Chaos

Chapter 31: Losing Everything- Nicole

Chapter 31 – Losing Everything

Nicole

The body was burned and then the ashes were buried. That was the only way to make sure no disease could be caught. We had a funeral where everyone wore black and Cole was laid to rest in his backyard.

It had been two days since Cole had passed away; Brittany hadn’t stopped crying. I had a lot of sympathy for the girl, but it was starting to give me a headache.

Amanda and I were sitting on mine and Jesse’s bed in the blue room and Sam was asleep in his.

“I don’t know what to do,” I tell Amanda watching my little brother’s chest struggle to rise and fall.

“Take him to a hospital?” Amanda suggested for the third time in two days.

“Yes, because that worked out so well the last time we tried to go to the hospital,” I say and fall onto my back.

I look up and see the hurt in Amanda’s eyes. She had her hair up today, something I rarely saw, wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a plaid shirt.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean it. I just don’t know what to do for Sam and he keeps getting worse and I have a huge headache from Brittany’s constant crying. And the whole thing with Nate isn’t making it much easier.”

“How are things with you guys anyway?” she asks sympathetically.

“The same,” I reply closing my eyes. “He got me flowers the other day; that was nice. He keeps asking to talk to me but I just act like I haven’t heard him say a word.”

“Why?” she wonders. “Don’t you want things to work out?”

“Of course I do Manda,” I say. “I just don’t want to be with someone who can lie to me so easily. Who knows what else he’s kept from me.”

“I’m sure he had a reason sweetie,” Amanda says reassuringly, putting a hand on my arm.

“I’m sure he does,” I mumble “but it doesn’t make it okay.”

Amanda sighs and checks the time; it was a little after ten at night.

“I’m starving,” she says with a hand on her stomach. “Is there any pizza left from supper?”

“Maybe,” I reply. “Let’s go see.”

She smiles and we get up to leave the room. I turn out the light with one last look at Sam.

“… Possible to be contracted from animals that have been infected with the disease, it is more dangerous than ever. We are urging people to be careful around wild life in…” some narrator on the TV was saying. Katie and Liam were sitting on the couch cuddling watching some documentary.

We kept walking into the kitchen. Out of habit I look over, to say 'Hi' to Cole before I remember he isn’t here. I hesitated in the doorway, remembering him the last couple of days before he died; he really turned out to be a good friend.

Nate was sitting at the table with his back to me trying to console Brittany again. As I watch, Brittany reaches over and grabs his hands.

“Thank you Nate, for helping I mean,” she says. She stands a bit closer and tries to kiss him. I look away, not wanting to see my boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend, kiss someone else.

“Sorry Brittany,” I hear him say. “I may like you as a friend now, but I still don’t like you that way.”

“You still have feeling for Nicole huh?” she asks, sounding hurt and understanding at the same time. I freeze and start listening to their conversation more intently.