Running Wild in the Night

Still Nikki's POV

Being with Brian is seriously one of the best kinds of therapy for me. I mean I can honestly relax and just think whenever I'm around him. He's caring and really patient with me. I don't know how the hell I desearved him but all I can say is that Brian is just plain amazing.

So when we got back to Jimmy's and my place, we all decided to have a random movie night. I was about ready to dive for my favorite chair in the family room when my aunt came in.

"Hey, Nikki you got a phone call," she said, handing the phone to me.

I looked at it then at her, "Who is it."

"She said her name was Tash Harper."

My eyes widened as I took the phone with me to my room. I hadn't heard from Tash in about two years. I was forced to lose contact with her when my father put me in a looney bin. Tash was actually the only person who I considered as a friend back then. She was like me, from an abused family. Her parents divourced and her father had full custody of her. Like me, she had become a heroin addict and had an abusive father.....even her step-mother was an abusive bitch. I remember them as well as I remembered Tash. She was my age as well but I was in higher grades than her. She had long wavy red hair, these big brown eyes that were like a doe's, and she had a similiar figure to me....just a bit shorter than me.

"Hello?"

"Nikki," I heard that familier voice of Tash Harper ask in a scared voice.

"Yeah. Tash, is this seriously you?"

"Yes.......Morgan told me you were in California."

My eyes narrowed, "So what? Morgan tell you to tell me to get back on?"

"No," she whispered, "I haven't seen Morgan in a month."

Something in her tone told me that there was a reason why she took the time to find me. Why else would she be calling and be scared?

"Tash, what's wrong?"

She was silent for a couple of moments.

"I'm in rehab, Nikki. My father found out about the heroin and kicked me out. My mother said she'd take me in but I have to go through rehab first and I'm scared, Nikki. I'm scared," she said, sobbing.

I bit my lip. I was lucky enough not to be forced to go into rehab and have people to support me. I had friends, family, and an amazing boyfriend to help me. Tash, on the otherhand, wasn't as lucky.

"Where are you," I asked.

"San Diego."

"Hold on for a minute," I said, putting the phone on my bed and walking down stairs. Everyone looked at me as Jimmy asked, "Who was that."

"How long does it take to get from here to San Diego," I asked, ignoring his question.

"Almost two hours," Val replied, "Why do you want to know."

I didn't answer; I just went back to my room. I picked up the phone and said, "Tash, I'm around two hours away. Which rehab center are you at?"

"South Coast Recovery.......Nikki, I don't know if I can go clean."

"I'm clean and I know you'll get there to."

"Nikki, where are you," she asked for the first time.

"I'm living with my aunt, uncle, and cousin but I'm going to UCLA next year."

"You really are clean," she said, a bit in shock, "You really must have had people that really cared about you."

"Yeah.....Tash, I'm going to visit you as soon as I can, alright? I'll make sure that you'll get there," I said, promising her.

"Alright," Tash said.

She stopped talking for a bit but I could hear someone talking to her. "Okay, Nikki, I have to go."

"Okay, Tash.....don't forget, I'll visit you as soon as I can."

"Alright."

With that, we both hung up and I stared at the wall. I know that Tash could go sober but it was going to be hard for her. Before I knew it, I was on the floor, going through my trunk. It was the trunk that I used to keep all my art stuff but it had another purpose. I took out all the supplies and pulled out the hidden bottom, revealing several books and scattered photographs.

I picked one up and opened it to some random page. There staring at me was a picture of me at one of the many herion parties I spent my life at. Standing next to me was Tash. We both looked extremely skinny and dead. We both looked like walking skeletons. I then looked at my writing next to it.

April 20.

6:27 am

Happy birthday. A bit selfish of me telling myself happy birthday but I have a feeling that no one will say that to me......not even my son of a bitch father. Spent all of last night at one of Morgan's parties. He got the new stuff, Persian....and wow, it was amazing.

4:32 pm

So today must be a good day. Morgan stopped by with a little packet for me.

"Nikki! Where are you, my little pumpkin," I heard Jimmy's voice yell.

"Coming," I yelled back.

I took that diary and walked downstairs. They all watched as I sat down next to Brian, staring at the ground, thinking. It was high time that I let them see the diaries I've kept hidden that were a clear view of my life as a heroin addict but for some reason, I was scared.

"Nikki, what's wrong," Brian asked.

"Tash called."

"Who's Tash?"

"Tash was, I guess, my only friend back then. She, like me, was from an abusive family and was a heroin addict."

"Wait," Zacky said, cutting in, "You said 'was'. What do you mean by 'was'?"

"Her father kicked her out of the house and her mother said that she could stay with her if she went to rehab and that's where she is. Tash called me, telling me everything."

"Is that why you asked how long it took to get to San Diego," Johnny asked.

I nodded. "Yeah and after speaking with her, I thought it was high time that I showed this to you."

With that, I tossed the diary onto the table. Matt picked it up and looked at its tattered covers. "What is it?"

Brian's POV

"Its one of the many diaries I kept when I was a heroin addict. There's pictures from various parties of me and several others high or shooting up and then my little rants from that day."

I was shocked when Nikki said that. I knew there was something that Nikki never mentioned but I didn't expect her to say that she had kept little reminders of her past.

Val gasped when she saw one of the pictures. Nikki glanced at it and then looked down. "Yeah, pretty stupid of me, wasn't it?"

I looked at it and my eyes widened. It was a picture of Nikki, just sitting in a corner with her eyes closed. Her arms were bleeding as was her nose. In her hand were syringes that were obviously empty. A little white powder was on her knee as was a little blade. "Stupid combination of heroin and cocaine. Told you I was pretty stupid back then."

I just looked and Nikki and instantly pulled her close to me. I knew that Nikki did pretty bad things but this was just horrible. I couldn't understand why she'd want to do shit to herself and it honestly scared me. But what Nikki whispered honestly made me feel better.

"I'm clean now, thanks to you."

A smile formed as I kissed her nose. "Good. I don't want you being a wreck."

She gave a small laugh. "That was the wreckage of my past, Brian. I have no reason to go back to doing shit to myself."