Change of Feelings - A Noco Fanfiction

11th Place

I couldn't go outside of my room. I knew that some people had knocked on my door, but I hadn't bothered to open it. I didn't want to talk to anyone. Not even Cody, really, but that didn't matter, cause he wasn't here. 

I stayed cooped up in my room for a week, probably. And I know that might seem like a lot, but I had food, water, and books, so I was a-okay. I mean, if you don't count the crying.

One more loser had showed up since I had left. It was Tyler. So at least I had one friend to talk to now. But I didn't talk to him. Because I never left my room.

But after a week, I decided that I was ready to make human contact again, much to my original dismay. But I thought that, if Cody came back and I was cooped up in my room, I would never know. And I didn't have many snacks left...

So I took a shower, got dressed and went up to the pool. In this hotel, the pool was on the roof. There was only cover for half of the pool, and the other deeper half was in direct sunlight. Lawn chairs and tables where spread out around the sides of the pool, and a few pool toys where scattered in and around the pool. I saw Tyler and Lindsay making out in the sun on one of the lawn chairs, and Bridgette, DJ, Lashawna and Harold where playing water polo in the deep end. I went and sat on a chair as far away from anyone as possible, but of course, someone had to notice me. And of course, that person had to be Izzy.

"Hey everyone look! Noah's back!"

I rolled my eyes and groaned as everyone turned to look at me. The beach ball that Harold had just thrown to DJ missed and hit Tyler on the head as he was mid-kiss.

"Hey! What was-" Tyler stopped complaining when he saw me. "Oh! Hey Noah! Are you okay bud?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I reassured him.

I wasn't.

Bridgette left the water and walked over to me, sitting on the chair beside mine. She laid her arm over my shoulders. I tried to move away, but I was in a small chair, so there was nowhere to really move. I sniffed.

"Seriously string bean. What's wrong?" Lashawna asked, hopping out of the water and going to join Bridgette and I.

I took a deep breath, but I started crying again. Lashawna wrapped her arms around me in a hug, while Bridgette kept her arm around my shoulders. Everyone else had already made their way over to me. Tyler was kneeling in front of me, while the rest just stood there.

I knew I didn't need to tell them what happened or how I was feeling. I knew they knew. After a few minutes of being comforted, and hating it but loving it at the same time, I sniffed and looked up.

"Thanks you guys. You know, I'm not one to really show my emotions, but..."

Bridgette sighed. "It's okay Noah," she lifted her arm off my shoulder. "Geoff and I's relationship was a little rocky after I kissed Alejandro in the third challenge. I'm sure Cody will forgive you."

I sighed. "I know. I just want him to be here. Sure, I want him to get far into the game, but I also want to talk to him, and tell him how I feel."

DJ sighed. "Don't worry. Even if Cody makes it far, you'll still have the chance to talk to him. And if he stays in, you'll have more time to plan out what you are going to say to him when he does come back. Your speech will be as smooth as Grandma's gravy."

I chuckled softly. "I don't think it'll really be a speech. Thanks though you guys."

"Why don't we have a fun pool party BBQ tonight?" Harold suggested. Lashawna shrugged.

"Sounds okay to me. But I think Noah'll have to be up for it for it to be a full 'yes'"

I thought about it for a minute. It'll be fun, and it'll be something to get my mind off Cody. And the only things I've eaten this week after locking myself in my room where random candies and a few sandwiches.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." I said, trying not to sound like I was exited, when in actuality, I was ready to do something to get my mind off everything else shitty that was going on right now.

---

That night, Tyler came up to my room to get me, and we went up to the pool. Even from inside the pool in the hall, I could smell the burgers on the barbecue.

"Jeez, who's cooking?" I asked Tyler.

"I don't know. Probably DJ. He's the best at it." Tyler suggested, swinging the door open. The smell was even stronger now, and as we neared, we could see that it was DJ who was cooking, humming the tune of the song playing to himself as he did.

Lindsay was sitting in the pool, clearly waiting for Tyler. Lashawna, Izzy and Harold where drinking lemonade in the deep end of the pool. Just like the pool in the original Playa, the deep end had a bench along the sides. I wasn't even going to try and count how many times Tyler had hit his head from the few days he's been here. Bridgette was making salads by DJ.

I stepped past Lindsay as I got into the pool, and I went over to join Lashawna and the others as Tyler and Lindsay began to talk.

"Glad you could make it." Lashawna smiled, handing me a full glass of lemonade.

"Thanks you guys. This is really nice of you but you didn't have to."

"Nonsense." Lashawna said, putting a finger over my mouth. "Look kid, we just wanna make you happy, so that's what we are trying to do. One of these thinks are gonna work someday, alright?"

I sighed, but smiled. "Okay. Thanks."