Sequel: Infidelity. ›
Juvenile.
If you were me, then you'd be
Three weeks had slowly and painfully dragged on. She made herself numb, she didn’t want to feel anything. She didn’t grieve, she just let everything pass in a blur of, well, crap.
“Nikki for fucks sake! Stop it, now!” Gerard yelled leaping up from the couch.
“Stop what?” Nikki asked in the same emotionless monotone voice.
“Stop pretending nothings happened, stop trying to handle this all on your own!”
“I’m fine. My mom and dad died. I’ll live,” she said, channel surfing.
“I’m not fucking stupid! I’m your friend Nikki, don’t lie to me.” He stood in front of the TV to get her undivided attention.
“My mom and dad died!” She sobbed into the palms of her hands. “They’re not coming back.”
“Oh Nik, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you cry!” He put his arm around her. “I’m sorry!”
“No Gerard, you’re right. I’m sorry! I know I shouldn’t shut you out, but I can’t help it, I don’t want to be weak and vulnerable,” she explained drying her eyes in the back of her sleeve.
“Talk to me Nikki, tell me what’s wrong.”
“The last weekend I was with them, I was arguing with them. I said I hated them, I said I wasn’t going to come back,” She explained.
“Nik,” he sighed. “They would’ve known you didn’t mean it! They’re your parents. They're gunna always love you.” She noticed how he used the present tense.
“You mean it?” She asked looking up to him. Her face was pale and her eyes were full of tears, it broke his heart to see her cry.
“Course I do! Nik, I wouldn’t lie to you, ya know that.” She nodded and laid her head on his chest
“I miss them,” she admitted.
“I know.”
She curled up in a ball next to him. “I’m gonna go to sleep.”
“Okay. Well I’ll see you tomorrow then,” He said getting up.
“Don’t, stay. Please? I don’t want to be on my own and Ash is at work.”
“Sure.” She got up and walked to her bed, she pulled the blankets up under her chin. Gerard sat on the end of her bed, generally fiddling and picking at his black nail polish. He yawned leaned up against the wall. He looked over to the bedside table and saw the pictures. The ones from one of those booths in the mall. They’d gotten drunk during the day and went to the mall, they ended up getting kicked out for ‘terrorizing toddlers’. He yawned again, smiling at the memory.
Nikki pulled back the covers and nodded towards the empty space in the bed. “Shut the fuck up or go to sleep,” she mumbled. Gerard jumped at the chance to sleep next to her again.
“Nikki for fucks sake! Stop it, now!” Gerard yelled leaping up from the couch.
“Stop what?” Nikki asked in the same emotionless monotone voice.
“Stop pretending nothings happened, stop trying to handle this all on your own!”
“I’m fine. My mom and dad died. I’ll live,” she said, channel surfing.
“I’m not fucking stupid! I’m your friend Nikki, don’t lie to me.” He stood in front of the TV to get her undivided attention.
“My mom and dad died!” She sobbed into the palms of her hands. “They’re not coming back.”
“Oh Nik, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you cry!” He put his arm around her. “I’m sorry!”
“No Gerard, you’re right. I’m sorry! I know I shouldn’t shut you out, but I can’t help it, I don’t want to be weak and vulnerable,” she explained drying her eyes in the back of her sleeve.
“Talk to me Nikki, tell me what’s wrong.”
“The last weekend I was with them, I was arguing with them. I said I hated them, I said I wasn’t going to come back,” She explained.
“Nik,” he sighed. “They would’ve known you didn’t mean it! They’re your parents. They're gunna always love you.” She noticed how he used the present tense.
“You mean it?” She asked looking up to him. Her face was pale and her eyes were full of tears, it broke his heart to see her cry.
“Course I do! Nik, I wouldn’t lie to you, ya know that.” She nodded and laid her head on his chest
“I miss them,” she admitted.
“I know.”
She curled up in a ball next to him. “I’m gonna go to sleep.”
“Okay. Well I’ll see you tomorrow then,” He said getting up.
“Don’t, stay. Please? I don’t want to be on my own and Ash is at work.”
“Sure.” She got up and walked to her bed, she pulled the blankets up under her chin. Gerard sat on the end of her bed, generally fiddling and picking at his black nail polish. He yawned leaned up against the wall. He looked over to the bedside table and saw the pictures. The ones from one of those booths in the mall. They’d gotten drunk during the day and went to the mall, they ended up getting kicked out for ‘terrorizing toddlers’. He yawned again, smiling at the memory.
Nikki pulled back the covers and nodded towards the empty space in the bed. “Shut the fuck up or go to sleep,” she mumbled. Gerard jumped at the chance to sleep next to her again.