Chapter 5: Back to School

Noah wasn’t exactly excited to go back to school.

It was Monday, and as much as he hated the thought of it, school seemed like a better option than the emptiness of home.

Still, school wasn’t much better. He needed a break, but socialization was supposed to be the way to recharge, right? Well, Noah wasn’t so sure. More often than not, socializing just felt like more work.

Noah glanced at the rollerblades he was wearing. It was a recent buy, part of a small collection of things he’d accumulated with his generous allowance. His dad’s idea of “treating” him seemed to come in the form of gifts or cash rather than quality time. Noah had managed to save up a small fortune, but what good was money when it couldn’t fill the void inside?

Yeah, so much drama… daddy issues could be such a wreck…

The rollerblades were a new experiment. Yesterday, after some trial and error, Noah had figured out how to synergize his [Fly] skill with them. They worked better than he expected. His balance had improved thanks to his raised stats, and while he still wasn’t great, it wasn’t as hard to stay upright anymore. He could already imagine the thrill of zooming around the city, the rush of air against his face as he toggled his [Fly] skill on and off to boost his speed. But he wasn’t there yet. He needed more practice. The skateboard, on the other hand, was a lost cause. It wouldn’t stick to his feet, and his [Fly] skill didn’t have the strength to lift it.

Noah chuckled to himself as he adjusted his helmet. Maybe someday, when he was ready, he’d take his new skills out for a real spin. But for now, school was waiting, and he needed to get there. He secured his helmet with a final tug, checked his roller blades one last time, and headed for the pathway. The familiar walk to school felt different today. He was eager for the distraction, but that didn’t mean he was looking forward to the usual monotony of classes and the awkwardness of high school social dynamics.

He pushed off with his foot and rolled down the path, thinking of the lessons he missed.

The path to school had been easier than Noah expected. He’d woken up early, and the sun was still low in the sky, casting a warm glow over the city. His stats were making everything smoother, too. The rollerblades glided effortlessly over the pavement, and with every push, Noah felt the thrill of movement, the wind brushing past him as his speed picked up. It wasn’t quite flying, but it was close enough. The sense of freedom felt amazing.

As he spotted the school in the distance, he couldn’t help but smile. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all. He increased his speed, eager to get to the school. But the feeling of exhilaration was short-lived.

In an instant, his wheels caught something uneven in the path, and before he could react, he bumped into someone.

Time seemed to stretch. He felt himself tipping forward, desperately trying to regain control of his balance. The world swayed, and his legs became wobbly. His blades slipped out from under him, but by sheer force of will, he managed to stop his fall, bracing himself with his hands. The ground loomed, and for a moment, Noah thought he was going to eat dirt.

Then, suddenly, an arm caught him.

Noah’s breath hitched as he steadied himself. The arm around him felt firm, and as he looked up, he saw Raven standing there, her warm smile greeting him.

“Looks like I keep bumping into you,” she said with a chuckle, her voice light and teasing.

Noah blinked, still catching his breath. He laughed awkwardly, his legs still shaking from the near-miss, and almost lost his footing again. But Raven's grip on his shoulder kept him steady. He appreciated the support, even if it was a little embarrassing.

He glanced down at her new glasses. They were different from the cracked ones from before, more professional-looking, but the same familiar intelligent eyes still shone behind them. For a second, he was struck by how much she’d changed. Not that she was different in any huge way, but somehow, in the subtle details—like the glasses—she seemed to carry herself with a bit more confidence.

“Careful there, Noah,” she teased. “Don’t want to break your neck on your way to school.”

Noah grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I’m getting the hang of these, I swear.”

Noah felt his face flush with embarrassment as he tried to push himself away from Raven, but instead, his feet slipped again, sending him wobbling on his blades. What the hell happened with his balance? Noah felt like there was something wrong with his blades. His stomach churned as he realized how ridiculous he must look, standing there like an uncoordinated mess. His legs were still shaking, and his balance was clearly off.

Ugh.

Raven chuckled lightly with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she glanced down at his feet. “Something must be broken on your rollerblades,” she remarked, almost sympathetically.

Noah groaned inwardly. He felt like a complete fool. It was just his luck—he’d barely had the blades for a day, and already they were letting him down. His pride was taking a hit, especially since it only took one day for things to go sideways.

But deep down, Noah knew the real reason he kept slipping. He’d been toggling his [Fly] skill on and off, trying to make it work in tandem with his roller blades at the last second. It wasn’t the smartest move, but then again, he figured the more he experimented, the better he’d get at using both together.

No pain, no gain, right?

He sighed quietly, frustrated. He wasn’t even sure if the blades were the real issue or if it was just him overthinking everything. Still, Raven had stepped in to help him regain his balance, guiding him slowly to school as they walked. It wasn’t like they were in any rush—school didn’t start for a while, and the morning air was calm.

Raven glanced over at him curiously, her expression softening. “So, when did you get into rollerblades, anyway?” she asked. “You seem like you know what you’re doing... or at least you pretend to.”

Noah blinked, taken aback by the question. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to come up with an answer that wasn’t too strange. “Uh, just yesterday,” he said bluntly. “I was trying to find something to do... a hobby, I guess. Never really thought it’d be this hard.”

He chuckled half-heartedly, trying to make light of the situation, but the truth was, he was just glad Raven was still talking to him. At least she wasn’t giving him the cold shoulder for being so awkward.

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“Just yesterday?” Raven raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “Guess you’re a quick learner, huh?”

Noah shrugged, feeling self-conscious. “I mean, I’m trying,” he muttered. “I’ve been trying to learn something new, figure out where I can go with... everything.” He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to reveal, but with Raven, there was a sense of ease he didn’t usually feel with other people.

Raven gave him a knowing look like she could see through his facade, but she didn’t push further. Instead, she just smiled and said, “Well, you’ve got a long way to go, but you’re getting there. I’ve seen worse attempts.”

Noah snorted, feeling a bit better. “Thanks for the encouragement, I guess,” he said dryly, though he appreciated her attempt to make him feel less like an idiot.

“I’ve been doing this for a while, rollerblading that is… Do you want me to teach you?” Raven offered with a calm and confident voice. “I’m a veteran, I guess. Not many of our classmates are into rollerblading, so…” She trailed off, glancing at him with a small smile. “You’d be the first person I could teach. Might be fun.”

Noah, still balancing on the shaky edge of his blades, processed her words slowly.

"Really? You’d teach me?" Noah asked, trying to sound more confident than he felt. His balance wavered again, and he shifted his weight, almost losing control for a moment. Raven instinctively steadied him, her hand at his waist, and Noah felt his chest tighten, his heart beating a little faster.

Stupid rollerblades failing on him might just be the best thing that happened to him today, the entire week, or for the entire month.

“Yeah, sure. No one else around here does it, so I guess I’m kind of a pro by default.” She grinned, clearly amused by the idea. “Just to inform you in advance, I am a very strict teacher… so no whining…”

As Raven continued to talk, Noah realized just how close they were. His hand, without thinking, had ended up resting on her shoulder, his fingers lightly brushing the back of her neck. Her hand, equally unconsciously, was wrapped around his waist, steadying him as they walked. He froze, suddenly aware of how intimate their position was. His heart skipped a beat, and for a split second, everything else seemed to fade.

Don’t make it weird. Don’t make it weird! Noah told himself, mentally slapping himself for not realizing sooner how this looked. He tried to focus on her words, but everything felt off-kilter now, his attention split between what she was saying and the proximity of their bodies. His face felt like it was on fire, heat spreading from his cheeks down to his neck.

Raven seemed to notice, her eyes glancing over at him as she slowed her pace. “Hey, why are you red?” she asked with a light and curious tone

Noah’s stomach churned, panic creeping up. He gulped, desperately trying to regain some composure. “Oh, uh, it’s just my color palette adjusting to the temperature,” he blurted out, his voice awkward and offbeat.

He cursed himself inwardly. What the hell did I just say? He sounded so stupid, so unbelievably stupid. His mind was in chaos as he tried to ignore how embarrassed he felt, his ears burning.

Raven chuckled, clearly amused by his reaction. “You sure about that, Noah?” Her tone was teasing, but she didn’t push further. She was probably used to his awkwardness by now, but that only made him feel worse.

Noah tried to laugh it off, but it came out more like a strangled noise. “Yeah, just… yeah.” He quickly glanced down at his rollerblades, anything to avoid meeting her eyes.

He had a sudden realization: Being 15 was hard. So much of it was awkward, clumsy, and strange. Trying to figure out how to act around people, how to keep his feelings in check, how to navigate situations that seemed innocent but felt so loaded. He wasn’t even sure if this situation was anything—if it even meant anything. But it felt like so much. The tightness in his chest didn’t help.

Noah had just reached for his shoes in his locker when a familiar arm suddenly wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a quick, tight half-choke. He barely had time to react before Thomas’s voice boomed in his ear.

“You dog, you finally scored!” Thomas exclaimed, laughing in his usual loud manner. “What the hell was that? Did I just see what I think I saw?”

Noah froze for a second, blinking in confusion. The words didn’t quite process immediately. He glanced over at Thomas, who was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes wide with amusement.

“What do you mean?” Noah managed to ask, his voice coming out a little more defensive than he intended. He wasn’t exactly sure what Thomas was talking about. But knowing Thomas, it could be anything.

“That,” Thomas said, with a jerk of his head toward the school courtyard where Noah and Raven had just walked. “You two looked like you were practically attached at the hip! Was that a thing? You and Raven? C’mon, don’t leave me hanging!”

Noah could feel the heat rise to his cheeks as he awkwardly adjusted his shoes. Of course, Thomas had to see that. He could practically feel the pressure building in his chest. He tried to laugh it off, but his mind was racing a 110 mph. “No, it’s not like that,” Noah said quickly, trying to act nonchalant, but his heart was pounding in his ears. “We’re just... talking.”

Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Talking, huh? Sure didn’t look like just talking to me. You were practically on top of her! What’s going on, man? Spill it!”

Noah let out a long, exasperated sigh. Thomas wasn’t going to let this go. He knew that. But Noah couldn’t afford to get tangled in this. He had his own things to figure out—powers, his dad, the whole Gifted situation. A crush on Raven wasn’t high on the list of priorities, no matter how much his brain liked to bring it up at random times.

“I mean... we’re just friends,” Noah said, shrugging and trying to act as casual as possible. “She’s teaching me rollerblading, okay? That’s all. Nothing more.”

To be more accurate, she would be teaching him rollerblading… like as in the future.

Thomas didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he let it slide, although his grin didn’t disappear. “Sure, sure. Friends, huh? Keep telling yourself that.” He gave Noah a playful shove. “You know, I’m still waiting for the day you don’t totally mess up with the ladies, man. I have high expectations for you.”

Noah shook his head, the awkwardness not fading but slowly turning into a small laugh. “Yeah, well, don’t hold your breath. I don’t have time for that kind of stuff right now.”

Thomas just chuckled, his usual carefree attitude shining through. “Whatever, man. Just don’t be a stranger when you’ve got a girlfriend. We gotta celebrate, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Noah muttered, finally pulling on his shoes and standing up straight. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He paused, glancing back at Thomas as they walked toward their first class. “But seriously, no one’s got time for all that drama right now, alright?”

Thomas who was still grinning finally let go of Noah's neck as Noah elbowed him. The move was sharp enough to make Thomas release his grip. Noah took a moment to adjust his shirt, scoffing as he glanced at Thomas.

"Don't you dare spread any malicious rumors, or I’ll kill you," Noah muttered, his voice low but serious. He was half-joking, but he meant it. Thomas always had a knack for exaggerating things, and the last thing Noah needed was for people to think there was more to his relationship with Raven than there actually was.

Before Thomas could respond, Mark, one of their other friends, chimed in, cutting through the tension with his usual brand of sarcasm.

"Malicious rumors?" Mark snickered. "Like how you’re so into rollerblades? So gay! Does it come in pink?"

Mark was the kind of guy who wore his glasses so thick it almost looked like they were trying to swallow his face. He was scrawny, with dark hair that fell messily over his forehead, and he had an odd sense of humor that no one ever quite understood. His remark, however, managed to throw a quick wrench into the otherwise mild exchange.

Noah and Thomas both turned to him in deadpan unison. Their eyes were flat and unamused by the crude joke. It was the kind of thing that Mark would do without thinking, yet it never failed to rub them the wrong way.

"Leave him alone," Thomas said with a chuckle, shaking his head as he smacked Noah on the shoulder. "Mark's got an odd sense of humor. You know how he is."

Noah just sighed, his frustration giving way to a quiet resignation. He’d known Mark for a while, and the guy was weird, but Noah wasn’t about to entertain the idea that rollerblading was somehow ‘gay.’ That comment was ridiculous. It wasn’t like Noah was planning to wear pink rollerblades anytime soon, either.

"I didn’t even know a Mark," Noah muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes as they started walking towards their first class.

Mark, of course, wasn’t done. "Hey, wait for me!" he called out, his voice rising in mock fury as if the world had just wronged him by not taking his jokes seriously.

Noah and Thomas exchanged a look, neither of them breaking stride as they continued walking. Noah didn’t mind leaving Mark behind for a few seconds. Besides, there were more important things to focus on. Like surviving school without further awkward encounters.

Thus, a glimpse into Noah O. Knight’s school life…