Right Person Too Late

chapter 19

Noah

"What would I do without your smart mouth? Drawing me in, and you kicking me out."

Song: All of Me by John Legend

"Yeah, he's been in his room all day." I hear Miles whisper to someone through my closed door.

I don't hear a response so he must be on the phone. At the sound of more talking I flip over to my side and continue scrolling through the camera roll on my old phone. Photo after photo of Papa in front of his car, standing proudly next to me the day I caught my first wave and his last Christmas flash by and I ignore them all, only doing this as something to fill the time in by.

I called in sick from work this morning and I don't have any classes today so...here I am. Miles has attempted to lure me out of my room to play some ball or to go out for lunch, but I just can't get myself to do anything productive.

It all just seems so stupid, living life when my fucking father has been in the ground for six years now. Six years...in the dirt. Thinking about that strong, loving man like this makes me sick to the stomach.

I sit up at the sound of knocking on my door. "No, I don't want to get tacos, Miles. I'm not hungry."

"It's Elena!" he calls out then realising that I'm not asleep he adds in a normal tone, "she's on the phone and wants to talk to you."

I frown. I'd talked to Elena last night so the fact that she's calling this late at night with no warning is definitely out of character for her. I throw the doona off me, quickly stride over to the door before ripping it open.

Miles looks worried, but doesn't say a word when I snatch the phone out of his hand.

I shut the door with what I hope looks like a grateful smile at Miles and fall back onto my bed.

An irritated squeal cuts through the speakerphone before I can get a word out.  "Noah! I swear, you need to get a girlfriend! You're getting too old and boring."

I roll my eyes. "Elena, is anything actually wrong?"

She groans, "Yesssss, the fact that you're single. It's driving me crazy!"

"Like you can talk."

My sassy younger sister ignorantly scoffs, "I've already got a boyfriend, you on the other hand..." she drifts off.

"¡¿Qué?! (Spanish translation: You what?!)"

"Hm? What are you talking about?"

"Elena?" She's only a baby and definitely too young to be dating. "¿Desde cuándo? Eres solo un niño pequeño. ¿Mamá lo sabe? ¿A quién estoy engañando? Por supuesto, ella lo sabe. ¿Cuánto tiempo ha estado sucediendo esto? (Spanish translation: Since when? You're only a little kid. Does Mum know? Who am I kidding? Of course, she knows. How long has this been going on for?)"        

"Shut up, Noah. And I haven't been a baby for agesss. Tengo casi quince años, por el amor de Dios. (Spanish translation: I'm nearly fifteen for God's Sake.)"

"Exactly! ¡Solo tienes catorce años! (Spanish translation: You're only fourteen!) Elena..."

"Noah..." she imitates my groan, a smile audible in her voice.

"Okay, at least tell me who he is?"

"Pft, like I'm going to tell you that. You can meet him at Christmas."

I barely register my movements as I get up once again and march around my room in frustration, aware of the fact that there's literally nothing that I can do. Which is the only reason Elena is so relaxed. "Do the others know? Mateo? Lucas?" I highly doubt that Lucas would let something like this escape his attention without doing anything about it. The guy's a hothead and would probably beat the shit out of this mystery boyfriend.