Capítulo 30: CHAPTER 30
XAVIER'S POV
"Let's go find your sister, slurry boy."
I abruptly sat upright and turned towards her. Nicole? How did Ophelia find out where Nicole lived? I don't remember telling Ophelia anything about Nicole's address.
"W-what do you mean by that? We have school right now. We can't skip, Ophelia!"
Ophelia kept smiling to herself. Was something wrong with her? There are incidents when people lose control over their minds.
"Ophelia! Are you alright? We can't miss school."
She sighed and removed her glasses.
"Xavier, we are done with all of our tests. Plus, we aren't skipping the whole day. We'll be back before the last period starts."
Her voice was completely laid back. As if, she had planned all this for a long time.
"How did you find out about Nicole's whereabouts? I didn't tell you her address."
She chuckled and took a sharp right turn making my shoulder hit the glass.
"I couldn't sleep last night. So, I did some research. She is the manager at Sam's Tech, a company in Fremont."
Ophelia didn't sleep so she could know more about Nicole. She couldn't sleep because of me and she stayed up for me.
I looked at her.
Closely.
Her determined eyes were set on the road. The dark circles below her eyes were the evidence of all the nights she stayed up late or didn't sleep at all. Her tiny nose and soft lips accentuated her beauty.
Ophelia was the most selfless person I ever met. My heart became heavy with the realization that I would never be able to pay her back
"I know I look stupid. Stop staring at me and making it more obvious."
Stupid?
Under the morning light, she looked like a flower that had just bloomed and she called herself stupid. If only, I could tell her how beautiful she looked.
"You don't look stupid, Lia." I said slowly under my breath.
Did she hear me?
I mean, it wasn't that low.
God, I hope she heard me.
The next half an hour was nothing but complete silence. Ophelia kept driving while I stared outside. There was something about empty highways that always intrigued me.
"We need to stop for gas, Xavier. We are low on it."
Can we stop for some sensibility because apparently, Ophelia's low on that too?
That was a good one.
I looked for the nearest gas station on my phone and found it a few minutes away.
"Ophelia, I know it's probably too late to say this, but I really don't think this is a good idea. Also, Nicole is my issue. You don't need to involve yourself in my mess."
I waited for a reply, my eyes staring at her expectedly.
But she just started laughing. I knew there was something wrong with her today.
"Nicole's my mess! How many times am I supposed to say that I care and I'm not leaving until I help you carry your mess and safely deposit it back to where it belongs, the past. So shut up and let me drive peacefully."
She turned left when we were supposed to go straight. I really wanted to correct her so we wouldn't get lost. But I wanted to have fun. We had already changed our schedule so much, a little delay wasn't going to put us off.
The scenery changed completely in a few minutes. From empty roads and a few fast-moving cars, it was a neighborhood, that our mothers told us not to go to because it looked too sketchy.
"Are you sure, we're on the right track, Xavier? Because I think we are passing this house for the third time."
It was my time to burst out laughing this time. Her eyes widened at the realization that we were lost.
"Oh god, Xavier! Why didn't you tell me, you dummy! What are we gonna do now?"
It was so much fun to be the one who gave surprises. Now I understood why Ophelia was so excited when she told me that we were gonna visit Nicole.
I reset the GPS and we were finally back on the right path. The gas station was almost empty so we quickly filled the tank up and left. It was only when we saw a 'Welcome to Fremont' signboard, that the realization sunk in.
I was going to meet Nicole after four years.
Four years of guilt.
Four years of suffocation.
And four years of waiting for her to return.
I wasn't really sure how she was going to react. I didn't expect a teary reunion because we didn't part in the best terms. But what actually scared me, was the question that replayed in my head over and over again.
Did Nicole forgive me?
Or does she still hate me?
Ophelia looked calm too. But one look in her eyes and I could see the uncertainty that lurked behind.
We were both scared shitless.
For different reasons, but we breathed in the same abyss of fear.
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