Elle & Nico

Close, Yet Far..

Nico shuffled into math class, stifling a yawn as she slid into her seat. She hadn’t even had the energy to say more than a quiet “good morning” to Ellie earlier in the hallway, which she instantly regretted. Her friend had looked at her with a hint of concern, and Nico had quickly looked away, busying herself with her math textbook. Now, she sat staring blankly at the pages, the numbers blurring together as she struggled to stay focused.

The teacher droned on about quadratic equations, but it all felt distant. She kept replaying last night in her mind. Those moments of weakness that made her chest ache. The memory of her hands touching herself while thinking about Elle made her stomach twist with shame. She hadn’t meant to… But once the thought of Elle had entered her mind, Nico couldn’t stop herself. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, the shame only magnified by the tiredness that was threatening to pull her back into sleep.

By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of math, she felt drained and worn out. The exhaustion followed her into biology, where she struggled to focus on anything the teacher was saying. The lesson was on plant cells, but her brain kept drifting, her thoughts returning to Elle again and again. How would she face her after last night? Nico feared that every glance, every word, would give her away and out herself somehow.

As she left biology, her nerves tightened when she spotted Elle waiting at the entrance of the cafeteria. Her friend’s blue eyes brightened when she saw her, a smile tugging at her lips.

“There ya are! I was starting to think you were avoiding me or something,” Elle teased lightly.

Nico’s lips twitched into a little smile.
“Hey. Sorry. I’ve just… been really tired, y’know?” she mumbled, not meeting Ellie's gaze.

They grabbed their trays and sat down together at their usual spot. Nico poked at her food, the fatigue weighing heavily on her. She could feel Ellei’s gaze on her, and it wasn’t long before she spoke up again.

“Are you okay? You seem, I dunno, out of it,” She said, her voice laced with concern.
“And you barely said a word to me this morning.”

Nico’s pulse quickened. She forced herself to look up at Elle and shrug.
“Yea, I’m fine. Just… didn’t sleep much last night, I guess.”

Elle raised an eyebrow.
“You didn’t sleep much? That’s not like you. What kept you up?”

Nico’s breath caught in her throat. There was no way she could tell her the real reason, that she’d been kept up because of what she did while thinking about her. She swallowed and quickly came up with the first excuse that came to mind.
“I just… couldn’t sleep. You know, nerves, prom coming up and all.”

The corners of Elle's mouth lifted into a sympathetic smile.
“Yeah, I get that. Prom is a big deal. But you know, you can always talk to me if something’s botherin’ ya.”
Her tone was casual, but her eyes searched Nico’s face, as if trying to uncover the real reason.

“I know. Thanks,” Nico replied quietly, feeling the warmth of Elle's concern and simultaneously wishing she could pour her heart out. Instead, she shoved a forkful of food into her mouth to avoid saying anything else.

Lunch felt longer than usual, the weight of unspoken words stretching out between them. Nico couldn’t help but notice Elle’s every gesture and expression. The way she played with her hair, the way she looked so effortlessly beautiful despite wearing a simple sweater and jeans. Each detail made the truth harder to ignore.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, they walked together toward their lockers.

“See ya in history,” Elle said as they parted ways. Nico nodded, feeling a pang of guilt that she wasn’t brave enough to let Elle in on what was really troubling her.