Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Red Bull ❯ Vol. Four Chap Thirteen: Something I Could Never Have ( Chapter 13 )

Something I Could Never Have

It's been a while since Nina's been in a spiral. It started with that damned picture. Since then, she's shut herself down. The woman didn't want to leave her apartment. Tess was the first one to see it.

“Babe,” she said over the phone. “Are you okay? I'm here if you want to talk.”

“Thanks,” Nina said. She sounded so defeated. People do care about her. She knew that. But it was hard to feel it.

“Are you sleeping better?” Tess asked. Nina shook her head.

“No…” she said. This was looking like it was going to be a long, bad trip.

“I'm coming over,” Tess said. “Hang on, okay.” Nina closed her eyes.

“Okay,” she said.

“Do you need me to stay on the phone?”

“No.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“I don't mind.”

“Yes!”

“Okay. I will be there shortly.”

“Okay.”

“Good.” Tess was the one to hang up.

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She was going to need backup. Tess made more calls. It didn't take long for Tess, Didi, Lucy, Dana, Jackie, Violet, and Madam Choi to gather at Nina's door.

“How was she?” Madam Choi asked.

“Not good,” Tess said. She rang the buzzer. The woman waited with bated breath. Tess was about to ring the buzzer again when the door opened. Nina peeked through the crack.

“Hey,” Tess said. Nina removed the chain.

“Hello dear,” Madam Choi said. Nina said nothing. She moved away from the door. The women followed behind silently. Dana closed the door behind her.

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“Do you think she'll do it this time?” Lucy asked.

“Don't say things like that!” Madam Choi hissed with a cold glare. The dancer shrugged.

“What? We all talked about this!” she said.

“Well, yes. But still…” her boss said.

“Let's just focus on tending to her right now,” Tess said.

“Agreed,” Madam Choi said. This looked like they were going to be in for the long haul. Nina's spirals could be quite unpredictable. Sometimes it would go on for days. Sometimes the spiral would go on for weeks. The worst lasted for close to three months. Or maybe it was five.

In any case, the women were ready to talk Nina off the ledge. Tess lay down next to her best friend in her bed. She pulled Nina closer to her in her arms.

“We're here for you, all of us,” Tess whispered. “I'm here for you.” Nina didn't respond. She just lay there feeling numb. She stared off into space.

No one could predict where and how the spiral would end up.

I'm Starting to Scare Myself