Courageous

CHAPTER SEVEN

Noah Green had a really bad habit of annoying Carter. 

If he didn't do it for one day, it was like he caught an allergy or something. Carter swore he saw him scratching his arms one day but Noah always called him a liar about that. Seriously, that was the only thing Carter hated about his best friend (that and how he always left his laundry on his bed instead of the perfectly capable of storing them basket in the corner of their room). Even though he had lots and lots of patience, Noah somehow found the perfect way to irritate him even with the smallest thing possible. 

However, what Carter hated more about that was his timing which sucked. He always did so when he was studying or was with others which made him feel slightly embarrassed. 

It had been three days before spring break when his roommate had absolutely nothing to do (his assignments were all done and his girlfriend was studying which was why he wasn't with her in the first place) and decided to just sit right next to him on his bed while he was drawing his latest assignment and just started poking him for no apparent reason. 

If there was one thing Carter hated more than leaving stray marks on his textbooks and someone chewing his gum with his mouth open and really loud, it was poking him. And Noah knew that which is why he was even doing that in the first place. 

Carter tried not to let it show that he was getting infuriated. He took deep breaths to calm himself down and even closed his eyes and tried imagining he was at his happy place (eating cotton candy at the funfair really close to his home). He even tried listening to music but Noah and music combined were even more irritating than anything. He took deep breaths again, his mind telling him to relax but his body was so close to reacting. He felt ready to scream, his patience running thin. Not even cotton candy could solve this. 

After a while, it just wouldn't work. Whoever said that not reacting meant that that person would leave him alone was really stupid. 

He knew for a fact that Noah wasn't a quitter and he sure as hell wasn't going to quit then when Carter was seconds from cracking. 

He could tell his best friend knew that he was about to scream at him and then, chase him again around campus like he did most of the time but he still didn't stop. Instead, he started poking his right shoulder harder, faster and he was even chanting his name too. 

"Carter, carter, carter," He mumbled, his gaze drifting from his friend's shoulder to the portrait he was trying to draw, "Carter Mills-Davis, give me some of your f*****g attention, please," 

"Do you seriously think that I will cave just because you said 'please'?" The black-haired male exclaimed, the point of his pencil hitting the empty canvas as he tried outlining his sketch first. "Well, guess what; it isn't gonna happen!" 

Noah snorted, "You just answered me which means you just did, b***h," He continued poking him like there was no tomorrow. 

Carter rolled his hazel eyes till he suddenly managed to cause his head to ache. He placed his fingers on his temple and gently, massaged it to get rid of the pain. When it finally subsided, he placed his pencil and rubber down and glared at him. 

"What?" 

"Are you mad I called you a b***h?" His roommate pouted mockingly which caused him to hit him on his ribs. Noah doubled over, huffs and groans escaping his lips. 

"What do you think?" 

Ignoring his sarcastic remark, Noah grinned reminding Carter of that creepy cat from Alice in Wonderland that he never could remember the name of that haunted his dreams when he first saw that movie. He grumbled under his breath at that thought. "Wanna head out? We haven't hung out in a while and I feel like it's my fault cause of the dates I have been taking Jasmine. I want you to remember our motto, Carter. Bros before hoes, yeah?" 

Carter simply rolled his eyes before he nodded once Noah poked him again hard on his ribs. He scowled and pushed him off the bed. 

"Fine," He actually felt bad because his friend was right. Other than waking up and going to bed together, they haven't really spent much time together. He was too focused on how to act around Max and how to even ask him out eventually and Noah has been out with Jasmine more than usual (he blamed the honeymoon phase). He really wanted to spend more time with his roommate. He had missed him. "Where do you wanna go?" 

Noah cheered, "I was thinking bowling and maybe there you can tell me all about you and Maxie," He wiggled his eyebrows which made Carter's cheeks turn into a scarlet colour. He cursed under his breath for reacting that way by just hearing his name. Was his crush that bad already? "Ooh, you're blushing! We're gonna have a lot to talk about then, huh?" 

His face felt like it was burning and he almost felt like fanning himself but he didn't act on his desires because he knew his friend would tease him even more than he was right then and there. He glared at him, his eyes closing to slits as he tried containing himself from throwing his pillow on his face. 

"Shut the f**k up, Noah!"