Nick and Nicoles story begins in mid 1993 when Nicole first moved into Nicks neighborhood. Her mother had decided that she just wasn't happy where she was and that Nicole would have a better life someplace else. Nicole never wanted to move, she had grown up there, sure, she was still growing, she was only 13, but everything that she had ever known was there.
Nicole lived in the Bronx and had just recently found out that she was adopted, and that was hard enough for her to deal with alone, but now she had to deal with the fact that she was moving. She had grown up thinking that this woman that she lived with was the one that brought her into this world, but now the truth had come out, this women wasn't who she thought she was.
But to Nicole, she was still her mother, she wasn't the person that brought her into this world, but she was the one that helped her get through all that life through at her. To Nicole that was what a mother should be. She couldn't help but wonder what her birth mother was like. So much of what Nicole was came from her mother, a lot of physical and personality traits. Nicole always wondered why she didn't look like her mother, she just figured that she got it from her father, who she had never met. Knowing that she was adopted, made somethings a lot clearer.
One thing that Nicole thought a lot about was why did her mother give her up? Was she a mistake? Or was her mother too young to have a baby and gave her up so that she would have a better life? Was her mother forced to give her up? There were so many questions that Nicole wanted answers to, but didn't know where to get them. Her birth mother left no information about herself when she put her up for adoption.
As Nicole started to pack her things memories of all that shes been through flooded her mind. She remembered all the birthday parties, all of the laughs that her and her friends experienced, all the tears that had escaped her eyes over things that now seem silly. This was going to be hard for her to deal with, just thinking about leaving made her want to cry.
She had so much going for her here. She had a lot of friends, she had great grades, and most of all, she was happy. Nicole couldn't understand why her mom wanted to leave this all behind, but she thought that by doing this, it would make her mother happy, and shr figured that it was the least she could do considering that she had taken her into her life when she adopted her. Just then, her mom walked in.
"Hey, how are you doing?" her mom asked knowing that being told you were adopted wasn't the easiest thing to take, but then up top of that telling her that she had to move must have made it worse.
"I'm fine," Nicole said forcing a smile to please her mother.
"I know that this is hard for you," her mother said taking a seat on the bed next to Nicole, "Moving is never easy, but then when you add the stress of finding out that your adopted, that makes it even harder."
"Yeah, it does."
"Just think about it this way, maybe your mom was too young for a baby, and I know you've considered this because your really smart. I just think that whoever your mother is, she just wanted you to have a good life. If your mother is anything like you, then I know thats why she did it."
"Thanks," she said.
"What else is wrong?"
"Why do we have to move?"
"Nicole, look, I know you love New York, I know you want to stay here, but you know that I got a better job in Florida and I have to take it. It's a great job and we'll be a lot better off."
"Why does it have to be so far from home? I don't want to leave my friends, I don't want to leave my school. I want to stay here!" Nicole said with a sudden rush of tears pouring out of her eyes.
"If I had things my way, the job would be here so that we can stay, but you know that things don't always go the way you want them to."
"I know, but this is just really hard."
"Yeah, I know how you feel. This isn't easy for me either. I was born around here, this is my whole life, just like it's yours. I know that its going to be hard starting all over, but we'll get through it. I'll leave you alone now, I know that you understand where I'm coming from, I want to stay just as much as you do, but if moving means a better life, then I was going to do just that. Don't worry, you'll make a lot of friends and you'll do fine."
"I hope so." Nicoles mom smiled at her and left her room. Nicole got up and walked across the room to a picture of her and her boyfriend. She smiled at the memory of where the picture was taken, their parents, who had been best friends since they were in kindergarden, had taken them out on a trip to Disney, it was great, they had so much fun, they all were like over grown five year-olds.
"I'm going to miss him a lot..." Nicole said to herself and sat back on her bed. Just as Nicole drifted off into a deep thought, the doorbell rang, She got up to see who it was, it was her boyfriend, Josh.
"Hey," he said and smiled at her.
"Hi..." Nicole said, "come on in."
"Ok," Josh said walking in, "So your really leaving?" he said looking around at all the boxes.
"Yeah, I can hardly believe it myself."
"I'm gonna miss you, I've known you my whole life. Your my best friend," he told her.
"Your my best friend too. But we can still talk on the phone and letters, and maybe we could visit each other during the summer time."
"That would be nice."
"Yeah," both Nicole and Josh felt the uneasiness in the room. Neither of them knew what to say, they never thought that this day would come.
"I hate this," he said.
"And you think I don't? You get to stay here with all your friends, I have to leave all that behind! This is everything I've ever known! I've never lived some place else, I never went to school some place, I never had to make friends some place else," she said a little louder than she meant to.
"You don't have to yell at me!" he said.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it... I'm just a little upset."
"I understand. Look, I just came here to tell you that I want to talk to you the day you leave, come by my place. See you then."
"Ok, I'll see you then," Nicole smiled at him, and watched him leave. She had known him since she was just a little baby. She grew up with him. He was the one thing that she hated saying good-bye to the most.
~*~*~*~*~Later that week~*~*~*~*~
"Nikki!" Nicoles mom called, "come on!! We have to go!!"
"COMING!!" she yelled as she took one last look at her room, "Are we still going to Joshs' place so that we can say good-bye?"
"Yeah, and thats why we have to go now," she said as Nicole walked out to the car.
"Ok, good. Josh said that he wanted me to go and see him before we leave."
"I figured that you two would want to say good-bye to each other, and I want to say good-bye to his mom. I'm gonna miss her," her mom said getting into the car.
"Yeah, I know. Its hard to say good-bye someone that you really care about isn't it? I know how that feels.." Nicole said with a little bit more attitude then she planned.
"Nicole!"
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just a little upset that it's finally time to go."
"We're here," her mother said a few moments later. Josh and his mom were already waiting outside for them when they arrived. Nicoles mom and Joshs' mom soon dissappered into his house leaving Nicole and Josh alone.
"I can't believe that this is it," Josh said.
"Me either."
"Well, I better say this before you have to go and I never get the chance to," Josh said and took a deep breath, "I have to tell you that I love you and I don't mean love you like a sister or a friend, but I mean love you like I'm in love you."
"Josh..."
"I mean that. I really do and I don't care if you think I don't mean it but I do. I mean it with all my heart," Josh said and leaned into Nicole and kissed her, that was both Nicole and Joshs' first kiss.
"Wow..." Nicole said, "I didn't expect that."
"I didn't plan on it, but I did it just in case I never see you again."
"You'll see me again, don't worry about that."
"Good," he said, "Well I have to give you something."
"What?"
"Here," he said passing her a piece of folded up paper, "don't open it until you get to Florida. So that when you get to your new house, I'm the first thing you think of."
"Ok," she said. The next twenty minutes were filled with tearful good-byes and promises that were hoped to be kept. After that, Nicole and her mom took off to a future that for them was hopeful.
Chapter 2
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