Something Beautiful.

"Have a good time in English, Noah!"

"Not really," he mumbles back, bright red in the face. He ducks his head and hesitantly enters the room, leaving me grinning like a fool in the hallway. Yeah, I just walked Noah to class.

He didn't talk much. Actually, he didn't talk at all, except for agreeing to let me walk him to class and then his words right before he went into his classroom. I hadn't said a whole lot either, but I did tell him more about myself. Maybe he'll actually start to like me if he gets to know me. I mean, hell, the fact that he forgave Jules and me yesterday got me pretty pumped, but then he let me walk him to class this morning! He's just so damn adorable.

I really don't want to go to class, but I know I have to, so I zone out for 50 minutes before jumping up at the bell. I head out to the hall and look around for Noah, but I don't find him anywhere.

"Who are you looking for?" Jules asks, coming up behind me and knocking me off balance.

"Shut the fuck up, man. I'm not looking for anyone," I say. I shove him back and on their own accord my eyes return to scanning the halls, but I still can't find him.

"Dude, he's not here Shane. He's already in his next class. Let's go to eco." Jules grabs my arm and pulls me backwards into the doorway. How did he know who I was looking for or that he was already in class?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, yeah right. You weren't looking for Mr. Ark?" Jules asks. What the fuck? Mr. Ark?

"Mr. Ark? Really man?" I reply. Either Jules has a database of nicknames for Noah or he's completely gone crazy.Either way, this cold make for an interesting rest of the year.

"Yeaaah, you know, Noah the dude with the ark, Noah White, Nick's little brother, Noah, Mr. Ark." I stare at him for a minute like he's an idiot, which he really is, but he ignores my expression and continues unfazed. "You were totally looking for him in the hallway. I saw you walk him to class this morning."

"That's because he looked lost. Am I not allowed to walk my new friend's little brother to class since he might still be lost?" There was no way in hell I was going to admit to why I walked him to class. When it comes to people I like Jules is worse than a twelve-year-old girl. He squeals after I talk to them and is just super embarrassing in general.

"No, you're allowed to, especially when you have a crush on him!" Jules says, poking me in the side and chuckling. Like I said, worse than a twelve-year-old girl.

"Whatever, you don't know what you're talking about," I reply, sitting down in my chair and turning away from him. I can feel my cheeks starting to burn, and I know Jules will be able to read my face clearly soon.

"Mmhm. Whatever you say, Shane-o."

"How did you even know he was already in class anyways?" I ask him. He didn't even have a class near Noah. The only way he would have known is if he had been watching him. Or someone with him. Jules starts blushing too and he looks surprised.

"I passed him on my way to the bathroom," he mumbles and this time he looks away. Oh my God. He had been following Madison down the hallway! There's just no way. Jules actually liking someone? Not only that, but Jules liking Madison?

"There's not a bathroom you could have used to pass him on the way from English to here," I remind him.

"Whatever. Just come on bro, when are you going to admit you have a crush on The Ark Man?" Jules is staring at me intently now, but his change of subject is so blatantly obvious its painful.

"As soon as you admit to your crush on Madison," I reply with a smile. The look on Jules face is so great I wish I had a camera to capture it, because it would supply a lifetime of laughs. He turns redder than his hair and begins spluttering incoherently, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," he finally chokes out. I smile back at him, more of a smirk than a smile.

"Then I don't know what you're talking about either." Our teacher finally calls class to attention, and we start talking about something I don't really care about. Really, government and economics is the worst class to have your senior year. It would have put me to sleep when I was still excited about high school, but now I'm afraid I'll go into a coma so deep I'll never wake up.

The rest of economics passed as usual. I sat beside Jules and stared off into space, occasionally writing down lines that could turn into a poem so that I appeared to be taking notes. I kept stealing glances at Jules but he was either ignoring me or lost in is own thoughts.

Last night had gone surprisingly well. After pissing off both brothers I had been dreading going over to the Whites' house. Of course Nick forgave us, its just the way he is. The surprising part was Noah. I really didn't expect him to forgive me, so when he actually sat with us while we watched TV I was happy.

Then he showed up at school this morning looking a lot less like a hobo and a lot more like a high school student. An attractive high school student at that. He's an odd character. Today he reminds me of the Noah I met yesterday, but at the same time he's different. More open, I think. Its a small, nearly microscopic change, but hell, he initiated a conversation today. Damn, what I'd do to get inside his head.

"Earth to Shane, come in Shane." Jules' voice causes me to jump and I realize the bell has rung and half the class has already left. "You coming bro?"

I mumble an agreement and follow Jules out the door. The two of us make small talk, neither daring to advert their eyes from the path ahead. Admitting to a crush is leaving the possibility of having to admit to being turned down if things go badly . Nobody wants their rejection public, right?

The rest of my morning classes pass by in a blur, Jules and I both lost in our daydreams the whole time, leaving little time to tease the other about the object of the daydreams. The thought of Jules actually having a crush just makes me want to laugh. Jules doesn't get crushes, or at least crushes he hides from me. Usually he's infatuated with a girl for two weeks or so, then has a week of asking why things couldn't work before he's on to the next girl. Not that I blame him or anything. He's just got a crazy need to be loved. By everyone.

Nether of us mentioned Noah or Madison to each other again for the rest of the morning. It wasn't until I caught him staring at Madison in the hall when we were walking into the lunch room that I asked him again.

"So Madison, huh?" I ask him. He glances at me and then away, sealing his lips and refusing to answer. I grab my tray and follow him out of the lunch line to our table. "Come on Jules, its me. You can tell me anything dude."

"There's just something about her. She's so... different. It's so hot." Right. Now is usually when he starts talking about their best features, but instead he's staring off into space with a dreamy look on his face. I don't know how long I can take lovesick Jules. It's honestly a little nauseating. Jules blinks a few times and focuses back on my face. "What about you, hmm?"

Damn, I was hoping he'd forget to ask me. "Uh yeah, I don't really know." I say, trying to brush the whole thing off.

"Stop shitting me, Shane. You like The No, don't you? That sorta sounds like it could be a band... 'The Know' like they're all informed or something."

"Uh sure," I reply. Jules is seriously off in La-La Land today. Like waaaaay of. "I uh- I mean about liking Noah. Not the band. Well I guess that could make a good name. I don't really sit around thinking of na-"

"You do?!" Jules exclaims before squealing like a little girl. "Oh my fuck, I knew it. Holy shit you have a crush for the first time in forever! This is so exciting!"

"Jules!" I cry. People are starting to look at us, and I just want to hide. I like people and all, but I don't like people hearing about my personal life because my best friend shouts it out across the cafeteria.

"What are you two talking about?" Nick asks as he walks up. Both of us immediately blush darker than before and look down at our food. "Anyways, I need to ask you a question. Well, a favor really."

"Shoot," I say. I'm not really sure if he was talking to me or Jules or both of us, but Jules is stuffing his face so I figured I better answer.

"Don't tell him I told you this, but Noah did his whole homework sheet for French by using Google Translate. I took Italian when we lived in New York, so I'm absolutely no help. Do you think you could discreetly like tutor him Shane?"

At Nicks' request Jules starts laughing at almost completely chokes on his food. "You want, you want Sh-Shane to tutor someone in French? You're shitting me, right? Come on man, that's hilarious!" I'm not that bad at French. At least, I don't think so.

"Woah, not all of us are born in France you douche!" I shove at Jules but he's too busy laughing to notice much at all. "Yeah, Nick, I'll do it. Don't listen to this asshole."

I'm not sure what I've gotten myself in to, but all I know is that it will give me more time with Noah, and right now that's all I really care about. I guess I could study really hard so I could actually help him. Or maybe I could get Jules to agree to the three of us working on the upcoming project together.

"Thank you so much Shane. I want him do do well, you know? I just don't want him to know. You're a great friend. You really are," he replies. I really like Nick. Honestly, I don't feel like I only met him yesterday. I'm almost as comfortable around him as I am around Jules already. I notice Noah slowly making his way to our table and I cut a glance at both Jules and Nick as my cheeks flush again. I try to hide the obvious from Nick .Like I said, almost as comfortable. Not quite.

"Hey there Rainbow Man!" Jules exclaims as Noah sits down beside Nick. Noah looks majorly taken aback and he furrows his brow as though he's trying to figure something out. He looks up at me and I grin back. Noah quickly glances away, but the small smile on his lips gives me a little hope. "Come on guys, don't you get it? The rainbow that signaled there wouldn't be another flood? Noah's ark. Noah. Damn, I swear all you people are dull or don't have a sense of humor!"

I don't know who hit Jules over the head with Children's Bible Stories, but they needed to do it again to see if it didn't knock this out of him. I sigh and shake my head trying to remember why exactly I'm friends with him. Jules opens his mouth to speak again but quickly closes it. I follow his line of sigh and see Madison approaching our table.

"Uh, hi guys," she says nervously as she sits beside Noah. Madison follows his lead and looks down at her plate as she nervously twirls a hair between her fingers.

"Why hello there," Jules says with a smile. He's leaning on a hand that is propped up by his elbow, and he's staring at her right in the eyes. Madison looks back at him, looking displeased for a second. She glares at him for just as long before turning to Noah and starting a conversation.

Nick starts asking us about our town's sports and what we do on the weekend which successfully breaks the tension of the moment. I answer him and we start talking, but Jules is left staring at Madison looking slightly hurt, slightly surprised, and just generally awestruck. Maybe another hit over the head would be a bad idea.