This chapter will have 3 parts, I'm hoping to give you part two later today if Dream High doesn't get in the way too much... I hope it's a good drama :)

I really like this part, btw... :D

---

“I thought you were suppose to be helping me pick a gift for Hara”

Jinwoon sighed unsure if Nicole had even heard him. She was too busy picking out an ice cream favour.

“I’d like chocolate please- Oh Jinwoon, did you say something?”

She smiled at him for a brief moment before her attention focused on the chocolate ice cream. Jinwoon followed her out of the store and on the busy streets. Her attention was focused on the milky dessert in front of her.

Nicole had promised to help pick a gift for Hara, since Jinwoon was still unfamiliar with the whole group. He had told her, he got Hara as his Secret Santa- Nicole chose to remain secretive.

“What about that?”

Nicole tilted her head to analyze the dress better. A gold cocktail dress that was way too short, “She’s more conservative... simpler too- something out of a fairly tale of some sort”

“You want me to get her a ball gown?”

Nicole rolled her eyes, before she giggled “No silly! - OH CHOCOLATE! Let’s try some!”

Nicole picked up her pace, passing by strangers in the speed of light.

Jinwoon chuckled, “She’s something else alright...” Unconsciously the sides of his mouth pulled up to formed a smile.

---

“AHHHHHHHHH! My stomach!”

Nicole whined as she held her stomach.

“Serves you right for eating all those treats”

Jinwoon patted Nicole’s head as she continued to pout.

“I don’t think I’m eating treats for awhile” The two turned the corner into a new street, “OMO OMO”

“What? Do you need to sit down?” Jinwoon asked worried that her stomach but Nicole’s eyes lit up as her attention was now away from her stomach.

Her legs began to move forward until it stopped at a jewellery store. Her eyes were focused on the display full of silver and gold and diamonds. Jinwoon trailed behind her. When he stopped he was now more confused than ever; this girl had mood swings!

“See that necklace...over there?” Nicole’s voice was now soft and calm then the usual loud and cheerful that Jinwoon has been hearing all day. His eyes followed where Nicole’s hand was pointing to. A silver chain with a silver pendant filled with small diamonds. It somehow stood out from the rest despite it’s simple design.

“Yes I see it. It’s beautiful”

Nicole gave a sad smile, “Key promised he’d buy me that necklace... he said that the circle was a symbol of his love- never ending” She chuckled, “I thought it was a funny before... but now I regret taking it so lightly now...” Her eyes began to water at the memory.

“Omo... look at that necklace... it’s so pretty!” Nicole smile began to widen even more.

“Just buy it then, silly”

Nicole rolled her eyes, “A girl buying herself jewellery... that sounds dumb! The boy needs to buy it for her!”

Key smiled, nudging her on her side, “I’ll buy it for you with my hard earn money! Not the money we get from our parents but the money I get with the job I get.”

“Really?” Nicole’s eyes shined even brighter now.

“Yeah... and whenever you see look back at the pendant, you will always think of my never ending love I have for you”

“Ew Key! You sound so cheesy!” Nicole scrunched up her nose, “Come on, I’m getting hungry... I think there’s an ice cream store near here”

Nicole quickly wiped her teary eyes. Her heart couldn’t take the moments any longer. The pain in her heart was getting too much for her.

“Jinwoon... I’m not feeling well anymore... I’m sorry I’m not much of  a help to you” Nicole turned away from Jinwoon hiding her watery eyes, “I’ll leave first”

Jinwoon watched as Nicole walked along the street, her head down and hand to her heart. He couldn’t believe how a smart girl could be so dumb.

He turned to looked back at the display case with a smile forming on his face, “I think I just got the perfect gift”

---- END OF PART 1---

“What about this shirt? Do you think Onew will like this?”

Seugyeon held up a plaid shirt. She peeked through the sides to see the reaction of Gyuri and Nicole.

“Not bad, but you are really planning to buy Onew a shirt for Secret Santa?”

“I agree... your boyfriend for how many years?”

Seungyeon blushed in embarrassment, “Since I didn’t know the Secret Santa... I already bought him a gold watch”

“Wasting money- I tell you!” Gyuri rolled her eyes, but the girls knew she didn’t truly mean it. Out of the group Hara and Gyuri didn’t belong to a family made of money. But unlike Hara, Gyuri was considered lower-class.

“Then what did you get Minho?”

“I knitted him a scarf made out of love... not the blood and sweat that made money!”

“You know what girls.... I’m pretty hungry now. What do you say we eat?” Nicole gave them her eye smile, making the others laugh.

---

The girls sat beside the window in a nearby restaurant. They were all waiting for their food, especially Nicole. It was an Italian restaurant- she always loved foreign food. She played with her fork, drawing imaginary things on the white cloth, while the two conversed. Nicole was already tired from an hour of shopping. It felt as if every day she was losing her energy. It was as if the life was being out of her... very slowly. All she wanted to do was sleep- just sleep away the pain. At least, when she slept she felt nothing... no pain... no worries... no Key. Since Key’s “disappearance” it felt as if she could turn to no one. Though she had a whole group of friends, they wouldn’t understand how she feels. The only person she could count on, was Key.

She also feared that once she voiced her fears, that it would actually come true: Key would disappear out of her life... for good.

“YAH Nicole, did you hear us?” Seungyeon waved her hand in front of Nicole’s face.

“Huh?” She straighten up, slightly confused, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. What did you say?” She covered up her sadness with a bright smile.

Gyuri answered, “We wanted to know where Hara is today”

“She told me, she was chaperoning Jiyoung and Taemin today...” Nicole smiled as the food was set on the table. They said their thank you’ to the waitress and began eating.

“Aren’t they old enough?”

“I agree but that’s not what Jiyoung’s appa thinks though”

Nicole let the two girls talk once again, while she ate quietly. It was a surprise that she was losing her appetite, but it wasn’t enough to refuse the food. Her loss of appetite wasn’t enough for the rest to notice, but she could something was different... she just didn’t understand what changed.

Her mind always cascaded back to the thoughts of her best friend, Key.

Her heart would always have a tight squeeze whenever his name was brought up in a conversation.

Her eyes would fill with tears when something reminded her of him.

She missed him. She hadn’t realized that losing a friend was going to hurt this much. She knew about drifting and losing friends... but this was different. He was her best friend.

“Nicole- Cole.... Nicole?” Gyuri nudged her at her side, finally getting Nicole’s attention, “Are you okay, Cole? You don’t look to good”

“Huh? Oh- no, I’m okay” She tried to smile, but failed this time.

“Please Nicole... tell us what’s going on” Seungyeon finally voiced her weeks of worrying.

Nicole looked at her Unnies, she hadn’t realized that in the process of keeping things to herself, she was lying to her loved ones.

“I’m fi”- But Gyuri interrupted her. “You aren’t fine, Nicole- you know it... we know it. Just tell us what’s wrong”

“We are worried about you Nicole... you haven’t been the same since Key-” Nicole eyes sadden at Key’s name but she kept shut.

“It’s about Key isn’t it?” Gyuri asked.

Nicole didn’t answer. Her eyes focused on her lap, unable to face her Unnies.

“Nicole... I’m going to ask you a question... you think you can answer honesty for me?” Gyuri asked softly.

She nodded.

“Do you have feelings for Key?”

---END OF PART 2/ START OF PART 3--

---

“No- no... No... I don’t- no” Nicole was hesitant to answer. Her mind yelled “no” but her heart was feeling uneasy.

The conversation replied over and over in her mind. Alone in the park, sitting on the bench- her heart was uneasy. Ever since a few days, her mind had been trying to find an answer to her hesitant reply. So far nothing.

After that, the girls had dropped the conversation to a lighter note; Gyuri’s catering. She reminded silent as she listened to the girls’ converse. Everything seemed too turned back to her “best friend” Key; all her sadness, worries and silent tears. But she could never blame him... never. She loved him too much to hate him now. Expect it doesn’t change that she’s hurting from his actions- or lack of.

Everyone was out shopping for their Secret Santa. She was already got her gift when she was out with Jinwoon.

She turned her volume up on her MP3, blocking all noise in the world. For now it was just her and her music and her unsettling heart.

---

“That’s what she said really?”

On the other side of the town were two friends; Onew and Gyuri.

“Yup” She flipped her long hair back, looking down upon the glass case filled with silver and gold. She shook her head before moving on.

“Do you think she’s lying?” Onew asked, following Gyuri around the store.

“Why would she need to lie?” Finally she straightens her back, facing Onew, “She probably doesn’t realize what she feels yet.”

“How are you so sure she likes him?”  Onew never understood how she was so confident in everything she said and done.

“Call it women’s intuition” She smiled before a shiny diamond caught her eye. She walked over, calling the saleswomen.

“I’d like to see that one please” She called over her shoulder, “Onew... come here! Tell me what you think”

“Wow... It’s beautiful” His eyes widen at the sight of the ring (http://www.wedding2011.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/vintage-engagement-rings.jpg) “But I don’t like it”

Gyuri looked up, shocked, “You even said it was beautiful”

“I know it is. There is no doubt about it” He smiled, “But it isn’t Seungyeon”

Seungyeon was his long-time girlfriend. Even when they were just friends, he knew she was one. To be exact, it was in the six grade; they were assigned in the same class but never really talked. It was only when he was broken up by his ex-girlfriend that she spoke to him. She lightly put her small hand on his shoulder, asking if everything was okay. At the time he was crying quietly, hidden under a tree but she founded him. Seungyeon never thought for a moment expect a classmate needed help.

After that meeting, he asked his father how he knew his mother was the one.

“Son... you never let something good pass you by”

He knew then that Seungyeon wasn’t someone you let by. A couple months later with the help of his friends, they began going out.

“That one!” Onew’s eye caught something simple, yet beautiful, “I’d like to see this one please”

Gyuri watched carefully as the saleswomen pulled out a simple silver band with small diamond around the ring and in the middle was a clean cut diamond (http://blkle.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/engagement-ring-4.jpg).

“I love it.” Gyuri announced smiley cheekily, “Seungyeon will love it even more!”

“You think so?”

“I know so”

---

Nicole had woken up by a touch of a stranger. She never realized she had fallen asleep on the bench. She wanted to move, but she couldn’t. It felt as if time stopped for her, with only the music blasting in her ears. At the moment the pain in her heart was overturn with the numbness she felt in her body. She saw a familiar car pass on the road in front of her- but at the time she never thought about it. It wasn’t until the car parked in front of her vision that she realized it wasn’t just any other car... it was Key’s.  It felt as if her heart stopped for a brief moment before it began to beat quickly.

It was Key.

AN: Back from exams, yay! I hope you guys are doing well. Sorry for the delay, I kept thinking of how to end this chapter and start the next because I wanted the next chapter to be Nicole and Key. Hmm.. Onew is shopped with Gyuri for some shiny bling bling ;) Okay I'll stop now.