PLEASE MAKE ME SMILE AND VOTE BY CLICKING THAT STAR AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN! :)

He straightened, turned away, and I knew that he was done speaking about it. If I kept pushing, he'd just leave.

I was expecting him to leave.

But he surprised me when he sat on the ground beside me instead.

"You're the last person I want to hurt, Parker."

I had to take a moment to gather my emotions. Noah was so intense, his words often meaningful that I found myself paying closer attention when he spoke, less I missed the meaning behind them.

"That's more than enough for me," I confessed truthfully. "To know that you feel that way."

And to brighten the mood, I grinned at him. "Want some food?"

There was a soft exhale of breath from him, as if he was unsatisfied of the situation, but I didn't look at his expression, afraid of what I'd see there, and rummaged in my bag instead.

"It's called Daifuku, a Japanese snack," I went on, opening the Ziploc bag where I kept them. "It's a mochi rice cake. Mom made it and it's my favorite. Try it."

I shoved it in his mouth.

Gasps...

I can't believe I did that!

And then he started chewing.

I giggled. Giggles turned into laughter, until my shoulders were shaking and he was grinning at me closemouthed.

We're being silly together.

Great! Start naming your kids.

"Is it your free period too?" I asked him. I was in a good mood now, and he looked like he was too.

He finished his food before replying, "Sure."

But the crooked smile on his lips made me narrow my eyes at him. Did he skip again?

"Everyone is talking about the Provincial Exams," I commented, biting into the soft gelatinous cake. "Did you start reviewing yet?" 

He shook his head.

I sighed. "Me neither. I should start. I wouldn't want to get a low score."

He rested the back of his head against the wall, bending his right leg so that he could rest his arm on it. "Does it mean I'm dumb if I get a low score on my exam?"

"Well..." I bit my lip. "It means you didn't study."

He smirked. "That's a polite way to put it. Tell me then, how do you measure a man's intelligence?"

I frowned. "You mean in school?"

He turned his head to look at me, lips curving into a smile. "Ah, but that's the real question, isn't it?"

I could listen to him all day.

I really, really could.

"Do you think it's fair to measure a person's intelligence by how high his test scores are on a Math or English exam?" he asked.

"Isn't that how it usually is?"

He raised his brows. "By whose verdict?"

"Is this, again, because you're against following the rules?" I teased.

"I don't mind breaking them," he replied, smiling crookedly. Then he angled his head just a bit so that his hair fell silkily on his forehead. "Is it fair to say that a man or a woman has low, average or high intelligence from a test the education system created?

"Isn't it discriminating," he continued, his eyes darkening, "to the people who didn't have the means to study in a good institution? Who grew up in an environment where learning or education is defined differently than the norm?"

Why is he so deep? And why does he care so much? It just makes me want to be with him more and more.

"A man quit school in sixth grade because he had to work to help his family," he went on. "He can't spell properly, hasn't even set foot in a library, but he can tell you everything there is to know about farming from his experiences.

"A woman barely finished first grade because she had to help take care of her siblings, so that her mom could work. She can't read to save her life, but she works hard and knows how to survive in the world.

"How fair is it to them?" He exhaled softly, and I felt his frustration from the stiffness in his shoulders. "And it's not just intelligence. A person's worth is measured by how rich he is, what his rank is in society."

He leaned his head back so that he was looking up at the sky, and it reminded me of when I first met him.

"On who's measuring stick are we getting judged, Parker?"

He looked so alone, separated from everyone else. Noah was locked in his own shadows.

"This world," he said quietly, "is unkind to those who don't fit into its mold."

My throat felt thick with emotion. "Noah, I—"

"Well, well. What's going on here?"

Drew stepped out from the gym doors, looking at us with a malicious gleam in his eyes. He turned to speak to me. "Sneaking around with the white trash, Parker?" His mouth turned up into an arrogant, nasty smirk. "Didn't know you're into that."

I abhorred violence, but the feeling that coursed through me as I listened to Drew was that.

Noah didn't move a muscle, but his jaw was hard. His hands balled into tight fists.

"I can give you something better if you want," Drew offered, still smirking at me.

Now Noah stood, and I hastily scrambled up beside him. He took a threatening step toward Drew.

"Shut the f uck up." The silent warning was ripe in Noah's tone.

He hadn't said anything when Drew was insulting him, but he did when the insult was thrown at me.

"Noah, let's just go. Please."

His eyes narrowed. He wouldn't budge.

"We're going to be late for class. Please let's go."

After a moment, he nodded. He let me walk ahead of him, but I waited until he was beside me.

"Leaving so soon?" Drew called out, his tone mocking. "Be careful now, Hunter. You wouldn't want something bad happening to Parker now, do you? She's such a sweet girl. Reminds me of a girl named Luna. You remember Luna, don't you?"

I felt it before it happened.

The look of rage on Noah's face made me take a step back. With a growl, he charged at Drew, punching him in the stomach.

Drew collapsed on the ground. I watched in horror as Noah stepped on Drew's knee, trapping him there.

"No! Noah! Stop!"

I ran to him, hoping he'd see reason. It would only take one kick from Noah to break Drew's knee. And then Noah would have to suffer the consequences.

Drew was a mess on the dirt, screaming for Noah to stop.

"Don't do this, Noah," I pleaded. "Please. He's not worth it."

I could feel him vibrating with anger, could see the barely restrained power in his arms, his muscles quivering.

Taking a deep breath, I touched his wrist, and gently slid my hand to hold his.

His gaze flicked down to me, staring at me for a moment with a raging storm in his blue eyes.

And for whatever reason, his arm relaxed, inch by inch.

Noah quickly gripped my hand, pulling me behind him as we walked inside the school building.

"Noah! Slow down!" I panted, but he wasn't listening.

He kicked the door in anger. The sound of it hitting the wall echoed in the hallway, and I wondered if anyone was going to come and check.

"This is all my fault," he bit out, releasing my hand. His anger was simmering very close to the surface. I could feel it thicken the air.

Although the heater was blowing through the vents, I felt cold. I crossed my arms, trying to find warmth.

He raked his hair with his fingers, his hand sliding to grip the back of his neck as he lowered his head, his eyes on the floor.

And when he raised his eyes to me, I felt a chill. "This should have never happened," he said. 

And without another word, he left.