Nola Scott
As soon as I slip into the private jet, I'm met with a warm face. A blonde lady who I'm assuming is Dahlia smiles at me. "Hello, you must be Nola, Miles' friend," she says. My cheeks flush when I remember him calling me his girl in the car. Of course, he quickly corrected himself. I'm not stupid, I know it was a slip-up but it still made me nervous. I'm glad everyone's calling me his friend though.
"Yes, that's me and you're Dahlia. Nice to meet you, thank you for having me. I know it was a last-minute thing," I chuckle, feeling oddly comfortable around this woman I just met. "Oh, don't sweat it. The more the merrier. Luckily it's just us gals for now, the kids are sleeping in the bedroom," she informs me. I glance over to my right and see a door. I'm guessing the bedroom is behind there.
Kaitlyn joins us and the passenger entry door comes up to a close. I'd be lying if I said this was my first time in a private jet. My parents and uncle own one. "Nola want a drink? I've convinced Dahlia to drink one," Kaitlyn says, wagging her brows. "Light alcohol for me, please. You know I don't know how to take my liquor," she begs. Kaitlyn laughs and I smile.
"Sure, I'll take one," I reply. While I would say no since I've been trying to stay clear of alcohol, I could use it. A drink has never not helped my nerves still. "Fantastic!" Kaitlyn says, making us our drinks. My phone buzzes in my pocket shortly after so I pull it out.
Miles Dempsey: Kaitlyn being nice?
I smile a little.
Nola: yes. she seems fun.
Miles Dempsey: Good. Tell me if she says anything funny.
I furrow my brows. What does he mean?
Nola: what does that mean?
Miles Dempsey: Just anything. Have fun, I'll see you in a bit.
That's weird. I like the message and set my phone down on my lap. The jet is still on the ground but my leg shakes anxiously. My phone buzzes on my lap again making my leg stop.
Daddyio: You're still coming home tonight, right?
Shit. I forgot I made plans to come home this weekend after talking to my parents. They haven't told Brooks and Kayce they came to a decision. We were going to have a family dinner tonight and discuss it.
Nola: shitty practice, slipped my mind. i'm currently on my way to san jose with a friend to clear my head. ill be back sunday, reschedule for next weekend?
Daddyio: San Jose? That's almost six hours away, Nola. What's going on? And yes, next weekend you should be here. It's your birthday.
Oh my God. How could I forget my birthday is next weekend? My mind had been all over the place for weeks I forgot my 19th birthday was coming up. I don't even have plans but I'm guessing my parents do.
Nola: i'm fine, dad. yes, i'll see you on my birthday weekend. go ahead and tell kayc and brooks without me, i'm sure they'll be excited.
Daddyio: Call me.
"We're about to take off so can everyone turn their phones on airplane mode? We'll let you know when the wifi is available to use once we're up in the air." A man, I'm assuming the person flying us today, says. Crap. I switch my phone to airplane mode not replying to my dad. I'll talk to him soon.
Kaitlyn walks over to where Dahlia and I sit, handing us glasses. "Here ya go! Let me get mine and then we can chitchat," she says, rushing back to get her drink before plopping down. "So, Nola, is this your first Kings game?" Dahlia asks both ladies' attention on me. "Oh, no. This will be my third," I reply.
Taking a sip of my drink, I make a face at the taste. It's tasty but the amount of alcohol in here hits me in the face. "So how long have you and Miles known each other?" Kaitlyn asks me another question. I guess I'm the one being grilled since they seem to know each other well. "Uhm, a couple of months. We're just friends," I say, immediately regretting it. Why would I add that? Of course, we're just friends!
Kaitlyn raises her brows and tilts her head, her blonde ponytail falling to the side. "Oh trust me, we know. If Miles had a girlfriend, I'd be one of the first to know. I'm assuming he's told you he and Tate are best friends?" Kaitlyn says. I nod. "He used to be with this horrible girl named Allie. You remember her right, Dahlia?" Dahlia tries not to make a face and nods. "Let's just say we're all glad that's over with."
I remember Allie, obviously. JT literally almost said he thought I was her earlier. I hadn't thought much about her before that. It does shock me that both Kaitlyn and Dahlia know about her. Miles told me she was just someone he hooked up with occasionally. Looks like it was more than that from what Kaitlyn's saying.
"Tell us a little bit about yourself, Nola! You're going to become one of the girls," Dahlia encourages and Kaitlyn smiles behind her glass rim. I tell them about myself a little and they ask questions about almost everything like my family, where I'm from, what I do, etc. They're quite intrigued by the fact that I figure skate. Even though I didn't want to talk about it because of what happened earlier, I still did.
It was about an hour into the plane ride when Dahlia went to go check up on her kids in the back. I learned she and Drew had four of them. It's just Kaitlyn and I sipping on our third drink. The buzz is real, and I'm feeling quite ditzy now. Dahlia stopped drinking after her first drink. "I can see how much Miles likes you," she suddenly says. My head swings toward her. I might have been daydreaming. Drinking does that to me.
"Excuse me?" I squeak. Kaitlyn smiled, biting on her plastic straw. "You know, like he enjoys your company. I just haven't seen him have an actual girl who's a friend before. Typically he just has sex with girls, never befriends them." My cheeks flush at her words. I start to imagine... never mind. I take a long sip of my drink, the alcohol sliding down my throat easier now since I'm tipsy.
"Is that what Allie was? Just a girl he had sex with..?" I don't know why I ask. Alcohol makes me talkative and nosy. Kaitlyn rolls her eyes at the mention of Miles' old fling. "Yes. Also, I hope you don't think I'm hating her for no reason. She was never nice to me. Or any of the women who are dating or married to any of the boys. I swear I'm a girl's girl," she rambles. I nod, believing her.
"Do you think Miles liked her though? Weren't they together for some time? I remember meeting her for the first time and thinking she was his girlfriend, she sure acted like it," I ask more questions. Kaitlyn scoffs. "He was attracted to her. Hell, she's not the nicest girl but I can't deny she's hot. Killer body, of course, Miles was gonna be attracted to her. And she wanted everyone to think that she and Miles were together," she tells me, sipping on her straw.
My cheeks flush again but I'll blame the alcohol. I do remember how Allie looks and I look nothing like her. Brunette, tall, curvy. She has every girl's dream body. Why am I even comparing myself to her?
"So that's his type?" I question. Kaitlyn nods. "Yeah, I've seen him with a lot of curvy brunettes throughout the years I've known him." Stupid disappointment churns inside my stomach. "Anyway, enough about him. Wanna do a quick shot before Dahlia gets back?" Kaitlyn says, standing up and walking over to Tito's bottle. She wiggles it and smiles. "Sure, why the hell not?"
***
Kaitlyn and I ended up taking more than a shot. Five to be exact. The two of us were laughing and stumbling off the steps of Anderson's private jet and Dahlia was behind us like our mother, making sure we didn't fall over. "Babe!" Kaitlyn exclaims. She throws her arms around Tate who I've never met. "Oh no," he mumbles. His blue eyes flit to Dahlia who's pulling in all her kiddos. "Sorry," she mouths to him.
Tate's eyes flicker to mine as I stumble over nothing, gathering myself quickly. "Hi, I'm Nola!" I say loudly because the jet behind us is sooo loud. "Kait, did you get the girl drunk too? Dempsey's gonna be pissed," he tells her. My brows furrow. "Why am I gonna be pissed?" His familiar voice catches my attention and I relax again. Miles looks at Kait who Tate's holding up. A giggle escapes my lips.
His eyes shift to me quickly. "You alright, Scott?" he asks. I nod my head repeatedly. "Perfect," I try my best not to slur. Tate shakes his head. Miles walks over to me and I stand straight so he won't notice I'm drunk. "Hey," I say, smiling. His lips quirk up in a smile. "Feeling... tipsy?" he asks. "Yep! I mean- no! Not tipsy, I'm f-"
"Drunk?" he cuts me off. Kaitlyn catches me off guard by running to hug Miles. "Don't be mad at her, Miles. It was me. I got the underage girl drunk," she says. I hold back another giggle. Miles looks at her like she's crazy. "Babe!" Tate pulls his girlfriend away from his best friend. "Sorry. Nice to meet you, Nola," Tate says, smiling at me. "Should we get them dinner? Thank God we're roommates."
Miles nods, agreeing. "Hell yes! I'm starving," Kaitlyn says. Tate grabs her bag and wraps his arm around her, leading her away. Since I don't have anything, Miles and I walk right behind them. "I like her," I tell him. He looks down at me and wraps his arm around my shoulders, steadying me. Tate and Miles throw us in the back of a car with Dahlia and her kids.
For the sake of not being assholes, Kaitlyn and I keep our composure around them. The drive to the hotel is twenty minutes away but it feels like less. When we make it, the team checks in and Miles and Tate lead us to the room they're sharing. Kaitlyn throws herself on one of the beds. "Finally!" I chuckle, jumping in next to her. "So comfy," I say, grabbing a pillow.
"Girls let's situate ourselves. We're gonna go pick up some food. Drive-thru, of course," Tate tells us. "Now?" Kait groans. "Yes, now get up before I pick you up," he replies. She opens her eyes, both of us facing each other and waggles her brows at me. Ten seconds later, she's squealing as Tate picks her up from bed. Miles sits down in the now empty space. "Let's go, Scott."
Unlike Kaitlyn, I stand up on my own. Being drunk is fun. When we get in the back of a car, Kaitlyn and I have a Taylor Swift concert that absolutely annoys the guys. Thank God, I'm not the only swiftie. We pull up to a McDonalds fifteen minutes later. Both guys order and then Kaitlyn does right after. Miles looks at me. "What do you want, Scott?"
I get shy instantly. I may have drank half my weight in Tito's but that doesn't mean I'm gonna consume McDonald's calories. My diet is still important to me. Especially after today's practice. "You know I..." I tell Miles. He understands me because he turns over and says "That'll be all." The car proceeds to pull up. "Why didn't you get anything, Nola?" Kaitlyn frowns.
"We'll take her to Chipotle," Miles replies for me. Yay, I say in my head. That's way healthier than this. "Oh my God, Chipotle sounds bomb," Kait moans. "Baby, you just ordered twenty nuggets," Tate says from the passenger seat. "Annnnd?" she replies. Miles and I laugh. They all get their food and Miles takes my order before getting off to order it inside. He's out in five minutes, handing me my food. "Thanks," I whisper. He winks at me, hopping back in the driver's seat.
The four of us make it back to the hotel and eat. I'm still a bit buzzed after eating but it's starting to wear off. "I'll take you to get some stuff in the morning," Miles tells me. "Ready for bed?" Tate asks his girlfriend. She nods frantically, extending her arms out. He falls into them softly and kisses her face. Oh, gosh. Does this mean that- "Kait, you mind sleeping with Nola?" Miles asks.
The couple swivel their heads in our direction. Oh. Miles is asking her to sleep with me. But... I don't want to pull them apart. Kaitlyn looked happy to sleep with Tate. "Yeah. I forgot, let me hop on over here," she replies. She kisses Tate one more time before jumping into the bed I'm in. It's not too late but all of us are tired from today. The boys get into bed together and we switch off the lights.
Kaitlyn and Tate sleep on the far ends of the bed while Miles and I sleep in the middle. Light snores fill the room in the next ten minutes but I have trouble sleeping. The room is pitch black not even a tiny bit of light peeking in from outside. My mind races with thoughts, not allowing me to sleep.
I enjoyed the second half of today but the first half was mind-numbing. The thought of me performing terribly at Nationals consumes my brain. Why was I doing so terribly? Everything but jumps felt like muscle memory. It makes me question whether or not I'll be ready in time for the competition come March. If I don't make it now, it'll be years before I have the chance again.
Figure skating is my whole world but am I even going to want to do this in a couple of years? Will not getting qualified make me not want to skate anymore? The fear of the unknown creeps into me like a scary movie. I've been doing this my whole life, dreaming of this opportunity since I was a little girl. Now, I'm finally living my dream but failing it at the same time.
What the hell am I supposed to do? How can I change this?
"Scott, you having a nightmare there?" Miles' voice takes me out of my thoughts. I realize my breathing is loud and heavy. "Kind of," I reply. The sound of shuffling makes its way into my ears and then I feel a hand removing the covers off my body. "Come here," his deep voice sounds scary in the dark but I trust it so much, I follow it. His fingers slip down my arm to catch my hand and he pulls me, walking effortlessly in the dark.
He leads me to the balcony, being careful to open and close the door quietly. As the outside air hits me, my lungs invite the air in. My breathing steadies again. "What's going on?" Miles pushes my shoulders down onto one of the two chairs and moves his closer to mine. "Just thinking," I admit. I feel a lot calmer now than I did in the bedroom. "About?" he asks.
"Earlier. Practice," I admit in a whisper. A look like pain crosses his features. "Don't think about that anymore. We're trying to have a good rest of the day remember? Then tomorrow will be better," he says, trying to make me feel better. "The days already over," I joke, trying to lighten the mood somewhat. It doesn't work.
"Exactly. That means we're having a better day today, so cheer up, eh?" he says. I look at him like, really that's what you're gonna tell me? He smacks his lips and runs a hand through his long, dark hair. "Look, a couple of bad practices doesn't mean you're a bad skater. You weren't having good days. You fucked up, you'll suck it up and get back to it. There's always better days, Scott. I promise this isn't the last practice you're going to be falling on your ass," he speaks.
I shake my head even though I do hear what he's saying. "If you keep thinking about the bad times, you're never going to escape them. I promise you, hey-" Miles grabs my chin, lifting it to him. Even at night, his gray eyes look light. "I promise you, you're amazing at what you do. I've seen it. So don't let a couple of shitty practices make you think any different." He finishes.
I swallow the lump in my throat. "I'm scared," I admit. "Scared of what?" he asks, his fingers holding my head to face him. I'm sure he knows I'll look away if given the chance. "Messing my dream up. Failing," my voice comes out shaky. He shakes his head instantly. "You won't, Scott. You won't. Trust me." I do.
Even though I'm having trouble believing in myself, I don't hesitate to believe in his words. I give him a small nod and then a heavy silence falls between us. His hand drops my head but I keep my eyes on him. He's the only thing keeping my breathing regulated. "Thanks...again." It seems like he's always the one who knows what to say to calm me down.
"Don't thank me," he says lowly, shaking his head. Our eyes meet and a strong pull tells me to do something.
He's managed to be the one by my side throughout all of my hardships so far. Maybe it's because he knows what being an athlete is like and that's why he helps me so much. I want to say that I'd be okay if he wasn't here for me today but that's not true. Because every time I need encouragement, he's there. Why do I trust him so much?
My heart thumps at the reminder that he helped me today. He saw me at my most vulnerable and stuck around. Now, I'm five hours away from home because he couldn't leave me alone knowing I wasn't okay. How our relationship went from not liking each other to this, I don't know, but I'm not even complaining.
All of my thoughts of him before were wrong. There were so many things I said to him that I regret. One is that he doesn't care about anyone but himself. Sitting here, I'm very sure that he cares about me. It makes my heart flutter in my chest.
Kiss him my body, brain, and heart tells me.
But before I'm even leaning in, he leans in slowly. I close my eyes to lean in too but we both stop before our lips touch. His breathing has quickened and I almost close the space between us, wanting to feel his lips on mine more than anything else right now.
"Fuck, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Miles stands up and my eyes flutter back open. I look up at him and he's shaking his head, running a hand through his hair. My heart slightly cracks at his words. "It's okay," I whisper. "No, it's not. We can't- this can't. Just... no." He can't form a full sentence but I get the message.
It was a mistake. He didn't mean to.
Like an idiot, I nod. "Yeah, I agree. We're just friends," I mumble. He's not interested in you, Nola. You know what he likes, it's not you. Miles gives me a clipped nod. "Let's get back to bed. We have an early morning," he tells me. He doesn't wait for me to reply before opening back up the sliding door. Tate and Kaitlyn are still knocked out when we make it back in bed.
I whisper goodnight to Miles but get no reply.