Awake (2 page)

As he worked his eyes kept flicking back to watch me like I was the most interesting thing on the planet. Like he was scared if he took his eyes off me, I’d be assassinated.

He turned to me once everything was set up. “Tell me something about yourself.”

“We’re supposed to be making those chemicals... do something.”
And there’s not a whole lot to tell.

He shrugged. “We’ve got a minute. Come on.”

There
was
one thing. I didn’t like to bring it up much because it was weird, and I always got the same how-can-it-not-drive-you-crazy question. Sighing, I replied, “I remember nothing before the age of four.”

His eyebrows shot up. “What?”

“There was a house fire and we lost everything. My parents got me and my brother, Jeremy, out, but we were in the hospital for smoke inhalation. When I woke up, I couldn’t remember anything.”

“Nothing?”

“Nope. All I remember is waking up in a yellow room. I didn’t even know my family.”

“When did you start remembering?”

I frowned. “I didn’t. They filled in the blanks with stories of stuff we’d done, but I don’t actually remember any of it.”

“That’s crazy. Hey, they could’ve told you anything.”

I laughed. “Yeah, they could’ve had fun with that one. ‘We’re a normal family and you and your brother fight like cats and dogs’ is pretty boring.”

“They could have made you a princess. Or you could really be a princess, and they stole you away to–”

“Okay,” I said, cutting him off, “You have an overactive imagination.”

Smiling, he replied, “Sorry. It’s just a bit weird.”

“Totally weird. I repressed everything because of the traumatic experience, apparently.”

“Think you’ll ever get your memory back?”

I shrugged. “Probably not. Doesn’t matter, though.”

“I suppose not. I would just hate to have
four years
and a lot of experiences I couldn’t remember.”

“It bugged me before but not now. Lots of people don’t remember much of their childhood, I just don’t remember the first four years.”

“Did you try therapy or get hypnotised?”

I laughed. “Nope. It’s really not that big of a deal. I tried remembering, but there’s nothing there.”

He smiled. “One day you will remember.”

I gave up believing that about four years ago.

Scarlett

ONE HUNDRED AND
eleven. That was how many texts had gone back and forth between me and Noah in the
six
days we’d known each other. It was a ridiculous amount of texts to send a virtual stranger. But he didn’t feel like a stranger. We’d talked about almost everything, our likes and dislikes, family, friends, funniest moments, darkest moments. Although there was a lot more to learn about each other, I felt that I knew him pretty well already. He seemed determined to know everything there was to know about plain old me.

After a full school week of flirting our arses off, I had fully entered the obsessive realm and now my every thought pretty much involved Noah. I annoyed myself and was sure my family now hated me.

“I’m leaving in a minute,” I said to my parents.

“Who’s meeting you?”

“No one. I’m walking to Noah’s, then were heading to town together.”

Dad’s dark eyebrow lifted. “We’ll take you to this Noah kid’s house. It’s about time we meet him.”

“What?” No, that was not happening.

“Honey, you don’t expect us to let you go to the house of someone you barely know, and we’ve never met, do you?” Mum said.

“Yes! That is
exactly
what I expect. Noah’s fine.”

“I’m sure he is but if you’re going to be hanging out with him outside of school, then we need to know him,” Dad added. “I’ll just get the keys.”

“You can’t be serious? Why’re you doing this to me? Do you have
any
idea how embarrassing it’s going to be when I turn up with my parents?” Did they skip being teenagers altogether?

Jeremy laughed. “I’m really enjoying this.”

Glaring at him, I said, “I hate you.”

“Alright, drama queen,” Mum said. “Get your jacket and we’ll go now.”

“Can you at least wait in the car?”

“That defeats the objective of meeting Noah.”

Following her, I grumbled, “I know.”

Mum was really excited on the way. I was not. They followed closely behind as we got out of the car and walked up his drive. I knocked on Noah’s door and took a deep breath. He hadn’t told me if his parents were home or not. Mine were standing behind me. A guy that looked like Noah opened the door. His brother.

“Are you Scarlett?” he asked.

“Yep. You’re Finn, right?” He nodded and stepped aside for us. “This is my mum and dad, Marissa and Jonathan.”

“It is nice to meet you all. Come in. Noah is around somewhere. Can I get you anything? Are you thirsty?”

I shook my head. “I’m good, thanks.”

“No thank you, Finn,” Dad said. “Are your parents home?”

“Yes, in the kitchen, come through.”

I followed Finn into a glossy, white kitchen. He sat on a stool at the counter so I followed, wishing Noah would hurry up. Why hadn’t Finn shouted him yet?

Noah’s parents turned around. They were both effortlessly beautiful, just like their sons.

“Marissa and Jonathan, these are my parents, Bethan and Shaun.”

Bethan’s eyes lit up. “Scarlett! It is so lovely to finally meet you. And I am so glad your parents came, too. Jonathan, Marissa, how do you do?”

I slinked off to the side, sitting on a stool the other side of Finn.

“So, what are you going to see?” Noah’s carbon copy, big brother asked.

“No idea. We just go and see whatever’s on. It’s kind of a thing my friends and I do.”

“Really? Have you seen many awful movies?”

“Tons,” I replied.

Finn smiled, and it made him look even more handsome, though not as much as Noah, but then I was pretty much obsessed with his younger brother.

“Do I need to ask what your intensions with Noah are?” he asked, fighting another smile.

Laughing, I swivelled on my stool and rested my arms on the counter. “I promise my intentions are good.”

“He will be so disappointed,” he replied, winking. “Tell me about yourself, Scarlett.”

“Not much to tell really.”

“So you are the average teenager? No skeletons in your closet?”

I held my finger up. “I stole a Freddo from a sweet shop when I was ten. But I felt so bad that I couldn’t eat it.”

He laughed. “A regular little rebel, aren’t you.”

“Totally bad
ass
,” I replied, killing the American accent with one syllable.

“I thought I heard the door,” Noah said, eyes widening when he saw my parents chatting to his. My breath caught. Every single time I saw him I felt like I was floating. Or falling. “Why didn’t you call me, Finn?”

“If you weren’t too busy doing you hair you would have been down here to let her in,
girlie
.”

Ah, brotherly love.

“Sorry about my brother,” Noah said. “And these are your parents?”

Mum and Dad turned around, and another round of introductions started.

I watched my dad closely, his shoulders relaxed, and he smiled as he spoke to Noah. Yes! Clearly he didn’t think Noah was about to murder me then.

“I guess we should get going and let these kids get to the cinema,” Mum said. “It was lovely to meet you all. We’ll have to get together sometime.”

Bethan touched Mum’s arm. “That would be fantastic. We don’t know very many people here.”

“Ready?” I asked Noah. “Or do you need more time to do your hair?”

Finn laughed, offering his hand for a high-five. I took it, earning a glare from the guy I couldn’t seem to get out of my head.

“Okay, you are never meeting my brother again,” Noah said, pulling me off the stool. I swooned inwardly at the feel of his soft-yet-firm hand covering mine.

We made a quick exit, leaving my parents to continue talking to his, and set out for the shortcut to town. I was so looking forward to spending time with him outside school that I was practically skipping.

“Favourite holiday?”

“Hmm,” I murmured. “It’s between Christmas and Easter. Probably Easter.”

“Why Easter?”

“We go to visit my grandparents and they put on a massive egg hunt. They own a farm, so it literally takes all day to find the eggs. Then we light a fire in their living room, drink hot chocolate and eat our eggs. Sugar coma central, but I love it!”

Noah grinned down at me, and my heart soared.

“What about you?”

He frowned. “Holidays aren’t that big in my family. Christmas, I suppose. So you will be away over Easter?”

“Yep. In Cornwall so we’ll be there Thursday night until Monday afternoon. My friends usually do something Monday night if you want to come, too?”

“What do you do?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Just hang out. Imogen has an outdoor pool, so we spend the day in the water. The guys burn BBQ food.”

“You go in an outdoor swimming pool in April?”

“Yeah. Last year was okay, but the year before the English weather was not kind to us.”

“You still did it?”

“Yep, it’s tradition.”

“Crazy tradition,” he muttered, making me laugh.

We approached the cinema, and I saw my friends standing outside. I wanted longer alone with him. “And here we are. Hey, guys,” I said.

“Hey,” Imogen said, immediately taking a not so subtle step closer to Noah. “We can’t decide between scary or romantic.”

“Yes, we can,” Bobby said. “I ain’t watchin’ nothin’ lovey, so we’re going for the Slasher.”

Imogen rolled her eyes. “Fine! Whatever.”

“Slasher is cool with me,” I said. “Noah?”

He raised his eyebrow as if to say ‘or romance, really?’

Bobby clapped his hands together. “Settled then. It’s showin’ in half an hour so should we go to the arcade first?”

With previews, it’d be an hour before the film started.

Without answering Bobby’s question, we set off towards the arcade, opposite the cinema. Imogen stormed ahead. Since they broke up last year, Imogen had been cold with Bobby – because
he
broke up with her. She didn’t like that. Imogen Forest wasn’t supposed to be dumped.

“I think I’m going kick your arse at air hockey,” Noah said, nudging me with his elbow.

“Probably. I’m rubbish.”

Chris gave me a disapproving look. He knew I didn’t suck. I was actually champ of our group, but that didn’t mean I could beat Noah. I had no idea how he played so I didn’t want him to know I was good.

“Yep, Scar-Scar couldn’t hit it straight if her life were on the line.”

“Thanks,
Chrissie
!”

When I first arrived at school, Chris was the one to show me around, and he took me into his group of friends – which I quickly adopted as mine, too.

We got in the arcade, and the guys went to change some money. Chris grabbed my arm and led me to the sidewall. “What’s going on with you and the new boy?”

Trying not to grin like a moron, I shrugged. “Not much.”

“Not much? You two are all flirty, flirty, gonna suck each other’s faces off any minute. He’s watching us right now, trying to work out if there’s anything going on. Should I kiss you?” His face lit up with mischief.

I whacked his arm. “Don’t you dare, Christopher!”

“Fine, Miss Boring. Has he not tried anything yet?”

“I’ve known him two minutes.”

Imogen slotted beside us and raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows. “Maybe he’s gay.”

“So what if he is,” I replied, secretly hoping he wasn’t.

Chris rolled his eyes. “He’s not gay! He clearly knows
you’re
not easy.”

He was having a dig at Imogen because Im wasn’t playing along with the best friend thing. If she weren’t attracted to Noah, she would be as supportive as Chris.

We all looked over to Noah, who was watching me, talking to someone on his phone and frowning. He looked away as I made eye contact.

“What’s that about?” Chris said.

Imogen smirked and shrugged. “Probably his girlfriend.”

“Shut up, Im,” I said.

“Sorry,” she muttered, holding her hands up.

Noah hung up, slipped the phone in his pocket and jogged back to us.

“Everything okay?” I asked.
Please don’t have a girlfriend!
It would be pretty crappy of him if he had, we’d been flirting and texting constantly.

“Everything is fine,” he said, casually throwing his arm over my shoulder. It was a friendly move, but it made my insides turn to mush. Imogen rolled her eyes and turned away. I didn’t care what she, thought.

We walked to the air hockey table with Noah’s arm around me and Chris winking over my shoulder. I wasn’t complaining.