Nicole

Chapter: 13

The next morning, Nicole woke up to the sound of her alarm. She opened her eyes squinting through the sunlight that was coming from her window. The bright rays of the sun made it clear that she wouldn't need to wear her jacket today.

She groaned when the ringing of her alarm became annoying and slammed a fist on the alarm clock, shutting it up. She threw her legs off the bed and stood up, stretching. Then she sighed.

She felt exhausted, even after that good night's sleep. She didn't know why but she wanted to lie down again. Her muscles supported the decision of her heart but she overpowered them with her mind and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

She changed into a pair of jeans and a sleeveless shirt with sneakers. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and looked at herself in the mirror.

She looked better than she did a week ago; there was color in her face and lips and the bags under her eyes were gone. Her eyes were bluer and focused. She was healthier, no longer in the need of any makeup.

Nicole picked up her bag – she had bought her books yesterday when she realized she needed them – and walked out of her room. Next to her, Axel came out at the same time with his bag. He wore a green flannel over a white shirt and dark jeans with high tops. His hair was damp and tousled, falling over his forehead.

He looked amused, "Back to school?"

She shook her head at him and went downstairs for breakfast. Isabelle and Nathan were already there and so was her father. Nicole and Axel sat down opposite each other.

Nicole only took a toast; she didn't feel like eating much.

Over the silence of breakfast, thoughts of her mother kept returning to her. She was exhausted of it now so stopped trying to push them out of her mind. Would things be different if her mother hadn't died and come to LA with her...?

"Alright, everybody, up," Christopher said before Nicole could think of an answer. She hadn't even eaten her toast entirely but she stood up anyway; she didn't want to feel nauseous.

They all made their way outside and sat in the car. It was the same way it had been when they came to pick Nicole: Isabelle in the middle with Nicole and Nathan on either side of her and Axel in the passenger's seat.

Nicole rested her chin on her fist and looked outside at the passing cars. Some part of her longed for the cold air and rain of New York's winter. In a few days, it would probably be snowing there. Nicole closed her eyes, imagining herself back at her house there with the rain pounding against the window and hail dropping from the sky.

She thought of the times she got drenched in the rain with her mother shaking her head but smiling at the same time. She wanted to go back to those days and get lost in them. She wanted her mother by her side.

Nicole felt a soft touch on her cheek. She opened her eyes and turned to her side to see Isabelle looking at her in concern. She didn't realize until then that she had shed a tear. She made a gesture to wipe it away but Isabelle had already done that.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. Nicole nodded.

"I'm fine," she said.

Christopher pulled over in the school parking lot. Nicole looked at the building and the teenagers going in and out of it. She bit her lip before getting out of the car. Their father bid them goodbye and they all made their way inside.

The chatter in the hallway was expected although Nicole heard it louder than it was. It made her head hurt but still, she made her way to the office while her siblings walked to their lockers.