everything's looking peach now

❝ alright, i’m counting on you, ❞ she’s heard people say that too often but decided to give noel the benefit of the doubt. ❝ fuck, what do you like? also, that’s sad about the cilantro thing but you probably wouldn’t even like it based on the other things you listed. ❞ her eyebrows raised as he described debating, ❝ really? i have a hard time seeing you like that, you’re kind of a pushover. ❞ 

her eyes widened as she began to worry, ❝ oh, no; are you okay right now? i don’t want you to get any reactions, they can last for a while. ❞ she remember a friend of hers who got bumps because she was allergic to something the the foundation their makeup artist was using and didn’t want anything to happen to noel. ❝ y’know, now that you mention it, i do notice those vibes, ❞ she nodded, laughing along.

Maritza: well when you put it that way

Maritza: what’s your dating code anyway i want to understand

Noel: honestly, not sure if i have one?

Kennedy: maybe it was a twisted compliment

Kennedy: he could be nice sometimes though.

‘Of course I don’t want you’ The words kept repeating in his ears, shattering his heart into little pieces. Though there was a part of him that saw this coming, it was rough, unnecessarily harsh, especially coming for someone who Brooks considered to be so sweet and innocent. It was cruel of Noel to rub it in, and it confirmed to Brooks that his worst suspicions were true, that that all of this was just a game to the other. Most likely, the boy never even liked him to begin with. It wasn’t the first time Brooks had gotten rejected, but no one had ever made him feel so dumb and worthless before. It was like Noel was doing it on purpose.

The rest of his words didn’t even register with Brooks anymore. He was too angry, too hurt and upset to continue to listen to him. “You’re such an ass, wow…” Brooks shook his head in disbelief once the other stopped talking. “Okay, then why don’t you just leave me alone?” He had no reason to be friends with someone that rude and manipulative. It would only cause more drama, and he already had way more than he bargained for in that department. Brooks wanted to say something harsh back, but decided to bite his tongue. There was no point in picking an argument with the boy. As much as it made him feel terribly, Noel could love and date whoever he wanted. It was his choice. 

“Go hang out with your other friends then. I… I can’t be around you right now,” he replied, adjusting his shoulder bag as he turned on his heels. “I need time to get over this, okay? And it doesn’t help when you’re always… there.

alright, more harsh responses. obviously, noel had made a wrong move, but where? he had assured brooks his feelings are gone, and now brooks was calling him an ass and telling him to go away. it didn’t--

fuck. 

the school supplies store, when brooks apologized and said it wouldn’t happen again. noel took it as the dante situation, but was brooks referring to the party? were the feelings still there? he thought they’d be long gone, but maybe brooks did really have feelings for him... and twice now, it looked like noel had shut him down. it made sense, but maybe that was self-absorbed to think. 

what were his choices, though? let brooks go away without inquiring what was wrong and probably never talk to him the same again before they both left boston, or... even if it was scary, try to explain himself.

“ brooks--sorry, before you, i, uh. brooks, do you still have feelings for me? “ he said it quietly, his voice trembling. it could be the final nail in the coffin that held their friendship, but even if it was, there was only a year until noel was out of there. he had to face the potential issue. sure, they were in a crowd of people, but everybody was probably too into their own conversations to hear them anyways, and brooks was more important than them. “ m-maybe that’s dumb of me to say, especially with araminta, but i just--i thought you were avoiding me because i was acting more than platonically towards you. “ 

maybe it was over, and noel would continue being a dumb academic nerd who had romantic feelings for people way out of his league. he hated even making the comparison, brooks was so much nicer than dante, but still... those fucking lacrosse kids. even if it was over, at least he tried.

alright, so this was a thing. noel was actually having to do tasks now. he didn’t expect the situation to go from 0-100 so fast, though. like, really, vandalism? and on the lord’s day too, how harsh. but hey, he had no choice. the fucked up part was, despite her windsor status, noel had kind of grown accustomed to nie at the party. why her?

it didn’t matter though. noel knew he was being selfish, but nie was tough. she probably wouldn’t even blink an eye at the vandalism--hopefully. well, he’d have to wear something to hide who he was, he was sure they’d have security cameras... hopefully, though, he’d get in, spray paint, and get out. god, this was dangerous. didn’t she have a twin, too? yeah, maritza... great, he got to mess with two people who didn’t do anything wrong.

‘ okay, got it. ‘ he typed back. what choice did he have?

Brooks was one of the few teens at Houghton who was actually happy that school was back in session again. With all the drama that was going on in his love life, the boy could use a distraction, and playing sports with his team mates was his favorite way of getting rid of stress and anxious thoughts and feelings. Try-outs for the lacrosse team went well for him, and he was hopeful that the new coach would give him the captain position this year, Dante’s position, but even if that wasn’t the case, he was proud of himself for giving it his all. 

His hair was still lightly damp from the showers when he stepped out of the boy’s lockerroom. It had been quite a long day, so he was eager to go home and relax. Unfortunately for him, relaxing didn’t seem to be in the cards for him, because once again he ran into his ex-boyfriend, who he had actively been trying to avoid. Brooks knew he it wasn’t right to ignore him, because it wasn’t like Noel had done anything wrong, but the other constantly reminding him that he thought of him as a friends felt like someone putting salt in his wounds. Admittedly, Brooks did agree to it, at the time, but he didn’t expect that Noel would still be this clingy and needy for his attention. None of his other friends were, which made their new dynamic even more confusing to him. The mixed signals were driving him crazy. 

“Don’t you have other friends?” The question came out a lot harsher than he meant for it to sound, but frustrations had been piling up for the last months. The boy just wanted answers at this point. He wanted these mindgames to stop, and he wanted to know where he stood with Noel. “I just don’t understand it, okay? If you don’t want me, then why are you like this with me?” 

being sensitive to people’s energies was a blessing and a curse for noel. sure, he got to sense feelings well, but he also got scared if anybody’s tone changed even slightly. his mind immediately went to a place where he thought he must’ve done something wrong. so, he knew almost immediately that brooks didn’t want to talk to him, and this was only heightened by his harsh question. 

he really had been that clingy, huh? brooks wasn’t the first to call out his clinginess, yet it apparently just kept happening. noel had a tendency to hold on to anybody who liked him enough to be genuinely nice to him. he never had a true best friend, and maybe that caused him to get easily attached. but knowing that he was overwhelming brooks pained him, that was the last thing he wanted to do. 

“ i mean not really, “ he joked, forcing a laugh at the part-truth. noel had friends, but he struggled to get close to people. brooks had been easy for him to get close to, for whatever reason--well, probably his attraction to him, but that was beside the point. “ brooks, i-- what? being like what? your friend? you act like i can’t be your friend. or is that just it? you’re the captain of the swim team, on lacrosse, everything. why be around me? “ he knew it was a harsh accusation, but it plagued his mind. even during their time dating, noel was worried despite truly enjoying the relationship. why him? he took a deep breath, deciding he had to face the issue head-on, “ brooklyn, i don’t blame you for flirting with me at the party. you were drunk, you don’t have to worry about it. of course i don’t want you, and i’m sorry if i’ve let on something different. i know you have a girlfriend and probably a plethora of people you have your eyes on, and i’m sorry i was too close. “ 

it was a lie. so much of a lie that noel couldn’t even look at brooks while saying it, instead darting his eyes to the side. it glazed over the fact that noel couldn’t sleep after the party because he thought about brooks’ words being true, but no. they couldn’t be, they were too good to be true. he kept liking people who were above him socially, despite nothing being there, and he couldn’t burden brooks with that fact by overthinking his drunk flirting. noel struggled to not cry, why would he cry? he was the one who ended the relationship because of timing, insecurities, and overall cowardice. he had to realize it was over, that even if brooks once had feelings for him, they were now long gone. 

Maritza: would you not go for a freshman?

Noel: not personally

Maritza: there’s a cute foreign exchange student who dropped his pen earlier

Maritza: i remember his face, i don’t know his name though

Maritza: tall, spanish, great eyebrow game and a good head of hair?

Maritza: #helpziefindadate2019

Noel: not sure if i've seen him...

Noel: although hey, if he's that cute and looks like that, i'm sure it won't take long before everybody knows who he is

❝ thank god. just don’t barf on me or i’ll fucking slap you, ❞ she may be civil now but she could easily snap back into how she typically is. ❝ picky how? what foods don’t you like? ❞ she was curious since she could be the same, it would also just be good information she could have. ❝ right, right. don’t you have to be pretty mean in debate? ❞

she nodded in return, understanding some parents may not be as lenient when it came with make up. ❝ maybe you can pull a bratz and change your look once you get to school, ❞ she smiled through her suggestion, never understanding why that scene always stuck in her head. she laughed, surprised by his answer. ❝ noel! i never took you as a puncher, i always thought you had a good head on your shoulders. i’m excited to see this side of you, though. ❞ she was only teasing, of course.

finally, the end of the first day. sure, the first day wasn’t supposed to be bad, but noel was hit by the impending stress approaching due to his course load. why did nobody tell him that taking seven advanced placement classes--one of which was a research course--was a bad idea? hey, hopefully, it would all pay off. he walked through the halls full of people in black uniforms, ready to go home and probably stare at syllabi with a feeling of overwhelming fear. while walking through the people, he noticed brooks among them. immediately, his mind went to the incident while back to school shopping, and he wondered if brooks would even talk to him after he did--well, whatever he did. he still wasn’t quite sure what exactly that was. despite this, noel still went over to brooks, immediately speaking while walking alongside him, “ look, if you want me to go away, i will. but brooks, i don’t know how many times i’ve told you this, but now it’s one more time: i care about you and you’re an amazing friend to me. so, if i did something wrong, i want you to tell me. i don’t want to lose you as a friend. i mean, you’re nice and a cool swimmer! who else is going to balance my nerdiness? “ the possibility that brooks could completely disregard his statements and tell him to go away was there, but he didn’t want the friendship to disappear. he cared too much to let that happen. 

sunlight draped in through his blinds, causing noel to wake up slowly as he used his arm to block his eyes. he groaned and immediately turned over to check his phone out of habit. when he checked it, he noticed another message from that same unknown number. 

“ oh, what the fuck, “ noel muttered, unlocking his phone to see the message. oh, great. now he was being blackmailed. well, that was cute. 

his initial distaste was replaced by fear rather quickly once he realized this person really could ruin him, they obviously knew a lot about him. so... he had to do this, huh?

he read over it again, trying to ignore the pangs in his chest as he read that he was a coward for not coming out. like it would’ve made any difference! what, he’d publicly come out and admit to loving dante so he could be humiliated? didn’t sound like fun. 

avenging dante was the last thing he wanted to do, right behind even thinking about dante. but what choice did he have? let himself be blackmailed for a year? this could even be the person who murdered dante, so noel didn’t want to take any risks. 

‘ fine. i’ll do it. ‘ he replied, figuring if they wanted it done a certain way, they’d tell him. besides, it’s not like noel knew a ton about the case. 

he rubbed his temples and closed his eyes as he sat up. well, wasn’t this going to be fun? why couldn’t he say no for once?

no idea. maybe they don’t think people can be genuinely nice.