Running Wild in the Night

Brian's POV

"Hey, where's Nikki," I asked as I walked into the Sullivan household.

"Oh, her grandparents came over this morning and Cody decided to go with her to get her license while my parents and her grandmother went shopping," Jimmy replied as he flipped through the channels with the TV remote.

"Nikki doesn't have her license? I didn't know that."

"Yeah, you forget where she spent her sixteenth birthday."

I blinked as I stared at the ground, knowing full well what he meant. How could I forget that Nikki had spent her sixteenth birthday in an insane asylum? Especially since hearing her tale in psychology, its something I could never forget. She didn't go into detail but I could imagine what it was like for her.....no, I really couldn't. I never asked her because I didn't want her to remember what it was like to be alone.

"Did they say when they were coming back," I asked, shaking the thought off.

"No but Cody McCade is unpredictable."

So I stayed at the Sullivan household for three hours and ended up watching some Silence of the Lambs, which was somehow playing on one of the TV channels. The only other thing that's changed was the fact that now everyone, minus Cody and Nikki, was here. Val and Johnny were both disgusted at the scenes as Matt, Zacky, Jimmy, and I all were somehow obsessed with finding out what would happen next. Amazingly, I know that this movie, no matter how strange it was, was in fact one of Nikki's favorite movies.

My girlfriend seriously has a strange taste in movies.

"We're back," I heard Cody announce as he and Nikki walked in.

They came in right at the scene when Dr. Hannibal Lector bites the guy's face and Val screamed. Nikki laughed as she climbed over the seat and took a next to me. I looked at her noticed that she was in a very good mood. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close to me. "So why are we in a good mood," I asked.

"No reason," she replied with a smile.

Jimmy looked at her as Cody walked into the kitchen. We all noticed a familier smile on his face; one that looked exactly like his granddaughter's smile.

"Someone got her license!"

Nikki laughed as she nodded.

"Really? We have to party," Zacky announced as he stood up.

"Must we," Nikki asked rolling her eyes.

Nikki's POV

"You hungry," Brian asked as we looked at a menu.

"Um, a bit but I'll just pick around whatever you're having."

He smiled as the waiter came and took our orders. Matt looked at me and asked, "So you got your license now."

"I know."

"What are you going to be driving," Johnny asked.

"My grandfather has decided that he also wants to buy me a car," I muttered, looking at the table.

"SERIOUSLY," they all yelled.

I nodded as I continued to stare at the table. They were in shock; I guess hearing that my grandfather has declared that he wanted to buy me a car was a bit unexpected but then again, it was.

Our food came and I immediately stole a French fry from Brian's plate. We all were having a good time when I saw a familier face, one I didn't want to see. He looked at me and smirked and I soon felt the fear coming. Brian noticed, as did everyone else, and he waved a hand in front of my face. "Nikki," he called, "You alive?"

I blinked, "Yeah."

"You okay," Val asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

I think my breathing stopped as he got up and walked towards us. Everyone looked at him funny as he stopped in front of me. He looks the same as he always did. That same blond hair, grey eyes, and lanky figure. "Morgan," I said.

"Nikki," he replied, "Long time no see."

I narrowed my eyes as I immediately spat out, "What are you doing here?"

"Just catching up with some old friends," he replied, calmly, "Oh, I also saw Danni. It looks like she had a scare last time you were shooting up."

"I almost died, your fucking retard."

"Shocking. You were so good at shooting up, Nikki," Morgan replied.

Brian growled, daring him to come closer, "So you're the faggot that was her dealer."

"Ah, so Nicole McCade found her a little boyfriend........I thought the only thing that held your heart was heroin."

Brian was about ready to say something but I beat him......I just didn't talk. I immediately jumped out of my seat and tackled him, punching his face to the ground. I wanted him out of my life but he kept coming back.

"Why the fuck are you around you worthless piece of shit," I yelled, punching him again.

"Nikki-," I heard Matt say.

"NO, HE'S A FUCKING WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT THAT DOESN'T DESEARVE TO FUCKING LIVE," I yelled but suddenly, something triggered in my head.

I stopped as I got up, staring at the sky, re-living something I didn't want to remember.

"You are a worthless piece of a shit, you know that," my father yelled as he punched me.

This was a daily routine in my household. Getting yelled at to wake up, go to school, come back to get yelled at some more, get beaten, shoot up, past out, and repeat. I was worthless to my father and I was soon beginning to think that I am worthless to the world.

I was a fucking fuck-up.

"You don't even desearve to live, you worthless bag of flesh."

I'm a fucking fuck-up

"You're worthless!"

I'm worthless.........

The tears started forming as I immediately bolted. I don't know where I was going to go, I just need to go. I heard Brian yelling something but my ears weren't properly functioning. Memories that I wanted to forget where coming back, haunting me. I wanted to forget but it seems like I couldn't. It seemed like my escape from my past life was short-lived.

I ended up at the beach when I collapsed to the ground; my legs had given out from all the running. I don't even know how long I ran for, I just knew I bolted and that was it. I hugged my knees, pulling them to my chest, and started crying. I thought I was done with everything I used to deal with. Done with Danni, Morgan, my father, heroin.......I thought I was done. But I guess I wasn't.

"I just want to not have to deal with all the shit," I sobbed into my arms.

"You don't have to."

Brian sat behind me and pulled me into his chest, holding me as I cried. "You know we're all here for you. Val, Matt, Johnny, Zacky, Jimmy, and me. We all care about you, Nikki."

"I know you do but....."

"But what, Nikki?"

"I acted like my father. I acted like him when he beat me as I was beating Morgan."

He sighed as his grip on me tightened. "Oh god," he started, placing a hand on my cheek, "I know how much you don't want to be like your father."

"It hurts Brian, remembering that. Even if Morgan provoked it, it still was horrible to realize that I was acting just like him," I cried.

"You'll never be your father, Nikki. I know you and I can see it in your eyes. You'll never be like that son of a bitch father of your's," Brian said, holding me close.

"Brian, all I want is for all those memories to go away. I want them to leave me alone. I want everything in my past to stop haunting me."

"I know, Nikki, and I'll make them stop," he said, calming me down, "They'll go away. You don't desearve to be forced to remember Hell."

I sighed as I closed my eyes. Brian was right; I knew he could make those dreadful memories go away. He was the only that could do that because he was the first person, outside of my family, that has showed me that I was cared about.

"I'll make the memories go away."

He's the only one that could do that.