HEARING DAMAGE
ADULT NOLA - CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE !

          SHE SHOULD HAD KNOWN. Misty was a fucking busybody, no amount of time passing would ever shed the woman of that trait. It was practically ingrained in her DNA at the point. Nola was smarter than this, at least she thought she was. Years ago it would have taken her five seconds flat to see through Misty's lies, her promise to leave Nola in peace but clearly the years and years of being graced with no invasion of Misty Quigley had caused Nola to become complacent. 

            Could she have fought harder when Misty pulled up to her house mere minutes after her lunch break from work began, (no doubt the curly-haired nurse practitioner had ran through a ton of red lights) absolutely she could have but when your life and everything as you knew it was so quickly crumbling around you, did fighting against an old friend's freakishly strong hold really matter?

            It didn't.

            This didn't stop her from complaining however. "I would say that I'm surprised by your inability to keep your word, Misty, but I'd be lying." Nola commented sarcastically at the Quigley woman, frowning over at her from the passenger seat.

            Misty just rolled her eyes. "Look on the bright side. You get to see Shauna again. We all know how much she's missed you." Misty proclaimed with a grin. Her voice then went quiet as she muttered to herself, "She practically threatened to kill anyone who said you were dead."

            This time Nola rolled her eyes. She was sick and tired of this thought process all of her old friends seemed to possess. Why on earth would she want to see someone who had royally fucked her over?

            Nola huffed like a stroppy teenager, leaned back in the seat and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't care about seeing Shauna, Misty. You all seriously need to drop the belief that Shauna and I are destined to be. I haven't thought about her in years."

            Perplexity soon found its way upon Misty's face, marring her features as she glances briefly over at the brunette. "You didn't think about any of us in years. You literally didn't remember any of us, or has your fugue state become lost on you?"

            Curse Misty and her logic. "No, it hasn't." The Rilke woman breathed out. Her limbs fell free of her arms crossing and tumbled to her lap. "Why can't you just go meet her yourself? You don't need me to speak to her."

            Misty chuckled heartily at Nola's naïveté. "That's where you're wrong. Shauna has become somewhat of a tough nut to crack. She's like the walnut of the nut family. She's got a hard shell that needs a nutcracker to get to the centre."

As Misty glanced over to see Nola continuing to look uninterested, the blonde returned her gaze to the road ahead and sighed. "Whatever. Anyway, she isn't fond of letting people in and after last night, I'm sure she's appreciate seeing a kind face."

That intrigued Nola. "What happened last night?" She asked curiously as she sat up straight.

The vehicle rounded a corner. "Her monster of a daughter tried to trick myself and Lottie into spilling the beans on what happened back then. We had a sleepover cause Shauna roped me into watching Lottie who's currently staying with her. She didn't want her alone with Callie."

Lottie. That name was enough to rouse Nola entirely from her state of detachment. Her pupils began to dilate, to wobble. Her brows cinched together as her hands naturally moved to grip tightly to the seatbelt.

"Wait, Lottie's out of the psychiatric hold and she's staying with Shauna?" When Misty nodded her head, the crease between Nola's brows grew deeper. "Why?"

"She had nowhere else to go."

          "I find that incredibly hard to believe. She could have come to me." The brunette retorted with a frown. Surely Lottie would have come to her. Why hadn't she come to her?

           Misty shrugged. She honestly didn't know why Lottie hadn't reached out to the one person who had been her life practically the whole time. "Maybe she figured you'd be pissed with her. She did have you in her cult for years and never told you the truth. She might have thought you'd hold a grudge over that."

           "Intentional community." Nola swiftly corrected.

           Her response caused Misty to scoff in amusement. How many times had she heard both Lottie and Nola spew the same rhetoric? "If you say so." She quipped just as her car pulled into the parking lot of Izzy's Cafe.

While moving to undo her seatbelt, she glanced over at Nola with a grin that stretched the distance of her face. "Let's save this chitchat for the scones, huh?"

            Nola couldn't help but lightly chuckle at Misty's enthusiasm. Within minutes, she found herself sitting quietly at a table sitting opposite Shauna while their bespectacled friend stood up at the counter, ordering food for the three of them, all the while sending the pair excited smiles every minute or so.

           The faint chatter of their fellow patrons and the music that played overhead from the speakers was the only sounds to be heard. Nola still had nothing to really say to Shauna but that didn't stop Shauna's mind from running wild with conversation starters. She just wanted to talk to her, to broach the topic of their past, of Nola's sudden departure from her life. She wanted to bombard her with questions, wanted to know why she had left her all alone.

         Why had she packed her bags and just taken off? Why hadn't she left a note? Why had she disappeared without a trace and why had she so violently tore Shauna's heart from her chest?

         Shauna's tongue darted out to nervously wet her lips that had grown dry very quickly due to how much she had been biting at them. She wanted to say all of things she had bottled up inside for the last twenty five years but instead all she could bring herself to say was a timid, "I didn't know you'd be here."

Nola met her gaze briefly. She tore her eyes away and feigned interest in the art work that hung on the walls around them "We have Misty to thank for that. She strong armed me into coming. She's surprisingly strong for her small she is." She commented with an awkward chuckle. She hated how fucking awkward this was.

Finally with much courage, Nola braved meeting Shauna's doe like gaze once more. "So...Lottie's staying with you?"

Shauna wearily sighed. "Yeah. Callie kinda guilted me into it. She said I couldn't just kick a friend in need to the curb."

Before Nola could think up a response, Misty rushed back to the table. "Who's hungry?" She giddily asked the pair. With one hand she placed a plate of scones in front of Shauna. "That's yours," then came Nola's plate. "That's for you, Nola," and then finally, "and this is mine."

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            MISTY QUIGLEY HAD NO SHAME. She had so easily haggled her way into invading the rest of Shauna's day. Wait, no. Scratch that. She managed to provide so many reasons why both she and Nola (who didn't agree whatsoever yet still found herself being dragged along against her will) could tag along as Shauna went about her day. Any excuse the Sadecki woman provided for why they simply couldn't join her, Misty was quick to counter.

So now Nola found herself in the back seat of Shauna's ugly ass minivan that looked ready to head to the big scrap heap in the sky, (it was times like these that her wealthy upbringing was a plus. She knew just how poor the Sadecki's must be for this to be their only vehicle) listening but not really taking in the conversation between the two women in the front.

           A genuine smile tugged at Misty's lips as she reclined back in the passenger seat. "Ah, the open road. Girl time. Playing hooky off of stupid work." She sounded so carefree. The wind from the rolled down window dances through her curls. "God, we should do this more often."

          Shauna ignored her. She instead pointed with her index finger, the rest of them coiled around the steering wheel, over at the window, a grimace on her face. "You think you could close that window?"

         Misty looked affronted. Shauna wanted her to roll up the window? She wanted her to cease the fun that was just beginning? "Uh, but we're Thelma and Louise." She responded with a huff. She stared over at the Sadecki woman, a frown now on her lips. She didn't want to.

         "Uh, hello." Nola called out from the back, the woman personally offended by her exclusion. She mightn't be speaking very much but she still wanted to be included. Not that she knew of any trios of women in media that matched the vibe Misty was aiming for.

           The curly haired blonde spun in her seat to glance at brunette behind her, one hand gripping the metal bar of the headrest while the other gripped the coarse fabric of the minivan's seating. She was met with the all too familiar furrowed brows that had once been Nola's trademark. The woman, once a young girl, hadn't changed much. Sure, it could be argued that none of them had changed. They very much acted just as they done as teenagers. It was actually a little jarring to see a group of women in their forties carry on like a couple of seveteens/eighteen year olds. But of course, they weren't normal forty somethings.

            "I'm here too." Nola sighed. She kept her gaze latched upon Misty, purposely refusing to meet the desperate eyes that bore into the side of her head from the rear view mirror. If intensity could ignite, Nola would have caught fire mere seconds after setting foot inside that fucking cafe.

            Misty sent an apologetic nod her way before shifting around again. She glanced curiously at the road before pointing over to the upcoming road on the left. "You're gonna go left up ahead." She directed the woman driving.

            Shauna looked confused. "If we go left, we're gonna have to circle the park."

            "Yes, but instead of four lights, there are three, and two of them are shorter in duration."

           Immediately Nola found herself agreeing with the information Misty had offered up to help them get around town easier. Her head bobbed, her eyes bouncing back and forth between the two women in the front while she uttered, "I don't know how she knows these things but she's right."

            Having no room to argue, Shauna acquiesced with a turn of the wheel. The tires veered to the left allowing the dark maroon coloured vehicle to head towards the left. The sight of a car stopped up ahead at a red light had Shauna pressing her foot down on the brake, the woman ready to bring the car to a rolling stop. Her foot gently pressed to the break but instead of the car beginning to slow down, she was met with the vehicle going the exact same speed.

            Shauna's brows furrowed. Her foot was now slamming on the break.

            Misty looked up from her lap where she had been distracted with the back of a CD case. She quickly noticed that Shauna had yet to slow the car, so she casually said, "Shauna, slow down."

            Aggressive thuds now filled the car. Shauna's foot continued to crash against the break, even wiggling with each slam as if it would somehow force the break to work. Unease etched onto Shauna's face. "I know, I'm trying. The brakes aren't working." She replied with haste.

            "Well, try harder, cause we're gonna miss the turn." The bespectacled blonde voiced as she gestured towards the up coming turn. Her brown eyes grew wide behind the lenses of her glasses as the vehicle's speed refused to slacken. "Shauna."

          "What do you think I'm doing?" Shauna snapped back in frustration. Her grip on the wheel grew tighter with each passing second as terror struck her deep inside.

          "Are you pushing—"

          "I don't know what's happening!" Shauna screamed at the top of her lungs, the roar ripping from her throat. With no other choice, she quickly spun the wheel and brought the car up on a vacant sidewalk to avoid colliding with the car at the red light.

           A frisson of fear hit Nola as she held fiercely to her seat belt. This could go one of two ways after all. One, Shauna managed to car under control or two, they crashed or met another car head on. The arguing between the pair echoed in her ears. The speed at which they were travelling, the shake of the car that caused the mechanisms to vibrate at an uncomfortable rate, it was all too familiar.

            Suddenly she was back in the plane and her teammates were screaming for their lives around her. The snack cart was rolling down through the aisle and the oxygen masks came dangling down from overhead. They were hurtling towards the ground, nosediving into the very woods that seemed never ending.

            Just as the plane skimmed past the trees, she was back in the car with Shauna and Misty, her two former teammates still bellowing back and forth.

          "Grassy knoll, grassy knoll!" Misty cried out as she desperately pointed at the long stretch of grass before them, her hand shaking as fear coursed her veins. "Go up it!"

            The car swerved for the grass. The wheels slid along the verdant greenery, offering the trio a brief reprieve from the terror that struck them. Though very quickly they found themselves in yet another shitty situation as their eyes landed upon a group of children playing.

"Oh my god, the kids!" Misty exclaimed.

"I fucking know!" Shauna growled. Yet again she needed to veer them out of danger.

"Pull the fucking handbrake!" Nola finally screeched at the pair. She mightn't have broken the sound barrier but she got pretty damn close.

            The minivan came to a screeching halt as Shauna heeded Nola's words and pulled back hard on the handbrake. If not do their seatbelts holding them all back, each woman would have gone flying forward from how aggressively they had stopped.

            Misty let out a shuddering breath. "Oh my Lord...oh, that was a close one." She gratefully muttered. She was happy for that entire ordeal to be over. She survived more than most, if a car had taken her out, she would have been pissed.

            Shauna's eyes narrowed into a harsh glare as she stared over at the curly-haired blonde. "You did this." She accused. "It was you. You fucked with my car, didn't you?"

            "How could you think that?" Misty inquired of her friend, her voice dripping with disbelief.

            The brunette behind the steering wheel paid her question no mind. It was almost as if Misty hadn't even spoken. She just continued to hurl accusations at the Quigley woman. "In fact, I am the fucking idiot because of course it was you who left the phone in the bathroom."

            Misty turned to glance at the woman in the back who just offered her a shrug, the woman unwilling to get involved in their petty squabbling.

            "Phone? What phone?" Misty asked when she realised she wouldn't be getting any help from Nola. "Shauna, think. Why would I do this? I-I could've died, too."

"Why do you do anything, Misty?" Shauna wasn't letting up. She was so incredibly angry, that even if all this shit hadn't been Misty's fault, Shauna would have found a way to blame her. She needed someone to blame. "Why—"

There was a pause as she gathered her thoughts. Finally all of her thoughts began to pour out, each word jabbing against Misty's chest, digging down and making their way to her heart.

"Why trick me into eating those stupid scones? Why pretend your meeting was cancelled? Why make secret videos of Natalie in her motel room? Why hold people hostage in your bunker? Why carry around syringes of fatal fucking drugs?"

This info dump has very much taken Nola aback. She wasn't entirely shocked by what she was hearing, it was Misty after all, the very same woman who had broken into her home mere days ago and bragged about how easy it had been. She was just surprised how proficient Misty had become at sticking her nose in other peoples business,

A deep frown soon found its way to Misty's face. "Something must have warped you when you were little." Shauna's voice was quieter, perhaps more emphatic as though she felt for Misty. "Your parents, someone did something to you, because you are a verified psycho and you feed off this shit."

"I didn't—I—"

Shauna's head shook. She didn't want excuses, she didn't want whatever Misty would say to exonerate herself. "You're insane. And I want you out of my minivan, now."

When Misty didn't budge, Shauna exclaimed, "Get out, Misty."

The bespectacled blonde sat for a moment. She just stared at Shauna, as though seeing her in a new light for the first time. She was seeing a person she didn't like. "Fine. But remember that it was me that got Nola to spend time with you." She huffed. She glanced back at the Rilke woman who had the good sense to look upset on Misty's behalf.

Finally her gaze returned to her accuser. "You are the worst friend, not the best! And you are not what I deserve!"

            After gathering up her handbag and jacket, the blonde narrowed her gaze at Shauna one final time as she sneered, "Thank you for opening up my eyes, Shauna Shipman." Before pushing open the car door, jumping out and slamming it behind her.

            Both women that still remained inside the vehicle turned their heads to watch the blonde stomp away from the car which gave them the perfect view of her disappearing from view as she face planted into the grass. It would have been funny if it hadn't been so pitiful.

As Misty faintly yelled at a child as she departed, Nola's brown eyes rolled as they darted back towards Shauna who was looking at her with such an intensity that it pissed her off. "Well, that was fascinating watch. So glad I left the house for this." Her words were warped with sarcasm. "Call yourself a tow truck, I'm going home."

            "Nola, wait." Shauna called out. She quickly pressed down on the manual door lock button, effectively keeping Nola trapped in the backseat.

            Despite hearing the lock mechanism going into effect, Nola still grabbed at the handle and pushed against the door. "You better let me out of this car, Shauna." She uttered lowly. She was trying to keep her cool but it was getting harder to maintain. Cooler heads prevail except when you're dealing with an irritating ex. "Shauna!"

"Can you just wait for one minute? We need to talk." Shauna asked quietly, sweetly. Maybe acting gently with her ex-girlfriend would garner her some much desired alone time.

            "I have nothing to say to you."

            Shauna wasn't taking no for an answer. Her brown eyes darkened as her words slipped past her lips. "Well, I do, so sit back and shut up."

            Nola was quick to fix a glare upon the Sadecki woman. She didn't appreciate the attitude being sent her way especially from someone who had zero right. If it was one of the others, she would have accepted it, they probably had their reasons but Shauna? She had no reason to speak to her like that, like she was in the wrong.

            However, she was forced to accept that unless she planned on smashing the window open, she was stuck in this car until Shauna decided otherwise. She huffed out a sigh before uttering, "Fine, you may speak," as she slid back into the seat and folded her arms across her chest.

"Why?" Shauna breathed out.

Her words were met with furrowed brows. "Why what?"

"Why did you leave?" Shauna cried out. Now that she finally had the chance to confront Nola, all of her emotions that had been squashed down into the back of her mind for all of these years came bubbling to the surface. "You fucking abandoned me. I was all alone."

             Nola quick to scoff. "I'm sure Jeff was quick to comfort you."

            The owner of the minivan's brows furrowed at the name drop. "What does Jeff have to do with this?"

            Nola shot her the dirtiest look. Never before had she looked at Shauna with such irritation. "He has everything to do with this. Cheating on me once with him wasn't enough, you just had to do it again."

            Immediately a look of pure offence washed over Shauna's face. She held up a hand to silence Nola before quickly retorting, "Woah! Hang on. I didn't cheat on you." When she caught the raised brow and unamused expression that Nola wore, she huffed unenthusiastically and admitted quietly, "Not again anyway."

            The Rilke woman stared incredulously over at her ex girlfriend. She couldn't believe what she hearing. Surely Shauna wasn't actually attempted to pull the wool over eyes, to bullshit her. Even if Shauna hadn't physically cheated on her with that fool of a man she called a husband, she had still cheated. She had still abandoned her when she needed her most.

            "Emotional cheating is still cheating, Shauna." She harshly snapped back.

            "We came back and I needed you. My mom hated me. She quite literally told me she wished I had died out there. I needed you and you chose him." Every feeling that had been building up inside, every betrayal that had ruined her further came spilling out. If this has been twenty five years ago, she would have been sweeter, more understanding but that Nola was gone.

            She wasn't letting up. She wasn't backing down from telling Shauna exactly what she thought of her. "Cause of your sick and twisted brain that makes you seek out anything that reminds you of Jackie. It's pathetic, Shauna."

          Without stopping for a breath Nola continued to tell Shauna exactly what she thought of her. "She's fucking dead and she isn't coming back. Now, let me out of this fucking car!" She barked, her teeth bared. The anger that flowed through her lit up her eyes and sent a chill down Shauna's spine.

Reluctantly she pushed the button once more and the car was filled with the distinct sound of the door locks releasing. An uncomfortable silence overtook the vehicle, the only sound being that of the nearby children joyfully playing despite nearly being squished by an oncoming car. Shauna's eyes clenched shut, regret for everything she has ever done soaring through her, as the door in the back was pushed open.

            Nola contemplated just leaving, just taking off and leaving Shauna to fester in her emotions but despite everything she couldn't bring herself to do it. With a small sigh that tumbled past her lips, her head turned until her gaze locked upon the devastated looking Shauna. "I'll be leaving soon. You stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

         With that she climbed out of the minivan. With one last look, her face finally vacant of any possible hint at still loving the woman before her, she calmly uttered, "Goodbye, Shauna."

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author's thoughts.
chapter fifty one, not proofread
I actually hate this chapter so much. There's some information about when they were rescued but apart from that it feels futile. Also can you tell I despise that fucking minivan? Anyway I hope you enjoyed :)