No Good Nick (Part 3)

Part 8

Nick sat at the cold medal table, her knee bouncing up and down... up and down... up...

Her anxiety was peaked, and she couldn't seem to concentrate on anything but how anxious she was. She huffed a breath in frustration, glaring at the clock on the wall.

What was taking him so long? Had he refused to see her? Told the security guard that he didn't want to come to visit her?

The loud clanking metal door opened, bringing Nick out of her thoughts. There he was... her dad, being hauled out by one of the guards. Her heart was hammering as they made eye contact. His dark brown eyes cleared when he saw her... and she could tell there were a thousand questions playing at his lips. 

She felt the same way.

The guard sat him down and cuffed him to the table, but Nick hardly noticed. She was used to this routine. At first, it hard aggravated her that he be treated as a murder and that she couldn't even touch him. Now, she couldn't remember the last time she felt that this was strange.

When the guard finally left, it was just the two of them staring at each other. They were quiet for several long moments before her dad finally said, "Nicky? What on Earth are you doing here?"

Nick looked down at her hands, fiddling with her fingers. 

"I-I came to talk to you... since last time we talked I said I wasn't coming back," She started, avoiding eye contact with her dad.

Her dad huffed. "Yeah, I know that Nick."

He was angry. He was upset.

Nick looked up at her dad. "I stand by what I said. You put me in an impossible situation, and you should have acted like the adult in that situation. I almost went to jail dad... would you want me to end up like you?"

"End up like me?" her dad looked back at her, glaring at her while he spoke. "What is that supposed to mean? I have tried Nick, tried to protect you! I've done nothing wrong and you know that. It's Thompson's fault!"

Nick rolled her eyes. Here we go again.

"Didn't you hear me?! I almost went to jail? Don't you care?! Shouldn't you care?!" she yelled, furious at her dad. A guard raised his eyebrow and she quieted down.

"All I've wanted is for you to support me dad, and ever since you got locked up on your own account, you haven't cared dad. You didn't care that I lived in a house that.... that was not safe for almost a year! You just wanted me to take down the Thompsons! Now, look at me... it's your fault! I almost went to jail.... because of that stupid necklace to get for you. But I did the right thing." she glared up at her dad, tears falling down her face. Her dad sighed and muttered something about kids never understanding things. Nick bit her tongue.

"I-I'm happy with the Thompsons now. I'm out of the revenge and stealing game." she shook her head. "I.... the Thompsons want to adopt me, dad..."

Her dad whipped his head up. "Excuse me?" he hissed, banging his fist on the table. Nick flinched back.

"Dad... dad please..."

"Those..." he was fuming, his face red. "They want to adopt you?! NO WAY Nick. You can't be serious you let those low lives talk you into this?" he banged his fist on the table again. Nick squirmed in her seat.

"D-dad... it's not... we haven't done anything yet. I just wanted to tell you....we're thinking about it..."

"We're thinking about it.." he mocked her, his voice high, "We're as in I'm a Thompson now and I'm abandoning my father who's done everything  for me.." 

Nick sobbed into her hands. I don't know why I even came here. He won't listen. He doesn't care. 

Nick knew he stopped caring about her safety, about her in general ever since he was incarcerated. All he cared about was revenge. All he cared about was money. And she knew deep down he loved her.... but even those few months before he was arrested he'd turn away from her. He'd snap at her whenever she'd get worried about the restaurant. He started to become a shell of her father.... becoming angrier and more driven to tear down anyone who tried to stop him and his business. 

She became second. She was always second. Even now he wouldn't admit that he put her into a terrible situation. That he used her. That he ignored her as she would call him, crying, begging for him to get her help because she was in a house where she didn't feel safe. Where she wanted to run away from. He'd simply say, "Look Nick it's just temporary. I need the money.... that's not temporary..."

The money. That was something she came to talk to him about.

"D-dad... how much money do you owe them?"

Her dad, still fuming, looked away.

"Why? Is your new family going to pay them now?"

Nick slumped into her seat. "No, dad... I just want to know..."

"Around 9 grand Nicky. Pretty sure we talked about this. I know you paid them before you came and told me goodbye a month ago... but they'll be expecting new payments in about 2 weeks, Nick. You need to get me it... you need to get it from the Thompsons... and you-"

Nick stood up.

"Bye, dad. I'll see you later I guess."

And with that she walked out, ignoring her father's yelling and wiping her wet eyes on her sleeves.

***

She had asked Ed to let her walk home. She knew she was going to have to clear her head... and boy did she need to clear her head.

She wasn't watching where she was going when she walked headfirst into someone.

"O-oh, sorry!"

She looked up into the eyes of the person she bumped into. She knew those eyes from anywhere.

"W-will?"

***

Ahh I'm mean I left it at a cliff hanger

This chapter was kinda hard to write for me cus her dad, but I hope y'all are enjoying :) Thank you for all the nice comments I've received!!

So I got some cool news for everyone! I'm in the process of writing another "No good Nick" fanfic... it's this idea I came up with while writing this! Basically, it's a story of what would happen if the Thompsons never got Nick from that bus stop. What if she did manage to run away?

It'll be a bit shorter than this one but I think y'all will enjoy it! It's called: She got away.

Please go check it out :)

Take care!