Chapter 10: A Night with Avegaille

"Hnngh… why do we have to do this first?" Avegaille groaned while her eyes twitched staring at the list of questions written on the paper. The questions were all about American history. If there was one thing that Avegaille didn't like the most, it would be anything about history.

"Come on, it's not that hard, you just have to read through these chapters and you can get the answers easily…" Nicole May remarked while she started flipping through the pages of the book she was holding.

Both of them were currently in the kitchen of the Stewarts residence. They were sitting by the kitchen table, with books and papers scattered on the table. Nicole May thought it would be best if they started on a subject that Avegaille didn't like so they wouldn't have to worry about it later. Nicole May called her mother earlier, letting her know about her staying over at Avegaille's place for the night… not exactly the whole night, just until they could finish at least one homework. Mrs. Rustford thought it was strange for Nicole May to be studying with someone, but she just let it pass. On the other hand, Mrs. Stewart was upstairs, in her room, busy organizing and planning out things for next week. That would mean that only Avegaille and Nicole May were at the kitchen.

"Hmm, I got a better idea, why don't I just copy your homework?" Avegaille exclaimed and she tried to look over Nicole May's notes.

"Hey now, don't be lazy!" Nicole May exclaimed exasperatedly as she pushed away Avegaille's face with her hand. Then, she started to put small pieces of paper in between the pages of the book she was holding.

"What are you doing?" Avegaille asked as she leaned her back against the chair she was sitting on while looking curiously at Nicole May.

"Here, start reading the pages I marked for you, then you can find the answers in those questions…" Nicole May explained as she handed over to Avegaille the book.

"But it's boring…" Avegaille complained and groaned. She took the book from Nicole May's hand. Then, she opened up the book to one of the designated paper marks Nicole May inserted. "Hmm, let's see… I wonder… which state does Centralville belong to, New York or Massachusetts?"

"You know, that's actually a good question, too bad that book doesn't give out that answer…" Nicole May remarked and sighed. She leaned over to see what Avegaille was reading and her left eye started to twitch. It turns out that Avegaille was at the page talking about the British colonies. "Hey now, you're not even reading the page you're at…"

"Ah, sorry, this topic just somehow reminds me of what state Centralville should be at," Avegaille said and laughed nervously. "You know how there's like a Kansas City both in Kansas and Missouri…"

"Well, that's because Kansas City is… a city… and Centralville is a small town," Nicole May muttered exasperatedly as she stared at Avegaille. "How the hell did we end up talking about US Geography anyway?!"

"All right, fine, I'll begin reading… this…" Avegaille groaned while she stared at the huge block of text of the book and eventually started reading.

While Avegaille was silently reading through the pages of the book, Nicole May looked through the scattered books and papers on the table. She saw one of Avegaille's notebooks and picked it up and browsed through it. Avegaille's handwriting was a bit messy; she could barely understand what her notes were about. She looked at the cover of the notebook again to see which subject it was. It turns out it was Avegaille's English notebook. Then, she flipped to the back side and saw Avegaille's doodles and some drawings. One of them had a comic strip involving the two of them. She slowly turned her head to Avegaille and stared at her exasperatedly after reading it. Avegaille was just finished reading the chapter when she noticed Nicole May's expression.

"Huh, what is it?" Avegaille asked, as she looked confusingly at Nicole May.

"Your comic… it was… how shall I say it? A bit weird in terms of scripting…" Nicole May muttered as she sweat-dropped.

"Eh?! You read it?" Avegaille exclaimed surprisingly while she quickly dropped the book she was holding and snatched the notebook Nicole May was holding. She looked at the page that Nicole May was reading and her face started to turn red. "Well, I really don't like to show to people my drawings… I mean, it's not like they're interested in them…"

"Well, I think they're cute…" Nicole May remarked and smiled at Avegaille.

"Huh… hmm, that's really strange, coming from you…" Avegaille muttered as she looked away from Nicole May, still a bit embarrassed.

"Ah… hey, what's that supposed to mean now?" Nicole May blurted as her cheeks started to turn red.

"It's nothing…" Avegaille replied while she giggled and turned to Nicole May. Then, she placed the notebook she was holding back on the table while she took the sheet of paper that had the history questions. "I suppose I can answer at least ten of these questions after reading that chapter… then, there's only around forty questions left…"

"See, you can do it if you tried hard enough," Nicole May said while Avegaille began writing her answers in a new sheet of paper.

"I suppose, but still, I don't really like studying about stuff that already happened… I don't get the point of it…" Avegaille muttered as she continued writing her answers and then went back to reading the pages of the book.

"You know, some people don't want the past to happen again… and books about past events are there so that the people of the present won't make the same mistake again," Nicole May said as she folded her arms across her chest. Then, she yawned and looked at the clock that was on the wall above the refrigerator. It was almost time for dinner and her stomach started to grumble.

"Huh, are you hungry?" Avegaille asked as she looked at Nicole May curiously.

"Hah… I'm fine, I'm not that hungry…" Nicole May replied nervously as she turned away from Avegaille while her face started turning red.

"Well, I'm a bit hungry, so I'll make something since Mom’s busy right now…" Avegaille said while she put down the pencil she was holding on the table and then she stood up from her seat. "Let's see… I'm not good with stoves, so… I suppose those instant noodles in cups are fine. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, I don't mind…" Nicole May muttered while she watched Avegaille go through the kitchen cabinets.

As Avegaille got the cups out from one of the cabinets, Mrs. Stewart entered the kitchen and saw what Avegaille was doing.

"Avegaille, why didn't you tell me you guys were hungry? I already ordered pizza," Mrs. Stewart interrupted, in which made Avegaille turned to her. "Besides, I don't think you guys would be satisfied with eating just noodles…"

"Oh hey, Mom, I thought you were busy, so I really didn't want to bother you…" Avegaille said. She quickly placed back the cups inside the cabinet and closed the door.

"Nonsense dear! You know you can always go to my room if you need anything," Mrs. Stewart said as she approached Avegaille. "How are you guys doing so far with your homework?"

"Ah, I managed to finish at least some of my homework… but still, I could finish faster if Nicole May let me copy her homework," Avegaille replied and sighed.

"Hey now, you're not understanding the purpose of school work," Nicole May protested as she stared at Avegaille exasperatedly from her seat.

"Nicole May's right, dear," Mrs. Stewart said to Avegaille and laughed. Then, she turned to Nicole May. "If you stay here for too long, you should probably just stay over for the night. Then again, you probably have someone to pick you up after this… and you probably even have professional bodyguards…"

"Well, yeah, that may be true, but… hey wait, how do you even know I have bodyguards?" Nicole May asked, looking at Mrs. Stewart surprisingly.

"Huh, aren't we supposed to assume that rich people have bodyguards anyway?" Avegaille asked, slightly tilting her head to the side.

"Avegaille has a point. Either way, you don't seem to be the type of child that's spoiled… Moving that aside, you're always welcome to come over at my house if you and Avegaille have things you need to do together," Mrs. Stewart said and smiled.

"Mom just wants me to invite my friends over here instead of going to their houses so that she wouldn't be alone…" Avegaille added and giggled.

"Ah, you guys are kinda strange… though, I wish I did have a family like that," Nicole May muttered to herself and watched Avegaille hugged her mother while Mrs. Stewart stroked Avegaille's hair. Then, the doorbell rang, in which Mrs. Stewart left the kitchen. Meanwhile, Avegaille quickly ran up to Nicole May and sat down next to her.

"Hey, Nicole May… I'm curious… if my Mom would let me go to my friends' places, would you let me visit your house?" Avegaille asked, which made Nicole May turn to her.

"Yeah, it's fine, you can go to my place… if you know where it is, that is…" Nicole May replied. She sighed and stared at the clock at the wall. "I really think you need to ride a bus to get there, and then, walk some more… honestly, I don't really want to talk about the distance. Well, we can always ride a car to get there."

"So, you always ride a car to get to school… Do you ride those long limousines? Hmm, but then again, if you do, you'd attract attention just seeing that car alone…" Avegaille pondered as she folded her arms and started to think.

"I really think it's inappropriate to use those limousines just to go to school… even though we do have them, only my Mom uses that car. I prefer riding an average car. Although, I don't really think the Lexus car that I ride to school seems… average."

"Avegaille, do you mind organizing your things on the table?" Mrs. Stewart interrupted as she entered the kitchen while holding the pizza box with her hands. "You don't want pizza stains in your homework, now you do?"

"Yes, Mom…" Avegaille groaned while she started picking up the sheet of papers on the table and started organizing them. Nicole May also picked up the book and started piling them on one side of the table. After the two of them finished organizing the things on the table, Mrs. Stewart placed the box on the table and opened the lid.

"Well, it's your favorite flavor Avegaille, eat up you two," Mrs. Stewart said while she took a slice of pizza and took a bite. "I should get back to work after this."

"Ah, lots of seafood…" Avegaille said ecstatically as she took a slice and chomped on the pizza.

"I never knew you like eating seafood," Nicole May muttered as she sweat-dropped and smiled weakly.

"You should try it too, it's delicious," Avegaille insisted while she continued eating.

"No, it's not that… your enthusiasm for anything seafood is somehow strange… yeah…" Nicole May muttered to herself as she took out a slice of pizza and stared at it for a moment.

.-.-.-.-.-

"And there, take that history homework, I've finally finished you!" Avegaille exclaimed as she smacked down the pencil she was holding on the table, slightly waking up Nicole May from her sleeping composure. Nicole May slowly opened her eyes and yawned while Avegaille held the sheets of paper of her history homework written on it with her hands.

It had been almost three hours since Avegaille was working on her homework and it was almost eleven in the evening. Nicole May got bored of waiting and ended up falling asleep on her seat. While Avegaille arranged her things on the table, Nicole May stood up from her seat and yawned. Then, Nicole May picked up her books and her notes to put inside her bag. She realized her books couldn't fit inside the bag due to her laptop occupying most of the space… at least, she could put the homework she already finished in it.

"Eh? You're going home already?" Avegaille asked while Nicole May turned to her.

"Yeah, it's late… if I don't get enough sleep, I might not be able to take my meds later…" Nicole May said while she piled up her books on the table and placed them next to her bag. "I have to call them up first…"

"Ah, your escorts are gonna pick you up?" Avegaille asked while Nicole May took out her phone from her pocket and started to press the buttons on the phone.

"Yeah…" Nicole May replied as she placed the phone over her ear. She could hear it ring until someone picked up. "Yeah… I'm finished… huh, what do you mean the car's not working? It was working when I got to school… Ugh, I refuse to ride on something that big…"

"Huh?" Avegaille furrowed her eyebrows while she listened to Nicole May, who was talking to someone over the phone.

"I don't think that's a good idea, to bring that limousine here," Nicole May continued. "I'll just stay over here, I suppose… I mean, it's just for the night and I brought some medication with me."

"Hmm… Nicole May sure doesn't like attracting attention, even at night…" Avegaille murmured while Nicole May took the phone off her ear and pushed a button to end the call. Then, Nicole May turned to Avegaille and sighed. "So… you can't get back home because the car you use doesn't work?"

"Yeah… to make things worse, that's the only normal car at my place, the rest are either limousines or buses," Nicole May groaned and sighed exasperatedly. Then, she looked very uneasy as she turned to Avegaille. "I hope… you don't mind, you know, me staying here for the night."

"It's no problem," Avegaille said and giggled. "I never had someone sleep over. Although, my room is a bit of a mess. I'll be back… I need to talk to Mom."

"Sure…" Nicole May muttered while she watched Avegaille get off her seat and ran out of the kitchen. Then, her phone started ringing and Nicole May looked at the screen to see who it was. It was her mother. She quickly pressed the button to answer it.

‘Nicole May, your escorts told me you're staying over there for the night,' Mrs. Rustford said while Nicole May sighed over the phone. 'Well, I won't lecture you or anything of that sort. I think it's nice to see you do what kids your age are supposed to do.'

"Well… I really didn't want to stay over, it's a bit too much already," Nicole May muttered while she sat down on a chair. "Oh yeah, Dad’s coming tomorrow, isn't he?"

'He told you that? Well, we did have a chat. Just hope that your father doesn't have sudden urgent business to attend to while he's here,' Mrs. Rustford said and giggled. 'He's busy as always. Well, anyway, good night then, and don't forget to take your medication. Good thing I made you bring some to school.'

"I won't… night then, Mom…" Nicole May said as she took the phone off her ear and pressed a button to end the call. After Nicole May placed her mobile phone in her pocket, Avegaille came back, and this time, Mrs. Stewart was with her.

"I heard from Avegaille you'll be staying over, anyway, I'll get some pillows. Avegaille doesn't mind you sleeping in her bed, it's spacious enough to fit you two in there," Mrs. Stewart said and grinned.

"Geh, ah…" Nicole May started to become flustered over the thought of sleeping in the same bed with Avegaille. Then, she slowly turned to Avegaille, who seemed to be confused at the expression in her face.

"Something wrong, Nicole May?" Mrs. Stewart asked after she saw Nicole May's flustered face. "Is this your first sleepover perhaps?"

"I'm… fine…" Nicole May muttered nervously and quickly turned away from the two of them.

"Hmm… Nicole May's always been acting strange," Avegaille added and sighed. Then, she turned to her mother. "Do I really have to clean my room? I mean, it's just scattered books and papers on the desk, everything else is clean enough…"

"Avegaille…" Mrs. Stewart glared at her sternly.

"Yes, Mom… I get it…" Avegaille groaned and sighed again. Then, she quickly ran up to Nicole May, which startled Nicole May for a bit. "Nicole May, come on, you come with me in my room while I clean it."

"Eh, yeah, sure…" Nicole May muttered as she stood up and took her things on the table while Avegaille picked up hers.

.-.-.-.-.-

As soon as Nicole May got inside Avegaille's room, she looked around and saw the mess by the study desk. She walked for a bit and then, stared at Avegaille's bed. Then, Avegaille entered the room and pushed Nicole May's back gently.

"You can sit on my bed if you want… I mean, you're gonna sleep on it later anyway," Avegaille said and giggled. Then, she looked at the mess on her desk with exasperation. "Dammit… why do I have to clean that mess? I can always do it tomorrow…"

Nicole May placed her bag on the floor along with the books she was carrying, and then, she stood up for a while, staring at Avegaille's bed. Eventually, she sat down on the bed. Avegaille on the other hand, was organizing the sheets of paper scattered on the desk until they were all piled up. Then, she placed them in the tray and placed them at one side of the desk. Afterwards, she picked up the books scattered on the desk, carried them over to the bookshelf, and placed them there. She also picked up the books on the ground and placed them back on the shelf. While Avegaille continued tidying her room, Nicole May took off her shoes and curled up in Avegaille's bed. Then, she took a pillow and hugged it around her arms. After Avegaille finished organizing her things, she noticed that Nicole May was getting sleepy.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, are you gonna sleep with those clothes on?" Avegaille asked, in which slightly perked up Nicole May.

"Huh… well, I don't have any extra clothes with me, so… I think it's fine," Nicole May muttered. She yawned and slowly looked away from Avegaille.

"You can borrow some of my sleeping clothes if you want. Hmm, I'm pretty sure they'll fit you," Avegaille said as she quickly went to her closet and opened it. Then, she took off her jacket and hung it on the hook by the other side of the closet. She took out some pajamas for her and Nicole May to wear. Then, she walked up to Nicole May and handed over her extra pair of pajamas.

While Nicole May held on to the pajamas, Avegaille pulled down the curtains from the windowpane, either to keep the morning light from entering the room… or for something else. The next thing Nicole May saw made her very flustered and anxious. Avegaille was changing into her pajamas right in front of her, without any hesitation. She quickly flopped her head on the pillow around her arms to avoid seeing the rest of the scene. Her breathing was very fast, and with the pillow covering her face, she couldn't last long. She quickly lifted up her head and gasped for air. Then, Nicole May saw that Avegaille was finished changing and was very confused.

"Are you all right?" Avegaille asked as she tilted her head to the side a bit, looking at Nicole May dumbfoundedly.

"Eh… uh… yeah, I'm fine…" Nicole May nervously muttered as she quickly looked away from Avegaille while her cheeks started turning red. Her breathing began to slow down, until it returned to normal.

"Hmm, I know you would feel uneasy if you were changing clothes in front of someone, but you're a girl, so it's fine for me… but if you don't want me watching you change clothes, that's fine too," Avegaille said. She went to the door and opened it. "I'll go outside for a while, I need to talk to my Mom anyway."

After Avegaille left the room, Nicole May stared at the pajamas that were now right next to her. She picked up the collared shirt and noticed the sleeves only cover up to the elbows. Ever since that day and when her left arm had recovered from that accident, it left a very huge scar, from her shoulder, almost reaching to her wrist. In order to hide that scar, she would always wear long sleeved upper garments. She thought that it would be best if Avegaille didn't see it, and at least wore the pajama pants, so she wouldn't feel too cold while sleeping. Before she could start changing, someone knocked on the door.

"Nicole May, you finished yet?"

Apparently, it was Avegaille's voice. Nicole May quickly got off the bed and went to the door and opened it. She was holding onto the doorknob and only her head could be seen from the other side.

"No, not really, but you can come in, I mean… I'll just wear the pants after all," Nicole May slowly muttered as she quickly went back to the bed while Avegaille entered the room.

"You don't like short sleeves?" Avegaille asked and approached her closet again to find something else Nicole May would wear.

"Well… yeah, something like that…" Nicole May replied and laughed nervously.

"You can wear my shirt then if you want… it's long sleeved anyway," Avegaille said as she looked through the closet and took out one of her shirts. It was orange and had a yellow line by the left side, and the middle part of the long sleeves both had a thick yellow stripe. The design was obviously unrecognizable when Avegaille wore her white hooded jacket over it.

"It's fine, I'll just take off this sweater!" Nicole May quickly exclaimed as she slowly turned away from Avegaille.

"If you insist…" Avegaille muttered and sighed. She felt that Nicole May was trying to hide something from her but she didn't want to press on further. Instead, she just let Nicole May be.