A/N: Hi everyone! Hope you are enjoying this fic so far. I am loving writing it so I hope you are.

I just wanted to put a little disclaimer warning on this chapter. There are a few slurs that will be used by everyone's favorite and lovable Nick. I just wanted to express that there is no way that I feel this way about certain individuals and I can't stress it enough that it's being used for character development for him. It is not my intention to insult or upset anyone. I do apologize if this happens.

Get ready to hate Nick on a whole new level, guys!

As always, thank you for R&Ring!


June 24, 2004

Angel Grove, CA

Over the course of the next few days, Nick and I managed to move all of our things from Trini and Jason's house to our house. Nick had to work double shifts those days so the rest of the group helped me move in. I had the water and the power turned on and we were good to go. It felt nice to be in our own place, especially after the beach day. It had gone off without much issue but Nick had acted like an ass in my opinion. By the end of the day, he had not only insulted everyone based on their salaries but also those who didn't own their own house. He made it sound like we were living the high life and it rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't say anything though and I apologized to Trini and Jason when we got home that night. I asked Trini to tell everyone else I was sorry too but she told me not to worry about it. I did though and I was worried about what everyone thought about me.

The worry faded somewhat as time passed and everyone seemed to be okay with me when I saw them in passing. Aisha and Rocky had stopped by our first night to drop off a casserole and a couple of plants for the front yard. Zack also swung by, bringing a gift basket filled with fruit, coffees, and some candles. We all made plans as a group to go out to a fancy dinner for Billy's birthday this Friday, wanting to celebrate his 25 birthday in my relief, Tommy also stopped by but it was when Jason and Trini were here and Nick was at work. He brought me a rose bush and some bulbs to plant, remembering that they were my favorites. I was excited to start working on the front of the house with all the new plants we had received.

I was digging holes in the dirt in front of the porch when I heard tires pull into the driveway. I saw a car I didn't recognize, a little dark blue four door Honda Civic. It was a newer model, something that looked like it had rolled right off a showroom floor. To my surprise, Nick climbed out of the driver seat. I stood up, wiping the dirt off my hands and knees as he closed the door.

"What do you think?" He asked, smiling.

"It's nice! Is Pete letting you borrow his Dad's car?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Nope. It's ours. I bought it this afternoon." He replied. I looked at him, eyes wide.

"What? Nick, this car is so expensive. How did we afford something like this? We don't even have enough money for a down payment."

"Relax. Pete and his father loaned me the money. I'm going to make them payments once a month until it's paid off."

"Are you sure we can afford that?" I asked, pulling the gloves off my hands.

"You worry too much. I promise, we're good." I heard another set of tires and saw that a car was slowing down in front of our house. This time, I recognized it as Adam's black little hatchback. The brake lights flashed as he put it in park. Billy climbed out of the passenger side while Adam hopped out of the driver side. In Billy's hands, I saw he held a wicker basket with some things inside of it.

"Hey, guys!" I called out, smiling. The two smiled and waved before walking across the lawn toward us.

"Greetings." Billy said. "We've brought you a gift to celebrate the relocation of your dwelling." He held the basket out to me. I took it, seeing some gourmet chocolates, pink colored candles, bath beads, two wine glasses and a bottle of wine.

"Thank you!" I said. "You guys didn't have to do this."

"Course we did." Adam said, grinning at me as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "We couldn't be the only ones that didn't bring you something."

"You all are too much sometimes." I replied. "Do you want to come in for some coffee?"

"Unfortunately, we can't. We have plans with Billy's father. We're celebrating his birthday with him tonight since we're all going out to dinner tomorrow." Adam explained.

"Affirmative." Billy said, nodding.

"Well, make sure you tell your father I said hello. It's been ages since I've seen him. I'll have to swing by one of these days to stop by."

"He'd appreciate that." Billy replied. Reaching out, I handed the basket to Nick. Stepping forward, I hugged Adam and Billy at the same time.

"You two have fun. Drive safe. Thank you again for the lovely basket." I said, letting them go.

"No problem. It was good to see you again, Nick." Adam said, shaking Nick's hand. Nick didn't say anything, only nodding. With another wave, they turned and headed to their car. Once they were inside, Nick made a noise in the back of his throat.

"What?" I asked, taking the basket back from him. I headed up the porch steps, him behind me.

"The two of them need to spend less time apart if they ever think about getting girlfriends." He replied, opening the door for me. I walked inside, smirking. Nick followed behind me as I headed to the kitchen.

"I don't think they are worried about that. Trust me." I set the basket on the kitchen counter and started to pull the items out of it. I didn't want to chance the glasses getting broken.

"Why? They seem like okay dudes. Better than the other three you hang out with." I heard him set his backpack down on one of the stools before he headed to the fridge. Pulling it open, he grabbed a can of beer.

"Because they're in a relationship. Together." I said, looking over my shoulder at him. "And that's something Adam told me in strict confidence so don't repeat it, alright?" He looked at me, surprised at first then disgusted.

"No way! Really? That sucks. I actually kinda liked them."

"Well, you still can. It doesn't change who they are as people, Nick." I put the rest of the items away, tucking the basket under the sink with the other one from Zack. I washed my hands quickly, scrubbing them with dish soap.

"Look, I'm all about having private business be private. But two dudes going at it just ain't right."

"You seriously can't be homophobic, can you?" I asked shutting the water off in the sink.

"I'm not saying I am. All I'm saying is that it should be private. That's all." He said, holding up his hands in defense.

"Well, it is. That's why no one knows and it has to stay that way, alright? Adam would kill me if he knew I told people."

"Yeah. Yeah. Secret is safe with me."


Trini called me the next morning while I was at work to let me know we would be meeting up at 7 o'clock at Ella, a fancy Italian restaurant here in town. I asked her what everyone had bought Billy in terms of presents and she told me she had bought him some book on some topic I couldn't even begin to repeat. I thanked her, telling her that Nick and I would be there. I spent the rest of my shift trying to think of things to buy while I organized the equipment in the storage closet. I had finally met the theater group the other day, a team of about 15 people who were in charge of putting on the performances. They were mostly older people who were looking for something to do mixed with a few kids fresh out of high school. They were a good mix though and very friendly. We agreed to meet after the Fourth of July to discuss what the next production would be. I have spent hours looking up the list of past shows they've done to see which ones would be original. I compiled a list on the dinosaur computer I was given, just waiting for the day. I decided yesterday that the storage rooms needed to be reorganized, inventoried and stored on the computer for a better way to locate items.

After my shift was over, I locked up the theater and headed to a nearby bookstore. I knew I wouldn't be able to find anything else that would peak Billy's interest so this was my last resort. Walking around, I decided to head to the science section. I decided I would just find a book with the longest name in the title I couldn't pronounce and call it a day. I cruised around the shelves, stopping to look at the different titles. I found one with a very long word in the title. Picking it up, I saw there was a picture of a fossil still in stone on the front of it. It was perfect.

As I came around the corner, I saw something move out the window. Looking quickly, I saw that it was Peter, the kid that Nick was working for. His car was parked across the street and he was standing outside of it, leaning against the door. He wore a hoodie with the hood up, hiding his face in it. He was nodding his head, like he was listening to music. He didn't make a move to walk inside any of the nearby businesses or his car. Instead, he just stood there and looked around. I stepped closer to the window, trying to see what he was doing. That's when I saw the other man walking up the street towards him. It was another young guy wearing a green t-shirt and a pair of stained light blue jeans. He was very thin and the black hair on his head was askew.

The kid stopped next to Pete and the two talked for a moment. I watched as Pete pulled something from his hoodie pocket and slid it into the other kid's hand. I couldn't see what it was, their hands hiding it. The kid shoved it into his pocket quickly and handed Pete something as well. They talked again for a few more minutes before the kid turned, walking away quickly. Pete went back to leaning against the car. His head turned my direction and for a moment, they locked on me. I wasn't sure if he could see me though, the glare from the sun on the window. He didn't look away for a long time and I could feel an uneasy sweat form on my forehead. He pushed off the car and a fear of him coming here washed over me. Instead, he opened the car door and climbed inside. I sighed in relief as he peeled away, his tires leaving marks on the street. I realized I had been clutching the book tightly, my fingers aching as I lessened my grip.

I didn't know what that was about but I was going to find out.

When I got home, I heard Nick in the bathroom taking a shower. I took the chance to wrap Billy's present and put it in the gift bag I had bought to put it in. I really hoped he would like it. I put it next to the door to ensure we remembered it before heading upstairs. I opted to use the guest bathroom, taking a quick shower. When I emerged, I brushed and pinned my hair half up with a clip with pink roses on it. I also grabbed a pink dress in my closet I hadn't worn since high school. I was amazed it fit. The last time I had worn it, I was going to a dance with Tommy. It was a silk dress with short sleeves and an a-line skirt that flowed to my knees. It was a pale pink with a darker pink ribbon that tied around my waist. I found a pair of sandals to go with it, strapping them up before walking down the stairs.

"I was wondering if you were dead up there." Nick said as I walked into the living room. I saw he was wearing a dark blue polo shirt and a pair of tan khaki shorts. I scoffed. "What?" He asked.

"Nick, this is a dress up dinner." I replied.

"I am dressed up." He said, looking down at his outfit.

"No. You need to at least put your dress shirt on or they won't let you inside." He rolled his eyes.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He said. "I'm not changing."

"This is important to me. Please." I pleaded. He swore again, storming up the stairs. I grabbed the present and my purse, tucking them in my arm. He returned, now wearing the white button up with the shorts. It looked a little better but it would pass at least. "Thank you." I said, smiling at him. He didn't return it as he grabbed his keys.

"Are we going or what?" He made a gesture towards me with his hand, telling me to go. I headed out the door, rolling my eyes where he couldn't see it. I heard him slam the door behind us before we headed to the car.

"Hey, I saw Pete today." I said as Nick drove. "Doesn't he work with you on site?"

"Sometimes. Today he had stuff to do. Why? What was he doing?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I'm not sure. He was just standing on the side of the road and then this guy showed up to talk to him for a minute before leaving again." Nick took the right at the intersection.

"I'm sure it was just a friend of his. You shouldn't be spying on people. How would you like it if I followed one of your friends around?" He glanced at me.

"I wasn't following him. I just saw him."

"Just drop it, okay? What Peter does is his own business. Got it?" He snapped. I nodded.

"Alright." He took the turn into the parking lot a bit fast, his tires squealing slightly. When he parked the car, he pocketed the keys. I climbed out, wanting to avoid the rest of the fight. We were already fifteen minutes late and didn't want to push the issue. My sandals clicked across the parking lot as we walked towards the front door. Ella was a one story building with a large glass window pane on the front with the name etched into it. There was a black painted door on the front that the host opened for us, a younger girl with long blonde hair and a tight black dress. I saw Nick's eyes sweep her over the second he saw her but I didn't say anything. It wasn't worth the fight.

"Table for two?" She asked, walking over to a podium where a book was sitting. I shook my head.

"We're here for the Cranston party." I replied. She smiled.

"Right this way." She walked into the restaurant, a quiet well lit room with brick walls and a rustic feel. People sat at tables around the room, white linens on the tables and black fabric on the chairs. There was a long bar with painted black wood on the far right side of the room, wine glasses hanging above it while a man with salt and pepper hair served people who sat at it. The hostess led us through the room and out a set of double glass doors to an outdoor patio. Reserved was written on a piece of paper on the door and I saw that there was an awning over our heads now, lights hanging from them. Our group was seated out here at a long table. They were talking loudly until we walked in the room, smiles directed towards us.

"Sorry we're late!" I said, walking over to Billy who was sitting at the head of the table. Adam sat on his left and Tommy to his right. All three stood up as I approached. I gave Billy a hug and a kiss on the cheek, handing him his present. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." He replied, taking it.

"Don't worry about it. We're all used to having to wait on you to get ready." Jason said. He was farther down the table, two empty chairs between Tommy and him. Trini sat at the other end of the table, Zack across from Jason. Aisha was between Zack and Rocky who sat on Adam's right. I wasn't thrilled that we were going to be directly between Tommy and Jason. I wasn't sure who I would rather have Nick by. I opted for him to sit next to Jason so I slid into the seat next to Tommy. I saw Nick shoot me a look before sitting himself.

"Waiting for her in the bathroom is a nightmare." Nick said, pulling his chair in. Aisha nodded, laughing.

"Tell me about it. She lived with me for two years and it was like a race to the bathroom each morning." She replied. I shot her a playful glare, shaking my head.

"It takes a lot to make this look good." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Yeah. About the same amount of time it takes Tommy to straighten his hair in the morning." Rocky added, grinning at Tommy who narrowed his eyes in Rocky's direction.

"It was a phase that I'm pretty sure Kim started so shut up." He remarked. There was a group laugh around the table as a waiter approached us with plates of food.

"We ordered a family style buffet." Trini said. I noticed the lack of menus then, seeing only baskets of breads and pitchers of water on the table. There were also three bottles of wine, two of them opened. I grabbed one, pouring some of the red liquid into the glass in front of me. I held it out to Nick who shook his head. The waiters set the plates of pasta, salad, and chicken marsala down on the table before leaving. We dug in, making out plates. Everything smelled and looked delicious. I had skipped out on lunch today, hoping to save the money towards our savings and to leave room for dinner. I was glad I did when I took that first bite of the chicken. It about melted in my mouth.

"This is fantastic." I said, covering my mouth with a napkin.

"They have the best food here. You should try their eggplant parmesan sometime. It's the best thing here." Adam said, spooning some pasta onto his plate.

"Ugh. That's one of my favorites." I replied. "We should come here for our anniversary at the end of the month." I suggested to Nick.

"I don't know. Maybe." He replied.

"So, Nick, Kim told us that you're working as a contractor now. That's exciting! Has there been a lot of work with the drought going on?" Trini asked, taking a bite of salad. Nick nodded.

"We've found some here and there. Still pulling in the big jobs though." He replied. "My boss makes sure we're well taken care of."

"It's hard to find work around here these days." Aisha said. "I know our neighbors have been out of work for about six months now. And I saw Mrs. Appleby the other day. She said that her store was broken into the other night."

"Her store?" I asked. She nodded.

"She's retired now and owns a little thrift store by the dojo. She said someone broke one of the windows and just let themselves in. They trashed the place and stole a bunch of stuff. Luckily, she has insurance to cover it but it's such a scary thought."

"That's why I'm glad Tommy lives right above the dojo." Jason said. "That way, he can keep an eye on things."

"Why would someone want to rob a thrift store?" Rocky asked. "It's used clothing from people's grandmas."

"Because it's stuff you can pawn for money." Zack said, scratching the top of his head. "And you can use that money to buy things like drugs."

"I don't believe what they are saying on the news. How can it be that bad here in Angel Grove? I mean we didn't have that issue as kids. Why is it suddenly so bad?" Aisha asked, sipping her water.

"Because you have people from LA moving here to push their products. They'll sell it to anyone willing to buy." Adam said. "It's getting worse."

"The chemical reaction in their brains are forming an addiction required to keep the drugs a necessity. Without that element, they wouldn't have access to the high demand." Billy stated. "Sadly, it's occurring across the country."

We finished up our food, moving on to happier topics like work and high school. The sun was setting, making the lights above us shine brighter. Our plates were cleared and a cake was brought out with some coffee. Trini served it while Billy opened presents. He had gotten all books, something that made the group laugh. Each was on a different topic and he said that he would enjoy reading each one eventually. As he set the books into the gift bag, he grabbed his glass.

"A toast to my incredible friends for bringing me such joy on this occasion." He said. "Thank you all for being here for me all these years."

"Any time, Billy." Jason said, holding up his glass as well. We toasted, clinking our glasses before taking a sip. As I moved to set my glass of wine down, Tommy accidentally knocked the plate with his cake on it into it. The glass toppled over, spilling the red liquid all over my left leg and Nick's shirt. I gasped, sliding out from the table.

"Oh no." I said, dabbing at Nick's shirt with my napkin.

"Real nice." He said, standing up.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident." I said, standing up as well.

"It was my fault." Tommy explained. He held out his napkin to Nick who snatched it roughly out of his hand.

"Maybe you both should be more careful." He snapped, pushing my hands away.

"It's just some spilled wine. A little bit of club soda will get it right out." Adam said, giving Nick a small smile.

"Why don't you worry about giving your boyfriend a good birthday party?" Nick said, tossing his napkin back down on the table. "You two fairies deserve each other." He glared at the group before pushing past me and out the side gate that led to the parking lot. I felt the breath leave my chest as the air around us hung heavy with tension. Tears filled my eyes as I turned to look at Adam and Billy who were both looking at me. Adam's face looked angry as he pursed his lips.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered, a slight sob coming from me before I handed Tommy back his napkin. I turned, heading out the way Nick had gone.

"Kim, wait!" I heard Tommy call behind me but I didn't. I ran after Nick who was climbing into the car as I reached it. I climbed in too as he turned the car on. He was seething now, his nostrils flaring as he raced out of the driveway and up the road.

"I'm done with your fucking friends." He said, shaking his head. He was speeding up the road, passing every car that was in his way. He nearly took out an old lady who was climbing out of her car on the side of the road. "They are all losers anyway who have no idea how the world works."

"It wasn't their fault. It was mine. I spilled the wine." I said. He laughed.

"Just shut the fuck up for once, okay?" He continued to speed until he whipped into the driveway of the house. The car was barely parked before he climbed out and slammed his door shut. I got out too, following him inside the house.

"Nick, please talk to me. I don't understand why you are so upset." I said. He ripped his shirt off, revealing a white undershirt underneath it. The wine was stained on there as well.

"That's fucking perfect." He muttered, shaking his head. "You know, I moved here because of you but you can't make me hang out with those idiots you call friends. Most people find new friends once they get out of high school, Kim. Maybe you should move on and let go of the past for once and grow the fuck up."

"They're my friends! Why should I have to get new friends just because you don't like them?" I asked. "There's nothing wrong with them. You are acting crazy."

"Nothing wrong with them? Let's see. Jason thinks he's the biggest toughest guy out there. Trini is a stuck up bitch. Aisha is a whore. Rocky is dumber than a box of actual rocks. Zack's two dance moves away from being just as queer as Adam and Billy. And don't even get me started on that dick Tommy. You're friends are worthless and no good."

"Don't talk about them that way!" I yelled, my anger bubbling over. Nick's hand shot up and before I could move, the back of it struck me on my left cheek. The blow sent me backwards and I tripped, landing on my bruised side on the floor. I saw stars for a moment, my eyes trying to focus. My face stung and my side throbbed from the fall.

"Don't you EVER talk to me like that again, you little fucking bitch!" He roared. He stormed over to the door and left, slamming it behind him.