Half a Step

Chapter 3

Noah's POV

Life is great until you have to find a job.

Holidays are great because I get paid at festivals to do live music. It is hot with flashing lights and screaming people in the Australian heat. Except once school goes back it all ends and I need money. While I don't spend a lot of money, I have been saving up for stuff adults need like a car and a house and general stuff for later on in life.

I was sitting at home in my living room scrolling through my laptop on different job advertisements, when my phone rang. I knew it was TJ because of the ringtone. For his birthday a few years back he only wanted me to remix his favourite song. I would have gotten him something else but insisted no to anything else I suggested, it felt too cheap but that is all he wanted. But as well as giving it to him, I made it the ring tone for him.

I picked it. 'What's up?'

TJ responded pretty quickly, 'Hey man, I need you to do me a favour.'

Normally I was hesitant about what kind of favour I would be asked to do with some of the boys I knew. I once ended up being a wingman for one by asking a girl out. But this was TJ, he was weirdly traditional and always insisted that if he is too ask out a girl that he asks her out himself.

'Sure. What can I do for you?' I stretch my back as I walk towards the window.

'I need you to pick up my sister. I organised some time with a teacher to get my L's but it clashed with picking her up.'

'Sure thing. 'Nessa's at the one near Coles?'

TJ sighs relieved and confirms the place of the preschool. 'Thanks, man. I owe you one.'

'No you don't.' I chuckle.

'Thanks again.' With that TJ hangs up the phone.

I throw on a pair of sneakers and close my laptop screen which still sits on the coffee table. As I walk down the road and let the sun soak into my skin. The middle of Sydney summers are dreadful with the extreme heat but now nearing the end of February it was Goldilocks temperature.

Soon I had walked the 2 kilometres to the preschool and the kids ran circles around each other. Most of them had their eyes transfixed on their forearms watching the number go up and down as they moved in each direction.

A little girl with pigtails came hurtling into the fence, after tripping over a log. She rebounded against the metal she screwed up her face and whimpered so slightly. A boy came up behind her and made sure she was okay. She nodded slightly and he gave her a hug. For most they would think it's weird for a preschool romance but from the stories TJ's sister told me, these would be the pair that already had found their soulmate. Elizabeth and James.

Sometimes I wish that I already found my soulmate but other times I didn't want to. What if she hated music or she was tone deaf when she sang. There goes every idea of my romantic evening. Not every part of me agreed with the whole soulmate's idea. Why do we have our love life planned out by some force no one had ever seen before?

I walked into the centre and the receptionist smiled at me as I did so, clicking the button so I could go through to the children's area. When I entered the room I found kids painting. Vanessa, TJ's sister, was easy to spot with her fiery red hair that ran ringlets against the side of her face. She was painting but unlike all the other kids, not off a person. Her picture was of a juice box. Even across the room I could tell what her painting looked like.

Vanessa loved painting and at the moment juice just as much. Vanessa was born what lots of people say as a disease, she was not born with a soulmates tattoo. I personally think that it is only because it is not normal and now she no longer has to follow a large amount of rules set around soulmates. She was free and that only helped fuel her energetic personality.

I walked up behind as she put down the paint brush and grabbed around the ribs proceeding to tickle her. She laughed hysterically. 'Noah!' She wriggled, turning herself around and hugging me. When I was crouching down she was almost as tall as me.

Vanessa grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the seat she was sitting at painting. 'I painted a juice box! I couldn't manage to get the straw at the right angle so it wasn't perfect!' With the sentence she frowned as looked at the painting which now she said so it didn't quite look straw-like.

'It's ok Nessa. I couldn't tell.' I smiled at her, 'It looks very good! Do you want me to get the carers to use their hair dryer and dry the picture or do you want me to leave it here?'

The red headed girl pondered this. 'You know what Noah, we are going to leave it here. One of the mean boys poured water all over Anthony's painting. I asked if he was okay but he said he was fine but his eyes started getting really red and he went to get another piece of paper to paint on. I can do another drawing like this and Anthony can get this one. I'll go tell the teacher now that he can have it.'

She let go of my hand and bounded towards the teacher while I moved towards the bag area. When I get there a boy runs up to me and asks, 'What do you do when you find your soulmate and your parents don't like him?'

I pause looking down at the little boy staring at me with his sapphire blue eyes. His still slightly chubby hand wrapped around wrist. He looks almost pleading, his stare unbreaking. Pondering his suggestion, I crouch down to him. 'I don't really know. Most of the time parents just want to make sure you are safe.'

He nods, walking away towards Vannessa. I smile at Vanessa. She is such a caring person for someone who got bullied for a bit for not having a tattoo. TJ's mum insisted she had to wear long sleeves, but day after day Vanessa alway came back sleeveless, the arms of the shirt cut off. Eventually TJ's mum gave up because of the money she was spending on the 6 year old.

The red headed girl skipped towards me. 'Let's go Noah!' She grabbed my hand and waved to Miss Nat.

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The walk to Vanessa's house was short but in that time she regaled me with every detail of her day until we eventually got to her house. TJ was standing on the porch.

'Thanks, man' TJ smiled, 'Turns out you did not actually have to. The instructor raced off because of an emergency.'

'It's ok. I got to hear all about Nessa's day and see her painting from today.' I respond watching TJ's sister run up to him.

'TJ, I have my painting of my juicebox to Anthony. Anthony did a painting but water got spilled all over it so Anthony had to do another painting so I gave him mine...' The red-headed girl started bouncing around again with her chatter.

TJ looked up and smiled at me. 'Thanks again. I owe you one but you probs should get back home before dark.' The boy tips his head up towards the sky.

'No problem. You don't owe me anything. OK?' I reassure TJ, 'Thanks. See you at school.'

With a wave at the siblings, I walked out into the twilight.

I think having siblings is good when you can give them back, otherwise I'd never get anything done with Vanessa's constant chatter.