The next morning, Lexy woke up slowly, her eyes fluttering open. For a moment, she was disoriented; the room looked familiar yet strange, bathed in pale light. It took her a second to remember. The events of the night before came flooding back - the pain, the revelation, the catharsis of her beloved finally sharing the darkest truth of her past with the one person who truly understood. She groaned softly and rolled over, seeking Nadine's warmth, only to find the bed empty. Disoriented, Lexy sat up, rubbing her temples. Memories of the night before came flooding back - Nadine's fractured confession, her desperate fear that something innate in her was somehow to blame for the tragedy and cruelty inflicted upon her. Lexy's heart clenched with renewed sympathy and determination. Lexy looked around, wondering where Nadine had gone. A sliver of panic cut through her - had her words last night not gotten through? Had Nadine retreated back into her shell, terrified of trusting, of opening up? Taking a deep breath, Lexy pushed down her worry. She knew Nadine was strong, that something in her had reached out, had started to heal in Lexy's arms. Quietly, Lexy got out of bed and changed into some of Nadine's clothes she found in the dresser - a pair of soft sweats and an oversized sweatshirt that smelled comfortingly of Nadine. She swiftly made her way upstairs to the boys' dormitories - immediately seeking refuge from her best friends. A few moments passed before Jake opened the door, his dark hair touseled and his eyes heavy with sleep. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked around the halls to make sure they were empty before pulling Lexy inside. Fortunately, Devon was already there, sitting cross legged on the bed while working on a crossword puzzle. Jake's jaw tightened as he took in Lexy's disheveled appearance, the dark circles under her eyes, the haunted look on her face. His dark eyes scanned her face, taking in the pallor, the slight tremor in her hands, the way she hugged herself in Nadine's oversized sweatshirt. Devon looked up from his crossword, his usually relaxed expression replaced by sharp concern.
"Lexy? What's going on?" Jake asked, his voice low and urgent
"It's... it's Nadine." Lexy finally managed, the name itself a tight knot of fear and love
"Nadine? What about her? Is she okay?" Jake's expression darkened further
"I don't know. She's... she's gone." Lexy shook her head, a small, jerky movement
"Gone? What do you mean, gone?" Devon straightened up completely, the crossword forgotten on the rumpled sheets
"I woke up, and she wasn't in bed. I looked around the room, everywhere. She's not there. Her things... her bag, her jacket... they're all still there. But she's not. Oh God. What if I scared her away?" Lexy hugged the oversized sweatshirt tighter, the fabric a thin comfort against the sudden hollowness she felt
"Scared her away? What in the hell happened last night, Lexy?" Jake moved closer, his gaze intense
"Last night, Nadine opened up to me about her past. When she was ten years old, she walked into the bathroom to find her mother sticking a needle in her arm. Her mother was an addict, constantly chasing her next fix. Her mother was convulsing, dying from an overdose right there on the bathroom floor. Nadine just stood there, hiding behind the bathroom door, scared out of her mind. She has it etched into her brain that she killed her mother, or at least, that her presence, her very existence, was somehow to blame for the tragedy." Lexy finished, the words tumbling out in a rush of raw emotion
Jake and Devon exchanged a quick, troubled look. They knew parts of Nadine's story – the tragedy, the distant, neglectful father – but Nadine rarely spoke of the specifics, especially not the emotional core. This was something new, clearly something devastating.
"This explains why she always keeps her guard up." Jake murmured
"It gets worse. When her father came home that night, he stumbled across his wife's body. Eventually, he noticed Nadine hiding behind the door, frozen in fear. Instead of scooping her up in his arms, he looked at her with accusation and disgust, asking why she wasn't normal, why she wasn't asleep. Instead of being the anchor, the safe harbor, her father became another wave that threatened to pull her under. Her father, the only remaining parent she had left, abandoned her to navigate the wreckage alone. He made her feel like her existence, her being awake, her being her, caused it all. Like she unraveled everything. I tried, Jake, Devon... I told her none of it was her fault. That he was broken and cruel. But... it's so deep for her. This fear that she's fundamentally wrong, broken. What if she believed him again after I went to sleep? What if she thinks she's too much, too broken to be here, with me?" Lexy hugged herself tighter, the oversized sweatshirt offering little comfort against the sudden, chilling fear that had seized her
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Terror trio: back in action
Fanfictionone year after the movie theater massacre, Jake, Devon, and Lexy end up together again in a Catholic school ran by nuns and a strict priest. The three of them try and figure out how to fit into their new lifestyle, but it won't be as easy as they ho...
