Noel first enters the show casually, making his first appearance by stepping out of his cousin's car during what is also Jackson's first appearance. He gives Scott a passing look of apology as he rushes to follow his cousin into the school after the exchange between Jackson and Scott.
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He is seen in the next scene with Scott and Stiles in their english classroom, where he doesn't speak but sits behind Stiles and seems to be interested in his conversation with Scott (implying the three know each other).
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Later, he can be seen in the background on the lacrosse field. He wears the number 55 and appears to be a slightly below average player. He is first mentioned by name by Scott seconds later, after Stiles says "But if you play, I'll have no one to talk to on the bench. Are you really gonna do that to your best friend?"
Scott rolls his eyes and says "You won't be completely alone. You'll have Noel."
This seems to personally offend Stiles to a degree. He replies "Oh yeah, I totally the wanna spend the whole season talking to Noel about how much he hates his cousin and how much he wishes he could make out with Lydia. There's only room for one guy in her beautiful heart, and I'll be damned if that guy ends up being a Whittemore."
Scott laughs in amusement before the conversation continues as it does in canon.
Noel ends up watching most of the practice from the bench with Stiles, once again not speaking. Every time Stiles makes a noise of amusement/approval over his best friend's saves, he gives Stiles a look and a smile. As Jackson shoots the ball for the goal, Noel watches in anticipation, and ends up being Stiles' shoulder to grip onto as he cheers when Scott makes the save. He cheers along with Stiles for Scott, but immediately stops when he gets a look shot his way from Jackson.
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He can be seen later tagging along with Scott and Stiles to the preserve. He doesn't speak until Scott's line "What if it's like an infection, like my body's flooding with adrenaline before I go into shock or something?" Noel says from where he walks behind Stiles "If that were the case, you would've come down from the shock and probably died hours ago."
Stiles turns and looks at him in pseudo-disgust before turning to Scott and saying "Why did we bring him with us, again?"
Scott rolls his eyes and says "Jackson wouldn't give him a ride back to his house after the whole lacrosse thing."
"Doesn't explain why we brought him here, with us," Stiles says grumpily and Noel stays fairly silent for the rest of the trek. He laughs along with the boys whenever they joke, but he seems hesitant about it.
After Stiles brings attention to the fact that Derek is standing just a few yards away, Noel leans up against a tree and tries to look tough and not as scared as he is. He keeps licking his lips, obviously finding the man attractive.
"We were just about to leave," are the words he squeezes in before Derek throws Scott his inhaler. As Derek walks away, he calls out a meek "thanks" before Stiles slaps his shoulder and begins his "That was Derek Hale" speech. He follows after Stiles and leaves the woods, presumably going home.
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Noel is next mentioned by Jackson during his scene with Scott, saying "You think you're funny, don't you, McCall? I know you're hiding something. You have the whole team and my idiot cousin convinced, but not me. I'm gonna find out what it is, I don't care how long it takes."
During the tryouts for first string, Noel makes one successful pass and ends up being checked to the ground by Jackson. After that he is sent to the bench, where he sits with Stiles and cheers Scott on much to the annoyance of Jackson. When it's announced that Scott will play first string and Stiles isn't excited, he asks what's up with Stiles. Stiles doesn't respond, and we get a cut to Stiles on his computer.
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After Scott enters Stiles' room and Stiles begins his explanation, Noel is once again mentioned. Stiles says "Remember the joke from the other day? Not a joke anymore. The wolf, the bite in the woods? I started doing all this reading, and Noel sent me some stuff too."
"You dragged Noel into this?" Scott asks, but his question is ignored when Stiles continues almost automatically "Do you even know why a wolf howls?"
Noel isn't mentioned again in the conversation.
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The next time Noel is seen is in the party scene, but only in the background. He is standing in the small group with Stiles when Scott is running around the party, and he seems really concerned.
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While he wasn't with Stiles when he went to Scott's house, he can be seen with Stiles at Allison's house later in the night. It's implied that while Stiles spoke to Scott, Noel was downstairs/outside waiting in the jeep. Now begins the implication of Stiles and Noel being closer friends than we thought at first.
Noel stands beside Stiles as he speaks with Allison's mother, looking helpless as his friend babbles to Victoria. When Allison comes out and looks down at Stiles and Noel, Noel's eyes go wide and he says "Aw, man.." before we cut to Scott in the woods.
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Noel is not seen or mentioned again in the episode.