章 29: CHAPTER 29
OPHELIA'S POV
"Ouch! Damn you, lamp!"
I never realized tiptoeing around my own house would be this difficult. I couldn't switch the lights on because I didn't want to wake everyone up.
Was the lamp always here, though?
God, if only I could have thought of a better place to spend time with Xavier rather than a party.
Drinking wasn't foreign to me. I liked it. The bitterness that spread through my numb mouth and the fire that lit in my throat after a sip was euphoric.
But, one day, that became tiring.
Getting dressed and then hating how I looked became exhausting.
Drinking like it didn't hurt became exhausting.
But that's how life is, isn't it?
A cycle of finding something you like, enjoying it, then pretending to like it because you don't, and finally getting tired of it.
I just hope, that the 'it' doesn't become life itself.
I finally reached my room and switched the lights on. I removed my hoops and all the other jewelry I had slipped on tonight. I wanted to get right into my bed but I had to shower.
I hated waking up covered in a party stench the next day.
I quickly stripped and jumped into the shower. No matter how worn out I am, the warm water running through my hair and over my face always managed to calm me down.
The shower was the one place, where my thoughts weren't filtered and my tears weren't pushed back.
My mind wandered back to the conversation I had with Xavier. It was crystal clear how much Nicole affected Xavier's life and his mind, despite her absence for the past 6 years.
Nicole was a chapter of his life that remained incomplete like a book you started reading but left halfway. You couldn't pick it up and start from where you left. You had to read it from the start, once again.
Xavier needed closure and the only way he could get it was by facing all the undefeated monsters of his past and not just one.
Xavier wasn't going to move on with his life without that closure. No matter how scarred he was going to get in this battle of his past, he had to fight.
And this time, I was going to be right beside him.
I got out of the shower and got dressed. I preferred my leggings over pjs. They just felt so much more comfortable. I ran the blow dryer over my hair for a few minutes so that it wasn't completely drenched when I slept.
I finally got into my bed and pulled the blanket over me. I closed my eyes and hoped for sleep to come over.
It didn't.
Damn you, insomnia!
I stared at the ceilings trying to think about all the good things in my life but nothing worked.
I sighed in defeat and sat up against the headboard. I had completed all of my assignments.
Except for history, but there was no way in hell I was doing it right now.
What if, I watch some Brooklyn 99? That show was hilarious and it always worked. Three episodes and I was always snoring.
11 episodes and an hour of blatantly staring at the wall in front of me later, I accepted the fact that I wasn't sleeping tonight.
I wondered if Xavier was sleeping right now?
Thinking about Xavier got my mind drifting back to Nicole. I decided to search her up on the internet.
Nicole Diego, a divorce lawyer.
Nicole Diego, a 17-year-old millionaire.
Nicole Diego, Manager at Sam's Tech.
That might be her. I clicked her profile and found a 22-year-old woman with black hair that reminded me of Xavier's and brown eyes. Her sharp nose matched Aurora's and her full lips looked the exact same as Xavier's.
She worked at Fremont. That was like 8-10 miles away from San Francisco. It was a one hour drive.
I could be hallucinating the resemblance but this could actually be Xavier's sister.
I tried to search deeper about her. She had been working at that company for three years. It had been four years since she ran away. So, what did she do for the first year? How did she survive?
And why did she move to Fremont? If she wanted to distance herself from Xavier then why move to the closest city to San Francisco?
I couldn't find anything about her personal life too. I did find an interesting piece of information though.
She was married but there were no wedding pictures on Instagram and her spouse remained unnamed.
This was sketchy.
But, it could also mean, that Nicole liked to remain private about her life.
I couldn't jump to any conclusions, right now. I had to wait until I met her.
I checked the time and it was 5 in the morning. My eyes were dry and my back ached from sitting for so long. I still had a few hours before school. I could take a nap so that I didn't doze off between classes.
Or worse, in the classes.
I pulled the blanket over once again and closed my eyes. This time, I thanked God as sleep finally decided to grace me with its presence.
It was 7 in the morning in no time. I never knew how short two hours could be until this morning. I didn't take a shower because I was already late. I had to pick Xavier on my way too. I threw on a hoodie over my leggings from last night and grabbed my coffee.
As I was on my way to Xavier's house, a thought struck my head. We could skip school and meet up with Nicole. It was a one hour drive to Fremont and we could be back in time for the last period.
Even thinking about this made my heart beat faster. I was a person who liked to plan her life down to the tiniest detail and I still am that person. At least, I hope I am.
But, it was going to be difficult to convince Xavier. He rarely missed school. I pulled in front of Xavier's driveway and texted him to come out.
I had to come up with a plan to convince him.
I saw him slowly walk towards my car. His hair was a mess. I wasn't surprised, though. His hands in his pockets as he slid into the front seat.
"Slurry boy, seriously? Find a better nickname for me if you don't want to call me by my name."
He sounded annoyed.
But I liked slurry boy. I mean, it suited him so well.
I smirked at him.
"How does Zavy sound, slurry boy?"
Zavy was what the twins called Xavier. I knew he didn't mind it but that was only as long as it was the twins calling him that.
He shook his head in defeat and shut his eyes. He rested his head against the seat and was asleep in no time.
I tightened my hold on the steering wheel and smiled to myself.
I guess, what Xavier doesn't know, won't hurt him.
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