The days passed, and life moved on, but for Dom, it felt more like drifting than living. Despite that evening with James -whenever she thought about Nile and Ash, she found she wasn’t able to let it go.
Her nightmares worsened, their edges growing sharper, more vivid, more consuming. Without anyone to confide in, she bottled them up, letting the weight of them press down on her soul. She wore the strain like a second skin, the dark circles under her eyes and her too-quiet demeanor a silent testament to how much they were taking from her.
People noticed, of course. Teachers cast concerned glances her way, and even casual acquaintances gave her wide berths, unsure of how to approach the stormcloud that seemed to hover over her. Jacky and Nicky, ever loyal, stuck by her side, but even they couldn’t crack the wall Dom had built around herself. Not anymore.
The truth was, she felt alone in a way she never had before. She missed Nile, missed the way he used to listen when she spoke about her dreams. Even when he didn’t fully understand, he cared. But now, the void his absence left felt impossible to fill.
It was a Friday afternoon when Dom finally managed to catch up with Jacky and Nicky. She’d been looking forward to hanging out with them all week, hoping for even a brief distraction from the chaos inside her head. But as soon as she joined them in their usual spot by the gym lockers, she sensed something was off. They were too quiet, their usual energy replaced by an uneasy tension that set Dom’s nerves on edge.
Jacky’s fingers fidgeted with the strap of her backpack, and Nicky seemed unusually fascinated by her chipped nail polish. Dom’s stomach twisted with apprehension as she set her bag down and crossed her arms, her gaze sharp and unyielding.
“Alright, spill it,” Dom said, her voice cutting through the awkward silence like a blade. “What’s the matter with you two?”
Both girls froze, exchanging nervous glances. Jacky coughed and stared at a spot on the floor, while Nicky climbed onto the edge of a nearby desk, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
“I swear we didn’t mean to!” Nicky blurted, her voice high-pitched and frantic.
Dom’s eyes narrowed. “Didn’t mean to what, exactly?”
Her question hung in the air like a bomb waiting to go off. Jacky shifted uncomfortably, her face pale, while Nicky avoided Dom’s gaze entirely. The longer the silence stretched, the tighter Dom’s chest felt. She uncrossed her arms and took a step closer, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone.
“You didn’t,” Dom said, her words dripping with dread as realization clawed its way into her mind. Her eyes burned with an intensity that made both girls flinch.
Jacky swallowed hard, still unable to meet Dom’s eyes. “Dom, we’re sorry. We really are. But when we went to confront her, well…”
Nicky jumped in, her words tumbling over each other in her haste to explain. “She was just so nice and sweet, and we got to talking, and she mentioned how she used to do dance and gymnastics at her old school, and how much she missed it, and…”
“And one thing led to another,” Jacky finished weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Dom’s jaw tightened, her knuckles whitening as she clenched her fists. “You didn’t,” she repeated, her tone seething with disbelief.
“We swear we didn’t mean to!” Nicky cried out again, tears glistening in her eyes.
“You invited her onto the cheer team,” Dom stated flatly, her voice devoid of emotion.
Neither girl answered. They didn’t need to. Their guilty expressions said it all. Jacky stared down at her sneakers, while Nicky’s gaze darted anywhere but toward Dom.
“How could you?” Dom’s voice cracked, raw and wounded. “You know what she did, and you just… invite her onto the team? I thought you two had my back. What happened to ‘you mess with D’, you mess with us’?”
Nicky flinched at the accusation, while Jacky finally forced herself to look up, her expression torn between guilt and desperation. “Dom, you don’t understand,” Nicky said, her voice trembling. “She’s amazing.”
Dom’s eyes widened, and for a moment, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “She’s amazing?” she echoed, her voice rising with incredulity. “That’s your excuse?”
“Yeah, Dom,” Jacky chimed in, her tone almost pleading. “You should see her. She’s a natural. And with her on the team, we’ll win regionals for sure.”
Dom took a step back, as if their words had physically struck her. She felt like the ground had shifted beneath her feet, leaving her off-balance and reeling. “Great. Just great,” she said, her voice shaking with anger and hurt. “Thanks a lot. First, she steals Nile from me, and now my two best girlfriends. Well, I hope you all have a wonderful life together. Lose my invitation to the wedding, will you?”
She didn’t wait for their response. Turning on her heel, she stormed away, her heart pounding in her chest. Behind her, she heard Nicky call out, her voice desperate. “Dom, wait!”
But Dom didn’t stop. She couldn’t. If she did, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep herself together. Her vision blurred with unshed tears as she pushed through the crowded hallway, the noise around her fading into a distant hum.
System Notification:
Emotional Overload Detected.
Effect: +10 Stress, -5 Focus.
Dom blinked furiously, willing the tears away. She wouldn’t let them see her like this. Not Jacky, not Nicky, and definitely not Ash. But as she turned the corner and found herself alone in the empty stairwell, she finally allowed herself to crumble.
Her back hit the wall, and she slid down to the cold floor, her hands shaking as she buried her face in them. “How could they?” she whispered, the words muffled against her palms.
The system notification flashed again, this time with a different message:
New Personal Quest Unlocked: Reclaim Your Allies.
Objective: Mend your friendships with Jacky and Nicky or find a way to move forward without them.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Reward: +XP, Emotional Resilience, Unknown.
Dom clenched her fists, the message burning into her mind. “I can’t believe this,” she muttered, her voice shaking with a mix of anger and sadness.
For a long moment, she just sat there, the cold seeping through her jeans and into her skin. She hated feeling this way -vulnerable, betrayed, alone. But as the seconds stretched into minutes, a small spark of determination began to flicker in her chest.
If Jacky and Nicky wanted to side with Ash, fine. Let them. But Dom wasn’t going to let this break her. She had survived worse, and she would survive this too.
She stood up, her legs shaky but her resolve firm. Wiping her eyes, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. The system message still lingered in her mind, a quiet reminder that she had a choice to make. And while she didn’t know what her next step would be, she knew one thing for certain: she wasn’t going to let Ash -or anyone else- define her story.
Not now. Not ever.
Dom left the school without another word, her chest tight with anger, disappointment, and hurt that refused to fade. She couldn’t stay in school, not like this. The walls felt like they were closing in, and the whispers of gossip that seemed to follow her like a shadow became unbearable. Screw class, she thought.
By the time she reached the parking lot, her emotions were a storm barely contained beneath her skin. She yanked her helmet off the handlebars of her bike and slid it on with practiced ease. The engine roared to life beneath her, a familiar sound that usually brought her comfort. Today, though, it was just noise -white noise to drown out the chaos inside her.
Releasing the clutch, Dom maneuvered her bike smoothly through the lot, weaving between cars until she reached the exit. A sleek silver Beamer began backing out, but Dom effortlessly swerved around it without so much as a glance, her focus locked on the open road ahead.
The moment she hit the main streets, she gunned the throttle. The rush of wind tore at her jacket, the vibrations of the engine humming through her body as the speedometer needle climbed. Faster, she thought. Faster. Maybe if she went fast enough, she could outrun the pain chasing her.
But no matter how quickly the world blurred past, the hurt clung to her like a second shadow, dogging her every turn.
Dom didn’t know how long she’d been riding when she found herself pulling into the college campus parking lot. Her father’s hybrid SUV stood out among the rows of cars, a silent anchor that pulled her toward it. She cut the engine and dismounted, her boots crunching against the gravel as she approached the familiar building where her father’s office was tucked away.
The side entrance was as nondescript as ever, hidden behind cement walls and the faint hum of an electrical unit. A large dumpster sat nearby, its lid slightly ajar, but for once, the area was deserted. She was relieved not to find the usual crew of students who liked to skip class and hang out here, their loud voices and obnoxious laughter often an annoyance. She didn’t have the energy to deal with them today.
The heavy metal door was slightly ajar, and Dom eased it open, peering inside. The soothing strains of Mozart drifted out, mingling with the faint scratch of pen on paper. Her father, Jacque, sat at his desk, his posture relaxed as he graded essays or lab reports -she could never tell which. His reading glasses perched on his nose, and his classic professor’s attire -a gray button-up shirt, a tan jacket with elbow patches, and faded jeans- looked as though it had been plucked straight out of a movie.
“Hey, Dad,” Dom said quietly as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
Jacque looked up immediately, setting his pen down and tilting his head slightly as he studied her. Concern flickered across his face, the mild worry of a parent who could read their child like an open book. He gestured to the chair near his desk, quickly clearing off a stack of papers to make room.
“Hey, honey. Shouldn’t you be in school?” he asked gently. “What’s the matter?”
Dom didn’t answer right away. Instead, she moved to the chair and sat down, picking up one of the blacksmith puzzles her dad liked to keep scattered around his office. The intricate metal loops and hooks had always fascinated her, and she usually solved them in seconds, her fingers deftly working through the tangles. But today, her hands were sluggish, the pieces slipping as she twisted and turned them without her usual precision.
Jacque didn’t push her. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he waited with the quiet patience of someone who understood that forcing her to talk would only make things worse.
Dom stared at the puzzle in her hands, the metal cool and smooth against her fingers. The words felt like they were lodged in her throat, impossible to get out. Finally, she took a deep breath and tried.
“Dad, I…” She paused, her voice breaking as her vision blurred with unshed tears. “Nile- he’s…” Dom swallowed hard, forcing the words out. “There’s this new girl, and she’s perfect. And Nile is -they are-”
Her voice cracked, and the dam broke. The puzzle fell from her hands and clattered onto the desk as she buried her face in her palms, her shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs. Jacque was at her side in an instant, his arms wrapping around her in a protective embrace.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice low and soothing. “I’ve got you.”
Dom clung to him, her fingers gripping the fabric of his jacket as if it were the only thing keeping her anchored. The scent of Burberry, sandalwood, and a faint hint of campfire smoke filled her senses, a familiar mix that had always been her comfort. Jacque rested his chin lightly on the top of her head, his hand stroking her hair as he whispered reassurances she couldn’t fully hear through the sound of her own tears.
She stayed like that for a while, letting the raw emotions pour out of her until the sobs finally subsided, leaving her feeling hollow and drained. Jacque didn’t let go until she gently pulled away, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket.
“Thanks, Dad,” she said, her voice hoarse but steadier now. “I love you.”
Jacque smiled, the kind of smile that carried equal parts pride and sadness. “I’m always here when you need me, hon.”
“I know,” Dom replied softly. She stood up, glancing at the puzzle she’d abandoned on the desk. It felt like a metaphor for her life right now -twisted, tangled, and impossible to solve. She left it there and headed for the door.
“Take care of yourself, Dom. Get home safe,” Jacque called after her. She turned back to him, offering a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“I will. Thanks, Dad.”
And with that, she slipped out of the office, the door clicking shut behind her. Outside, the air was crisp and cool, carrying the faint scent of rain from an earlier drizzle. Dom leaned against the wall for a moment, closing her eyes as she let the lingering ache in her chest settle.
System Notification:
Emotional Support Received.
Effect: +5 Comfort, +10 Clarity.
Sub-Effect: Increased Resolve.
The message flickered briefly in her vision before fading, and for the first time in days, Dom felt -okay.
The rest of the school week passed in a gray blur, each day blending into the next in a monotonous rhythm that felt suffocating. Dom kept her head down, sticking to a rigid routine that kept her moving but did little to ease the turmoil inside. She woke early each morning, grabbing a quick breakfast before lacing up her running shoes. Peanut, her ever-loyal companion, bounded at her side as she jogged through the cold, foggy streets, the chill biting at her skin but failing to numb the ache in her chest.
Back home, she’d shower and throw on her school clothes, barely giving herself enough time to hop on her bike and race to class. She always timed it perfectly -arriving just after the bell rang- avoiding Nile and, most importantly, Ash. Seeing them together felt like a dagger twisting in her gut, and no matter how hard she tried to focus on anything else, the image of their shared smiles, their easy chemistry, haunted her like a ghost.
It wasn’t just jealousy -though that was certainly part of it. It was the hollow ache of watching someone who’d once been her constant, her partner in crime, slowly drift into someone else’s orbit. She’d been displaced, and though she hated to admit it, it stung. Ash hadn’t just stepped into her life; she’d stolen it -her future, her happiness.
Dom threw herself into distractions, but even the smallest run-ins with Nile and Ash left her reeling. Whether it was a fleeting encounter in the hallways, a glimpse of them sharing lunch, or a chance interaction after class, each moment was a reminder of how far things had shifted. Yet, seeing Nile happy -truly happy- stirred a conflicted emotion in her chest. She wanted that happiness for him, desperately. She just wished she could be the reason for it.