Hey guys! So last time I had issues with Chapter 11, but I have finally got it up! If you haven't read it fully (it ends with Harper and Noelle on the bleachers) I suggest you read it now, before moving onto this chapter, Chapter 12! Thanksssss :)

I woke up to a pleasant warmth wrapped around me, particularly around my waist and the side of my body, however the cool wind was still crackling across my face. Unconsciously, I snuggled further into the warmth, burying my head into the soft fabric that was rubbing against my cheek. I felt the warmth wrap tighter around me, and I breathed in the calming scent of lemongrass. I felt the person's breath against my hair, and I didn't really care who it was.

I was so sleepy.

Their warm, minty breath moved to my face, and I felt it linger there before something pressed into my forehead, soft and warm. I sighed, feeling sparks up my skin at the touch. I felt the person's body soften around mine, clutching me desperately, as if I was the last thing on earth. I could not ignore the sparks.

Wait.

What?

There is only one person that can make me feel sparks.

I opened my eyes.

My face was was still buried in the dark fabric of the person's shirt, so I lifted my head carefully. My head was now facing the field, and I could see the football team darting around, practicing for their game. The movement of my head seemed to disrupt the person, as they stiffened. Their body was still stiff as I looked up at them.

Harper was looking down at me warily, green eyes soft and hopeful. He was biting his perfect lips gently, out of worry, yet he did not release his arms from around me, as if he could not bear the thought. My heart warmed at the thought.

I didn't want to let go too.

His body was still rigid against mine. Oh gods, I can feel his muscles. I smiled up at him and he relaxed, his arms loosening around me. I wondered if he was enjoying this as much as I was.

Grea"Hi," I mumbled sleepily, bringing my arms out of his embrace to rub my eyes. I instantly felt cold. "How much of school did we miss?" My words brought me to reality, it slowly dawning at me. I grabbed Harper's arm and shook it violently.

"Oh my gods, Harper, how much school did we miss? Oh gods, I'm going to get detentions and I've probably missed homeworks, and there are so many notes that I've probably missed out on, and- "

"Calm down, baby doll, you fell asleep in our free period which was at the end of the day," Harper said, chuckling. "So no more school." he emphasised every word as if I were a toddler who had broken all the crayons.

I reached up to hit the back of his head. This only made him laugh more. My heart welled with the sound of his laughter. I turned to face the football, giving up, fighting the urge to laugh as well. Our thighs were touching again, rubbing against each other, making me shudder.

"Are you cold?" Harper asked, looking over at me in concern. He had stopped laughing.

"No, I'm fine." His arms slipped away from me, slowly and reluctantly. I winced.

Great going, Noelle.

I came out of my daydream and looked at the practice going on. All boys had a tall, lean and muscular build, much like Harper. They were running around the pitch, their coach shouting at them furiously.

Well someone's in a bad mood.

I laughed slightly at the sight of the very red faced coach.

"What's so funny?" Harper asked, putting his hand on my knee. I nearly died as he rubbed his thumb gently on my skin. "Oh- oh, it's just that the coach looks funny when he's angry," I stammered, unable to hold back the bubble of giggles that spurted out of my mouth. Harper seemed to lighten up.

"Yeah, our coach is always hilarious when he's angry," he leaned back on the bench behind him.

His coach?

His?

I slapped my forehead in realization. "Harper, why aren't you down there? You're part of the football team, you should be practicing!" I figured I sounded like a mother.

"Nah, baby doll, I didn't feel like it." He shrugged. I arched an eyebrow. "What can I say, baby doll? I'd rather spend time with you than be down there. Besides, you were sleeping in the cold, I couldn't just leave you." I blushed at his words, a deep flush of red crawling up my cheeks. Harper's cheeks tinted slightly as well, lips apart, realizing what he said.

toy."I- I mean, who would do the project with- with me if you were sick?" he stuttered out, blushing deeper. His own blush brightened mine, and soon we were just a blushing mess. My insides seemed to be flying around inside me.

He is so cute when he blushes.

"Baby doll, can I tell you something?"

I nodded.

"I've wanted to tell you for some time now but I- "

"What's up, man?" a voice called out. I saw a boy from the football team head towards Harper, clapping him on the back. I immediately darted away from Harper. I instantly regretted it as I saw hurt flash across his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here, Axel?" Harper growled, gritting his teeth together. Axel didn't seem to notice Harper's obvious rage and sat down next to him, while I fumbled awkwardly with the end of my hair. "Nothing much, bro, we got a five minute break from football." He mimed throwing a football. He finally seemed to take notice of me.

"Dude, is this your girlfriend? Wait, right, you don't do those. This your new toy? Because damn, she is fine." He winked at me. I stood up, aghast and angered by his crude words that he used to describe as if I weren't even there. "Excuse me, but I am not Harper's girlfriend, let alone his toy. Too bad for you, I respect myself more than those sluts you hang out with. So please, move your sorry ass along." I huffed before starting down the stairs, completely in rage. How dare he? However, Harper and Axel's conversation stopped me in my tracks.

"She's not my girlfriend," Harper hissed through gritted teeth. I admit, although I even said it myself, those words stung.

"That's not what we all thought when she fell asleep and you wrapped your arms around her. Oh, and you even kissed her on her freaking forehead."

"You guys were watching us?" I heard Harper question.

"Well of course, man, we expected some heated make out session or something. Instead we got that lovey-dovey crap." Axel paused. "Bro, if you aren't hooking up with her, then can I? She's a nerd, but hot as hell." I cringed at his crude remark about my physical appearance and what he planned on doing to me. Ew.

"What the hell, no! You can't do that to her! And don't you dare talk bad about her." Harper almost mumbled. Axel sighed.

"Dude, why aren't you taking her? Sure, she's not as sexy as Amanda, but when has that stopped you?"

It was Harper's turn to sigh. "Look man, I don't want to hurt her. I don't want to hurt Noelle. I can't, I just can't do it to her. There's something about her, I don't want to take her innocence. I care about her, goddamn it." Harper finished, exhaustion heavy in his voice. I sharply inhaled at his words, the butterflies in my stomach turning into a stampede.

He cares about you, Noelle.

He cares about you.

Does that mean he likes me?

Obviously not, Noelle, he's a player. He doesn't have crushes on girls. Girls have crushes on him. He just doesn't want to hurt you because he thinks of you as just a friend. Somehow, those thoughts hurt more than anything else. At least I knew he wasn't just trying to play me.

Axel let out a loud whoop of laughter. "Dude, you are so whipped!"

Harper groaned. "I'm not whipped."

"Sure, Harper, whatever you say." That was almost exactly what Emma said to me in the car when she was trying to find out if I like Harper.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Harper's heavy footsteps padding down the stairs. I quickly sat on a bench, acting as if I hadn't been listening to their conversation the whole time. Unaware that I had been listening in, Harper turned towards me.

"You good to go?"

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"Harper, seriously, it's fine! I'll just walk." I whined, scooting towards the pavement through the carpark.

"Nuh-uh baby doll, I'm not letting you walk home in the freezing cold with just a thin sweater and no extra layers. Even if I would like it better to have you as undressed as possible." He winked. I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Number one, no. Number two, I'm walking." I finished. Harper pouted adorably. I turned around and started walking away from Harper before I would swoon. He is so freaking cute.

I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist, pulling me to their muscular chest, setting fireworks off in my body. "Nope, baby doll, not gonna let that happen." Harper whispered, his hot breath on my ear making me jolt. I tried to pull myself away, giggling uncontrollably, but he wouldn't let go, his arms practically iron bars around me. "You better let go, Andrews, before I start yelling 'rape'," I laughed, feeling him smirk mischeviously into my hair. His arms did not move. I opened my mouth, ready to yell.

That was until I felt his lips trailing down my neck. They were warm and soft, gently pressing softly into my skin, his thumbs rubbing circles into my waist. My breathing hitched and I couldn't help the gasp that left my mouth. I just stood there, letting his lips flutter up and down my neck. And all the while, I couldn't bring myself to stop him.

Oh my gods.

Oh my freaking gods.

Unconsciously, I felt myself lean back slightly into Harper's body, savouring the moment. I felt his hair tickling my jaw, and I felt his abs press into my back. Oh my gods, what are you doing, Noelle. Now you just seem like one of those overly desperate girls, or a freak. Snap out of it.

I finally turned around in the circle of his arms, ready to protest before I screamed, all to the familiar with the sensation of my feet falling out below me. I readied myself for the impact closing my eyes, before I felt a shaking against my side. I opened my eyes warily, to see a laughing Harper. I looked carefully downwards, to see that I was suspended- Harper was carrying me. Bridal style. I blushed.

"Put me down, you neanderthal!" I whined, hitting his chest feebly. I still felt weird about him kissing my neck earlier. He just shook his head, still shaking with laughter, and walked towards the car. It was my turn to pout, but I gave in, letting him open the car door and place me in. I took that time to observe the well defined muscles in his arms. I strapped my seatbelt, waiting for him to get in. He winked at me as he sat down, starting the car.

"So, Noelle," Harper began, pulling out of the carpark. "Were you enjoying that?" He smirked, looking ahead. I flushed. He was talking about when he was kissing me in the carpark.

"Um- um w-what?" I asked, trying to play dumb, turning even redder. He knew that I remembered, and I knew he knew, as his smirk got noticeably wider. "You forgotten, baby doll?" he asked, knowingly.

I mumbled out an incoherent response.

"No need to reply, baby doll," he continued, ignoring my frantic mumbling. "I already know I leave you speechless." My mouth dropped open, aghast.

That little- monster!

He winked at me, dark lashes framing his eyes.

A very attractive monster at that.

I narrowed my eyes at him as he started chuckling. He was enjoying this, wasn't he? Me being all speechless and shocked and totally awestruck?

Idiot.

I huffed and turned to face the window, unable to respond to his remark. I gazed outside at the barren trees as we whizzed past them. Despite Harper's 'bad boy' reputation, he was a relatively safe driver, taking care at the turns, driving at a moderate pace.

This only made me like him more.

I couldn't help but like every single thing about Harper Andrews, despite my first attempts to hate him. From the way he runs his hand through his hair when he's frustrated, or his crooked smile, right side higher than the left, to his fierce need to protect me. I like every single thing.

And frankly, it was scaring me.

I was never like this with anyone, except for Emma and Max, who had to fight their way through my walls to truly see me. But from the first moment I met Harper, he had already sent my walls crashing down, despite his cruelty at the beginning. Wait.

Do I have a crush on Harper?

Yes, Noelle, you do. This time I didn't even bother denying it.

I have a crush on Harper.

"What was that, Noelle?" Did I just say that out loud? Great going, Noelle. I turned to look at him, he was still facing the road, the soft winter light highlighting the curves of his face. He didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary so I let out a sigh of relief. "Nothing," I answered. I couldn't help but notice how close his hand was to mine, resting on the partition between our seats.

"Harper?" I mumbled softly, scanning the side of his face. "Yes, baby doll?" he answered gently, still facing the front. I decided to test him.

"What were you and that Axel guy talking about after I left?"

I saw him pale slightly, fumbling with the steering wheel, picking at the leather. He's nervous.

"Did you hear our conversation?" he asked, trying to restrain himself to sound calm and even. I could hear panic cracking through his voice. "Oh, nothing," I casually replied, leaning back in my seat, still looking at his nervous form. He wouldn't meet my eyes, no matter how hard I mentally willed him.

"Nothing," he let out breathlessly. "Sorry about that, by the way. He's my friend, but sometimes he's just so fucked up- "

I squealed, clamping my hands down over my ears. "Don't swear!" I half-yelled. I heard the faint sound of his chuckling. "Why not, baby doll?"

"Because," I started, removing my hands from my ears, "It's rude, inappropriate, cruel and mean." I pouted like a child. "I swear, baby doll, you are so adorable." he leaned over to affectionately ruffle my hair. I blushed, stubbornly patting it back down. This only caused him to laugh more. My heart seemed to sing.

"FIne then, what would you prefer me to say?" Harper questioned. "Fudged up?"

"No," I shook my head. "That's so uncreative."

"What would you say?"

I thought for a second. "I would say fiddled up." I crossed my arms, proudly.

"Really, baby doll? It sounds like you want to do something dirty to him... " Harper wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. I groaned, letting my head fall back in my seat.

"Pervert," I teased.

"Only for you, babe. Only for you."

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"Thanks for the ride," I said, facing Harper on my doorstep. I tried to make it quick, despite wanting to spend as much time with Harper as possible. For all I knew, my mom was probably peeking at us through the closed curtain.

"No prob, ma'am," he answered. "My pleasure." He saluted to me.

I giggled.

"See you at school," I finalized, stepping back towards my door. "See you, baby doll," he smiled, and just like that he was gone, racing down the driveway, getting in his car and racing down the street.

Why was he in such a rush?

I opened the door of my house, being greeted my dog, Misha. I affectionatelt patted her head before checking the windows to see if my mom had been peeking. Nope. I was good. I began my hike up the stairs to my room, finally opening the door.

Surprised, I nearly tripped over my own feet.

I suppose I should be used to it now.

Emma was sitting on my bed, reading my copy of Divergent. No touching, I squealed, grabbing my book from her grasp and hugging it against my chest. She took one look at me before jumping up and down on my bed, blonde hair flying everywhere, sqealing with glee. I stood in surprise, watching her mess up my dark purple duvet. She finally stopped, pulling me down on my bed beside her. I couldn't help but smile at her excitement.

"Spill everything," she demanded, clapping her hands gleefully. "What?" I answered, confused. "Come on, idiot, I know something happened between you and Harper. I can see it in your face." I blushed for what seemed like the millionth time today.

"Well?" she said expectantly. I sighed before telling her everything that happened today, from Harper and Joshua arguing in the library, his sweetness on the bleachers, to the car ride home. After I finished, Emma sighed, and fell back on my bed. "I so ship you two." she mumbled covering her face. "I'm getting the feels."

I laughed at that. She hesitated before sitting up quickly. "You didn't say anything," she stated, looking incredulous. "You didn't say anything against me shipping you and Harper." I bit my lip, realizing what I had done. A smile grew on her face.

"You like him! You like Harper! I knew it! I knew it!"

I laughed at her glee, nodding.

I have a crush on Harper Andrews.

And I'm glad I do.

Hiiiii!!!! Chapter 12... sorry this took so long, I was finding it hard to write this, so I apologize for any errors...
Thanks, and hope you liked it!

-A :)