"You're sure you're fine?" Nick probes.

His mother lets out a warm laugh that touches his heart.

"Within the last five minutes that you asked?" she teases. "Yes. All organs seem to be working. Bones in place, too."

"That's good to hear."

Nick laughs along with his mother and something sweet and warm lingers in the air. Though it's an unexpected feeling, blooming within his chest, it's not entirely disliked. Maybe this is the first of the bridges between his mother and himself, being broken, he thinks to himself.

"I've just been boring you with all my work talk, but what about you?" his mother asks. "How fares the dancing lessons with the devil? I'm sorry that I haven't been able to reply back to Bastien's emails. I've just been swamped."

He flushes before he knows he's doing it, imagining Madison's lips pressed against the hollow of his throat. Nick grabs a hold of himself quickly, clearing his throat as he does so.

"They're – they're going well," he tells her. "She's not so bad now."

Especially when she's in his bed, wrapped in his sheets.

"That's great, Nick," his mother says encouragingly. "I was getting a bit worried, with your teacher's emails. He seemed to be panicking and I know he's French, but it can't be healthy to drink that much."

Nick splutters.

"That's what I said!" he points out, guffawing. "Madison told me I was being insensitive but I'm just looking out for the guy's poor liver."

His mother is laughing cheerfully.

"Oh, I have to go now, Nick," she tells him, her voice already faint in his ear. "I'm really sorry that I won't be able to come back any sooner. But call me soon, okay? And tell me how your exams will go."

"Okay," Nick says.

He lingers a little, and the words are in his mouth. Three words, very short, very sweet.

But Nick still can't get them out.

To his surprise, his mother does it for them both.

"I love you, Nick," she says, before cutting the line and leaving Nick staring at his phone.

Something warm and unexpected blooms within his chest and Nick's lips part into the soft beginnings of a smile.

*

On Thursday, Will makes them all get together to play football.

Nick, who has been studying after the conversation with Madison about their futures continues to linger in his mind, takes the opportunity gratefully to free his mind and goes along, after school finishes. He shakes his head a little, dazed. Madison continues to linger at the edge of his thoughts, touching at his mind briefly, drawing memories of the weekend, and Nick thinks too much about how he's looking forward to Friday night.

"They said that usually divorce cases take really long," Will is saying, as he kicks the ball to Nick. "But what with Dad's reputation being shot to Hell, Mum thinks it won't be too long."

Nick swallows the thick barrage of guilt threatening to bubble up within his throat and scuffs his shoes against the green grass. He's not supposed to be feeling guilty about what he did to Mr Carroway, seeing as the man completely deserved it. But he doesn't like that Will and his family have to suffer for it, Nick thinks to himself. Will's told him that his father was furious but his mother refuses to simply take it anymore.

"That's good, then, isn't it?" he asks.

Will nods.

"Pass the ball, slowcoach," he says, and when Nick does, he shoots and scores against a lackadaisical Theo. "Oh, for God's sake, Theo!"

Lounging against the goalpost and completely distracted on the phone, Theo simply waves a dismissive hand towards them. Nick and Will glance at each other before Nick's brows furrow in confusion.

"Wait," Nick says. "He's been on the phone since school finished. It's four thirty."

"He's talking to his girlfriend," Will says and rolls his eyes. "Lula."

"He's been on the phone for longer than an hour!"

"I need a girlfriend."

"Longer than an hour!"

"I've been single too long."

"An hour, Will!"

Nick is spluttering in disbelief, and Will arches an eyebrow at him.

"Way too long." He shakes his head. "I was going to ask out Audrey, seeing as she's now single –,"

"Wait, what?" Nick turns his head.

"Yeah, I heard that Kyle guy was an asshole," Will says. "Rumour mill says he bought her Givenchy, instead of Gucci." He shakes his head and feigns a distraught face. "The unadulterated horror."

But Nick is not listening to Will's sarcasm, thinking frantically. Madison really did deal with Kyle, then, he thinks to himself. Colour him impressed. It's more than anything he's been able to find out with Mitchell and the black feathers that have, admittedly, stopped. He'd called Killian and Jacob, demanding answers, his mouth spewing vicious and heated poison but neither Killian nor Jacob knew anything.

He's half tempted to drop it all, but Nick knows, the moment you drop your guard is the moment you lose.

"...and after what Madison did to Diana, I don't think I want to risk it," Will says.

Nick's head snaps up at the mention of Madison, his breaths sharp. "What did Madison do to Diana?"

Will leans in.

"I heard she killed her."

He rolls his eyes.

"I'm being serious, Will."

"So am I!" Will protests. "Scholarship girl's not been here for this week, haven't you noticed? People are saying that Madison dumped her body in the Redwood River."

Will goes off on a tangent, again, talking about Madison's fury against Diana, but Nick is breathing hard as he reaches for the football. Though he doesn't know the scholarship girl and he doesn't know what Diana might have done to induce Madison's wrath, he knows that most people can't handle the sheer depths of Madison Sutton's anger. Not like he can, he thinks to himself and something within him smirks at the thought.

He's half tempted to call Madison, but it's not his place.

He's not allowed to care.

He's not allowed to see how pale and peaky Madison's been getting throughout the week.

He's not allowed to be worried.

They're just sleeping together, Nick thinks to himself, even as something within his stomach clenches. That's all.

Even so, he lifts his head.

"Will?"

"Yeah?"

"I've got to go do something. I'll be back."

"Hey, don't leave me with this loser, Nick – Nick!"

*