Gone Girl 2

Chapter 4

"Tell me I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing," Nicole scowls.

"Oh, you are," Irène laughs as she stands up, her heels making a clacking sound on the floor.

"What are you doing here?" I ask with an unintentional edge to my voice.

I'm not mad at her but she keeps disappearing and appearing however she pleases, without ever explaining anything.

"Didn't you miss me? That's no way to greet a friend."

Nicole laughs. "Friend? I don't think so."

"Was I speaking to you?" Irène asks with a neutral face despite her intimidating words.

"Whore." Nicole mutters under her breath and I slightly shove her arm to get her to stop.

"I've been called worse." Irène walks to her and Nicole instinctively takes a step backward.

This is probably because of James, considering the last months he used to push her around.

A wave of guilt floods my mind and I can't shake off the feeling that I didn't do enough for her, maybe if I had-

I could have done nothing to James but he could have done way worse to me, he tried numerous times.

"Who sends videos of them having sex- to a stranger? You are literally a whore."

I still flinch when I hear certain words, it's a trigger that will never go away.

"Nicole, stop." I cut her off. Irène is my friend after all and I cannot stand hearing Nicole saying such things.

"No, Vero, let her continue, I'm entertained." Irène laughs as she unzips her red backpack — so it is hers and she will sleep right above Nicole.

Could it get worse?

"Maybe it's better if I take that bed," I speak and they both shoot daggers at me.

"You can't be possibly defending her after what she did to me."

"She opened your eyes when Louis and I tried for years." I glance at Irène and she seems amused, maybe she just did it for her glee. "You can't attack Irène for what James did, it's always everyone's fault but his..."

Nicole insulted everyone who tried to help her, and when she finally had proof that he is a piece of shit, she never attacked him, instead, she told him she loves him but has to let him go.

Nicole scoffs, soon after she turns her back on me and leaves.

"So dramatic," Irène cuts in.

"Shut up."

"Ouch."

"There is no need to act the way you did, just try to not talk to her," I say.

"I helped her, she should be thanking me."

"With a sex tape? Are you insane? She loved him, of course she can't thank you."

I don't know who I am defending anymore, I understand both points but Irène only "helped" Nicole because she wanted revenge on James, for me.

"How's it going with your little boyfriend?" she asks and I instinctively touch my necklace Derek gave me.

He gifted it to me — again — after we slept together, he said he went to get it back from the woods when I overdosed, it took him hours to find it.

"Ah, still in prison?" she asks when she understands I'm not going to reply.

"You only made James more furious, one more reason to frame us."