You Drive Me Crazy

Chapter 5: Just a Phase Pt.1

-Nicole’s P.O.V-

We were still at the party dancing and having fun. I turned around thinking Eva was behind me but I couldn’t find her. Actually, it’s been a long time since I saw her.

“Hey, guys, where is Eva?” I had to raise my voice for the others to hear me.

“I have no idea, I thought she was with you,” Emma answered.

“I’ll look for her,” I said and they nodded before I left and started looking around.

I must have been searching for a while now, but I still couldn’t find her, so I thought she went home and forgot to inform us, but just to make sure, I decided to give her a call and see if she’s okay.

I dialed her phone number and waited for her to pick up and after a couple of seconds, I heard her voice.

“Hey, Nikki?” she said on the other side.

“Hey, Eva, where did you go? I’ve been worried about you.” I told her while leaving the party area to be able to talk to her more clearly.

“I’m sorry, but don’t worry I’m okay.” She replied.

“Where are you? I’ll come and get you.” I said when I was alone in the parking lot.

“NO! No need, I’m okay. I’m…home.” She directly replied surprising me.

Something had to be wrong, she sounded nervous.

“Eva, please don’t lie to me,” I asked.

“Nikki, I’m fine. I promise. I just wasn’t feeling the party anymore so I left. I’ll tell you everything on Monday.” She said and hung up the phone.

I don’t believe you, Eva Joan.

I might not be Einstein but I’m not dumb.

I started looking around trying to find someone who might have seen Eva leaving. I walked up to one of the guys standing next to his car and tried asking him.

“Hey, Connor. Did you by any chance see Eva leaving?” I asked.

“Who is Eva?” he asked me.

“Tall, caramel hair, red dress…” I said and he shook his head as a response.

“New girl…” I said and he finally understood who I was talking about.

“Long legs? Yeah, I saw her leave with that architect guy.” He explained.

This can’t be right.

“Jayden Wright?” I asked.

“Yeah, that douche heard us talking about her so he threatened us.” He spoke.

“Are you sure you saw her leaving with him?” I wanted to make sure.

“Kinda hard not to notice the man. I’m sure.” He confirmed.

I didn’t care that she was with him. She’s 18 she can do whatever she wants, it’s the fact that she lied to us all day and lied again now when I called.

“Alright thanks…hey, by the way, why did he threaten you?” I asked curious about what they were talking about.

“I’m not telling you.” He said nervously.

“Come on, you owe me.” I raised my eyebrow.

“We were talking about who will get to wrap her legs around who tonight. Turns out it’s the architect.” He spoke.

I slapped his arm.

“Connor!” I call out.

“What, she’s hot.” He admitted.

“I don’t care what you think, just don’t talk about her that way again,” I said and walked away back to the party.

********

I was back in the party hall and found my friends directly, so I walked straight to them by the bar.

“Did you find Eva?” Jake asked.

“Yeah, she said she went home but one of the students told me he saw her leave with Jayden Wright,” I answered.

“What? Are you serious?” Jake sounded astounded.

I nodded.

“Why would she go with him?” Emma asked.

“I don’t know? I mean, all day she told us he annoyed her and there was nothing between them, and now I find out she’s with him and lied to me.” I was as confused as they were.

I spotted Mason being extremely quiet and looking down.

“Mason, are you okay?” I asked him.

“Yeah, just…surprised like you guys.” He answered but I knew Mason when he tries to avoid something.

“Are you sure?” I asked again.

He nodded and left right after. I was concerned about him so I decided to follow him.

“Mason. Mason, wait!” I called.

When he finally stopped, I walked to him and stood in front of him.

“What’s wrong?” I asked with concern.

“Why him?” he said.

“What?” I scrunched my eyebrows.

“Why did she go with Jayden? Is it because he’s successful and handsome, he gets everything he wants?” he sounded angry.

“I’m sick of him taking everything. I’m sick of being in my brother’s shadow.” He continued.

Yes, Mason tends to get angry like that because according to what he tells us, Jayden has always been the family’s favorite.

“You want Eva?” I asked trying to understand what he just said.

“I don’t want her… yet.” He hesitated.

“Mason, if you like Eva, she has the right to know,” I explained to him.

“Nikki, it’s not about my feeling for her. It’s about Jayden not being the relationship type of man. I know him. He makes every girl believe he likes her then when he’s done with her, he throws her away like some item.” He told me.

“Just like every other girl, he will treat Eva the same. And in the end, he's going to use the same excuse ‘she’s just a phase’.” He continued.

“And the worst part is… this time it’s with one of my friends and potentially someone I like.” I have never witnessed Mason talk about his feelings this way before.

But he was not wrong.

Jayden is known to be a playboy and hurt every girl that ever comes across him. That’s what he is known for after being a great architect.

“Mason, you have to tell her. She’s not dumb, plus, she is going to see your brother a lot since she got the offer to work with him.” I said and from his reaction, I realized he didn’t know about it.

“I have to tell her about Jayden before she falls for him.” He spoke.

“Not just about Jayden, about your feelings for her too,” I told him.

He stood there looking into nothing and I knew he was thinking then he continued walking and left the party completely.

********

I walked back inside for what felt like the hundredth time and met with Emma only because Jake apparently went home with someone too.

“Hey, Is Mason okay?” she asked.

“I don’t know. He got angry when he found out Eva was with Jayden.” I answered.

“Big bad boy brother strikes again.” She spoke.

“Tell me about it.” I continued.

“Anyway, why would he be angry? It’s not Jayden’s first time.” She questioned.

“He said something about Jayden using the ‘it’s a phase’ excuse and hurting the girl he is with when he’s done with her and then got even angrier when he thought about Eva going through it,” I explained.

“I mean, it’s totally normal. Eva is his friend, it’s fine to worry about something like that happening to her.” She said before drinking what she had in her hand.

“I don’t know Emma. I think he has feelings for her.” I told her.

She stopped drinking midway and looked at me.

“Oh.” Was all she said.

I noticed the change in her tone.

“Well, if he has feelings for her, he should tell her.” She got rid of her previous tone going back to normal.

“Yeah, that’s what I told him too.” I hesitated to tell her this.

“Good.” She nodded.

“Listen, Nikki, I’m done with partying tonight. I think I’m going to head home, see you on Monday.” She told me, placed her drink on the bar, and left.

There I was alone, at the party, all of my friends gone for different reasons and each with a lie.

This is starting to annoy me.

I have to carry everyone’s burden, but I have no one to carry mine. Suddenly, I got a call from my mother and I already knew what she wanted.

If she knew I was still out late rather than studying, she's going to scold me and remind me that I'm the heir to my father's law firm, although I wish to be an architect. I hung up on her not wanting to be pissed more than I already was and left.

“Hey, Connor…take me somewhere.” I met Connor in the parking lot again.

“Alright…” he smirked before opening the door to his car and lead the way.

********

We reached a motel or whatever that place was and went straight to the receptionist standing behind her desk.

She gave us the keys to a room and from the look on her face, I knew she knew exactly what we were here for. Connor and I walked to the room and as soon as we reached it, he opened the door and instantly started kissing me all over.

This wasn’t what I usually do, but tonight…tonight I did not care.

No one cared about what I wanted, my friends lie to me and throw their problems at me, my parents…adoptive parents…are forcing me to do something I don’t want to because my younger sister wasn’t in good shape to carry the family name, and my brother is the definition of careless.

But I?

It does not matter what I want.

I’m just a puppet in a play.