I know it took me forever to get this out and it's not even that good. Don't hurt me. I'll try to work on the next one asap and hopefully it'll be better. And yes, I am aware of how much of a major cliche this chapter is.
Nic pov.
School is so....so....grah! I wanna go home and hang out with the tv, sofa, and a bowl of ch-
"Achoo!" I bang my head on the table by accident. "OW." I mutter. I glance up at the clock. Three...two....one....freedom is mine! "Achoo!" and I hit my head again. Ugh. I've been sneezing all day and sitting in science class with a mad scientist teacher isn't good. He wanted to 'test a new allergy drug' on me to see if I'd stop sneezing.
"Cambias! Over here now!" ugh. Why is coach yelling so loud. And I can't believe I went back to using that dang on last name again. But then again I didn't really have a choice in the matter. Mom is still dotting some Is and crossing a few Ts with my adoption so legally, I am a Cambias.
"Si- Achoo!" I sneeze and fall over the bench. ow.
"You alright boy?" coach asks me. I nod and stand up.
"I'm fine coach." ew, I sound all kinds of congested. He shakes his head.
"Call a ride, you're goin home." he says. I start to protest but just sneeze, then I start coughing. "You're lung still intact, boy?" I nod. ow. I move to sit down and take out my cellphone. I don't even look at the keys, just pressing a speed dial button, I bring the phone to my ear.
"Hey Nicky, how ya doin?" my mom answers the phone.
"Can you come get me? Coach is sendin' me ho- achoo!" a sneeze breaks that explanation followed by a hacking cough. Ugh, are my lungs still in place.
"God, you sound horrible. You weren't sick when you left this morning, why didn't you call me?!" great, now she's frantic.
"Cos I thought I'd be fine...yeah." I say nodding my head even though she can't see me. Wait, can she see me? Oh well, not really worried about it.
"You thought you'd be fi- I'll be there in five minutes so be waiting out in front!" she practically shrieks. That went well.
"Ok," I say hanging up. Hmmm..... "Sleepy...." and I get comfortable.
Kendall pov.
Goodness Nic sounded like he was going to hack up his entire lung! I have to get out of here.
"Kendall? What's wrong?" Greenlee asks from beside me. I shake my head for a moment before smiling at her.
"Nothing. Hey, I need to step out for the day, will you guys be alright here?" I ask Bianca, Greenlee, and Simone. They all nod quietly but I can tell binks and Greenlee want to question me. I grab my purse and jacket and make my way to the elevator. After exiting, I drive to the school, obeying the speed limit, as fast as I can. I pull up and don't see him so I decide to check the office. When the secretary tells me she never saw him leave the field, I make my way out to him. He's laying down on a bench, but he's anything but peaceful. I think he's been having nightmares this entire time and my heart aches for my boy. I nudge him gently, so I don't push him off and he wakes with a start.
"AH!" he screams slightly. I just stroke his hair and he calms but he's tense. I want to ask him what's wrong, but I'm afraid that it'll push him further into himself.
"C'mon buddy, lets get you home." I say. He nods and looks around rubbing his eyes. I make a quick stop by a grocery store and pick up some cold medicine. How do I know that's what's wrong? I'm not sure exactly, call it intuition. He slept most of the way here so once I give him a little of this medicine he should just go right back to sleep. We pretty much communicate through silence but it works oddly. He walks toward his room sleepily and I hear his door shut. I sigh and sit down on the sofa and I'm startled by a tap on my shoulder. I look up to see him looking in my direction but his eyes are closed.
"Yeah?" I address him. He opens his eyes only to squint them as he leans closer to me.
"Night, Mommy." he says kissing my cheek and moving to lay across the sofa. I smile and grab a blanket for him and lift his head so he's laying his head in my lap. I stare at him, running my fingers through his hair as he sleeps. The phone rings and I quickly reach over. He stirs but remains asleep.
"Hello?" I whisper.
"Kendall? Why are you whispering?" it's Greenlee. She even sounds beautiful.
"I'm watchin' Nic sleep." I whisper.
"Oh, well is your door unlocked? I brought dinner." she says. Then quickly adds, "I hope that's okay..." she trails off.
"That's fine, Greenlee. Just give me a few minutes and I'll open the door for you." I reply before hanging up. Moving a pillow under his head, I move away silently. Reaching for the handle, I open it to reveal my mother and Greenlee. I smile and let them both in but grab my mom's arm.
"Can I talk to you a minute?" I ask. She nods and we step outside leaving the door open.
"What is it Kendall? Is something wrong?" she asks concerned.
"I-I don't know. I wanna ask him but.... I'm scared. How do I do this?" I ask looking up at her. She looks confused for a moment but finally understanding reaches her eyes.
"Well for starters you continue doing what you're doing. It's important for your child to know you love him. Show him that he can come to you with anything and don't be afraid to ask him. Let him know you're actually going to listen and you're not just asking for the sake of putting on a show." she explains.
"He's sick now. He's got a cold." I say gesturing inside.
"How do you know that?" she asks with a twinkle in her eye.
"I'm not sure. Just something...." I trail off looking inside.
"It's called mother's intuition, dear." she says. I stare at his face from where I'm standing.
"I just.... I want to do everything right. He's been through enough as it is." I whisper.
"You will sweetheart. You will." she reassures me. God I hope so.
Nic pov.(flashbacks/nightmares)
"You little bastard!" daddy screams at me. I don't know why. I haven't been a bad boy. I promise. Daddy rushes toward me and hits me in the face hard and I fall to the ground.
"Daddy! Stop it!" I yell when he keeps hitting me.
"I hate you!!" he yells at the top of his lungs. I just lay on the floor crying. I don't know why daddy hates me.
--
"I wish you weren't my son." he says with a mean face. I told him I was sorry I wasn't smart like the other kids but he doesn't care.
"Sorry, Dad, but I swear I did the best I could." I try to reason.
"Do you know that boy sat around playing video games when he should have been studying?" my mom throws out.
"Mom!" I yell in horror. She's lying. "Dad, I swear. I- I didn't. I- I studied but I just..." I trail off when I notice his face getting red.
"So you're mother is a liar?" he asks. I don't know who to side with so I do the only thing I can. I take off my belt, hand it to him, and bow my head. I deserve this I guess.
--
"Shut up and enjoy it!" one of the boys yell. I try and elbow him but one of his friends grab both of my hands and pin them. For the longest time, all I do is feel pain.
"Man," he pants. "Tell your dad we said thanks. And we'll see you when we're out peaches." he says leaving my cell. I just lay on the floor. I feel broken.'
--
"Hello Michael." I say in a dead tone.
"Hey, Nate. How are things in here?" he asks nonchalantly. I blink at him.
"You're friends said hello." I say monotone.
"Great! So you've met them? I hope they gave you a....warm welcome." he sneers. I just clinch my jaw.
"Daddy, why do you hate me?" I ask. He just shrugs and smiles.
"Sometimes in life, there are people you just can't stand." he answers. I nod and leave.
--
"I wish you were dead!" he screams punching me.
--
"You are a mistake! I never wanted you!" mom yells in my face.
--
"I wish you would die!" Nicole screeches to me.
--
"You like this don't you?!" he breathes in my ear.
Nic pov.(now)
"No!" I yell. I don't like this. I hate it. I feel a touch on my face. "No! Get away from me!" I yell getting up and running wherever I can. I don't know where I am. Where am I? I can hear somebody calling me but I don't know who. Thunder claps above me.
"You don't deserve to live." I can hear my dads voice echoing. no. he's dead. I know he is. Thunder claps again, fiercely telling me to give up. I keep running until finally I slip on the now muddy ground. I guess it was raining. I look up and I'm staring at Michael Cambias' name. I stare for a minute panting. This is it. This is my time for closure.
"Why?" is the first question I have to ask. I never fully understood. "Why'd you hate me daddy? I tried..... I swear I tried. I wanted to make you proud. Even when I knew you wouldn't care I tried." he's gotta believe me. "But I'm sorry." I start again. "I'm sorry I'm not the son you wanted. I'm sorry that I'm not....ruthless. That I care for people and how my actions affect them. I'm sorry, that you didn't know what love was, that you were so messed up. I'm sorry, you'll never get to see me grow up and become proud of myself. Because I have a reason to be. I will be a good man and I will love my family. I'm sorry you wont get to witness yourself fail because you tried.... I'll give you that, you did try. But you wouldn't have gotten anywhere." I stop. "And I'm sorry, but the Cambias name isn't going to be associated with pain anymore. I'm changing that." I tell him. I stand up and stumble a little bit, but I brace myself on his headstone. I look around and stagger away. I wonder around for a short time but I find myself at a cliff like area. I look down then around me at my surroundings. I close my eyes and breathe deeply. The rain is coming down at a steady pace now but I'm soaked to the bone. Kendall is going to kill me and I'm probably gonna catch the flu but that's alright. I open my eyes again and stare ahead of me. "Goodbye Mary and Michael." I whisper into the rain. I sit down under a near by tree and close my eyes again. I don't know how long I sit here but the rain hasn't let up.
"Dominic!" I hear. My head snaps up and land on Kendall. She's running toward me and she looks worried, relieved, furious, and happy all at once. She kneels in front of me. "What were you thinking?! You can't just run off like that! What if you had gotten hurt?!" she ticks off those questions. I smile at her and lean forward and hug her tightly.
"Sorry mom." I say. She hugs me back just as fiercely.
"I'm glad you're okay but we need to talk. Seriously." she says sternly and I can't help but smile a little.
"Okay." I whisper. I hug her tighter and she doesn't seem to want to let go either. She's whispering reassuring things to me and I believe her. And I finally can. Cus I'm free.