UNDER EDITING 𝐺𝑅𝐴𝑉𝐸 𝐷𝐴𝑁𝐺𝐸𝑅 | 𝐴𝑃𝑂𝐶𝐴𝐿𝑌𝑃𝑆𝐸 ✔︎

Curfew

(Lexi's POV)

Cooper and I have been back at the house for a few hours now. We resolved our argument but right now we have bigger problems.

"We've had the kitchen decorated for an hour now and they still aren't home!" I huff in annoyance. Cooper shrugs. "Maybe their hangout time went better than we anticipated." Even though I'm still annoyed, this causes a grin to slide across my face. I go to complain some more, but the turning of a door knob causes Cooper and I to jolt back into party mode.

"I promise you, it's all good—"

Jasper stands in the door way in awe. "Happy Birthday!" We all shout. Jasper walks in with Noah and closes the door with a smile. "Thank you guys."

"Sorry the decorations are pink. They're the only ones we could find in storage last minute." I smile.

"No, no. I always pictured my seventeenth birthday looking like the inside of Barbie's dream house." He laughs and sits in front of a lit up cake, also coated in pink frosting.

"Oh, and no singing. It's the most awkward thirty seconds of anyone's birthday. Save me the grief."

We all nod and Jasper makes a silent wish before blowing out his candles.

While Jasper opens a couple presents from Cooper and I, I decide to question why the boys were gone for so long. Noah seems a little bit off if you ask me, so questioning them really wouldn't hurt.

"Basically we caught this rich snob and his preppy friends behind the mini mart. Turns out they train by killing stray biters from behind the wall. We were planning to tell Carlos tomorrow..." He finishes.

"That's not good. I can let Carlos know, I'm going to talk to him tomorrow anyway about volunteering." Cooper reassures.

"Nothing happened, right?" I question. Noah seems to stiffen a bit and look at his feet. "Noah?" I say.

Noah barely seems to process what I ask, and he just stares at the plate of cake in his hands. "Noah?" I ask again.

Jasper quickly glances from me to Noah. "Oh, no no no. I mean... he did eventually try to kill one but—"

"What?! Are you okay?!" I shout. Jasper rubs the back of his neck. He looks at Noah then says, "Nothing bad happened. The biter came for Noah but he totally kicked its ass. He stabbed a pocket knife in its head to finish it off."

I take a few breaths in and out. "J-just go change and get to sleep. Don't scare us like that again." They nod and make their way to their bedrooms. Noah seems to hold onto Jasper's arm, and I can't help but worry more. "Why does he seem so out of it?"

Cooper walks in front of me. "Oh c'mon, don't tell me you're that oblivious." I scoff.  "What now?"

"He seemed a little..." Cooper holds up his hand, sticks out his thumb and pinky, and pretends like he's drinking. I gasp immediately. "You really think so?! Oh I'm gonna kill Jasper—"

Cooper grabs my arm stopping me. "Think about this. Noah came back like that, Jasper didn't. I'm sure it was an accident. Plus, it's the kid's birthday. If you're gonna yell, yell tomorrow."

I scoff. "Fine."

(Noah's POV)

I toss and turn a bit in my bed. I can't sleep, even though it's the one thing I want to do right now.

I groan and get out of bed. I slip on some sweats and a t-shirt and walk across the hall.
Three knocks.

A few creaky footsteps, then the door opens. "Noah?" Jasper croaks. "Hi, I can't sleep." I mumble, still a little out of it. He steps aside from the doorway, letting me in his room. I walk in and lean against his wall.