Hazel Eyes: A SUMMER WAYHAUGHT

I want you

-NICOLE'S POV-

The shouting intensified around me and my head began to spin. In unison, they yelled louder,

"JUMP, JUMP"

A tear rolled down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away praying nobody had seen it. I turned my head slowly towards my family and met my father's gaze. His face was lowered in shame, and when he looked back at me, he sighed long and I saw him tell my mother,

"She'll never do it, she's just a weak and lost pussy. Look at her, we'll never make anything out of this. You better teach her how to be a housewife. It's her only chance of survival."

My blood started boiling in my veins. I shouted over the voices to shut them up,

"That's where you're wrong. You don't know me. I'm much stronger and braver than the three of you combined, I-"

My father got up suddenly, his face red but strangely still. I saw my brother, in turn, get up behind him and mentioned to me to stop. But I couldn't, in my father's eyes, I read that it was too late. I, Nicole Haught, a plain girl, had answered him. When his deep, cold voice made my legs tremble with fear,

"Okay. Then prove it. Uh, if you're so strong and brave. Jump."

My mother stood up behind him and whispered in his ear to make him stop. With a flick of his arm, he threw her to the ground. And without even looking at the dirt, where my mother was now curling into a ball. He said to me,

"Turn around. Go ahead."

And I did what I was told. Without a glance at anyone, unable to contain my tears now. I faced the emptiness. And at the very bottom, the sea. I stepped on the edge of the cliff, realizing that this was my only way out. A small pebble shrieked and rolled under my feet. My body trembled violently with fear, but I barely managed to regain my balance. Suddenly, the same calm voice reasoned right behind me,

"I knew you were weak"

Hands crushed my shoulder blades and pushed me so hard that my breath got stuck in my chest. And when I tried to turn around, I couldn't find the ground under my feet. The wind whipped and froze my face, while my body fell at full speed towards the deep, black water. In an instinct for survival, I took a thin breath of air. When, at last, my body fell on the surface of the water, a wave of pain swept over my entire body. As the saltwater tried to penetrate between my lips, I tightened my muscles and screamed in pain. And sank into the endless sea.

And I opened my eyes, screaming, covered in sweat. I gulped hard a bit of fresh hair and fell back onto the mattress. Fucking nightmare. I turned to my side and let the moonlight bathing my room gently soothe the rhythm of my breathing. I could distinguish the stars, the sea and the view managed to distract me. Aware that I would not be able to sleep for a long time, I sat down on the edge of my bed. I reached up to the ceiling to stretch out, yawned, and stood up. I climbed down the ladder while tying my hair in half a tail. Luckily the soft air floating in my cabin allowed me to walk around in my pyjamas, a large black shirt and panties.

When I arrived in the kitchen, starting to think of what I was gonna cook during this two am insomnia session. I chuckled to myself: If I keep going like this, I'll be a chef at the end of the month. I pulled out the only cookbook in my possession and began to leaf through it for the 1,000th time. It's funny, I'd never found anything interesting in it before, but this time I felt like making a red fruit pie. Shit, that's Waverly's favourite. I shook my head, trying to get rid of my worries and my longing. I picked up my phone and searched long and hard through my playlist. I kept listening to the same things over and over again, and I was bored. So I put it all in random order, connected my speakerphone and pressed play.