The New Kid: a Noah Beck Fanfiction *completed*

31

Noah was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. "It's okay, Grace."
"It's not okay. I don't share things like that with people for a reason."
"Why?" Amy asked as Noah sat down in the seat between me and her.
I fought the urge to shrug as I answered. "You don't share your weakness. That's the first thing that people will use against you." The look on each of their faces made me feel more humiliated than I was originally, and I excused myself from the table.

I could hear the three of them talking about me with one another, but I couldn't bring myself to continue listening. I laid back on the bed in the guest room, staring up at the ceiling. It was only one o'clock, so we had a few hours before we would be heading to Bryce's for dinner.
There was a soft knock on the doorframe. "Can I come in?"
I sat up to see Noah standing there. "Yeah."
He sat down next to me, putting an arm around me. "You know that it's okay, right? Everyone's got shit with their parents. You don't have to be afraid to share that side of yourself with anyone, especially not me and my family. Grace, this is probably not the best timing, but I don't want to waste any more of my time with you. I want to make us official. Will you be my girlfriend?"

I turned to look at him and planted my lips firmly on his. I had waited for the last three months, kicking myself for ruining my chances with him before I could hear him say those words, and here he was, saying them to me.
He pulled away and smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."
I nodded, pulling him into a hug. "That is very much a yes, Noah."
We laid back on the bed and he turned the television on. "What do you want to watch?"
"I don't care. You can pick," I replied, curling up next to him with my head on his chest.
He scrolled through Netflix, and I slowly drifted back to sleep.

"Hey, baby. Wake up," Noah whispered, shaking me awake slowly. "It's five forty-five. We have to leave for Bryce's."
I sat up, rubbing my eyes groggily. "Okay. Will you carry me to the car?"
He chuckled. "How does a piggyback ride sound?"
I nodded enthusiastically as he turned around for me to climb onto his back. We stopped in the kitchen before heading outside. "Bye, Mrs. Beck. We're headed to Bryce's."
"Be safe, kids. Call or text if you'll be coming home late," she said, stirring something in a pot on the stove.

When we got in the car, Noah sighed before he spoke. "You know, my mom really likes you."
"Yeah, well, apparently she's not the only one," I joked, lacing my fingers in his.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his face flushing a bright shade of red.
"She told me that you really liked me on Christmas Eve."
Noah face-palmed as the car rolled up to a stop sign. "That woman, I swear."
"No, it was cute, and she was right, wasn't she?"
He nodded. "I guess she's got that going for her."

We pulled into Bryce's driveway not long after and saw Josh's car in the driveway. "Ooh, I hope that means Nessa's here, too," I said, unbuckling my seatbelt and meeting Noah at the front of the car.
We walked into the house, and Lisa greeted me excitedly. "It's been too long, dear. How's Griffin doing?"
"He's fine, Lisa. How are you?"
She chuckled softly. "I'm alright, sweetie. It's starting to get a little bittersweet that my only baby isn't a baby anymore."
"Mama, stop it," Bryce called out.
Lisa and I shared a laugh. "Who is this?" she asked, gesturing to Noah.
"Oh, this is Noah, my, um, my boyfriend," I introduced him.
"Hi, Ms. Hall. I've heard a lot of good things about you from Bryce and Grace," he said, extending his hand to shake hers.
"Honey, you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at Bryce, but we're huggers in this house," she replied, pulling him in for a hug. "It's very nice to meet you. Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes. The other kids should still be down in the basement."

We thanked her and headed downstairs. "Hey, bitches," I said as I stepped off the last stair.
"Grace!" Nessa and Addison yelled, running to hug me. They acted as though they hadn't seen me last night and that morning, respectively.
"So," Bryce said as the girls quieted down, "I know that I shouldn't, but when I went upstairs for a drink, I eavesdropped a little. Anything that the two of you want to share?"
Leave it to Bryce to spill the secret before we even had a chance to discuss it. "Um, I guess we don't really have a choice right now, do we?" I asked, sitting down on the chair facing the couch that he was sitting on.
Nessa laughed. "He already told us all. We're just waiting for confirmation."
"I asked her today, literally four hours ago," Noah interjected, making everyone go silent.

"It's ready!" Lisa called down the stairs before anyone could react. I wasn't sure if they had believed Bryce or not, but, based on the looks on their faces, they were obviously a little bit shocked.
We sat around the table, and Noah put a hand on my knee in an attempt to calm me. Either he was really good at sensing when people were uncomfortable, or my anxiety was written all over my face.
"So, how has everyone been?" Lisa asked, taking a sip out of her wine glass.
"Well, some of us really struggled for the past three months, and then, suddenly, one afternoon eliminates all that pain," Addison said dryly.
"Addi, that's not fair," I began before she cut me off.
"I think that it is. I knew that you guys were hanging out again or talking or whatever you wanted to label it, but after all the pain that he put you through, you're just ready to forget that it even happened?"