The Girl in the Hoodie

22

[Chapter twenty-two]

--Noah-- (SURPRISE)

Even though I don't know what you look like, you're already the most beautiful person I know.

I groan silently, rolling from my side and onto my back, not being able to fall asleep even after an hour.

Did I really say that out loud?

Did she hear?

I look over at Carter and see her hood rising up a bit.

As tempted as I am to look, she wouldn't wanted that.

I don't want to taste her wrath. She'll probably smash my guitar over my head and strangle me with the strings.

I reach over and gently pull her hood back down.

I then silently get out of bed, careful not to wake her up as I walk out of my room, not bothering to cover up as I trudge downstairs and make my way to the kitchen in nothing but my boxers.

I grab a bowl from one of the cupboards and Danny's Fruity Pebbles out of another, pouring it in the bowl. I take the milk from the fridge and pour it in before putting it back and grabbing a spoon from the drawer.

I sit down at the counter and shove a spoon of cereal in my mouth.

Why the hell am I getting close to Carter? Nothing good ever comes from me getting close to people. I don't need to lose anyone else.

The less people I care about, the less people I have to lose, the less it hurts.

My mind then wonders back to what Carter told me. About both her sisters having cancer.

She could have cancer too.

Has she ever gone to the hospital to get scanned and make sure she doesn't have cancer.

Why the hell am I so worried? It's not like I like her or anything.

I groan, shoving another spoonful of cereal in my mouth.

"Noah?" My mum's soft voice comes from the doorway of the kitchen. "When did Nevaeh get here?"

"Hi, mum." I give her a small smile, eating more cereal. "Around two in the morning. Her stupid electronic baby wouldn't stop crying so she came here."

She nods in understanding.

"Are you eating your brother's cereal?" Mum raises an eyebrow, taking a seat at the counter, across from me.

"Maybe." I muffle, my mouth full of Fruity Pebbles.

Pebble.

The "creative" nickname Carter decided to come up with for me.

I chuckle slightly.

"What're you laughing about?" Mum questions curiously, a bit shocked that I'm laughing at something that isn't Danny doing something stupid.

"Carter came up with this nickname for me." I chuckle out.

"Really?" A small smirk makes its way onto mum's face. "What is it?"

"Pebble." I smile slightly.

"Pebble?" Mum repeats, choking back a laugh.

"Yeah. She said something about me being a rock but not Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson." I explain, making her laugh.

That girl really is something else.

My mind then goes back to what I was thinking before and my mood takes a turn.

I guess my mum notices because she stops laughing and looks at me. "What's the matter?"

"Mum, you've been spending a lot of time with Carter. Did she ever mention her--"

"Sisters?" Mum cuts me off, her mood immediately dropping. "Yes. She told me everything."

"Well...mum, there's a chance that Nevaeh may have cancer too." I whisper, using her real name for the first time.

Mum frowns. "Noah..."

"Think about it. Both her sisters had it. I'm guessing one of their family members had it and it was passed on to them. If both Heaven and Lucy had cancer, there's a chance Nevaeh does too." I stab my cereal with the spoon. "Do you know if she's ever gone to the hospital to get checked out or scanned or something?"

"Not that I know of." Mum tells me, letting everything I just said sink in. "Noah, you really care about her."

As much as I want to deny that sentence, I can't.

I just nod, silently, pushing my cereal away from me as I lose my appetite.

"Sweetheart," mum starts. "You like her don't you?"

"Of course I like her. She's my friend--"

"That's not what I meant, Noah."

"Wha--" I cut myself off as realisation hits me, my eyes widening slightly. "I-I don't like her like that!"

Mum smiles slightly. "Honey, I know you better than to believe a word that just came out of your mouth."

"I don't like her." I say more firmly this time.

Mum shakes her head in amusement before looking back at me. "Do you know what she looks like?"

I shake my head. "Her hood was going up but I just pulled it down. I know there's a reason she's wears it and I didn't want to invade her privacy."

Mum smiles proudly as she gets up and makes her way around the counter.

"You're a good boy, Noah." She kisses the top of my head before turning around and walking out of the kitchen. "I just wish more people these days would be like you and  focus on personality rather than looks."

I take another spoonful of cereal and put it in my mouth before I realise what my mum just said.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" I call out after her, my voice muffled due to the cereal.

Mum shakes her head, a chuckle leaving her lips as she walks up the staitrs. "Goodnight, Noah."

I swallow my cereal. "Goodnight, mum."

I finish the bowl of Fruity Pebbles while thinking about what my mum said.

Do I like her?

Nah.