Playing With Fire - COMPLETED

Chapter twenty - come on baby, light my fire

Chapter twenty – come on baby, light my fire

"I ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY AND I WOULD DO IT ALL AGAIN!" I cringed at the punitive words that left her mouth, my own mother, she was a hurricane and I was just a vulnerable little village that would be eradicated in her wake. She was the one who taught me why hurricanes are named after people

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i arrived home, and she was in a mood, a bottle was thrown, sliced me across the cheek. my hand clasped against it. It burned, I could feel Noah's handprint, but it wasn't enough to comfort me. I was terrified. I ran. I told him I wasn't running anymore. I lied.

Noah Perkins – ALEXIS WHERE ARE YOU?

Alexis Cooper – no

Noah Perkins – what do you mean no?

Alexis Cooper – just forget about me

Noah Perkins – not possible. You don't have to keep running. I'm here.

I shut my phone off. I shudder at the days gone by. I remembered last night.

FLASHBACK

As i climbed the stairs late at night, I yelled, "dad, let me in! mum's coming and she's armed! Please dad! You promised."

END OF FLASHBACK

Oh, it haunts me. I felt the hard-coarse cement against my back. I was laying in my driveway, personally throwing myself a singular pity party.

I was walking in the hallway and immediately got caught by Noah. I kept walking.

"shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

"don't care. Shut up."

"Lexi..." I turned to him. I previously didn't give him eye contact. He desperately tried to lighten the situation. "that's a nasty cut. You're lucky you're cute."

"Flattery? Really Noah? I thought you were still made at me?"

"and you told Charlie."

"you know about that huh?"

"yeah things happen when you're not looking. But I'm not choosing to be mad at you anymore. I thought you would leave me after Jonah after Charlie and for some reason I feel like I should be apologizing to you. I care about you and even after everything you've done to me, I know you're still the girl who went through things with me. I want this to work; this friendship. Do you see that door? Do you wanna go out?" that earned an eyeroll. "c'mon."

"Why are we at a cinema?"

"it is time for us to hang out... as friends. And what do friends do?"

"Kidnap them and take them against their will to a dodgy cinema."

"No. They hang out like normal friends." He took her hand and went up to the ticket booth, asks for any of the movies and entered the dark room.

"why did you pick this movie, it's shit."

"wanna go?"

We walked around sipping hot chocolate (might change it)

"so you never told me why you change your name."

"I did wonder when you would ask me that."

"so why do you?"

"when a child is punished for their honesty, they begin to lie."

"is that your way to be philosophical?"

"I was a quote that I found that basically sums up everything. Anything I'd do would end in penalization...."

"uh. I dont really know what to say."

"it's fine, I didn't expect you to." She offered a sad smile.

"anyway, hey can you please book an uber for us I Noah Jr. really needs to, you, know."

"ew. Noah shut up. Sure."

"here take my phone. Passcode is 3762." He ran off and I opened the phone and it opened to the notes app with a bunch of sentences. I couldn't help it, yeah, I know a breach of privacy but couldn't help myself.

1. Are you my appendix because I have a funny feeling in my stomach that makes me feel like I should take you out

2. Do you live in a corn field because I'm stalking you

3. I'm not staring at your boobs, I'm staring at your heart

4. I bet you $20 that you're gonna turn me down.

5. Will you drink hot chocolate with me... and pretend to love me?

"what are you looking at?" he looked over my shoulder. "ah shit. Can I have that back?" he snatched the phone before I could interject.

"what are those? Wait the document is titled,

Noah Elliot Perkins' how to ask your fantasy girl out genius list (needs work). Hmm is that what I am? Your fantasy girl?"

"uH-" 'no' a voice in his head said. 'my fantasy girl would not abuse me' god why wont that leave my mind.

"that was supposed to be my clever way of asking you out. But in hindsight maybe its not a genius idea."

"well I think it's cute." She leaned to kiss him on the cheek. "Except the one where it says you're stalking me. I guess it's a good thing I hate corn." Then she ran off.