"Nick," Sara said tentatively. They, meaning Sara, Nick and Kiley, were in Sara's bedroom. Sara and Kiley were on her bed and Sara was braiding Kiley's hair into many thin little braids. Nick was sitting in the large poofy chair of Sara's.

"Hmm," Nick replied.

"Who was she," Sara asked. Nick didn't need any clarification. He knew what Sara was talking about.

He took a deep breath and looked at them both. It was easy to tell he was deciding wether or not to tell them. He didn't really want to tell anyone, because they all knew one question would lead to another and another until the whole story was out, and he didn't want that. But if he had to, Sara and Kiley would be the ones he would tell. Because they would understand.

Both Sara and Kiley could tell Nick was hiding something, concealing it, burring it under layers of thoughts and little stone walls in his heart. They recognized those stone walls and knew exactly how to break them. They both knew exactly where to push, because each had their own stone walls incasing their hearts. They knew there were stones in these walls that did nothing when pushed, ones that would reinforce the wall, and ones that would make it crumble into thousands of pieces.

"She...was...my babysitter," Nick said slowly, giving himself the opportunity to back out, stop talking. It was something he wouldn't do, knew he wouldn't do, but it made him feel safer knowing he could.

Neither Sara nor Kiley spoke. They hardly looked at him. Sara concentrated on weaving her sister's hair in and out, braiding her sister's strands of hair together. Kiley fiddled with the neckless she took off and was now in her hands.

For all the silence, there was no tension, no pressure. You'd think there would be but their wasn't. And Nick liked that. He knew he could shut down right now, walk out, and neither girl would talk about it again. Neither would bring it up. Oh course Nick didn't back out, didn't run away.

"She babysat once...just once," Nick said, the memories breaking out of that barrier he had kept around them. He took a deep shuddering breath. He didn't want to talk about this, but he felt compelled to.

"Nick," Kiley spoke softly, almost scared to interrupt him. Nick wasn't sure if he was grateful for the interruption, or angry at it. He settled for being unsure.

"You don't have to tell us," She reminded him gently. "But," and there it was. There was always a but. "It dose feel better when you're done. That's not just a cliched phrase." Kiley didn't grin or smile as she should have. It was a rather light statement after all. But she kept the sense of seriousness and sadness and heaviness in the room. Not tension, never tension, just sadness and unsureness and seriousness all weighing them all down. All so heavy it was hard to lift your head. All so thick you could taste it.

Nick nodded in response to Kiley's statement. Somehow, what she said, made him feel better, reassured. And that was what he needed. Assurance. But then again, Kiley and Sara's mere presence did that.

"She...she...," he stopped talking. He tried to speak again, hesitated, and faltered. He sighed and frowned and took another deep shuddering breath. Neither of the girls were looking at him with any like expectance on their faces. Kiley was watching him, making no move to make it seem like she really wasn't. Like she wanted him to know she was watching him.

He decided to skip the details. Screw all the details. They were unnecessary things. Evil things. The details were the source of this all, in a weird twisted way. Short and to the point and all that.

"She molested me," he said quickly, like he couldn't get it out of hi mouth fast enough. Which was true. And even though he spoke fast, and mumbled his words a little, Sara and Kiley caught it all.

Somehow, it didn't shock them like he had expected. Granted, they were very surprised, and angry at the woman, but they didn't show it.

"Some people you're supposed to be able to trust," he said softly, almost by accident. But there was so much significance to this statement. Because he wasn't just talking about Angelica. He was talking about his whole family, all of them. They should have protected him, he trusted them to protect him. Even though he knew they really couldn't do anything if he kept his walls up.

Kiley and Sara understood immediately, and Nick knew this. Sara stopped braiding her sister's hair. Kiley sat up better.

"Nicky, come here," she said very softly. Nick almost hesitated, almost refused, but he didn't. He stood up and sat in front of Kiley on the bed. Kiley reached her hands out and touched Nick's head. He didn't flinch or shy away, didn't stiffen either. He knew it was Kiley touching him, and he knew he was safe.

Kiley ran her fingers over his head, and down his neck and shoulders. It felt odd, but not necessarily unpleasant. Almost like egg running off his head or something. Under any other condition, Nick would feel vulnerably, scared and Kiley's hands on his head and neck would be beyond suggestive.

"My mom...sold me to her friends for drug money," Kiley said, her voice a little chocked.

"And my mom killed my dad," Sara added. "And I became an only child."

The mood was weird. It wasn't exactly sadness, but maybe it was. It was an undefinable emotion caught somewhere between relief, sadness, caring and recognition. And it was still hanging heavily around the room.

They were just speaking, sharing the things that screwed their lives up. They were trying to outdo each other, or pity themselves or the other person. They were just telling, that's all. And Nick, Kiley and Sara all knew, that whatever they said, wouldn't leave these four walls. It was something not one of them would do.

"Nicky," Kiley said, using that soft voice again. She leaned forwards and wrapped her arms around Nick's torso. He breath stirred the edges of his hair. If it was anyone besides Kiley or Sara, this touching, and proximity would send Nick out of his mind right now. But it was Kiley, and Nick knew he could trust her. Kiley would never hurt him with touches because she knew. She knew the horrors he had.

"You know, it only means something if you make it mean something," She told him. "It doesn't have to be who you are."

"It's always gonna be a part of me," he told her.

"Yeah," Sara agreed. "But it doesn't have to be all of you."

And Nick agreed to that, he did.

All three of them sat there, Kiley still hugging Nick, Sara rubbing her sister's shoulders. The three kids in the nerd squad who had the thickest of stone walls around their minds and hearts. Those stone walls that were the ultimate protection for these three kids, now lay in shambles. All three walls had been broken down, opened up, making each kid feel vulnerably and sacred. And yet they were there together, which put them at ease. Just a little bit.

And Nick knew, that this vulnerability was only temporary. When their need for being comforted by someone who understood was satisfied, the vulnerability would disappear. When they woke up tomorrow, their stones walls would have rebuilt themselves, and each would go their way, pretending everything was fine