Waiting For Nick

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

What the...

Even though Nick had been expecting to hear it, her reply left him still as shocked as he'd been when he figured it out. He was dumfounded. Stupefied. Astounded. Discombobulated. And every other word you could correlate with the situation.  How had he not seen it all?
That's why he'd vaguely recognized him that day at Deevour's! And in Cissy's picture too!

But now, he looked a whole lot different. The long hair was gone and he'd obviously grown into a handsome young man. That guy he'd seen that day was Lance. The one and only Lance Jesse Carver. Nick still couldn't wrap his head around that one.

Then it actually dawned on him what that meant.

"Hey, you okay?" He heard her ask from the other end. He'd forgotten she was still there. This girl whom he'd become friends with three months ago when he'd moved. This girl who was beginning to occupy his dreams. This girl whom he liked. This girl was Cissy Rochelle Carver. The Cissy Rochelle Carver. His childhood best friend. That cute little talkative. She'd been the one all along. Nick was awed. How had he not seen it all?

"Nick? You still there? Is everything okay?" She asked again and he took his time to savour the sound of her voice. Her voice that sounded like the calm ripple of an ocean, a far cry from the noisy and high-pitched voice of the little girl he used to know.
Well, that little girl was gone now and in her place stood a beautiful, sweet and smart young girl.

"Dominick Brett Trenton, I am so going to hang up on your sorry ass if you so much as play keep-mute games with me!"

Despite himself, Nick chuckled. "You wouldn't dare." He said, willing some of the tension in him to dissipate.

"Oh, try me!" She replied.

He gave a small laugh. "Anyway, I haven't got all day for your childish tantrums." He teased. "I have to go. French homework awaits. See you at school. Goodnight, Mademoiselle."

He heard her chuckle softly. "Sure. Night, Monsieur." she said before he heard the line go silent and all of the tension came back.

Nick slid down to sit at the side of his bed, all thoughts of French homework abandoned. He sat there for a long time, staring into nothingness.

After a while, he reached for his phone and scrolled through, looking for just one of the numerous pictures he had of Cissy. He found it. It was a picture taken at lunch a few days ago. She was smiling at something Alec had said. He picked up the picture from years back and stared at the Cissy of four-years, comparing her to the present Cissy.

Obviously, she'd changed a great deal. While Cissy of many years ago looked babyish, had missing teeth, had her hair held in two ponytails, and a sprinkle of freckles on her nose, the present Cissy was a stunning young girl, her dark, wavy hair flowing down her shoulders, smile breathtaking, eyes shinning brightly and obviously a far cry from the miniature version of herself in the picture at the fair.

He remembered that day, as he always did whenever he saw the picture. It was at least, three months before she was to turn five. And then, once again, he recalled how his parents had whisked him away only a day before the said birthday. They explained about them having to move away from the neighborhood because of something his mother had been allergic to. He remembered not even understanding their explanation or why whatever it was had began to affect her only a few days before his friend's birthday. He remembered his parents telling her mother that they were going away. He remembered crying and asking to see Cissy again but was told she was asleep. Lance had been awake and had wished him goodbye and then he remembered giving Lance the present he'd saved his ass off to buy for her, coupled with a lot of money his parents had given him. He had wanted to see the surprise on her face when she saw the fairly used, medium-sized guitar that he'd bought her.
At that moment, a light bulb came on in his head.

The guitar!

His eyes widened when he remembered the strangely familiar guitar he'd seen in her bedroom that day, a week ago.

He laughed manically.

Now, everything made sense. Every single damn thing. He laughed again to himself.

It all made sense, but still was complicated.  So, so complicated.

This was the last thing he wanted to be worried about but now, it stared him right in his face.

Did she recognize him? Did Lance?

Of course not! They wouldn't. They couldn't.

He was a different Dominick now. There was no way they could recognize him as that Nick of their childhood days. Not unless they knew. Unless he told them. But, no, he couldn't tell them. Not Lance, and definitely, not Cissy. He wasn't ready yet. He couldn't even talk about it with his family!

How was he to tell his childhood friends, who'd come bouncing miraculously back into his life, that he'd gone through a major facial surgery to conceal a damage he'd caused?

Damage that took his mom...

She would have been alive!
She would have been here, bickering playfully with her husband and taking care of her own children. She wouldn't have died when her twins were only four years old and he himself, ten. She would have been here, preparing Victoria for things that were to come.

But no, he just had to go and start the stupid fire.

And every time he catches his dad going through her pictures, or Vicki looking dejected because she doesn't know what to wear for a friend's birthday party, or Vinny needing a particular support only a mother could give, Nick wished all over he was the one who'd died that day. Not her. Not that beautiful, incredible, funny woman who'd been his mother for a very short time.

She'd been the best thing in his life, including his father, until she'd brought forth those incredible, wide-eyed, tiny babies. And together, they'd all rocked his world.

Until that day.

Nick didn't even notice when he'd started crying again but he let the tears fall unhindered.

And now, Cissy and Lance.

He couldn't risk them finding out he was their childhood friend.

They were sure to ask what was up with the new look. He could always tell half the tale or even tell a total lie. But no, he didn't want to.

He'd never lied to Cissy and he wouldn't start now.

All the more reason why she shouldn't find out.

He had to look for a way.
They'd hate him if they knew, that was for sure.
A part of him wanted Cissy to know, to find out and another part wanted to push as far away as was possible. Lance too.

It felt good that he's finally found them. They had absolutely no idea how happy it made him. He'd missed those two. And then, he remembered sweet, caring Mrs Carver and her husband.

He remembered Cissy telling him about his death and Nick felt a pang of pain as he now realized he knew her father. He felt bad for them. He'd been a nice and hardworking man. And just like that, he was gone.

Like his mother.

He wondered how they'd feel if they ever found out about him being that Nick. About what had transpired through the years.

He shook his head. He was over thinking things. They were never going to find out.

Never.