His Vengeance

Chapter 17

Nicole

When Sofia entered my room the following morning, I was already wide awake. Actually, I had been awake since 5 a.m., and the reason behind it remained unchanged.

It frustrated me to no end that every time I closed my eyes to sleep, the nightmares would catch me off, guard. Lately, they had become a nightly routine. The worst part was that all I could see was Sienna's repulsive face, and her obnoxious, screeching laughter would startle me awake every time.

"Here you go. It's not mine, but it's new. I had it with me in case a friend needed it for the gym," Sofia handed me neatly folded clothes.

"Do you even have other friends?" She playfully glared at me.

"Just so you know, I do have a great social life with normal people who don't know the real me. Besides, I'm 21. If there's someone out there who is 21 years old and doesn't have friends, then that's just sad," I chuckled as I walked into the bathroom to change.

I slipped out of my clothes and put on the black yoga pants and a see-through white tank top over the sports bra I was already wearing when Sofia arrived.

With my hair tightly tied up in a ponytail, I walked out of the bathroom. Sofia held a pair of black Converse sneakers in her hand and tossed them to me.

I quickly put them on and followed her out of the room, heading to the gym. It was almost six in the morning, as stubborn Shane had instructed me to be there early. Surprisingly, the house was quiet.

There was no buzz of familiar noises like the previous day, and I furrowed my brow, scanning my surroundings for any signs of guys charging toward us or other people hustling around like yesterday.

"Why is this place so quiet? Did everyone go on a mission or something? Or are they still sleeping, which I highly doubt?" Sofia chuckled, glancing at me.

"None of the above. As I told you before, the rest of the members-only show up here if Shane asks them to come. Remember, only six people are staying in this house, including you," I nodded, recalling the information Sofia had shared about the house's occupants.

"Right," I confirmed.

We walked through one hallway after another until she led me down a staircase, which led to a spacious room. In the middle was a large boxing ring, with punching bags lining one side, weightlifting equipment occupying another, a few training dummies set up on yet another side, and five treadmills near the entrance.

I stood in awe, my jaw dropping as I took it all in. "Whoa. This place is amazing," I said, impressed.

Sofia smiled proudly, placing her hands on her hips. Meanwhile, the only thing that wasn't amazing was the presence of three people standing by the side of the boxing ring, two of them glaring at me.

Undeterred, Sofia and I approached them, and I greeted Cameron with a cheerful tone while disregarding the other two's presence. They seemed to be doing the same, ignoring me completely.

"Hey Cameron," I chirped happily.

"Hey Nicole," Cameron greeted back.

"Enough chit-chat. Let's begin training immediately so we can see what you're capable of," Shane interrupted with a serious expression.

I briefly glanced at him before involuntarily shifting my gaze to the obnoxious girl scowling beside him.

"Long time no see, Nicole. How are the bruises? I hope I didn't do too much damage to your face," I forced a smile at her.

"My face is fine, thanks for asking. How about you? Did you mess up your makeup routine this morning? Your fifth layer of foundation looks like it's about to peel off," Cameron burst into laughter, and Sofia chuckled by my side.