29 Coping

A new week, new problems. Ava gathered all her schoolbooks as Noah followed her behind like a lost puppy with a crutch. Noah was trying to convince Ava to let him go to school, but Ava was not up for any negotiation.

"Ava, please let me go to school," he begged.

"No, my mom said you can't go, and I refuse as well. You have to stay home and rest."

"But I miss playing sport and seeing my friends," he whined.

"No. I can tell Aiden that you're alright or do you want me to tell him the real reason."

Noah stayed silent, hoping Ava would pity him.

"It's better if you tell him yourself. If anything is wrong, please tell me, okay?" she stated.

He nodded as he leaned his head back. Lucas was still with Aiden at his apartment, and the house was empty because Lucia went to work. Ava waved Noah goodbye as she walked herself to school. As she entered the school building, she saw Mat running towards her.

"Hey, A. Have you heard any news on Noah?" he worriedly asked.

"Yes, he's fine. He just lost his phone and had family problems. He'll be back in school soon," Ava explained.

"Okay, okay. Could I go visit him?" he questioned.

"No!"

Aiden looked at Ava astonishingly.

"I-I mean no. No, you can't."

"Why? Is there something else?"

"No, I mean yes. He doesn't really want to see anyone right now," she lied.

"Oh, okay. Well if you do get to see Noah any time soon, tell him that we need him back on the team."

"Will do," Ava answered.

Aiden hugged her and ran back to his team. Ava smiled and walked to her class. The whole day all that was on her mind was about that woman. It was her first time seeing a person with the same amulet on their chest, and she actually found it quite fascinating. But she was cautious of her surrounding is case something does happen.

Meanwhile, Noah was such at home alone. He laid down on his bed, scrolling through his phone, when he suddenly heard someone enter the house. He didn't know what to do so he grabbed Lucas' bat and slowly made his way downstairs. As he reached downstairs, he pointed the bat at the strange man.

"What are you doing here?" Noah asked.

"Who are you?" Matt questioned him. He would speak with a brazen, yet intimidating voice, booming without a flinch.

"Answer my question first."

"Fine. My son lives here, and I have the keys to the house. Now you."

"I'm Noah, and I live here," he said.

"Oh! You're my daughter's friend. We met a couple of times."

As Noah started recognising him, he lowered the bat.

"Since when do you live here?" Matt curiously asked.

"A few days."

"Does Lucia know? Did Ava sneak you here?" he interrogated.

"So many questions. Yes, Lucia knows, and no Ava didn't sneak me here." Noah answered, annoyed.

Mat walked towards the sofa and sat down as Noah took the furthest seat away from him.

"I don't bite, you know."

He cackled, his chipped teeth showing.

"I know, just taking precautions," Noah stated, "I don't even know why I'm talking to you."

"Why shouldn't you, I didn't do anything wrong to you."

"But you did to Ava," Noah snapped back.

"I see what this is about. I don't even know why she hates me anymore. I apologized as many times as possible, what does she want me to do now?" he asked himself as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I don't really know. What did you do anyway? I haven't seen you in such a long time that I didn't even recognise you."

"I made a big mistake. I hurt them,"

"How?" Noah asked.

He stayed silent for a few minutes and cleared his throat, avoiding the question, "So, how did you hurt yourself. You look pretty bad."

"From what I've seen, you were probably an alcoholic, and you were abusive."

"How did you know?"

"My dad's an alcoholic, and he gets very abusive when he's drunk."

"Is that what he did to you?" Mat asked.

"That's none of your business."

They remained silent for a few minutes until Noah got up and walked to the kitchen, getting a glass of water. He couldn't stop thinking about Ava, he was worried about her. He had a bad feeling that something could happen, and he wouldn't be there for her.

"What you are thinking about kid?"

"Something," he replied.

Noah sat a bit closer to him and looked at him.

"Did you ever hurt Ava?" Noah asked.

"Not that I know of, but she says I did."

Noah remembered the scar Ava showed Lucas while they were arguing. He had a suspicion that he was the reason for that. As Noah studied Mat's face, he noticed that there was something odd about him, but he couldn't tell what. His eyes of palest watery blue, like a creature who's spent its life in perpetual shadow. His eyes would twitch uncomfortably, under his un-brushed, jet black hair. He had unnaturally long thin fingers, each like the tendril of a parasitic plant. Noah shifted back to his original place to get a better look at him.

He was on his phone, and it seemed like he was hiding something as he leaned to the other side further and further giving Noah no access to see the phone. From all the time he and Noah had been talking and discussing, he had shown no emotion towards the conversation. His face remained straight all throughout. There wasn't a glimpse of sorrow, sympathy, happiness, or anger. Every time Mat caught Noah staring at him, he would grin at him, but anyone could tell it was fake. Noah could tell that he was an alcoholic by the way he looked. But something made him different from the rest of the alcoholics he's met. The weird look he gave everyone.