Wow, thank you everyone for the reviews, favorites and alerts, you guys are the best. I was worried when I wrote it because it was nearly three in the morning. I always appreciate constructive criticism. It helps me grow, and inspires me. Anyways, here's chapter two, enjoy.
Stella shook her head, "No, Nick, I know she doesn't have a cat." She sat at the bottom of her steps, absentmindedly biting her fingernails; her heart heavy and hurting as she held the phone to her ear. She had called the Lucas house for Joe, but he was gone, and she knew Nick was a good listener. "I just know something's wrong, but she won't tell me. I know she's always been stubborn and independent, but this is different… she's taken it to extremes." She looked down and fixed her skirt as she listened to Nick's reply, then she bit her lip, "But I know her parents are out of town and Nick, I saw the shadow of someone."
"Stella, are you completely certain? I mean, it was three in the morning and you had just woken up." Nick tried to compromise.
She sighed, knowing Nick was only trying to be reasonable. She remained quiet for a moment, knowing Nick's argument was more plausible than someone, or something inside Macy's house. "Yeah.." She breathed, "Yeah you're probably right."
"Now, get back to sleep all right Stel?" Nick sounded relieved and very tired.
She laughed lightly, "I have to start getting ready for school, but thanks for answering my phone call."
She heard him laugh tiredly, "Well you only called five times at four in the morning."
"I'm really sorry for waking you, I just needed to talk to someone about it." She apologized, standing up, and already making her way to the coffee maker with already made coffee.
"It's fine, I'm always here to talk, I'll see you at school.'
"Bye Nick." Stella released another sigh as she sat down at the breakfast bar, and sipped her coffee already knowing the day was going to be long with so little sleep. She groaned and rubbed her eyes and decided to start getting ready.
Nick laid back in his bed, being willing to fall back to sleep, but the concern of Macy over willed the power of sleep. She used to text him whenever she had a nightmare, and he'd want to hear all about it, and he usually did. He noted the night mares had been getting worse and Macy was getting more and more reluctant to tell the details, until she quit texting him altogether. He admitted to her that he was worried, but she brushed it off casually with a smile Nick would die for. As the weeks progressed, he was seeing changes in her. She had gotten a paler completion and bags under her eyes, and her smile seemed more generic somehow, but every time he asked about it, she's brush it off. Nick was worried about her.
He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the morning, so he sat up. His brothers were still fast asleep, and his house was dead silent. Slowly he got up, and looked at his phone. 4:50 am, his brothers would be up in a little over and hour and a half. He half considered texting Macy and making sure she was okay, but would she be honest? Or give him another pretty little lie?
"…love her…"
A small scream left his throat and jumped from his bed, as soon as he felt the hot whisper on his neck. He whipped around with his heart pounding, and breath quickened; only to discover in the dim lighting of the awakening sun, that there was nothing seen there. My eyes scanned the room for movement, because he was more than sure he heard something. But the only movement seen was Joe turning over in his sleep; muttering incoherently. He wiped his neck off, where he still felt the where the breath was, and he stopped when his hand grew damp. He examined his fingers closely, and wiped his neck off again, something was breathing on him. He looked around the room again, but saw nothing. Confusion over wrapped his brain and he looked back at his bed, and he swore he left the green pillow at his feet when he got up just a few minutes ago, and the draw on his night stand was slightly ajar. He looked around before slowly approaching it, and pulling it open a little more ways. The picture of Macy, Stella, him and his brothers was on top of the stack of papers, and he knew for a fact he kept it below the papers. He pick it up, smiling fondly of the picture of the friends at the beach. Macy was on the left end with an arm wrapped around Nick, smiling brightly, and it hit Nick of how much he truly missed that smile. Then he noticed the edges appeared to be burnt, black and curled in slightly, only on the left side. He stared at it, his eyebrows pulling together, how did the picture end up like that?
He sighed as he dropped the picture back into the draw and closed it. He was way to tired to come up with a reasonable conclusion. He stretched, and walked down the stairs into the kitchen, and started to get ready.
—
"Hey Stella." Kevin greeted as he got to his locker with his brothers in tow.
She smiled as they approached her, and she straightened her posture from leaning on their lockers and before she could answer Joe greeted her.
"Hi Stella." He smiled his perfect smile.
She was for a moment breathless, "Hi Joe.." She smiled and looked dreamily into his eyes.
Until Nick cleared his throat, and knocked her out of Joe's eyes, "And Kevin and Nick." She acted like she was going to include them, avoiding eye contact and looking away.
Nick and Kevin smirked, knowing she was putting up the 'Joe and I only like each other as friends' act. The two brothers went for their lockers, and decided to not say anything for once.
"Hey, where's Macy? She's usually here before us." Joe asked, reluctantly making distance between him and Stella to get to his locker.
Nick and Stella exchanged brief glances.
"Uh, I'm not sure. We were up late last night, so she's just probably running a little late." Stella explained quickly, then gulped, she was never one to lie to quickly well. If it were absolutely necessary to lie, they were usually premeditated.
Nick tried to act normal, and grabbing his books normally but the worry was heavy in his heart, and weighing him down.
"Oh rebels." Kevin pretended to be impressed, "Did you guys stay up to watch 'Scream Until You Die Screaming'?" He turned from his locker with a smirk and books in hand.
Stella rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms "Like I would watch anything with that horrible, disgusting witch of an actor." She snapped bitterly.
Kevin snorted, indirectly pointing out the obvious left over jealousy of Fiona Sky incident; but Nick wasn't paying attention, instead he was thinking as he absentmindedly grabbed one of his song books before anything else, lost in his thoughts.
"Nick?" Joe called, gaining Nick's attention.
He looked up, "Yeah? Sorry, I was just.. Thinking."
"Dude, what's up?" Joe's concern was visible all over his face, "You've been distracted all morning."
Nick looked down as he opened his book, "I just keep thinking of a song, and I can't quit figure it out." He didn't want to worry his brothers, or make Stella think any more on what she already had.
"Is it about Macy?" Kevin asked slyly, this eyebrow raised.
The intense Lucas brother sighed irritably, and Stella pretended to not know what he was thinking about, but her nervous habit of looking down and biting her lip told him everything.
He didn't answer Kevin, "I'm going to class. I need to talk to Mr. Costelle about an assignment." And with that he left the group to themselves.
"And what's gotten into him lately?" Joe asked, slightly annoyed by Nick's unusual quietness.
Nick felt relieved to be alone with his thoughts, which were so easy to get lost in these days. He was wondering were Macy was, until he turned a corner and ran into someone. She gasped, and nearly screamed.
Nick's eyes widen, "Macy!"
She bite her lip and with her eyes cast downward nervously, but Nick spotted the bandage on her chin.
"Macy, what happened?" He asked, he had hold himself back from gathering her in his arms, but the way she held herself seemed like she was in pain.
She looked up into his eyes, and he noticed the change immediately. Her eyes had this hard look, cold and distant. She tried to smile, but it was nothing like the Nick he had seem this morning.
"I tripped this morning, putting my shoe on, I hit my chin on the counter." She lied, and Nick knew it. She laughed at herself.
He didn't, and she tried her hardest not to notice as she looked away and across the atrium she meets eyes directly with Stella's, and quickly looked away, suddenly finding it harder to breath.
"Macy…" Nick sighed, stepping closer to her, and she took a step back matching his; almost like she was.. Afraid to get to close to him, and it hurt him deep.
She knew it was best to keep them out, "I'm sorry Nick." She didn't even look at him as she spoke and walked away.
Nick just stood there for a moment, stunned and in pain. He turned to look over his shoulder, watching her walk away with a slight limp. Then shook his head and continued to class.
Stella frowned as she watched Nick watch solemnly to class, then sighed turning back to face Kevin and Joe.
"What was that all about?" Joe asked.
The blonde shrugged, "Nick can't even get threw to her.." But already Stella was coming up with a plan to talk to Macy, face to face.
Macy sighed and fought back the tears when she was able to stop in a deserted hall way and lean back on the lockers. She closed her burning eyes, but saw Nick's pain in his eyes as she denied even him assess to her wrecked life. All she had to do was make it threw the day without talking to anyone… easier said than done.
She was able to dodge them, remembering threw paths in between classes. All until fourth hour, where she had gym with Stella. She winced, trying hard to think of a way to get out of it but failing. The bell rung and she was purposely lingering in the hallway a little bit longer; trying to time it right when all the other girls were dressed and in the gym.
Macy slowly opened the wooden, creaky girls' locker room door and peeked her head in; looking around and seeing no one. She opened the door wider to let herself in, and tip toed her way to her locker, constantly looking over her shoulder. She had a pair basket ball shorts that were huge on her, and would cover most of the marks on her lefts, and she had a baseball tee she could wear to cover the marks on her arms. She opened her locker swiftly, and stripped off her shirt, but winced at the pain of ripping one open.
"Ow.." She bit her lip to prevent the cussing, and she started digging around her locker for the shirt, "Where is it?.." She whispered to herself.
"Oh my God…"
Macy gasped and straightened her poster, trying to cover herself, but knowing it was all to late. Stella stood at the end of the line of lockers, eyes wide and watering, and mouth open.
She rushed over to Macy, "Macy, what happened?" Her eyes were looking at all the cuts and scratched, "Macy, oh my God." She covered her mouth, then her eyes meet back up with Macy's, who wasn't surprisingly making eye contact, and remaining quiet.
Which caused Stella to come to another conclusion, "… you didn't, did you?"
"No!" Macy replied quickly, "No, of course I didn't."
"Macy.." Stella pleaded, "What happened?"
Macy looked down again, her voice defeated , "I.. I can't tell you."
"Macy, yes you can."
She bit her lip, and looked back up, she couldn't afford to have her friends think she was insane too, "The cat we have went crazy."
A pathetic lie Macy Misa.
Macy gasped and looked around for the source of the voice, "What?" She asked it, still looking around.
Stella looked at her, growing more worried, "Macy what are you talking about?"
"You didn't hear him?"
"Hear who?"
Macy just stared at her… maybe she was going crazy.
