They Call Me Noah

Chapter 1

Noah's POV:

How did I get myself into this situation? Mere inches from the floor, pants around my ankles, toothbrush in hand, and the taste of minty toothpaste threatening to choke me. If anyone saw me now, they'd probably laugh. Actually, scratch that-they'd definitely laugh. Especially James.

It all started with the blaring sound of my alarm clock, which I had somehow managed to sleep through. Again. With a sluggish hand, I smacked at the alarm and slowly sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes sleepily.

I glanced over at Jame's bed, expecting to see him still asleep. But to my surprise, he was already up, standing in front of the mirror, slicking back his dark, black hair with a comb.

"You're gonna be late, yo'know" James's mumbled, still trying to fix his hair in the mirror.

I groaned and flopped back down onto my bed. "I know", I mumbled, trying to burrow deeper into my pillow, but he wasn't having any of it. He strided over to my bed and stood over me with that infuriatingly charming grin of his. His dark, chocolately brown eyes gleamed with mischief as he grabbed my mattress and violently shook it.

"Wakey, wakey~" James sung, his voice dropping to a low, octave tone. "Eggs and bakey!"

He dropped the mattress and yanked the blanket away, leaving me exposed to the chilly morning air.

"Stop it, James!"

"Aw, you want this back, don't you?" he taunted, speaking in that stupid baby voice of his while holding my blanket up in the air, triumphantly.

I groaned and reached out, grabbing the edge of the blanket. "Give it back!" I squeaked, pulling it towards me.

James raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh, come on, Noah. You can't sleep forever."

Ignoring him, I yanked the blanket from his grasp and quickly covered myself again, cocooning back into my safe haven.

James sighed and stepped closer to the bed. He sat down on the edge of it, the bed sinking slightly under his weight.

"Go away," I mumbled, burying my head deeper under the duvet.

"Come on, Noah. You can't hide under there forever," James said quietly, poking at my side. "What are you, a vampire avoiding the sun?"

I peeked out from under the covers, my pale skin and white hair probably making me look the part. "Yeah, and you're the garlic," I shot back sarcastically, my voice muffled by the duvet.

James chuckled and stood up, yanking the blanket away from me again.

"Alright, Dracula. Time to face the day. School won't wait for your beauty sleep."

Before I can protest, he grabs my arm and pulls me up with surprising ease, as if I weigh nothing. I stumble, my legs still half-asleep, but James's grip keeps me from falling.

"You can't be late again, or Mrs. Thompson will have your head." He reminds me as he hauls me towards the bathroom door.

He shoves me inside and I stumbled forward, nearly tripping over a laundry basket. I quickly composed myself and got to work, brushing my teeth with utmost care.