Chris made sure to text Amy once he had come to collect Nicole. Amy hadn't responded, but Chris wasn't concerned since it was likely Amy was already in class. Nicole was quiet when her step-dad picked her up, it felt dramatic having to be pulled out of school because of a close encounter with her- what was Eva to Nicole? A stalker, obsessive ex of some sort, or maybe something worse, a committed girl with a crush. Though Eva hadn't admitted to having a crush on Nicole it was pretty obvious to anyone with eyes. Chris attempted engaging in conversation with Nicole but she was stuck over thinking about her relationship with Eva.
When Chris dropped Nicole off at home he told her there was a mostly fresh pot of her spicy ramen to help burn whatever was in her out. He was concerned for her, two days in a row she had been a bit sick. In the past if she was sick she'd mask up and bundle up but still show up to school, even if it meant she got more sick. So the fact that she'd been sick and come home in the middle of the day was concerning to both him and Juliana. Though probably it was good for her to recover instead of work through whatever ailment had befallen her, and of course it wasnt of her own volition. Amy had been the concerned one, the one who put Nicole's needs ahead of her own and decided that Nicole needed rest.
Back at the house Nicole served up her ramen and went to bundle up in her soft comforter and watch some cartoons, or do something else mindless. Instead she found herself filtering through old text messages with Eva, ones older than her new phone. She went back as far as possible in her chat records and pulled one from five years previous. The two had been planning a concert trip after their eighth grade graduation, but of course it never happened because of their split.
Eva:
-Hi Nicky!!! I'm so excited for the concert, do you know who you want to go see after promotion???-
It was typed in a way that made it dated to their age. Nicole continued browsing, skimming through her responses, but mostly focusing on Eva's. They were enthusiastic and bubbly. Then she pulled up some more current texts and compared.
Eva:
-Hey Nicole, practice was fun, thanks for the help. Hope I wasn't too burdensome, see you next week, bye.-
It was bland and straight forward, nothing like the Eva of only five years ago. Though Nicole wasn't too surprised at this, Eva always seemed to change rapidly, normally as a response to problems or inconveniences. Scrolling through the texts began to bore Nicole and soon she placed her phone down and ate her ramen. She finished the bowl and took it to the kitchen, washing the dish and placing it in the dishwasher.
She decided a nap would be nice, it was about eleven and she was tired, maybe not physically but naps fixed most things. She went back to her comforter curling up in it and trying to role herself like a burrito into it. She shut her eyes and let sleep blissfully wash over her, hopefully this midday nap would cure her of this slump.
In the dream Amy was there, they were sitting on what looked like a gingham picnic blanket. There was cheese and fruit laying out on a beautiful board. Everything was shrouded in a pink filter making Nicole feel safe and secure. Amy was holding a poem book, and was reading from it to Nicole, it all felt very romantic, but of course it couldn't be they were only friends. Suddenly Amy put the book down and moved towards Nicole, her face mere inches from Nicoles. She whispered something incoherent to Nicole, but it tickled her ear.
"Pay attention to my poems Nicole, they're all for you." Amy moved back and began reading from her book again. But words didn't come out, it was more of a melody slipping from her lips and melting Nicole from the inside out. Amy closed the book and moved back towards Nicole. She couldn't help but back away from her friend, this was wrong they were friends...but had Amy's lips always been so lucious and plump? They were distracting as they moved while Nicole was, likely, being scolded. She reached towards Amy's face and touched her lips, their movement instantly ceased allowing Nicole to freely caress them. She leaned into Amy's face, feeling like they were on the same wavelength, but she still asked whether it was okay.
"Can I kiss you Amy." Nicole looked down as she asked, ashamed at herself for doing this with her friend. Amy nodded looking down at Nicole's lips as well. "I want to hear an answer, please."
"Yes, please kiss me." Nicole wrapped herself around Amy, their hands intertwining as Amy began pushing Nicole back. "I've wanted to do that for so long Nicky, is this okay?" She moved her hand to her face and suddenly her skin began peeling back. Hair of a different length and color fell from underneath the skin mask, and Eva revealed herself. Nicole froze and allowed Eva to continue only out of shock and fear. Beneath that layer of fear she was screaming at herself to stop and return to Amy, but it had never been Amy, it was always Eva.
Nicole finally woke from the deep sleep, gasping for breath as she came back to reality. She heard the door to her bedroom open, Amy was home and coming to tend to Nicole. But Amy also looked to have band-aids and sanitizing cloths with her. Nicole sat up and looked at Amy's face more closely. She noticed a cut and some light bruising around her cheeks. "Oh my god Amy! Are you alright, what happened?"
"Sorry Nicky, did I wake you?" Amy seemed calm despite Nicole's abrupt and loud question. Nicole shook her head but began moving to get out of bed. "Stay in bed, let me take care of you for a second. If you lay back down I'll tell you, alright?" Nicole looked skeptical but laid back in the bed and allowed Amy to lay a wet cloth on her head. "Well, I may have gotten into a fight with Eva at track practice today."
"Please, elaborate." Amy told Nicole about the rest of her day and her altercation with Eva.