Sorry it's taken so long for this chapter, it seemed harder to write than I originally thought. Anyway, here it is, chapter 8.
Chapter 8—Still so Young, Desperate for Attention
Being frustrated was something Nick was never good at handling. Hell, he wasn't good at controlling half of his emotions, but frustration and anger were two he was never even relatively close to being good at.
He turned the wrench harder than necessary as he tuned on his bike.
Why would Vida and Maddy do that to me? It was nowhere near funny…
He couldn't stop thinking about it. They didn't even bother to apologize either, let alone follow to see if he was okay.
I knew this was too good to be true.
But it couldn't have been Vida or Maddy, because while he was unpacking the truck, the voice came again.
It sounds kind of familiar…he thought slowly as he worked on the same bolt.
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"Well I know I didn't take the money," Chip concluded.
Xander was really panicked. He'd never had a taste for the bad boys before now, and all the sudden he'd become attracted to the biggest of the bad boys in Briarwood; Nick.
"Let's talk to him about it," Xander finished.
The four rangers headed off to find Nick, and ended up finding him where he usually was. Apparently the spot just seemed right for him.
"Hey Nick," Xander said slowly.
"Hey," he said absently.
He hadn't noticed that all four were looking somewhat preoccupied.
"Um, Nick…there's 1000 dollars missing from the store…and um…" Madison stopped, she knew her point was made.
The look in Nick's eyes wasn't angry, but it hurt more than being struck down by Necrolai. It hurt horribly bad, and it was then Xander knew he'd made a mistake, though most evidence pointed towards him.
No, he's guilt tripping me, I barely know him.
"Oh…I see…I'm the new guy. I come here, charm my way into your lives, and then steal from you, right?" he asked.
The resentment was now clear in his voice.
"Well, that's sorta what we were thinking," Chip added.
If Nick had a little less self-control and a bit less liking towards Chip, he would've knocked the red out of his hair.
"I should've known. And I thought you guys were…never mind."
He straddled his bike and was gone in a roar of the engine.
What have we done? Xander wondered as he watched the motorcycle disappear.
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Apologies were in order, but Xander knew that no matter how many times he apologized, Nick would secretly be angry with him. He would've been mad at himself if he'd accused…himself of stealing? Well, never mind, but he'd have been mad too.
Later that night at work, he'd managed to get Nick alone. Their attitude towards each other had been…off since that days earlier events.
"Look, I'm sorry, I really am. I told you I trusted you and I broke that promise today," Xander said.
"Yeah, you did," Nick replied in a hollow tone.
"And I'm sorry for it. But…the evidence—"
"Evidence WHAT Xander? Pointed to me? Yeah, I know. But did you ever think that you, Mr. Perfect, made a mistake? Did you take into account that maybe the evidence was wrong and that you might just have to take a leap of faith; get your hands dirty for once?"
Xander stuttered out, "No, I mean, I don't know, but I made a mistake now."
"Yeah, you really did," Nick said in a matter-of-fact way.
The backroom seemed to echo the silence that settled in, before Xander finally spoke again, "I said I was sorry."
"Yeah, I heard you the first time. But you lost my trust…it takes a lot more than a word to gain it back," Nick said.
His gray-green eyes shot to Xander's brown eyes before he walked out the backroom door.
Madison saw Nick leave the backroom and she began to worry when Xander didn't come out after him, especially with the look on Nick's face.
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Problems already? Not a good sign for the love-struck rangers. I really 3 reviews : ) and you leave good ones, don't falter.