Three years after his mother's death, Noah Reed is lost once again. Unsure of where to go after running from his problems for so long, he ends up back home, wanting a place to finally settle down. He's ready to tie up loose ends and to try and corre...
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I enter my dorm after a long day of classes and studying, ready to fall into bed after changing into comfortable clothes and binge-watch an entire season of the The Vampire Diaries.
Of course, I know that won't happen. Considering I have three papers to write, a handout to finish, and a quiz to study for, it will be a while before I'm actually able to relax.
I'm not surprised to walk into the room to find Jess sprawled out on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Being able to share a dorm with my best friend has been a dream come true. Plus, Jess makes sure things around here are never boring.
"Hey, Jess. What are you doing?"
Jess doesn't respond, so I wait a moment to let her brood. After a long moment of silence passes, I study my friend. She lays in bed, staring at the ceiling, wordless and still.
Worried, I prompt, "Jess? Don't tell me you fell asleep."
As Jess continues to ignore me, I reach for a pillow and walk over to her. As a last resort, I bring the pillow down to whack my best friend as I cry, "Jess! Wake up!"
"Blake!" Jess exclaims as I bombard her with the pillow. "Cut it out! I wasn't sleeping!"
Frowning, I question, "Then what on earth were you doing?"
Jess sits up slowly, fixing her hair as she does. Finally, Jess explains, "In my drama class, we're performing Sleeping Beauty. We're auditioning for roles soon, and I want the lead. So I've been practicing laying completely still, because I'm going to have to be really good at it if I want the part."
I stare at Jess for a long moment before bursting into laughter. "Wow," I murmur. "You're serious about this acting thing, huh?"
"The same way you are about teaching, I guess," Jess retorts, falling back onto her mattress. "I really hope I get the lead. Supposedly scouts are going to be watching this performance."
"Okay," I draw out the word. I decide to tease Jess by pointing out, "You do know princess Aurora was a blonde, right?"
Jess rolls her eyes. "It's the twenty-first century, Blake. Marijuana is legal in some states. People can love who they want and be who they wanna be regardless of gender. Equality is finally being fought for. Sleeping Beauty can be a brunette." Jess hesitates, seemingly lost in thought. In a daze, she mumbles, "But maybe I should invest in some hair dye. You know, just in case."
I snort as I take a seat at my desk, reaching for my laptop to try and complete some of my assignments.
"So," Jess says to get my attention.
"Yeah?" I ask.
"I was just wondering if . . . you know . . ." Jess trails off suggestively. Curious as to what she's talking about, I glance at her over my shoulder.
"You were wondering what?"
"If you've run into Noah yet," Jess mumbles, pursing her lips in anticipation of my answer.
Just the mention of Noah Reed has my heart racing. Memories rush through my mind at the sound of his name, and I try my best to keep them at bay. Now isn't the time to think back on how good things between us had been before everything crashed and burned. I don't need to start thinking about Noah too much, because it will lead me to want to visit him now that he's back and beg for him to love me again.
I have to remind myself that I have him a choice. He could have stayed and fought for us, or to leave and lose me for good. He chose to lose me. He doesn't get a second chance.
"No, I haven't run into Noah," I tell Jess. I'm relieved by this fact at the same time it leaves me feeling somewhat disappointed. Furrowing my eyebrows, I question, "And what do you mean by yet?"
"Magnolia Heights is a small town," Jess says. "If Noah's back, it's inevitable your paths will cross at least once. The question isn't how it's going to happen. The real question is: What are you going to do when it does?"
I lean back in my seat, Jess's words swirling around my head. I think about what she's said for a long moment, unaware of time as it passes. What am I going to do when I run into Noah? I haven't put much thought into the idea yet.
"I don't know, Jess," I admit, voice hoarse. "I really don't know."
I'm not surprised when I'm met with the sound of my best friend snoring.
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a/n: here's a second update to make up for my lack of updates lately. sorry they're both short. whoops.
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