Enchanted

Chapter 18

Sabrina

The driveway was empty and I found myself relieved by it. I needed time alone with Nicolette because the outcomes are unpredictable and I needed not her parents to be spectators in our dispute.

"Coming!" Nicolette called out from the inside of the house after I knocked hardly multiple times on the front door until my knuckles hurt.

"Sab-," I couldn't tell if she was surprised I was standing in front of her because I cut her off. "Do you care to explain what the heck is going on?"

She pursed her lips together and asked me to go inside to talk about this.

"You knew Cedric and you never told me! What's your issue with him, huh?" My heart paced faster than I spoke.

"He is the reason Madeleine's dead and I assumed he pushed the responsibility back to me because he is too afraid to tell you the story." Nicolette walked to the opposite side of the dining table and faced me. "Madeleine was never a party-goer. She was a homebody who likes to spend time reading books."

"Stop beating around the bush and get to the main part," my voice got intimidating but I sensed Nicolette trying to remain calm like everything was normal and she was just telling me stories.

"Alright. Madeleine was Cedric's boyfriend and they dated for almost 2 years."

I didn't interrupt this time so she continued. "One Friday night, Cedric asked Madeleine to join him at a party where they play games, drink and sell drugs I guess. Cedric offered to drive her there and that evening was the last time I saw Madeleine alive, smiling in a white blouse and plaid midi suspender skirt."

Nicolette broke eye contact with me and made her way to the kitchen to pour a glass of water. I felt miserable forcing her to relive her past memories but that was the only way to settle whatever barriers between us and the grudges she held against Cedric.

"I remembered teasing her for not bringing a book along. She laughed and the last thing she said to me was 'Goodnight, see you tomorrow Nicole'. That was it. She never make it back home because she got into a car accident." Her voice trembled.

"How?"

"Cedric insisted on driving her home because she felt sick. But Cedric was drunk so Madeleine told him to wait till the hangover subside. Cedric convinced her he didn't drink that much and said he had some kind of high alcohol tolerance bullshit."

"So the car crashed?"

"No. He was going high speed and did not notice the truck on the right. The truck hit the passenger side where Madeleine sat. During post-mortem, the doctor realised someone put drugs in her punch that made her feel nauseous and dizzy so it was never Madeleine's fault."

She looked up at me with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Don't you get it? It was Cedric's fault but he survived! He is a murderer!"

"Nicolette! He didn't do it on purpose!" I defended him even though my heart cried out for Madeleine.

"Don't you dare speak for him, Sabrina!" Nicolette moved away from me like I was about to hit her. "He ruined my sister's life and my family and I can never live the same as before!"

"He deserves a second chance! Everybody makes mistakes and I could tell how remorseful he felt so-" I didn't want to stand down.

"Why are you sticking up for a stranger you just met?" Nicolette shouted. "Damn it, Sabrina! You are blinded by love and that's all you care about!"

Indeed I care about love. I have always craved love from others after being abandoned by my parents. My aunt rarely spends any time with me as she is always busy working during weekends and holidays. She doesn't say 'I love you' or give me a hug or cheer me up when I'm feeling down. She only knows how to buy me expensive presents during birthdays and Christmas' and treats me like a materialistic girl. She lets me use one of her debit cards to purchase items from online websites but that doesn't matter to me. I don't need pretty clothes and jewellery to show off in school or the latest gadgets to keep up with the modern era. I just want someone to look after me and love me sincerely.

"That's true! You are born into a family who can provide you with everything! Affirmation, time, gifts and you take them for granted! I don't get the same privilege as you so I need to find love by myself," I answered.

"So you think a killer can provide you with love? Think, Sabrina! You're not stupid!" She said breathlessly. "I'm not asking you to support me because you're my best friend but because I care for you. And I don't want to lose you!"

"Don't talk crap with me, Nicolette! If you really care for me, let me date Cedric. I will pay whatever consequences await in front of me." My fingernails dug deeper into my palm. "And I truly believe Cedric is a good person. He made mistakes but he learns from them unlike you."

"Sabrina!" Nicolette yelled as I stomped out of the house and slammed the door shut.

I didn't bother to take a bus and ran down the streets until I reached the front door of my aunt's place. I managed to take only 10 steps and lay on the sofa trying to catch my breath. My entire body was in throbbing pain like sharp needles poking deep into my flesh, into my bones and out the other side.

Everything that happened earlier in the day blurred into a haze. The lunch date, the picturesque sceneries of the garden and the funny moments in the greenhouse were all gone. They felt like a fairytale I read out of a storybook.

I was too exhausted to get up and do my chores. If acts of service are her type of love language, then haven't I shown enough love for my aunt? Why doesn't she try to understand me? Don't I deserve love as well? My eyes were so heavy that they closed and my brain auto-shutdown.