Payback Doesn’t Knock”

Nicole leaned against the porch railing, hoodie on, hands in her pockets, eyes set on the street. She hadn't said a word in the last fifteen minutes. She didn't need to. Sky was pacing beside her, phone clenched in her hand, nerves eating her alive.

"She's typing," Sky muttered. "Told her it was urgent. Said I needed her. She's on her way."

Nicole's voice was low. "Don't talk too much when she gets here."

Sky gave her a quick look. "You sure you want to do this?"

Nicole look at her and yelled . "I'm not doing this for fun, Sky."

Silence.

Then headlights turned the corner. A familiar car slowed near the house. Nicole straightened. Sky's fingers twitched.

Angel stepped out of the car, confused 

She didn't even bother closing the car door as she walked toward them, her steps hesitant.

She smiled weakly. "Hey… what's the urg—"

Angel didn't even get a second to ask more questions . Nicole moved first. A hard shove to the chest sent Angel stumbling backward.

She turned fast, tried to run—

Too slow. Nicole stepped in quick and kicked her legs out from under her. Angel hit the pavement hard, elbows scraping against the ground. Before she could scream, Sky was already on her.

A loud slap cracked through the air.

Then another.

Angel curled up. Tried to shield her face.

Nicole grabbed her hoodie and yanked her up just to slap her—once, twice, over and over. Open-handed, fast, cracking across Angel's cheeks.

Angel screamed, Sky was relentless.

Stomp. Kick. Stomp 

Angel cried out, bleeding now—nose, lip, maybe more.

She grabbed Nicole's leg in panic—sank her teeth into it.

Nicole hissed in pain—then kicked Angel in the face.

Hard.

Angel's head snapped back, thudding against the ground.

Sky yelled, "her calm down!" And shoved Nicole. 

Angel choked, sputtering, trying to scream.

Then—a car horn.

Tires screeched.

"HEY! STOP! HEY!"

Angel's mother's voice—shouting from down the street. They ran.

Angel didn't move.

Just blood.

And her mother screaming as she got out of the car. 

Angel lay crumpled on the sidewalk, her face swollen, her lip bleeding, 

"Angel!" her mom's voice cracked, panicked and breathless.

Angel looked up, barely able to speak. Tears mixed with the dirt on her cheeks.

Her mom fell to her knees beside her. "Oh my God, what happened? Angel—baby—what did they do to you?"

Nicole and sky's pov;

They ran.

Not far — just down the next block, but enough that their lungs burned and their adrenaline cracked like thunder in their veins.

Nicole bent forward, her hands on her thighs, breathing like a fighter just off the ring. Sky stumbled back against a streetlight, blood smeared on her sneaker, hands trembling.

Neither spoke.

Nicole finally straightened. She wiped her cheek with the back of her sleeve, not sure if it was sweat or tears or blood. Maybe all three.

Sky's chest was heaving. Her face was pale, eyes wide, lips slightly parted like she couldn't believe what just happened.

"I just beat the shit out of my best friend," Sky whispered.

Nicole turned toward her, slow and cold. "No. You beat the shit out of someone who drugged me."

Sky flinched. "But it's Angel."

"No," Nicole snapped. "It's someone who watched me spiral and planned to watch worse."

Sky yelled . "She was all I had before I met you."

Sky was breaking down. Her throat tightened. Her fists were still clenched.

"I didn't want to do it like that," Sky mumbled. "Not like animals. I thought I could hate her, but when I saw her crying—"

Nicole's stare froze her mid-sentence.

"She left me outside my house like trash," Nicole said quietly. "No one even knew I was there. What if I'd never woken up?"

Sky swallowed hard. Her chest burned with shame and confusion.

"Are you serious right now?" she asked .

Nicole stopped.

"You think you're the only one who's messed up?" Sky stormed toward her, rage and hurt dripping off every step. "I just beat my best friend bloody because of you! And you're acting like none of this touched you?"

Nicole didn't flinch. "Don't turn this into a pity party, Sky. You had a choice. You made it."

Sky shoved her. "You don't get to say that!"

Nicole stumbled back slightly but didn't fall. Her jaw locked tight.

"You think this was easy for me?" Sky yelled. "I trusted you—! I picked you over her—and now you're just walking away like it's done?"

Nicole's eyes flashed. "Because it is done, Sky. What else do you want?"

Sky's voice cracked. "I want to not feel like a monster!"

Without warning, Sky tried to swing at her—more out of emotion than aim.

Nicole caught her wrist mid-air. Tight.

"Don't," Nicole warned, low and steady. "You're mad at yourself. Don't put that on me."

Sky pulled her hand back, trembling. Her breathing was erratic, tears biting at her lashes. Sky gave a small, painful laugh. " I just don't want to be near you right now."

That one stung.

Nicole nodded once, slow and controlled. "Fine."

Sky didn't look back. She turned and walked off, hugging herself tightly like the cold finally got to her.

Nicole stood still, watching Sky disappear down the street until she was nothing but a blur in the distance.

She didn't chase her.

Didn't call her back.

Her fists were still sore. Her leg burned from where Angel bit her. There was dried blood under her nail from one of the slaps. But none of that hurt as much as Sky walking away did.

Nicole slammed the door so hard it rattled the frame.

Jaden was already halfway down the stairs when it happened.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked, voice low but firm. "I told you to stay home."

But she didn't hear calm. She heard yelling. Pressure. Judgment.

"Mind your damn business!" Nicole snapped, marching straight past him.

Jaden stepped in front of her. "Nicole—"

"Move!"

"I'm just trying to talk to—"

She swung.

Fast. Blind. Her fist cracked against his jaw, but it wasn't about pain—it was about everything exploding at once.

"Nicole!" he barked, grabbing her arms before she could throw another punch.

"Let go!" she hissed, kicking at him. "Let me go!"

"Stop it. Stop!"

She didn't. She couldn't. Her fists fought the air, her chest heaved, her eyes looked wild. Nothing around her felt real.

"Enough!" Jaden yelled—and then pushed her back against the wall, pinning her arms gently but firmly.

She fought for a second, then just froze there, breathing like she'd sprinted a mile.

"Hey," he said softly now. "Look at me."

Nicole didn't.

He lowered his voice even more, holding her arms with a steadiness only a big brother could have. "You're okay. You're safe. No one's coming for you. You're home."

Her lip trembled. Her chest rose and fell fast. She wasn't crying—but she wasn't calm either. Her eyes were stuck somewhere far away.

"You're not crazy," Jaden whispered. "You're just hurt. It's okay to be hurt."

She blinked. Then blinked again. Her fists relaxed. Her breathing slowed.

"I've got you, Nicki," he murmured. "I've always got you."

She leaned her head against the wall behind her, eyes shut. And for a second, she didn't say a word. Just stood there, broken in silence.

Nicole sat stiff on the couch, hair wild, hands trembling on her lap. Jaden crouched in front of her, eyes scanning the bruises on her knuckles. He didn't speak right away—he just let her breathe.

"Your hands…" he finally said, voice low, gentle. "Nic, what happened?"

Nicole didn't respond. Her eyes stared at the floor, like she was still seeing Angel's face under her shoe.

That's when the front door opened again.

Mark walked in laughing, arm draped over a girl no one recognized—tight dress, heavy makeup, gum-smacking attitude.

But the second he stepped in and felt the air—tense, thick—he paused. The laughter died on his lips.

"What the hell…" Mark muttered, eyes flicking to Nicole, then to Jaden crouched in front of her. "Yo, what's going on?"

Jaden stood slowly, his body still tense, protective. "Not now."

The girl beside Mark rolled her eyes. "I came all the way here,"

"Leave," Mark snapped, without looking at her. "Just go."

"What? Are you serious right now? You texted me—"

"I said get out!"

She scoffed, looked at Nicole like she wanted to say something slick, then thought twice. The door slammed behind her.

Mark was already moving toward Nicole. "Nic… what happened?" His voice dropped, no longer casual, no longer joking. He crouched beside Jaden, trying to catch her eye.

Nicole didn't speak.

She just kept staring at her hands like they didn't belong to her anymore.

She looked wrecked—scratched face, messy hair. Jaden and Mark stood there, tense, waiting.

"I beat up a girl," she said.

Silence.

"She never liked me. Never even hid it. And today… we waited for her outside. Sky texted her to come over."

"You and Sky?" Mark asked, eyebrows up.

Nicole nodded slowly. "She was Sky's best friend. Angel."

That name hung in the room like a gunshot.

Mark swore under his breath. Jaden's jaw tightened.

"I don't know if her mom saw us," Nicole added. "She was driving up, yelling. Sky ran. I ran. But I think she saw my face."

Jaden sat down beside her, slowly, carefully.

Nicole stared at her hands. "Sky won't even look at me now. She regrets everything. I made her beat up her own best friend. What kind of person does that?"

She laughed. Bitter. Hollow.

"I ruin people. That's what I do. Whoever gets close… runs."

Her voice cracked.

"I think I'm a bad decision. The kind people regret after it's too late. The kind you try to fix but just keeps wrecking shit."

Mark moved to speak, but she cut him off.

"For the first time in months… I was starting to feel something close to okay. Starting to think maybe I could be more than just angry and broken and hard. But I'm not. I'm a force, J. A storm. And I don't deserve to be loved."

Jaden leaned in, his voice low. "Nicole, don't do that."

She turned to him, eyes glassy. "Why not? It's true. Everything I touch burns."

Mark sat down on her other side, rubbing his hands through his hair. "So what? You made a bad call. Doesn't mean you're unlovable."

Nicole shook her head. "Then why does everyone leave?"

Jaden reached out and grabbed her hand—bruised and all. "We didn't."

Mark added, "And we never will."

Nicole finally looked at them, and for a second… just breathed.

That was the thing about them.

It was always them against the world.

Even on her worst day.

Especially on her worst day.

"You guys don't count."

Mark blinked. "The hell you mean we don't count?"

"You're my brothers," she muttered, looking down. "You don't get to leave. You were born stuck with me."

Jaden gave her a look. "Nicole—"

"I'm serious." Her voice was soft now, but it carried. "People like you—family—you're forced to stay. You're not here because I'm easy to love. You're here because you have to be."

Mark scoffed. "I mean… I have considered running away. Several times."

Nicole glanced at him, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Mark kept going. "But Dad keeps locking the gate. And Jaden's guilt trips are emotionally abusive."

Jaden rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot."

Nicole exhaled — not quite a laugh, not quite a cry. Something in between.

Jaden moved first, leaning in and wrapping his arms around her without saying anything. Just holding her like he knew she needed it but didn't want to admit it.

Mark followed, a little more awkwardly but no less sincere. "For the record, stuck or not, I'd still choose you. Every time."

"We both would," Jaden added.

Nicole closed her eyes as the silence settled in. Her chest rose and fell slower now, less frantic, less guarded.

"I just don't wanna destroy anyone else," she whispered.

"You won't," Jaden said. "Not with us around."

Mark nodded. "And anyone that bails on you? That's their weakness. Not yours."

The three of them stayed like that for a while—no shouting, no chaos.

Just warmth.

Even if the world hated her, this part of it? These two?

Would never let her fall alone.

Nicole pulled away from the hug, wiping her face with the back of her hand like nothing just happened. Her voice, raw but steady,

cut through the quiet.

"So…what was up with the girl you brought home?" she asked Mark, not even looking at him.

Mark groaned dramatically. "Ugh. That one."

"She looked like she chewed gum with her front teeth," Nicole muttered.

"Accurate," Mark said, slumping into the couch beside her. "She was cool at first, but then she started asking weird questions like—'do you believe in twin flames?' and 'what's your moon rising?' I told her I believe in pizza and leaving early."

Nicole cracked a smile.

Jaden, standing near the kitchen, shook his head. "So you really just kicked her out?"

"She said I wasted her time," Mark shrugged. "So I told her she should be grateful I upgraded her night from sad TikToks to breathing our air."

Nicole let out a dry chuckle and leaned back into the couch. Her fingers were still bruised, her hair a mess, and her heart felt like it was somewhere between numb and breaking — but this? This was peace. This was home.

Jaden grabbed his phone. "You guys hungry?"

Nicole didn't answer, but her stomach did — a low, loud growl that made Mark laugh out loud.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jaden said, already dialing. "I'm ordering double pepperoni. Don't start."

Nicole kicked her feet up. "As long as it's greasy and burns my soul on contact, I'm in"

Sky's POV; 

Sky didn't know how long she'd been walking. Her legs just moved, like they were trying to outrun the memory of Angel's screams. But they followed her. Every step, every breath—they followed.

She found herself in some empty park on the edge of town. Graffiti-covered benches. Rusted swings. It used to be alive once. Now it looked just like her—abandoned.

She sat on the bench and curled into herself, arms around her knees. Her hoodie couldn't hide the shaking.

Angel's voice echoed in her head. That scream.

"Shut up!" Sky shouted to no one, her voice cracking as she slapped her palms over her ears. "I said shut up! It's not my fault!"

But it was.

She felt it in her stomach. In her chest. In her soul. That version of her—violent, angry, cruel—Nicole had brought it out, but it was still her. She'd done that to her best friend.

Her hand trembled as she pulled out her phone. For some reason, she dialed the only person she hadn't spoken to in months—her mom.

It rang. Then clicked.

"Skylar? What is it now?" her mom's voice snapped from the other side of the world.

Sky tried to speak but her voice came out too soft.

"I—Mom, I just—can we talk?"

"I'm not up for your childish drama right now," her mom interrupted sharply. "I'm working. For you. For this family. While you're out there wasting your life."

Sky's throat tightened.

"I'm serious, Skylar. Grow the hell up. Do something with your life. Stop calling me for every stupid emotional meltdown like I'm supposed to babysit you from across the world."

And then just like that—

Click.

She hung up.

Sky stared at the phone, her hand shaking now, her lip trembling.

"Okay," she whispered. "Okay, yeah. Cool."

But it wasn't cool.

It fucking wasn't.

She screamed and threw her phone at the bench. Then slumped forward, breathing hard like her lungs couldn't get enough air. Tears ran down her face without permission.

For a second, she thought about just lying down right there. Letting the cold take her. The silence.

But something pulled her back. Someone.

She picked up her phone again, opened her contacts, and stared at a name she hadn't touched in a long time.

Ty.

Her half-brother.

She pressed call with a shaking thumb.

He answered in three seconds.

"Sky? You okay?"

She didn't say anything. She couldn't. Just sobbed.

"I'm on my way," he said instantly. "Tell me where you are."

Sunday Heat

The sun was already cooking the pavement by the time Nicole tied her sneakers. Jaden was spinning the ball on one finger, already warmed up. Mark, shirt off, was talking trash like he was getting paid for it.

"First to eleven, no crying," Jaden called out.

Nicole cracked her neck. "Says the guy who fouled me six times last game."

She didn't feel like talking much—still a storm under her skin—but the court was safe. Familiar. No one asked why her knuckles were bruised here.

They played hard. Nicole's body moved on muscle memory, all instinct and sweat. Mark couldn't guard her. Jaden tried but kept giving her that big-brother-you-okay look every time she missed a shot.

Then she noticed someone else watching.

Across the court, leaning on the fence in joggers and a tank top, Coach Dray was sipping from a water bottle, his eyes locked on her.

"You stalking me now, Coach?" Nicole asked, tossing the ball toward Jaden.

Dray smirked. "I live five minutes from here. Been coming to this court for a while now."

"Guess I'll let you play then," she said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Just don't expect me to go easy."

"Guess I'll let you play then," she said, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Just don't expect me to go easy."

He stepped onto the court. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Mark's mouth dropped. "Yo, Nicole—ain't that your coach?"

Nicole shrugged. "Yeah. But he's about to get smoked."

Coach Dray didn't even grab the ball. He just nodded his head to the side. "Walk with me?"

Nicole narrowed her eyes. "Why? You scared of getting dunked on?"

He smirked. "Something like that."

She rolled her eyes and tossed the ball at Jaden. "Be back."

They strolled toward the edge of the park, shaded by trees, away from the court noise. Nicole rubbed her hands on her shorts, the tension climbing into her chest again.

"You and Sky…" he started, voice low. "Something happened?"

Nicole scoffed. "Finally took your advice. Cut off bad influences."

Dray raised a brow. "You think she's the bad one?"

Nicole stopped walking, turned to face him. "You said it yourself. People like her drag people down."

He folded his arms. "That's the thing. I didn't say she's not like you."

Nicole tilted her head. "The hell does that mean, did you call me out here to ask about sky? wait you like her."

He narrowed his eyes. "She told me what happened with Angel."

Nicole blinked. "Wait—how do you know about that?"

"She called me," he said. "Last night. Crying. Broken."

Nicole's face twitched. She looked away. "Why the hell would she call you?"

Silence. Then: "Because I'm her brother."

Nicole turned back to him slowly, arms folded, heartbeat in her ears. "What?"

"She's my half-sister. Same mom. Not that it matters right now."

It all suddenly made sense—how protective he was, how fast he jumped in.

"If anything happens to her—emotionally, physically—I'll hold you responsible," he said, his tone shifting sharp. "You dragged her into this. You push her off the edge, and you're going down with her."

Nicole stepped in closer, chin raised. "So what—you threatening me now?"

They were close. Tension humming between them. His jaw clenched. Her fists curled.

"You have no idea how far I'll go for the people I care about," he said quietly.

"Then maybe you should teach Sky to stop being weak," Nicole snapped.

The space between them was electric. Too close. Too raw.

Then—

"Nicole!" Jaden's voice broke through, loud from across the court.

Nicole pulled back like she'd been slapped by the air.

Dray looked down, eyes dark. "We're not done."

She didn't say anything. Just turned and walked away.

But her chest burned like it wasn't the sun heating her skin—it was him.