Nicole

Chapter: 14

Nathan stayed true to his word and didn't tell anyone about Nicole's panic attack although she noticed how he was cautious and at edge whenever she wasn't in class. Even though he tried to hide it, Nicole picked it up from the concerned glances he spared her.

Ever since the first day back at school, time was speeding away. Nicole took her studies as seriously as she did when her mother was alive and that took away most of her time. She didn't realize how two days had passed so quickly and Axel was hoping for the end of the world.

According to Christopher, Derek was supposed to arrive at 3 o'clock which meant he would be here any second.

"I want you all to keep your thoughts about him to yourself," Christopher told them all. They nodded absently in unison. "He is only sticking around for a few days and I want you all to make him feel at home."

"But he's not at home," Axel interrupted. He was going to say something else but upon Christopher's glare, thought better of it.

Then, the doorbell rang, signaling Derek's arrival. Axel groaned loudly and Nicole saw Nathan roll his eyes. If Nathan didn't like him, then this guy was bound to be trouble.

They were all standing in the hallway to welcome him. Christopher opened the door to reveal a light-haired boy about an inch shorter than Axel. Nicole blinked. He wasn't slender like Axel or pale like Nathan. His skin was tanned and his figure was broad. If it wasn't for the huge grin on his face, he would've seemed scary.

"Uncle Chris!" he called out and Nicole closed her eyes, inhaling sharply. She didn't want anyone calling her father Chris. It was more precious than just a nickname. She felt as if it was something for her mother and just her mother. Anyone other than her calling him Chris just felt wrong...

"Welcome, Derek," Christopher said, as Derek embraced him tightly. Nicole winced, dreading her turn. He pulled away and turned to the rest of the four.

"Ah, Axel," he started forward. Axel could only manage a nervous smile before he, too, was pulling in a suffocating hug. He grunted against Derek's strong embrace and sucked in a huge breath when he finally let him go. "Izzy," he only side-hugged Isabelle but even that was bone-crushing. As he moved to Nathan, Nicole felt a rush of pity for the pale and stick-thin soul. He hugged Nathan tighter than Axel and Nicole resisted the urge to reach out and pull him away from her brother.

And then, he moved to Nicole. "You must be Nicole."

She held up her hand, unable to resist it, "If you try to pull me in a bone-crushing hug, I swear I will break your arm and I have done that before so do not test me." Her words came out in a smoother tone than she thought and Derek raised his eyebrows. Nicole moved her hand, "Let's shake on it." Derek shrugged and shook her hand.

Beside her, Nicole saw her siblings looking at her in fascination and with a smirk at Derek.

"Now," Derek said, clasping his hands together. "Where will I sleep?"

"The couch..." "Basement..." "Roof..." Nathan, Isabelle, and Axel spoke uncertainly in unison. Christopher opened his mouth to say something but closed it again, seemingly not able to find the words.

Derek's grin widened, "Ah, don't worry. I'll sleep in my buddy Nathan's room." He slapped Nathan so hard on his back that Nathan hunched a bit, having the wind knocked out of him. Nicole's hand immediately went to his shoulder and she subconsciously pulled him lightly toward her. He looked up at her in gratitude. "Now, I came here to welcome Nicole back home."

"Yeah, I think we were enough to welcome her back home," Axel said and then, seeing his father's glare, quickly added, "But your presence makes it better. Much better."

"Ah, thanks, Axy," Nicole snickered but when she saw Axel's glare, she quickly covered it with a cough. "Y'know, I love bein' with y'all." Nicole only noticed now that there was an accent to his voice. His 'I's sounded more like 'ah' and he skipped words frequently. It made him sound jolly. It was annoying.

"Derek, why don't you go unpack and freshen up? you've had a long flight," Christopher suggested.

"Roger that, Chris," he said, and again, Nicole's heart pinched. He picked up his suitcase before running upstairs. A minute later, Nathan's eyes widened and a horrified expression crossed his face.

"Oh, my God, my books," he said and sprinted after Derek. Nicole blinked. She didn't know that skinny thing could run that fast.

"Oh, I'm so glad we have a New Yorker here," Isabelle said, throwing up her head in relief. Nicole grinned. It was true that living in New York had polished her qualities.

"Um, Dad?" Nathan said as he came back downstairs, looking up frequently. "Can I have a trunk?"

Christopher furrowed his eyebrows, "Why do you need a trunk?"

"He's touching my books," Nathan replied. His tone was a whine and had an edge and he shifted impatiently. Nicole grinned. Christopher sighed, shaking his head.

"I need a break," he muttered, making his way into his room. Nathan turned to his siblings with a frown.

"Ask Nicole to tell him not to touch them," Axel said and Nicole raised an eyebrow at him. "Trust me, New York has magic."

"New York is a very strange city, Axel," Nicole told him.

"I don't care. I'm not going there anyway," he said. "Now, who wants to come up with me and make a plan for mission Avoid Derek?" At that, both Isabelle and Nathan raised their hands. Nicole clicked her tongue.

"I'm not gonna avoid him," she said. "I'll make sure he avoids me."

"And if he doesn't?" Isabelle asked.

"Then, I'll give him a piece of my mind," Nicole said and made her way upstairs to her room. Things were roaming inside her mind and she wanted to sort them through to make up her mind about this guy.