The Triangle

Chapter 34 • Plan

❥Warning:
Includes strong language.

-CLAY's POV-
The guys and I finally did leave to give Y/N the space. Especially because even though we knew she didn't mean them, her words hurt.

The 3 of us went to the ice cream shop, our usual spots near the window, to calm down from todays events.

After we got our ice cream, we sat down in the chairs that were formed in a triangle formation, George to the left of me and Nick to the right.

I took a deep breath while messing with my ice cream cup.

CLAY:
"She didn't mean it..." I met their gazes, "She's just upset..."

Nick nodded slowly with a frown at his ice cream.

NICK:
"It still hurt..." he swallowed hard.

GEORGE:
"When people are angry...what they say in the argument is the truth about how they truly feel...she called us disappointments..." his voice was weak as slight tears began forming in his eyes.

George stared down the small pink and white flower centerpiece as I sighed.

GEORGE:
"What if she did mean it...?" He whispered.

CLAY:
"Look, you guys aren't disappointments, okay? She was just upset, it was in the heat of the moment—"

NICK:
"What if she meant it—" he cut me off with a sad glare, "What if that's why she won't let us in...? If her situation was anything else, she would've let us in to comfort her, just like she's always done...this times different...maybe it's because she really does see us as disappointments..."

I sighed again with a frown as my shoulders dropped.

CLAY:
"What do you guys think she meant when she said it was our fault Nicole and her weren't closer?" My eyebrows squished together.

George looked down at ice ice cream as he clenched his jaw. Nick's eyes slowly started to widen as his lips curled down farther.

NICK:
"She thinks we replaced Nicole..." he said lowly.

Our heads shot to him.

CLAY:
"What?"

Nick sighed as he clenched his jaw tightly.

NICK:
"When my mom got a new family...she cut all contact with me and my dad you know and um..." he swallowed hard, "When I found out she got pregnant by her new husband I...I felt replaced and...maybe that's what we did to Nicole..."

Mine and George's eyes widened at each other.

NICK:
"She kept saying it was our fault...maybe it was..." he whispered as slight tears began forming in his eyes, "Y/N hungout with us the most...more than Nicole and...we replaced her..."

Nick's eyes fell back to his ice cream as the tears filled his eyes fully now.

NICK:
"That would explain why Nicole's always ignored us..." he bit his lip, "And why Y/N called us disappointments...we took her sister away from her, we almost let her drown and I told her she was being paranoid about Nicole's disappearance..."

Nick shook his head as his lip quivered.

NICK:
"I hate myself too..." his voice cracked as he shut his eyes with a frown, letting his tears fall to the table.

I held my hand on his shoulder while he covered his face up with his hands. I swallowed hard while glancing at George. He released a shaky breath out as he blinked away his slight tears.

GEORGE:
"What do we do now...?" He spoke quietly while frowning at me.

My eyes fell to the table as I nodded slowly, feeling the tears come up.