Superheroes, Super Problems

*19* Façade

"Nicole?" I asked and sat up more in the bed. She looked over to see Declan and then she smiled over at me and Vixen.

"Hi Vixen, long time, no see," she tried to seem kind. Vixen didn't reply rudely, but then again, she didn't reply at all. I didn't need to catch her up on anything between me and Nicole. She simply wiped the sad expression off her face and decided that maybe going home would be a good decision—her way of giving me and Nicole some time alone.

"I think I need to talk to her about something..." Declan added and then left right after Vixen had; only he and Nicole shared a short gaze and an even shorter greeting. Nicole glanced over at the chair that I had overlooked because I didn't realize the Cavalier's red and black vest was neatly folded as if it wasn't ripped and torn due to the fight. But she continued walking over to me and hesitantly sat on the end of the bed.

"Are you here to congratulate me for stealing someone else's boyfriend?" I asked. She sighed before continuing to glare at me as if her pity to visit me was replaced by her distain.

"You didn't steal anyone's boyfriend," she sighed. I almost choked on air at her agreement. "Last summer, I shouldn't have assumed anything happened between you and Steele. I mean, obviously I still should've broken up with him because he didn't love me anymore, but I shouldn't have blamed you for it."

Wow. If I knew any better, I'd say that was an apology. But this was Nicole Krait. She was feisty and popular and didn't take anyone's shit about her actions...but I wasn't just anyone.

"I'm sorry," she finally voiced. "I'm sorry for accusing you and just ragging on you for the Explosion—when you had nothing to even do with it at all. It was stupid of me and once I heard you were in the hospital..."

"What?" I asked as she trailed off. "Did you rethink your apology when you pieced me and Declan together?" Maybe she thought I did the same thing for the Emma/Declan relationship.

"I talked to Emma," she rolled her eyes. "Even though Declan seemed to leave you out of his Cavalier revelation, I wasn't an idiot to overlook that every other day she ranted to me about how her relationship was holding on by a thread only because them being together 'made sense'. How stupid is that, huh? They stayed together because of popularity and because she was under the assumption he still loved her, regardless of her feelings—but apparently—"

I silenced her when I held up a hand and gave her a specific look. I didn't want nor need to know the details about Emma and Declan's relationship. I could analyze it on my own and as far as I was concerned, it was Declan's decision whether or not to update me on the situation with her—even though I knew for sure that they were broken up.

"I don't blame you," Nicole said after a moment of stepping out of her gossiping stage. "I don't even blame Steele or Declan for falling for you. Sure the circumstances were inconvenient, but I know you, A. You didn't do anything with Steele and no matter how much I was a bitch to you within the past year, I have a gut feeling you didn't really do anything with Declan until things were over with him and Emma...that's just who you are. You're easy to love."

I wanted to say thank you, but at the same time I didn't want her to think she could just waltz back into my life with an apology and an array of compliments to vindicate people falling in love with me while being in separate relationships. But I had instantly forgiven her.

"I've made a lot of mistakes that I hate, and you gotta believe me on that," she said. "When I found out you were in here, all I could think about was that you were my best friend for so many years and maybe if I was there for you, it wouldn't have gone this way. And if I wasn't such a bitch, I wouldn't have felt guilty for the past few days about possibly not having the chance of apologizing for how I've acted."