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Chapter Fourteen
What You Need to Do
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     HAVING SWEET PEA, TONI AND FANGS CONSTANTLY TRYING TO TALK TO HER WAS OVERWHELMING. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate her friends checking in on her, that wasn't the issue. The issue was that she just needed a minute to be alone without having everyone trying to ask her so many questions while it felt like everyone's voice was turned up to the max and coming from every direction. What she needed was for everyone to just leave her alone for even just a minute. Marissa seemed to get the idea that she needed space after Tori refused to answer anybody's calls and text messages and she couldn't lie and say she wasn't grateful for that because she was.

     Being in class with everyone didn't make it easier and around lunch, she didn't join anyone in the cafeteria or the student lounge. Instead, she went to the bleachers since no one else was there and she could finally be alone and away from everybody else. It was probably rude of her to be avoiding her friends when they were just trying to help her, but she didn't know how she was going to tell them to give her some space without lashing out at them the way she lashed out on Marissa after she and Noah separated her from Eden. She knew she shouldn't have yelled at her like that but she just wanted to be left alone.

     "Hey. Mind if I sit?" Tori looked up and Noah was standing above her. While she did want to be left alone, maybe having his just sitting there won't be much of a problem. But instead of saying yes or no, she just shrugged her shoulders. Noah sighed as he sat down next to her while she just fidgeted with the hem of her sweater. "If you want, you can talk to me about what happened."

     Tori looked at him with skepticism. "Did Marissa put you up to this?" she asked but Noah shook his head.

     "No one did. Just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said and the dark haired girl sighed as her shoulder dropped.

     "Everyone has been trying to check on me but I just want to be let alone," she said.

     "I honestly don't think being alone is what you need right now. What Eden said was way out of line," Noah said but Tori laughed bitterly.

     "But she was right. Marissa did leave me behind and it was so easy for her to do it. And even though we talked it out, it still hurt," she said while rubbing her fingers under her eye.

     "But Marissa came back and when she did, you were the first person she went to. That's how much you mean to her," Noah said.

     "That doesn't make it any better," Tori replied as she shook her head.

     "Why not?" Noah questioned.    

     Tori chuckled mirthlessly as she looked at him. "You don't get it, do you? Everyone leaves me at one point," she said before going back to fidgeting with the material of her sweater. "And I was hoping for once it would be different."

     "The ones who left you behind, that's their problem. Because I see someone who is kind, passionate, quick witted and will not hesitate to punch people who deserve it. And I know Marissa, Toni, Fangs and Sweet Pea see it too," Noah said and Tori just sighed.

     "What Eden said still felt like a kick in the gut and I guess it got to me more than I would like to admit," she replied.

     "Of course it would and trust me, Marissa yelled at her for it," Noah said.

     Tori thought about what her mother said and she wiped her eyes when it felt like she was going to cry again. She already cried herself to sleep after the argument with her mother and she really didn't want to cry in front of Marissa's boyfriend.

     "You know, my mom wasn't very happy when I told her what happened. She dragged my dad into it and said he would be disappointed in me if he saw me right now," she said and Noah cringed.

     "That is always the lowest blow," he said and Tori laughed as she wiped her eyes again.

     "It's ironic because he was the one who taught me how to throw a good punch when I was five," she laughed.

     "If your father was here right now, what do you think he would say to you?" Noah asked and Tori shook her head as she shrugged her shoulders.

     "It's been so long, I don't even know anymore," she replied. "Maybe I should've just walked away and I wouldn't be dealing with this right now."

     "And let Eden get away with how she talked do you? What she's been doing lately is not okay but Marissa is too scared to do anything," Noah said and Tori only sighed as she rested her elbows on her knees with her hands under her chin.

     "I just want to see that Eden bitch fall flat on her face," she said and Noah laughed.

     "I can't say she doesn't deserve it. Honestly, I would pay some good money to see it," he replied and Tori smiled.

     "Is it bad that I want to be the one to push her?" she questioned but Noah shook his head.

     "Not at all. In fact, I'll help you make it look like some sort of freak accident," he said.

     "Nobody will ever know."

     "We probably shouldn't discuss something like this in a public setting," Noah laughed. "Are you feeling any better?"

     Tori sighed as she looked at him. "Actually, I do," she replied and Noah smiled.

     "I'm glad. You know, sometimes the thing you don't want to do is the thing you need to do," he said and Tori laughed as she rolled her eyes.

     Tori shrugged her shoulders and looked at him. "I should probably apologize to everyone for ignoring them," she said.

     "You needed space and they wouldn't give it to you. I think you had every right to be avoiding them. They can't expect you to tell them every single detail. Sometimes, you just need a break from them when things get hard," Noah said but Tori shook her head as she bit the inside of her cheek.

     "I probably had Sweet Pea worried out of his mind," she said and she couldn't help but laugh at what Sweet Pea would probably be saying to her right now.

     "Don't worry about that. Marissa whipped him right into shape," Noah said and Tori raised her eyebrows.

     "Are you sure about that? If I know anything about my boyfriend, it's that he's an act first and asks questions later, kind of guy," she laughed and Noah narrowed his eyes at her.

     "Are you questioning Marissa?" he asked with a big grin.

     Tori shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe I am," she said.

     "I'm gonna tell her you said that."

     "Go ahead."

     Both of them laughed but then Noah cleared his throat. "I mean it, Tori. If you ever need me, I'm right here. I don't just wanna be Marissa's boyfriend to you, I wanna be your friend too," he said and Tori nodded her head.

     "Thanks, Noah. I didn't realize how much I needed this," she said and the dark haired boy smiled.

     "Trust me, I know how it feels so I get it," he said.

     Maybe after this, she could talk to her friends and her boyfriend and hopefully forget about what happened.

this was definitely a tori and noah chapter and we love to see it okay? anyway, hope you enjoyed that <3