Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 61 - Chapitre 70

~Nicole~What do you call a feeling so strong it makes you dizzy, like you’re drunk on something you never touched?A feeling that steals your breath, twists your chest tight, and leaves you craving everything that might destroy you?What do you call wanting something so badly that without it, you’re certain you’d wither away… or die?I call it intense desire.Because that was exactly what I felt in this moment.My whole body burned, heat spreading under my skin like fire. My legs felt heavy, stiff, like they might give out at any second….yet they kept moving on their own. Every step pulled me closer to whatever was calling me, dragging me forward without thinking.I tried to slow down, tried to breathe and pull myself together.But the more I fought it, the more I feel myself sinking, drowning in whatever this was.It wrapped around my senses, thick and suffocating, leaving no room for reason.“Nic… please.” Lulu’s voice came from behind me. It wasn’t loud, but it cut through the a

~Nicole~“She’ll probably kill me tonight in my sleep,” I muttered, glaring over Liam’s shoulder as Chloe’s sharp stare cut straight through me from ahead.“That’s her problem,” he said, casually collecting the tent rope from my hands. “You've got nothing to worry about.”“Arrrgh. Please, just let me do something,” I said low, glancing around at everyone else.The other guys shot me hard looks and resumed back to what they were doing.Just up ahead, Enz’s eyes told me to leave, while Lulu quietly mouthed, “Let them take care of it.”I couldn’t blame them. They had people setting up the tents for us, that’s why they were being lazy.“Here,” Fredrick stepped in front of me, a straw pressed against my lips. “You must be thirsty.”I tried to protest, my arm flailing weakly. This was the fifth time I’d drank water in a row, but he didn’t let me speak. He made me sip slowly, and then patted my head. “Good,” he said, returning to the others.It felt like nobody wanted to listen to me, so

~Nicole~“How are you feeling now?” H.P asked. “Did anything else happen? Anything I need to know?”I pressed the phone tighter to my ear as Enz popped a marshmallow into my mouth. I nodded even though she couldn’t see me, chewing slowly before swallowing.“I’m much better. Seriously,” I said. “You can even confirm it with the school nurse.”It was a lie.A clean one, I mean we already used Enzo to bribe him.There was a pause on the line.“Okay… fine,” she sighed at last. “If you insist.” Her voice dropped a little, softer than before. “You’re making it sound like I’m bothering you.”I rubbed my thumb against my temple, already feeling a headache forming. “You know that’s not true,” I said. “But this is the fourth time you’ve asked me the same thing during this call.”“Then I’m sorry for worrying about my daughter’s health,” she said quietly.“Argh…stop,” I groaned. “Don’t guilt-trip me.” I let out a breath. “Fine. I’m sorry.” I even smiled, like she could somehow feel it through

~Nicole~“I’m sorry for what happened with Lulu and the fire, you both.” Vi began, her hands twisting the sleeves of the hoodie she wore, fingers squeezing the fabric together.I frowned, stepping closer. “No. You don’t have to apologize.”“Yes, I do,” she cut in quickly. “The fight between them…was totally my fault. If I hadn’t been so drunk and texted her…” Her voice cracked.“Listen,” I said, gripping her shoulders gently.I’d never seen her like this…so small. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”“Yeah,” Enz added. “They’re old enough to think about the consequences before acting like that.”I nodded. “Exactly. And the fire? It would’ve happened whether they fought or not. Didn’t you hear what the teachers said? The wind caused it, not them.”She shook her head slowly, like she didn’t fully believe us.“It’s okay,” I said softly, forcing a small smile.“We’re not going to let you take blame for something you didn’t cause. Alright?”She wiped her face with the back of her hand, sniffing.

~Nicole~I heard my name, like a whisper, almost too close.I shook my head slowly, like I could physically throw the feeling away. There’s nothing wrong with me, It’s just the wind, just the cold.I glanced around, my shoulders tightening as the chill brushed past my neck again. A second ago the place had been loud, laughter, splashing, voices crashing into each other, but now it felt far away, like someone had turned the volume down on the world. My ears rang in the quiet.Then I heard it again.My name.“Ni…cole…” This time, hoarse, thin and dragging through the air like it had traveled a long distance just to reach me.My breath caught, so I didn’t imagine it the first time?I stared straight ahead, refusing to answer, refusing to turn. If I ignored it, maybe it would disappear.I blinked hard and forced my focus onto the cup in front of me. The red rim, the water line.I picked up the ball, but my fingers felt stiff, like they didn’t belong to me.Then something closed aroun