey said, boredly. "So, I'm trying to get past all of the faux-BFF BS, and get a clear picture of the real Nina Patterson. Did either of you know her?" Piper asked. "Yeah," Audrey said. "Nina was a stone-cold bitch, who got what she deserved." I could have slapped her at that point. Sure, Nina was terrible. But she didn't deserve to die. "That's pretty clear. Can I quote you on that?"

"No! No, she was just saying words." Noah said, nervously. "What about you--?" Before she could finish her sentence, Audrey interrupted her. "You know who really knew Nina?"

"Who?"

"Her cousin. She's apparently back in town now, so you should question her." Audrey huffed. My heart dropped. "Do you have any idea of where I could find her?" Piper asked. "Yeah, sure. I mean, she's been eavesdropping for the past ten minutes." Audrey scoffed. I was totally busted. "You can turn around now, Arielle." I sighed, and turned around, with a huge smile plastered on my face. "Hey." I whispered. Noah frowned at me, and I couldn't have felt more guilty. "Wow. You're, like, a spitting image of Nina." Piper commented. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions--?"

"SOMEONE'S ASS IS TOAST!" A man screamed. "But... we have to go." Noah grabbed Audrey's shoulders, and pulled her away. "NOAH!" I knew him the moment I saw his angry expression. Jake Fitzgerald. I gave Piper a small smile, before shouldering my backpack, and following Noah and Audrey. "What's up?" Noah asked Jake, trying to get away. "Was it you, nerd? Was this payback for the lake?" Jake shouted. "Was what payback?"

"My truck." Jake pulled his phone out, and showed Noah a picture. Among me, people whispered. "Ooh, Noah's totally dead." A girl laughed. "It went viral!" Jake said. "Well, I mean, you know--"

"CAN it, les-beast." Jake shut her up real quick. Les-beast? Is that an insult? Jake grabbed onto Noah's shirt, and pushed him into the pole behind him. "Hey, leave him alone." Audrey warned. Jake ignored her. "You know anything about this?" He asked Noah. "No. But, you know, it is a sad statement of the decline of our public schools." Jake gripped Noah's throat, practically fuming at the mouth. "That's the wrong answer."

"Whoa, I swear I didn't touch your truck." Noah promised, his eyes shut tight. "If I find out this was you... I swear to God, you are dead." Jake huffed. "I believe you." Noah whispered. Jake released Noah, and slapped his cheek lightly, before stomping away.

I didn't care anymore, I rushed towards Noah and Audrey. "Hey, are you alright?" I asked, grabbing his chin, and tilting it upwards. Audrey watched me with a frown on her face, and Noah just looked down at me, totally weirded out. I smiled, before retracting my hand from his face. "Sorry. Uh, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Ar--"

"I know who you are." Noah said. "Yeah, we both do. Do yourself a favor, Nina-lookalike, follow Jake, he'll lead you right to Nina's little group of populars." Audrey grabbed Noah's arm, and pulled him away from me. I sighed, and decided to just head to class, even if I was early.