A/N: Merry christmas, lovelies!!! I hope you are all having a great time and satisfied tummies rn. 😎🤳

I seriously don't know, why I put that 'taking selfie' emoji but, it's actually cool right? 🤣🤳 lol

A little notice, we have a new book cover made by liasteashop! She makes amazing covers, as well as story trailers! Visit her account and I'm sure she'll be more than glad to do your requests! ♥♥♥

FYI, this chapter is unedited! 😋🤳

C h a p t e r 1 7

Nikki's POV

I woke up with the smell of toast bread and butter, sipping its way inside my room with the door slightly opened.

Grandma? I asked myself.

Smiling from ear to ear, my heart leaped out of my chest to the ceiling. My adrenaline boosted as I joyfully stood up on my feet, but to be in contact with the cold flooring.

"Where is my carpet?" I whispered curiously after glimpsing at the mirror.

A girl stared back at me with her messed up hair, and a melted face while wearing a baggy shirt and a small shorts. God, I look so bad. I thought, rubbing my cheeks where tears slid and created a dry mark.

The sound of glass plate placed on the kitchen counter made me looked away from the mirror and into the door. Wearing a wide grin, I trotted downstairs and headed straight to the kitchen, but my smile fell down when I saw a thin woman on her back, dialing someone on her phone.

With my head bowed down in dismay, I slowly walked my way to the counter and sat on one of the stools. A few seconds, my lips quivered and my eyes began to moist but I blinked a couple of times to stop myself from crying, again. I hadn't even thought of who the person might be.

The woman sensed my presence and turned on her heel to look at me, but only for her to yelp and constantly dropped her phone.

Guess she did not sense my presence. Not at all.

"God, Nikki you scared the hell out of me!" Aunt Crissa exclaimed, releasing deep breaths while placing her hand on her chest.

Aunt Crissa was my mom's first cousin. She had brown eyes, but were covered with a pair of eye contacts having a lighter color than her usual ones. Her slightly curled brunette hair was hovered above her shoulder, making her looked slimer and taller than she really was.

I remained mute, blankly staring at her. Aunt Crissa released a sigh and turned around taking the plate with toast bread from the kitchen counter and bending down to pick her phone. She planted herself on my side and placed the plate in front of me.

"Nikki..." She started,

"Look, I... I know it's hard. Believe me. Barbara and Charlie would tell us to move on and accept what already happened if they're still here."

"If. And it didn't even make any sense, why would they say we move on if they're still here?" I scoffed, staring at the plate in front of me.

"Nikki, please.. You have to understand, we have to move on, you have to be strong. It already happened, we can't do anything about it..." Aunt Crissa encouraged, placing her hand on my back as she slowly creates circles with her thumb.

I pulled my plate closer to me as I took a bite on the toast bread, ignoring her remark.

She sighed, "It's seven though, I gotta go, I have some more stuffs to do. Please be ready at ten for the funeral?"

I absent mindedly nodded, not saying a word.

"I'll be back here quarter to ten, okay?" She repeated, noticing my abstraction as she strode to the living room to pick her bag up.

"Nikki..." Aunt Crissa called my attention.

I glanced at her over my shoulder, "Yes, I'll be ready at ten."

"Okay, goodbye." She said, before she left.

After a few minutes of silence, I stood up and walked my way towards my room. The ground floor was empty than ever. Not with the lack of furniture but with the strange and unusual atmosphere pervading it. Halfway through the stairs, the doorbell rang, making me drag my butt to the front door instead.

Opening the door, my eyes widen at the sight of Chase Grey standing on the porch. What is he doing here? I was contemplating whether to speak or not, but that wasn't the problem at all. Words were stuck in my throat, and just stayed there. Until at some time where it felt awkward just staring at each other with none of us moving nor saying a thing.

"Hi, the school is that way?" I pointed on the road to the left.

Chase blinked twice before he scratched his nape, "Yeah... but uhm... I came here to ask if how are you feeling."

Huh?

"I don't want you here." I spoke in a narrow tone before shutting the door.

"Hey! I came all the way here to ask you if you're fine and you're just gonna shut me with the door?" He scandalized.

I closed my eyes and held my breathing for a moment, as I waited for him to go.

"Come on, Nikki. I'm being serious!" He pleads.

"Go away!"

"Please!" Chase ardently beseeched while I let out a grunt, before opening the door.

"I'm not in the brightest mood for some joke, Chase." I warned.

"I'm not either."

Crossing my hands to my chest, I inquired. "Well then, what are you doing here?"

"Look, I heard what happened..." Chase whispered, and I felt the atmosphere change.

I composed myself but my shoulders fell on their own. "So, the whole school knew?"

"Yeah."

"Well..." I paused, with my innards getting heavier by a second.

A blurry effect danced across my eyes, as the scene from yesterday repeated on my head. As my cries reechoed through my ears, I kept on knocking myself inwardly that everything was just a dream. But it wasn't. I adjusted my vision, and traveled back in reality where Chase still stood on our porch.

I don't want people to know I'm weak. Not in front of someone like Chase. I pulled back the tears from streaming, releasing a heavy breath.

"Yeah, so why do you care?-- Please, just go. I don't want your pity."

One reason amongst a thousand of why I felt wrecked was since they were gone, everything we did together were veered on being just a memory of the past. I was suddenly slapped out off my thoughts when I felt a human body in contact to mine. My mind blew away after knowing it was Chase who pulled me in a hug.

His breathing fan over my hair while his hands warmly snaked tightly around me. The beating of his heart calmed mine. I was astonishingly speechless while rethinking if this was just a different guy disguised as Chase Grey.

"It'll be okay." He whispered as my eyes began to dank and lips to quiver.

It was as if I had completely forgotten that I was even with him. The him, who had been ungrateful to me. The him, who was a complete idiot. The him, who pisses me off. The him, whom I thought would never be this kind of guy.

I shook my head, "No... It won't."

The moment lasted a few minutes after Chase left for school, leaving me with a thought of him. It never actually crossed my mind how someone could act differently with just a blink of an eye, until now.

I walked straight upstairs and into my room, silently passing my grandparent's room with the front door open. I released a heavy sigh, and grabbed reach for the door, closing it, before turning around to enter my room.

As I walked over to my bed, I spotted a note on my drawer. I extended my hand and picked it up,

I just want you to know that I'm here for you, Nikki. Always. :) But, I didn't mean it like "all the time" cuz' I need to go to class, you know... Although, I know you know what I mean. :) I love you! :*

P.S
BE READY AT 10!

P.P.S
The 'be ready at 10 note' is your aunt's request. She also made me write that in capital letters and end it with an exclamation point. I actually told her to write a separate note for the reminder but she said she has a bad penmanship!

See you!
-Hailey♥

I smiled and put the note back on top of my drawer, before taking my phone. I tapped on my keypad and sent her a text. She was probably expecting a message by now since she left a note here.

Walking over to my closet, I took a black shirt and jeans before heading straight to the bathroom. I quickly took a shower and laid down on my bed afterwards. A sound of birds chirping, and trees swaying with brown leaves rustling occupied my room. From the open window, the wind flowed inside carrying the sweet harmony of autumn.

"Fall." I whispered, before closing my eyes.

I heard cars honking from nearby. 'What is going on?' I thought, slowly opening my eyes. It was quite dark and soppy.

"Where am I?" I asked, trying to move my right hand which I think got pinned by a heavy object. I lifted my left hand to free my other hand but it just doesn't work.

My chest was in contact with the wet floor and all I could hear were sirens and murmurs from somebody.

'Where am I?' I moved my body trying to get away but it felt like I had been trapped. I slowly rose my head to see a couple of hands trying to lift the thing that was pinning me down.

"Hey woman, who are you with? Are you all okay?" A man spoke.

'What is he saying?' I asked myself about to panic.

Suddenly a bright light hits my eyes, blinding me as I instinctively blinked a couple of times before seeing everything clearly.

Blood.

Shattered glasses.

"What is going on?!" I asked in terror.

I looked on my side and saw bloody and lifeless face staring at me in horror and another person on the other side just laying on the floor lifeless, swimming with its own blood. 'Grandma? Grandpa?'

"Ahhhhhhh!!!" I screamed, frightened.

"Grandma?! Grandpa?!" I jumped out on my sleep all sweaty.

My fears and worries started to huddle up making me sob and cry even more.

"Nikki?" Aunt Crissa rushed up to me and embraced me, creating circles on my back with her hand. "Hush, now. Everything's fine. It's just a dream." She cooed, rocking me like a baby.

No. Nothing is 'fine'. The trauma crept on me, but I knew that I had to fight it.

Later that day at the funeral I just weeped and bawled to almost everyone who sent their comforts and condolences. Sandra and Torry arrived together with Hailey. Linda and Paul were there too. With every drop of a second, I felt my knees growing weaker than ever.

I told my aunt I would leave earlier, but she was too occupied, and so I asked Hailey to come with me instead.

We took a cab but didn't head straight home. Instead, we asked to take a turn to the valley. Hailey and I just silently stood there and stared at the sullenly sky. The sun hid from everyone. Shades of black, gray, and a dust of white painted the picture ahead of us.

"You know what, Nikki. It's okay to be weak sometimes, but never forget to be strong." Hailey smiled and held my hand.

I slowly nodded, smiling back.

She's right. There's nothing wrong on being weak. But you always have to keep in mind that when facing life, you have to be strong and be ready on whatever might happen. Expected or not. Good or bad.

*****VOTE & COMMENT*****