Naomi(e)

Chapter 3

When I finally found this "Naomie" chick. She was sitting on a beanbag, reading. "Miss?" I said softly. Trying to get her attention without scaring her. She looked up at me. She has pretty eyes. 

"Yes?"

"I think we accidentally swapped cards when we fell." 

"Oh, maybe." She dug into her pocket. Reading the name on it "Naomi Marshall." "I'm sorry about that." I told her it was no worries as we swapped back. "Naomie." She put her hand out to shake, as if we didn't already know each other's names. 

"Naomi." I almost added "without the e on the end." But I thought it was stupid. 

"Not often you meet another Naomi(e)." She smiled at me. "Pretty" I thought, shaking the idea off. I nod. "I like your hair." That was the first time someone said that, ever since I chopped it all off. 

"Thanks." I mumble, looking at the book in her hand. "So you like Holly Jackson?" She is holding one of my recent favorites, The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson. Her most recently published book. 

"Oh, yeah," she chuckled. "AGGGTM got me onto her." I nod. She asked if I wanted to sit down, I had time, so I did. She seemed nice enough. 

6:27PM

Max would be home at 7, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I was a little late. I offered to walk her some so we could talk about our love for books a bit more. I had gotten to know this girl of the same name. She likes painting, reading, has an older sister, two younger brothers, goes to a public high school, 15 years of age, goes in between her moms and dads house, but mostly lives with her mother. She has the most beautiful brown eyes. They were almost black, so very pretty. We have the same name, and interests, yet we are so vastly different. I got her number when we got to her house, I smiled and laughed as we talked, for the first time in a long time. When she took my phone out of my hand, my heartbeat quickened. Every brush of our bodies sent me into a spiral. I never felt like this before. it was an hour walk to her home, we passed mine on the way, but I didn't say a thing. 

8:06PM

I walked into my home, feeling better than ever, but that sinking feeling of being here striped it away. I see Max sitting on the couch, seemingly anxious.

"Where were you?!" He said loudly, but he wasn't yelling. I waved the book I picked up.

"I told you I had to go to the library."

"You could have called." He seemed... not angry, but scared.

"I'm going to my room." I said quickly, wanting to get out of the situation as soon as I could. 

"Wait, dinner." Shit. Dinner. I was kind of light headed after walking all that way. So maybe I'd eat a little. "I got your favorite." I walk into the kitchen, my favorite for today is chicken soup. 

"Did you already eat?" He tells me he has, so I take my food to my room, eating slowly, watching a show on my computer, though I don't really pay attention, my mind wandering back to Naomie. I smile, thinking about the way she laughed.