Running Wild in the Night

Still Nikki's POV

"Nikki, can I ask you something," Tash asked as we sat outside on the beach.

I had decided that I should drive down to San Diego to visit Tash. She needs my attention right now and I told Jimmy to tell everyone that so that they wouldn't worry about me. I personally told Brian becaue I was at his hosue this morning. He told me to tell her hi for him, which I did. I'm just glad that they're all supportive of me helping one of myheroin friends go sober.

"You just did, smart one," I replied, smirking as I was drawing some random sketch in one of the many sketchbooks I owned thanks to Jimmy.

"Nikki...."

"I know what you mean, Tash. What do you want to ask me?"

"Did you ever relapse?"

I bit my lip as my brain took in her question. Yes, of course I had a relapse. I had one of the worst relapses in my life but I didn't like to talk about it. Everyone knew I didn't want to talk about it. The topic of my father and that relapse were the two things I didn't like to talk about.

"Nikki," Tash called, waving a hand in front of my face, "You alive?"

"Yeah and to answer your question, I did have a relapse but just one."

She looked at me and asked, "Was it bad?"

"I almost died, Tash. That's why I told you that I've tasted death. For awhile, I was thought to be dead."

"Will you tell me about it," she asked.

I looked at Tash and nodded, "Alright.........

It was several months ago. I don't remember; I've been trying to block it out of my memory, but I know it was before I started dating Brian. I had a crush on him and I think Jimmy knew but he didn't say anything. Around that time, I was out of my mind. There I was, out of the looney bin and now with my aunt, uncle, and cousin trying to live a normal life when I had no real help for my own heroin addictions. I forced to go cold turkey without any consideration if I wanted to do that myself.

Personally, I didn't. I had a love affair with heroin."

"You were worst than me," Tash murmured as I nodded.

"Yeah, I was seriously screwed up. I mean, Hell, I was in love with heroin.

Anyway, I walked into their band practice one day, Jimmy made me, and I see Brian making out with someone. It crushed me because I had realized I had a crush on him so I bolted. I bolted out of his place and ran straight to the park. Earlier that week, I had called Morgan and begged him to give me the numbers of some of his dealer friends her in California. And I kept that piece of paper in my pocket at all times so I pulled out and called the first number I saw, Danni Morrison. She came and got me and we drove out to her place in Los Angeles.

We spent the whole night drinking our lives away and smoking pot. The next morning I woke up with a huge hangover but the feeling wasn't so bad. It was like every other time in Colorado so I could handle it. Danni had gone for a bit but came back with the one thing I've been craving.

It was the good stuff, the Persian kind.

She offered to shoot me up and I let her. Big mistake.

It was first that oh so familier feeling of all my problems going away but slowly, everything starting going dark. My whole body was shutting down and my brain was basically forced into a coma. Apparently, Danni found no pulse and marked me for dead. She freaked and tossed my body into a dumpster.

After she did that, she ran into Jimmy, Brian, and everyone who were all looking for me. They found the copy of the list of numbers I had gotten from Morgan and saw Danni's name at the top so they'd try her first. Smart move because I was with Danni, well, was.

They found Danni and she told them I overdosed. By that time, my body started functioning and I groaned. It didn't even occur to me to call for help, I just realized that I was in a dumpster and that I should get out. I did and I realized that there was Danni. I didn't even registered the fact that my cousin and everyone else was there. The only thing in my mind was the fact that I thought Jimmy was going to be mad at me.

When Jimmy called my name, that's when I realized he was there. He, Brian, Matt, Zacky, Johnny, and Val were all there. And I just broke down. I, Nicole Storm McCade, broke down and started crying, realizing how screwed up I really was.

It took me tasting death to make me to really want going clean and that was my first and only relapse."

Tash just looked at me, totally in shock. I knew that she knew that I had a relapse but I don't think she was expecting something like that. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them, blinking. "I want to be clean so much, Nikki, but I'm scared."

"You can do it, Tash, because you have me," I said, looking at her, "I'll be there to help you whenever you need me."

"Hey, Nikki," Tash called as I was about ready to leave and head back to Huntington.

"Yeah?"

"You started really going clean around the time Brian asked you out, right?"

I cocked my head but nodded, "Yeah...."

"I think that its really good that he asked you out."

"Why?"

"Think about it, Nikki. Without him being so supportive of you, I don't think you'd be where you are today."

"Maybe you're right, Tash," I said, getting into my BMW, "I'll see you soon."

"Just think about it, Nikki."

Brian's POV

"Nikki's back," Jimmy announced as he ran out the front door.

We all laughed but saw the familier headlights of Nikki's BMW pull into the driveway. Soon, we all just got up and followed him outside. I smiled when I saw Nikki get out of her car, slamming the door shut with her foot. She just looked at us and narrowed her eyes, "Why are you all out? Were you guys seriously waiting for me?"

"Yup," Johnny yelled.

"We missed you," Zacky said.

"I was gone for a day. I told Jimmy to tell you all that I was going to San Diego," Nikki muttered.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Jimmy said.

"I knew that you went to visit Tash," I muttered as I hugged her.

"That's because I told you personally, smart one."

"So how was San Diego," I asked as Nikki and I hung out in the park.

Velkan, herpuppy dog, was being spazzy again and she figured to take him on a walk to make him calm. I went with her because, as corny as it sounds, I didn't like being away from Nikki. It made me anxious.

"Fine."

"Seriously?"

"Tash said something and I was thinking about it the whole drive back."

"What she say," I asked, watching her toss a tennis ball and having Velkan run after it.

"Everything starting going good as soon as I said yes to being your girlfriend."

I looked at her for a bit but realized that it was true. As soon as she became my girlfriend, everything started looking up for Nikki. She's gone to therapy and has come back with amazing results. She hasn't had a relapse and she's been happy.

"I guess she's right," I said, pulling her close to me.

She laughed and looked up at me, "I realized something and I want to thank you for it."

"What did you realize," I ask, placing my forehead against her's.

"Without you, I'd be dead, Brian. So I want to thank you for being there for me," Nikki whispered.

I smiled as I just kissed her.