Chapter 37: My Heart Hurts

"Put the gun away, Nolan," Mr. Milesblue said in an authoritative tone.

He tried to step forward, but Nolan shook his head furiously, his grip tightening. "I'll shoot if anyone comes close to me!"

Immediately, his dad stepped back.

His son had taken everyone by shock. When he said he was going to end things, suicide was the last thing I expected.

Due to the distance between him and the rest of the people, everyone was cautious about stepping forward. I wanted to reach out and grab the revolver out of his hands, however, if there was a misfire . . . I couldn't risk anyone's life. My eyes flickered around the room, nervously.

I was closest to him, hardly two feet away.

"Nolan," I said almost in a whisper.

"Stop this nonsense right now!" Mr. Milesblue repeated again, interrupting me. "This is not the answer to your problems."

"Then what is?" Nolan asked. Sweat trickled down the side of his face.

"We can talk it out," Mrs. Milesblue said in a small voice. Now, she was in her senses. This woman was still not helping the dilemma.

"Ha! As if! You're gonna send me to some psychiatrist and get rid of me for good," Nolan said.

"What do you want?" It was Nico, who had stepped forward and asked the question. "We'll do get you whatever you ask for if you put away that gun." Everyone seemed to agree upon that.

Nolan scoffed. "Can you bring back my dead mother?"

Dead.

Oh no.

I exchanged a glance with Nico, who was frozen in his spot like the rest of the people. That wasn't the response we all wanted to hear.

"That's not possible," Mrs. Milesblue said with a grave face.

"Then, I'll give you a choice. You can either choose between me or your new wife," his son responded. He turned the gun back and forth between his stepmother and himself. The woman's face turned pale.

I couldn't believe what Nolan was proposing.

It was either his life or her's?

We had to figure out a way to settle the nonsense Nolan was sputtering. How should I stop someone from committing suicide?! Or much worse, a public assassination. Neither one of these things was easy to stop. The person himself had to drop the mean of harm. I should know. I myself tried to kill myself once. But Paris talked me out of it very smartly.

That's it!

I had to talk Nolan out of it. Taking a deep breath and releasing it very slowly, I gained some courage.

"Can you hurry this up?" I asked Nolan. His gaze met mine in surprise. I took the opportunity to step forward, but seeing him retreat, I stopped. "Okay okay chill." I raised my hands in defeat. "But I suggest you let people go to their homes. No one wants to see a death so close up. The news will do a better job."

"Helen!" That was my mother.

Ignoring her, I continued, "So, how long are you gonna take?"

"I know what you're doing, Helen, but I'm not falling for this I-don't-care trick," Nolan spat. "Remember, I'm second in the senior class." Well, my approach got busted before it even started.

"If you're second, then why are you doing this?" Nico queried, interfering. "You think your deceased mother will be proud of you for pulling this stunt?"

"Shut up!" Nolan replied through clenched teeth. "You don't know how it feels to lose your friends and your family within a year."

Nico let out a humorless laugh. "Both of my parents died last year, trying to protect our family. I haven't had a true friend since I came to my senses. You think I don't know how it feels?"

I was slightly offended that he didn't consider me his true friend.

"But the difference is that people still care about you!" Nolan snapped. "Mr. Prince."

"I care about you," I said softly.

"Not since you found yourself him," he said viciously, referring to Nico.

"He's my friend!" I insisted. My eyes were becoming moist from the pressure and the accusation. "He's been helping me all along trying to figure out your eighth breakup! The reason why you're so miserable. You think I gave up on you since I heard about your stress cardiomyopathy?" Daringly, I stepped forward. It was a relief to see him standing glued to his spot. "You're my first friend, first boyfriend, and first . . . maniac." I kept my gaze locked to his. "Don't give up on yourself when everyone else hasn't."

"You think it's that easy, Helen?" Tears cascaded down his own cheeks, before Nolan wiped them away.

I neared Nolan again, stepping to the side without the weapon. He made a grunting sound. "I won't touch that revolver, I promise," I told him. He didn't seem to believe me.

"Life isn't supposed to be easy," Nico said, moving forward. "That doesn't mean you can give up. For the sake of your mother, think this through." Nolan quietly stood. I could noticeably make out the irregular rising and falling of his chest with every breath he took. Reaching out, I took his free hand in mine. He retracted it, swiftly, disappointing me. "Come on, you're too young to be doing this," Nico said and smiled lightly. "Have you even gotten laid yet?"

Unexpected chuckles went around the room.

It was fascinating to see the smiles coming on tear stricken faces of all the parents.

Nico had closed in to us and I was hoping he didn't do anything stupid.

My parents eyes went on mine and I tried to look as innocent as possible. Nolan and I weren't that far in our relationship.

"My mother committed suicide," Nolan said bitterly, reigniting tensions. "She can't judge me. She'll have to answer for leaving me when I needed her the most. She gave up. I'll be following her footsteps."

He had lost it.

"Listen to me," I said, but he refused to spare a single glance. Forcefully, I put my hands on the sides of head and made me look at me. "You have one life, Nolan. One life," I stressed. "We're all on this humongus planet full of billions of people. Many of them have no families. No friends. No shelter. No food. We all go through struggles of losing what we care about most. But if everyone allowed that one thing to become their downfall, life wouldn't have a meaning. Don't surrender yourself because of your miscommunication with everyone. You mom won't be happy to see you making the same mistake as her. How do you know she doesn't regret being away from you everyday?"

I could see the mixture of emotions surfacing on Nolan's face.

He no longer blocked the tears that made their way down his cheeks. Tears of frustration, anger, and . . . tiredness.

"And if your new mother didn't care a single bit about you, you wouldn't be here," Nico added. "She never asked your dad to choose between you and her." He was now by our side, secluding us all from the rest of the people. "Don't screw up."

"Why are you guys helping me?" Nolan asked me. "I did nothing but blackmail you. I hurt so many people. Some even ended up in places I don't even know. I'm a monster!"

"You're a human. Misguided at points, but we all learn from our mistakes," I whispered.

Mr. Milesblue, who had been quiet for so long, finally said, "I've never been the best father, son. I always thought leaving you alone with everything you need would help you build yourself. I was wrong. I should've known that you deserved family support as well. Every tall building starts with a strong foundation. I'm sorry for pushing you to this point. Forgive me if you can and let me make it up to you. Remember, we all care. Whether we show it or not." He wiped his own eyes with a handkerchief. "If you still want to pull that trigger, it's up to you."

Nolan seemed taken aback at his father's words.

"It's your life," I added. "Only you have control over it." I reached upon my tippy toes and bluntly kissed the tear that was sliding down his cheek.

Grasping Nico's arm, I stepped back, giving Nolan the space he needed.

Nico didn't seem too thrilled. Knowing him, he would've probably gone for the revolver and I couldn't allow that. All the guests waited with anticipation at Nolan's final decision.

Will he pull the trigger?

His hand tightened on the weapon and he vehemently closed his eyes. My heart beats picked up speed and I held onto Nico for support. Anything could go wrong. We had given him every reason to stop.

I prayed Nolan make the right choice.

His fingers trembled.

"I'm sorry." We heard Mrs. Milesblue say in a tiny voice. She said nothing else.

The guilt was obvious in her tone.

Nolan's bloodshot eyes opened cautiously. Maybe it was the concerned faces or me mouthing, Don't leave me, that did the trick. He let the gun drop to the ground before almost collapsing himself in mine and Nico's arms.

"Get him water!" Nico yelled at one of the waiters.

The terrified guy from earlier nodded and ran for it.

"Nolan, relax," I said. I could finally breathe properly. We helped settle Nolan down in one of the chairs and gave him a glass of water. The exhausted guy gulped it all down. "Let's take him to his room," I suggested and then my eyes fell on the gun. "Can someone please burn that gun?" Most of the guests were crowded around. Mr. Milesblue picked up the revolver.

"No need," Nolan muttered, handing me the empty glass. "There are no bullets in there, anyways."

"WHAT?!" We all said simultaneously.

"Why do all that drama, then?" Nico asked in outrage, voicing all of our thoughts. Nolan surely didn't scare us for the fun of it now did he?

With a heavy sigh, the maniac pointed towards his terrified stepmother.

"I just wanted to hear her apologize." Needless to say, all of us ready to shoot Nolan then and there. Maybe he comprehended the situation as well because Nolan said, "Can someone bring me to my room? My heart hurts."

My head hurts!

Nonetheless, Nico, Mr. Milesblue, and my dad helped bring the drama king to his room to rest.

The waiters began serving once again.

They knew . . . that all of us needed a drink.

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I'm one of those writers who has the story's end decided in her head before the rest of the story. And I like dramatic endings. As promised, the book has a happy ending. None of the main characters die.

Everything will be further explained in the next chapter.

What did you think?

Did you see Nolan's drama coming?

Does he deserve a slap?

Please continue showing your support. I'm very grateful for all the votes and comments! <3 love ya peeps. Next update is tomorrow.