The New Kid: a Noah Beck Fanfiction *completed*

9

The rest of the day flew by. I skipped lunch to make up the pretest that I had skipped out on the day before, and Noah had a doctor's appointment that lasted all of calculus and Spanish, so the next time I saw him would be after practice.
My nerves got the best of me during practice, and I was struggling to focus. "Take a lap, Johnson," Coach Thomas yelled as I missed another ball. As I started running, a million thoughts danced around in my head. Before I could come to terms with any of them, Coach ended the practice.

"What the hell was all that about?" Amelie asked when she met me in the locker room.
I shrugged. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."
Amelie nodded, but when she finally processed what I had said, she whipped her head back around to look at me. "What would you be nervous about? Is this about Bryce's party tomorrow night?"
"No."
"Then what is it?" she asked impatiently.
"I have a date tonight," I mumbled quickly, hoping that she wouldn't catch the words.
"Oh my God! With Noah?"
"Who else would it be, Amelie? Blake?"
Amelie laughed at my suggestion. "Have fun, Grace, but not too much fun. You're too young for a baby."
I chuckled as I walked out of the locker room.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Noah asked, leaning against the wall outside of the locker room door.
"I am," I replied, nodding as I twisted my damp hair back up into a messy bun. I followed him wordlessly through the hallways. As we approached the door to the parking lot, Noah reached back and grabbed my hand. It felt like my hand belonged there, and once again, I felt safe.
Letting go of my hand, he opened the car door for me. I settled into the seat, waiting as he walked around the car, putting his backpack in the backseat before he settled into his own seat.
"I'm really glad that we're doing this," Noah said, turning the key in the ignition and grabbing my hand again.
I laced my finger in his before answering. "Me, too."
The drive was silent, and I watched as we passed a series of restaurants. I didn't know where he was taking me, but at that point, I would've gone anywhere with him.

"Rumor has it that this is your favorite restaurant," Noah stated as we pulled into the parking lot.
I looked at the restaurant, smiling. "You really did your research." I started to open my car door, but Noah stopped me.
"I don't think so. Wait just a minute." He sprinted around the car, opening my door and extending his hand. "You ready?"
I took his hand, getting out of the car. This was already the sweetest date that I had ever been on, and it technically hadn't even started yet.

"Hi, I had a reservation for Beck," Noah said, still holding my hand. The hostess led us to the table, and Noah pulled my chair out for me.
"Noah, this is nice," I said, sitting down. He sat across from me before speaking.
"This is nothing," Noah said, chuckling softly.
"This is probably the sweetest date that I've ever been on, Noah."
He looked shocked. "What about with your ex? What was his name again? Ryan?"
"Ryland. Our dates either consisted of going to his favorite restaurant or heading through some drive-thru and eating in the car at some park while he swore up and down that he was looking for something for us to do."
"I'm sorry, Grace. You deserve so much better than that," Noah said, grabbing my hand across the table.
I shrugged. "It's okay. Not every relationship can be perfect, and I think that you appreciate the good ones a little more when you've got a bad one to compare it to," I replied, smiling at him.

We talked softly about anything and everything for the rest of the meal. "What do you want to go to school for?" I asked, taking a bite of my meal.
"I'm not sure. All I know is that I want to play soccer."
"I'll have to come to some of your games," I teased.
"Oh, yeah?" he joked.
"Addison drags me to every game with her, so I'll be there regardless."
Noah faked a pained expression. "You really had to hurt me like that, huh?"
I shrugged, laughing. "Sorry, No."

"I have one more place that I want to take you," Noah said as we left the restaurant.
"Ooh, okay. You're just full of surprises today, aren't you?" I replied, getting into the car.
We drove in silence as Noah rubbed his thumb against mine. It was comforting, and I was completely at ease.
We pulled into a beach that I had never been to before, which was odd since I had lived here for my entire life.
"Alright, let's go," he said, turning the car off and coming around to open my door. I took his hand and let him lead me onto the sand.
"What are you gonna do? Kill me?" I joked.
He chuckled. "That's more of a second date kind of activity."

We sat down on the sand, and Noah wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Have you been out here before?"
I shook my head. "I've lived here my whole life, and I've never been here."
"When we first moved here this summer, I drove around a lot, looking for a place to clear my head. I stumbled upon this beach, and I watched the sunset almost every night. It made everything feel just a little bit more normal. I've never shared this place with anyone, but you're special, so it felt right to share it with you."

I leaned into his embrace, inhaling the scent of his cologne. "It's beautiful, Noah. Thank you for sharing this with me."
"Thank you for coming with me. I didn't think that I would make friends here, let alone fall for someone, but you proved me wrong, Grace," he replied, tightening his grip around my shoulders as I shivered.