Because I Care [Part 1]

"Hello?"

"Are you okay?"

"Should I get someone?" 

Slowly coming around, he put his hand to his head and mumbled the word 'fuck'. He did not know where he was or who the girl was talking to him. The last thing he remembered was being at a party, drinking wildly, jumping into a pool, feeling super horny and having the best sex with his girlfriend. Seeing that he was coming around, the girl moved away from him giving him some space.

"I'm fine, just a little fucked up" He tried to get up off the front lawn. The girl put her hand on her chest grateful that she did not discover a dead man. "Do you know where I am?"

"Yeah. We're on Springer Street. Wait, don't I know you?" The girl squinted her eyes at him slightly before speaking again. "You're Drake Graham right?"

"Yeah yeah, and you are?" Drake sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Nicki, we go to the same school"

"Oh right, what are you doing here?"

"Working, I deliver newspapers"

"Hmm do you know how I got here?"

"Sorry no, I just found you here passed out or sleeping, one of those. Do you want a lift home?" Nicki put her hand out to help him but he tried to get up himself. Finally getting himself up, Drake brushed himself off. 

"No but can I tag along with you? You helped me so why don't I help you"

"I mean erm... If you want to. I uh normally drive while I do it so, that's my car there. Just hop in" Nicki pointed to the grey pickup truck just across from them.  

"You do know they are supposed to reach the actual house right?" She laughed as Drake threw a newspaper and it landed in the middle of the person's garden.

"I knew that" Drake lied and Nicki shook her head. After some more failed attempts, Drake's aim got better and the newspapers landed closer to the houses.

"See all it took was a little practice" 

"You're pretty cool Nicki, did you know that?"

"No not really but thanks"

"We should hang out again"

"I'm free tomorrow, we can do something then?"

"I would like that" Nicki smiled to herself and kept her eyes on the road.

~

"Sorry I'm late. My mum was bugging me about how I don't do enough around the house and then my car wouldn't start and,"

"It's okay, sit down. Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm fine. So what do you want to talk about?"

"Whatever you want to" Nicki bit her lip thinking about something to talk about and found herself gazing out of the window. Drake looked at her in awe, he could tell she was really thinking. "How we tell stories about ourselves?"

"Um yeah, you go first"

"So I used to live in Canada 'cause I was born there, anyway it's like winter every day there so one day it was snowing badly but I love snow so I didn't bother me. Me and my friend were outside having a snow ball fight and I made a really big snowball, he wasn't ready for it and it hit it so hard in the face. Knocked the life straight out of him"

"He died?!"

"No no no just knocked him out and when he came back around, he asked me who was winning"

"Wow. So he didn't know he was unconscious?" Drake shook his head with a slight smirk on his face.  "That's pretty funny"

"It was. So what's your story?"

Nicki shrugged. “Umm I don't know"

"Come on, you must have at least one story"

"Remember that time we had to do assignment on things we would change in the world and you wrote a whole speech on how we should be free to fart whenever we want" She giggled.

"Yeah, that was funny" Their laughter soon died down. "What about you? Don't you have any stories?"

"No, I'm boring"

"Come on, everyone has at least one story"

"Not me" She glanced down at her phone and saw the time. "Dammit I've got to go" She picked up her bag and scooted off of the chair. 

He gently touched her hand stopping her. "Wait, you're in Mr. Johnson's class for Chemistry right?"

"Yeah"

"That means you're smart, am I right?"

"I wouldn't say that but I do well, why?"

"Can you tutor me? It's okay if it's not convenient for you but Mr. Hyde is on my case because I'm what you call 'failing'"

"No it's fine, where should we study?"

"I'm not bothered"

"We can do it at mine, I mean do chemistry not the other thing" He had to laugh at her rephrasing her sentence. "I've really got to go but I'll text you my address" She pulled out an old receipt from her purse and quickly scribbled down her number sliding it across the table.

"Thanks, see you soon?"

"Sure sure, bye" She smiled at him before turning around and walking towards the exit of the cafe. 

~

"Dude where was you the other night? Mason had this party and it was off the chain. Everyone was smashed and I got some action" Isaac, his best friend, said.

"Good for you man but I had something to handle"

"Something big enough for you Drake Graham to miss a party?"

"Yeah, that big" He laughed and saw Nicki at her locker. "I'll catch up with you later"

Drake snuck up behind her. "Hey"

"Jeez, you scared me"

"I was just wondering if we could meet up tonight, I got some chem homework that I know nothing about"

"I'm not busy tonight so we can meet at mine, you have my address right?"

"Yeah, what time?"

"Anytime after 4, gives me a little time to clean my room"

"Alright, see you tonight then"

"I'm coming! Hold on!" Nicki pulled her hair back into a ponytail then ran to answer the door. 

"I didn't know it was you, I'm sorry. It's four already? Well come in"' She opened the door wider and stepped to the side to let him in. "It's just us so we can do whatever, I thought I would tell you but it's only till about 6 but we can't do much since you're a boy and my mum would disapprove. Not of you being here but of me being alone with you, not that I would do anything other than school work with you but it's the whole boy girl sex business. I'm a virgin like total virgin, I have never done oral or anything like that. I've never had a boyfriend so that sort of explains that so yeah. What was I talking about again?" Drake stared at her in disbelief, not because she was a virgin but that she hadn't had a boyfriend and the fact she told him about her non-existent sex life in a ramble about being home alone which was strange.

"Us being alone?" 

"Oh yeah. So only till 6 but we should be finished by then so it shouldn't matter so want to get started?"

"Yeah"

About an hour later, Nicki had taught Drake the basics of chemistry and he was getting the hang of it. 

"So whenever you mix an acid with a solution, water is made too?"

"Yep and that happens with every reaction like that, they're called exothermic reactions"

"Oh right, thanks" He went back to finishing the sheet. "I've finished" 

"Oh good, do you want me to walk you out?"

"Nah it's fine but thanks again" Drake picked up his sheet and put in his bag-pack. "Oh, are you busy on Saturday?" 

"Nope" 

"Well there's this party and I wondered if you wanted to go with me, what do you say?" 

"If you really want me to, I will. I would love to"

Inspired by the spectacular now.