Disclaimer: I do not own these character, and I'm not getting paid anything
for using them.
Author's Note: I didn't expect people to like "Bad Wisdom" but it seems like some people did. You even asked for a sequel. I never meant to write one, I meant to leave it an open ending, but I guess you convinced me to keep it going. I tried to keep them in character, but some could argue that it doesn't seem like them. The thing is, I can only predict how they would act under these conditions…How would Sara act if forced to confront things she'd rather forget? Would she fall apart (too messy)? Would she completely shut herself off (that'd be a fun story)? I don't know, but if anyone wants to argue with me, or offer suggestions on this matter, I'd enjoy it. Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to try to explain. I hope the spelling and grammar are better, I didn't read through the other one before I posted it, but those kind of mistakes always bother me, so I tried not to screw this one up. Hope you enjoy. If you have any comments or suggestions about the way it's going, I'd appreciate it.
"Bad Wisdom: Part 2"
You know how people say "Things will look better in the morning?"
People lie.
Yesterday Sara had felt wonderful about making a date with Nick to "talk." Today was a different matter.
Without all the self-confidence and hope her Grandmother's letter had inspired fresh on her mind, Sara was in major panic mode.
'I can't do this. I can't do this. I'm going to sound like a complete idiot. I'm sure he doesn't really want to listen to me complain, especially about something that happened 9 years ago. There is no possible way I'm going to be able to talk to him about it. How would I even start—"Hey Nick, the real reason I needed to talk is because I was abused as a child and I'm having a little trouble getting over it- wanna help?" No, that didn't sound needy or neurotic.'
She tried to tell herself to quit thinking that way, but her stomach refused to unclench the whole way to work. Not that it was any better inside, she discovered.
She had just finished putting away her stuff when Nick walked in the locker room.
Sara swallowed hard and measured the distance to the bathroom.
Nick saw the terrified look on her face and gave her a reassuring smile. Knowing her, he figured she was probably nervous about tonight, so he avoided mentioning it. To be perfectly honest with himself, he was a little nervous too. What if he had made a mistake in offering to listen? What if he couldn't help? What if his knowing about her problems made her so uncomfortable around him that it ruined their growing friendship?
He refused to let any of those doubts show on his face as Sara smiled back and practically ran from the room.
Tonight wasn't about him anyway. It was about Sara. Today it didn't matter how it affected him, the only goal was for Sara to open up a little and get some things off her chest.
He could handle it.
It never ceased to amaze Sara how relevant the passing of time was in connection to a person's state of mind. If you had something to look forward to, time crawled by, but if you had something you were dreading, time just soared.
Too bad Sara refused to accept its speedy travel.
Even after the clock told her she only had two hours before her meeting with Nick, she continued to dawdle. She kept under the speed limit the whole way home, and opted for the stairs in her building. She took a leisurely shower and slowly blow-dried her hair. Anything to make time seem slower.
Problem was, time was just as stubborn as she was and paid absolutely no attention to Sara's vain attempts to stretch it out.
Sara was just slipping her shoes on when Nick knocked.
Her stomach dropped once before she stepped forward and opened the door.
'Oh, Grandma, please help me get through this.'
Nick grinned at her as she opened the door, hoping to get a smile in return.
No such luck.
Just the trapped look on her face made him want to give her an excuse not to go through with this, but somehow he didn't think she'd take the easy was out. From what he could tell Sara was the type of person who instead of going back on her commitments and word, and admitting she couldn't do something, she'd rather lie to your face and push herself until she dropped.
He could tell she would rather be doing anything else at the moment, just the look on her face gave that one away, but yet here she was ready to suck it up and go.
Sometimes he really admired her for things like that.
"Ready to go?" Nick asked lightly.
"Sure," Sara said, straightening her shirt, "just let me get my coat."
Nick had told her to dress comfortably and she hoped her shirt and jeans were what he meant.
She really wished he would have given her a hint at what they were going to be doing, but he refused to give an inch. "Just let me handle it," was the only thing he'd say.
Nick ushered her out the door and into his SUV. He kept silent hoping to give Sara a chance to relax.
It took about 20 minutes until they arrived.
Sara looked around at the tree-lined drive curiously, but Nick only smiled at her when she shot him a questioning look.
He parked in a small circular arc at the end of the drive.
"Where are we?" Sara asked, following him out of the car.
"This is my Grandfather's land. This is my favorite place to come when I feel a little off-balance. All the trees and greens seem like a dream here in Las Vegas, always made me feel like I'd stepped into another world. I've never brought anyone here, but I wanted to share it with you." Nick felt a little silly at the way he sounded, but it was the truth, he could forget himself here.
Sara couldn't think of anything to say to that so she just watched quietly as Nick grabbed a large basket and backpack.
"Let's go."
They had been walking about 30 minutes when they stepped into an open meadow full of flowers that were just beginning to bloom. Vibrant purples, yellows, and whites combined with the dark green grass for miles.
Nick opened the backpack and took out a large blanket. He spread it open under one of the willow trees and bent down to start unpacking all the food.
They had shed their jackets as they warmed up during the walk and they were both set aside with their shoes.
It had become a beautifully warm day and they both took a moment to enjoy being out in the sun before they started eating.
Five sandwiches, three oranges, and two blueberry muffins later they slowed down. Sara sat back, content for the moment.
This place, this atmosphere had made her forget why she was here in the first place.
Until Nick cleared his throat.
Just that one sound, serious and anticipatory, brought her back to herself with such a thud and sense of apprehension that her stomach suddenly refused to digest her food and the sun burned down like a spotlight.
Bright and exposing.
"How often do you come here?" Sara hurredly asked, it was a pathetic attempt to distract the conversation from its purpose.
Nick understood, sometimes she was just that obvious, and decided to play along for a while.
"A lot actually," he said leaning back on his elbows, stretching his feet out in front of him. "Every chance I get. I sort of grew up out here. My mother and I don't get along very well so I spent most of my summers and vacations out here with my Grandpa."
Sara listened intently, truly interested in what he was saying. She didn't really know too much about him, they'd never gotten very personal.
Sara liked it that way. She wondered if he could tell how vulnerable she felt, these past few days had definitely shown her weakness.
She wasn't herself, even she could feel the difference, all the hardness had started cracking. She didn't have anything to prove her worth with, prove that she was just as good, fast and smart as everyone else- better even. She couldn't think of any witty remark calculated to push people away and keep herself in.
She didn't like the change at all.
She glanced up to find Nick watching her closely and she fought the urge to stand and pace.
"So, why don't you get along with your mother?" Sara asked.
She wanted to know about him, connect somehow, find some sort of parallel or empathy so she could justify to herself the trust she felt with him.
Nick debated with himself about telling her the truth. It had changed things between him and Catherine when he had confided in her. He could tell she felt sorry for him, pitied him, and he didn't want that with Sara.
He settled for an illusive, "Reasons," and feeling uncomfortable, turned the tables back to her, "besides, this is supposed to be about you, not me. Why don't you get along with your mother?"
Sara felt the disappointment at his answer.
"Oh, no real reason," she lied.
Nick didn't believe her for a second, but he didn't push. He just changed the subject. "Tell me about your grandparents."
"They were the most wonderful people in the world, and they died in a car accident."
Sara was mad, and suddenly felt very alone. She didn't like being the one giving it all and getting nothing back. He hadn't really answered her question, why should she really share it all with him.
It must have been the emotions involved, because, suddenly Nick was angry too.
"Fine, you don't want to talk to me, don't." He punctuated the harshness of his tone by angrily putting the left-over food back in the basket and standing up to fold the blanket in a hurried, jerky motion.
"I just have one question," he said before he started walking, "if you weren't going to talk, why the hell'd you ask me to?"
Sara was too surprised by his sudden anger and her own emotions to have a chance to answer him before he stalked down the trail to the car. They were both silent on the ride back.
By the time they pulled up in front of Sara's apartment, their anger had faded. The only thing either of them felt now was regret, sadness, and a little bit of shame.
Sara got out of the SUV silently, wishing Nick would say something—anything, but she was too proud to turn back to him, so she just kept walking.
Nick silently watched her walk away, wishing she would turn around and say something—anything, but he was too ashamed of the way he had acted, so he just continued watching.
Author's Note: I didn't expect people to like "Bad Wisdom" but it seems like some people did. You even asked for a sequel. I never meant to write one, I meant to leave it an open ending, but I guess you convinced me to keep it going. I tried to keep them in character, but some could argue that it doesn't seem like them. The thing is, I can only predict how they would act under these conditions…How would Sara act if forced to confront things she'd rather forget? Would she fall apart (too messy)? Would she completely shut herself off (that'd be a fun story)? I don't know, but if anyone wants to argue with me, or offer suggestions on this matter, I'd enjoy it. Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to try to explain. I hope the spelling and grammar are better, I didn't read through the other one before I posted it, but those kind of mistakes always bother me, so I tried not to screw this one up. Hope you enjoy. If you have any comments or suggestions about the way it's going, I'd appreciate it.
"Bad Wisdom: Part 2"
You know how people say "Things will look better in the morning?"
People lie.
Yesterday Sara had felt wonderful about making a date with Nick to "talk." Today was a different matter.
Without all the self-confidence and hope her Grandmother's letter had inspired fresh on her mind, Sara was in major panic mode.
'I can't do this. I can't do this. I'm going to sound like a complete idiot. I'm sure he doesn't really want to listen to me complain, especially about something that happened 9 years ago. There is no possible way I'm going to be able to talk to him about it. How would I even start—"Hey Nick, the real reason I needed to talk is because I was abused as a child and I'm having a little trouble getting over it- wanna help?" No, that didn't sound needy or neurotic.'
She tried to tell herself to quit thinking that way, but her stomach refused to unclench the whole way to work. Not that it was any better inside, she discovered.
She had just finished putting away her stuff when Nick walked in the locker room.
Sara swallowed hard and measured the distance to the bathroom.
Nick saw the terrified look on her face and gave her a reassuring smile. Knowing her, he figured she was probably nervous about tonight, so he avoided mentioning it. To be perfectly honest with himself, he was a little nervous too. What if he had made a mistake in offering to listen? What if he couldn't help? What if his knowing about her problems made her so uncomfortable around him that it ruined their growing friendship?
He refused to let any of those doubts show on his face as Sara smiled back and practically ran from the room.
Tonight wasn't about him anyway. It was about Sara. Today it didn't matter how it affected him, the only goal was for Sara to open up a little and get some things off her chest.
He could handle it.
It never ceased to amaze Sara how relevant the passing of time was in connection to a person's state of mind. If you had something to look forward to, time crawled by, but if you had something you were dreading, time just soared.
Too bad Sara refused to accept its speedy travel.
Even after the clock told her she only had two hours before her meeting with Nick, she continued to dawdle. She kept under the speed limit the whole way home, and opted for the stairs in her building. She took a leisurely shower and slowly blow-dried her hair. Anything to make time seem slower.
Problem was, time was just as stubborn as she was and paid absolutely no attention to Sara's vain attempts to stretch it out.
Sara was just slipping her shoes on when Nick knocked.
Her stomach dropped once before she stepped forward and opened the door.
'Oh, Grandma, please help me get through this.'
Nick grinned at her as she opened the door, hoping to get a smile in return.
No such luck.
Just the trapped look on her face made him want to give her an excuse not to go through with this, but somehow he didn't think she'd take the easy was out. From what he could tell Sara was the type of person who instead of going back on her commitments and word, and admitting she couldn't do something, she'd rather lie to your face and push herself until she dropped.
He could tell she would rather be doing anything else at the moment, just the look on her face gave that one away, but yet here she was ready to suck it up and go.
Sometimes he really admired her for things like that.
"Ready to go?" Nick asked lightly.
"Sure," Sara said, straightening her shirt, "just let me get my coat."
Nick had told her to dress comfortably and she hoped her shirt and jeans were what he meant.
She really wished he would have given her a hint at what they were going to be doing, but he refused to give an inch. "Just let me handle it," was the only thing he'd say.
Nick ushered her out the door and into his SUV. He kept silent hoping to give Sara a chance to relax.
It took about 20 minutes until they arrived.
Sara looked around at the tree-lined drive curiously, but Nick only smiled at her when she shot him a questioning look.
He parked in a small circular arc at the end of the drive.
"Where are we?" Sara asked, following him out of the car.
"This is my Grandfather's land. This is my favorite place to come when I feel a little off-balance. All the trees and greens seem like a dream here in Las Vegas, always made me feel like I'd stepped into another world. I've never brought anyone here, but I wanted to share it with you." Nick felt a little silly at the way he sounded, but it was the truth, he could forget himself here.
Sara couldn't think of anything to say to that so she just watched quietly as Nick grabbed a large basket and backpack.
"Let's go."
They had been walking about 30 minutes when they stepped into an open meadow full of flowers that were just beginning to bloom. Vibrant purples, yellows, and whites combined with the dark green grass for miles.
Nick opened the backpack and took out a large blanket. He spread it open under one of the willow trees and bent down to start unpacking all the food.
They had shed their jackets as they warmed up during the walk and they were both set aside with their shoes.
It had become a beautifully warm day and they both took a moment to enjoy being out in the sun before they started eating.
Five sandwiches, three oranges, and two blueberry muffins later they slowed down. Sara sat back, content for the moment.
This place, this atmosphere had made her forget why she was here in the first place.
Until Nick cleared his throat.
Just that one sound, serious and anticipatory, brought her back to herself with such a thud and sense of apprehension that her stomach suddenly refused to digest her food and the sun burned down like a spotlight.
Bright and exposing.
"How often do you come here?" Sara hurredly asked, it was a pathetic attempt to distract the conversation from its purpose.
Nick understood, sometimes she was just that obvious, and decided to play along for a while.
"A lot actually," he said leaning back on his elbows, stretching his feet out in front of him. "Every chance I get. I sort of grew up out here. My mother and I don't get along very well so I spent most of my summers and vacations out here with my Grandpa."
Sara listened intently, truly interested in what he was saying. She didn't really know too much about him, they'd never gotten very personal.
Sara liked it that way. She wondered if he could tell how vulnerable she felt, these past few days had definitely shown her weakness.
She wasn't herself, even she could feel the difference, all the hardness had started cracking. She didn't have anything to prove her worth with, prove that she was just as good, fast and smart as everyone else- better even. She couldn't think of any witty remark calculated to push people away and keep herself in.
She didn't like the change at all.
She glanced up to find Nick watching her closely and she fought the urge to stand and pace.
"So, why don't you get along with your mother?" Sara asked.
She wanted to know about him, connect somehow, find some sort of parallel or empathy so she could justify to herself the trust she felt with him.
Nick debated with himself about telling her the truth. It had changed things between him and Catherine when he had confided in her. He could tell she felt sorry for him, pitied him, and he didn't want that with Sara.
He settled for an illusive, "Reasons," and feeling uncomfortable, turned the tables back to her, "besides, this is supposed to be about you, not me. Why don't you get along with your mother?"
Sara felt the disappointment at his answer.
"Oh, no real reason," she lied.
Nick didn't believe her for a second, but he didn't push. He just changed the subject. "Tell me about your grandparents."
"They were the most wonderful people in the world, and they died in a car accident."
Sara was mad, and suddenly felt very alone. She didn't like being the one giving it all and getting nothing back. He hadn't really answered her question, why should she really share it all with him.
It must have been the emotions involved, because, suddenly Nick was angry too.
"Fine, you don't want to talk to me, don't." He punctuated the harshness of his tone by angrily putting the left-over food back in the basket and standing up to fold the blanket in a hurried, jerky motion.
"I just have one question," he said before he started walking, "if you weren't going to talk, why the hell'd you ask me to?"
Sara was too surprised by his sudden anger and her own emotions to have a chance to answer him before he stalked down the trail to the car. They were both silent on the ride back.
By the time they pulled up in front of Sara's apartment, their anger had faded. The only thing either of them felt now was regret, sadness, and a little bit of shame.
Sara got out of the SUV silently, wishing Nick would say something—anything, but she was too proud to turn back to him, so she just kept walking.
Nick silently watched her walk away, wishing she would turn around and say something—anything, but he was too ashamed of the way he had acted, so he just continued watching.