Running Wild in the Night

Jimmy's POV

"Jimmy, why are you on your font lawn?"

I sat up to see the guys and Val standing on my driveway, all staring at me. A small, nervous laughed escaped as I said, "Nikki's having a tantrum so I rather be safe and outside right now."

"How bad are her temper tantrums," Matt asked.

Right when I was about ready to say something, Nikki screamed from inside the house and something came flying out the front door. It landed between me and the guys. I picked it up and saw it was a phone book, ripped in half. Brian raised his eyebrows as he looked at it, "She must be really pissed."

"Oh yeah, she pissed all right," I said, standing up, "Really pissed. Nikki's already short-tempered as it is and now that she's going through withdrawals, its bad."

"How long are her tantrums," Zacky asked.

I shrugged and answered, "They vary. Some will last a couple minutes, others can last for a couple days. Depends what pissed her off and how bad it pissed her off."

Nikki stopped screaming and throwing things around, signaling that her tantrum was over. I wiped the grass off my jeans and walked back into the house, the guys following behind me. "I suggest you guys be careful and quiet. Nikki could go back into her tantrum."

They nodded as we walked into the kitchen. There, laying on a couch in the family room, was my cousin. Her body looked like it was sleeping but her eyes were wide opening and staring straight at us. I gave her a small smile and asked, "You want anything?"

"No," she mumbled, turning her head so she could bury her face in the pillow.

"Did you eat anything?"

"No."

"Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Are you lying to me," I asked as I sat on the floor.

"Maybe."

Val came over with a plate that I didn't notice her carrying earlier. "I made cookies for you," she said to Nikki.

Nikki did nothing as she laid there, apparently wore out from her own temper tantrum. That was the good thing about her fits, they wore her out so that she ended up sleeping.

"Okay, I guess we can't have practice here," I said, pulling a blanket over Nikki's body.

"That's okay, we can all just have a day where we hang out," Johnny suggested.

"You know, out of all the lame-ass ideas you come up with, that one's actually a good one," Brian said, lightly punching Johnny's shoulder.

Nikki's POV

No, I'm not really asleep; I'm just faking it so I wouldn't get any more questions from Jimmy. Why did I go on a tantrum fit? Simple, really. Morgan, my old dealer from Colorado, called. It wouldn't have bothered me until he said he was coming here, to Huntington Beach, to meet up with his friends and offered to give me some heroin. I told him that I was going to stay clean this time but he then said that I wouldn't be able to do that. I would come back, crawling to him for more.

I'm not some weak little puppy. I can stand my own ground, I don't need anyone to help me.

"I'll stay here and you guys can go get some food," I heard Brian's voice say.

"You sure," Matt asked.

"Yeah. I'll watch her. You guys just get some food and we can all just have a movie night or something."

"Alright, but don't you dare do anything to my cousin," Jimmy warned.

I smirked in the pillow as they all left. I heard Brian move and sit on one of the other couches. "I know you're awake, Nikki."

After letting out a sigh, I pulled my face out of the pillow and turned to look at him. Brian was looking straight at me, his eyes staring straight into my own. "Why didn't you say anything," I asked.

He just shrugged and replied, "I figured you hated being asked millions of questions so I kept my mouth shut."

I sat up and stretched my arms. I still was a bit worn out from my temper tantrum but it wasn't as bad as it typically was. I reached over, behind the couch, and grabbed my sketchbook. Brian cocked his head as he watched me, "What are you going to do?"

"Draw, I guess. I don't know. I'm still re-discovering this skill."

He moved so that he was sitting next to me as I started drawing. I thought it would be fun to draw Brian, so that's what I was doing. "Stay still, will you," I muttered as I did an outline.

Brian laughed but kept still. After a few minutes of getting outlines done, I started on the details. I looked at his eyes and found myself staring into them. God, they were these amazing brown eyes. "Why are you staring at me," he asked, softly.

"I don't know. Your eyes are pretty."

I didn't expect his response to my answer. I was expecting every possible thing but what Brian actually did. Instead of saying anything, he just placed his hand on my face and pulled me closer to him, kissing me at the same time. For some reason, I didn't protest; I just kissed him back.

Brian pulled away and I stared at the floor, a bit in shock. "Why did you do that," I asked, whispering.

"I really like you, Nikki."

I stared at him. How could he like me? I'm an angry, cold-hearted, former heroin addict. "Why? I'm too problematic."

"So? I want to be the one that helps you," Brian said, stroking my cheek.

"No you don't. I'm the one person you don't want to get involved with," I said, getting up to leave.

Brian grabbed my wrist, preventing me from going anywhere. I turned around to look at him, part of me wanting to stay and the other part wanted to run off. He deserves someone perfect, someone who doesn't care as much problems as I do. He needs someone that fits his life. I certainly don't. Hell, I'm a former heroin addict who's going through withdrawals. He doesn't need me.

"No, you're wrong, Nikki. I don't care how many problems you have. There's something about you that just attracts me to you. You're different and yet, you have all these qualities that I love in girls," he said, staring me in the eye.

With that, he got up and wrapped his arms around my waist. Keeping me close to him. I don't know why but I started crying. I think its because for the first time in a long time, I knew that someone actually cared about me. Brian rubbed my back as I just cried into his shoulder. I cried for all the shit I've gone through. I cried for what I used to cope with everything. But, most importantly, I cried for myself.

"Its okay, everything's going to be better now," Brian whispered, kissing my forehead.

I believed him. Somehow, I knew that I could trust Brian. I knew that things would be better. I wouldn't have to deal with things all alone anymore. I wasn't alone anymore; I had him, Jimmy, and everyone else. And for some reason, I knew that Brian was telling the truth that he did care about me. Funny thing is that I care about him as well.