Blue Money | Nick Robinson

Chapter Twelve: Cold Snap

"What about?" He rolls his eyes like he's already done with her before she's even had the chance to open her mouth. She crosses her arms, furrowing her eyebrows together. The freckles speckled across her nose become more prominent as her nose turns pink.

"Don't talk to me like that," Dawn snaps and Nick rolls his eyes, like a teacher is lecturing him. "Anna is my best friend so I'm going to fix this."

"I thought Miles was your best friend," Nick says in a mocking tone and when she glares at him he shakes his head, his voice dropping an octave. "Anna hates me."

"You lied to her, Nicholas."

"Oh, god, you sound like my mother," He says, looking up at the sky, exasperated.

"Stop acting like you don't care, I know you do," Dawn says.

"I don't care," He says, not convincingly.

"I thought you were a better liar than that," She bites out, venom passing through her words.

Nick pauses and acts as if he's going to walk away but he freezes, biting his lip. He looks lost, almost hopeless but he's trying to mask it with an air of carelessness but Dawn knows better. She can read people, always sees the best in the them.

"I didn't mean to lie," He sighs, closing his eyes like trying to block out his own memories. "I just, uh, didn't want anybody to know how I felt about Emma."

"How did you feel about her?"

"Don't make me say it."

"You loved her and because she's dead you think you're never allowed to love anybody else," Dawn says and Nick looks like he's fighting back tears, swallows and looks at the ground.

"I didn't think there would be anybody else."

Dawn considers her words carefully before speaking. Steels herself by breathing in deep and shaking her hands out, placing them by her sides.

"You're released from whatever promises you made Emma. You have someone that loves you and cares about you, don't throw it away. Fix it, Nick."

"What if I can't? What if she hates me forever?"

"Forever is a long time, Nick. You have time."

He's not crying but tears pin prick his eyes and he could have sniffled and said it was the cold air outside but he doesn't, he swallows and looks past Dawn, behind her at the school that's more like a castle of blue people and the undoubtful feeling that one day, nothing could be worse because it's already as bad as it can be.

Anna Kyle

If there was an award for avoiding someone I really think I would win.

Thanksgiving comes and goes so quickly, I barely remember the flight home, a week of being back in my room and then that big ol family dinner where we talk about all the things we're grateful for.

I would have said Nick if he hadn't lied to me.

I was still trying to wrap my mind around, Nick and Emma. I had known, from the moment I said her name and saw the look cross over his face, it was painted like a masterpiece. I knew Nick had been hiding things from me but the 'dated a girl who tragically died' secret was worse than things like getting expelled from prep school.

The sour taste in my mouth didn't go away and it got worse every time I realized what a horrible person I was for being angry at him for being in love. She had died and I was pissed at the both of them. If Emma was still here would he even care about me? If she was alive, would I even be in the picture? I felt like I had harshly replaced her and I hadn't even known it. Even though I had never met her, I didn't even know what she looked like for god sakes, but i feel as if I had shoved myself in and pushed her out of Nick's life. The thought disgusts me. I hate myself for it.