Noah Baker || ✔

33

33 | Oddly Off
Song:  You will be found
By: Dear Evan Hansen

November 20, 2018

Well, it's two days until Thanksgiving and you know what that means, we need a turkey. Actually, JT and Mereck need a turkey. Mereck offered for me to join them and their family for thanksgiving. Of course, I'm going, I love food, and Mereck told me his mom spends lots of time on every single dish. 

I was at their house, hanging out with them but mostly JT but being there made me think of the event with Mereck and Grayson. How Mereck hit him. 

I'm brought out of my thoughts by a door slamming, I turned my head to see Mereck, cringing at his mistake. I giggled at his funny expression. "Sorry," he said through his teeth while a slight curve appeared on the corner of his mouth. I stood up from their couch and made my way towards him. "It's fine," I chuckled.  "When are we leaving for the store?" 

"I don't know," He brought his hands to scratch the back of his neck. "Joan! Are you ready?!" He yelled and moments later, we see JT come running down the stairs. "Coming!" she shouted even though we were right in front of her. "Let's go," Mereck said as he went out of the front door. JT gave me a peck on the lips before we left but I didn't do it back but she didn't take any notice of it.  

The whole car ride to the store mostly consisted of JT and Mereck arguing about which radio station we should listen to. I just sat in the back, trying to ignore them by looking out the window. Then I thought about this exact moment, it reminded me of that day. I was in the passenger seat of Mereck's car and stared out the window until we got to his house. And when we got to the house, I tried to drown myself. What's wrong with me? 

"Noah!" JT yelled, pulling me out of my thoughts, I look up at her. "Get out of the car, we're here," she said, pulling me out of the car and making me run with her into the store.

With Mereck following from behind, we entered the store, and JT went ahead to get a turkey before they were all sold out while Mereck and I stayed and walked around together.

JT told us to meet her by the candy aisle once she's done so that's where we went.

I and Mereck eventually found the right section and started to scope out the different candies.

My hand probably touched every single bag of candy in the aisle, I can never decide.

I heard a clearing of the throat. I looked up to see Mereck with his eyebrows raised, he was already holding a bag. "You gonna choose already?" He spat.

"Don't be rude," I peeped, making him chuckled at my sudden annoyance. "I'm trying to make the right decision," I said, narrowing my eyes as I looked down at the bottom shelf.

"Why are you being so serious?" He laughed out. "It's candy,"

I grabbed a bag of Twix and a bag of Lifesavers gummies and held them up over my head in Mereck's direction. "Which one?" I asked him but he shook his head as he stepped back a little, almost leaving the isle.

"I don't know," He looked over at the next isle then back at me. "But when making a decision, I'll be in the next aisle." After that, he vanished, leaving me alone with my frustrations.

After maybe 10 minutes of me going back and forth between the two candy bags but I finally made the choice and went with Gummy Life Savers.

I got up and made my way to the end of the aisle to go and find Mereck but I turned the corner, I didn't see him. And I went to the next side and still nothing. Great, now I actually have to search for him.

I started walking down all the isles, looking everywhere and nothing. Then I came to the back of the store. This is where JT went to Turkey. And there it was, I saw the turkey line but I didn't see JT.

Okay, what the heck is going on?

Once again, I had to do another lap around the store and still nothing. I even texted both of them and no one answered.

I decided to do another lap and as I turned the corner, I bumped into someone else, the one and only...

"Ashton?" Getting up without his assistants, I eventually meet his gaze again. "Hey, so glad you're here, I don't know where my friends went. Could you—" I paused because my gaze was caught up in his eyes.

He was talking but I wasn't listening. Staring into his green eyes, I could tell something is off. And I glanced down to see that his lips were a different shade of pink.

Narrowing my eyes, I gave him a confused look. He noticed, "What?" He asked.

"What's up with your lips?" I crossed my arms. I had a feeling this had something to do with —

"I got stung by a bee on my bottom lip, it hurts like hell." He said.

I raised an eyebrow and went along with it not quite sure. "I'm here to pick up some stuff to stop the swelling." He stated.

I don't know what it is about him lately but something is off.

"Noah! Over here!" A sudden voice yelled from across the store. I look over to see a very pissed off looking Mereck and a cheerful JT.

I looked back at Ashton, "Okay well I'll see you around." I said as I started walking away.

I didn't hear him say goodbye though.

As I approached the two siblings, something also didn't seem right. Mereck looked pissed and JT was grinning from ear to ear.

I connected my eyes with JT as I pointed at Mereck to her. We walked off to the side. "What's up with him?" I whispered to her.

She turned me around and planted her lips onto mine. I pulled away after a few seconds later to hear her answer. "Oh don't worry about it." After that, she pulled me in again.

Sooner or later, we heard Mereck clear his throat and looked up. His arms were crossed as he eyed JT. She went ahead and took our bags of candy while she was holding the turkey. "You guys can wait out in the car, I can get this." She told us and we took her offer.

As Mereck and I walked out to the car, I would glance up at him a few times before he noticed. "What?" He asked.

Looking down as the ground as we walked I asked, "what are you mad about?"

I heard him sigh but then shut me out. "Don't worry about it."

I stopped in my tracks but he kept walking. He soon glanced back at me to say something I didn't expect.

Making me press my lips together in confusion. What does that mean?

"I'm sorry."