This is all a trick. I can't fall for it—no, I won't fall for it. He'll have to try harder than that in order to make me believe his lies. That's right, Rory. Everything he said, everything he did, they are all lies. Don't you ever forget that. This is all just a bet, a game; it's nothing but children's play. Things you do when you're bored.

If that's the case then why... why am I still thinking about what had happened between the two of us?

Unconsciously, the tips of my fingers brush up against my lips as an image of Noah's mouth attached to it flashes in my head. No, it's not my first kiss. However, it is the first kiss I've shared with someone I was not dating. The audacity that boy has! Who does he think he is? How dare he do something like that to me out of all people, especially without my permission!

What kind of girl does he think I am? Does he think I let every guy I meet plant one on me whenever they want? Definitely not!

My brain is telling me that I should be angry and outraged but honestly speaking, I don't feel that way. No matter how many times I tell myself that I can't stand Noah, somehow he still finds a way to invade my thoughts.

Nowadays, it seems like he's all I ever think about. 

If it wasn't for his arrogant personality, I actually think he wouldn't be that bad of a person. But is that one flaw really that difficult to overlook? Come to think of it, ever since I met Noah, I've never seen him do anything extremely awful to me or anybody I knew. Sure, he could be an unenthusiastic and very sarcastic smart-ass but that's just his personality. That's who he is. 

Sometimes, I even find myself questioning his character. Why? Because in the small amount of time I've spent with him, he appears to be a completely different person. Like the time when he laughed like a wild hyena in the corridor or the time he scolded the guy who knocked me over. Let's not forget when he suddenly kissed me, too. There must be more to Noah Costa, but I'm not sure if I want to satiate my curiosity or not.

I'm abruptly interrupted when somebody bangs against my door. "Get your ass out here and help carry the groceries." Sadie demands on the other side. Can't they do it themselves? Can they get any more incompetent?

I get up from my chair and open the door. I see about six bags sitting on the table and sigh. I make my way outside and find the trunk of the car ajar. However, nobody else is here but me. Inside, I find a fifty pound bag of rice and take a deep breath. Of course they would make me bring the rice up again.

As gently as I could manage, I place the sack of rice down on the kitchen floor. I straighten out my posture and place my hands on my hips. The groceries are still resting on the table and I close my eyes. Why do I have to put everything away? Not wanting to start trouble, I quickly organize the produce, vegetables and meats into the refrigerator. If I don't do it now, I won't hear the end of it. "You finally do something without being told to. Aren't you a smart dog. It's about time you started doing things around here," Elise snickers from behind.

God, why does she always have something to say? It's so annoying.

After stuffing all of the plastic bags into a drawer, I return to my room, making sure to lock my door like I always do. A simple thank you would have been nice, but then again, I'm so undeserving that they can't even give me that much. Was I a serial killer in my past life or something? Is this my punishment? To be part of a dysfunctional family where I'm treated terribly? Thinking about my life, I wonder what would have happened if I had been born to a different family. A more loving and understanding family.

I sit back down and stare blankly at the review package Noah had put together for me. Before I could stop it, page six is stained with a tear. I want to say that I hate my life. That I can't stand it because there's nothing good about it. But when I think about all of my friends and teachers who care so much about me, I realize that I'm not alone. I still have people who care about me. I still have people I care about. People who make this battle worthwhile.

There are others who might not as fortunate as I am as well. I have to keep that in mind.

"You can do this, Rory Whitaker," I whisper. "You have to."

* * *

I'm currently in the library, flipping through the pages of a book entitled The Kite Runner. It's a really good novel with many life lessons, values and morals embedded in it. I have decided to do my essay on it for my writing class. It's lunch time, so there aren't many students here at the moment; just the way I like it. I'm seated at a table wedged in a back corner. I have a lot privacy and space.

As my eyes scan every word on the page, my pen is busy scrawling out notes I could use. I'm not too worried about my paper since I'm a decent writer, but I still want to make sure I get all of the information I need. My phone suddenly reverberates in my pocket and I pull it out. It's a text from Peyton. She's asking where I am and why I didn't go to the cafeteria.

I place my pen down and type out a reply, explaining my situation to her. A minute later, she sends a sad face after having guessed that I hadn't eaten lunch yet. I tell her it's alright since I have snacks with me but there is no instant response from her this time. I shrug it off and continue working. As I'm jotting down more points, I stop. Deep inside, I know the real reason I'm doing this. I could work on my paper in class if I really wanted to. But if I go to lunch, that means I have to see him. I've gotten this far into the day without having to run into him. Why should I give up now?

My fingers graze my lips and I swallow the saliva in my throat. I can't avoid him forever though, it's reality. I have to see him for our history project and for tutoring, too. There's no way I can get out of either one of those. Trust me, if there was, I'd do it in a heartbeat. His words float around in my head. There's no way I'm hurting him. I'm sure he's fine.

"What do you think you're doing?" Is it me or does his voice sound more realistic and irritated this time? Then it hits me. I look up and my eyes triple in size. In his hand, Noah has a lunch tray. He places it down in front of me, our gazes never breaking. "Didn't you hear me ask you a question, Rory?"

What do I say? How did he even know I was here? I can't believe Peyton! She must have told him. "I-I'm working on my paper. What else would I be doing?" I stammer awkwardly as I gesture to my notes.

Noah pulls the seat out next to me and sits down. He leans in and I hold my breath.

"That's not what I meant. I mean, what are you really doing. I'm not dumb, you know. I can tell when I'm being avoided." How did he figure it out so easily? I didn't make it too obvious, did I? "Is it because of what I did after our tutoring lesson?" I don't utter a single word and look down at my hands. "If you're expecting me to say sorry and that it was a mistake, then forget about it. I'm not going to say either one of those things because it's not true. I kissed you because I wanted to."

Wait, what? He—he wanted to kiss me? But why?

"I know what you're thinking," he begins. Do you really now? "I know that this might seem sketchy and suspicious, especially after we made our bet. But I've come to realize that I really do like you, Rory." My heart stops and my head immediately snaps upwards and towards his.

"W-what?" I stutter again. Did I just hear that correctly?

"Yes you heard right; I just said that I liked you, Rory Whitaker. I don't know exactly how or when it happened but you're all I can think about these days. Maybe it's because we're so similar to each other." Similar? Us? How? "We're both trying so hard to fool the world." No, I don't want to listen to this anymore. I shouldn't. I shoot up and quickly make an escape towards the isles.

Noah catches up to me in no time and grasps onto my wrist. He proceeds to pin me against a bookshelf. I try to find another way to flee but he has trapped me in between his arms. I could punch him or shove him away but I... I don't want to. So I stand there, my eyes fixed on the floor beneath my feet. My entire body is trembling but I don't know why. "What are you running from?" he whispers. His hand moves down and he lifts my chin up.

"You wouldn't understand," I mumble as I stare into his eyes.

"Then make me understand," he counters gently.

"It's not that simple," I reply.

"Then make it simple. I want you to know that you'll always have me no matter what happens, Rory. Don't misunderstand though. I'm not asking you to reciprocate your feelings right away. I want you to like me on your own." He smiles and for some reason, I feel tears brimming my eyes. What's going on right now? Why am I crying in front of Noah Costa out of all people?

"What do you think you're doing?" I sniffle and he wipes my tears away with his thumb.

"Being your knight in shining armor," he declares with a small smile on his face. "I'll make you forget all of the bad memories by replacing them with only good ones."

Then he leans in.

The distance between us...

Is growing smaller...

And smaller...

At last his lips are resting on top of mine again, but this time I don't push him away. Instead, I allow my eyes to flutter shut as I bask in the feeling of his warm touch. This precise moment is when I realize that I'm on my way to losing the bet we made, but honestly, that doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is Noah.

He pulls back and rests his forehead against mine. I can't help but ask, "Why would you do such a thing?"

He emits a soft chuckle. "Because you're the angel that saved me," he responds before reuniting our lips.

I... saved him?

- - -

Author's Thoughts: First off, if you're reading this, I want to say thank you so so so so much for giving this story a shot. It will most likely be 20 chapters or less, nothing more. Sort of like a novella, which is why the pace is so quick.

The first two chapters happened in 2014 and then from chapter 3 on, it is 2015. Rory and the gang, Noah included, are seniors and it's been probably almost a month since the two have known each other... but with that ending... has it been longer?

Oh, and I love you guys to pieces! Vote and comment if you want to <3 Happy Chinese New Years!