Chapter 6: The Anniversary of Death

Walking out of the movie theater, I searched for Toby, he was nowhere to be found! "Toby!" Gosh dang it, Toby, where are you?!"

"Nicole!" I heard one of the two men, who continued to call me, and follow after me, yell. As I turned around I saw it was Jack, Gabe quickly following after. They were nearly tripping over each other as they raced to me. Finally, Gabe lost his balance and fell, and Jack caught up to me, "Hey, why are you walking so fast?"

While he asked me that question, Jack rushed us forward into the crowd, making sure Gabe was left behind. "Oh, was I?" I really didn't want to be rude, but I was trying to get away from him and Gabe. I know it'll just end up as me being in the middle of mind-less flirting. "I was just searching for Toby, after all he is our ride home!" Jack began to race us into a secluded corner of the theater, I saw by the look in his eyes that he was planning on doing something, I was scared of what. My mind was starting to think of the worst things, Oh my god, Jack wouldn't do something like that in a movie theater right?! I don't know him well, he probably could!

I did my best to push those thoughts away. "We could always catch a taxi; besides, I wanted to talk to you." He told me as he placed me in the corner in front of him, and he made sure I wouldn't be able to sneak away. "So what did you think of the movie?"

I know he didn't bring me into a corner just to ask me that!"Uh, it was great, really amazing story! But honestly, why did we have to be alone for you to ask that?"

He blushed, but smiled to play it off, "Because I wanted to do this." Jack started leaning in to kiss me, I froze for a second, I hadn't been in a situation like this for years. His lips were about to touch mine, but instantly I turned my head, making him kiss my cheek.

"Wow, look at the time, I need to find Toby and get home!" I pushed him as hard as I could and ran for the exit.

As I raced through the door, BAM! I crashed into someone, falling onto the man's chest and landing on the hard, concrete floor. "Just like old times." The pained man joked.

It took a few seconds, but I finally recognized the voice, "Toby! Thank god I found you! You have no idea what just happened to me." I yelled.

Hugging him, he started laughing, "Ha! Well, you could tell me if you get off of me!"

"Oh! Right, sorry!" I jumped up, as did he. Toby smiled happily at me. Then through my joy, I had almost forgotten what I went through.

I slapped him, not hard, but not too light either. Just enough to show him I was also mad at him for leaving me alone. "Ow! What did I do?!" He screamed.

"That's for leaving me alone with Gabe and Jack! Jack especially!" I yelled angrily.
"It couldn't have been that bad." Toby assured.

"He tried to kiss me."

Toby's expression changed from joy to shock, "What?" His tone was serious.

"Jack tried to kiss me. I turned my head to avoid it, but he still kissed my cheek." I described. Toby was stuck; he couldn't decide whether to still be in shock and or to start laughing. "It's not funny!" I shouted, "That experience was so difficult for me to get through!"

Toby hugged me and laughed, "It's fine." As he let go, he whispered, "Besides, Gabe is probably gonna try the same thing."

I looked at him, annoyed, and started walking to his car, "I'll be waiting at the car."

As I waited, I was stuck in my thoughts, Let me see, today is August seventeenth. Tomorrow is the… Oh no, I have to go now.

Toby's P.O.V

I went to go find Jack to take him home, but it turned out he had already left in a taxi. Probably wouldn't have been able to stand the awkward car ride home after the rejection he got from Nicole, I wouldn't be able to stand it either. Walking back to the car, I kept thinking about Jack trying to kiss Nicole, and in doing that, I started to feel something, it was really indescribable. I got into the car and expected Nicole to be in the car already, but she was gone.

Instantly jumping out of my car, I screamed, "Nicole!" I ran around the parking lot searching for her, with no success, and walked back to my car. I should probably go to her house and see if she is there. God, I hope she is there.

Finally reaching her apartment, I quickly stepped out of the car and ran to her door. No answer. I knocked again, this time pounding the wooden door. Nicole finally opened the door, and before she could even speak, hugged her tightly, "Nicole! You had me so worried when you just disappear like that!" I looked behind her and saw the clock, Nine o'clock already? Looking back down at her, I saw that she had been crying. "Nicole," I started, "Are you okay?"

She put on a fake smile and laughed, "Yea! I was just watching a movie, it's already really sad." Nicole avoided my eyes and stared back at her room, "So, if you don't mind," She started as she began to close the door, "I'm just going to go back to it."

Quickly, I stopped the door with my hand, and questioned, "Nicole, something is wrong, what is it?"

Nicole looked into my eyes for the first time all night, eyes beginning to swell with tears. I took my hand off the door and stood there frozen in shock, this is the first time I've ever seen her cry. Suddenly, she shut the door fast, locked it, and yelled, "I'm sorry," Her voice stern but it was holding back the tears, "but can you just go! I... I need to be alone right now!"

Pounding the door, I begged, "Nicole! I am your friend! Let me help, please!" When she didn't answer, I turned around and slumped down to the floor. "Please?" I could hear her softly crying on the other side of the door. I hit the back of my head on the door, and paid no attention to the little pain I felt.

After an hour of sitting on the cold brick-covered ground, I got up and walked to my car. Sitting there in silence, I realized that I wanted nothing more than to bust through her door and make her laugh, to have our funny conversations, or even annoy her in the way that makes her laugh a bit.

Why is she shutting me out? We talk about so many things with each other, shouldn't this be one of those things? The silence began to get to me, and I switched on the radio so I could put a CD in. Searching for a good CD, I found one of Nicole's. Three Days Grace I thought, Of course she would leave it in here. I carefully placed the CD in the radio and listened. The lyrics were dark yet they had a good meaning. Listening to her CD, I found that I really like Nicole's favorite artist.

At about the third song on the disc, I fell asleep, dreams flowing in and out of my mind, some of Nicole, some of my life, and sometimes, there was complete nothing-ness. The one that really seemed to get to me was the nothing-ness. I tried to think of it as an intermission between dreams, as if my brain was trying to load the next video.

Knock Knock Knock "Sir, Sir, Sir!" My eyes slowly opened to see an older looking woman staring into my car. I rolled down the window and waited for her to speak, "Sir, are you waiting for someone or something, because a lot of people are complaining about your parked car."

"Oh," I responded softly, "I was actually just waiting for my friend, I'll um, I'll go check in on her." The woman nodded and moved for me to open the door. As I walked over to Nicole's door, I only hoped she would answer this time. I knocked on the long, narrow door and waited patiently.

"Who's there?" A tired, soft voice answered.

"Nicole, its Toby. Please let me in." I urged. Silence fell between us, and for five minutes, I waited, but nothing happened. My eyes started to form tears, and I stared down at my feet, letting them fall slowly as my hands just lay pressed against her door. I had to give up, Nicole wasn't going to let me in, I'm sure she has a good reason…

Just as I was about to leave, the door opened, making fall with it. Slamming into the floor, I heard a small laugh. I opened my eyes and saw Nicole's feet, making me joyous and I jumped up to hug her.

"Nicole, are you okay?!" I started to ramble, "Please, tell me why you shut me out! I'm your best friend! Why were you crying?! Why di….." Realizing she was still pressed up against my chest, even though I had stopped hugging her, I stayed silent to listen.

Nicole didn't sound like her normal loud and cheery self, her voice was muffled, but I heard it, it was small and sad, "Why weren't you lazy on this day? Why couldn't you leave me alone?"

'Why couldn't you leave me alone?' The words stung like a wasp, but I ignored the pain and hugged her tighter against my chest. "You are one of my best friends, I care about you even when you fall and it's just a scratch. My friends are important to me, and if they're hurt I have to help. It's just me." I answered.

Nicole started to cry softly, I patted her back to comfort her. She left my hug and turned around to not let me see her face, "I don't think you can understand this Toby. I'm twenty-seven, eleven years ago I lost my mom at the most important stage in my life."

August 18th, 2002

"Where's your mom?" Dad asked me.

"I don't know, she said she'd be home in ten minutes an hour ago." I answered softly.

"Nicole, I'm gonna have to leave you here, I have to go to work." He stated as he turned to look at me, his chocolate brown hair lay softly on the side of his pale forehead. He smiled at me with his perfect white teeth and grabbed my hand, "I love you my beautiful daughter. I'm sorry I have to leave you on a porch but..."

I cut him off, "Aww, dad, stop being so sappy!" I laughed as I opened the car door and stepped off the car, "I love you too dad, now off to work!" I shut the door and once again dad smiled at me, then he was off.

Sighing, I turned around and walked toward the wooden porch. I sat down on the seat swing and waited patiently. Staring off into space, I occasionally noticed the beautiful nature surrounding me. The orange and red of the Fall trees, as well as a squirrel that would pass by every two minutes. Before I knew it, it was, the sun was setting, and the red-orange tint in the sky told me something was wrong. Mom had never been this late before! I was worried, and as I stood up, my phone rang, it was mom. I answered the phone relieved, "Mom, thank god you called where are you?"

But the voice on the other end of the phone wasn't mom, it was a man, a man who worked for the police. He told me my mom's body had been found in the nearby river, and that she had only been dead a few minutes, also that her car was driven off road. When the phone call ended, I cried. And through tears I called my father and told him I needed to leave right now.

Nicole's story only got worse, saying she went into a deep depression, even after they found the killer. Two years later, on the same day, her dad died in a house fire. It's no wonder she never wants to talk about family stuff.

"The eighteenth of August is my worst day of the year; it's the anniversary of their deaths. I always want to be alone on this day. I never wish to talk about it." She stated as she turned around, the tears streaming down her face. I saw the pain in her eyes, and started crying myself.

Pulling her into another tight hug, I whispered, "You don't have to be alone, you don't have to be sad, your parents wouldn't want you to sad on the day of their deaths. They would want you to keep going with your life. No more tears. No more tears." Nicole cried harder into my chest, muffling her pain.

Four Hours Later

Nicole and I had been sitting on her couch, watching some comedy movies she had trying to make her happy. I had fallen asleep; it was an exhausting day already. Standing up from the couch, I saw Nicole sitting at the end of the couch, staring at two photos. "You know," She started, "if my dad was still alive and he saw a strange man on my couch, I'm sure you'd be dead by now!" She laughed.

I smiled, "No, because before your dad could get me I would run away!"

"Nope, because if my mom was alive, she would calm my dad down, and stop him from making a scene."

Laughing, I sat down again, but next to Nicole. I looked down and saw the pictures of her mom and dad, "Wow, you look a lot like your mom." I stated.

Nicole nodded and smiled. She rested her head on my shoulder and spoke, "Thanks Toby, you really are a true friend to me.

Grinning, I agreed, "I am an amazing person aren't I?"

Nicole looked up at me and raised an eyebrow, "Slow down there hot-shot, all I said was that you are a true friend. Nowhere in that sentence did I say amazing person."

"You said it now." I answered cockily.

"Oh shut up you." She joked as she shoved me a bit.

"Oh, it's like that!" I shouted then began to tickle her. She slid down on the couch and laughed uncontrollably. I held her kicking legs down with mine

Finally I stopped to let her breathe and sit up again. She gave me a half angry half happy look, like usual, but this time she tried to get me! Nicole wiggled her fingers to my sides, making me giggle and slide down, allowing her to get on top of me and continue this attack. After a couple of minutes she asked, "Had enough?!" I nodded and she stopped.

Looking at Nicole, I took multiple deep breaths and she looked very content with herself. I smiled at her, and her face became straight, I looked at her confused, but then she started to lean forward. My face started to heat up as she came closer to it. Lying there, I had no idea what to do, I was frozen. Nicole closed her eyes and she too was blushing as she got closer. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion, and I waited, but what I was waiting for, I didn't know…