Noah ~ POV

Yesterday was a disaster; I managed to throw off Sheriff Olivia… I think. But boy, were my parents worried when they came to pick me up. Dad was pissed; if mom hadn't stopped him, he would have gone to Ethan's house and started a fight. And not to be mean to my dad, but my money would be on Ethan's grandpa. Dad tried forbidding me from seeing Ethan again, though I didn't listen to him. He didn't even try and listen to me when I told him about Ethan being attacked. I think he just wanted to blame Ethan for putting me in danger even though I forced myself to come along.

I kept my head down at school as everyone talked about what had happened. I don't know how but word spread about Ethan getting into a fight. Some people have started saying he's the creeper in town now. Others have been saying that Ethan got arrested by Sheriff Olivia. I kept my head down during class; some asked me if I had seen anything. Apparently, word spread about me being with Ethan the night he was attacked. I also heard the Sheriff is looking into Mr. Davis's home. Wonder if they'll be able to find his personal computer setup like we did.

During lunch, I managed to find Ethan; he was hiding near the back of the classroom buildings. I noticed he had a few bandages on his face as I approached. He looked at me with a smile as I sat down next to him on one of those raised tree beds.

"Dad doesn't want me to see you…." I said as I opened my drink.

Ethan smiled as he picked at his food with his fork.

"Might be a good idea." He said, which surprised me.

"Ethan… I put myself there… It's not your fault." I wanted to make myself clear to him.

I did force him to take me, so I was telling the truth but still.

"Look, Noah… I think you should stop here… last night…." I interrupted him.

"Hey… nobody forced me to be there with you. I went with you because I wanted to. And either way, it looks like you and I are stuck together, so get used to it." I pointed my plastic spork at him without realizing it.

He seemed a little surprised by my assertiveness. I went back to eating my food as I surprised myself a little. I'm not sure why, but I had to see this through; if this creep stayed any longer, he might go after my own family.

Ethan let out a chuckle before biting into his food.

"So, what did you find?" He asked through a mouth his meal.

I couldn't help but smile as I reached into my backpack. I pulled out the key I found in the house and handed it to Ethan. He looked it over, noticing the plastic tag that hung alongside it.

"Lazy Creek Inn…" Ethan said as he read the name on the tag.

I smiled as I did a little research on it before going to bed last night.

"It's a small motel just outside of town…." Ethan looked at me, a little impressed.

I couldn't help the confident smirk as I reached over and took the key.

"I'm guessing that woman dropped it while she was fighting you… I was thinking of heading over…." He stopped me with a hand on my arm.

"Wait… after last night; it might be best to wait a little bit." He suggested, which honestly was a good idea.

I nodded to him as we went back to eating. Though I remembered something, I wanted to ask him.

"Hey… yesterday… when you ran… where you…." I began to ask before Ethan interrupted me.

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"I ran because I wanted to get them away from you. Figured being bait was the best way." He said without remorse as he looked down at his food.

I was surprised when he said that. I looked at my half-finished meal in thought.

"As for locking you in… sorry if that scared you… figured you were safer in there than with me." He said before taking a sip of his drink.

I leaned back as I set my food aside. I was honestly curious… and a little confused.

"Why?" I asked as I looked down to the ground.

Ethan looked back at me, a little confused. It took him a minute before he gave me an answer.

"Because you're my friend." He said as he looked back at me.

I looked into his eyes; I gave him a smile.

"So when do you want to go check out the inn?" I asked as he gave me a smile back.

"I'll say a few days… maybe next weekend." He said as the bell rang.

I liked the plan; it would give our parents time to relax and take their eyes elsewhere. The day went somewhat usually; after school, I noticed dad was here early, and he seemed to be talking to Ethan. Oh no… what's… dad, don't poke him with your finger! I mentally screamed in my head as I rushed over. Dad was visibly pissed as he stared Ethan in the eyes. Ethan kept his arms folded in front of him as he stood in front of his bike.

"Got it… stay away from Noah… I don't care if your family are saints. You come anywhere near my family again…" He said, and dad poked Ethan in the chest again.

Ethan remained calm as I rushed over and stepped between him and dad.

"Dad, what the hell!" I asked as I held out a hand to both of them.

"Noah, wait in the car." He said as he didn't take his eyes off Ethan.

"Dad, Ethan didn't do anything. I told you guys we saw…." I said but got interrupted by dad.

"I said wait in the car!" He yelled as he kept looking at Ethan.

I looked back to Ethan; he only gave me a calm smile as dad placed his arm around me and led me to the car. I was so mad at him; in the car, I kept to myself as dad tried making excuses for what he did; he kept making excuse after excuse. When we got home, I went straight to my room, dad called after me, but I still ignored him. I stayed in my room till I heard mom call for me. I stepped out of my room and saw mom standing in the kitchen. It looked like mom made her homemade chicken fried rice. I stopped for a moment as I looked to the living room and saw dad sitting there. The T.V. was off, and he looked down at the floor. I looked at mom, wondering what was going on. She looked at me and gave me a small, simple smile.

"Sweetie… I talked with your dad. He's sorry for what…." She began to say.

"I'm telling you…." Dad began to raise his voice before mom yelled at him.

"SHUT UP! Sheriff Olivia said it was a case of self-defense." Mom yelled back, catching dad off guard.

I guess he sometimes spends too much time in his nest to understand the real world. Apparently, he heard online that some people have been using self-defense laws to justify attacking others. I couldn't help but groan as I looked at dad; he didn't seem to budge.

"Dad… even if that was the case, that doesn't give you the right to go and threaten one of my… my own friend." I tried reasoning.

"Noah… he's part of an illegal fight club. He's been caught two times just before the sheriffs caught that creeper. So how do you know he isn't working with them?" Dad asked as he listed off Ethan's 'crimes.'

I face palmed as he finished, and mom let out a frustrated groan. I looked at dad, who had a victorious smile on his face. As though listing off all those things made him right.

"Dad, that fight club is a self-defense program the school runs…." I started though he still kept that smile.

"I'll have to talk with the principal…." He began to say before I interrupted him.

"Will you shut up and listen for once!" I yelled, which caught them both off guard.

I looked dad straight in the eyes as I gritted my teeth in anger.

"Do you honestly care about me? I made my first friend here. Yes, he's a little weird, but I like him. I forced him to take me… remember?" I asked as I did text them the fake tutoring story that put Ethan in this mess.

I ran up to my room and didn't eat dinner that night. I locked the door and didn't answer anyone, even mom, when she tried to bring me something to eat. I just didn't feel like it after everything I said. I heard mom and dad yelling in their bedroom; from what I could hear, mom was chewing dad out. He's always been a bit overbearing, but I never thought he would turn into… whatever he is now. Back in L.A. He always focused on his work and my grades; when I mentioned how some kids would bully me, he went online. That didn't stop the bullies; it just made things worse because now my parents were dragging themselves into that mess.