Silence

Chapter 4

Noah's POV

"Dude, your missing the best waves. They're huge," my best friend, Mason, informs me on FaceTime.

"I'm aware. I've been keeping up with the swells even though there's no point to doing that," I reply, a sour taste in my mouth from missing out on the best waves SoCal's has had in a while.

"Seriously, Noh, it sucks without you. It's not only us that miss you, it's the whole damn school. It's not Cove High without our quarterback surf king," Mason remarks running a hand through his wavy blonde hair. "But trust me, we miss you most and you need to come home before we fly our asses out to Michigan and drag you back to California."

I've missed my friends. We're a super tight knit group and it sucks being so far away from them and not being able to see them everyday.

"I'm visiting in a couple months so don't waste your time flying here. Knowing you, you'll have a mental breakdown from the fact that there's no ocean to look at. I'm surprised I haven't had one."

"You probably have and just don't want to admit it," Mason laughs.

"Asshole," I retort. "How's Aiden's leg doing?" I ask. Aiden managed to break his leg by landing twisted on a surfing air. Didn't help that he had already injured it from the football game we had the night before he broke it.

"He's in a boot now, thank God. He's doing a lot better," Mason replies. "Who have you been hanging out with?"

"Nobody you know," I reply just to annoy him. Don't worry, we do this out of love.

"No shit." Mason rolls his green eyes letting me know he doesn't find this amusing.

"Well I've only been here for like what a few days?"

"So Cove High's 'golden boy' as everyone calls you has been demoted to a social outcast? I know you're no extrovert or anything but I figured you'd make at least some friends man. You doing ok?" The dude looks actually genuinely concerned.

"You didn't let me finish. I'm good. I've been hanging out with these two girls at school."

Mason's eyebrows shoot up and a grin spreads across his face. "My man."

Of course he'd say that. He's Mason Greene. "We're trying to figure out how to help this girl whose got really awful parents to say the least."

"Always taking the high road, huh?" Mason remarks with a smile. "Is-

"Noah Ripley Brooks! get your butt down here for dinner!"

Mason laughs. "Comforting to know your mom hasn't changed one bit."

"Better go before she starts claiming I'm sleeping with a girl up here," I laugh, remembering the time Mason, this other friend Dominic, and I took more than a minute to rush downstairs and my mom came stomping up the stairs with her spatula yelling "You better not have a girl in there, young man! Even safe sex isn't safe!" It was pretty funny when the three of us boys came out and she dropped her spatula with a smile and said "Oh, Mason, Dominic! So sorry about the spatula!"

She takes dinner time very seriously.

After Mason and I say a quick goodbye and hang up, I run downstairs.

"Who were you talking to?" Mom asks, putting the huge bowl of pasta onto the table.

"Mason," I reply, grabbing the plates and and forks and setting them on the table.

"Pasta! Pasta!" Laylie squeals from her seat.

"Noah honey, I know you miss your old friends but you got to focus on making new friends too." Mom rinses her hands in the sink while Dad comes bounding out of his office and down the hall.

"Mom, they're not my old friends. They're my friends."

"I know, I know. Are you going to join the football team?

I shrug. I didn't know if they would accept me when it was already two weeks into the season."

Mom raises an eyebrow at me. "I want you to at least try out. I know you don't like it but we've moved, hun. It's time to start living here, not wishing we were living back in Cali."

"The school years already started. They've already had their first game."

"So? Your new. Just ask the coach."

I nod and agree because I'll know it will make my mom happy.

And honestly, I want to be on the football team so bad. I'm just not so sure I'll be accepted. I don't want to take anyone's spot.