Chapter 10: A Spark
Nick set his bags down in the room before sitting down and letting out a sigh.
'I came to just be closer to Stella but somehow I am supervising a team of teens and a member of two other teams. This entire situation is fucking insane,' Nick thought to himself while looking around the room
The wooden walls didn't make the place look like the school it was but instead, it resembled a true home, albeit the home of a rich, victorian noble.
Nick had just pulled out his laptop and was about to get to work on writing when he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in," he answered, not really paying attention. He was used to having Peter and Gwen over so he naturally just let them come in whenever they knocked.
But when the door opened, Nick was shocked because the person who knocked on his door was Lorna. Before Nick could react, she had already walked into the room and closed the door behind her.
The atmosphere was tense between the two as neither said a word. They were barely able to even look at each other.
"So you're gonna stay," Lorna said, stating a pretty obvious thing to break the silence. She was rubbing her arm to try and calm her nerves.
"Hmm. Want to start taking more responsibility for my life instead of living in the best. This is the best place to do it," Nick admitted readily. It wasn't like he truly had anything to hide, anyone could tell that he was a mess before and the only reason why he would join was for a similar reason.
"Does that mean you will be spending time with Stella?" Lorna asked expectantly. Even though she had her family, Nick's family, and Alex's family helping out as well as all of her friends, she still wanted her daughter to have a relationship with her father.
'I know I have been messing up for the past few years and am willing to pay for it but Stella shouldn't be punished for me. Lorna shouldn't pay for me,' Nick could hear the eagerness in her voice and felt a wave of guilt washing over him.
"Hmm," was all Nick could choke out, barely able to react. So he wanted to change the topic to another uncomfortable one but better than the current one. Nick closed his laptop before turning and facing Lorna fully.
"I know that I've fucked up. I didn't handle it well. I didn't do any better. Something unexpected happened but I didn't take responsibility and step up like I should have. I let myself wallow in self-pity and guilt for years, not realizing what I was doing to others. You didn't deserve that. Stella didn't. No one deserves to be treated like I treated you guys. Like a mistake that I wanted to forget about," Nick tried to explain his thoughts but felt like he was mixing things up and fucking up what he wanted to say. So he did what he thought was best. "What I'm trying to say is: I'm sorry. I'll do better."
Lorna felt tears gathering in her eyes. She had always felt like she had done something wrong. No matter what anyone else told her, she always felt like she was the one that drove Nick away. But hearing him say all of that, she could feel the tension leave her. Her mind felt so much clearer than it had in a long time.
"It's alright," Lorna said, trying not to let the tears fall down
"No, it's not," Nick wouldn't let her say that. He couldn't give himself an excuse like that. "I messed up so I'll own up to it."
Lorna saw that Nick had truly changed. There was a light in his eyes that she hadn't seen since the incident.
She wiped the tears from her eyes, revealing her sparkling emerald eyes. A bright smile appeared on her face, happy to have the old Nick back. Or at least be on his way back.
"Fine. Then I won't give you an excuse. And I'll be sure to ask for payback for it," Lorna told him but the words barely registered in Nick's ears. Even after 5 years, she still had a smile that could captivate him.
"Hmm. Whatever you ask for, I'll be sure to give it to you," Nick promised without hesitation. He knew she was joking with him but he also knew he had to make up for his behavior over the past 5 years.
"Good. Lunch is in an hour. You should join us for it. I know Stella would really like that," Lorna said, not wanting to admit that she was also looking forward to eating with him
"Sure. I'll be down in a bit. Just gonna do some work before that," Nick agreed. He had skipped breakfast that morning so he could use some food in him.
"Awesome. I'll see you then," Lorna left as soon as she got Nick's confirmation.
She rushed down the hall to her room where Stella was currently waiting. As soon as she got to her room, she went inside and slammed the door shut before placing her hand over her heart, trying to calm down.
"Mommy. Are you okay?" Stella asked, worried about her mother. "Your face is so red."
Lorna felt her cheeks heating up and her heart beat even faster.
'Was I blushing in there too? Could Nick tell?' Lorna was worried that she let her old feelings show. Lorna fanned herself, trying to cool her head.
"I'm fine, baby. Just ran a little bit," Lorna gave her daughter a half-truth. "But I have good news. Your daddy is going to stay here. He's even going to have lunch with us today."
Stella's eyes sparkled, no longer thinking about her mother's red face.
"Daddy is eating with us?!?!" The little girl immediately ran to the closet to pick out her favorite dress. This would be the first time she had eaten or even talked with Nick. She had only seen him in person a few times, the rest of the stuff she learned about Nick was what the others told her.
Lorna saw her daughter's excited face while feeling excited herself. She ran into the closet as well to help her daughter get dressed while also picking out clothes for herself.
'He's only seen me in casual clothes these past two days. I need to show him how much I've grown up so he knows what he missed,' Lorna came up with an excuse for herself, not wanting to admit the truth in her heart.
No matter what she said though, both green-haired ladies were excited to have Nick back in the house and hoping time would speed up to lunch.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone