Chapter 8: An Unexpected outing.

Chapter 8: An unexpected outing.

Noir crouched behind a thick bush Infront of the school, his hands resting on his knees as he peered through the gaps in the leaves. His heart felt heavy as he watched Molly's car drive off, the red taillights glowing like distant fireflies in the dimming twilight.

Inside the vehicle, he saw Madison and Miles frowning while talking as if complaining about what Chloe had done. Noir felt helpless seeing this yet when he shifted his gaze onto Chloe, She sat carelessly while staring out the window, seemingly trying to avoid Molly, Milles and Madisons constant rebukes.

Noir sighed.

"I'm guessing she'll hate me even more after this...."

The thought pressed against his chest like an intangible mist that left him feeling helpless. No matter what he did, no matter how much time passed, Chloe's resentment toward him never seemed to fade. It was a sharp knife constantly digging into the back of his mind.

Lost in his thoughts, Noir didn't notice the presence behind him, until a voice whispered in his ear.

"What are you doing, stalking someone?"

"AHH!" Noir yelped, nearly falling forward into the bush finally coming back to reality.

He spun around, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. Standing there, arms crossed, was Harley. The faint glow of the sun's rays, cast a warm hue over her face, highlighting the smug amusement dancing in her eyes.

"You almost gave me a heart attack," Noir muttered, pressing a hand to his chest.

Harley smirked. "You looked so deep in thought, I figured I'd bring you back to reality."

Noir huffed, glancing back at the now-empty road. "I was just... watching them leave."

"Yeah, I got that much," she said, tilting her head. "Your face looks like a kicked puppy's, what gives?, you got into trouble with your family?."

Noir frowned, looking down. He didn't mean to seem so pathetic, but today had drained him.

Harley studied him for a moment, then sighed. She shifted on her feet, looking almost hesitant. "Do you... want me to walk you home or something?"

Noir blinked up at her in surprise.

Harley immediately cleared her throat, looking away. "Not that I care or anything," she added quickly. "You just look like a mess that's why I was thinking that maybe~umm....you and I could~"

Before Noir could respond, another voice interrupted.

"Noir!"

Jerry jogged up to them, his face flushed from running. He stopped beside them, panting slightly, before flashing his usual grin. "Dude, What gives, I've been looking for you everywhere."

" You didn't talk during recess, plus you looked really bummed after break."

" Wanna hit the cyber café for a bit?, I know a new game that just dropped, I'm sure it'll cheer you up!."

" Ohh and you can come too if you want Harley, it can be like a fun outing!, whatcha think!." He beamed a carefree smile.

Judging by his attitude in class and unlike most, Jerry didn't avoid Harley like most of their classmates, instead he was a really friendly guy who loved to befriend anyone no matter what rumors said or how strange they acted.

Harley's expression darkened slightly. "Do I look like someone who plays games to you?," she said with a scowl.

" Oh uhh..my mistake then, I just thought....uhh nothing." Jerry looked a bit down on hearing her words.

Noir watching the both of them, hesitated. His first instinct was to say no to both of them and just go home and sleep the day away. But the thought of being alone with his own thoughts or having to see Molly arguing with Chloe because of him was something he didn't want either.

"Alright," he said turning to Jerry after a pause. "Let's go."

" Maybe we can walk home another time?." Noir told Harley, his face apologetic.

Jerry on the other hand, beamed. "Sweet! Let's move!"

Harley made a small noise, like she wanted to say something, but instead, she just scoffed and turned away. "Whatever. See you losers later."

She walked off before either of them could reply.

Noir frowned slightly. "Did I do something wrong again?"

Jerry nudged him. "Dude, don't think too much about it. Let's go play some games!!!."

" Since it's your first time, I got lots of options for you!."

" Today you get to watch the Gamemaster at work hahahahaha." Jerry cackled loudly with his hands on his waists.

Noir who saw him simply sighed with a helpless smile on his face.

________________________________________

After some walking, Both Jerry and Noir arrived at a Cyber Café.....

The café was a neon-lit paradise of flashing screens and the rhythmic clacking of keyboards. The air smelled like a mix of cheap instant ramen and soda, with the occasional hint of sweat from overly enthusiastic gamers.

Noir followed Jerry to a row of computers, already feeling a little lighter.

"What do you wanna start with?" Jerry asked, booting up his system. "Battle Royale? Horror survival? Racing?"

Noir sat down, glancing over at Jerry's eager expression. "Let's do battle royale," he said.

Jerry smirked. "Hope you're ready to lose."

Noir chuckled lightly. "We'll see."

The next few hours passed in a blur of fast-paced action. Noir found himself smiling more than he expected, getting lost in the adrenaline rush of the games.

But despite his best efforts...

"YOU CHEATED!" Noir cried as Jerry landed the final hit, winning again.

Jerry cackled. "It's not cheating if you just suck, my dude."

Noir pouted, crossing his arms. "Rematch."

And so, they played again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

For every single game they played..Noir lost. Every. Single. Time.

But oddly enough, he didn't mind. For the first time all day, he wasn't thinking about Chloe or the pain of rejection. He was just... having fun and because Jerry was the one footing the bill anyways.

When they finally decided to call it a night, Noir stretched, feeling lighter than before.

"That was so much fun," he admitted as they stepped outside.

Jerry grinned. "Told ya."

They soon reached a crossroads where they had to part ways.

Jerry patted his shoulder. "You'll be alright, man. Just don't overthink stuff too much." he said.

After having heard from Noir what happened that afternoon, though Jerry was surprised that this new friend of his was actually an uncle, he began sympathizing with him.

Of course Noir didn't reveal his true secret but vaguely stated that she blamed him for an accident he didn't commit.

Noir gave a small smile. "Yeah.... thanks so much for today Jerry, it really helped."

" Hahahaha, don't mention it, what are friends for am I right." Jerry chuckled.

With that, they split ways, and Noir began his quiet walk home, the night air cool against his skin.

For now, at least, the shadows of the day felt a little further away.