Chapter 148: A boy with bad attitude

Dream/memory

Noah’s POV (twelve years old)

He’s looking at his book again.

The rude boy with a bad attitude took my flowers, but it’s okay because I gave them to him. He kept looking at them just like how I always look at the yummy cookies Conan likes to bake when no one is home.

I lift my head to look in front of me. I can’t see anything but trees. I can only sit here and miss Conan but I can’t go anywhere. The scary stone angel is still there and I feel like the bad ghost will yell ’boo’ if I leave this rude boy’s side.

He’s rude but he’s going to be my friend from now on.

"Are you crying again?" the boy asks like he’s tired of me and I shake my head. He puts his book down to look at me. When he does my bottom lip starts to wobble like a baby’s and I sniffle. I really don’t mean to, but I start to cry again.

Maybe it’s true when Daddy always says I act like a baby. I think I’m really a baby. A big baby who is twelve years old.

"I told you to stay quiet" the rude boy says.

"I can’t help it" I wipe my face with the back of my snotty hand and the boy makes a face. I don’t think he likes me very much. He’s acting like Mom does. They both of them always act like he doesn’t want me here. But if he doesn’t want me like Mom doesn’t want me...who’s going to want me?

Is everyone going to leave me? Is Mom looking for me? Is Mom going to be mad at Conan? Does Mom miss me? I know Daddy will miss me because he loves me the most.

"If you shut up, I’ll give you back your cherry blossoms" he says and I shake my head.

"I don’t want it" I say.

Conan says, when you give someone a gift, it’s rude to take it back. This boy can be rude all he wants, but I’m not rude. Conan says I have to be nice. Nice people are loved people. I don’t know what that means, but I like it.

"You have to shut up from now on" the boy says and starts to read again.

I press my lips together to stay shut, but I can’t do it. I like talking. I like making friends and I’m a extravagant or something. I can’t remember what it is but it’s a nice big word that means I’m outgoing.

I don’t know how to shut up, so I pull my legs up on the chair and wrap my arms around them, resting my chin on my knees.

"It’s so hot" I whisper my complain, squinting as the sun grows stronger. "My skin is burning like a vampire" I say and sniffle again.

"My head is hurting. My throat is aching..."

"You complain too much" the boy snaps and my bottom lip trembles again. I just want to go home. I just want Conan to come get me and I just want to go back to my pink room. I promise I’ll be good forever and I’ll be kind to everybody.

"Have you ever been lost before?" I ask the reading rude boy and he sighs like a big adult. Is he a dwarf? He looks like my age but he acts like my daddy’s friends when they visit in the office.

"I can never get lost. Mom and dad will find me" the boy says and I pout sadly.

"I’m lost and no one is coming to find me" I say and when he doesn’t give any response, I move closer to him. I rest my head on his shoulder and sigh tiredly. I’m sleepy now, but I want to talk to him some more.

"Since no one is coming to find me, you have to stay with me. Okay?" I tell him and he shakes his shoulder to make me take my head off it. "Get off me, pest" he says under his breath and I stubbornly keep my head on his shoulder.

"Noah" I say and he stops moving around.

"What?"

"My name is Noah, not pest" I tell him with a tired yawn. The boy grumbles but doesn’t push me off again. It’s obvious he doesn’t like me, but who cares. He took my cherry blossoms, so he has to stick with me forever.

"Noah?" Conan’s voice calls from somewhere in the woods and I sit up, gasping at the sound of the familiar voice of someone who likes me. "Here! I’m here! I’m here!" I yell, jumping up and down to make him find me.

"Oh thank Goddess, you’re safe" he hugs me for a few seconds before pulling away and checking my body for injuries.

"You look dehydrated. Here take some water" he says and gives me a bottle of water. It’s not cold so it’s yucky, but I don’t complain when I drink it. The water goes down my throat and Conan kisses the top of my head.

I’m almost as tall as him, but he says I’m his baby forever. My mom doesn’t like when he says things like that. They always fight about it.

Can’t they share me? I love mom, I love dad, and I love Conan too.

"Who are you?" Conan suddenly asks as he hides me behind his body protectively. I press closer to his body and smell his nice scent. I can’t smell anyone else except Conan and he smells like warm hugs on a chilly day.

The boy says something to Conan, but I’m too busy sniffing Conan’s scent to hear what he said.

"I’m his caretaker. We’re going to be here for a while and my Noah is a playful boy, can you invite your brothers to come play with him?" Conan says and the boy looks at me.

"Why would I do that? I don’t even like that crybaby" the boy says and Conan gasps, horrified at the boys mean words.

"That’s too harsh for a kid your age to say" Conan scolds and the rude boy shrugs like it’s nothing.

I hope I’ll never be as rude or as mean as him when I grow up.

You know what? I don’t even want to be his friend forever anymore.