No Good Nick (Part 3)

Part 13

They were in the park, happily eating donuts. There was a nice breeze, and the weather was right at that sweet spot where it wasn't too hot, or too cold.

Nick should've felt content. These were perfect circumstances. Yet...

She couldn't. Ever since she'd gone to see her dad, everything was flooding back to her, and she couldn't stop it. The therapist had made things awkward... and now Liz and Ed were constantly glancing at her.

She wasn't sure how to take it all. For the past year and a half, Nick had taken care of herself. She had grown up... way past her years she knew. She was so used to having walls up that now she didn't know how to feel about everything.

She wasn't sure if she had told the Thompsons about everything that had happened at the Harbaugh's, or the fact that her dad still needed 9 grand. 

She wasn't sure how to tell them that.

It just felt better not to...but at the same time... she felt the same way she did months ago. Overwhelmed. Alone. Stressed to the max.

So yes, they were out on a nice day eating donuts. But Nick was waging a war inside, two parts of her fighting on what to do. Two parts of her trying to help her in such different ways that it made her just want to sleep and ignore it all.

Liz and Ed noticed her sitting quietly, staring off into space. Liz gently touched Nick's shoulder, and Nick jumped in surprised, startled but the sudden touch. Liz smiled at Nick.

"Anything we can do sweetie?"

Nick felt her heart melt every time Liz called her "honey" or "sweetie" like her other kids, and it melted, even more, this time.

Nick smiled back at her- swallowing a sudden lump in her throat.

"Maybe? I don't know. I'm not sure yet.." she answered truthfully, voice trailing off. She looked down at her hands, and she felt both Liz and Ed scoot closer, giving her a hug that surrounded her on both sides.

"It's okay kiddo. We're gonna figure it out together, and we'll take our time." Ed said.

Nick snuggled into their hugs, and tried to push away all the anger, guilt, and fear she was feeling.

***thanks for 1K reads surprise :)****

Wills POV when he first met Nick:

It was supposed to be a simple job. In and out. Watch this girl named Nicole, and make sure she was doing her job. Will had felt a bit bad about it at first, but the Harbaugh's were quick to threats, and he figured this job couldn't be as bad as stealing from that nice couple on Maple Avenue... which he still felt bad about.

So he bit the bullet and decided to do the job. Eventually, he became committed. She showed up to school that day, ready to catch this girl and report back to the Harbaugh's. The plan was going just fine until...

"Hey! I'm Nick."

Oh.

She was beautiful.

"Uh, hey. I'm Will." He tried not to slur over his words, fighting back the sudden blush he could feel creeping over his skin.

Was she blushing too?

"He's new here because... his mom went to prison." The girl... Tameka was saying. Will tried not to groan while she whispered this fact... as if it was some horrible secret.

Nick's head shot up, looking at Will. He could see the look in her eyes... the desperate feeling of wanting to talk about what it was like to have a parent in prison.

He knew that pain all too well.

He noticed her glance away after she almost blew her cover talking about how hard it was with scheduled call times. He felt bad... he kinda wanted to comfort her, since he knew how it felt. But instead, he sucked in a breath and focused on his mission.

***

The week continued on, Will trying his best to seem like a normal kid. He wasn't sure how well he was doing it... but he was trying. The Harbaughs were getting impatient, they wanted results right away but Will wasn't close enough to Nick yet.

"Get closer to her or we'll go in there ourselves!" Sam had spat angrily, and Will figured for his sake... and for Nick's that he'd try to get some information out of her.

***

Perfect.

A poker event that Saturday. He could find a way to get close to Nick... and if what Sam and Dorthy said was true about her being the best con artist... he could possibly get some money off of it.

Well...he tried to act like the money was all he cared about, but he knew deep down all he really wanted to do was talk to her...no matter the cash award.

On that Tuesday afternoon, they were in an empty English classroom, sitting on the desks with him teaching her how to play poker. Before he died, his dad had taught him how to play when he was younger, and Will hadn't played it in years.

He hadn't realized how much he'd missed it. Even better, it was fun to see Nick smile and laugh when he occasionally pulled a card trick whenever she got confused, or tired of drilling rules. It was the first time he'd seen her laugh like that all week. 

He didn't like the term stalking... but he had been watching her all week, trying to keep the Harbaugh's from breathing down his neck. He had noticed how whenever everyone else was gone, how tired and stressed she looked. How quiet she would get... how... how alone she looked. 

Of course once one of her friends came along all of her vulnerability was gone... but he could never erase that memory of her pacing in the hallway trying to calm herself and muttering about money. She looked seconds away from tears... and Will knew that feeling all too well. His mom was locked up... for at least 10 years, and her visiting hours were limited.... so as much as she loved him... it just didn't come through that much.

But he was constantly worrying about her because of the Harbaugh's. And he knew Nick was too with her dad. He wanted to sit down and tell her everything was going to be okay. That one day the both of them would stop being pawns in Harbaugh's manipulative games. That one day they could maybe escape everything going on and be with their parents again.

But he didn't. Instead, he watched from afar... watching Nick trying to breathe. He too felt the walls closing in... and as he walked away... he wished he had just blown his cover and helped her... regardless of what the Harbaugh's would do. Because all he wanted to do was be friends with Nick... not her enemy. All he wanted to do was protect her... and hold her... and make her feel safe.

But his mom had to come first.

So that was how he found himself going home after that happy Tuesday afternoon of teaching Nick how to play poker with a lump in his throat... as he told the Harbaugh's everything he knew. 

He felt every part of him screaming at him that what he was doing was wrong. He knew it was wrong.

But his mom had to come first.

***

This was super fun to write :) A bit off from the storyline of the overall fic but I've always felt Will deserved some more time in the show. There will be a second part to Will's little story in the next update!

Until next time, take care of yourselves/others <3