History Class

20 - freddie the plushie

A/N: y'all the amount of backlash in the comments of chapters of 15&16 is crazyyyyyyy, I literally can not tell if you guys like Noah or not. When reading the comments my jaw was literally dropped.
Some people hate Noah and some people hate Millie like :0 what do I do? Anyways Enjoy :)

It has been about an hour since Jake randomly got up and left but I keep telling myself I'm just gonna stay put and wait for him to come back himself.

I have to refuse Oscar's date somehow.
Oscar is literally so nice but it would be so wrong of me to go on a date with him while I have major feelings for Jake.

On second thoughts maybe I should go?
I could tell him I don't think of him that way.
Maybe a goodbye date?

I need to get my mind off of this.

Looking at my clothes that are all scattered across the room I realise it's time to pack.

I don't want to go home, really don't. Most people say home is their escape, the place to get away from school, friends, or anything that lies outside the door of their room. Not mine.

When I just moved to town I used to lie at the park with a small blanket, my dad didn't care where I was.

I would look up and wish on every star I could see that I could have a whole family to go home to, to eat dinner with, to fight about chores with, or to cry with when I had my first heartbreak. Obviously, it was only my dream but still, I would lie there for hours.

The door creaks open and Jake's head peaks in.

"Hey, Millie. Can you come out here?"

I squint in confusion but obey.

When I walk out into the hallway Noah stands in front of me, looking at his feet.

Jake looks at me and whispers that Noah and I should go somewhere private, so we walk out to the beach.

"What's this about?"

He looks up at me and it looks as if he's going to cry.

"Lily, I have decided-" he takes a deep breath "I'm gonna drop out, and... join the military."

I try to speak but he doesn't let me.

"I've been thinking a lot and after the past few weeks, when I think back on them I see how shitty I've been. I shouldn't have just come here expecting you to be fine, and I shouldn't have shoved you or anything. Joining the military is something that feels right to me."

I feel a tear fall down my face.

"Noah you're joking."

Although what he is saying is true, I don't want to accept it. He may have done wrong but he's my childhood best friend, the first person to help me through everything. It's like losing a chunk of myself.

He gives me a small smile to mask his tears.

I want to punch him, kick him, but also hug him.

"Noah you can't-" I can't finish my sentence through the sobs.

He wraps his arms around me.

"I'm sorry Lily, I really am."

I sit there and cry harder than ever.

"Don't get hurt, please," I manage to choke out.

He removes one of his arms and pulls something out of his bag.

I look up to see him holding a monkey plushie, Freddie my monkey plushie.

"Is that the one my grandma gave me?..."

He nods and hands it to me and I start weeping even more.

"I thought it got lost while moving."

"I found it outside your house, it was the last memory I had of you. I've held onto him since, he's been everywhere."

I look back up at him and stare into his eyes.

Slowly, I lift my arm and hand it back to him.

"Freddie always wanted to go to the military, will you take him there too?"

He freezes, a tear falls from Noah's eye as he takes the plushie from my hands and nods.

We continue to just sit there and look at each other, it reminds me of when we were kids. When I got too tired from playing soccer he would sit with me until I was okay again, didn't take his eyes off me once.

"I'll write letters to you, like the olden days."

I giggle a little at his statement.

"I'll write them back then."

I never believed in soulmates, but, I think Noah is mine, my platonic soulmate, like Rose said in Titanic 'he saved me, in every way a person can be saved.'

It might be cringy but I'm feeling poetic right now, I'm feeling a lot right now.

"Let's go back, yeah?" Noah stands up and reaches out his hands to help me up. "I have an Uber getting me in a few minutes..."

We walk back to find Jake waiting outside by an Uber.

Noah packs up all his stuff into the trunk of the car and then comes to face me.

"I'll miss you, Lily."

I punch his chest out of frustration but then break down and embrace him in a hug.

I can't stop the tears streaming down my face.

He lets go of me and walks towards the door, nodding goodbye to Jake.

Jake nods back.

He waves to me then sits down, slamming the car door.

Then, just like that, he's off.

I run to Jake to cry into his chest, he strokes my hair while holding me close to him.

Bye, Noah.