NOEL WAS going to change.

It wasn't for Ron's benefit, or his mom's, or people at his school, or Cheryl or May, or even Myron.

It was for him.

After Ron had left, Noel refused to let himself become a wreck. He contemplated telling his mom about what had happened but he wasn't sure how to bring it up, Noel didn't want to think about the wedding, or the baby or the slap.

He wanted to think about himself.

Come Monday morning, he had brought out his new clothes and decided to wear an oversized yellow sweater, black denim overalls and black trainers. He had slathered his hair with curl mousse, so for once his curls were actually defined and spiraling in a perfect concave on top of his head. His reflection looked back at him, his pimples taunting him almost, but Noel forced himself to look past them. For once he could actually see the colour of his eyes peeking through, that it startled him.

He never knew they were that blueish green.

He brought out his phone and stuck his earphones inside before playing Lovesick by Mura Musa. This was the longest time it had taken for him to get ready that someone was pounding his door.

"Hey! Pizzaface!" It was Cheryl. "Your mom said you need to come downstairs or you'll be late to school, what are you doing in there?" Cheryl had rudely pushed open the door to Noel's room, before her jaw went slack at Noel's appearance.

Noel said nothing, pushing past Cheryl before bounding down the stairs with a surprise jolt in his step. On his way to the front door, his mom was dressed in her work clothes with her handbag slung against her shoulder, Ron was downing an energy drink carefully, clad menacingly in his business suit while clutching a heavy leather satchel.

They both turned to stare at Noel in shock, his bright sunny appearance a bitter contrast to how he usually portrayed himself. His mom dumped her hand bag down and swanned her way towards Noel, her slender fingers cupping Noel's face.

"You look beautiful." Her voice was quiet and articulate, her eyes tracing Noel's face, hair and clothes.

"Mom, I have to go to school." Noel deadpanned, yet his voice almost broke off at the end.

"Right-right. Ron, doesn't Noel look so handsome!" Ron merely smiled at Noel, but his eyes were glaring and dark and he was scratching at the cuffs of his suit harshly.

Noel simply nodded absentmindedly before turning up his music, he shot a final smile at his mom before bounding out of the front door on his way to school.

_________________

Noel felt like he was on of those really cheesy high school movies, where you walk down the hallways and everybody parts messily like the red sea, staring gormlessly and gossiping to their friends.

He had turned up his music so loud, in an attempt to drown out his name in people's lips. Each step was agonizing as he could see people's curious faces snapshotting his new appearance. Bethany and May were at the end of the hallway, which was Noel's destination, but for some reason it was taking forever to get there.

May, seeming to have spotted him, screeched out Noel's name and started to pull Bethany's body towards him excitedly. "OMG. You're wearing the clothes. Aaahhhhhhhh. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT." May then proceeded to jumping onto Noel and engulfing him in a hug, her tiny arms wrapping around his neck and her legs around his waist. Bethany watched the scene with a small smile on her lips, her braids were wound up in a bun and her makeup was softer and lighter than usual.

"You look good Noel." She said simply, but Noel could detect how genuine she was as she hadn't uttered one snarky remark. "May get off him, you're suffocating him."

"NO!"

Her round face looked straight into Noel's, there was no flinching, no scattered eyes or a large intake of breath. She simply looked at Noel and smiled, before she began to babble again. "What did you do to your hair! It's so curly, and soft like bubblegum, oh wait, bubblegum isn't soft, I meant candyfloss, but like brown candyfloss, hey, would you ever dye your hair black, because that would look so cool against your eyes. Ugh! I can see your eyes for like the first time, they're such a cute colour, I want your eye colour! I want contacts that colour but they're really hard to fi-"

Bethany had dragged May off Noel forcefully, before latching onto her arm. "We've got to go to class, we'll interrogate Noel at lunch, okay?" May let out a string of profanities as Bethany dragged them both of to class. Noel watched them leave, before realizing the hallway had been emptied out, meaning that he was going to be late for class.

____________

Pushing open the door to his English class, his eccentric teacher, Miss Mulroy, was sitting at the desk marking papers, there was a layer of noise in the classroom, which quickly died down at Noel's presence.

"So wonderful for you to join us Mr. Adams." His teacher drawled sarcastically, before going back to marking papers. Noel said nothing but made his way over to his seat next to Myron, who was staring at him intently just like everyone in the class.

"Noel? Wha-"

"I took your advice." Then Noel smiled at Myron voluntarily, with no prompt whatsoever, his lips curling gracefully as if he did it often.

"I guess the song Havana is good for something." They both chuckled dryly, before pretending to do their work.

___________

Myron was sitting in the cafeteria with his gang of football jocks around him. They were loud as usual, their voices like starved vultures picking at moudly food. They were okay to hang out with- like a guaranteed friendship group, but that didn't make them good people.

A scatter of cheerleaders had joined them, including Cheryl who was weaving herself through her friends to get closer to Myron. Myron however wasn't at all present in the conversation but at the cacophony of colours situated in the middle of the hall. Noel was like a kaleidoscope, a shot of bright colour, in the otherwise, dull meatloaf smelling cafeteria. He saw him pick up a bottle of water and slip it down his throat, his pink lips circling the rim of the bottle before he placed it down neatly on the table. Myron watched his two friends, sitting on either side of him, laughing and talking too loudly. He watched people sneak glances at Noel, there lips in pursed awe at his new look.

Jason, a large jock, with shaved hair at the sides, noted on Myron's obsessive staring. "Yo, you looking at Pizzaface?"

Myron, distracted, turned to look at Jason's inquisitive face. "What?"

"That kid with all the acne, he's dressed like the sun threw up on him."

Another jock, with greasy hair and large nostrils, clapped Jason against the back. Myron recognized Marcel as the one who ripped Noel's hoodie off in class. "He still looks disgusting, in fact it draws more attention to his face." A few more jocks murmured in agreement, before stealing quiet looks at the sun clad boy.

"I think he looks good, it really suits him." A pretty cheerleader who Myron recognized as Kiana piped up helpfully.

"You'd date that." Cheryl stated snarkily, she had found her way towards Myron, now perched on his lap, her fingers, every so often, digging there way into his scalp.

"Yeah, he's kinda hot, in an aesthetic way."

Myron saw Marcel snarl under his breath. It was common knowledge that Marcel had a huge crush on Kiana, who remained oblivious. Cheryl uttered her protests. "Would you really kiss someone that has something growing on his face."

"Don't lie Cheryl, he's super attractive." Kiana carried on talking sweetly, her cheeks were darkening a little, as she rested her head on her palm.

Marcel then abruptly stood up, nudging Jason in the process. "Let's mess with him."

Myron watched them in awe. "Guys, leave him alone. He's done nothing." Cheryl's paws on Myron was starting to infuriate him.

"Yeah, leave him be." Kiana agreed with Myron. Marcel and Jason ignored them and started to weave themselves through the tables. Marcel grabbed a few bottles of juice from a freshman's table, who protested profusely before they caught wind of Marcel's twisted face.

Noel had been sitting with May and Bethany who were arguing about nothing as usual. He noted on Dylan and Thomas' absence, but May and Bethany admitted to not knowing where they were. "Are you guys even friends?" Noel had asked.

"Well, yeah...in middle school it was me, Bethany and Thomas. Believe it or not, Thomas was an okay guy in middle school, then we came to high school and met Dylan. He was really different back in freshman year." May had provided helpfully.

Bethany broke in. "Yeah, he didn't have that hideous skull tattoo on his neck, and he didn't shave off all his hair on a stupid bet with Myron, looking as if he's in the mafia."

"I have no idea, where they are though, they've been acting shady for weeks." May added before taking a slurp out of her orange juice.

"You don't miss them?" Noel inquired.

"Like I said, they've been doing this for weeks, I'm not really bothered. Plus I have Bethany." May then downed the rest of her juice. "Anyways, can I ask, what prompted you to wear those clothes. You seemed dead set not too."

Noel stared down at his half eaten PB&J sandwich. Just as he was about to formulate a response, two beefy meatheads hovered over to Noel's table.

"Go away Marcel." Bethany stated briskly, her expression was set and hard.

"We just want to talk to Noel." Marcel spoke loudly, gaining the attention of a few more people in the cafeteria. If there was one thing Marcel loved, it was attention. Noel made the mistake of turning over to look at him, where he then tipped the entire bottle of juice over Noel's head, the sticky blackcurrant seeping into his curls and onto his large oversized sweater.

"Oops." Marcel then began to cackle, his minion Jason was cackling too, garnering a few snickers from around the cafeteria. "Oh, and Noel, you look absolutely ridiculous."

Noel wasn't going to let him get away with it this time. He stood up abruptly, his lips trembling slightly. "Why did you do that?"

"Oh look, the freak can talk." He simpered falsely, turning to walk away. Noel reached for Bethany's untouched orange juice and emptied the entire bottle on top of Marcel's head, the juice slipping past his greasy lank hair and overwhelmingly flaring nostrils.

Jason, then began to laugh, and the rest of the cafeteria exploded in awe and cheap laughter. All the attention was undoubtedly on them. Marcel turned right round to face Noel and punched him straight on the face. His knuckle colliding with Noel's cheeks.

Noel cradled his left cheek again, it felt numb, like pimpled plastic was stretched across his face. Without thinking, he punched Marcel back, his fists swinging violently as he engaged in his first ever high school fight.

They scrambled to the ground, fists flying and blood pouring out of places it shouldn't pour out of. People began to fly out of their seats and circle Noel and Marcel. Their chants were screaming into the air "Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight!"

Noel couldn't hear or see anything, his vision blurred in the mass of the cafeteria. He didn't remember who he was even attempting to beat up, but he felt the tension that had been building up the past few weeks unleash onto the wringing body who was lashing out back at him, until, what felt like ages a faceless teacher ripped the two boys apart, their faces bloodied and their bodies battered.

"Both of you are coming with me! The rest of you go back, unless you want detention"

The crowd murmured in disappointment, but dispersed accordingly. Noel followed the teacher despondently, his body aching with every step before they go to the principals' office.

The teacher knocked angrily, their fist battering the oak wood door fiercely.

"Come in."

Mersey High's principal (Mr. Mackie) was an impish man, who wore a range of toupees, sucked on cough sweets all the time and had an unhealthy obsession with football. He sat squat in his seat, rolling an American hard gum between his tongue and teeth.

"What's happened now?"

The boys sat slumped in the hard Oakwood chairs across the desk. The teacher having left while muttering underneath their breath.

"A fight?" He deduced.

"Yeah." Marcel said quietly.

"Well you know the consequences for fighting, a two day isolation."

"But I have an important football game coming up, I need practice." Marcel broke out.

The principal nodded to himself. "Okay Marcel, no isolation"

"What about me? I was defending myself, I didn't initiate the fight." Noel spoke for the first time. He'd never been in his office.

The principal leaned back in his chair, choking on his sweet slightly.

"I'll let you both off, but if I hear anything, you will be facing suspension. You are dismissed." Both boys lumbered out of the office before the principal called out to them.

"Oh! And one last thing. Both of you're parents will be notified."