Story Untold

Out Story Part 7

(Current Nick POV)

"And then a month passed" I wrapped up my story

"Yeah, honestly, the first month of school wasn't that bad"

"Then what happened?"

"Then date night," I said begrudgingly

"Date night?"

"Yeah October the second was Sophie and my anniversary so we decided to go out for dinner" I explained

"Wow you went out that day as well"

"You too?"

"Yeah that's when James and I had our first date," she said

"Well ain't that a coincidence," I said

"Yeah, so what happened on your date?"

"Well to get you to fully understand I'd have to start in the morning

(October 2- Nick's POV)

I had woken up early that morning because I wanted to make breakfast. It had been a month since I started school again and I had woken up at three in the morning so I could make everything.

"Good morning, V," I said as she walked into the kitchen

"Morning Nicky, what time is it?" she yawned going into the fridge

"Four in the morning," I said as I turned off the stove and shared out a plate

"Really? I can't believe I actually woke up that early" she smiled as I shared a plate for her

"Why exactly did you wake up this early?" I asked giving her the plate as she stepped out of the fridge

"Oh thanks," she said closing the fridge

"No problem," I said as I moved over to the living room

"Don't you know what today is?" she asked

"Um... no" I answered honestly

"Unbelievable, how could you actually forget this?. I can't believe this" she facepalmed

"Well, I can. I've been really busy with school during the day and work at the night,"

"Yeah so busy that you forgot that today is the day that Cole does his first surgery"

"Oh s**t, today is the second" I groaned

"Yeah," she said

"f**k, it completely slipped my mind,"

"Nick, it's okay I'll just get a taxi"

"No, I promised that I'd drop you off there"

"But you have school. Are you sure you can drop us off and still make it to school?" she asked

"Yeah, I just need to drop off Sophie and I'll be back"

"But what if you miss a class?"

"I'll be fine. My French teacher won't even know I'm not there"

"Maybe because you don't do French," she said

"I meant Spanish" I corrected

"You don't do any second language"

"Well, whatever class I have I'm sure my teacher won't mind me being a little late," I said before yawning

"Are you okay?" she asked

"Yeah, just a bit tired. I stayed up a bit late last night."

"What? I thought you went to bed when Cole and I did,"

"Yeah but I got a call so I went back out"

"What! Why? We already got money from your mother. You don't have to go out so much"

"I don't want to depend on my mother. If my father finds out it won't be good for anyone, especially not her" I said

"But you can't keep going out at the night. You go to class in the morning and drive at night. You can't keep burning the candle at both ends; you need some rest" she said

"I get plenty of rest in class" I chuckled

"I'm not kidding Nick,"

"I know, I'm sorry but it's not a big deal," I said

"I'm going to get a job," she said

"What?"

"I'm going to get a job"

"What?"

"I already started applying to some cafes and diners. Places want to hire me now that they don't know I'm a teen mom. People even hit on me again, go figure" she tried to make a joke

"I already told you that you don't have to"

"I want to and I don't want you to try and stop me"

"What about Cole? Who's gonna watch him?"

"I thought about that and I think I came out with an idea that might work"

"I still don't agree with this. You should have discussed it with me first"

"That's what I'm doing right now"

"Fine, we'll finish this conversation when I get back," I said taking up my keys and leaving

I drove to Sophie's house and waited until five before I started blowing the horn to let her know I was there. It took a while before she came out

"Sorry to keep you waiting" she apologized getting into the car

"After a month I kinda got used to it," I yawned

"Like how I got used to your horn," she said

"Touché," I said backing out of the drive away.

"So did you and James finish the project you were doing," I asked trying my best to hide the venom in my voice as I called his name

"Yeah. It's due tomorrow" she said

"So why are you carrying it today?" I asked

"Nick, how many times do I have to explain it to you" she shook her head

"If I want full marks I have to bring it in one day before the due date" she explained

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" I asked

"Have you met my teacher?" she sarcastically asked

"Thankfully no," I laughed

"Hey, so what about you?" she asked

"What about me?" I asked

"How's the first month back?" she asked

"Eh kinda disappointed, to be honest. I was sort of expecting a parade in my honor when I walked into the school" I joked causing her to smile and roll her eyes

"We're sorry you didn't get the royal treatment, your highness," she said before she got a text

She had gotten a text from Taylor and she suddenly started laughing

"Who is it?" I asked

"It is Taylor. He asked if I had the project" she answered

"So why are you laughing?" I asked not getting the joke

"Just an inside joke," she said

"If you say so," I said not wanting to say anything that would start an argument. I pulled into the parking lot before getting out and opening the door for her

"Thank you," she said getting out before I closed the door

"Are you walking me to class?" she asked

"Sure," I smiled before my phone rang. I looked at the phone and remembered that I had to drop Cole and V off at the hospital

"Um..."

"Um, what?" she glared at me

"Sorry something came up I have to leave," I said

"Nick," she cautioned

"Don't worry I'll come back, I'm just gonna check up on someone" I reassured her

"Okay and?" she asked

"And be back before the last bell rings" I continued

"Fine I'll see you after English," I said

"What period is that again?" I asked

"It's Wednesday so it's your first period then we have math," she explained

"I keep forgetting those stuff. Luckily I have such a smart girlfriend" I teased planting a quick kiss on her cheek

"So where are you going?" she asked me and I shook for a bit. That was the last thing I wanted her to ask, It had only been a month since we decided to start over and I truly didn't want to lie to her so I simply said

"It's a bit personal"

"So you can't tell me?" she said

"I would if I could. Can't you just trust me" I asked her

"Fine but you better be back before classes start," she scolded

"I promise I will. Love you" I said kissing her lips before getting back in my car

I drove all the way to the house before going to the hospital

"What up Doc?" I asked

"Nicholas, it's a pleasure to see you"

"Good morning doctor," V said

"Good morning Vanessa, you're looking as beautiful as ever," he said

"Thank you"

"Hey, Doc!" Cole said

"Good morning Cole, how are you today?"

"I'm fine," he said

"Did you eat breakfast?"

"Yeah, Nick made a large breakfast,"

"That's good, do you know what today is?" the doctor asked

"Huh-uh, today is the day that I get my surgery"

"Do you know what surgery is?"

"Yeah," he nodded

"Yet you don't seem very scared"

"I'm not, because I'm a King man and King men fear nothing and I'm from the greatest generation of King men. Right Nick?" he said

"That's right bud" I smiled causing the doctor to smile

"That's good to know. Then let's help you get ready" the doctor said taking Cole's hand

"Wait V,"

"Huh?"

"Remember what we agreed on before we leave," I said

"Really? Right now?"

"Yeah, while Cole is getting changed"

"Fine, let's go outside," she said before we went out to the gazebo

"Okay let's talk," she said sitting down

"I don't think you should get a job" I immediately said

"Wow you sure waste no time" she giggled

"You said let's talk," I said

"Fine, I understand that you want me to take care of Cole but I don't want to keep depending on a kid for my well-being"

"I'm eighteen. I'm not a kid"

"Well, you're still a kid to me, and you shouldn't be the one doing this. You're his brother but you shouldn't be the one taking up his responsibilities. You're not involved in this"

"You two should have thought about that before you decided to not use a condom"

"That was our mistake and we should be the ones to take care of it."

"Can you drop the noble act? If you really thought you could raise the kid yourself, you wouldn't have come knocking on my father's door"

"And I wouldn't have gotten thrown out in the rain, literally," she said

"Vanessa, what the hell brought this on?"

"I started thinking about it from the moment you went back to school," she said

"Why would that convince you to get a job?" I asked

"You still young Nick. You're a high school senior for god sakes, you should be out having fun and worrying about what colleges your daddy would buy your way into" she said

"Not even my dad could pull off that. I didn't even do my SATS"

"That's another thing you lost because of me," she said

"Look it's pretty clear that I don't really care about school in the slightest so if that's really your reason then I won't agree"

"Fine, you want to know the real reason"

"Yes," I said

"I want to be independent"

"What?"

"When we heard the price for the surgery I felt helpless. It was an impossibly large amount of money that I would never be able to get but then you came and handed it to me"

"So?"

"I realized I was too dependent on you and if I learned one thing from your brother is that you shouldn't depend on anyone but yourself," she said

"I'm not my brother"

"That doesn't mean you'll always be here"

"I will"

"That's not something you can promise and that's not a promise I'm willing to accept," she said

"You're not gonna change your mind, are you?"

"No," she said

"Fine," I said getting up

"Where are you going?"

"To school," I said

"Okay"

"I'll be back to pick up Cole"

"No, we'll take a taxi. You should really stay in school"

"Fine," I said walking away.

I was a bit angry and I was in no mood to go to school so I didn't. I got in my car and drove to Eli's

"Yo anyone here?" I asked walking into the store

"Nick? What are you doing here? Don't you have class?" Eli asked

"Yeah," I said taking a seat

"Then shouldn't you be there?" he asked

"Yeah," I said

"And you're not going?" he asked

"Nope,"

"Why?" he asked

"Long story,"

"We have time, you can talk about it"

"Don't feel like it" I said

"Why not?"

"Wait, don't you have class?"

"Yeah"

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Yeah,"

"And you're not going?"

"Nope,"

"Why?"

"Long story"

"We have time, you can talk about it"

"Don't feel like it," he said before we just stared at each other until Kev walked in

"Yo Larry, get me a drink!" he said

"Kev," I said

"Nick? Eli? Don't you guys have class?" he asked as Eli and I looked at each other

"No," we both said

"Bitching, wanna get a drink?" he asked.

I looked at Eli and he just shrugged

"Sure," we agreed

"Cool," he said before Eli took out a six-pack from the fridge

"Why don't we go by the beach? We haven't been there in a while?" Kev asked

"Sure," Eli said

"Don't you have to watch the shop?" I asked

"Nah, it's a slow day I was just about to lock up"

"Isn't it always a slow day?" Kev teased

"f**k off" Eli glared before we laughed.

We got in my car and went straight to the beach

"Man, who knew I missed the smell of the sea this much," Kev said cracking open one of the beers

"Have you not been to the beach since you got out?" I asked

"Nah," he said

"How? You've been back a month" I asked

"He's been working," Eli said

"Really?"

"Correction I was working"

"What? What the hell happened?"

"The boss caught me sleeping with his daughter"

"Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to get you that job?"

"What job was it?" I asked

"He worked at La Flèche D'amour de Cupidon,"

"Really? How'd you manage to get him there?"

"I knew a guy who works as a manager there," he said

"Noted," I said

"So why are you two skipping class?" Kev asked

"No reason,"

"Come on, I told you guys why I'm drinking"

"You're always drinking," we said in unison

"Come on tell me" he whined

"Alright fine but you have to promise not to laugh," Eli said

"Okay," I said

"Okay here goes. I got rejected," Eli said all at once

"What?" Kev chuckled

"You got rejected?" I chuckled before we both burst into all-out laughter

"Come on, you promised not to laugh," he said but we kept on laughing

"It is completely normal to get rejected alright; it could happen to anyone," he said

"Hey Nick, have you ever gotten rejected?" Kev asked

"Nope," I shook my head

"Neither have I?" Kev chuckled

"Whatever!" Eli said

"Come on man, we're just messing with you. At least you got to sleep with her" Kev said

"Um..." Eli said embarrassed

"No way, you didn't even sleep with her?" Kev laughed

"She has a boyfriend," Eli said

"So what? Wait, how far have you actually gotten with the b***h?"

"Can you not call her that?" Eli sighed

"Fine, answer the question"

"Well, we held hands once and we kissed indirectly... accidentally" he whispered shyly

"Hand-holding? What is this kindergarten? At least Nick got to second base before being c**k-blocked,"

"Can we change the topic please?" I said

"Yeah let's" Eli agreed

"Okay okay fine. So why aren't you in school Nick?"

"Just didn't feel like going," I shrugged

"I call bullshit," Kev said

"Yeah me too," Eli said

"Excuse me,"

"Yeah, you've been trying to be Mr. Goodie-two-shoes for Sophie all month and now you're ready to skip school again. I call bullshit," Kev said

"Come on, tell us what really happened"

"Alright fine," I said before explaining everything

"Wow man," Eli said

"Yeah, that's really f****d up," Kev said

"Huh?" I asked confused

"The girl just wanted to get a job. No reason for you to get all upset and grumpy about it," Eli said

"That's a real d**k move, Nick," Kev said

"Come on, I'm already working enough as is. One of us needs to stay with Cole,"

"Dude, Vanessa's a smart girl, I'm sure she already thought about that already," Eli said

"Yeah," Kev agreed

"Guys, we're talking about Vanessa. She's just as careless as my brother. She can pretend to be strong but when s**t hits the fan she'll come running to me to fix it" I said

"Maybe but do you really think you can fix every problem she has?" Eli asked

"What?"

"Come on Nicky, I thought you were smarter than me. Even I know that she's gonna have to solve problems on her own when you're not there"

"Why wouldn't I be there?" I gritted my teeth

"I'm different from my brother. I won't leave! I won't run away!" I said angrily

"Maybe you're different from your brother but you sure are behaving like that piece of s**t father of yours," Kev said and that ticked me off.

In a fit of anger, I grabbed onto his collar and lifted him into the air

"Yo Nick, calm down," Eli said trying to get me to let go of him

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? How the hell am I like that jackass?" I yelled angrily

"Come on he didn't mean it like that"

"I mean exactly how I said it. Telling her what she can and can't do, getting angry when she disagrees with you, and telling her who she should and shouldn't hang out with. If that doesn't remind you of your piece of s**t father then I don't know what should"

"I'm nothing like that son of a b***h," I sighed letting go of him

"Then prove it," he said

"I'm going home," I said returning to my car and driving home

After that conversation with the guys, I drove back to the apartment where I saw V sitting on the couch watching tv

"Hey I'm home," I said walking in

"Welcome back," she said as I went into the kitchen. I grabbed a soda and went back out

"So how's Cole?"

"Fine, he's sleeping at the hospital. They said they'll keep him overnight in case anything happens"

"That's good then but shouldn't you be there?" I asked

"The doctor said staying there and worrying won't do any good so I should go home and relax for a while and they'll call me if anything happens"

"So are you relaxed?" I asked

"Nope"

"I thought so," I said

"So did you go to school?"

"Nah, I didn't feel like it," I said

"I guess you wouldn't. Considering your mood when you walked away" she said

"Yeah sorry about that"

"It's fine, you were just sharing your opinion"

"Still I should have listened to yours,"

"Apology accepted," she said

"So how exactly are you planning on making this work?"

"I plan on working nights so I can stay with him while you're at school and you can take care of him after school"

"I have to work. How can I take care of him?" I asked

"About that, you need to stop," she said

"What?"

"You need to stop. You can't keep going to school and work at night, it's impossible. You haven't gotten a full night's sleep in a month"

"I already told you I'm fine," I said

"I saw them"

"Saw what? You're not making any sense"

"I went into your draws"

"When? Why did you go in there?"

"Does it matter?"

"I told you not to go through my things"

"You're taking Modafinil,"

"It's not as bad as you make it sound"

"Nick, I'm not a medical student or a doctor, but I'm sure taking unprescribed medicine is not good for you," she said

"It's not a big deal"

"Yes, it is. You know I cried after I found these," she said

"It's just to keep me up a bit longer"

"Nick, that's not the point. You're a high schooler, it's enough that you're taking care of a kid that's not even your own, but going this far. You're burning the candle at both ends and it's not good for you."

"I know,"

"Then why are you still doing it?"

"Because I have to make sure he's different. Different from my dad, different from my brother... different from me. The third and greatest generation of King men" I said

"If he's going to do that then he going to need his uncle to guide him. To keep him from going down that path. You know I noticed right"

"Noticed what?"

"You don't spend much time with him. You are there when I am there but I don't think you actually spend time with just him,"

"So what? I'm busy,"

"I'm sure he notices things like this as well. I'm sure he wonders why his uncle doesn't want to be alone with him"

"Because it's better that way"

"Is it? Why is it better? You said he could be the greatest generation, but don't you think he needs someone to help him become that"

"I'm not so sure that I can do that. Even though I hate my father, there are times when I can't control myself, and I let my anger get the best of me, so I end up behaving as he would. I hate him and I hate myself in those moments. Despite all my grandstanding and rebelling, my biggest fear is that I'm just like my old man," I said.

There was a moment of silence between us before she suddenly chuckled

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just... your brother said the same thing to me,"

"Really?"

"Yeah, that was just before he told me he loved me," she said before I started chuckling as well

"First, I was compared to my piece of s**t father, and now I'm being compared to my coward of a brother. Man, this day just keeps getting more ridiculous," I laughed

"I guess so," she laughed too

"Anyways, I think I understand what you're saying and you're right"

"So you're gonna stop working at night"

"Yeah, but is the job you're gonna get really gonna be able to make up for much we'd be losing?" I asked

"Probably not, but we'll be okay, since we don't have to work about expenses like rent, water and electricity bills"

"I thought you wanted to be Ms. Independent," I chuckled

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let my pride get in the way of a good life for my son,"

"Yeah, this might be the best deal you'd get from my father," I chuckled

"So where did you get the pills?" she asked

"Oh, I swiped it off a few of the college students," I laughed

"Seems like something you'd do," she laughed

"Speaking of students, shouldn't you go pick up your girlfriend?" she said

"Oh s**t, I completely forgot about Sophie. I'll see you later and we can go visit Cole when I get back," I said before going to my car

The school day had just ended and Sophie was already on her way home when I pulled up beside her

"Psst beautiful," I called out to her

"Hello, can I help you," she asked

"Yeah, I'm looking for directions," I said

"Where to?" she asked

"Your heart," I said winking at her

"Wow, such a cheesy pickup line. Does it work for you?" she said deadpan

"Depends, do you want to go out with me?" I said

"You seem nice but I have a boyfriend," she said

"And what would you say if he was here?" I asked

"I would ask him why he wasn't at school today," she said no longer playful

"And he probably would say that the business he had run a little later than expected and that he's sorry," I said still giving a playful smile

"And what business is that exactly?" she asked

"Come on Sophie, you know that's private," I said. The less she knew the better. It was my misguided thinking that if she knew about me and how pathetic my life really was she wouldn't want to be with me so I had to keep her from knowing the truth

"Private Nick! We've been dating for four years and I don't even know where you are half of the time, especially these past two years" she said and I could tell she was getting angrier and that's when it hit me

"Four years," I said before I started laughing

"What's so funny?" she asked

"I can't believe I forgot. Now I know why you're so upset" I said

"Okay, babe. I'll make it up to you, okay but you'll have to walk home on your own okay" I said

"What?" she asked before I left