The Calm After the Storm

He was ready to find Drake there, ready to fight him, ready to do anything to keep Andrew from hurting.

But Nicky wasn't prepared to what was behind the door.

Another hallway.

He ran to the door, kicked it in, just to find himself in another hallway.

It was an endless loop, he knew it.

He was going to be late.

After countless doors, kicking,shoving, yanking, Nicky felt exhausted. He reached another door,turned the knob, and found Andrew in the room.

He was the same as he was back then,half covered in a blanket, a complete mess.

Nicky was late. Again.

He fell to his knees and cried.

The next morning he woke up feeling ill.

His mind was all jumbled, shoving the images from his dreams back into his memory.

Nicky wanted to scream.

Instead, he turned his head to the digital clock on his nightstand, and it was blinking at him, 11:17.

Dear lord, he slept so long.

But then again, he was tossing and turning until the early morning hours.

He didn't want to get out of bed. He didn't want to be. To exist.

A knock brought him back to real life, and he sat up. "Who is it?" He asked, because he was not in the mood for any company.

No reply. Was he imagining it?

Nicky flumped back into bed.

Knocking, again.

He went motionless, listening if it would repeat, or if he was really just going crazy.

There it was again.

With a groan, Nicky climbed out of bed,and swung the door open, ready to yell at the person that was messing with him.

He opened his mouth, but the words got stuck in his throat.

Nicky's knees buckled, but strong arms caught him before he could hit the floor.

His arms grabbed at Erik, and he felt like not letting go.

He was grounded.

Erik was sitting on Nicky's bed, Nicky holding onto him, like he would disappear, turn into air.

They were silent, the only sound was their breathing, and the occasional rustle of clothes as Nicky shifted to grab at Erik.

"It's all right,I'm here." Erik said, rubbing Nicky's back. "I'm not going anywhere."

Nicky shivered. The room was cold, and Nicky was only wearing a pair of underpants.

"Why don't you go get ready and I'm gonna take you out for breakfast."

"Lunch." Nicky corrected.

"Okay, lunch, then." Erik kissed the top of Nicky's head and watched him go intothe bathroom.

As soon as Nicky was in, he grabbed his phone and searched for Coach's number.

He picked up on the second ring. "Coach Wymack."

Erik cleared his throat, trying to sound as clear as he could. "Good morning, Coach. It's Erik." He waited for a second. "I just called to tell you that Nicky will be missing practice this week."