NOEL WASN'T sure if he was ever going to meet Ron's daughter, Ron alone was silently infuriating him. He didn't do anything, it was just his mere presence. Everywhere Noel went, Ron seemed to be lurking nearby.

When he entered the kitchen, Ron was pouring himself an orange juice, when he wanted to watch Steven Universe Ron was watching Kitchen Nightmares, when he wanted to use the shower, Ron was there.

It was also the fact that Ron, just like everyone else, would avoid looking at Noel as much as possible. This normally didn't affect Noel too much, he had become used to it, it was more so the fact that it was in his own house that he finally felt like a normal human being, but now Ron was crawling around, Noel felt that familiar feeling of being an outsider.

His mom, however, was on cloud nine. Noel didn't realise how unhappy his mom was until Ron came around, he thought lying in bed all day was normal behavior. But now Ron was around his mom wanted to go bowling, cinema, out to dinner, rowing, karaoke, anything you could do, his mom wanted to do it.

Noel didn't partake in any of these activities because he didn't like leaving his house unless absolutely necessary.

But it wasn't until one particular Wednesday where Ron's daughter was finally going to show up, did Noel want to leave the house as quickly as possible.

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The doorbell rang excessively and his mom had practically pushed Noel to the door.

Noel opened the door with a disgruntled sigh, pushing his black curls out of his eyes. He was wearing his Minions pajamas (for some reason Noel was pretty sure everybody owned at least one minion related item in their house) and was happily enjoying his nap before the doorbell rang and his mom threw him of the sofa.

Nothing could have prepared Noel for the figure standing in the doorway. It was a girl, with long thick auburn hair in waves, large blue eyes, blood red lips and a spangly cheerleader outfit stretched across her lithe body.

Cheryl freaking Baker.

Scattered around her was a myriad of suitcases, bags and backpacks, all stained in a bright pink and purple.

Noel didn't know what to do, his mind was whirring at a million miles per minute.

Cheryl Baker was Ron's daughter?

He had heard all about the red haired cheerleader through fragmented gossip in the hallways, and had once or twice seen her make snooty and unnecessary remarks to unsuspecting student body. But not once had he ever come in direct contact with her.

And now she was going to be living in his house?

Noel was almost about to slam the door shut and stomp back into the house, until his mother appeared from nowhere, a bright smile stretched across her lips. "Ah, you must be Cheryl! Welcome. Welcome. Noel! Help bring her bags inside."

Noel grudgingly picked up her bags, grumbling underneath his breath. Cheryl shot a smile at Noel's mother. "Thank you. Thank you."

Then came sauntering into the hallway was Ron, he quickly went to hug his daughter, his lips murmuring words that were incomprehensible to Noel.

"Noel?" Noel cast a worrying glance at his mother, the 12364 bags he was carrying were weighing his skinny arms down and he couldn't do with anymore stress. "Why don't you show Cheryl to her room?"

Grunting again, Noel started walking up the stairs, Cheryl following politely on his heels. Once they got to the guest room, he dumped the bags on the floor, heaving slightly as Noel wasn't the most athletic person.

Noel turned to Cheryl cautiously, he wasn't wearing any of his hoodies, so his face was bright red and bare. He didn't know what to say to her, as she looked like she had just climbed out of a Victoria Secret magazine and he looked like he had climbed out of a trash can.

"Hi?" Noel cursed himself silently.

"I didn't know it was you." Noel looked at Cheryl quizzically, her voice was clear with a snarky undertone lingering underneath, a stark contrast to how she spoke to Noel's mom.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't know that I'd be living with Pizzaface."

Noel didn't even flinch at the horrid nickname, he just wasn't aware it was popular term used around his school, he didn't think people were that cruel.

"Oh." Noel fiddled with the bottom of his minions pajama top, unknowingly biting the bottom of his lip, he avoided looking at Cheryl, as her presence was making him annoyed.

"Gosh, just use Proactiv or somethin', how can you go around with your face looking like that? I know I may sound kind of harsh, but seriously it'd help you and other people around you if used something, you know?"

"Er...."

"If not Proactiv, Clearisil? I think I have half a bottle in one of my bags somewhere...."

Cheryl started shifting through her bags, mumbling underneath her breath. Noel could feel the rising anger travelling his way through his lungs, he couldn't tell whether she was being malicious or if she was generally trying to help him, but either way he was mad.

"Come with me." Noel's voice was loud and firm, before he left the room. He hadn't expected Cheryl to follow him, but she was right behind him as she walked into the bathroom.

"You see this?" Noel stormed into the bathroom, his hands clutching his skin products on the bathroom counter.

Cheryl was silent as she stared at Noel.

Noel proceeded to open the bathroom cabinets and drawers, clutching haphazardly at the bottles inside them, throwing them onto the floor and the sink and some at Cheryl (by accident of course).

"And these!"

Noel went into the shower and grabbed more skin products, flinging them across the bathroom. "And these as well!"

He stepped closer to Cheryl, not caring how bad his acne looked up close as rage consumed him.

"Don't you ever come into my house, and have the audacity to insult me!"

"I didn't insult you, I was telling you the truth."

"I didn't ask for the truth! I use all these products, day in, day out, I think I know what products I should use for my skin, I never asked for your input. You don't think I know, you don't think I see my skin every day!"

Noel breathed out profusely but he wasn't done yet.

"If you think, I'm going to be treated like scum in my house, you are sadly mistaken. Yes I look like a freak but I'm still a human being, and I deserve to be treated like one."

What Noel hadn't expected was for Cheryl to break down into tears, her mascara running down her pale face uncontrollably.

As if each of their parents had supersonic hearing (at such convenient time(!)) Ron and Kim burst into the bathroom. Kim's face curdling into confusion at Cheryl's tear stained face.

"What happened here?" Kim said quietly. Ron was holding onto Kim's waist. His expression unreadable.

Noel had no more words left in his mouth to speak, but Cheryl clearly did. "I just came into bathroom and Noel started screaming at me, throwing bottles everywhere and saying that he doesn't want me here and I don't belong." Cheryl took a deep breath. "I just, I don't- I don't- need this, I had to leave my mom and move into a strange foreign home and now I've got this boy screaming at me, I just, I just can't take it." Cheryl let out a few shuddered gasps, wrapping her arms around herself.

If Noel was angry before, he didn't even know what emotion he was experiencing right now.

Kim spoke up, her hands tightening against Ron's waist. "Is this what happened Noel?"

Before Noel could even speak, Ron's voice broke through the bathroom walls. "How dare you do such a horrible thing to Cheryl! She just got here, what could she have possibly done to you Noel?"

Noel shuddered at Ron shouting, he had never heard him raise his voice before and Noel had to admit it was terrifying. He almost expected his mom to berate Ron for shouting at her son, but she said nothing.

"Come here Cheryl." Ron said tightly, wrapping his arms around Cheryl's small frame. Before he left the bathroom, Ron shot Noel the most murderous look he had ever witnessed, his brows furrowing deeply, and his lips curling in distaste. He had never looked at Noel like that, in fact he never really even looked at Noel that this look had sent a sleek shiver up his spine.

Soon it was just Noel and his mother standing in the bathroom. Noel wasn't sure who had left the bathroom window open, but he desperately wanted to close it, as he was feeling cold, whether it was from the breeze or the atmosphere, he didn't really want to know.

"Mom-" Noel's voice cracked out in the silence.

His mom said nothing, the light in her eyes fading, she had nothing to say, she didn't know what she wanted to say, but she didn't want her chance of happiness to slip through her fingers. She didn't know that, that was what Noel wanted, that it almost made her angry.

"Goodnight Noel." His mom left the bathroom, her slippers slapping against the bathroom tiles.

Noel didn't want it to be true, but it felt as is she chose Ron over him, and it hurt him.

It hurt him a whole lot.