Locked( Book 1)

Chapter 31

He had the guts to talk to Derek like that. Riley looked at Chloe, who looked at Noah with confusion. I was crying. My arm was hurt. It wasn't broken, but I did slam into it pretty hard. Derek had a state down with Noah. Matt didn't know what to do. Dani and Wesley heard Noah stand up to Derek. But he wasn't done. Noah had more to say, and he was saying it.

"Everyone needs to stay the hell away from her for a while; she's already been through enough; treating her like a sick patient isn't helping her; she asked me to help her because everyone stares at her like she's going to die every second she's around, so back the hell off," he said. Derek swallowed whatever it was he wanted to say and looked at me.

"Is that true, Addison? Do you feel like that," he says in a sweet voice. I nod. He looks at Noah and sighs.

"Fine, I'll give her space; I don't speak for everyone else. She has sisters, and I'm not sure they are too happy about this," he said. Chloe looks at Noah.

"Why you? I mean, why don't you treat her like we do, worried and concerned," she asks. He helps me up. Derek backed away. He didn't like this, but it was my choice.

"Because she's stronger than you all realize," he says before picking me bridal style and carrying me out of the bathroom.

Once we were back in Derek's room, he laid me back down and looked at my arm. It was red and swollen. But it wasn't too bad. He examined me to see if I had hurt anything else. I smile, grabbing his arm. He looked at me, his eyes proud, and his smile was as confident as ever.

"Thank you," I say. He nods. He stands up, telling me he's getting sow once for my arm. But once he gets to the door, Dani is already there with an ice pack. And he took it, and she turned and left. This was what I wanted. To breath. I was tired of being smoked.

"Here," he says, laying the ice on my arm. Noah was always gentle. He looked preppy most of the time but was intelligent and sweet. 

"How did it feel to snap finally," I asked. I was proud of him for standing up.

"It felt good; for a second, I thought Derek was going to punch me or something, but you wanted space, and I was not letting anyone but me walk out with you, so I just kept thinking about how I would feel," he said. I nod and smile. He was a genuine person and always had been. He barely spoke to me at home, but we were different people now.

"Well, maybe they got the point; you think I'm strong? I've almost given up so many times," I ask. He grins.

"Addison, look at you. A wolf attacked you, and you didn't give up; you are much stronger than anyone here. Riley may have been to the academy, but she's never been mauled by wolves; you've outdone us all," he said. I laughed. I hated to think back to that. The wolves were scary, at least the male was, and I thought I was a goner.

"Well, I just have to remember I have people here whom I love, and I can't give up," I say. He smiles. A genuine, understanding smile.

"And we all love you, trust me," he said. I nod.

He stayed with me the entire day. The swelling in my arm went down. I ate lunch with him in the room. Everyone else has my space. Noah made sure to give me space, too; he stayed on the platform, watching outside. I wanted to know what he was looking at out there. He always watched outside. Did he like the woods? Or were there birds? I didn't know, but I wanted to find out.

At dinner time, there was a knock at the door. Matt walked in with a tray. And two plates. It was a good thing it wasn't anyone else. Noah got up from his perch. And he helped Matt with the food. Thank Matt for bringing it. Matt said they voted for him, but he didn't care to get us what we needed. We had decided to lock ourselves in the room, not close the space.