Cross My Heart

2. NOAH

Chapter 2

NOAH

13 YEARS OLD

I t’s dark and cold in my room. My parents always keep the temperature low at night, and we’re practically freezing as we watch Scream cuddled up next to each other. Scarlett is on my right side, and Tyler is on my left. He’s got his head close to my shoulder, not quite on it, but close enough. My breathing is coming a little faster than usual, and then he reaches out and grabs my hand when he gets scared, digging his blunt fingernails into it.

My heart stutters in my chest.

Tyler and I met each other a week ago. We’ve had a full week in my pool, at my house, and at his place too. He has seamlessly become a part of my and Scarlett’s lives as if he has always been here, even though Scarlett and I go way back to when we were in diapers. Our moms are best friends too, they were even pregnant at the same time.

“God, you’re such a little girl, Tyler.” Scarlett laughs, sitting up and looking over at him. “Holding Noah’s hand like a baby.”

“Shut up,” Ty growls. “It’s scary!”

“We’ve watched this movie about one hundred times.” Scar rolls her eyes. “It’s not even scary anymore.”

“Fuck off, Red,” I sigh. “It’s his first time.”

“Whatever,” she huffs. “Just be quiet so I can gawk at Billy in peace.”

“You like him?” Tyler asks, clearly horrified. “He’s a murderer!”

“I can fix him.” Scarlett winks.

“He is pretty hot, Ty,” I admit. “You don’t think so?”

“No.” He shakes his head vehemently. “Y’all are fucking nuts.”

Scarlett and I both laugh, and I take a pillow and hit Tyler in the head with it. He shoves it off and throws it on the ground.

Grabbing the pizza box from the foot of the bed, I open it and take a slice out. I offer it to Scarlett, who smiles at me, then offer the next one to Tyler. He shakes his head, nose wrinkled in disgust, and I shrug.

“Too good for cold pizza?” I murmur, taking a big bite of the slice.

“Too good for cold anything.” Tyler’s nose is still wrinkled. “Unless it’s meant to be cold.”

“Interesting,” I reply, chewing my food.

“It’s okay, you’re not special.” Scarlett grins as she finishes her bite. “Noah doesn’t like soggy bread. So I always make sure to give it to him.”

“You’re always mean to me.” I laugh.

“Am not!” she yells, stuffing her face again. “I’m just evil sometimes,” Scar says between bites.

“You said it, not me.” I shrug.

“Y’all are so fucking weird.” Tyler rolls his eyes. “How are you even friends?”

“Oh, please.” Scarlett sighs. “He can’t live without me.”

“Beg to differ.” I look her right in the eyes and raise an eyebrow. “I think it’s you who can’t live without me.”

“As if!”

I put my pizza down, and without wiping my face clean, I grab Scarlett’s head and kiss all over her face. She shrieks, sounding like she’s dying, and my door opens.

My dad clears his throat, and I stop, still holding on to Scarlett’s head. “What’s going on?” he asks, amusement clear in his voice even though I can’t see his face.

“Oh, you know.” I grin. “Just punishing Scarlett for being a brat.”

My dad laughs.

“How do you put up with them, Mr. Milner?” Tyler asks, and my dad rolls his eyes.

“John, please,” Dad says, and I look over my shoulder to see him grinning at Tyler. “You’re making me feel old.”

“You are old!” Scarlett yells out.

“What was that about punishment?” Dad asks slowly. “You might wanna keep doing it.”

Tyler and I begin to laugh as I kiss all over Scarlett’s cheeks with my greasy lips again.

“Gross!” Scarlett screams. “Stop! Please! I’ll do anything.”

“Anything?” I raise an eyebrow, and she nods.

I let her go with a grin.

“Lights out at one,” Dad says with a smile, and Scarlett claps her hands. Tyler’s jaw drops. I just keep grinning.

“Thanks, Dad,” I reply, and he just shakes his head and closes the door.

“Your dad is so cool,” Tyler says with wonder in his voice. “Has he always been like that?”

“Only during the summer,” Scarlett says.

“Makes sense.” Ty nods. “I’ll be back. Gotta pee.”

Scarlett snickers, “Aim into the bowl, Tyler!”

“Can I just pee in fucking peace?”

“It’s not my fault you never learned to aim.” Scarlett shrugs. “Even toddlers do it better than you. Do you need Cheerios to train you with?”

“Your alternative is watching me aim at cereal in a toilet bowl?” Tyler sounds absolutely horrified.

“At least it would teach you how to do it.” She shrugs, and I roll my eyes.

“Just let him go before he pees himself,” I tell her just as Tyler begins to hop from one foot to the other, clearly about to empty his bladder. “Or you’re going to clean up my floor.”

“Get out of here, you rat.” Scarlett grins, and Tyler shakes his head and goes out to the hallway bathroom.

There’s a moment of silence between us, and Scarlett goes back to watching the movie. I debate on what I am about to say, but then I figure it’s better to put it out there. It’s how I feel, after all.

“I like Tyler,” I whisper, and her eyes slide over to mine.

“Yeah.” She shrugs. “He’s alright, I guess.”

“No.” I shake my head quickly. “I like him, like him.”

“ Oh .” Her eyes widen, and she sits up in bed and faces me. “But you like everyone.”

“What?” I scoff. “No I don’t.”

“You liked Austin, Cal, and River.”

“I call dibs, Scarlett,” I groan. “I call dibs.”

“You can’t just call dibs, Noah.” Scarlett rolls her eyes. “He’s not a toy.”

I scoff. “I want him.”

Scarlett rolls her eyes and goes back to watching the movie. No more words are exchanged between us, and my mind is racing a million miles a minute. Why is she being so weird about it? Why is she saying I can’t call dibs?

But then Tyler comes back in and settles next to me, and my mind quiets. I look at him—really look at him. At his dark brown curls, his crystalline blue eyes, his pouty lips. And I realize I don’t really care what Scarlett says. I don’t know how I’m going to do it. But one day this boy will be mine.

I just know it.