in real life !

october sixteen — twenty-two
week one.

SUNDAY,

✹ nicole doesn't have the strength to get out of the bed, so she's been staying inside of the hotel room. she has already booked the ticket to go back home but unlucky for her is that it's not until next week.

meaning she either has an entire week to lay in bed and do nothing or get up and about. maybe even go on the tlou set to see storm and nico who have been blowing up her phone for the past four days. there's a slight chance that she might not bump into bella.

she could do that, but then that meant that she had to get out of bed and look decent which was what she didn't want to do or have the strength or the right mentality to do. so nicole kept on scrolling through the endless comments on a tiktok post that was "explaining" all that went down between nicole, bella and sophia.

it surprised nicole a lot on how accurate the creator was to what really happened. expect it threw her off completely when he said, "nicole, the other woman, didn't know about their secret rendezvous." and then showed pictures that were clearly edited because in those pictures that he showed they replaced nicole with sophia.

"ugh, what the fuck." nicole muttered after seeing that and thats when she went straight to the comments. it was half and half. half defended her saying that, "sophia was never in the picture, nicole is the real partner of bella. sophia is just a weird ass person." while the other part said, "i'm glad bella found someone better, nicole was a pick me asf and sophia is more decent."

nicole couldn't help but respond to some hateful comment, not bothering to copy and paste it since for every comment she had a different thing to say. and to the ones that she loved what it said about her she liked them. she also left a comment on the video in general saying, "i like that you tried clearing things up for people that never asked you too, but if you're going to "clear things up" you want to at least tell the truth. i am not the other woman and sophia is not a 'side piece'."

she gave up on tiktok trying to cheer her up after that video and just laid on her bad for a good amount of time. just staring at the very white ceiling. wondering what is taking their friends so long to get groceries for the week.

she stayed like that for 30 minutes before having the urge to use to the bathroom so she stood up and went to the bathroom. nicole made sure not to look at herself in the mirror — expecting the worse of herself — and just do her thing and headed back to the back. drowning herself with the blankets and pillows.

"were back!" tenzing practically shouted bursting through the door holding three bags while lottie and liz held the rest of the hundreds of bags. "also we bought another mini fridge cause this isn't all going to fit on that one."

lottie came holding holding the mini fridge with a wide smile and then dropping it along with letting out a breath of air. "we got you ice cream, so let's eat icecream." said lottie grabbing the bag that contained all of the ice cream tubes along with the plastic spoons.

nicole scooted up on her bed making room for lottie and tenzing. elizabeth putting the bags to the side and then going over to sit down besides nicole. tenzing grabbed the tv remote and put on disney channel immediately cringing when liv and maddie was up.

"oh my god baby nic and tenzing!" lottie gasped opening up the rocky road ice cream and shoving it inside of her mouth watching the show.

"turn it off." nicole whined grabbing the strawberry ice cream and eating it while closing her eyes.

"no!" lottie said snatching the tv remote and hiding it underneath her, forcing them to watch nicole and tenzing at a young age forming pranks with joey.

"dove cameron is so hot." elizabeth breathed out and instantly they all agreed with her. nodding their head and giving her small comments.

nicole wouldn't have it any other way in the way that she spend the first day after two days since the event. her best friends, eating ice cream, while watching liv and maddie. she wishes it'll always be like this, even if her heart misses her other half.

&&&

MONDAY,

✹ nothing big was planned for monday. other than tenzing and lottie going to visit storm and nico on set while liz stayed with nicole.

she still hasn't found it the right time to go with them, probably gonna do it on wednesday just no today. nicole wants to think of it as baby steps, and her next baby step is to get out from bed and walk around the hotel room before she sinks and molds into the bed.

"come on! eh eh eh!" elizabeth encouraged putting on music on tenzings speaker. she held it tightly around on her hand and jumped lightly up and down, swinging her arms up to get nicole off from bed. "let's go, you got it!"

nicole laughed for a good 30 minutes at the way that elizabeth danced and vibes with the music. actually feeling it through her entire body and meaning every lyrics. nicole got out from bed which caused elizabeth to congratulated her and follow behind her with the speaker.

"give me this, thanks." nicole snatched the speaker from elizabeth entering the bathroom. elizabeth didn't care and continued to shout of the music that nicole played. they were so gonna get a noise complaint one of this days.

then nicole made a big mistake. while she was waiting for the water to turn warm, sitting on the toilet, she was scrolling through instagram. she didn't think much of it first until a post popped up.

sophia james posted a picture of bella, catching them off guard. they were outside from a small cafe, bella looking down at the menu, but since it was a video bella looked up when sophia called on them and forced a grin.

she noticed the forced grin because her lips were still closed. nicole and all of their friends know that bella smiles and grins with her teeth, wide and big and never grins or smiles with her lips closed. once nicole finished analyzing the video of bella, she quickly erased instagram from her screen and tabs.

she changed the song and turned off her phone. taking off her clothes and getting into the shower. letting her mind drift away into an endless amount of moments with bella, now realizing how precious those stolen memories are.

&&&

TUESDAY,

✹ "okay so i brought doritos, dominos, takis, spicy doritos, the spicy popcorn cheetos, the extra extra spicy cheetos and some other spicy chips." said storm holding up two bags filled with large bags of chips throwing them on the bed.

"and i'm in charge of the movie and we're going to watch "tuck everlasting." nico said putting on disney on the tv and throwing herself on the bed.

pedro let nico, storm, and nicole to have his airbnb while he was out feeling during the day to spend some time with nicole. nicole arrived in the morning with lottie, liz and tenzing. her friends dropping her off and leaving with pedro. the adult man not leaving without having a small chat with her.

nicole hugged pedro for a very long time. she needed a hug like pedro's and was very grateful that pedro took time out of his busy schedule morning to check up on her. also told her that everything is going to get better. the rainbow after the storm is coming soon.

"i love this movie so much." nico said crying softly while shoving chips inside of her mouth. her head laid on nicoles shoulder and wiping furiously the single tear. "it's just-it's just- he's-and she's-"

"nico stop being so dramatic." storm snapped throwing popcorn at nicos face. what surprised the trio the most was that nico opened her mouth right when storm threw the popcorn and it landed inside of her mouth.

"fuck you."

&&&

WEDNESDAY

✹ "you don't have to go." said storm.

"we could go another day." said nico.

"no, i'm okay, seriously. plus i want to see storm acting the mall scenes today." nicole smiled applying on mascara.

"uh so heads up, bella and i kiss today." storm said awkwardly swinging her arms side to side and rocking on her heels.

"stormy baby, it's alright." nicole chuckled stepping away from the mirror to go fully on view to storm, "it's acting, you and bella act. i've come this far, and i don't care how much seeing bella affects me, it's good for me."

"nic! nic, nic, nic! grab a bat, grab a knife and prepare to kill someone. the witch is going on set today." tenzing said bursting through the door holding up a wooden bat and shoving it on nicole. the girl shoved it back to tenzing who returned it. nicole and tenzing did that a few more times before nicole threw it to the side.

"let's go before storm arrives late."

and so the quartet made it over to the set. storm dropped them off at her trailer while she went
over the other trailer to get her hair, makeup and outfit done. nico and tenzing started playing jenga that she found on a cabinet while nicole responded back to a few emails from her manager.

music coming softly from tenzings speaker and the atmosphere was good, calm and comfortable. well, it was until someone burst through the door. neither nico and tenzing broke away from their game and nicole didn't look up from emailing back and forth with her manager.

"oh it's you." sophia said and now nicole, nico and tenzing looked up from their stuff converting their attention to the blonde who's roots where showing. "what are you doing here?"

"what are you doing here?" nico snarled back giving her the same up and down look that she gave sophia back at the party. "you weren't invited then and you aren't invited now."

"finding storm." she hummed like she was someone higher than them.

"okay? shoo shoo, go bother someone else." tenzing said standing up from the chair and slamming the door on her face, locking the door. tenzing smirked in amusement hearing sophia's stomps fade away. tenzing went back to nico who high fived him going back to their game.

"oh my gosh, emily got me an addition for a movie! finally." nicole said quickly standing up from the bed and showing them the email. tenzing and nico went quick to congratulate her. about an hour later storm got them called over on set.

nicole wasn't nervous before. she didn't think much of it, in fact she forgot that she was even going to see bella after almost an entire week of having no physical or across screen interaction. now, nicole is nervous.

her stomach is rumbling with both anticipation and nervously. she started fidgeting with her rings on her fingers, picking on her cuticles and looking anxiously around the set waiting to spot the familiar brunette. nico intertwined their fingers together noticing nicole fidgeting and about to make her cuticles bleed.

"don't be nervous, we don't have to interact with anyone other than pero who saved us seats." said nico rubbing her hand up and down nicoles arm. nicole let out a breath nodding her head and chuckling nervously.

"everything is going to be alright." tenzing said smiling softly at nicole who nodded her head at him. nico guided them over to the seats where pedro was waving his arm up for them. nicole chuckled at the way pedro had a wide smile on his face and his arm
shaking in a rapid pace.

"hi pedro." nicole greeted smiling widely at pedro who patted to the seat besides him. nico and tenzing going over to sit behind them but in the middle to be able to see towards the set. "how are you?"

"hey, nicky. i'm doing pretty good this morning and you?" asked pedro ruffling nicoles hair. the girl laughed genuinely for the first time in a while fixing her hair back to the way it was. pedro, nicole, nico and tenzing all talking amongst each other until the director shouted quiet on set.

nicole turned around on her seat and she was speechless. she got her breath taken away completely, her heart practically skipped a beat and her palms started getting sweaty. it was like seeing bella for the first time all over again.

tenzing and nico smiled softly and sadly at each other noticing the way that nicole got and the way that bella was absolutely astound when their eyes landed on nicole. the director yelled action causing bella to quickly look away and over to storm who smirked at her wiggling her eyebrows at bella

nicole wiped away furiously the tears that escaped her eye and put a hand over her mouth watching storm and bella act. they were on the scene of the lingerie, storm already in her joking atmosphere and bella's mind filling with nicole but still saying her lines with every emotion she's feeling.

he yelled cut and sighed deeply, "there something missing on this scene. don't you think?" he asked even though he wasn't talking to anyone specifically. he put a hand on his hip and the other one stroking his chin. "what can we add to capture that small moment and just like," he made a crumbling up motion and threw his arms up in the air, "ya know."

nicole straightened her back having an idea but not really saying something quickly, until she saw the way that he was getting frustrated with himself not being able to figure it out. he crossed his arms over his chest and tapped anxiously his foot on the floor.

"nicole has something to say." pedro said pointing over to nicole and quickly sinking into his seat smiling sheepishly at nicole who glared at him.

the director raised an eyebrow at nicole who cleared her throat going up on her chair. her eyes scanning around the set and landing on bella. her words suddenly making sense and knowing what she's going to say.

"well, you could add something small at the end after riley jokes about not being able to see ellie in that. riley could laugh and walk away leaving ellie along in front of the glass and she could like fix her hair because," nicole went silent her eyebrows raising up and her lips starting to tug downwards, "because she's asking herself if riley truly likes her or if her crush on riley is just that, a silly crush that will never be nothing more than being friends. because who would like someone like me?"

the entire set went quiet. only storm, pedro, tenzing, nico and bella understanding the meaning behind nicoles words. bella and nicole held intense eye contact not being able to look away, not wanting to look away.

"yes. yes! amazing! you should so be a director and i will so dedicate this episode to you. amazing!"

&&&

THURSDAY,

✹ "i fucked up. i can't get her back. i'm miserable. i can't live without her. i. am. miserable!" bella whined crying loudly on his pillow. nico and liz throwing a ball back and forth from each other. bella threw the blanket over his body and continuing crying on her pillow.

"you should try at least talking to her before we leaving back to la." liz suggested throwing the ball over to nico and looked at bella who looked up from their pillow looking over at liz. liz felt half bad and her other half wanted to laugh. bella had tear stains running down their cheeks, her lips pouted and their eyes filled with nothing other than sadness and regret.

"she's going back?" bella whispered asked making liz nod her head and catch the ball from nico. "she's going back!" bella cried throwing her head roughly back on the pillow.

"cant you just break up with what's her name? oh right, ms. irrelevant?" nico asked putting her hair back into a ponytail before grabbing and throwing the ball back at liz.

"i am. i will. i just need to find a reporter that will not bend my words when i explain to them everything from the beginning. i just-i cant-i fucked up." bella said going back to crying. hugging the pillow and blanket not caring how loud her cries were getting.

"better do it soon. we leave sunday." when liz said that bella got two heart attacks.

&&&

SUNDAY

✹ "i'm going to miss you guys so much. take me with you. i will fit inside of your suit case." storm whined hugging nicole tightly and burying her head down on her shoulder. nicole laughed hugging her back as tightly swinging side to side.

"guys, guys! you should be our plus ones for the premiere! it's going go be in la." nico gasped still hugging lottie who cried onto her shoulder. lottie and nico have formed a bond over the past month, along with liz who hugged them as well.

storm pulled away nicole who went over to the other girls. tenzing took his hand out waiting for storm to dab her up. "come here, you've come go be one my good trusted friends." storm giggled bringing tenzing into a hug.

nicole never realized that she came here first to visit bella and along the way gaining two amazing friends that are slowly and surely impacting her life in a way that she never knew needed changed. she's also leaving without saying goodbye to bella, something she never thought would be happening.

the group gave each other one last big hug before they called out their plane that's boarding. hellos are always easy but goodbyes will forever be the hardest thing ever.

imessage !

bells😻
private messages between bells😻 and nicky❤️

bells
i broke up with her.
i know you don't want to hear from me,
but i have to tell you that i never
wanted her to kiss me at the party.
i never wanted to be with her.
i want to be with you, more than ever.
i want you, nicole.

nicky
you don't know how much i want
go be with you as well, bella.
but i need space.
i don't know why yet, i don't know when
i'm going to be ready.
but space is all i'm asking
i like you, always have and always will.
i just need this for myself.

bells
i understand really.
i'll be here, always will be here
waiting for the second you tell
me that you're ready.
i will always wait for you.