"Let your little sister handle it because you know better?" I interjected, narrowing my eyes at him.
He turned to face me and grimaced.
"Yeah, that," he groaned.
Nikkolas had dated only two girls in his life--if I didn't count all the kiss-em and leave-em girls over the years--and they were Sarah and Kayla. They were polar opposites, and I never understood how he went from someone as sweet and caring as Sarah to violent, needy, overprotective Kayla. It didn't make any sense to me, but seeing as Sarah was the one I liked more, I'd always been the one to come to her defense when things got hazy. There was almost an altercation once, but after that, Kayla knew better than to mess with me.
"You really stirred up quite a shitstorm, Nikky," I said. "Make a clean break from Kayla and work on you, Sarah, and Emerson." I crossed my legs in front of me. "Are you gonna move out again?"
He shook his head "no" and ran his hand over his face. He remained silent for a while then he turned his face to look at me again.
"We decided we'd wait until graduation and revisit that idea," Nikky told me. "We figured out that the reason things didn't work is because we tried to force ourselves into too much too soon. Between the complications with her pregnancy and Emmy being born, then the feud between the parentals, moving in together and trying to focus in school, shit was bound to hit the fan eventually. So we're giving it time to work on ourselves as a couple, but most importantly as parents to Emmy, and then we'll see where that takes us."
"Understandable," I said. "So is Kayla officially uninvited to our birthday shindig? Because Michele and Brody were going to skip it because of her, and I'd really like to have them there."
He sat up and shook his head.
"Oh, Kayla's not getting within ten feet of our shindig," Nikky said, laughing. "I can't start fresh with Sarah if my ex is still lurking about." He sighed. "I can't believe we're going to be seventeen, Kales. It seems like yesterday I was fourteen and I thought my whole life was over because my girlfriend got pregnant. And here I am, alive, happy, with the most amazing girlfriend and a perfect daughter. It's just unbelievable how far I've come since then." He stared at me. "What about you, Nic? Is there anything you're happy or surprised or thankful for?"
I didn't even know where to begin. I was thankful to be alive. I was thankful to have Colin. I was thankful to be close to my friends again. So much had changed in so little time, and I had so much to be thankful for. Instead of telling my brother all of that, I said nothing.
"I'll tell you what," I said. "I'll tell you everything I'm thankful and grateful for on our birthday. You just make sure Kayla stays away from Sarah."
"Will do," he said, chuckling. “You going to bed?"
I nodded as I got up off his bed.
"It's been a long day," I said.
I could feel his stare following me as I walked toward the door, but he didn't say anything. I was about to close his door, but I could hear my brother clear his throat.
"Nickayla," he said. "You wanna talk about it?"I shook my head as my hand lingered on the doorknob.
"Not really," I said. "Let's just say that ex-girlfriends and current girlfriends don't mix too well."
I had just finished getting ready and had headed downstairs when I heard a knock on the door. I pulled on my socks as I hopped toward the door, then tugged my t-shirt on over my tank top. Whoever it was, they were incredibly persistent because they knocked again, faster and harder.
"I'm coming!" I yelled. I wrenched the door open, then stopped short when I realized who it was. "Kayla? What the fuck are you doing here?"
She crossed her arms in front of her, rolling her eyes as she stared at me. She could have been related to us with her olive skin and dark hair, if it weren't for the fact that Nikky and I were born naturally blonde.
"I came to see Nikkolas," she said.
I placed my hand on the doorframe, blocking her entrance. She huffed impatiently and I shook my head.
"Unless you're here to drop off his stuff, that's not happening," I said. "He doesn't want to see you, and unless you want a repeat of last year, I suggest you leave before Sarah gets here with Emerson. If you stir up some shit in front of my niece, I promise you, even Nikkolas won't be able to stop me."
I watched in amusement as her jaw dropped. I had put up with her for a long time, only because Nikky cared about her, but that didn't mean that I liked her. She was loudmouthed and annoying, crazy, and more violent than I liked. I had to threaten her because that was the only way she understood that I was serious.
"I need to talk to Nikkolas," she said. "Something has come up."
I sighed.
Something "coming" up was very convenient, and I wasn't in the mood to deal with Nikky's shitstorm, not this morning. I rolled my eyes and folded my arms.
"I'll see if Nikky wants to see you," I huffed. "Stay out here. I don't like trash in my house."
Before she had the chance to speak, I slammed the door in her face. I trotted upstairs and knocked on Nikky's door. I hated that his skeletons were popping up on our doorstep, and I knew that Sarah would be there any minute, so I had to handle it before she did.
Things got bloody and violent the last time Sarah and Kayla were in the same room together, and the last thing that I needed was for that to happen on my doorstep--even worse, the last thing that I needed was for that to happen in front of Emerson.
"Nikkolas Allen Quinn! Your trashy ex-girlfriend is on our front porch!" I yelled from outside his bedroom.
He opened the door swiftly and stared at me, eyes wide and jaw low.
"She says that something came up and she needs to talk to you," I said. "Do you want me to let her in or do you want her to go?"
He raked his hand over his face. He'd had such a rough time in the past two years that it wasn't even funny, and all that I wanted was to help him get through it. He was my big brother and he was supposed to protect me, but that didn't mean that I didn't want to protect him as well. He ran his hand over the back of his neck, then looked up at me.
"I'll see her," he said. "Just give me five minutes to get my shit."
I nodded, and then headed back downstairs.
I opened the door, and stood face to face with Kayla again. She was jittery and on edge, and I could see that she was slightly afraid of me. I didn't care that I'd instilled the fear of God in her, I only wanted to protect my family.
"Nikky will be down in a minute. You can wait outside," I said.
"Nickayla," Nikky said from behind me as he tugged on his sweatshirt. "It's alright." He shot a questioning glance at Kayla, raising his eyebrows. "What are you doing here? I can't have you around here harassing my family."
I wanted to give them their privacy, but at the same time I wanted to know what was so important that she had to come to our house early in the morning.
"Nikkolas, I wouldn't come here if it wasn't important," she said. "I've really got to talk to you." She stared pointedly at me. "In private."
"Like Hell!" I exclaimed. "There's no way I'm leaving you alone to get your grimy paws on my brother again."
Nikkolas turned to stare at me in frustration. He put his hand up to let me know that I needed to be quiet because he was going to handle it.
"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of my sister," he said, "for the simple fact that I don't trust you."
She bit her lip lightly, then stared at me.
"I'm pregnant, Nikkolas," she said. "And the baby's yours."
"I don't believe that shit!" Nikky and I said in unison.
Everything was silent for a long time, and I wondered who was going to speak first. All that I could hear was all of our steady breathing. I gawked at my brother, and he was standing there as though he'd just been slapped. He stared at me, and I wanted to hug him, to wrap my arms around him so that I could take all of this bullshit away from him.
"That's funny," Sarah said from behind Kayla, Emerson on her hip. "Because neither do I."
Twenty One.
I grabbed Emmy from Sarah, holding her against me and pressing her face into my shoulder. She wrapped her tiny arms around me, and I inhaled her sweet baby scent. I nodded toward Sarah, and she flashed me a momentary smile before she resumed scowling at Kayla.
"This doesn't concern you," Kayla said through gritted teeth.
"That's where you're wrong," Sarah replied without missing a beat. "Where Nikkolas is concerned, and where Emerson is concerned, I'm concerned." She pointed at Nikky. "He's been sleeping with me for the past year, while you were doing God knows what. So even if you are pregnant, which I highly doubt, it's not his. After Emerson's birth, Nikkolas and I decided we didn't want any more kids until after college. If he was sleeping with both of us at the same time--which is another thing that I doubt--he was using protection with both of us. Period." She stared at me momentarily, then gestured toward her daughter. "Please take her inside."
I moved Emerson to my other hip and then walked inside the house. I set her down on the couch and put on an episode of Dora the Explorer.
"Emmy, Tia's gonna go back outside with Mommy and Daddy," I told her, crouching in front of her so that we were eye to eye. "Stay here and watch TV, and I'll come back for you, okay?"
"'Kay," she said, but she wasn't looking at me. Her eyes were fixated on Dora.
I wrenched the door open again, not knowing exactly what I would find when I stepped outside once more. All I knew was that all of this bullshit was too much for this early in the morning.
"I'll give you two choices," Sarah said as I stepped back outside, closing the door behind me. "You leave and you don't bother Nikkolas again. Or you can try to stay here and try and spout your lies. If you choose the latter, you know how this is going to end. I know you're lying, and I know you're only here trying to reel him in like you've always done. That's not going to happen. Not now, not ever."
I could hear a car coming down the street, and before I was able to interject, I saw Colin's car pulling into the drive. He parked and waved at me as I walked over to the driver's side of his vehicle.
"Morning, pretty girl," he said. "You ready for school?"
I nodded, leaning inside the window and planting kiss on his lips.
"Yea," I said. "I need to get my shoes on and get my bag, and then we can go. I need to get out of this shithole anyway. I've got a feeling this is not going to end well." I started to walk away and toward the house, but I turned around and walked back toward Colin. "Can we drop Emerson off at day care? I really don't like the idea of her being here while my brother cleans up his mess."
He nodded gently, then hopped out of the car.
"I'll get her car seat," he said.
I headed inside, rushing upstairs so that I could put on my shoes and grab my stuff for school. I snatched up my worn, black Chucks and my messenger bag. I put my cell phone in my pocket, ensuring that I wouldn't forget it.
I ran back downstairs, grabbing the remote control and pulling Emerson off the couch.
"Hey, sweet girl," I said, grabbing her sweater and making sure that it was zipped up. "You're riding with me today, okay? Give me your hand."
She held her hand out to me and I scooped her up into my arms. I kissed the top of her head as I walked her outside, trying to ignore the argument that was going on between Nikky, Sarah, and Kayla. I opened the back door and set Emmy in her car seat, buckling her in, then pulling on the straps to make sure that she was secure. I handed her my cell phone so that she could continue watching Dora on Netflix.
I got in the front seat, buckling my seat belt as Colin started the car. He leaned over and kissed me gently on the lips, then looked toward where my brother was standing with his women.
"Do I even want to know what's going on back there?" he asked, chuckling lightly.
"Nope," I said.
He laughed quietly, pulling out onto the street.
"You know, you've got the cutest niece in the world in my back seat," Colin said. "Does she talk much?"
I looked back at Emmy, who was consumed in her episode of Dora, a giant smile plastered on her face.
"Not around strangers," I said. "Keep coming around and I promise, you won't be able to keep her quiet."
He placed one hand on the steering wheel, placing the other on my knee as he squeezed it lightly. I placed my hand over his, twining our fingers together.
Colin turned the music up, sensing that I wasn't really in the mood to talk yet, and we drove in silence to Emerson's day care. He stayed in the car as I walked her inside, and then kissed my hand when I got back in the car.
We rode to school in silence, and when we got there, Colin shut the car off, opening his arms for me. I climbed into his lap, curling up in his arms. We were at least thirty minutes early and had more than enough time to talk, but I just wanted to be held.
"Nickayla, talk to me," he said, running his fingers through my hair.
I sighed against him, closing my eyes.
"I'm just worried about my brother," I said, honestly. "That Kayla is a nasty, psychotic bitch. I don't want her to get her claws in Nikky again and I don't want her to hurt Sarah." I paused, staring up at him. "Maybe we shouldn't have left Sarah there. I know how that Kayla bitch works."
Colin lifted my chin so that I was looking directly at him, unable to move my gaze from those bright emerald eyes.
"Hey, it's not your problem to deal with," he murmured, kissing my hair. "I know you want to help everybody, you want to save everybody, but you can't. Nikkolas has to learn to fight his own battles, baby."
I nodded, getting out of his lap and scrambling out of the car.
I couldn't deny that he was right, but I didn't want Nikky to fight his own battles. We were siblings, we were twins, and for the most part, we handled things together. I needed to help him, because that would help me.
"Let's go inside," I said, taking his hand. He climbed out after me, wrapping his arm around my waist as we walked inside the school. "Thank you for getting Emmy and me out of there."
He kissed the top of my head, a light chuckle escaping his lips.
"No problem," he said.
He opened the door of the school for me, leading me inside. The minute we got in, the sight of balloons, streamers, and banners filling the hallway assaulted me. One girl, her name was Mackenzie Keeler, had come up to me and handed me a flyer.
"Junior Prom 2012: Paris in Springtime," I read. My heart skipped a couple beats as I turned to face Colin. "So when you were talking to People about me, did they happen to mention that I'm dying to go to Prom?"
Colin shook his head, raking his fingers through his hair. He pulled me toward his locker, leaning against it.
"Way to be subtle," he joked. I kinked my eyebrow at him, and he sighed. "I dunno, Nickayla. Prom's not really my thing."
My shoulders dropped in disappointment. I didn't want Colin to see that I was let down, so I forced a smile.
"That's okay," I said. "Maybe I'll call up Michie's sister Aly and see if she wants to be my date, since my boyfriend is being so anti-prom."
I could see that he faltered, but only slightly. He smirked, pulling me up against him so that my hands were flat on his chest. He placed his hands on the small of my back, leaning in slowly to kiss my throat. I closed my eyes, losing myself in the feeling of him. He nibbled lightly on my ear, dipping me low.
"No one is allowed to be your date except me," he whispered. I tried to stifle a moan as Colin kissed my collarbone. I normally hated public displays of affection, but when he acted so lovingly in that way, it was near impossible to resist him.
"So you're taking me to prom?" I asked, trying to ignore the tingly feeling in my knees as he kissed me some more.
"We'll see," he whispered against my throat as he planted another kiss there.
I grinned, slightly short of breath.
"I accept that," I murmured.
He paused for a second, cocking his head to the side.
; "Did you just reference Sons of Anarchy?" he asked, his voice sounding strangled.
I nodded sheepishly, biting my lower lip.
"I believe I just did," I said.
He grabbed me on my thighs and lifted me into the air, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he kissed me fiercely, passionately, in a way that only he could. He let me down, pushing me lightly against the locker and leaning against me so that we were pushed together, nearly groin to groin, meeting each other's passion and lust in a quick, calculated lover's dance. His hand moved down my stomach and across my waist, and I grabbed onto two tufts of his hair, pulling him toward me. His tongue darted inside my mouth, then was gone as quickly as it came.
Colin released me from our kiss, but still holding onto me. He kissed my jawbone, and then whispered, "Doing that just made you about twenty times hotter."
I pulled away from him, sliding down against the locker and placing my head between my knees. I breathed easily, then let out a small laugh. I wrapped my arms around my knees and Colin slid down beside me. He reached for me, but I pulled away.
"Give me a moment," I said. "Your touch kind of flusters me."
I shivered as he lightly touched my cheek, sliding his finger down the side of my face as he simultaneously tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.
"You mean like this?" he asked, a teasing tone to his voice.
"You're evil," I whispered, trying not to let myself get affected by his presence. "But luckily for you, I kinda like you, Colin Westwick."
He grinned, grabbing my chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting it so that he could plant a gentle, sweet kiss on my lips.
"Yeah," he mused. "You're kinda growing on me as well, pretty girl." He paused, then kissed my jaw. "I love you so much, Nickayla Quinn."
I laughed, responding to his tender kiss with one of my own. "Yeah, you better," I replied.
Getting through my first four classes of the day was a breeze. We'd agreed to meet up with Michie and Brody at the back of the school for lunch, so Colin and I walked there hand in hand. Naturally, we made it to our spot before them, so Colin hopped up on the table, sitting with his legs resting on the bench. I nestled myself between his legs, leaning my head against his chest; when he sat that way, it was the only time that we were actually eye level.
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