The Game We Both Lost

Part 7 - Noah's POV

Noah's POV

He thought that when Breanna finally called it quits, he could carry on with his life. Back to the way everything was before. He would charm all the girls and everyone would once again see him as the player he had been famous for. Maybe, just maybe, he and Melissa would get back. He did fall for her once. Alas, to no bother. She wasn't worth the fall.

He'd thought that when he jumped, she would jump with him. In the end, it was only him who carry the wounds from the fall, and she walked away unscarred.

He didn't want history to repeat itself.

Breanna, though, was different. They didn't start out the way he always does with the other girls. In fact, he was almost positively sure that she hated him at first. He couldn't really tolerate her presence in the beginning. It was as if her main goal every time Andrew and Hayley invited them over for movies was to piss him off.

But Noah had always noticed how her eyes glowed and contrasted against her dyed brown hair. He almost wanted her to keep it brown when she went back to blonde. He'd noticed how nice it was to hear her laugh, which rarely happens when he's around. He'd noticed all of it even before she looked at him and challenged him to play the game that evening.

Everything else changed then. Noah didn't want to lose too fast, but Breanna was making it even harder. He loved to see her smile, to hear her laugh and listen to the stories she always has to tell. They spent days together, like the lovers they never actually were. Sometimes he would hold her too tight, and almost showed her something he didn't want her to see.

Like how he was falling and falling fast for her.

In a matter of months, she grew to be such an important part of his life. Not a day goes by without him thinking about her at least once. They talked all night, and he woke up earlier than usual just to call her and tell her good morning. She was always cranky after having woken up by his calls, but when they meet in the afternoon, she smiled all the way, and Noah loved it.

When he held her at the beach, he was pretty sure he had really fallen in love with her. He wanted to tell her he had lost the game, but she had pulled away. And as usual, Noah was quick to mask his emotions. That was the last time he had the chance to hold her.

The she ended the game the next day. Noah hadn't meant what he said. He only wanted her to see that he wasn't bothered about her bringing up a break. But the words left his lips, and he couldn't take them back. At the end of it, it was him who hurt the most, for hurting her.

Ever since, Breanna was all he could think of, even when he had his arm wrapped around Melissa's shoulder, or another girl's. When they talk to him, it was Breanna's voice that he heard. He tried to shake her out of his thoughts, but she lingered.

Sometimes he forgot that they were no longer playing the game and almost called her to say goodnight.

He saw Breanna that one evening by her window. She was wiping at her face, and he was certain that she had been crying. He wanted to knock on her door and take her into his arms, but he couldn't. Then he saw her waved at the boy who lived in front of her. The boy who dumped her in front of everyone. The boy who hurt her so deeply. He realized then that he wasn't any better.

Maybe even worst than Colton had been.

He knew that when he sees Melissa and Lucy giving Breanna a hard time, he should stop them and defend her. But he wanted her to know that he's moved on, for no apparent reason. Breanna was strong, however. She made Melissa cry in the cafeteria instead of the other way round. He wanted to smile, but Melissa kept whining at him.

On that fateful Saturday, he had fortunately decided to walk down the street past Breanna's house. He'd wanted to take in the evening breeze when he heard a scream. It came from inside her house. Instantly all the bad thoughts came rushing in his mind. His heart thumped with worry. If he loses her, he'd never be able to forgive himself for not telling her how he feels.

He didn't think twice when he ran into her house. The noise came from upstairs, where he know her room would be. It was pure anger that he felt when he saw Colton hovering above her, like a monster with his obvious monstrous thoughts. He saw her winced as she craddled her wrist, but he didn't wait a second to pull Colton off of her, and giving him blows after blows of punches. He wanted that monster dead.

Breanna managed to get onto her feet though, and when she touched his arm, all the impulse and need to hurt Colton left Noah. He was relieved to see that she wasn't badly hurt. He'd made a call for the police then, and when he was done, she had thrown her arms around him. He embraced her, silently breathing in her scent that he had grown to love and holding her closer to him when she began to cry.

He knew then that he loved her, he is just waiting for the right time to come for him to tell her, and hoped that it will not be too late.