Precious [h.s.]

Chapter 4

I don't belong in the world
But that's what it is
Something separates me from other people
Everywhere I turn
There's something blocking my escape

I was in a happy mood for once.

Well, of course, it didn't last long because now Adelia is dragging me to the bathroom with a scowl on her face and I have no idea why.

"Adelia," I call, but I get no response. "Adelia, stop! What is wrong? What happened? I was having fun and you decided to drag me to the bathroom." I yank my arm from her grip, rubbing with my hand the place where she was holding me. That hurt.

"What's your plan?" she rasps, burning with anger, something that starts worrying me. Confusion washes all over my face, but she doesn't let it go and keeps pushing me. "Nadine, what are you doing?"

"What are you talking about, Adelia? I don't understand what you want from me." I throw my hands in the air, waiting for her to tell me what it's actually happening.

"Why did you tell them your old name? What do you have in mind? You know it all changed when you became Mrs. Wilson," she says with a harsh voice and her words send a chill over my body.

"Keep your voice down. Jesus, that's why we're here? It's not such a big deal," I murmur, but from the expression on her face, it looks like a big deal for her.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You are lying to them about who you are." She still hasn't lowered her voice and I am getting angry. The night was going so smoothly – I was having a couple of drinks, I was making conversation with peoplewho seem to be nice, and overall, I was feeling good.

"C'mon, don't be dramatic. It's not even a complete lie. I am tired of people using me and being my friends only around Christmas and their birthdays," I say to her but she keeps her angry face. "Think about it. If they don't know about my money, maybe I can make some real friends for once. When I am with Michael, I use my middle name and his name. Here with you, I am Nadine Merrivale, my own person and when I'm with him I'm Eloise Wilson, his puppet. The media barely has any photos of my face and if they do you have to dig to find them. They won't find out. What they don't know, won't hurt them. Who knows, maybe this is the first and last timewe talk."

She sighs, her eyes getting sadder and full of uncertainty.

"I still don't think it's a good idea, but I want you to be happy. I just hope it won't bite you in the ass by the end of it. People shouldn't change their behavior towards you if you have money or not. You don't need to change for them. If these people don't accept you the way you are then they don't deserve you," she tells me with her brows drawn together, before leaving me alone in the bathroom with an aching heart. Not a big deal.

The mood has definitely changed.

Since Nadine went to the bathroom with Adelia, she looks lost in her thoughts and quite nervous.

I really want to talk to her but I already kinda ruined the first impression she got of me when I stared at her a little bit too much. I keep replaying in my head what I could say to her without making a fool out of myself or sounding like a flirt.

"Hi," I say to her, nervousness creeping into me.

"Hi," she says with a monotone voice while playing with the end of her dress.

Don't screw up.

"How are you?"

"Do you need anything?"

We speak at the same time and I feel my eyes widening.

"Uh, I was just...uh...How are you?" I say while biting my lip.

The corners of her mouth lift, but the smile is being immediately replaced by a frown.

"I," she sighs and then continues. "Might sound weird, but do you ever feel lonely even if you are in a crowded room? Like, you ask for help but people just choose to ignore you and go on with their lives. It's like the small hope you have at happiness it's ruined and you try to get it back together by making others believe you love your life, which is obviously crap, but maybe if you can convince them, you can convince yourself too," she explains with a shaky voice like the words she speaks hurt.

To be honest, I didn't expect her to tell me all of this. Hell, I didn't even expect her to talk to me. Not in the slightest, have I imagined that she would tell me exactly how she was.

In a way, I understand the urge she had to tell me, a stranger, all of this. Sometimes, you just need to let it out of you. I hope, for future references, that she won't let me be just a stranger.

After a minute or so, it seems like she leaves the trance she was in and when she looks at me, her face pales, and terror takes over her features.

"I, uh, I'm sorry I let it out on you. God, this is awkward," she stands up, looking around the room. "I don't know what got into me. Forget what I said and please tell Adelia that I left. Goodbye!" These are the left words she says to me before she strides to the exit of the club.

I have to take a pause to understand what has just happened before I am sprinting after her.

"Nadine! Nadine, wait!" I shout after her, but it's too late and she is already gone.

As I am going back to the table my friends are at, I can't stop thinking about everything she revealed to me. The empathy I feel for her, even in the short time I have known her, makes me feel sad.

Obviously, she has more to say and I am sure she kept all of this to herself for a long time. It may appear like something has triggered her to open up tonight and I was the first person who allowed her to do so. I just hope she feels better after this. I know how it is to keep your emotions bottled up till you can't take it anymore. It hurts, but when you do it, a big weight is lifted off your shoulders.

That night, after months of trying, I wrote again.

Author's Note:
Hello! I am back with a new chapter. I hope you liked it. What do you think about Nadine's and Harry's characters?
All the love,
-L