Chapter 26: The Return of Pain
Erica had been doing fine—or at least, that's what she kept telling herself.
She went to school, did her assignments (most of them, anyway), and spent time with Angel whenever she could. It wasn't perfect, but it was stable. Safe. It was a life without the chaos that had come with Nicole, without the heartbreak, without the weight of unspoken feelings suffocating her.
Or so she thought.
The moment it happened, she felt something inside her shatter.
She had been heading toward the cafeteria with Risha when she heard the familiar sound of laughter. She wasn't going to look. She didn't need to look.
But she did.
Across the room, near the next building Nicole are with her friends talking. Laughing. Nicole's eyes crinkled at the corners the way they always did when she was genuinely happy.
And just like that, Erica's stomach twisted into knots.
"Erica?"
She barely registered Risha's voice.
This wasn't supposed to matter anymore. She had spent so much time pushing Nicole out of her heart, convincing herself that she was moving forward. She had Angel now, didn't she? She had options, a way out of this endless cycle of heartbreak.
So why did it feel like she was being ripped apart all over again?
"Earth to Erica?" Risha nudged her.
Erica blinked and turned away. "Yeah, sorry. What were you saying?"
Risha frowned, clearly seeing through her. "You were staring at Nicole."
"No, I wasn't," Erica lied.
"You so were."
Erica let out a dry chuckle. "Whatever. It's not a big deal."
But Risha kept watching her, unconvinced. And honestly? Erica wasn't convinced either.
That night, lying in bed, she whispered a truth she had been avoiding for far too long.
"I still love her."
And the worst part?
She didn't know how to stop.