Falling to Pieces

Chapter Eight

I change into a pair of navy blue mesh shorts and a loose pink muscle tee. I put my hair up into a high ponytail and tie the laces of my floral Nike shoes. When I'm about to leave the house, with my iPod in one hand and a Quest bar in the other, Sophie stops me.

"Where are you going?" She questions me, sitting on the couch watching TV.

I sigh. "The gym."

She raises an eyebrow. "Since when did you have a membership-"

"Look, Sophie, I don't have time to waste. I'll see you later." I stroll outside and put the buds of the earphones in my ears, then jog to the gym. It's on the other side of the town, so I get my run in before I even get there.

When I arrive, I sign in then put my snack and phone into my tiny locker. I purchase one of the reusable water bottles they have, which are also already filled. I lift weights and use some of the other equipment available.

After I spend about fifty minutes working out, I retrieve my stuff from my locker, sign out, and jog back home. During my run, when I have to stop at intersections, I take bites of the Quest bar.

When I get back home, it's almost 3:30pm. School has been out, and since Dan and Christian are expected to visit sometime, I quickly make my way to the upstairs bathroom to take a shower. However, I notice Sophie isn't here. I text her but she doesn't reply. Instead, she calls.

"Hey. Oh, Nicki, Dan called about 15 minutes ago. Asked if it was okay to come over. I told him you weren't here, and neither was I. I didn't tell him where you were or anything. Told him I'd tell you to call him when you get back," she gets out.

"Well I have to take a shower, so I'll call him after that. Anyways, where did you go?" I ask.

"Oh, um, I'm... I'm with Jacob right now. I really hope you don't mind, Nicki. I'm not gonna keep it from you. I'll talk to you later." And with that, she hangs up.

 * * *

Our upstairs bathroom is on the large side. My parents have their own bathroom, so Sophie and I share this one.

I undress and comb my hair, then step into the glass shower. I wash myself, step out and dry, then change into a pair of black leggings, an oversized gray sweater, a leopard print scarf, and dark brown mid-calf leather boots. Normally I let my hair air-dry, but this time I blow dry it a little bit. I put it up into a messy bun, which is my go-to hairstyle.

I wash my face and moisturize it, then apply makeup to my skin, finishing it off with mascara and black eyeliner that wings out... my go-to look.

I'm not completely satisfied with the way I look-- I never am-- but it'll have to do for now.

I call Danny. "Hey."

"Hey Nicki! Are you home?" He asks.

"Yeah," I answer.

"Cool. Christian is going to leave his football practice in a few minutes, and then he said he'll need to shower and stuff. We have something planned, just... be ready. I'll text you when we're on our way."

"Sounds good," I reply, then hang up. I grab my leather brown bag and put some money, makeup in case I need a touch-up, tissues, and a few other things inside it.

I go outside and lock the door, then sit on the steps of my house and wait for Dan's text.

* * *

When I get the text, I'm watching a group of kids across the street playing basketball.

Dan: hey. be there in a few minutes :)