Broken
#5 of The Surprise
Chapter Five: Broken
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She must be expecting someone...
School was better today than it had been on Monday. He had actually talked to his friends today, which improved things considerably. Tori was really great--he didn't once comment about his previous behavior. He didn't ask if anything was wrong, either. He acted completely normally, which was what Nic wanted. If nobody acted like nothing had happened, then everything would just blow over, right?
Violet came into the room, looking nonchalant. "I'm going on a date, okay Nic?" she asked. He nodded a little and looked back to his work. "There's money on the kitchen table if you need food or something, okay? Mom and Dad are at a party tonight," she explained. She strode over and gave him a little kiss on the forehead, which he wiped off, smiling. Violet smirked and left the room, humming to herself.
Nic jumped up, slapping himself in the face a little. "Why am I thinking about him!?" he shouted. "I...just want to...forget everything," he said quietly, tears starting to drop down onto his textbook. "Why can't I get him out of my head? He tried to...I can't ever...It can't go back to the way it was. I called him one of my closest friends once, even though we really never hung out much, but...he changed that..." he began to sob softly, hurt and confused as to why his friend would do things like that. He wiped the tears off his muzzle and sat back down, clearing his textbook of the salty drops as well.
The doorbell rang, and Axel jumped, fumbling with the remote and then turning the TV off. He padded over to the front door and opened it to reveal a black bunny with pink head fur and a purple ear. "Violet! Thank goodness you came!" he said, his tail wagging a little.
She smiled and cam inside. Axel shook his head, completely astonished. He followed her to sit back down on the couch.
I realized it after.... Whenever I see him, it lights up my day. I don't know what I'd do without just seeing him everyday. It's bad enough that he avoids me anyway..." he trailed off, looking sad.
If you could, would you do anything just to get him to talk to you, to smile at you again?"
And don't call me that."
Axel tilted his head, puzzled. "If," she paused on the word, "you can get him back, I think...he might be able to love you the way you love him."
"Don't get too excited, Wolfy. I said 'if.' And I've only suspected things. I can't be sure he is--he could just be a sensitive guy."
"Can...you help me? I want to get him back, Violet."
"Here," she said, handing him a slip of paper. "I think lilies are good. They're a symbol of rebirth, and I think it's rather fitting, and definitely less used than roses." She got up off the couch and headed for the door. Smiling, she turned around and waved good-bye to him. "Just don't do anything else stupid, ok?"
He felt really good now that Violet had decided to help him out. He looked at the slip of paper he held in his paw. It was the address for a florist's shop downtown, and the hours were scrawled onto it as well: 7:00-5:00. _ It was already well past five--he'd have to go early next morning. He got up off the couch and itched at a bandage on his arm. It started to come off a little, and he ripped through it with his claws, scratching at the skin below it. That one had healed a while ago, so he didn't have to worry about it reopening on him. As he tossed the bandage remains into the trash can, a wild thought hit him, hard. _How did I get to the hospital!?
Kari gasped and pointed to the top shelf of the locker. Sitting on the cold metal was a lone lily, large and white with velvety red spots all over. Tied to the stem by a thin red ribbon was a small piece of aged-looking parchment. Nic got up on his tiptoes and got it down, holding it gently in his paw.
"I forgot that's your name! Why don't you go by it--it such a pretty name?" she suggested, blushing.
"All the girls want you, Foxy," he said, smirking at Nic, who rolled his eyes.
is a pretty name!"
When he came to school the next day, he eagerly looked up towards the top shelf of his locker again. He had taken the flower after school the day before, setting it in a vase on his dresser. To his slight disappointment, however, there was no lily there today. He sighed and left to join Kari and Tori in homeroom. He nodded at Ms. Bree as he came in, greeting her. He started to sit down at his usual desk, but stopped when he saw something in the seat. It was another lily, the same kind as the one from yesterday. Kari gasped loudly when she noticed it.
"I asked Billy about what kind it might be, and I described it to him. He ran a search with that in mind, and he said it was a Japanese Lily."
They're probably really hard to grow here, so they've got to be expensive. Exactly who is after you, Nic?" Kari asked.
"What's up with you?" Violet asked him, smiling.
Just really happy today, that's all," he said, still grinning. Violet watched him as he swished his tail while walking around the house, obviously pleased with himself. She even caught him brushing it when she went into the bathroom. He had blushed heavily and muttered something about a tangle before rushing off. He went to bed that night with a grin stuck on his face.
He ate breakfast for once, and the whole table couldn't keep their eyes off him, all of them grinning as they watched him staring lazily at nothing in particular. "He's always liked Fridays," his mother commented, "but what's gotten into him lately?" she asked, not bothering to hide her voice--Nic wasn't paying an ounce of attention to them.
"He's a handsome boy!"
As soon as Tori saw Nic at school, he gave a large roll of the eyes. Kari giggled, blushing. They all went to homeroom together, but there were no flowers waiting for them. It didn't really matter to Nic anymore; he had received enough to know that someone was after him, someone who wasn't afraid to spend lots of money on him.
Hey Nic, there was something on my desk before you came in. I think it was meant for you," he said, holding out another lily, bearing the same calligraphy as the other two. Nic took the flower, putting it into a pocket of his backpack. He went up to ask the teacher, a middle aged black lab, if she had seen anyone come in.
Nic shrugged, unfazed. He ambled back to his seat, the teacher's mouth agape at his complete change. The old Nic would have muttered a quick, "Yes, ma'am," and hurried off.
On Monday, Nic had found a flower at his usual lunch table, and Tuesday gave him one during psychology. Something utterly unexpected happened that day after chemistry, though. Nic was one of the last to leave the classroom, as he often was lately. He turned at the door, following the other students who were on their way to lunch. Up ahead a little ways, a lion bumped into Axel hard, causing the wolf to drop his things, papers scattering everywhere. The lion snickered and kept on, while some of the students helped Axel gather up his papers. Nic saw something out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see what it was. A tiny piece of paper had floated all the way back to him, and he caught it out of the air. He was about to hand it to one of the students in front of him to pass it back, but stopped dead in his tracks when he looked down at it. Written in dazzling calligraphy was the word Nicolaus.
"Why!?" he shouted at them, as though expecting an answer. Tears started to well up in his eyes, but he shook them away. Everything had started going so well, but it had suddenly come apart. Axel had been the one delivering the flowers to him all along; there was no mistaking it. Nic shook himself off, like he was wet, trying to will the thoughts away. He didn't want to be sad again, not when things had finally started being normal, even better. He wouldn't let himself fall back into depression. The fox sat down, pulled out his chemistry textbook, and started doing homework. When he came to the end of the section, he went on to the next chapter and did the reviews for its sections, determined to occupy himself.
Nobody mentioned the fact that his boldness had vanished, that his tail had started to droop again.
By now, all of Axel's bandages were off, and his wounds had healed. Nic heard someone asking to see one of his scars, and he looked up. The wolf tugged up his shirt and showed the other student the scar on his chest, eliciting a gasp and an, "Ooh!" from one of the girls nearby. Nic looked back down to his work. He was now quite far ahead of the rest of the class. Needless to say, the teacher had been impressed at his enthusiasm.
It was Casey, Axel's best friend that he had been introduced to on the first day of school. "Did something happen between you two?" Nic didn't answer, but she pressed on. "You don't sit with us anymore; I've seen you all by yourself at lunch. Axel doesn't talk about you anymore, either. We used to hear about you all the time: the little fox he was good friends with. But now..." she sighed, as Nic was still busy working, trying to ignore her. "Nic. I want to tell you something. I shouldn't...it was in confidence...but I think you need to know."
"He did all that himself, you know."
That night, Nic had disturbing dreams about the night that seemed so long ago...Axel's frightening change, his scared look when Nic broke free from him, his out-held paw...
He had kept his silence for long enough, but something needed to be done now, and he was the one to do it.
Nic left the flower he got that day in his locker after school, along with the others he had received over the last couple of days. He didn't want them anymore. The ones on his dresser only still stood there because he didn't want to touch them. Tori and Nic walked to Tori's house after school, and Tori volunteered to call Nic's parents to let them know where he was.
I will. Thank you Mrs. Turner," he said, hanging up the phone. He turned to Nic. "Shall we go up to my room?"
"What's wrong, Nic?"
"Nic..." he said, rubbing the fox's back softly as his own back was growing damp with tears. "It's okay. I won't let anyone hurt you. You're too special for that. What Axel did was wrong, and I'm here for you to help you get over it."
Yeah, I suppose he might actually be sorry...but do you think you can be friends again, knowing what he did?"
He wanted to be able to forgive the wolf, but he didn't know if he could, or if it was the right thing to do. He didn't know why he wanted to forgive him, either, and that was the part that bothered him the most. "I...want it to be better again...I really liked him...and he was so nice to me...I felt like we were so close, like we had known each other for years...and it's tormenting me to see him so sad."
Nic flung himself on the bed once he was inside his room. Violet was pounding on his locked door. "Nic! Open this door or its coming down! You tell me what's wrong! You can't shut yourself away like this!" Nic remained motionless on his bed, tears streaming down his face. "COWARD!" she thundered, and stormed off. The fox eventually fell asleep, a huddled red mass on the bed.
He saw himself reflected in it, and he almost didn't recognize himself. His features were disfigured from all the stress he had been going through, and it scared him a little. He remembered what Tori had said to him the night before... Nic...do you...are you in love with him? _ Tears started welling up, and he gazed at his reflection. _Are you? It seemed to ask him.
...yes... came the tiny whisper, and Nic fought it.
Then why does it upset you so much?
Any one else would have hurt him back. Why didn't you?
Admit it. You've never like girls, have you?
A friend--nothing more. She's made it obvious that she likes you more, but you haven't touched her.
_Don't lie to yourself. _ The voice said strongly, and Nic remembered what Violet had called him: a coward. Then something broke inside him. A wall somewhere was knocked down, and he wasn't going to lie anymore. He was done running and hiding. Fear was not going to torment him any longer. He unlocked his bedroom door and started down the stairs. As he opened the front door, Violet shouted at him.
I've seen how troubled you've been. You're going to do something stupid! I won't let you hurt yourself. What fool goes 'out' into a raging thunderstorm?" she yelled, her voice rising.
NICOLAUS TURNER, YOU COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" she screeched, but it was too late. Her brother had vanished into the sheets of rain and darkness, and not even the lightning was strong enough to find him. Violet raced to her car, turning it on and peeling out of the driveway. "Damn!" she hissed as she searched the streets in vain, the rain too heavy to see through. "He's going to get himself killed out here! I thought he would listen to me when I told him he can't run away."
***
Axel watched the rain pelt the windows. He had always liked storms--the bigger the better. He surveyed the skies, watching the lightning spider-web across the black clouds. His ears perked up when he heard a sound at the door. He checked the clock. His mother wouldn't be home for another hour and a half. Cautiously, he padded to the door and opened it. Standing before him, drenched to the bone, was the red fox.
"But I...you...I wasn't going to...why did you...?" he stammered, but the fox cut him off.
*end of chapter.*
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