𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐎𝐟 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐨

Nightmares

Chapter Forty-Nine

Nicole takes Gia around the place, giving her a small tour after she had it out with Roman about her name being stripper related.

"Where did Rave go?" Nicole asks.

"She wanted to be alone. I told her we didn't care about her being held back. It happens." Gia shrugs. "But she said she will drop by the house later to talk about it."

"I should have slapped those highlights out of that fake blonde girls scalp." Nicole mumbles. "I like blondes but she is pushing it for me."

"No violence please." Gia begs.

"All of that she did was rude, she wanted a show." Nicole tells Gia. "It's only so much of stupid I'm going to take. She did this because Tyler is around me and not her. What's their deal anyway?"

Gia brows quirk. "Curious?"

"To why she is pissing me off? Yes." Nicole nods. "About Tyler? No, I could care less."

Gia sighs. "I don't know what they had or didn't have. Tyler doesn't tell me many things."

"Join the club."

"What do you mean?"

Nicole stops with a knowing brow already raised. "I know, Gia. Tyler keeping his mouth shut is shocking enough, but you?"

Gia caught on and mentally slapped herself. "Dang it, Xander."

"It doesn't matter who, it matters that it wasn't you."

"Tyler made me promise and put me in a bad spot!" Gia tries to explain. "He had a good point on why you probably shouldn't go. For a while I kind of agreed."

"And now?"

"I don't agree." Gia admits. "He shouldn't have lied to you and, honestly, it should be your choice. Not ours." She saw her friends look. "I'm sorry Nicole. I just-I don't need you leaving me for the third time." Nicole looks back when she said this. "But I also know....lying to you isn't the best idea either." Nicole sighs, looking off. "I'm really sorry."

"At least you came around to it being wrong."

"Yeah, well," Gia scoffs. "When I tried to Tyler he blew me off."

Nicole tsks her teeth with a slight glare. "Don't worry about it. I'm going to handle it."

"How?"

"Don't know, but I will figure it out." Nicole sat on the bench. Thoughts of the years replaying in her mind slowly. "......Owen ordered me around enough. The only people who have that right are the ones who birthed me--and Mia, sometimes Brian."

"I think he's just scared." Gia admits, carefully having a seat next to her. "I don't think he wants to admit it but he changed a lot when you were gone to. I watched him," Nicole eyes stray down. "You being gone wasn't easy for him. I can't count the times he was gone but I already knew where find him." Gia nods, looking to Nicole. "With you," Nicole brows pulled. "at your grave." Nicole felt the hit to her chest as she holds back her own tears for a moment. "At least that's where he thought you were. I know I shouldn't be telling you this, but I always caught him slipping up when talking, saying he failed you as a friend. I think his guilt is thinking for him, more so then his brain."