A/n This chapter is really short but it is very important.

Title: song by Hayden Panettiere.

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Wake Up Call

"Yes! I won fair and square." Nicole shouted over the music.

"Ok, ok but no more silly questions, let's go hardcore." Aden stated.

"Ok then, what age did you lose your virginity?" Nicole asked with a slight smirk.

"15." Aden told her, his good mood slightly dying as he thought about it. "Ok, next round."

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

This went on for a while until they got bored and decided to quit pool.

"I can't believe it's only 11pm it feels later than that!" Nicole exclaimed examining her watch.

"I know we've still got an hour before you have to go home. Hey I've got and idea, come with me!" He grabbed her hand and led her towards the river.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Nicole sat on the edge of the bank and motioned for Aden to sit next to her, "Lets sit and talk." They sat for a while making idle chitchat and admiring the view. Aden watched Nicole, thinking of their game of pool and the things he'd learnt about her, but he realised that it actually had been more him doing the answering.

"So Nic, what age did you lose your virginity then?" Aden asked looking out at the river.

"What?" Nicole asked, shaken from her daydream.

"What age did you lose your virginity? I answered now it's your turn."

"Um, oh look at the time it's 11:45, we'd better head back." Nicole got up and gathered her coat and bag from the grass.

"Nic, are you alright?" Aden got up aswell.

"Yeah I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you just went really weird." He walked over to her, "Nic, Nicole look at me please." Aden pleaded. She finally looked up at him and he noticed tears in her eyes, threatening to spill.

"Can you just take me home?" Her eyes were silently begging with him, so he gave in. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

When Nicole got in a few minutes before curfew, Lily had to admit she was impressed. She thought she would have to work a little bit harder at getting somewhere with Nicole but apparently not. However, she was looking forward to having a girly chat with her all about her date, but as soon as she was in the door she ran up to her room and slammed the door. Lily could have sworn she just had déjà vu. It was just like having Natalie around again. Now, Lily would be the first to admit that she had made some terrible life choices in the past. For example, putting her career ahead of her child. Everyone always told her "You'll make a fantastic mother one day" and "Oh don't worry, just be the best mother you can be." Well, she wasn't a fantastic mother and she wasn't even the best she could be. The truth is, she couldn't handle the fact that another life needed her as much as she needed herself. To have someone so dependant on you is frightening. So instead of embracing the fear and learning, she buried herself in her work and left her child to mainly fend for herself. And not a day goes by when she doesn't regret that decision. She even tried to make it right with her other child, not that it made a difference. But the thing that Lily found most surprising was that every play or parent-teacher conference she missed, Natalie would say to her "I will never treat my child the way you treat me," yet here Nicole is, left with her grandmother and Natalie is off somewhere doing whatever she's doing and treating her daughter the same way I treated her. So while Lily is trying to rectify her mistakes, her daughter is making the same ones, and the only one in the end that will get hurt is poor, innocent Nicole.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxo

The next day was hell for Nicole. Not only had she been dodging questions from her grandmother all morning, she now had to work with Aden and his questioning eyes. What had she gotten herself into? She was usually so good with lying, but with Aden it was different. She came so close to just blurting it out, but that could never happen, not again. She couldn't go through that again. So when lunchtime rolled round, Nicole hopped out from behind the desk and ran out the door. Wandering around for a while, she eventually found herself at the river again. Sometimes she wondered if it would be easier to just tell everyone. She didn't owe them any favours, but something always held her back, and she knew that she couldn't do it to her.

"Hey Nic" The sound of someone's voice made her jump. She quickly got to her feet, ready to make a quick escape. "Look, can you just please stop avoiding me and just talk."

"I'm not avoiding you, and there's nothing to talk about. I promise." She tried her best at a convincing smile, but she wasn't fooling anyone. She quickly told him she had to get back to work, but he could walk with her if he liked.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The next morning Lily had sat Nicole down and tried to talk to her.

"So, you and Aden, what's going on there?" Lily asked as she sat on the coffee table across from Nicole.

"Nothing, why?" Nicole sat up straight, she hated people prying.

"I'd just hate to see you get hurt. He's an infamous womaniser," Lily stated.

"Oh, don't preach to me about what I can and can't do!" Nicole shouted defensively. "Besides, we can't stop what's done to us, we can only hope to survive it."

"Oh yeah, and what would you possibly know about surviving? You're seventeen for Gods sake. So you're trapped in Flagstaff for the summer, I really feel for you. You have no idea what it takes to survive!" She was being a bit harsh and she knew it, but she wanted Nicole to open up to her. Plus it's true, what could she have possibly been through to be so cynical in life?

"Oh and you invented it didn't you? You have a dead husband and a dead son, and a daughter that hates your guts. You've battled cancer on your own and we're all so proud that your still here! Well I was 13 when Ray started having sex with me! So we can all survive, we just don't have to mope about it all the damn time!" Nicole stormed upstairs leaving a dazed and confused Lily.