I woke up to the feeling of the bed shifting beside me. I groaned softly and opened my eyes to see Will pulling on his jacket. The morning sun was shining relentlessly through my bedroom window.
“Shit.” I muttered, making Will turn in surprise. “You better leave or else Dad will be pissed.”
Will sighed. “Sorry. I guess I just fell asleep last night. That hasn’t happened in a while.”
“No,” I sat up, pulling the neckline of my tank top up when I noticed Will’s eyes dropping to that region. I blushed when Will smirked, knowing that I’d noticed him staring. “Keep your eyes to yourself, William.”
“Sorry, Nicolette.” he shot me a boyish grin. “I can’t help that my best friend is hot, not to mention sitting in bed in rather revealing sleepwear.”
“Thanks,” I snorted, holding my breath in hopes that it would stop me from blushing. “Wish I could say the same for you.”
“Oh, please.” Will laughed softly, taking into consideration that if he was louder, he’d probably wake someone up and get caught. “I’m all you think about. You even dream of me.”
I gasped, clapping a hand over my mouth in mockery. “Oh my! How did you know?”
“Because I’m amazing.” Will shrugged. “Duh?”
“Yeah, sure.” I scoffed. “Keep telling yourself that, because cockiness gets all the ladies.”
Will laughed, the corner of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. I wished I could pull out a camera and snap a picture of him in that moment, with his messy dark hair, genuine grin and bright blue eyes. Will climbed onto the bed on his knees and wrapped his arms around me, pressing his soft lips to my forehead.
“You’re coming over to see Val, right?” he asked hopefully, pulling away and letting his hands rest on my shoulders.
“Sure.” I nodded. “As long as your mom makes those amazing cookies of hers.”
“I’ll make sure to tell her.” Will smiled, kissing my forehead again before retreating back onto his feet on the floor. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Okay,” I said softly, waving goodbye as he climbed outside through my window into the chilly morning. I closed the window and watched him jump down onto a balcony of the first floor, then onto the field of grass. He looked up towards my window and gave me a thumbs up before running towards the gravel road at the back of the house where his truck was parked. I watched him climb into his truck and back out of the small road before zooming off.

---

The sound of forks clanking against plates and the occasional sip of orange juice was all to be heard at the breakfast table. Nate refused to speak for an unknown reason, and Noelle simply looked like she was going to fall asleep. Dad was scrolling through a page on his phone, unaware of how dysfunctional our family looked.
I stabbed my fork into my pancake in frustration, wishing that one of them would acknowledge me. Finally, Nate looked up, tired bags sporting under his eyes. I knew then that he’d been up late painting. Lately he’d been trying to paint up a picture of our mother, based on his memory, considering he hadn’t seen a picture of her in ages. Many mornings, he’d come down for breakfast looking worn out and tired, with a few paint marks on his fingers and arms. I of course was the only one that knew about his eagerness to paint our mom. If dad found out, he’d demand that Nate stop painting.
And God knew what would happen if Noelle found out.
Hence, Nate resorted to painting only in the late nights. He stared at me, his blue eyes glazed over with a sleep-deprived look. I’d have to give him a lecture later on learning his priorities. Although I had a feeling that talking to Nate wouldn’t do him any good. He was such a mommy’s boy that he’d do anything to find her. Then again, so would I.
“So, I’m thinking of going to spend the day with Paiton,” Nate announced, pouring more syrup over his stack of pancakes. Dad looked up from his phone, while Noelle continued to struggle to stay awake.
“So you two are dating now?” Dad asked.
“Dad,” Nate rolled his eyes. “We’ve been dating for three months. Have you not been paying attention?”
No, he hasn’t.
“I was messing with you, bud.” my dad laughed, clearly lying by the nervous glint in his eyes. They flickered over to me and I looked away, not willing him back him up. Dad had obviously been in deep thought if he hadn’t noticed Nate’s girlfriend of three months. They were very obviously passionate about each other, though Paiton rarely came over due to the rules that her strict parents had set in stone. Still, Nate had mentioned her plenty of times, enough for dad to know that they were dating.
“I’m going over to Will’s today, too.” I threw in, watching Noelle perk up in her seat. She looked at me with wide eyes, eager about something.
“Is Val home from college?” She asked hopefully. I nodded. “Can I come with you then? I haven’t seen her in forever.”
“Yeah, I guess.” I shrugged, knowing she would pester me until I agreed to let her tag along. Valerie and Noelle had a special kind of friendship, even though Valerie was nearly seven years older than Noelle. I assumed it had something to do with their similar personalities. Both were kind and funny, but quiet and shy at most times. They got along well.
“So an empty house today, I’m guessing.” Dad sighed, looking a bit disappointed. “What a shame. Can you all promise to be back by dinner?”
Nate, Noelle and I agreed, knowing that dinner’s were normally a time where we bonded, except for dinner last night. Everyone seemed to be a little more awake at night for some odd reason, so we talked comfortably and made a decent, warm-hearted conversation while eating.
After preparing to go to Will’s house with a bit of makeup, leggings, boots, a black turtle neck and my favorite maroon leather jacket, I headed downstairs and sat down on the living room sofa, waiting for Noelle. Looking at my phone time, we still had a couple minutes to spare. Dad came out of the kitchen and saw me on the couch. He smiled and came over to sit beside me.
“Hey, Colette.” he smiled, kissing my forehead. He was the only person alive who still called me by my old nickname. It took all my might not to wince at how girly it sounded, seeing as why I had switched to Nic.
“Hi, dad.” I greeted. “Are you feeling better?”
Dad shrugged, giving me a tired smile. His eyes were still a bit red from crying, but he did look much better than he did last night. “It’s just something I have yet to get used to.”
“I know you’re trying.” I whispered, wrapping my arms around my dad. “I know it must be hard.”
“It’s impossible to forget her.” Dad insisted in a hushed tone. “She is everything to me.”
“I know.”
“You know what?” Noelle asked, coming down the stairs. Dad and I broke our embrace and pulled on forced smiles as Noelle approached us. I grinned at her outfit in approval. For once, she actually looked like she had tried. Normally, she clothed herself in her favorite ratty, worn out jeans and a completely ugly shirt. Now she looked similar to me, wearing Ugg boots, navy green leggings, a white patterned sweater with a beanie on her head and a black leather jacket in her hands. I realized half the things she was wearing were my hand-me-downs.
“We better get going.” I stood up, ignoring Noelle’s question.
“Have fun!” Dad yelled as we headed for the door. “And be back by dinner!”
“We will, dad!” Noelle shouted back, following me out the door into the harsh cold of the outside. I shivered immediately at the sharp cold of the wind, Noelle and I jogging to get into my car. We got inside and sat in the seats, turning on the seat warmers as soon as possible. Once we were warmed up, I began driving down the quiet streets.
“I’m not stupid, Nic.” Noelle huffed suddenly, making my muscles tense.
“What do you mean?” I asked in the calmest voice I could muster. Noelle frowned at me and rolled her eyes, turning the radio down.
“It’s obvious that something’s wrong with dad.” she said. “And you and Nate know what it is. And for some stupid reason, you three are keeping it from me. Just tell me, is he sick or something? Does he have some sort of major health issue?”
Oh, I thought. She was talking about something completely different. She wasn’t onto us at all. I exhaled slowly in relief.
“It’s nothing like that.” I promised. “We wouldn’t keep that from you.”
“But you are keeping something from me.” Noelle insisted. “I can tell by the way dad gives you and Nate those desperate looks, and how you guys always respond with looks of sympathy. And the way he cries on that one night, every single year the way he did yesterday. I doubt he’s crying because of his parents divorcing.”
“What?” I turned my head, giving her a frown. “Don’t you think he'd be hurt at the idea of remembering the day that his parents separated?”
“I guess,” Noelle shrugged. “but there’s something that I’m missing.”
“You’re not missing anything.” I said, gripping the steering wheel tighter. “There is nothing we would keep from you. We trust you and we know you’re mature enough to know about anything happening within our family. Don’t doubt us.”
“Okay,” Noelle sighed. “No doubt.”
“Thank you.” I whispered, giving her a thankful smile. Noelle pursed her lips and turned up the radio, facing away from me and staring out the window. She obviously hadn’t believed a word I said. She still believed that we were hiding something from her. I just hoped she wouldn’t figure out that she was right.

---

“Valerie!” Noelle squealed, jumping into Val’s arms. Valerie laughed and hugged Noelle, a bright smile on her pretty face. Damn, I wish I had some Tomlinson genes, considering the way Valerie and William turned out. Both of them could easily be models.
“I missed you, Ellie.” Valerie smiled, pulling away from their embrace. Her eyes lifted to meet mine and if possible, her smile grew wider. “Nic!”
She wrapped her arms around me for a warm, welcoming hug, giggling happily. Val was a very bubbly person when she wasn’t being shy and quiet. She was definitely just like Noelle.
"You still keeping my brother in place?" Val wondered, pulling away from our hug. Noelle slipped inside, leaving Val and I alone.
"Yeah," I forced a nervous laugh. "He'd be no where without me."
"Tell me about it." Valerie snorted. "He would let all those slutty college girls feel him up if it weren't for you."
I absorbed her words, my eyes widening nervously. "What do you mean? All I do is tell him not to be a manwhore."
"And he obeys you like a lost puppy." Valerie snorted. "You've got my brother wrapped around your little finger."
"I don't mean anything to him romantically," I protested gently. "Plus, I don't stop him from dating the shitload of girls that he has."
"He's just trying to find the right one and he hasn't quite found her yet." Valerie sighed sympathetically. Then a spark grew in her eye and she turned to me with a mischievous grin. "Or maybe he has."
"And who might that be?"
Valerie stared at me for a bit before bursting into a crazy fit of laughter. Her eyes trailed over my expression, and slowly she ceased her hysterical laughing.
"You don't see it, do you?" She whispered softly, her eyes wide with hope. A sympathetic hope. "You don't see what's right in front of you?"
"I-I don't-"
"My brother is head over heels for you, Nicolette." Valerie sighed exasperatedly. "That lovestruck idiot will do anything for you. God, I thought you guys would have figured that out by now."
"Valerie," my jaws clenched tightly. "Do not say anything like that ever again. You know nothing of what goes through Will's mind. You don't know that he loves me. And he is my best friend. If I knew he loved me, I would be sick."
The false words struck my heart like a thousand nails stabbing into my chest.
Frustrated and conpletely upset, I gently brushed past Val and stormed into the Tomlinson household, almost instantly colliding with something extremely hard.
I knew it was Will. Of course you know it's him, you hopeless fucked up lover. I could recognize the scent of his colonge from miles away, and the way that he gripped my shoulders to keep me at balance.
"Easy tiger." Will chuckled, his body vibrating with laughter. I attempted to step back, but Will help me closer, moving his hands to sit at my waist.
"W-what?" I stammered, forcing myself to look anywhere but at his perfect pink lips that I so desperately wanted to kiss.
I watched Will's head tilt back a slight bit, laughter filling the entry hall oce again. "Look at you," he cooed, piching my cheeks. "You're blushing so hard."
I slapped his hands away from my face and glared at him. "Not funny."
"Nic, you're hilarious."
"I am, aren't I?" I agreed seriously. Will nodded with a mocking grin and grabbed my hand, leading me into the kitchen. Aunt Eleanor was setting a tray of freshly baked cookies on the counter top, her humming fading away when Will and I entered.
"Nicolette!" She grinned, opening her arms out to me. "Come here!"
I laughed and happily jumped into her arms, embracing the beautiful lady in front of me. I had her to thank for Will's downright sexy face.
"Will begged me to make these cookies for you," she laughed, a glint in her eye. "I figured he must have done something wrong and wanted to bribe you for forgiveness."
I glanced at Will who carelessly rolled his eyes and shrugged, unaffected at his mom's attempt at embarassing him.
"He hasn't been too bad," I snorted. "Just the usual, semi-retarded douche he's always been."
Aunt Eleanor chuckled, shaking her head. "I seriously can't get enough of you, Nic."
"I seriously can't get enough of you, Nic." Will mocked in a high pitched voice. "Yada yada yada. Nic, come to my room. I need to show you something." He got up from his seat and headed for the stairs.
"No funny business." Aunt Eleanor teased with a tiny smirk, almost as if she knew about my ginormous crush on her son.
"Nice joke." I retorted playfully. "Thanks for the reminder that won't be necessary."
"Haven't got all day!" Will yelled, already halfway up the stairs. I sighed, wondering why I dealt with him, wasting my precious time on him. Maybe because I had a huge, embarassing crush on him. Maybe something else. Probably not.
I followed Will into his room, smacking his head in the process.
"Why are you so annoying?" I complained, shrieking when he grabbed my waist and skillfully flipped me into his arms, my face towards the floor. "Put me down, you useless bag of scum!"
Will dropped me on his bed, my face painflluy hitting the sheets. He grinned triumphantly. "Don't call me annoying. I am king."
I sighed. "Well, what'd you have to show me?"
Will's expression softened. "Right." He cleared his throat and walked to his desk, pulling open the small drawer connected to it and rummaging around. Once he found what he was looking for, he looked up, worry in his eyes. "Swear you won't tell a soul about this?"
"William Drew Tomlinson, are you taking drugs?"
"No!" He exclaimed, followed by a small chuckle. "You suck. Now, swear you won't tell anyone."
I rolled my eyes. "I swear I won't tell anyone. I'll tell everyone."
"Okay. Here- wait what?"
I cracked up. The look on Will's face was adorable. He looked completely lost. As I continued laughing, his jaws began to tense and his expression feigned frustration. My giggling slowly faded.
"Nicolette, this is serious." He hissed, calling me by my full name. Pressing my lips into a thin line, I nodded.
"Okay."
Will glanced at me once more before pulling onto a small, ripped piece of paper from the drawer. As he came closer with the piece of paper in hand, I realized that it looked alot like a newspaper piece.
"I've uh, had this since last week." He admitted. "I found it in my dad's old wardrobe while trying to find one of his ties."
Nodding, I took the fragile piece of paper from him. The condition of the paper made it seem out-dated, like a newspaper from years and years ago.
Half of the bold heading was cut off, but I managed to get a part of it.
-oran's Wife Missing
I continued to read what I could from the small, ripped piece of newspaper.
-eeks ago, Niall Horan's wife was repor-
-ssing. He claims that the dissappeara-
-sudden. Polices have been on the sear-
-londe hair and blue eyes. Detective Bur-
-that the search team has been focused-
-cene of the crime. No fingerprints or fo-
-found. How will Niall manage to raise-
-beautiful twins and a newborn baby gi-
-out the mother to support them? It seem-
The rest of the article was cut off. I hadn't noticed my jaw slowly drop as I read the text in front of me. Will slowly took the paper from me and gulped audibly.
"So...yeah."
"I had so many nightmares about this." I whispered finally, covering my face. I recalled how frightened I had been, at five years of age having vivid dreams that had me screaming when I woke up. I remembered my dad taking me to the doctor, diagnosing me with depression at only five years old. For nearly two months, my dad had to force me to eat, because I didn't want to eat unless it wasmommy feeding me.
Nate had it just as bad as me, if not worse. The difference was, while I was screaming and crying, he was dead silent. While I pictured the blood spilling from my mom's chest as the kidnappers dragged her out of the window, Nate just saw a dark, dangerous black.
Nate didn't speak again until he was six.
It was a terrible few years for us all, as most would imagine. An experience would have to be extremely uplifting or extremely disappointing for a five year old to remember it. The incident hadn't been spoken of ever since we were sworn to secrecy by our dad as soon as we learned that Noelle would be better off not knowing what truly happened to her mother.
I'd always secretly wished that my dreams were all fake, and that our mom really had just got up and left. There was never proof that it actually happened except for a blood stain on the carpet (but Dad got the carpet replaced) and my memories.
But now there was this.
"Nic, say something." Will's voice pulled me back into the present. I bit down hard on my lip. I would not let Will see me cry. Not today.
"Hi." I choked.
The tiniest smile broke out on Will's face. He carefully wrapped his arms around me, dragging me to him. And then, I just couldn't hold it in. Soon, the shoulder of his shirt was soaked in my tears, but he didn't care. He just kept holding me tight, pressing kisses to my forehead.
"Everything's gonna be okay." He whispered into my ear, his lips accidentally touching my ear, causing me to shiver, then become tense. I felt his body stiffen as well, and he quickly pulled away.
"What if she's still out there?" I spoke more confidently, though my hoarse voice contradicted my attempt. "What if she's waiting for someone to come rescue her?"
"Nicolette, trying to find her may be more dangerous than you think."
"I could do it." I looked him right in the eye. I placed a hand on his arm. "Come on. I've told you about this so many times. If I could just plan correctly, then-"
"No." Will protested, placing his hand on top of my hand that rested on his arm. "Nic, I can't let you do that. Plus, she's been gone for years now. She's probably-"
"What?" I cut him off, sudden frustrated by him. "Dead? You think she's dead."
Will pursed his lips.
"Unbelievable!" I threw my hands in the air in exasperation, glaring at him. I stood up, wanting nothing more than to get away from him. "And why didn't you tell me this earlier? For years, Will, I've told you how much I want to find her, and this whole time you've secretly doubted everything I believed in."
"That's not it." He argued, standing up to exceed my height. I crossed my arms over my chest. "But fourteen years, Nic. Fourteen fucking years. You can't just expect to find her when she been gone for that long."
"She's been gone that long because no one took the time to go find her." I snapped, glaring at Will viciously.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Will raised his voice. "Didn't you read the goddamn paper? There were police forces looking for your mum. And they couldn't find her."
"So you think I can't find her either." I concluded abruptly, wanting to punch a wall. "You don't believe in me at all."
"That's fucking in-"
"Just shut up!" I cried, pushing at his chest. He lost his balance and staggered back, but managed to regain posture quickly. "Shut up."
"Nicolette..."
"I said, shut up."
"Come on. Don't be like that." Will sighed heavily.
I scoffed. "You know what? Go fuck yourself. I'm done with this shit."
Dad said I got my short temper from mom.
I stormed out of Will's bedroom, angry and hurt. Normally, I wouldn't care what someone thought of my ambitions. But this was Will. I cared what Will thought of me more than I wanted to, because he was my best friend, and also the guy I had feelings for.
"Nic!" Will shouted from behind me. I quickened my pace as I headed for the stairs. Somehow, Will caught up to me, stepping in front of me to block my path.
"Please stop." He sighed, gripping both my shoulders with his hands. "That conversation was totally out of line."
I tried to shrug him off of me, but he stood his ground. "Just leave me alone, Will." I growled.
"Come back to my room, please." He pleaded. Who could possibly say no to those big blue eyes?
"No."
I could.
I turned around and proceeded down the stairs, but failed to get very far before a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me from the ground.
"Will, get the fuck off me." I groaned, attempting to bite his finger. Once he had me at the top of the stairs, he set me down and blocked my path to go back down the stairs.
"Nic, I think your mom is still alive." He blurted, his blue orbs wide and serious. "That's why you can't go."
"That's stupid." I scoffed. "You're stupid."
"Look," Will sighed looking around the empty living room. "We can't talk here. My mom might hear. Just come to my room."
The pleading look in his eyes somehow managed to tear me down, and soon I was following him back to his room. Damn his stupid, gorgeous eyes.

Notes

Notes
Hi guys!! The picture to the side is Will, played by Colton Haynes. Comment, vote and fan. Promise I'll get back to all my comments!!!! Thanks for reading ♡♥♡