Without You (gxg)

Part 3- High School

"I read Catcher in the Rye."
On Monday morning I was scrolling through my phone at my desk when I heard Noelle's voice above me.
I looked up to see her standing above me, holding a paperback copy of Catcher in the Rye.
"You read that whole book this weekend?" I asked her.
"I got it Friday night. Tortured myself through it all of Saturday and Sunday." Noelle said, and sat down in the seat next to me.
"Come on, it's not a bad book."
"I never said it was. I just don't like to read. I prefer writing." Noelle said, looking at me.
"I thought you said you were bad at English?"
"Yeah. Like reading books and writing stupid reports. But when it comes to creative writing, I love that."
"I'd love to read your writing sometime." I said, without even thinking, "I mean- if you'd let me."
Noelle raised an eyebrow, "I'll consider it."
"Deal. So, when do you want me to come over for the project?"
"Would you be able to tonight? I know it's last minute to ask, I'm sorry."
"That's okay. And sure. I can come to your house tonight. Just let me know what your address is." I said, feeling those butterflies again inside.
She handed me her iPhone. "Here. Put your number in, I'll text you my address."
I put my number in her phone and she immediately sent me a text with her address.
Exchanging numbers. Nice.
I had my last class of the day, Art History, with Priya. A little bit before class was over, my phone vibrated with a text. I figured it was Carter, but I looked down and saw it was from a number I hadn't saved.
It said:
Can you come at 7:30 tonight?
It was Noelle.
I texted her back:
Sure, that works for me.
Priya leaned over and whispered to me, "Who are you texting? You're blushing."
"Oh, it's just this girl in my English class, we are working on a project together. And I'm not blushing, it's hot in here." I said back.
"It is kind of warm in here." Priya said back.
When I got back to my house, I sat in my room on my bed and thought about how I had butterflies in my stomach thinking about going to Noelle's house. It felt like having a crush, but there was...no way. I didn't like girls...right?
I heard a knock on my door as I was dazed out on my bed.
"Come in." I said.
It was my mom. She must've just come home from work because she was in her all black attire, her platinum blonde hair was down and wavy.
"Are you good? You look like you are in a daze." she said to me.
"Yeah. I'm just tired."
"Okay." she said. I knew by her tone that she didn't believe me. "What do you want for dinner? I'm too lazy to cook and Juan has to work late."
"Whatever Jade wants I'll eat." I said, "It just has to be before 7:30. I'm going to a classmates house to work on a project for English class."
"Alright. Just let me know if you stop at Carter's after so I can expect you home later." she said to me.
Carter. He hadn't even crossed my mind this whole afternoon.
I ate some chicken fried rice for dinner, Jade wanted Chinese food. And then I got in my car and put Noelle's address into my maps. She lived twelve minutes away from me. I felt a bit apprehensive the whole way driving there. And when I drove onto her street, my stomach was doing flip flops. I took a good look at her house. It was a smaller single house that was tan with brown shutters. I noticed there were two bikes in the front yard, and what looked to be a flower pot with dying flowers. I parked on the side of the road, and texted her that I was there.
When she answered the door, I did a double take for a moment. Noelle's dirty blonde hair was up in a high ponytail, and she had on a black tank top and black basketball shorts with a white stripe. With her in that tank top, I could see that she was toned. I knew I was staring at her. She waved to me, and I snapped out of it and walked up to her house.
"Hey." I said, and she opened the door for me.
"Hey, thanks for coming. No one is home right now so it'll be peaceful. We will be able to do our work." she said.
"Do you have a lot of siblings?" I asked her.
"Three brothers. And they are anything but peaceful." Noelle said. Her house was to put it nicely...cluttered. Not that I cared honestly- it was just an observation. "Do you have any siblings?" she asked me.
"An older sister and a younger sister." I said, "My older sister is twenty nine and married, but my younger sister is twelve."
"Oh wow, so your oldest sister is 17 years older than your youngest." Noelle said.
"My family is a bit...complicated." I said. We were just standing in the middle of her downstairs hall, talking.
"I relate to that." she chuckled, "Want to come up to my room? My laptop is up there, we can work."
"Sure." I said, and followed her up the steps. Her room was at the end of the hallway, the wood floor creaked as we walked across it.
Her room was the cleanest from what I saw in the house. She had a mattress on a box spring with a quilt on it in the corner of her room and a TV facing it. She had a desk next to the TV with a laptop. I noticed trophies around her room- one of them had a tennis racket on it. And then my eyes were drawn to a flag above her TV- a pride flag. So she at least had to like girls in some capacity.
Why did I care?
We started on the project. She sat at her desk and grabbed me a chair from her brothers room.
Noelle was very easy to talk to. She had this way about her that made you feel comfortable around her. She was very relaxed- not overly bubbly and outgoing- but she could hold a conversation.
We were still working on the project at around 9, and my phone started vibrating. I looked to see who it was- Carter.
"Do you mind if I answer this?" I asked Noelle.
"No, go ahead."
I answered, "Hey, what's up?"
"Hey babe. Want to come over after you're done your project?" Carter's voice came over the other line.
"Honestly, I don't think we are going to be done for a while. And I know my mom doesn't want me getting home super late. Another day this week?" I said.
"Of course. I'll let you get back to your project." Carter said.
"I'll text you."
After I hung up, Noelle said, "We are probably going to be done really soon. I don't want to keep you from going anywhere."
"Believe me, you're not." I said.
"You don't want to see your boyfriend?" Noelle looked at me.
"Not really." I answered, looking back at her.
"I think your boyfriend is in a few of my classes. Carter?"
"That's the one." I nodded.
"He seems nice enough." Noelle said.
"He is...I just don't know.." I trailed off.
"Don't know what?"
"You probably don't want to hear about my relationship woes." I chuckled.
"No, it's okay. You obviously want to talk about it." Noelle looked at me.
I sighed, "Okay. I just don't feel that...passion, I guess? I don't feel that-"
"Spark?" Noelle answered for me.
I felt my heart start beating faster. "Yeah...I guess so."
"What are you going to do about it?" she asked me.
"I don't know yet, honestly. I haven't ever felt that kind of spark with any of the guys I've been with." I said.
"I've felt that spark before- with an ex girlfriend of mine."
"Are you gay?" I asked her.
"I am." she nodded, "I hope that doesn't weird you out."
"It doesn't at all. My older sister is. She has a wife." I said.
And you might be gay.
I tried to block that thought out of my head.
"Okay. Good." Noelle gave me a small smile.
And for a second we just looked at each other. I looked right into her pretty blue eyes.
And there it was again- that spark.
I got this feeling inside that I wanted to kiss her. And I couldn't shake it. I wanted to lean over and put my lips right on hers.
"Um, we should finish up." Noelle said, breaking the moment.
"Yeah...we should." I said.
And I knew this was going to really fuck with my head.