Chapter 20
“Pebble?” I speak up after a moment.
“I’m not answering to the name Pebble.”
“You just did.”
I see him open and shut his mouth, stopping himself from replying.
“Pebble?”
He ignores me.
“Pebble.”
He keeps ignoring me.
“Pebble!”
“Do you hear something, Kamri?” Noah looks down at the electronic doll.
My mouth drops open. “Dammit, Noah.”
“Oh, hey, Carter.” He turns to me. “Didn’t see you there.”
This petty little–
“Anyway, what is it?” He snaps me out of my thoughts.
“Why do you call me Carter?” I question.
Zy
He shrugs. “Well I’m not one for those cute nicknames or whatever so I settled with Carter.”
I raise an
eyebrow. “That wasn’t what I meant. Why do you call me Carter? Why not just call me Nevaeh?”
“Oh! Uh–well–um-” he stutters, not knowing how to answer, the tips of his ears turning slightly pink.
I laugh, ending his misery. “Chill.”
From the corner of my eye I can see him glaring at me as I laugh, but a small smile slowly makes its way onto his face.
We sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until I break it.
“Well, I’m going to go now.” I announce. “Thanks for not being an asshole and letting me stay instead of leaving me outside to freeze my ass off.”
“Carter, you’re not going home. It’s four in the morning and it’s not safe.” He says. “I can’t believe you walked here by yourself in the first place. You could have gotten kidnapped or murdered or-” he cuts himself off when he realises how worried he sounds, his eyes widening a bit. “Or taken to the circus to be a dancing clown.”
“Boy, you and I both know that I’d be the most beautiful fucking clown in that circus.” I say seriously before turning around and walking up the stairs. “I call the right side of the bed.”
He mumbles something which I don’t think I was supposed to hear. “Even though I don’t know what you look like, you’re already the most beautiful person I know.”
–Noah- (SURPRISE)
Even though I don’t know what you look like, you’re already the most beautiful person I know.
I groan silently, rolling from my side and onto my back, not being able to fall asleep even after an hour.
Did I really say that out loud?
20:48
The Heiress’s Shadow
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Did she hear?
I look over at Carter and see her hood rising up a bit.
As tempted as I am to look, she wouldn’t wanted that.
I don’t want to taste her wrath. She’ll probably smash my guitar over my head and strangle me with the strings.
I reach over and gently pull her hood back down.
I then silently get out of bed, careful not to wake her up as I walk out of my room, not bothering to cover up as I trudge downstairs and make my way to the kitchen in nothing but my boxers.
I grab a bowl from one of the cupboards and Danny’s Fruity Pebbles out of another, pouring it in the bowl. I take the milk from the fridge and pour it in before putting it back and grabbing a spoon from the drawer.
I sit down at the counter and shove a spoon of cereal in my mouth.
Why the hell am I getting close to Carter? Nothing good ever comes from me getting close to people. I don’t need to lose anyone else.
The less people I care about, the less people I have to lose, the less it hurts.
My mind then wonders back to what Carter told me. About both her sisters having cancer.
She could have cancer too.
Has she ever gone to the hospital to get scanned and make sure she doesn’t have cancer.
Why the hell am I so worried? It’s not like I like her or anything.
I groan, shoving another spoonful of cereal in my mouth.
“Noah?” My mum’s soft voice comes from the doorway of the kitchen. “When did Nevaeh get here?”
“Hi, mum.” I give her a small smile, eating more cereal. “Around two in the morning. Her stupid electronic baby wouldn’t stop crying so she came
–here.”
She nods in understanding.
“Are you eating your brother’s cereal?” Mum raises an eyebrow, taking a seat at the counter, across from me.
“Maybe.” I muffle, my mouth full of Fruity Pebbles.
Pebble.
The “creative” nickname Carter decided to come up with for me.
I chuckle slightly.
“What’re you laughing about?” Mum questions curiously, a bit shocked that I’m laughing at something that isn’t Danny doing something stupid.
“Carter came up with this nickname for me.” I chuckle out.
“Really?” A small smirk makes its way onto mum’s face. “What is it?”
“Pebble.” I smile slightly.
“Pebble?” Mum repeats, choking back a laugh.
“Yeah. She said something about me being a rock but not Dwayne ‘the Rock‘ Johnson.” I explain, making her laugh.
That girl really is something else.
My mind then goes back to what I was thinking before and my mood takes a turn.
I guess my mum notices because she stops laughing and looks at me. “What’s the matter?”
The Heiress’s Shadow
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Chapter 20
“Mum,
been you’ve
spending a lot of time
with Carter.
Did
she
ever
mention
her-
