Here's chapter Thirteen! :)
Enjoy!
Noah couldn't give me a ride to school the next day. When I asked him the reason for his sudden cancellation, he didn't respond, making me more suspicious. I cleared my head of any negative thoughts; his cancellation doesn't mean something bad happened. This doesn't mean he is sitting at home with his family preparing the worst. Maybe he has a flat tire… maybe he has a terrible cold… or maybe he needs to give Hannah a ride to school again. Anything is possible.
Dad offered to give me a ride to school, but I declined the offer, I opted to walk to school since the warm spring air was finally starting to fall among Lima. Walking always helped me clear my head anyways, and this was definitely the time to clear my head. However, thoughts of Noah and his family still invaded my mind, and I couldn't seem to shake them. This was a weakness of mine, assuming the worst of all situations. Jesse pointed that out once while we were still dating. That was a specialty of his, pointing out the flaws of others. Another thought came crashing into my mind, one that had been haunting my mind forever. Why did I ever even date Jesse in the first place? I've asked myself the question a million times before, but I never came up with an excuse that was good enough. Jesse was a terrible human being. He treated me like dirt and pushed me aside for everything else. A quote from my favorite novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower came into my mind. "We accept the love we think we deserve." Being tormented throughout high school really makes a girl feel special. It made me feel worthless and unappreciated inside. Sure, I kept my head held high and stayed strong, but doesn't anyone realize how hard it is to be hated? Jesse was exactly what I thought I deserved. If asked, I would have said I wanted a prince charming, or a heroic gentleman to rescue me from the harsh world someday, but deep down inside, I felt that I didn't deserve someone like that. Now, Noah is my Prince Charming, rescuing me from the evil emperor Jesse St. James.
I finished my walk and entered the school building, happy about my decision to walk. Everything in the school was as it usually was. Friends were in their usual cliques, teachers were huddled by the door to the teacher's lounge, and Suzie Pepper was gazing at he latest pepper in her jar. And people think I'm weird. I reached my locker, and glanced up and down the hall for Noah. I really need to stop expecting him to randomly show up when I'm looking for him. Why is it that when I still hated him, he was always around, and now that I actually want to see him, he is never around? He's never going to randomly show up!
"Hey, you," I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist, and I jumped at the sudden action. I turned around to see Noah standing behind me, a smile radiating from his face.
And he chooses today to randomly show up? Nice one, Noah.
"Noah! I was wondering where you were," I said, accepting the kiss he gave me. His arms wrapped tighter around my waist, making my heart melt right out of my chest.
"Sorry I missed you this morning, Rachel. Things were a little crazy at home and I was running late," Noah explained.
"That's okay," I said running my hands up and down his arms that were still around my waist. "Is everything okay? You never told me about your mom. She had that appointment yesterday, right?"
"Yes. She did," Noah said, suddenly backing away from me. "Do you think we could go somewhere more private and talk about this?"
I was concerned, "Is something wrong?"
"Just come with me," he said, interlacing our fingers and pulling me down that hall.
We made our way through the crowded halls of the school and entered the auditorium. He flipped the lights on, lighting the previously dark stage. He led me over to the piano bench and suggested that I sit down for his information. I did as I was told, and then looked up at his with wide eyes as I readied myself for what he was about to tell me.
"Noah, what is going on? You're scaring me."
He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands together. "I don't really know where to start." He paced around a few times before settling again and looking directly into my eyes. "Yesterday at the doctor's appointment is a day I will never forget. It was like I was walking into a room to receive the information that would determine the rest of my life. I know I'm supposed to be this big and strong guy, but I was so scared. I mean, where would Hannah and I end up without any parents left?"
"Noah, what happened?" I asked, taking one of his hands to calm him down.
"The doctor came in, and it was like we all stopped breathing. Everything was in slow motion, and I could barely stand it. He started talking about the survival rate of cancer patients around my mom's age, and they weren't very high. Then, he started telling us about the hardships of cancer and the possibilities for Hannah and I. I didn't want to know where he was going with it, and all I wanted to do was leave. All I wanted to do was see you and go back a few months when everything was perfect. Back to that night when we went to Breadstix and we were so happy."
I smiled; glad that I could be a source of comfort for him.
Noah sat down on the bench beside me and took both of my hands in his. "I know I can't go back, and dwell on the past, just like you said, and I guess I finally realized that in the doctor's office. Yes, everything that's been happening is terrible, but why should we focus only on that? Why can't we celebrate all the good times we've had with my mom, and cherish the time that we have left?" Noah looked deeper into my eyes, "I don't know what I would have done without you."
"Noah," I said before tightly wrapping my arms around his neck. He returned the hug, and buried his face in my neck. I barely heard him whisper the words "I love you, Rachel."
I froze in my seat. Did he just say that?
Noah obviously felt my reaction to his words, and pulled back. "You don't have to say anything. I just wanted to let you know that I do love you, and you are, in fact, the most important person to me."
It was the second time those words had been said to me. The first time I was scared and confused by the confession. I questioned the entire relationship and the meaning of the word love. What is love? Caring about a person endlessly? Always thinking about them? I never felt that way about Jesse. And now? Sitting here? Only one thing came to mind. One thing I couldn't be more positive about.
"Noah, I love you too."
The smile on his face grew unbelievably wide and he pulled me in for a tight hug. He pulled away, and looked the happiest I have ever seen him.
"Rachel, seriously, I don't know what I would do without you. If you hadn't have come into my life when you did, I'd probably still be some deadbeat, turning out to be just like his dad."
"Hey, don't say that about yourself. You have a good heart, and I know you would have turned out good regardless," I assured him. "And, besides, I didn't come into your life. I believe you forced me into a date with you by promising that afterwards we'd never speak to each other again."
"Oh, yeah. It was like that, wasn't it?" Noah chuckled. He rubbed his thumb across my knuckles, "It's a shame I'm just now figuring out all of this."
"What do you mean?" I questioned.
"I didn't finish telling you what happened at the doctor's office," Noah said.
"What did he say?" I asked, hoping it wasn't bad news.
"It looks like we'll be putting up with my mom a little bit more than we though we would."
"Noah?" I said softly, not wanting to get my hopes up.
"She's in remission."
I practically knocked him off the piano bench by the enormous hug I launched at him. He chuckled as he hugged me back.
"Really? Noah! That's amazing!" I beamed at him, more excited than I had ever been.
"Everything is finally going the way I want it to."
"And it's going to stay that way," I said. "You deserve it Noah, you're a good person."
"And it's all thanks to you."
Well, as much as it saddens me to say, that is the end of One Love, One Heart. I really enjoyed writing this story, and I wanted to thank all of you who have read it and especially thank the ones who reviewed!
Stay excellent! :)
-Emma8745-
