Without You (gxg)

Part 12 - High School

Blake and Brianna were hosting Thanksgiving dinner at their house. It was going to be my family, as well as Brianna's. Brianna has a small family- her mom, Maureen, grandmother, Vivian, and both Vivian and Maureen's husbands.
I don't know much about my family on my moms side. They all live in Kentucky- and they kicked her out when she got pregnant with my older sister at 17. She came up and lived with her sister- who she doesn't see too much for reasons I don't know. All I know she is that she doesn't talk to them at all.
I somehow thought Noelle would get brought up at Thanksgiving dinner. I trusted those who knew wouldn't have told anyone- but at the same time I couldn't be one hundred percent sure.
I sent Noelle a picture of me in my outfit- I actually tried to look cute for dinner. I wore a read turtleneck sweater, black denim skirt, and I curled my hair. I knew I would feel bloated in the skirt- but I didn't care as Noelle texted me back that I looked gorgeous.
I texted her back:
Not to be corny but I am very thankful for you ❤️
She texted me back:
All corniness- I am beyond thankful for you 💕
I knew that after Thanksgiving break I might be facing a bit of a storm going back to school, if Carter told everyone about Noelle and I. But I wanted to enjoy the rest of this break.
Blake and Brianna cooked a huge dinner. I grabbed some turkey, and of course my favorite- stuffing and sweet potatoes.
We all sat down to eat, and my nephew, Oliver, kept trying to sit on my lap. Oliver is named after Blake's best friend who passed away when she was 18. Brianna got him to sit back down in his chair, and we all started eating. We were about twenty minutes in when Vivian asked me, "Harley, dear. How is your boyfriend doing, the nice young man you brought over for the barbecue in August? What was his name?"
I saw Blake glance over at me, and my mom as well.
"His name is Carter. But we actually aren't together anymore." I said to Vivian with a smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey. Are you okay? You look quite happy."
"I am okay. And I do feel happy." I said back.
"I know that happiness. I bet you're seeing someone else." Maureen smiled and winked at me.
Brianna gave me an encouraging nod.
"Um, it's true. I am." I said, feeling my heart start to race.
"Oh, do you have another boyfriend?" Vivian smiled at me.
I saw Juan trying not to laugh and shake his head.
"A girlfriend actually." I said, with fake confidence, "Her name is Noelle."
"Oh, how lovely!" Vivian's eyes brightened up, "Why didn't you invite her over for dinner?"
I felt relief flood through my body. "She is visiting her dad. He lives in Western Pennsylvania, near West Virginia."
"Well, we will have to meet her sometime!" Maureen exclaimed. "Let's make a toast. To Harley and Noelle."
I raised up my glass and clinked it with everyone's at the table. In that moment, I felt beyond lucky to be accepted by my family. I knew if it were my biological father or mother's family- it would've gone a lot different.
As the week of Thanksgiving break ended, I was dreading going back to school, but of course excited to see Noelle. I was going to see her that Sunday, the day before we went back to school. She was coming home on Saturday night.
I was laying down in my room that Saturday night, I had just come home from hanging out with Priya. It was a little past 11:30 PM, and Noelle texted me she had just gotten home a half hour before.
To my surprise, I got a phone call from her. I was expecting her to be asleep after her 7 hour drive. But I was alarmed to hear her crying when I picked up the phone.
"C-can I come over?" she asked me, her voice shaky.
"Of course. What's going on? Are you alright?" I asked her, filled with concerned.
"No. It's my mom. She's a fucking bitch." Noelle said, and her voice was mixed with rage and sadness, "Are you sure I can come over?"
"Yes. Beyond sure. I'll see you soon." I said.
My mom was up downstairs watching TV. I told her that Noelle had called me crying.
"She has a lot of problems with her mom." I explained to my mom.
She nodded, understanding. "So did I. She's welcome to come here anytime. And if her mom shows up, I'll beat her ass." my mom said in a joking tone at the end.
When Noelle arrived, I opened the door, and immediately noticed a cut by her lip that looked fresh. There was still blood dried by it. And it looked like it hurt.
I grabbed her hand and led her up to my room without a word. We went into my bedroom and sat on my bed.
"Did your mom do this to you?" I put my hand on her cheek, above the cut, so I wouldn't hurt it.
Noelle simply nodded, tears rolling down her face.
I felt my anger rise. "Why the fuck did she do this to you? Is this the first time?"
"Far from it." Noelle said, "She overheard me telling my brothers that I had a great time at my dads. And that his wife is nice. And I guess she really didn't want to hear that his wife was nice. She lost her temper. I told her to fuck off and mind her business. And she struck me. It's actually her long ass nail that cut me so much."
I pulled Noelle in for a hug. I had a feeling she was used to being strong for her brothers. But in this moment, I knew she needed me to be strong.
"I hate that you have to deal with this. No wonder you want to go to college so far." I said, and kissed the top of her head. Her head was buried into my shoulder.
"I don't want to be far from you, at all. But I just can't be around my mom. She's horrible. She always has been." Noelle cried, "I swear to god I'm going to beat her one day. I was surprised I didn't this time."
"She deserves it. She's abusive. Mentally and physically."
"She makes me feel completely worthless. She always has." Noelle lifted her head and looked at me. Her gorgeous eyes were red and shining.
"I promise you're not. You're worth everything to me." I said, my heart breaking for my girlfriend, "I know that probably doesn't mean much. But anytime you think about how worthless that bitch makes you feel, just think about how much you're worth to me. And that I love you."
Noelle cupped my face in her hands, "I love you too, Harley."
She then leaned in and gave me a soft kiss. I knew it wasn't going to lead anywhere sexual. Now wasn't the time.
Right now- I just wanted to be here in the moment with my girlfriend. Make sure she knew how much I loved her. Appreciated her. And would do anything for her.
I love my mom. My sisters. My stepdad. Priya. My family. But how I felt for Noelle was completely separate from that. Of course, because she was my romantic partner. But when I envisioned my future, I was seeing her. And it felt exciting- yet terrifying.