I woke up the next morning on the porch. The sun was shining in my eyes and I felt really heavy, like something was on me. I reached outward to stretch when I felt a hand fall from my waist.
What the heck? I thought to myself as I looked down. Nick? Oh my goodness! I looked back at him from the farthest I could reach away from him, which was only about an inch. He looked so cute, still asleep with his arms draping around my waist and his head on my chest.
I leaned forward to his ear and whispered.
"Nicky, wake up. It's morning. Nick, come on sleepy head." I nudged his face a little and watched as he stirred and opened his beautiful eyes.
"Why are you in my bed?"
I couldn't help but laugh at him. "I'm not. We're still on my porch. We fell asleep together."
"We did? I wonder how pissed my mom is."
"I wonder how pissed my dad is."
"Thanks for staying with me, even though it was accidental. I couldn't have asked for a better favor." I saw Nick blush.
"No problem Amanda." We both scrambled to get up but we were surprisingly in a comfortable position.
The night before Nick leant his ear to everything I had to say and did a perfect job making me feel calm, special, and definitly lucky that I've had a mother for this long, rather than never having one ever.
"Let's go get some breakfast. A nice big delicious...bowel of cereal." We laughed as we walked in through the sliding door that went from the porch to the kitchen.
"Hey there's a note on the counter for us.
'Amanda:
I went to the hospital with your brother already. You looked too peaceful to awaken and like you could use some rest. You know what my pager and my cell phone numbers are, and if anything happens call me. I'll call you by noon and check up on you to see if you want to come to the hospital or not. It's your choice. I love you and take care.
Daddy
Nick:
I called your mother last night, she knows where you are and what happened. Obviously she's not mad because you would have had to go home by now. Help yourself to whatever you need, food, shower, etc. Take care of yourself and my baby girl.
David'
Hmmm, guess they're not mad afterall. Cool."
"Let me see that Nick." I skimmed over it quickly. "So...that means we have my wonderful house to ourselves?"
"Yes, but in a minute, this house is going to be abandoned."
"Huh?" I asked confused at what he was saying, while I poured myself a bowel of Lucky Charms.
"You heard me. After you eat, you're going to take a shower, get dressed and come to my house. Then I'm going to take a shower and eat while you play video games all by yourself. My house is abandoned right now. Everyone's at school or at work and we're going to have some fun today. And then when you're father comes to get you to take you to the hospital, I'm going with you. And that's final."
"Um, okay. You're really gonna make me have fun today? And you're going to the hospital with me? Why?"
"Because I care. Now hurry up and eat and...and everything else I told you to do."
"Uh huh Nick. That's a good job of being in charge, not even remembering what you told me to do."
"Thank you very much. I am making sure to take all the credit." I picked up a newspaper and rolled it up to hit him upside his head.
"Ouch! Mandy, you better stop! I'm going into your living room to watch some cartoons and the next time I see you, you better be freshly dressed."
"Yes, sir." I did a little salute as I watched him march out into the other room. I hurrdily ate so I wouldn't have to keep him waiting too long. I peeked in at Nick and saw him watching Scooby Doo. I snickered and grabbed the polaroid camera on the kitchen counter.
"Nick! Think fast!" He turned around and I quickly took a picture of him. He was in the same outfit he looked picture perfect in yesterday, only now his clothes were wrinkled and his hair was everywhere. "He's still so cute," I muttered as I waited for the picture to pop out. Nick smiled, not really caring I took a picture of him after he had just woken up.
I got out of the shower pretty quickly, as I usually did and found I didn't know what to wear. I guessed with Nick there would be a prank or two so getting wet was a possibilty, so a white tee-shirt was out. I finally did a process of elimination and chose to wear a lime green halter top, blue flared leg jeans that were faded at my thighs and my Nike's that were white and lime green. I was about to blow dry my long hair but when I looked in the mirror it actually looked cool. My hair was curled at the ends like it always is when it's wet. But because my hair is so long, the curls grew out somewhat and I have just a small amount that doesn't over do it. I dried my face and put on lip gloss and eye shadow and I was done.
"Good enough. It's just Nick." I turned off my light and exited my bedroom, but not before I glanced at Nick's polaroid. It was totally adorable! Just like I know him to be. I took the picture and pinned it to my wall right across from my bed. I had a great idea! I'd start my own polaroid collage of Nick and I. Afterall, he was one of my good friends.
"Alright Nick, let's go. I did what you said and I am prepared not to be stressed out today. I let enough of it out yesterday." I looked around the living room, but no Nick. But what I did see was a spotless room. The curtains had been drawn back for the windows, the tv, end table, stereo, and everything else had dusted, polished and windexed. It looked perfect! I entered the kitchen and the exact same thing with it!
"Gosh Nick! Wherever you are, when I see you I'm gonna give you a big kiss when I see you!"
"Here I am!" As soon as the words excaped my lips he popped up our of nowhere. "My kiss?" I laughed.
"How did you manage to do all of this in a half hour? And Nick, no offense, but you are not one who is known to clean up this much!"
"You can call me Mr. Spiffy. It was actually very simple. I worked twice as fast and twice as hard just for you and your family."
"Thanks a lot. I don't know how to repay you."
"Don't worry about it. Let's go so I can be as clean as this house." I followed Nick up to the front door but stopped.
"One more thing before we leave."
"Do you need help?" he asked.
"As a matter of fact I do. Come here." I pulled Nick's face close to mine and I kissed his cheek. Nick blushed and smiled. It never failed.
We walked to Nick's house in the perfect weather. It was sunny and humid with a temperature of about eighty five degrees. I loved it when it got like this.
It was weird walking into the Carter's house when no one was home. You couldn't hear the common arguments between two siblings, or a bouncing basketball from someone who was shooting hoops, no one swimming in the lake behind their house, and not Mrs. Carter filling the house with wonderful scents of food she loved to cook.
"Home sweet home," he said.
We walked downstairs to his room and entered it. It wasn't exactly spotless, but it was pretty decent for Nickolas. He saw me raise my eye brows and began to speak.
"My mom made me clean it yesterday. I hate when she comes down here."
"Well she wouldn't have to if she didn't think it looked like a tornado came through here most of the time."
"Don't start girlie. I'll take you down." I rolled my eyes. "Okay, you can sit wherever and play video games, I'm going to take my shower and eat something. I'll be done way quicker than you. The obvious reasons don't have to be said."
"Okay, don't start with me boy. I can take you down. Wanna see?"
"No," he said flatly. "Later, when I'm clean." I saw Nick grab his clothes and a towel and go upstairs to take his shower. I was hoping he would leave his hair wet while I put in Donkey Kong II and began playing.
I was somewhere on the sixth level completely into the game, when he came back downstairs all dressed. Nick was wearing blue baggy shorts that went past his knees, a black shirt, and his white and black Jordans. And my favorite part about how he looked...his wet hair.
"Let's go." He turned off the video game with his foot and the tv with his tiny hands.
"Where?" I asked.
"You'll see." We walked upstairs to the landing, and just as he opened the door, I remembered something.
"Dad," I muttered.
"What?"
"My Dad. I need to call him and let him know where we're going and who I'm with. If he needs me, he needs to call me here."
"Okay, let me go with you." He led the way up the stairs into the kitchen to the phone on the wall. I picked it up and dialed his cell phone number.
"Hello?" he answered on the fifth ring, before I was about to give up.
"Hey Daddy."
"Hey baby girl. Is anything wrong?"
"Oh no! I just wanted to tell you I'm with Nick. We're at his house right now and we're about to go out, I'm not sure where. You know Nick, full of surprises. But I have my pager with me so if you call here and no one answers, just dial that."
"Alright. Is that all?"
"No it's not." I swallowed. "How's Mom?"
"Not any worse!" he said positively. "But not any better either."
"Oh. But hey! No news is good news right?"
"Exactly."
"Okay, Dad. Nick's waiting so I'll see you later. Page me when you're ready to come get me okay?"
"Alright honey. Bye bye."
I hung up the phone and bounced down the stairs, leaving Nick staring after me.
"Come on Nick! Let's go!" I knew I sounded more happy then I felt. But I've learned in the past if you act happier than you really are, it sticks to you.
Nick grabbed something from the counter and followed me out the door smiling.
"Alright girl. You wanna see something?"
"Yeah!"
"Check this out." Nick opened up his parent's car that they never used for work and sat down in the seat. I opened the passenger side and sat down too, not closing the door.
"Is your cd in here?"
"No it's not. My parents don't listen to Nirvana, are you crazy!?!" He closed the door. "Shut the door." I cautiously pulled my feet in and slammed the door. What was he doing? I soon found out when he put the keys in the ignition and started backing up out of the driveway.
"So when did you get your license?" I asked, knowing this had to be a trick. It had to be.
"I didn't." He fully backed out of the driveway and pulled away from his house.
"Okay...so when did you get your learner's?" He just sat there concentrating on the tiny road. "When did you get your learner's Nick?" He still didn't answer me. "Okay, if you don't answer me soon I'm going to open the door and jump out."
"You can't. You'll break something."
"I'd rather be in a cast for a month than be in this car with you because you're not answering me! When did you get your learners." I watched his smirk on his face disapear while he hesitated.
"I didn't."
