Runaway Love

"Hello."
"Erica, I need you now," Nicole said into the phone, quietly sobbing
"Nikki, what's wrong?" Erica asked worriedly
"Just please, come over," Nicole replied quickly
"Yeah, of course. I'll get Lisa too."
"Thanks E."

* * *

Erica and Lisa walked through Nicole's front door. Having been best friends for as long as they had, no-one bothered to knock anymore. But upon entering, they realised maybe someone should've.

"I can't believe this!" Nicole's dad yelled
"What?! You're always at work. You had to expect something like this!" Nicole's mum yelled back.
"So when I come home, and ask if you want to do something, and you say no, it's not because you're too tired or whatever you excuse is. It's because you've been with him!"
The girls started to sneak to Nicole's room. "Yes," they heard her mum reply quietly.
"That's it, I'm leaving. And Nicole's coming with me." At hearing this, the girls paused where they were on the stairs. Lisa looked at Erica, and found her expression mirroring her own.
"No, he can't," Lisa whispered. Erica, sensing Lisa was about to cry, pulled her into a hug, "he won't."
"Who do you think she needs more? Her mum, who's always been around, or her workaholic, never home father. It's me, always has been," Nicole's mum argued. "See," Erica whispered to Lisa, knowing Nicole's mum was right.

Erica knocked on Nicole's door, and a small voice whispered "come in" from the other side. Both girls were shocked at the sight they saw. The normally bright room was stuffy and dark, with clothes strewn all over the floor, making it cluttered. The normally confident, bubbly Nicole lay on her bed, still in her pajamas, even though she was always the first one ready of a morning. Erica rushed to Nicole's side, wiping the tears from her red blotchy face. Lisa stayed frozen where she was against the door. Comforting, and the big sister role had always been Erica's job; Lisa had no idea what to do.

"I don't want them to break up," Nicole sobbed. "I know its going to happen, but I still don't want it to."
"I know," Erica soothed, looking worriedly, but at the same time expectantly at Lisa, urging her to say something. "I know."
Lisa, partly thanks to Erica, knew where she needed to be. Walking to Nicole's bed, she sat down next to her best friend. "Whatever happens Nikki, you'll always have us. Forever okay," she said, her hand resting on Nicole's shoulder.
"Thanks Lis. You too E. Thanks for coming," Nicole said to both of them
"Don't thank us, you know we'd rush to you anytime. Now why don't you pack your stuff, and spend the night at my house," Erica said, and Nicole nodded. Lisa quickly grabbed Nicole's bag, and started throwing any clothes she could find on the bed.
"Slow down Lis, I can do it," Nicole tried to say between laughing. They walked out of Nicole's house, arm in arm, like nothing was wrong.

* * *

"Nikki, what happened?" Lisa asked as Nicole collapsed in her arms, tears streaming down her face. It had been a week since Lisa and Erica had found Nicole a wreck at her house, and things had seemed to be going well.
"Where... where's E?" Nicole asked
"She's not here yet. Come on, sit down, talk to me," Lisa pleaded. Nicole just shook her head. "Please Nikki, you're scaring me."
Nicole sobbed into Lisa's shoulder. "They're getting married, Lis. They're getting married."