𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐌𝐄 ⋆. 𐙚 ˚

──── chapter twentytwo; back to gold

𝐍𝐀𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐃 started to slowly blend together. it was school, hangout with friends, and try to manage everything feeling more like a blur than anything else. and and top of that being the 'perfect' girlfriend to trey. even though, everyday with him, something else would be off. 

his behavior wasn't something anyone could see right away, not unless they spent hours with trey and omi of course, but to her? it was all to obvious. he would glance at her phone anytime it buzzed, his hand would linger to long on her waist in front of people. it was like he was marking her like territory. taking over her life and blending it with his own. she could feel the shift in his behavior, the tension there was whenever they were together.

and to make it worse, it started innocently enough. he would make small little comments about who she was hanging out with. then he wanted to know it all, he she was with, who she was texting, who she spent her after school time with, where she was going after pratice, who was gonna be there. he wanted to know it all, 24/7. it was cute at first, protective. but now? it felt like she was suffocating. and the person trey would ask her the most about? walker scobell. 

it wasn't even as it naomi had done anything to spark this "jealous" act that trey had started. at least, if she did it wasn't on purpose. walker had always been nothing but friendly with her, and she'd been nothing but a little friendly back. but as soon as her boyfriend noticed the way they has been talking more, the way nathan always had walker over to their house, how walker was now always hanging out with the group. something in trevor snapped. 

like today, on a nice friday afternoon, right when school had been let out. noami had noticed trey waiting for her by her locker, he looked pissed. his arms were crossed, and he was clenching his jaw. naomi hesitated for a moment before continuing to walk up to him, but it was to late, he had already saw her. she kept a smile on her face, even though she couldnt ignore the big knot forming in her stomach. 

"hi tc, whats up?"

he didn't smile back, instead he looked down at the phone noami had in her hands, the one that was oh so conveniently opened on messages. 

"who are you texting?" he asked. 

naomi blinked, taken aback by the question. "uh, just ivy, nate, and walker" she said quickly, locking her phone. she wasn't sure why she felt defensive, but she did.

trey narrowed his eyes, his voice low. "righttt, you've been hanging out with walker alot lately huh? is there something going on? anything i need to know omi?"

noami felt her stomach twist. "uhm no? hes just a friend. what happened today, why are you acting like this?"

trey grip on the strap of his backpack tightened, his face filled up with madness as he clenched his jaw tighter. "do you think im stupid? ive seen the way yall look at each other." 

noamis heart stopped, she wasnt sure what to say. was she really looking at walker like that?

"look, omi. im only saying," he continued, his voice rising a little, "i dont like it. you should stop spending so much time with them."

naomi took a slow blink, her mind racing. "trey please, youre acting crazy. stop hanging out with my brother? at my house?"

trey stepped closer, looking down at noami. "i just don't want you around him. understand? if you need to you could always come to my house."

the possessiveness in his voice hit naomi harder than she expected. she had never felt like this around trey before. it was as if the person she had been dating for over two years had suddenly become a stranger to her. a very possessive one, and not in a hot way. 

but before she could respond, trey leaned down, gave her a kiss, and then grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the exit of the school.

"trevor where are we going?" she asked, trying to stop, or pull away.

"im taking you home." he said firmly, tighting his grip on the girl so that she couldn't pull away if she tried. 

omi's heart raced, was this really what her relationship had come to? she had never wanted to feel like she was trapped, but now...

when they reached her car, his eyes scanned the parking lot, and his gaze lingered for a moment too long on walker, who was standing by his own car, talking to nathan and ivy.

naomi felt the tension rise again, her stomach flipping. trey was watching him closely, his jaw clenched so tight that it looked like he might snap any second.

"trey please, i dont wanna do this with you," naomi said quietly, pulling her arm away from him, rubbing her wrist where his grip on her had been. "you can't control who i talk to. you don't get to dictate my friendships."

trey's eyes darkened, and for a moment, naomi thought he might say something worse. but instead, he just muttered, "we're not done here, naomi. drive safe, love you." and then, before she could respond, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing by her car, feeling more confused than ever.

the next day at school, naomi couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted. trey's mood was darker than usual, his stares colder. but it was walker who seemed to stand out the most.

today walker was unusally quiet around her, she caught him staring at her a few times. his eyes flickering down the gold necklace she had around her neck. she had taken the one trey gave her off yesterday. it was a subtle change, but she knew he had noticed.

now, the bell rang for the start of the period, and maomi shuffled into her science class, hoping for a distraction. she slid into her seat next to walker, the familiar sense of his presence easing some of the tension in her shoulders.

"hey omi" he said, a soft smile showed at the corner of his mouth, showing his smile lines. 

"hey walkie" she said, returning his smile with one of her own, her dimples slightly shwoing as she smiled at the boy. 

for the first few minutes of class, everything felt normal. but as the class wore on, noami couldn't help but see how walker kept looking over at her. at her necklace, as if he was studying her out of the corners of his eyes. 

finally he spoke, his voice low and causal. "you went back to gold?" he said, his gaze lowering on the stop where the necklace pendent hang on naomi's neck. 

she froze, caught off guard by his  observation. "oh, yeah," she replied quickly, reaching up to adjust the necklace nervously. "i just... felt like it was time, you know?"

walker nodded slowly, his eyes still on her. "yeah, i get it. its hard not to notice. gold suits you better, i think."

naomi's heart skipped a beat. she wasn't sure why, but hearing him say that made her feel something—something more than just the surface level conversation they were having.

"thanks," she said quietly, her fingers still playing with the chain nervously.

walker's smile was small. "you look good in gold. its's... more you."

naomi swallowed hard, her chest tight. she didn't know what it was, but something about the way walker said it made her feel like maybe, just maybe, she was starting to see him in a different light.

as class continued, naomi tried to focus on the lesson, but her thoughts kept drifting back to walker. she could feel his presence beside her, his quiet but unwavering attention making her more aware of the tiny shifts inside her.

when the bell rang, signaling the end of class, naomi stood up, her bag slung over her shoulder. she was about to walk out when she felt his eyes on her again.

"see you later," he said, his voice steady but laced with something naomi couldn't quite place.

she nodded, her heart beating a little faster than normal. "mhm, see you."

as she walked out of the classroom, naomi couldn't help but glance back at walker. he was already turned back toward his desk, packing up, but his eyes flicked up for a moment, meeting hers.

she quickly looked away, trying to ignore the fluttering feeling in her chest.

what was going on with her?