Meant For You

nine.

Nola Scott

The last couple weeks of life have been hard.

The only good thing is that finals are finally over, meaning I have a little over a month off from school now. This will give me time to figure out what the hell is going on with my life before school starts back up again. Hopefully, at least.

At first, I was blaming the stress of school. Transitioning from high school to university is a challenge especially when you move cities and start a whole new life. I didn't start getting homesick until October but when I did, it hit me terribly. Telling my parents I wanted to come back home wasn't an option.

I wasn't a baby anymore. I needed to grow up.

So I dealt with it on my own. I don't think that was the best idea. My season depression really struck, hitting me harder than ever and I did the stupid thing I always do when that happens. I pushed it away by partying, figure skating, and drowning myself in school. That's never smart and I know that but I still do it anyway. It's better than being sad. Anything's better than that.

Now that school is over, I only have figure skating to rely on to help me distract myself from the mess that is my life. Loud heavy knocks on my front door make me flinch as I drown my sorrows on the living room couch. "Nola! Open up! I know you're in there!" My eyes widen and I hop off the couch rushing to the door, hoping this isn't a dream.

When I swing open the door, my beautiful, smiling cousin stands on the other side of it. Oh my God. I pounce myself into her arms, hugging her tightly. Tears prick my closed eyes, but I hold them back. My cousin giggles, rubbing my back. "Surprise!" she says. Pulling back, I take in the beauty that Frankie Adler is.

Frankie is my uncle Rhys and aunt Monet's oldest daughter and my best friend growing up. I have plenty of cousins close in age but I grew a connection to Frankie deeper than others. It's hard seeing her these days since she's so famous. She hates when I call her that but I'm sure random people get more time with my cousin than I do these days.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, pulling her into my apartment. She giggles as I close the door behind us and drag her ass to the couch. "Well, I know you're finishing up school so I thought it'd make sense to pop back into your life since you have so much free time now. Or do you not?" Frankie eyes me questioningly. I nod frantically. "Always for you. God, I'm so happy you're here," I admit.

New distraction: Frankie.

Frankie's smile grows and she grabs my hands in hers, squeezing them. "Amazing! I missed you so much, Nola. And also... we have so much to catch up on." She gives me a look that only we know means. Frankie Adler is about to spill the hottest tea. "Start. Now." A mischievous smirk creeps onto her face as she turns to face me.

***

After a whole hour and a half of catching up, we decide to order some food. Or a lot of food. Debriefing makes us hungry.

She told me about influencer drama, what she's been working on, and also family/boyfriend drama. Especially family/boyfriend drama. A couple of months ago, Frankie introduced the family to her boyfriend, Alistair. My cousin is the sweetest girl I've ever met. She cares entirely too much about everyone and everything. Alistair Hill, on the other hand, cares entirely too little about everything and everyone. Besides Frankie.

He wasn't what we were expecting when Frankie said she had a boyfriend. Black hair, tattoos all over his body, and a nose piercing was the last thing I thought of whenever she told me she had a boyfriend but that's exactly who he was. He also has that 'I don't give a fuck' attitude to match his look which pisses off my uncle even more.