Mind Games ♟

Chapter 10: We All Fall Down

I stood there Staring into his intense eyes.
"What happened?" I asked standing up slowly as I rubbed my head.
"Nothing happened." He said lowering his head.
"You lied to me." He said.

"I lied to you? I didn't."-

"Oh don't go playing the blame game with me." He said as if I've done something wrong to him.

"Who said I was playing?" I asked.

"Nicole just tell me the truth or so help me."
Is he really trying to pick a fight with me? "Is that a threat?" I questioned with aggression in my voice.

"You know what I think I should go before I regret the next thing I say." I spat.

"Fine it's not like I want to be here anyway", he said turning around.

"Yeah go ahead and walk away from me like everyone else in my life has!" I yelled.

"What's going on?" His partner asked.

"Nothing, she's crazy." He stops to turn to say something but he doesn't and I really wanted him to.

I walk back into the gym, to be pulled in by Derek.

"Can I have this dance?" Derek whispers in my ear.
"Don't worry I won't bite." He said taking my hand gently and resting his hand on my hip and guides me onto the dance floor. I try to keep my eyes away from his gaze, it's already weird that's he's being nice to me.
I bet it's just pity.

"Ah, Nicole can we talk?" Chanel asked. "Okay," I said stepping away from Derek.
"Why were you dancing with Derek." She asked stopping in the middle of the hallway.

"I don't know he just asked me," I said. I groan as her hand smacks my face. Chanel then out of nowhere shoves me onto the ground.

"What the hell Chanel?" I asked rubbing my face.

"Is everything okay?" A random girl asked.
"She tripped nothing to see." She said frightening the poor girl.

I tried getting back up but she just kept kicking me back down like always.
"This where your story ends little Nikki." She said trying to intimidate me.

I turn on my back, "go ahead, kill me it's not like anyone would care." I said.

"Are you done, god your pathetic," Chanel said grimacing at the sight of me.

"It depends are you?" I let out a weak groan as her heel hit my rib cage.

"You know I actually feel sorry for you." She says pulling me up by my hair.
"Sorry for me? Me? Oh...argh...I feel sorry...for you."

She planted my head on the cold travertine floor.
"You can't feel sorry for me sweetheart because who can? But you and what you call a perfect reality is coming to an end. Just like Alex's did."

"What?" Alyssa asked almost in tears.
"Get out of here Alyssa it's about to get real ugly," Chanel said.

"No! You lied to me! After all the secrets I kept for you! And pretending to actually care about her, you bitch!" She spat at her harshly enough to even cut me.
With my heart racing with adrenaline, I watch as both Chanel and Alyssa argue for a bit.

"Fuck you!" Alyssa says slapping Chanel. Chanel collides her forearm with Alyssa's face. Chanel then pulls out a knife.

"Alyssa." I softly said holding onto my side. Alyssa lunges at her before being stabbed in her abdomen. I screamed.

I don't even think Chanel knew what she had just done because she dropped her knife before kicking it away. I struggle to stand, trying to catch Alyssa before she fell but ended up missing her. Chanel wipes off her face of fear to glower at me.

"See now look what you've done. You started this. You're the real killer." She said bumping my shoulder before walking off. I stare down at Alyssa's unconscious body, boiling with anger and rage. I pick up the knife, in my hand, I watch as my handshakes with guilt.
"No, you don't deserve to walk away!" I yelled before charging at her and stabbing her in the back. Losing my momentum I wobbled before plummeting to the ground.

"Okay, Nicole stay with us."- A nurse said rushing me into a room.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"Relax you're safe now."
Safe? I will never be safe. I opened my eyes again this time while everything has settled down.
"Okay, good you're awake...we gave you some medicine to help with the pain...it might make you a little sleepy and or hallucinate." I could already feel it kicking in.

An hour past and I just sitting there in my own thoughts. I turned to the door as I began to hear footsteps. The sound got louder until finally it stopped and I had sat up.
"Who are you?" As a hooded figure approached me. I slowly watch as the figure's hood fell revealing their identity.

"Your...Stefan?" I said fumbling with my words.
"H-how are you even here? Oh wait you're not real...or am I dead?" I asked almost panicking. He laughed before sitting down at the foot of the bed.

"No, you're not dead I'm just your imagination and you're too precious to die." I nodded and sighed.

"No, I'm not," I said looking down at my hands.
"Why would you say that?" He asked as he cups my chin and brings my face to his.
"Everyone around me is getting hurt because of me...and there's not a damn thing I can do about it I don't deserve to be here...I should've died when I tried to kill myself," I said still feeling the guilt of ever wanting to hurt myself. No, kill someone.

"You tried to kill yourself? Nicole, I am sorry, I wish I could be there for you but I can't. But you need to move on, let me go." He said moving his hand to mines. "H-how? You've been in my life since day one..you're my best friend."

"Nicole, just stop it okay, I'm not all that."- He pauses.
"Why not?" I questioned.

"Just stop, I need you to live your life...for me okay...fall in love maybe with Ashton...who knows. I just want...I know you're going to be happy and by then you will have forgotten me."

My eyes slowly began to start closing.

"But I-I..lov."-
He watched as my hand slipped away from his and he carefully lays me back down.

"I love you." He whispers. He brushes my hair from out my face before kissing my forehead and exiting the room. Ashton shakes his head as Stefan pulls his hood to his head.

"Don't even say anything," Stefan said. Ashton raised his hands up in defeat.

"I didn't. But I will say this, I just thought you were in love with Chanel."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Ashton nods, "Well okay, but you can't keep hiding from her for forever Stefan." Ashton says trying to reason with him.

"As long as she's safe I will continue to."

"By lying to her?"

"And you're not?" Ashton looks away. "She doesn't need me in her life."

"But yet she does."

"No, she needs you Ashton...trust me."

"Stefan just tell me who you're hiding from? Is it her because I know how crazy she can get. I can help you."

"No, I'm scared for her and what....that person will do to her. And I know what I'm doing...She's in good hands with you." Stefan starts to walk off.

"Stefan," Ashton says.

"Yea?"

"Be careful out there," Ashton says and Stefan nods before walking away.