College Daze -- Dricki

Aubrey tapped his foot on the bathroom linolium. Who knew that one night could change everything? Everything he had worked for was laid out in front of him. He couldn't even remember if it was enjoyable. All he felt was worry.

"What does it say?"

"We have to wait another five minutes. Calm the fuck down!" Nicki spat. She was even more nervous than he was, she just didn't show it. The only time to show emotion is on stage. That was her motto and it stuck to her like wet jeans.

"Look, if it's positive. . ."

"Don't fix your lips to tell me I'm not allowed to keep my child and don't say you will be here if you don't plan on sticking around."

Silence filled the room. He tolerated her hostility because it was him who sought after her attention. He told her drinking a little more wouldn't harm her but it did. More drinking led to sex which led to a possible unwanted pregnancy for two tenage college students. They had nothing to gain but everything to lose. . .and they barely knew each other.

"Ok." she took a deep breath and sighed. She looked to the ceiling and talked to God then looked back and forth from the sticks to the directions.

"You like being called 'Daddy', eh? Well, congratu-fucking-lations!" She tossed him the stick and ran down the stairs of the frat house and out the door to her car. Before she could close the door be grabbed it.

"Look, we can make this wor-"

"Make it work? Aubrey, my parents don't have money like yours." She had tears in her eyes. "I'm here on a theatre scholarship! Do you know what happens to that once I start showing?"

"What if we, what if," he couldn't believe he was about to say this but it was the first solution he could think of. "Marry me Nicki."

"What?" She was on the verge of laughing her tears away. The statement was so stupid, it was funny. "You don't get married because you have a fucking baby Aubrey."

"No, but you get married to stay in school so you can provide for your, our child."

"What are you saying?"

"We get married and get housing together. If your parents don't have money then financial aide should be enough to cover your tuition, I'll cover room and board."

Nicki agreed and a week later they were married in a courthouse. It wasn't her ideal wedding considering the circumstances. Her parents didn't support her decision so they didn't bother showing up and she was too embarrassed to tell her friends. Her honeymoon was to see her advisor to drop out of the theatre program. She decided to begin studying nursing, something practical.

Aubrey, unlike Nicki, was on cloud nine. He figured it was no need to be upset any longer. He told Nicki his parents didn't want to come to the wedding but truth was that they would have cut him off. He needed time.


*10 months later*

Nicki was in her second month of her sophomore year with a three month old. She loved A.J. but he seemed to cry, become hungry, or need changing at all the wrong times. She was beginning to resent Aubrey who got to experience all the joys of college and left her alone with the baby. Occasionally he would claim to take the baby to see his parents but she knw better; they didn't even know A.J. exsisted.

"Ok, ok. You hungry stink?" She picked him up and he silenced. "Oh, I get it. If you wanted Mama to pick you up just say so man."

She smiled at him while he drifted to sleep. Lately it seemed like he was the only thing she could do right. Four out of six of her classes were online , because they couldn't afford day care, and she was failing them.

"Where have you been?!" She eyed Aubrey as he walked in and walked straight pass her.

"Aubrey!" Lately everytime she talked to him he ignored her. She figured he resented her as well but he didn't give up as much as she did so he was being stupid in her mind.

"Its Drake. I been out. . .honey." He said dryly with a faint smile.

He started going by Drake shortly after the got married and she hated it. It was like he was trying to forged a separation and hide his mistakes behind a name. But she also hated the pet names he used to pacify her.


"Look, we need to talk."

"About what? What else do you need from me, OH- Nika?" he was drunk.

"Maybe if you sobered up you wouldn't have to ask!" She put the baby in his crib. She made sure to never argue with anyone in front of him.

"What a beautiful mistake." Aubrey said looking down at his child.

"Mistake? Are you fucking serious?"

"Oh, right." he chuckled and snapped his fingers. "You're the mistake!"

"You know what? Fuck you. This whole arrangement was stupid!"

"Stupid says the girl who got knocked up her freshman year." he mumbled.

"What was that?" Aubrey was coming home drunk a lot lately so she wasn't a stranger to his antics but tonight was too much.

"Look, don't pretend I married you because I loved you. We did this for A.J. "

"What do I ask you for? To come home early three days out of the week so I can get my work done and. . ."

"Im out here paying for this food you eating and air you sucking up!"

"Don't start with that shit! Your parents pay for this. You can have all this shit!" She picked up a cup and threw it at him. It woke the baby up and he was screaming now. "I'll see you later."

*2 months later*

It had been two months since Drake had seen his wife and child. He missed them. He and Nicki had done everything backwards. It took her leaving for him to realize that he loved her.

He stopped going to parties and drinking after her realized it bought him nothing but trouble.
He told his parents about his family and surprisingly they took it well. The first person he wanted to tell was Nicki but she was no where to be found.

Nicki sat in her parents living room playing with her son. When she showed up in the rain crying with her small child they couldn't turn her away. She wanted to tell Aubrey about her reconciling with her family and A. J. sitting up and show him his beautiful smile. She missed him.

"Call him child." Nicki's mother handed her a phone. "Don't say no to me this time. You can't even look at that boy without getting glossy eyed because you miss his father. Go on."

Her mother was right. A. J. looked just like his father except he had her dimples and Drake joked her height. She knew their marriage was nothing more but a platonic arrangement but she hoped to make it more. She loved him.

"Hello. Um, Aubrey."

"Nicki!" He answered like he had been waiting for her call and that made her smile.

"We need to talk."

"Where are you?"