Caught in Haze

Chapter Four

Noah Haze.

I have had a crush on him since freshman year. Not a crush I ever acted on but a crush none-the-less.

The initial attraction was because of his eyes. Eyes that shine a golden brown color.

I am almost positive he is the only person in the world with those eyes. They are mesmerizing. A shade I have never seen before. And after four years of him looking at me with them, the allure has not faded one bit.

"Hey Casey." He smiled at her before shifting his golden gaze to me. I couldn't help but glance down at the ground shyly before meeting his gaze with a small smile of my own.

Noah is a guy that has always minded his own business. He is mostly quiet but still a part of the loud boisterous band of soccer players that yell their way through this school.

He's their captain funnily enough. It's because when he eventually does speak, all of those guys listen. There's something about him that has always screamed maturity compared to the rest of those guys. He is also one of the best players in the country, so they would probably listen to him based on that trait alone.

I find his skills and the power that he has, incredibly attractive to say the least.

And when I'm attracted to someone I'm generally very up front about it. But with him it's different. Maybe it's because of how much I respect him but I have been so terribly shy around the guy since the first time I met him. I only got over myself enough to be friends with him last year.

"Hi Charlie." He said in a tone that sent an exciting shiver down my spine.

"We were just talking about you." Casey said, nudging me again, making me take a step closer to Noah.

"We were." I said in confirmation but then sent Casey a look that directed the words at her as a question.

She just grinned in response and turned her attention back to Noah.

"Really?" He looked at Casey with an amused smile then his eyes found mine again.

"Oh yes." Casey grinned. "We were talking about your party tonight, Haze."

Oh... it's Noah's party!

He may be quiet but the guy is famous at this school for his parties. Stories live rent free in my head about some of the most legendary experiences that happened at his parties.

My ex-boyfriend Rick used to praise Haze parties which meant a lot coming from the king of parties himself.

Apparently, Noah's the son of some rich lawyers that have clients all over the world. He hosts a party every time they go on a business trip which is every other weekend it would seem.

"It's my last chance to throw a party before everybody goes their separate ways." He shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I go to National Team camp next week."

Like I said, he has always been very good at soccer. He's played for the U.S. Youth teams his whole life.

His older sister is one of the best players in the country too, although I've never met her. She has always been a few years ahead of me in the age groups so we never crossed paths. In the soccer community she is very highly regarded though and is expected to be on the next senior national team camp list.

I don't know anything about her outside of soccer since Noah has never once brought her up since we became friends.

"Well count us in." Casey said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder before shaking me annoyingly.

"Great! I'll see you later then." He smiled, "I have to go turn in some books to the library so they will let me graduate." He laughed.

"S-see you later."

I mentally slapped myself for stuttering.

Noah didn't seem to care. He just grinned and walked away from us. Casey tensed up next to me and I could tell she was holding back a laugh.

"I hate both of you." She said, dropping her arm off of me and turning back to her locker.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"You two have liked each other for years and have done nothing about it."

It's not that I didn't know he may have liked me too. He just never made a move. And by the time I was confident enough to make the first move, I was in a relationship. And the first time I broke up with Rick I would have loved nothing more than to give it a try with Noah. But he was in a relationship with Danielle Fields. And when they broke up I was back with Rick.

Now we are both single but going off to different places. Me to college and him to play professional soccer.

It was like we were never meant to be.

"I was with Rick." I rolled my eyes and closed my now empty locker. "And it doesn't matter now. High school is over. I'm going to Hudson in the fall and he's going to play for the MLS."

"Yeah... He is going to be living in the city an hour from your university. That's tough." She said sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "I think Haze would have been a better boyfriend than Rick either way."

I closed my locker and slung my bag over my shoulder.

"Ricks is an Idiot..." I sighed not really wanting to drag this conversation on any farther. "...but he was really great in bed."

Casey scoffed at me and slammed her locker shut.

"How great can a teenage boy really be in bed Charlie. Seriously." She rolled her eyes again. I relaxed a little knowing she dropped Noah out of the conversation.

Casey has detested any thoughts of physical intimacy with a man her whole life. She is very much for the girls.

Sometimes I wish I was too. Maybe then I wouldn't have gotten cheated on and my heart broken by a guy that didn't deserve me.