Tell Me Why

Part 3

"Nicholas, what are you doing here? It's almost midnight." Hope gently whispered, knowing if her dad heard her she would be deported back to Paris.

He climbed up the vine, and up to her window. "Hello, Hope." He grinned and looked at her perfect features.

"You can't be here. My dad will kick you out of the state. Or worse, the country. And--"

He put his finger to her lips. "You talk too much."

"Sorry. But what are you doing here? We're barely friends you know."

"Well, I searched down where you lived. And decided I needed to tell you something."

"What? You hunted me down? Really? I thought you didn't know me." Her heart beat faster and faster. His face was just an inch away from hers.

"Yeah. And I know you like me." He said slowly. She looked down, knowing when her friends had told her, that she was the most depressed person.

"I know. I found that out two weeks ago." She didn't make any eye contact. All she could think was that he came to tell her to back off. And forget about him.

"Good. I just wanted to say.." He started but she quickly interrupted.

"To back off and leave me alone? I get it." She started closing the window, but he grabbed her arm.

"What? No. No. No. Have you gone insane?" He held her hand.

"You can say that." She mumbled under her breath.

"Look. I know we have our differences and our likes. But I've dated tons of girls. And I want to give you a chance. So will you give me that chance?" He lifted her chin slightly. Tears filled her eyes.

"You know, my dad--"

"We have to keep it our secret."

"What?"

"They'll take me away from you if they find out." He stroked her rosy cheeks.

"Are you sure about this?" A tear slipped from her eye.

"Of course. And hey, why the tears, Hope?" He wiped them away.

"It all feels like a dream. And I'm in shock." They both laughed quietly.

"I have to get home before mom calls me. Here." He placed a rose on the windowsill, jumped down, and went off.

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More tears flew down Hope's cheeks. Her eyes were now red and puffy and she just couldn't stop. She carefully placed his picture back in the box, placing the rose right over it.

"I'm sorry again, Nicholas. They took me away from you." She couldn't breathe. She heard the door open downstairs. She quickly threw the lid onto the box and slid it underneath her bed.

She locked her room and as Maria tried to charge in, she sat on her bed. Hugging her blue fuzzy pillow which read. "Love never fails."

"I hope you're true pillow." She whispered.

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Nicholas sat in his office, his feet rested up on the table. He joined this job because of his father and his successful banking career.

But after his parents separated, his father left the company and went off. To somewhere he wouldn't even tell to his only son.

"Did you finish the paperwork in the file, Nick?" Lorelai came in asking with three or four clipboards in her arms.

Nick quickly took his feet off the table as he saw her head towards his office. "Almost, Lori."

"Great." She placed the clipboards down on the chair and looked up at Nick awkwardly. "Nick, would you, uhm, like to go out on Friday night?"

Nick looked up from the paper he was scribbling names onto. "Lor, I--."

"Can't. Gotcha." She scurried out, not even picking up the clipboards she had left in front of him.

Nick sighed. He hurt many girls, especially Lor. He felt terrible.

But it wasn't his fault.

All he wanted was Hope.

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Maria finally busted the door open.

"HOPE! I AM GO--" What Maria noticed was Hope lying there, in a deep sleep hugging a pillow.

"You just had to become my stepsister." Maria mumbled. She saw a corner of a box sticking out from underneath her bed.

"What's this?" She gently pulled it out.

She lifted the lid carefully.

She dropped the lid as she heard the phone ring.

When Hope heard running in her sleep, she woke up and saw the box opened. She quickly closed it, and slid onto a high shelf.

Maria could never reach it there.

Hope wanted to puke as she eavesdropped onto Maria's phone call with her delicious boyfriend.

Poor Michael, Hope thought.

If only he knew he was being used by that witch to get a hold of his money.

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