The New Kid: a Noah Beck Fanfiction *completed*

32

"We're not seriously doing this right now," I replied, setting my fork down on the table.
"Addison, not now," Bryce said through clenched teeth, putting a warning hand on her shoulder.
"No, Bryce. Why don't we do this right now? It's clearly bothering Addison, so let's talk about it."
Noah's hand was gently squeezing my knee as I looked around the table. Lisa was avoiding eye contact, and Josh and Nessa were staring at each other wide-eyed.
Addison shrugged from underneath Bryce's hand. "Did I waste my time supporting you in the last three months? He was so awful that you just couldn't stay away, huh?"

I knew that I needed to choose my next words carefully, or I may very well end a friendship that I had had since kindergarten, but the anger bubbled over my concern for Addison's friendship. "You mean, kind of like how I supported you every other week sophomore year when Bryce just couldn't stop breaking your heart?"
"That's different," she replied without skipping a beat.
I laughed. "How? How is that different? Every week you would go on and on about how he was horrible, and you were never, ever getting back together with him, and then, when you inevitably got back together every time, no one said a damn word. We stood by silently, supporting you because, at the end of the day, we knew that Bryce made you happier more often than he hurt you. Why can't you give that same type of support to me?"
"Wow, Grace. Here's the difference: Bryce and I have known each other almost our entire lives. The entire time that you've known Noah was spent hurting because he couldn't move past a mistake that you made. That you made! Nobody else! No one told you to go sleep with Ryland the same day you met Noah's family, but you did that. You were hurt because of your own stupid, selfish choice, and we all still supported you like Noah was in the wrong, but you're running back to him like you don't know a life without him," Addison yelled back at me, standing up at her seat now.

She was right, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. "I'm sorry to hear that you feel that way, Addison. Unfortunately, my life revolves around making me happy. Not you, not Noah, not my parents, not Griffin. Just me," I replied, pushing my chair back from the table. "Thank you for inviting me, Lisa, but I think that it's time for me to go." As Noah started to push his chair back, I stopped him. "That's okay. I'll walk to your house. I wouldn't want to trigger Addison by leaving together."
"Are you sure?" he whispered.
"Positive. I'll see you when you get back," I whispered back, kissing him softly. I was being an asshole, but I couldn't control it anymore.

Noah only lived six blocks from Bryce, so the walk would give me plenty of time to think. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Griffin.
"Hey, Gracie. Is everything okay?" he asked when he answered.
I could feel the tears stinging at the back of my eyes. "Not really. I really need my big brother."
"Where are you? I can be there as soon as possible," he answered without hesitation.

I sat on the curb waiting for him, and he pulled up within minutes. "Get in."
I opened the door wordlessly, sitting down in the passenger seat.
We drove in silence for a few moments before he pulled into the ice cream shop that we had frequented as kids.
"Hi, can I get two scoops of cookie dough in a waffle cone and two scoops of cookies and cream in a waffle cone?" Griffin asked the employee. When she handed us the cones, he led me to a picnic table. "Sit."
I still hadn't said a word to him, and I knew as soon as I did, the tears would flow.

We ate our ice cream in silence for a few more moments before he spoke again. "You never call me your big brother unless you're really going through it. What happened?"
I cleared my throat. "Noah asked me to be his girlfriend today."
"I know damn well that isn't what caused all of this. What happened to make you leave Bryce's house?" he asked, looking at me suspiciously.
"Bryce heard me introduce him to Lisa as my boyfriend. He told Addison, Josh, and Nessa, and Noah confirmed it just before dinner was ready."
Griffin nodded. "Okay, and?"
"And when Lisa asked how we were, Addison was a little bit upset about how quickly I had moved past all the pain of the last three months. She called me out for it, and I brought up when she and Bryce used to break up every other week."
"Oh, Gracie," Griffin sighed. "How did that happen?"
"I just reacted. I knew that I needed to be careful in what I said to her, but she made me so angry that I wasn't even thinking, Griff."

We sat in silence for a few more minutes while Griffin processed what I had said. "I can see why you're upset," he said finally.
"But?" I sighed.
"But, I think that you should have handled the situation differently. You and Addi have been friends since kindergarten. Are you ready to let that go over some boy?"
I shook my head. "You know that, as soon as she's at LSU next year, she's gonna make new friends, and I'll just be a distant memory. The childhood best friend that everyone talks about, thanking them for preparing them for their lifelong best friend."
"Hey, you know that's not true," Griffin said angrily.
"You know it is. If we weren't related, you wouldn't talk to me after graduation. We're all gonna head our separate ways. We all knew that."
"Okay, you're making this about more than what it is. Addison got upset with you. That doesn't mean that everyone in our friend group is magically going to stop talking to each other."