" "'Pathetique' sonata..."
"Nikki, I wish you'd let me know what's going on.
I can tell in your voice that somethin's up--"
"Would you mind waiting tomorr--...or should I say,
later on TODAY at school? I'm not ready to share it
now. I PROMISE to let you know...later."
"All righty then..."
When Mike met Nicole at her locker during one of the
passing periods, he saw that she didn't quite look
like her usual self. For one thing, her beautiful
hair was pulled back...it was a messed-up combination
of a ponytail and a bun. And her eyes were bloodshot
from all that crying and limited amount of sleep.
Seeing that she wasn't in the mood for his
wisecracks or "big brother" comments he usually makes,
Mike stood by her side quietly. He put his hand on
her shoulder, waiting patiently for her to speak. As
she reached into her locker to exchange books and
folders, Nicole acknowledged his touch with a grin.
"Thank God it's Friday..." she said, still looking
inside of her locker while biting her lip...trying to
hold back the tears. Then as Mike walked behind her,
hugging her from behind and rested his chin on her
shoulder, she let the tears fall.
She placed her hands on top of his and heard him say, "I know that you'll need more time, Nikki. I'm here for you if you need me."
She gently pat his hands and said, "Thanks, good
buddy..." with her cracking voice.
When they both raised their heads, they saw Davy
walking in their direction with some of his friends.
Nicole was able to gently break free from Mike's
embrace in time--she didn't want Davy to look their
way and get the wrong impression. But Mike stayed
nearby anyway, with one hand on her back. He wasn't
about to leave her alone at this moment.
Nicole noticed a change in Davy's demeanor. She saw
him laughing and joking with his buddies from a
distance...but as he got closer to her, he had a
skeptical look on his face. When Davy approached the
two of them, he noticed Mike's hand touching Nicole's back.
" (Usually around this time, Davy would come by to
escort Nicole to her next class while holding hands.)
She closed her locker door and, getting over the
shock of his finally speaking to her, replied,
"Uh...okay, sure... "Mm-hmm..." Mike said, 'playing along' with her. He then looked at Davy, who was looking back at him with a hostile look on his face. Mike continued, "Later, Nik--"
Cutting him off, Davy said to Nicole, "Let's go..."
and whisked her away from Mike's presence.
As Davy and Nicole were walking toward her next
class, she noticed that they were not holding
hands...or talking to each other. She tried to make
eye contact with him, but he continued looking
straight ahead, as if he were in a trance. Then he
finally spoke up: " Realizing that his attitude toward her was uncalled
for, she addressed it: "
