A Girl with Pursuits

Chapter One: Present

My name is Adeline Mae Scott and I was born on September 12th, 1993, to a couple of high schoolers who didn't know a thing about raising a baby. Today is September 13th, 2015, the day after my 22nd birthday and I am currently on the way to pick up my best friend Noah Atwater from Los Angeles International Airport. Noah and I met the first week of freshman year while we were at Brooks High School. He seemed to be the only person who didn't judge me for the way I looked or the way I had been raised. People talk, and it sucks. But Noah accepted me from the get go. He instantly became my friend, matter of fact, one of my only friends. It wasn't until the beginning of junior year that I realized he was my absolute best friend. Back then, my mother was in a relationship with a guy named David. David was physically and emotionally abusive, every time he was around the house, I made up an excuse to leave.  My mother was in the relationship for an unhealthy amount of time, yet one day, she finally got enough courage and broke up with David. Unfortunately, David was determined to have the last laugh. He began sending death threats for me. My mother and I both agreed he was just bluffing, but one day, as I was walking home from school, I noticed a suspicious character following me. I turned around to get a closer look and sure enough it was David. My pace began to quicken, yet so did David's. I did the most logical thing a seventeen year old girl being chased by a possible serial killer could do, I ran. My legs carried me all the way into a Starbucks, about a block away from where I last saw David, and I quickly made my way into the bathroom. I locked the door behind me, back pressed up against it, and slid down to the floor, finally catching my breath. Immediately, I took out my phone and called Noah because I knew he would be the only person to believe me.

When Noah picked up and heard my hyperventilating, he dropped everything he was doing, drove down to the Starbucks and took me back to his house. I revealed the entire story to him, prompting him to not let me out of sight. Noah didn't even let me go home once it got dark, he knew that I would be safer at an undisclosed location, far away from harm. I let me borrow one of his old t-shirts and his sister allowed me to borrow a pair of athletic shorts. I felt so guilty for overstaying my welcome, but his whole family was so empathetic for my current situation. His mother had already set up the guest bedroom for me and I was so beyond grateful. I texted my mom that I was spending the night at his house and the only response I got was a measly 'k'. Noah and I decided to watch a movie that night before we headed up to bed. As we sat on the living room couch, he scooted closer to me. He then wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I don't think it was because we were watching "The Purge," it felt like this embrace meant more to him than just hugging out of freight. I looked up at him and he flashed me a smile. It was at that moment when I realized he was truly my best friend, but not only that. I realized that I loved him, not just as my best friend, but I was completely head over heels in love with Noah Atwater. However, nothing happened between us, at least not for many years. 

Noah had been participating in a study abroad program this past summer in Greece and Rome to study architecture. This would be the first time we had seen each other in person since he had left in May. To saw I was excited was an understatement. I had an opportunity to study in New York this summer but I turned down the offer because I couldn't afford the tuition. Soon enough, I had made it to LAX. I parked outside the entrance of Terminal 2 and watched the clock as time passed by. It would be minutes till I got to see Noah. Suddenly, I caught glimpse of the boy with the dark, wavy hair.  I opened my door and ran towards him. He dropped a duffle bag he was holding and pulled me in tight. I missed his voice, his touch, his warmth, everything. I had missed everything about him.

"Did you miss me?" He spoke into the top of my head. 

"Is it that obvious?" I chuckled. 

Noah laughed and released me from the embrace. He picked up his duffle bag and we made our way to the parked car. He opened the trunk and placed his luggage in the bag, nice and snug. He closed the trunk and we made our way to the front seats. He got into the passenger seat and I shot him a sweet smile. 

"Are you jet-lagged?" I asked.

"Yeah, a little, they're nine hours ahead of us. "

"Geez," I said astonished, "Well. Let's get you home. I don't want to keep you up if you're tired."

"I need to stay up and adjust to the time change, there's no rush." Then, there was a change of tone in his voice. "Actually, Adeline. Can we talk real quick?"

I had just put the car in drive, but quickly shifted back into park. "Yeah, for sure," I replied. 

"Well..." His sweet voice quickly became nervous, almost shaky. "I just need to say this now or I'll never forgive myself."

"What is it?" I probed.

"I had a lot of fun studying abroad, believe me. But, while I was there, I felt as though..." His thought faltered. "I felt as though a piece of me was missing. A really important piece of me."

I stared at him blankly. "Why's that?" I asked cautiously. 

"I realized that this piece of me was actually the most important thing to me, so um. I'm happy to be back. Because, that means this piece is back in my life. That piece being you." He looked at me and I immediately felt my cheeks turning very red. "Listen, I don't know if this is too forward, but I'm just gonna come out and say it. I have loved you since we were 15 and you're one of the most important people in my life and when I left this summer, it was one of the hardest things for me to do. You were on my mind constantly and nothing felt right when you weren't there with me. It just made me realize that I needed to do something about it because if I hadn't I think I would just simply--"

I cupped Noah's face and pulled him into mine swiftly, pressing my lips in his. He quickly kissed me back and placed a hand on my face as well. It was magical, to say the least, and it lasted what felt like an eternity. When we finally pulled away, Noah stared at me with a toothless grin. 

"So does this mean we're?" he began. 

"Yes," I gleamed.

We looked into each other's eyes for quite sometime, then I put the car in drive and made way into LA airport traffic. That blissful moment would forever be engrained in my memory as one of the happiest moments of my life. 

"Happy Birthday," he said. I looked over at him and flashed a teary eyed smile.