to Cherri without Nikita seeing? She doesn’t know I have this much stuff.”
“Would she really be upset? You guys did go out for four years. Is it all that shocking that you would have amassed some stuff?”
“It’s not so much about that. Discussing Cherri, even briefly, always ends badly for us. I’d rather not bring it up at all.”
“You got it, man,” Kyle said. “If I see her, just shove the box at me, and I can bring it over to her.”
Part of me wanted to let him do that, but I felt like I owed it to Cherri to face her straight-up. I still hadn’t gotten the chance to apologize to her. Hopefully, winter break gave her enough time to cool down. Maybe The Royal Court could start fresh and begin repairing.
“If you see her, just let me know,” I said. “If you see Nikita, let me know that faster.”
“Uh, oh…” Kyle said before pointing forward. “I see Nikita.” We were just passing through the doorway of school, and, sure enough, Nikita was a bit down the hallway, standing with Jaxon and Colette. They had gathered in front of Colette’s locker, which also happened to be where mine and Kyle’s were. Kyle grabbed the edge of the box. “Here, just give it to me. I’ll tell her it’s some stuff I have to give back to Avery or something.”
“She won’t believe you. You and Avery broke up over a year ago, and she’s with Alistair now.” I sighed. “Besides, I don’t want to lie to people anymore. You guys have put up with a lot of shit from me, most of which is a whole lot of lying to your fucking faces. I didn’t want to bring Cherri up with Nikita, but if she asks about the box, I’ll just tell her the truth and take whatever punishment comes my way. It’s the least I can do.”
Kyle shrugged. “Okay, man. Suit yourself.”
With my fate sealed, Kyle and I continued down the hallway until we had made our way to where Nikita, Jaxon, and Colette were standing. My eyes found Nikita first, and I couldn’t help but smile. She grinned back at me, but there was hesitation in her gaze, so I didn’t try to initiate any sort of intimacy with her. I gave her a little nod as a greeting. She nodded back, and then my gaze shifted to Colette, and the smile quickly faded. Her hair, which was typically perfectly brushed, was unkempt and curling along the back where split ends were fraying outward. Her eyes were sunken in as if she hadn’t slept in weeks, and though she was already an absurdly thin person, she looked borderline emaciated with her collar bone jutting out from her neck and her cheeks slightly sunken. When Kyle said she wasn’t doing good, I didn’t think it was that bad.
It shattered me.
“Hey, Colette,” I greeted. “I missed you over the break.”
She forced a smile that she was no doubt attempting to make seem bright but only looked pained. “Hi! I missed you too. I have a Christmas present for you! You were the only one who I didn’t get a chance to give it to over the break.” She reached into her open locker, pulled out a small and perfectly wrapped present, and handed it over. “Open it!”
My hands were full with the box, so I shifted it to balance against my hip while I worked on getting the present open. Nikita tried to pull the box from me, but I clung to it, and she furrowed her brow at me. “Sorry,” I said quickly. “I got it.”
But the damage was done. Nikita was already picking her way through the box’s contents, and I had no choice but to continue with my present from Colette and wait for the impending doom. I pulled off the wrapping paper, lifted the lid of the box, and laughed. Inside was a small porcelain nesting doll. My relationships with the members of The Royal Court were strained on a good day, but until the beginning of this year, we did all have something like a friendship. During a conversation with Colette, I’d revealed that I hated the concept of nesting dolls because I didn’t understand why anyone would feel the need to fit progressively smaller things into larger replicas. My irritation over the concept was amusing to her, and it became something of an inside joke between us.
“A nesting doll.” I leaned forward and gave