“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked, looking up at Noah.

He stood facing the storage unit, his fists clenched at his side.  “I have to do it eventually.  If I do it now, it could help.”

I’m not sure what he was looking for, but I wanted to help as much as I could.

                He took the pad lock off of the unit and lifted up the door.  There wasn’t much, but it was basically Jesse’s life.  Noah took another deep breath, and stepped inside.  “Is there anything specific we should be looking for?” I asked slowly, and softly.

There was a small light overhead and Noah tugged on the string to turn it on.  “Anything that doesn’t look right to you.” 

But I didn’t know Jesse, so I didn’t know what wasn’t out of the ordinary.  “Okay.” 

                I turned around, facing a large stack of small boxes.  I struggled to get the top one off of the pile, but managed without Noah’s help.  I sat it down on the ground and opened the folds.  It was a bunch of papers.  I sat down on the ground, and took out a small stack.  I fanned through them, only seeing a few math problems and old essays.

                I picked out another stack, only seeing old school work.  I don’t know why he kept all of this.  Most of them were marked with nothing over a C.  I folded the box back together and moved onto the next one.  I dropped the box on the floor and looked up to see what Noah was doing.  He was intently searching through a box as well.  I wanted desperately to ask him if he was okay, but I decided against it.  I know he’s not okay and it would be stupid to ask.

                Pictures among pictures were piled in this box.  Jesse was in all of them I’ve picked up and Noah was in several too.  There was one that caught my eye and I giggled before I could stop it.  I’m not sure how old they were, but I was guess maybe thirteen.  Noah had an eyebrow piercing.  “What are you laughing at?”  Noah asked.

I lifted the picture, covering my mouth to keep from laughing.  “What is that?” I mumbled into my hand.

He stepped forward, snatching the picture from my hand.  “This is so old.” He smiled.

                “You had an eyebrow piercing.  What were you thinking?”

He gave me back the photo and stared down at me, “I thought I was pretty badass.”

I put the photo back down in the pile and waved my hands, “If you still had that, I wouldn’t be able to take you seriously.”

                “You barely take me seriously anyway.” He teased, making his way back to the other side of the storage room.

I stood up, brushing off the back of my pants.  “That’s not true.  You’re probably the only person I can take seriously.”  Except when he has his shirt off.  “I mean, after what we’ve been through together.”

The corner of his mouth flicked into a small smirk.  “I might just consider getting it re-pierced.”

I wrinkled my nose, shaking my head.  “Not if you want me to stay your friend.”

                “Don’t flatter yourself.”

He looked down at the small stack of pictures in his hand, his smile quickly fading.  “What is it?” I moved behind, peering down at the picture. 

                “Is that—?”

                “Scott.” I breathed, recognizing the person immediately. 

There was Scott, Jesse and two other girls I didn’t recognize.  “That’s not really a surprise, right?  Didn’t Jesse basically stay a Mist?”

Noah dropped the stack, holding the picture in both hands.  “He never mentioned him.  I’ve never even seen the guy before I moved here.”

I didn’t want to believe it.  “Could it be possible that he had something to do with it?”

He folded the picture up, stuffing it into his back pocket.  “I don’t know.  It just looks like they were friends, it’s not a big deal.”  It was a bit of a shock that Noah was defending him.

                “Would you like me to talk to him?”

The way he looked at me was as if I had gone crazy.  “That’s your call.”

                “It could help.  He might have known something about Jesse that he didn’t tell you—”

                “He told me everything.”

                “Obviously not.”

He closed the box back up and dropped it on the ground.  “I just want to go home.”

                “Noah—”

                “Don’t.”

He walked ahead of me and waited for me to get out before locking the unit back up.

                We got in the car and just sat there for a moment, not saying anything until I broke the silence.  “Noah, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean it.”

He sat slumped in his seat, picking at his fingers.  It’s a habit I’ve seen him do when he gets nervous.  “You apologize too much.”

                        “I never say the right thing.”

                “It’s not that.  You tell me things I don’t realize myself.  I know Jesse didn’t tell me everything.  That’s exactly what caused our fight.  He was scared of someone.  And that person wasn’t me.”

I didn’t want to be harsh with Noah.  And I shouldn’t have said that to him.  He’s in a fragile state and me yelling at him isn’t going to do anything.  “Did you find anything?” I spoke softly.

                “Uh, yeah.  I found his phone.  I thought his mom had kept it.  If there’s anything, it should be in there.”  With that, he started the car and we headed towards his house.

                The drive back was quite.  Annoyingly quiet.  I was too scared to say anything.  I didn’t want to say the wrong thing again and upset Noah.  So I snapped my mouth shut and waited until we pulled into his driveway.  We walked inside, and I followed Noah straight to the kitchen.  He slipped Jesse’s phone out of his pocket and connected it to one of the chargers plugged into the wall.  He stopped in front of the fridge and plucked a piece of paper from under a magnet.  “My parents are at the police station.” He muttered, crumpling up the piece of paper and throwing it on the counter.

I feel like I should be there, too.  But I gave them all the information I had.

                We ended up in his room, doing absolutely nothing but talking.  I laid on my stomach, my arms folded below my chin.  Noah laid at the top of the bed, staring up at the ceiling with his hands clasped on his stomach.  “I need to go to my house and get some things.”

                “You can use my car, if you want.  It’s better than taking a cab.”

I stood off of the bed and walked to his side.  I grabbed the keys from the nightstand and looked down at Noah.  “Do you need anything?”

                “As long as you come back, no.”

I could tell he didn’t want to be left alone.  He would be too tempted to leave.

                “I’ll be back.  You should get some sleep.”

I doubt he'll actually listen to me. 

                I drove home and parked across the street instead of in the driveway.  There was no way I could explain having Noah’s car.  I walked inside, closing the door quietly behind me.  But that didn’t work.  Ash came running down the stairs.  “Do you know how worried I’ve been?”

                “I’m fine, Ash.” 

I pushed passed him and ran up the stairs.  Ash was hot on my heels as I entered my room.  “You can’t just tell me you’re at Scott’s and not answer your phone.”

                “I can, and I did.”

I felt so bad at this point.  I wanted to tell him everything, but I don’t know if he would understand.

                “Please, just call next time.” He pleaded, losing the aggressiveness in his voice.

I spun around and walked towards him.  I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, giving him a gentle hug.  “I’m sorry, okay?  I’ll call next time.”

He muttered a thank you and we pulled apart.  “Where’s mom and dad?”

                “I think he took her to dinner.  They’ve been eating out a lot since she doesn’t feel like cooking as much anymore. I think it's just the house...” That thought crossed my mind a lot.

I wanted to get things and leave.  But I don’t think Ash is having it.  “I heard about Alex.” He blurted.  “It’s all over the news.  I know you care about him, so if you need to talk, I’m here.”

He needed to check on Noah.  “That’s nice of you, Ash.  They’re going to find him, he’s going to be fine.”

                “I tried calling Noah, but he doesn’t answer.  I can’t imagine how he feels right now.  I would die if something happened to you, Willow.”

My brother was so trusting, and he had no idea what I know.  “I’m not going anywhere, Ash.  Well, except for tonight.  I’m going to stay at Ashley’s, we have a project due in English.” I smiled.

He let out a heavy sigh, but smiled.  “I’ll be at Rai’s tonight, but I’m going to stop by Noah’s in the morning, make sure the kid is okay.”

I nodded.  “Good idea.”

He placed a small kiss on the top of my head and left me alone.

                I took the time to shower and get changed into clean clothes.  I put my hair back into a ponytail and walked out of the bathroom.  I grabbed my small duffle bag from my closet and dropped it on my bed.  I just put in an extra pair of clothes, night clothes, and things I need in the morning.  I slung my backpack across my shoulder and snatched the duffle from my bed.

                As I was walking down the stairs, the doorbell rings.  I dropped the duffle bag almost immediately.  “Who is it?” I called out, putting my hand on the door handle.

                “Uh, your boyfriend?”

I let go of the breath I was holding and opened the door.  “Scott, hey.”

                “You going somewhere?” He pointed to my backpack.

                “Yeah, Ashley’s.  What’s up?”

He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets.  “I just wanted to see you.  I tried calling, but you didn’t answer.”

I dropped my backpack and opened the door for him to come inside.  “I can just wait until tomorrow, since you’re leaving.”

                “I can come over after school tomorrow?”

                “Of course.” He smiled.

That would be a good time to talk to him, maybe get a little information if it’s possible.  “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”  I stood on my toes, leaving a kiss on his lips.

                I pulled into Noah’s driveway and grabbed my bags from the passenger seat.  I used the house key on Noah’s key ring to let myself in.  It was still quiet, just like I left it.  I walked quietly up the stairs, stopping in front of Noah’s room.  I pushed the door open, and Noah is where I left him.  Except curled up on his side, sleeping.  Maybe he did take my advice.

                I dropped my bags on the floor and took my shoes off.  I tip-toed to the opposite side of the bed and climbed on top.  I slipped behind Noah, sliding my arms around his waist.  I buried my face into his back and breathed in his scent. 

                The feeling of holding Noah this close made me feel guilty.  Scott had no idea I was this close to him, and if he did know, he wouldn’t be happy about it.  He already thinks of Noah as a ‘tool’.  At this point, I don’t know if I want to be with Scott.  I don’t even know if I want to be with Noah.  I do know that I want to help Noah as much as possible. 

A relationship is the last thing I’m worried about.

                 But yet I continue to think of Noah as more than a friend.

                Noah’s fingers wrapped around my wrist and he pulled me closer.  He hugged my arm to his chest, holding my hand between his.  “I almost thought you weren’t coming back.”

                “I told you,” I muttered against his clothed back.  “I want to be where ever you are.”

He let go of my arm and turned on his back.  He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.  I rested my head on his chest, draping my arm over his abdomen.  His pointer finger grazed over my arm, tracing patterns with the pad of his finger.

He thought I wasn’t making this easy.

                I was ready for school before Noah even woke up the next morning.  I wasn’t expecting him to go to school.  I don’t think his mom and dad were, either.  I kneeled down on his side of the bed, and tapper his shoulder.  His eyes slowly fluttered opened.  “I’m leaving.” I whispered.  “Do you want me to stop by later?”

                “Sure.”

I just needed to get out of here before Ash showed up.  I had a feeling Ash wouldn’t come at lunch anyway.  Crossing my fingers.

                When I got to school, Ashley was perched by my locker.  It’s usually how I found her in the mornings now.  She looked bright and perky, her usual.  “Hey, hey, hey.” She grinned.

                “Hey.” I smiled at her and turned to open my locker.  “You’re extra chirpy this morning.”

                “Yes, of course.  Because my best friend is turning seventeen in two weeks.”

How could I forget my own birthday?  “I really don’t feel like celebrating it.” I mumbled, closing my locker after grabbing my English book.

She pushed a small stack of envelopes towards me.  “You’re having a party, Willow.  I didn’t stay up all night, hand writing all of these for you to be a party pooper.”

                “There’s only three here.” I fanned them out in front of her.

                “Yes, because those are the examples.  We can use one, or all of them.”

One was a black envelope, one red, and one a dark navy blue.  “I’ll look at them when I get home.”

                “I’ll take that as a yes?”

There was no way she was going to let me off this easy.

                School was school.  Classes were smooth, people were assholes.  It was the usual day.  I skipped out of going to my locker because that’s where people like to catch me.  I’m hoping Ash already left for the day.  Relief washed over me when I stepped outside and didn’t find him anywhere.  None of his friends, either.  But I did find Scott waiting for me by one of the pillars by himself.

                I walked up to him, snatching his phone from his hand and hiding it behind my back.  “What are you doing?” His lips turned into a smile as he reached behind my back to get his phone.

                “Nothing.  You just looked a little distracted.”

He put his phone in his pocket and grabbed my hand.  “Let’s go then.”

I don’t think we could leave fast enough.

“I can tell when something is on your mind.” Scott whispered, stroking his thumb across my cheek.  My head laid on his arm as we faced each other.  We have probably been in the same position since the movie we watched ended.  Which was probably a good thirty minutes ago.

                “I’m just thinking.” I replied.  “It’s the usual.”

A smile touched his lips, “I’ve noticed.  But today you’re just…not here.  You know you can talk to me.”

I wish it was that easy.  “Did you know Jesse Hale?” I blurted.

It’s like I could see the wheels turning in his head.  “Uh, yeah.  He was the one that died last year?”

I nodded.  “He was part of Noah’s band.  Remember I told you about it?”

                “Yeah, but I’ve never met Noah.”

                “But you knew Jesse before he passed away?”

His thumb started moving across my jawline, “He basically stayed at Mist last summer.  We hung out then.  I guess you could say we were friends.”

                “Close friends?”

It was getting hard to focus with his fingers on my neck.  I am weak.

                “I don’t think I would say that.  But we were pretty tight last spring, I guess.  He didn’t strike me as the type of person that would hurt himself.  He seemed pretty happy.  But he did have a few off days.”

Maybe Scott does know more than Noah, clearly.  “Was he talking to anyone?”

He stopped moving his hand, “Why are you all of a sudden interested?”

I quickly smiled, shaking my head, “No reason.”

                “Well, I don’t want to talk about him.  It’s not important.”

He had no idea.

                I decided to drop it.  I closed the small gap between us, meeting his lips for the first time today.  Scott started taking his time when he kissed me.  Our lips together, moving slowly.  His hand lightly pressed against my cheek and our bodies molding together.  Scott’s hand brushed down my arm slowly, stopping at the hem of my shirt.  I felt his cool finger tips against my bare skin, gripping my hip.

                He moved quickly, hovering over me.  His lips lingered away from mine, meeting my jaw.  He dropped kisses down my neck, nibbling on small patches of skin.  He kissed his way up my neck again, finding my sweet spot below my ear.  I gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it.  His lips smiled against my skin.

                He moved his way back to my lips, kissing me with too much hunger and aggression.  He tugged on my shirt, pushing it up my stomach.  I pulled away, trying to catch a breath.  “Scott.” I breathed.  But he didn’t seem to hear me.  His hands were inching towards the top of my jeans.  I pushed on his arms, but he didn’t budge.  “Scott, stop it!” I shouted, pushing him again.

He fell onto the spot beside me, his hands covering his face.  “I’m so sorry.” His muffled voice came through his hands.

I stood off of the bed, fixing my shirt.  “It’s fine, I should be going anyway.”

He quickly stood up, meeting me by his door.  “I didn’t mean to, Willow.  I’m sorry—”

                “I need to go, Scott.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder.

                I rushed out of his room, putting my fingers to my throbbing lips.  I stepped outside, and called a cab so I could get to Noah’s.  I walked a few houses down, and gave them that address instead of Scott’s.  I was scared to be anywhere near there right now.  It was like my nightmare all over again.  Maybe that’s telling me something.  It’s telling me to stay away from him, and that’s what I needed to do.  Scott is a trigger.

                I arrived at Noah’s twenty minutes later.  I was relieved to see his car in the driveway.  I was a little late, but I don’t think he’ll be upset.  Maybe. 

                I walked up the driveway and rang the doorbell.  I stood, waiting, tapping my foot against the ground.  I don’t know why I was nervous.  I don’t know why I feel like Scott is still touching me or why I wanted to run away.  I just wanted to wash him off of me.  The door swung opened, revealing Noah.  He looked much better than yesterday.  At least rested.  “Hey, I was just about to call you.”

I forced a weak smile and stepped inside.  “Sorry, I was at Scott’s.” My voice was shaking, almost like it was warning me that I was about to cry.

I tried shoving it back.

                “It’s fine.  My parent’s just left to go to the police station.”

                “Did they find anything out?”

He tilted his hand back and forth.  “They think they have an idea, but they didn’t make any promises.”

                “That’s good news, right?”

He nodded, “Sort of, I guess.  It’s better than nothing.”  He stared at me, his eyes trailing away from my eyes.  He scanned my neck, but I quickly moved my hair to cover it up.  “Are you okay?”

                “Yeah, I’m fine.” I crossed my arms over my chest.  “Why would you think I’m not?”

                “No reason.” He muttered, running a hand through his hair.

I followed him up the stairs and into his room.  He closed the door and I let my bag fall off of my shoulder.  I’m not okay.  I was scared.  I was scared of what Scott could do.  It felt just like my dream.

                I wrapped my arms around myself, pacing Noah’s room, trying not to cry in the process.  “And you want to tell me something isn’t wrong?”

Don’t cry, Willow.  Don’t cry.  “I’m fine.  You have enough to worry about without me adding to it.”

I felt his arms wrap around my shoulders from behind to get me to stop moving.  “You’re one of my worries, Willow.” He spoke against my hair.  “I know something is wrong.  I want you to tell me.”

And that’s all it took.

The first tear cascaded down my cheek and I swiped it away.  “Remember my dream?”

We stood in the same position, his lips just closer to my ear.  “You didn’t exactly tell me all of it.”

                “It started out with you.  We were…together.  You started being forceful, and when I opened my eyes, it was Scott.  It wasn’t you.”

I think Noah’s arms around me was the only thing keeping my body standing.  “Did he hurt you?”

                “He wouldn’t stop.” I choked.

                “He didn’t…touch you, did he?”

I turned in his arms, lightly shaking my head.  “He stopped after I yelled.”

He cupped my face in his hands, running his thumbs under my eyes.  “Please, don’t go near him again.  I can’t have something happen to you, too.”

I dropped my forehead against his chest, trying to find my breath again.  Ash warned me and I didn’t listen.  I’m not blaming it on Scott being a guy, because that’s not an excuse.  “Can you just hold me?  Please?” I asked, meeting his soft blue eyes.

                “Of course.”

He grabbed my hand, leading me over to his bed.  He laid down, bringing me with him.  He wrapped his arms tight around me, his chin resting on the top of my head.  “Thank you.” I said softly, moving closer against his side.  “Did you find anything in Jesse’s phone?”

                “There’s a few messages from a private number, can’t really do much with that.”

I tilted my head back to look up at him.  “What kind of messages?”

                “They were…colorful.  Some were threatening, some asking him to meet certain places.”

This could be the person they’re looking for.  “Was there an address?”

                “Nope.  They just said to meet at the usual place.”

I nervously bit down on the nail of my thumb.  Horrible nervous habit.  “Scott said he basically lived in Mist last summer.” I muttered.  “Could it be possible?”

Noah let out a long breath, “But why?  What would have triggered Scott?”

                “I-I don’t know.  Anything is possible.”

Noah looked down at me again, taking my chin between his thumb and pointer finger.  “I’m not going to let him hurt you.” His breath lightly caressed my lips, urging me to kiss him.

                He kissed the tip of my nose and left another kiss on my forehead.  I buried my face into the crook of his neck, leaving small kiss to return the favor.  Maybe it’s Noah.

Maybe it will always be Noah.

                After spending a few hours together, Noah drove me home.  We pulled into the empty driveway and Noah cut the engine.  “Um, you want to come in for a few minutes?” I offered.

He smiled and nodded.

                We got out of the car and I dug around in my bag for my keys.  I finally found them and unlocked the door.  I stepped inside the darkness, feeling around the wall for a light switch.  I gestured towards the stairs, having Noah go up first.  I followed close behind until we came to a stop in front of my door.  There was a yellow note taped to it. 

                I plucked the note from my door and opened it.  I turned on my light, letting my eyes adjust to the words on the page.  “Your mom wasn’t feeling good.  Decided to take the weekend off.  You know my number and I left money for food.  Love, dad.” I read out loud.

How convenient? 

                “Where’s Ash?” Noah asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, dropping my bag on the bed.  “I never know where he is.  He’s only home when his friends are grounded.”

I opened up my bag, grabbing Ashley’s invitations out.  “What’s that?” Noah took a step closer to me.

                “Uh, samples of my party invitations.”

He laughed, grabbing one from my hand.  “Why wasn’t I invited?”

                “I haven’t even handed them out yet.”

I opened the envelope, taking out the long card.  It was simple, yet colorful.  It looks like Ashley put a lot of effort into it.  I guess I approve.

                “Why does the handwriting look so familiar?” Noah wondered out loud.

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked down at the invitation again.  He was right, something about it did look familiar.  But she was my best friend, I knew her handwriting.

That’s when it hit me.

                I walked to my jewelry box, grabbing one of the notes from the bottom drawer.  I strode to my desk, laying the invitation down before unfolding the note and laying it next to each other.  “No.” I gasped.

My heart sank and I started crying for the second time today.

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A super long chapter to make up for the short ones!

Did any of you expect that?

Probably not, haha.

Just kidding, but if you did, you're great and I need to be less predictable.

All of your votes and comments help so much and I just love you guys, thanks for the almost 20k reads.  It means so so much! :)