Nicole

Chapter: 09

After they had talked, Nicole and Axel made their way back home. Her heart suddenly felt lighter after talking to him, like she'd known him forever. When they got home, Christopher was sitting on the couch in the living room. He looked at them, alerted. Axel grinned at him and he seemed confused. But when he saw Nicole's smile, he seemed to get that they had patched things up.

"Nicole, can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked and Nicole nodded as Axel made his way upstairs. "When you arrived here, I noticed that you didn't bring many clothes with you. And the closet had only a few things..."

"Oh, no, it's fine. I don't need many clothes," Nicole said quickly.

Christopher grinned, shaking his head, "Actually, it's not completely in my control. Isabelle wanted to take you shopping. She was the one who noticed, actually, that you didn't have much to wear." Nicole furrowed her eyebrows.

"Okay," she said. "I'll talk to her." She nodded at her father and ran upstairs to Isabelle's room. She knocked on the door waiting for a response. Isabelle opened the door and her face seemed to light up at the sight of her.

"Dad told you?" She asked.

"Yeah, and-"

"Okay, great," she interrupted. Nicole blinked. "We'll go tomorrow." She was smiling so widely that it brought color to her cheeks, making them look even pinker than they were.

"I was going to say that I don't need more clothes," Nicole said and noticed how Isabelle's smile went down an inch. She bit her lip.

"Well... it isn't entirely about clothes. I... um... I wanted to spend some time with you," she said and something pinched Nicole's heart. Isabelle pressed her lips in a thin line.

"On second thought," Nicole said. "I could do with a few boots." Isabelle grinned again and Nicole returned it with a smile.

~~~

The next day, Nicole woke up around nine. The sun was shining brightly outside, all of the wind of last night pressed. Her duvet, bed, and pillows were so soft that she didn't want to get up but she knew she had to go shopping with Isabelle.

She didn't know how her life changed in just three days. She wasn't watching teenagers get drenched in the rain through her window anymore. She wasn't watching people laugh while she hid in the shadows anymore. She had gotten all she ever wanted. But that cost her a terrible price.

Her heart still ached for her mother. She felt as if things would be better if she was here with them, reunited with the rest of her family. But she didn't feel as alone as she was after her mother's death. She had Axel, Isabelle and Nathan, and even her father. Although, nothing could fill that empty spot in her heart.

Pushing these thoughts away, she threw her legs off the bed. She walked to the closet and opened it to see the options she had. It was too hot for a jacket so she took out a sleeveless white shirt and jeans.

After taking a shower, she put those clothes on, running her fingers through her damp hair to untangle it. She put on her black converse and then went downstairs.

Isabelle was already at the table, eating her breakfast quickly. She wore a green floral top with shorts and a pair of boots. Her hair was up in a ponytail, shining in the sunlight that came through the window.

Axel and Nathan were there as well. Axel kept looking at Isabelle with an eyebrow raised while Nathan ate quietly. Her father, though, was nowhere to be seen.

Nicole sat down next to Isabelle, looking at the breakfast. There were croissants, pancakes, eggs, and buttered toasts. Nicole didn't bother with the eggs but took two pancakes, putting the chocolate syrup on them.

Isabelle looked at her and stopped mid-bite. "You're not planning to go to the mall with your hair looking like that are you?" Axel snickered while Nathan hid a grin. Nicole pouted.

"It's wet," she said, putting the syrup aside and grabbing a fork.

"It's the 21st Century. Ever heard of a blow dryer?" She asked. This time, Axel laughed out loud and Nathan chuckled. Nicole glared at Axel. "Come on. We're gonna do your hair." She got up and grabbed Nicole's wrist.

"But I haven't had breakfast yet!" Nicole whined as Isabelle pulled her with her.

"This is more important," she said as they both went upstairs to her room. Nicole pouted as her stomach grumbled.

Isabelle's room was about the size of Nicole's own room. The walls were white although the corners were wallpapered with black flowers, leaves, and butterflies. Her bedcover was also white with black branches crisscrossing. Her dresser was full of makeup supplies.

She sat Nicole down on the chair in front of the dresser, grabbing a brush. She brushed her hair, instantly untangling it, and grabbed a blow dryer. She turned it on and Nicole flinched at the loud sound. Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on, it won't eat you," she said, moving it along her hair. After she dried her hair she grabbed an eyeliner. Nicole leaned back in the chair.

"Don't overdo it, please," she said, smiling nervously.

"I don't need to overdo it. And relax, I'm better at this than you think," Isabelle assured and started her makeup. She didn't put any eyeshadow on her nor did she use any dark color for the lipstick.

In the end, she ended up putting just the eyeliner, mascara, and lipgloss on Nicole. When Nicole looked at herself, she saw that she didn't look as different as she thought. The makeup was barely visible but at the same time, it made her look prettier.

After that, she started braiding Nicole's hair. Her hair wasn't very long so she was done in about a minute.

"Now, you're ready," Isabelle said, backing away as if to get a better look at her. "Let's go." She grabbed her wrist again and dragged her outside the door.

"But what about breakfast?" Nicole said. Isabelle inhaled sharply and turned to face her.

"I'll give you five minutes." Nicole nodded and rushed downstairs. Nathan and Axel weren't there anymore since they were probably done with their breakfast.

Nicole sat down and quickly stiffed the pancake in her mouth. It had gone cold now but it didn't matter. She was starving. By the time Isabelle was tapping her foot impatiently on the floor, Nicole only managed to eat one pancake. But it was enough to keep her going through the day.

"Hey, you do have your driver's license, right?" Isabelle asked when Nicole stood up.

Nicole looked at her biting her lip, remembering her conversation with her mother about that, the day she agreed to tell her a few things. "I don't, actually. I never got the chance."

"But you're sixteen," Isabelle said. Nicole sighed.

"I know. It's just um... Mom died before she could take me for the test," Nicole said. Her voice cracked even though she tried to keep it fluent.

Isabelle's face softened in realization. "Oh." She looked at the floor, biting her lip. "Well, if you don't want to go then... I'll understand-"

Nicole smiled, "No way I got ready for nothing." Isabelle beamed at her.

"We can walk," she said, hurrying towards the main door. Nicole shook her head and followed.