HEARING DAMAGE
TEEN NOLA - CHAPTER THREE !
COLD ORANGE JUICE SLID down the back of her throat with ease as the young Rilke girl gulped back the glass. The morning after the altercation between Shauna and Taissa had come and just as Nola had suspected, her head had been absolutely killing her when she awoke to the ear piercing, shrill rings of her alarm clock.
The young girl had tossed and turned like crazy during the night. The way in which she'd left things with Shauna the night prior had caused an feeling of unease to fester in the pit of her stomach, rendering her unable to sleep. The sun had begun to come up when exhaustion finally overcame her, only for the alarm to blare mere hours later.
No matter how much she wished to remain in bed and sleep the day away, she had no choice. Nationals was closing in fast and she needed to be ready. Thankfully for her, she had packed her suitcase a few days prior which meant all she needed to do was drag herself out of bed and force some food into her system. Easier said than done.
Nola had practically crawled out of bed, eyes still half closed as she gotten herself dressed and lugged her exhausted body to the kitchen. A horrific sight had met her as she rounded the corner. Sitting at the breakfast bar was her father and standing near the sink was her mother, both sipping away at their own individual cup of coffee.
Not wishing to speak to either, Nola had simply walked past them both and gotten herself a glass of orange juice which she had knocked back in an instant, using the liquid to swallow down some Tylenol.
"A letter from Berkeley came for you this morning." Her mother announced with a unsubtle glance her daughters way as she pulled away the mug from her lips.
Nola sighed as she placed her condensation covered glass upon the counter-top. The lack of a coaster beneath the glass did not go unnoticed by her mother. "What did it say?" She questioned while reaching for an apple.
Her mother had the audacity to look offended. The palm of her hand lay flat across her chest, pressing against the fabric of her black pantsuit. "How would I know?"
"Because you open every single piece of mail that I've ever gotten?" The young girl sarcastically quipped, her voice so light muffled by the chunk of apple she had bitten free of the fruit. She swallowed down the rest before reaching for her glass once again. "Just tell me what it said. Shauna's gonna be here any minute."
She hoped. There was the slim chance that Shauna would leave her stranded, leaving her to find her another way to the plane. It was slim but still a possibility.
The letter itself was pulled free from the pocket of her mother's pants which caused the young girl to roll her eyes. Why she couldn't just be honest and admit she'd read the letter, Nola didn't understand.
Her mother unfurled the letter from its previous folded position before sending Nola what could only be described as a disgruntled. "You have been waitlisted. Disappointing, I must say."
Her glass was set down once again as Nola barely even glanced her mothers way. She'd been through this situation so many times that it had lost its edge. The disappointment filled stares from her mother had been rendered useless. Nothing either of them could say, after years of undermining and guilt trips, of making her feel worthless, could work on her now. Nola had long since made her decision to take whatever she could from them before taking off and never seeing them again.
"Waitlisted is better than outright rejected, everyone knows that. Except you, clearly." The final part had been uttered under her breath, though apparently she hadn't been as quiet as she believed.
For the first time since the young girl had stepped foot into the kitchen, her father had finally decided to speak up. "Nola, don't speak to your mother that way. Apologise." The man demanded with a gesture of his coffee mug to his wife, completely ignoring the frown that marred his daughters face.
"Sorry mom." A false, gleeful smile painted across her lips as she stared up at her mother. "You're sunny and positive outlook on life has unfortunately not rubbed off on me. My negativity towards you definitely doesn't stem from years upon years of emotional neglect."
Her parents glared back at her in genuine shock at her behaviour. Not once in their entire lives had Nola been, in their eyes, so 'disrespectful'. It was appalling to the duo, to say the least. Before either could utter a word of the disciplinary nature, the all too familiar honk of a car horn just outside, captured their attention.
Nola's head turned towards the sound, glee rushing through her before glancing back at her parents. "There's Shauna. I'll see you when I see you. You probably won't be here after Nationals, anyway." And with that, Nola grabbed her suitcase and left the house with barely a glance at either of her parents.
Not that either cared. Both were still caught up on the 'disrespect' from their daughter, so much so that neither even noticed her leave until the front door slammed shut behind her. After Nola threw her suitcase into the backseat, she entered the car with an angry expression plastered across her face.
"What's up with you?" Shauna nervously asked her girlfriend as she put the vehicle into drive and begun to move down the road. She wondered why Nola seemed so angry. Was it at her for her own reaction last night?
A deep sigh filled the car as Nola relaxed back into her headrest. "I got waitlisted for Berkeley and my mom is not happy. She didn't even mention National's or even wish me good luck. God, she's such a fucking bitch!"
"Was your dad there?"
"Yep. Told me to apologise for being rude. What can I really expect from two people who only give a shit about themselves?" The Rilke girl snarled out before taking a deep breath to settle the growing rage.
Once Nola allowed herself to calm down she quickly realised that she had been ranting and raving the entire time in the car, completely forgetting that she and Shauna had left things in a bad place. Suddenly she felt incredibly nervous. "Has your letter from Brown come yet?" She hesitantly inquired, hoping to steer the conversation in a more pleasant direction.
Perhaps they could simply forget about the whole thing.
There was a brief pause before the young Shipman girl spoke again. "This morning."
The lack of response she received had Nola confused. Her brows furrowed as she stared over at Shauna who kept her eyes on the road. "And?"
Shauna's gaze flitted over to her for a split second as she released a long, spiritless exhale. "I got in." Shauna admitted, though she seemed anything but pleased.
"Oh my god, Shauna! Congratulations! That's so amazing. I'm so proud of you." The crestfallen expression on Shauna's face told Nola all she needed to know. "When you gonna tell Jackie that Rutgers isn't for you?"
Ever since the beginning of the year when the discussion of colleges had suddenly becoming more prevalent, Nola had accidentally stumbled across Shauna's application to Brown University. She wasn't stupid. She knew of Shauna's apprehension in attending Brown and forgoing heading to Rutgers with Jackie. Sadly, Shauna had followed Jackie around, doing everything she wished for far too long.
"I don't know. I don't even want to think about it." Shauna muttered as she tightened her grip on the wheel, turning round a corner and bringing them one block closer to the school.
"You can't leave it 'til the last day before we all leave for college. She's gonna know somethings up." The Rilke girl warned.
"I know. I know. I just don't want to hurt her."
"Listen, I love Jackie. I do but..." For a brief second Nola paused. She didn't want to bitch about a friend who wasn't there to defend herself but this needed to be said. "She's used to getting her own way, especially with you. You concede to her with everything. For once, make something about you. You got into Brown, Shauna! Your hard work paid off."
When Shauna's lips remained tight and unmoving, Nola reached over and gently patted her girlfriend upon the arm. "Think about it, okay."
The faint sound of Fleetwood Mac playing over the stereo filled the silence of the vehicle as they continued down the road. Shauna continuously glanced back and forth between the road and Nola. She felt horrible, positively wicked! Shauna hated herself for what she had done. There was no excuse.
She needed to touch upon the subject of the night prior. She just had to. "Hey, I'm sorry about ignoring you last night." Even if it wasn't entirely the truth.
Nola swiftly shook her head. "Don't be. I know I lied to you about the plan."
Shauna's grip tightened on the wheel at how understanding Nola was being. It made her feel even fucking worse. "But you also had already apologised. I let my anger take over in the worst way possible and ignored you. You didn't deserve that."
Without hesitation, Nola reached out and grabbed hold of Shauna's right hand, interlocking their fingers and she stared intently over at her girlfriend. "Shauna, I would forgive anything you ever did. You mean far too much to me for me to ever let you go."
"Anything?" The Shipman girl questioned with a small, nervous smile, receiving a nod and a small squeeze of the hand in return. When Nola glanced away, Shauna quietly muttered under her breath, "I wouldn't be so sure."
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THE PLANE HAD JUST taken off. The wheels had lifted up off the ground and the entire YellowJackets team plus their two coaches and Coach Martinez's sons, were high in the sky. Nola sat in the section of chairs behind Jackie and Shauna, next to Misty.
Nola had never minded Misty. Unlike others who would send the young blonde dirty looks whenever she acted a little strange, Nola had remained neutral on the entire situation. She could understand Misty and her odd ways. Finding friends was never easy and as a teenager, it fucking sucked to be without them as you struggled to make it through high school.
A pair of headphones wrapped round the Rilke girls head, pressed firmly against her ears. The comforting sound of Stevie Nicks' voice echoed in her ears from her Walkman as the plane flew. Beside her, Misty had her head buried in some book about birds and what it took to raise one.
Just minutes before the plane, courtesy of Lottie's father who had rented out an entire plane, took off, a horrible whirring noise had invaded Nola's ears. Similar to that of machinery, the noise had sounded mechanical in nature, though what it was she couldn't be sure. When she'd asked Misty if she also heard the sound, after the blonde hadn't appeared fazed by it, all she received in response was a confusion filled look.
Misty hadn't heard the sound. No one had seemed to hear it.
She chalked it up to nerves for the flight and had swiftly placed the headphones on, effectively blocking out the sound altogether. She had just begun to doze off, her eyes closed and her head lulled to the side when a violent shake pulled her from the beginning of a slumber. Her brown eyes shot open in an instant as her heart pounded in her chest. As Nola glanced around, she noticed the confused looks that covered many faces.
Confusion had turned to terror and panic within seconds as the plane began to aggressively shake once again as turbulence hit. Stomachs began to churn as the aircraft shuddered in the air and the earth below them began to get closer and closer as they hurled towards the ground. Nola's head flew over to face Misty, who looked equally as terrified.
From overhead, oxygen masks suddenly fell down in front of them all. Right away everyone began to shove the masks over their faces and pulling the strap over their heads as the plane continued to rumble, causing people to crash around violently in their seats. Her headphones knocked off in the rush of it all. With their masks on and seatbelts fastened, Nola reached out and grabbed hold of Misty's hand.
Together the two girls sat in their seats, breathing heavily into their masks that began to fog up, desperately clutching one another's hand for that much needed comfort as the reality of their situation began to settle in. They were going to die. The plane would plummet hard into the earth and they'd either die on impact or perish within the fiery inferno that followed.
As her eyes scrunched shut and her heart continued palpitating within her chest, Nola Rilke waited for the inevitable collision. Despite the hope that surged through her that they would all be fine, the likelihood was low.
While the plane inched closer and closer to the ground, the infernal whirring sound returned. Paired alongside the thumping of her heart in her ears, the whirring clang made its presence known. The screams and sobs of her fellow passengers became blocked as the sound grew louder and louder until everything went black.
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HER VISION WAS BLURRED as her eyes peeled open. A horrific ache travelled through her body, her head feeling as though her brain pounded against her skull. A series of coughs tore through her chest and out of her mouth, scratching at her throat as it moved up and out.
In seconds, Nola had released where she was. In that plane. She had survived. Now, she remained in her chair, buckled in tight. Wreckage and debris surrounded the young girl as she began to struggle in an attempt to free herself.
Misty was gone. No longer in her seat and that really freaked Nola out. Had she escaped or had she been sucked out of the plane as they hurtled through the sky? The thought caused her stomach to churn violently as she continued to pull at the seatbelt. No matter how aggressively she ripped at the seatbelt, how hard she pushed against the button, it refused to budge.
She was fucking stuck!
Stuck in the burning wreckage of a plane crash, trapped as the flames grew larger and took everything in its path as a victim. Unless she received help, her belt would remain fastened tightly around her waist, keeping her tied down. Her body begun to vibrate, shaking as nerves overrode her system. She didn't want to die. Not this young and certainly not in a fucking plane crash!
Suddenly the cries of a familiar voice reached her ears. "Shauna, get the fuck up!" Yelled Jackie Taylor from the seats just ahead.
"Jackie!" Nola sobbed out, beginning to fight against the belt once more as the opportunity to escape appeared. Her heart pounded as she begged Jackie for help. "Jackie, I'm stuck! I can't move!"
Jackie's head shot up over the chairs allowing her gaze to land upon the struggling Rilke girl. "Fuck! You're okay, you're okay. Shipman, get up!" She snapped with a last final shake of Shauna's shoulders.
She quickly rushed over to Nola, followed closely behind by Shauna who held her head as she attempted to regain control of her body. Both girls grabbed hold of the seatbelt wrapped around Nola's waist and began to pull and pull, tugging with all the strength their could muster up.
Rip!
The fabric of the belt tore free, allowing the Rilke girl to rush to her feet, finally free.
With nary a moment to celebrate being alive, they had to escape the plane itself. "Let's fucking move!" Jackie commanded of her friends, tugging them both towards an open side door.
Just outside was the bright sunlight that welcomed them all with open arms, attempting to pull them out into the fresh air and away from the burning embers that flew through the air. Just a few more steps and they'd be outside and free from the hell mouth that was that fucking plane.
Just then, the desperate pleas of a fellow teammate and friend filled the air. "Help me! Help!"
Their heads flashed round and landed upon Vanessa Palmer. The girl was in a similar situation that Nola had been in, struggling in a seatbelt that refused to budge. The back of the plane had been set ablaze that was slowly but surely creeping closer to Van.
Any moment now, without their help, she was begin to burn. Stuck in that godforsaken plane as it continued to become engulfed in flames.
Shauna immediately went into action, heading in the girls direction. "It's Van. We have to help her!" She yelled out as she tugged Nola along with her, who in turn pulled Jackie.
"I'm coming."
In the panic of it all, Nola managed to make eye contact with Van. With as much sincerity as she could gather up, she hoped it came through as she uttered. "We're gonna get you out, I promise!"
A thick cloud of smoke swirled around them as the three girls attempted to free Van from her restraints. Despite their best efforts, the belt refused to relinquish its hold of the redheaded girl.
"I can't get out!" Van yelled out, her voice cracking as she desperately tried to slide her body up past the seatbelt.
The Rilke girl's head whipped around. "We need something sharp!" She concluded while scanning the debris that covered the plane's floor. There was bound to be something sharp enough to cut through the belt.
A stray piece of shrapnel caught her eye causing her to reach out and take it in her hand. All she needed to do was cut through the belts fabric. Then Van would be free!
Jackie, who had been eying up the approaching flames and hadn't noticed Nola's find, suddenly spoke up. "Guys, we got to go." As the final word fell from her lips, she gave neither girl enough time to respond before gripping onto their arms.
"No, we have to help her!" Shauna yelled as she and Nola fought against Jackie's hold. Their struggles proved useless as the Taylor girl displayed never before seen strength and dragged both of them away from the still pleading Palmer girl. "Van!"
Their bodies collapsed upon the soil, the small stones and broken twigs clinging to their clothes, abrasive against the skin of their palms. They gasped for breath as all three slowly pushed themselves up and took in their surroundings.
Everything around them was forest. Trees, as high as the sky and that probably spanned for miles.
Nola felt like she could throw up. They had left her behind. They could have saved her but instead, had abandoned her when she needed them most. The look of terror that had painted across Van's face flashed in Nola's mind as she glanced down at her hand.
She still gripped the sharp piece of shrapnel tightly. Her hand began to tremble as she released her hold, sending the metal to the forest floor. Deep gashes littered across her hand that slowly began to bleed.
Shauna spun back around on the ball of her foot. "We have to go back inside!" She rushed forward towards the plane only to pulled away by Jackie, who threw her away from the plane.
Before the Shipman girl could utter a word in retaliation to Jackie's actions, the tail end of the vessel exploded causing many to break out into yelps. The horrific sight of the plane fully enveloped in flames caused many a stomach to churn.
Knowing that there was nothing that could be done for Van, Shauna stomped off in a random direction. Not wanting to leave the trembling Rilke girl alone, Jackie grabbed hold of the girl and pulled her along as she chased off Shauna.
"Shauna, please. There was nothing we could do." The Taylor girl attempted to reason with the raging brunette as she chased after her. With her mouth hanging open ready to continue defending herself, Jackie stopped in an instant as a figure ran out in front of them. "Jesus."
Standing before them was a soot covered Vanessa Palmer. Alive and looking incredibly pissed off. "Surprise." Van uttered with a tilt of the head.
All three looked at her in complete shock and awe. Van had survived the impossible. Although Van was alive, it didn't nothing to smother the guilt that had begun to settle within the pit of Nola's stomach.
She glanced away just as Taissa came over and hurled her arms around Van, pulling the redhead into an tight embrace. Her eyes landed upon a determined looking Misty Quigley. Relief that the girl was alive would have to wait as she stared after Misty in confusion.
"Misty, why do you have an axe?" Nola croaked out, her eyes widening with slight fear as she observed the Quigley girl strutting towards the unconscious Coach Scott with an axe thrown over her shoulder and a sense of purpose.
Her answer went unanswered though a verbal response proved unnecessary as they all gathered round and watched in horror as Misty brought the sharp blade down upon the mangled up leg of Coach Scott, effectively severing the ruined flesh from the rest of his body.
The Quigley girl's hands went to her waist and swiftly unbuckled her belt. Falling to her knees beside him, she quipped fashioned the belt into a tourniquet, pulling it tight around the Coach's leg to stifle the flowing blood.
The curly haired blonde reached up a blood-soaked hand to brush back the hair that had fallen into her face. Her head turned to face them all, her gaze wild as she cried, "Help me move him!"
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jamielee's thoughts.
chapter three. not proofread.
episode one is finally finished. I'm sorry it took so long. hope everyone is still liking nola. there is definitely some foreshadowing in this chapter for what's to come. anyway hope you enjoyed :)