Chapter 4
Nicole hid her face in Jeff's arms so Shane couldn't see her face.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Nothing..." Jeff said, covering for Nicole.
"Don't lie...I know something's going on here..."
"No...everything's fine Shane..." Nicole said, head still buried.
"Nicole...look at me..." Shane stated.
She couldn't get out of this one, so she slowly lifted her head to reviel her dried bloody nose and lip and her brusied eye. The face Shane made, words could not describe.
"What the fuck happened???" He asked looking back and forth from Jeff to Nicole.
"I didn't do it!" Jeff said defending himself.
"Who did then? Nobody else seems to be in this room...and I doubt she did it to herself..." he snapped back.
"Shane...Jeff didn't do it..."
"Well, then who did? And where are they so I can go kill them?"
"Shane, don't worry about it ok...it's none of your business..."
"Fuck that! It is to my business...who did it?" he asked again.
"Jared." Jeff replied.
"JEFF!" she said punching his arm.
"Ow..what? He needs to know...."
"God...if I wanted HIM to know...I would have told him..." she said storming past Shane and out of her room.
"She is impossible!" Shane said going after her. Jeff stopped him.
"Dude, let me talk to her..."
Shane sighed, "Whatever..." he said as he plopped down on the bed.
Jeff ran after her and stopped her.
"Jeff let me go...please.."
"Nicole, what's wrong? Why can't you talk to him about anything?"
"Because..I just can't...ok?"
"No, not ok...tell me why..."
"Because it's none of his business..."
"Why is it mine then?"
"Because you are my best friend...he's not...he'll never be again..." she stated coldly.
"Why?"
"Because he obviously doesn't trust me..."
"Are you still on the thing from two years ago?"
"Yeah, truthfully, I am...Jeff...God, one stupid mistake and that's it..."
"Nicole, we both know that it was our fault..."
"It was one stupid kiss Jeff..."
"It was more than one stupid kiss..."
"What?"
"It meant alot to me...I don't know what you felt, but..."
"Jeff...stop...I don't care, I don't want to hear it...it ruined my relationship with Shane..." she cut in.
"I noticed..." he said, hanging his head down.
"Jeff...look...I've always seen you as more of a friend than anything else...that's all it's ever going to be..."
"Then tell me who you love..."
"I don't know who I love..." she lied.
"Yes you do..."
"Fine...you want to know? Fine, I'll tell you...I love Shane...ok? I love Shane."
"You do?"
"Yeah...I do."
"Why didn't you tell me this before Nicole?" Shane said coming through the doorway.
"Jesus...what?" she asked.
"You love me...?"
"It doesn't matter..."
"Yes it does...because I love you, and I always have and I always will."
She looked at him for a moment. "I don't care...whatever..." she said as she ran out the door into her car and took off.
A few months later, Jared was taken in and Nicole moved out of North Carolina. She kept in contact with Jeff, but never really spoke with Shane much. She didn't know why she didn't tell him she loved him, but, it was probably too late now...