Name: Epitome

Rating: PG-11

Summary: Pre-Ambrose, Nick fell into a destructive phase, distancing himself from everyone as his bad attitude landed him in many places, including being kicked off the football team. No one ever tried to reach him, except his sister, Carly, but even she stopped because of their first encounter. She never realized the self-issues he was concealing.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

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The two-story house trembled and shuttered as music blasted from the speakers inside, the convulsion resonating a sound as wood clattered against itself. Red and blue plastic cups were littered on the lawn, disposed or squished under monster tires. Alcohol dripped from the inside of the cups, spilling into the grass. Over two dozen or so cars were parked hazardously on both sides of the neighborhood street, sloppily crammed together while bumpers and end corners stuck out. Cars not meant to fit were pieced inside small spaces. Two trucks, packed with extra beer kegs in the back bed, were planted on the far side of the lawn, leaving black tracks.

The front door opened and two partiers filed out as three skidded in. Carly Jones gripped her boyfriend's hand, tangling their fingers together, leading him down the driveway. Wade, firmly holding her hand, adjusted his arm so it was looped around her waist, folding her arm with his. With her elbow poked out of her side, she managed to maneuver around the pile of cars parked in the extensive driveway, her own car peaking out from behind the brush on the outskirts of the sidewalk. Wade lifted his right leg and playfully hit Carly's butt with his foot, causing her to veer to the left out of surprise. She poked his shoulder, biting her lip through words, but stepped into his welcoming embrace.

Someone suddenly screamed her name; she glanced behind her, slowing, and saw Paige Edwards disappearing into the large house with a guy named Blake. The two women waved at each other, shouting farewells, then parted their separate ways. Headlights bobbed on their bodies as they rounded the corner, finding Carly's car unharmed where they had left it three hours ago. The classic car nearly ran them over, gearing into the last spot in the driveway. Carly held her shriek, allowing Wade to yell over at the already wasted student.

Shaking their heads, they kept walking. Carly drew out the keys from her pocket and unlocked the doors, granting access into the automobile. Carly in the drivers seat, Wade in the passenger seat, the engine ignited, a song softly floating out of the radio. Checking over both shoulders, she drew away from the curb, sliding easily into the black street dimly lit by the overhead light.

Wade flipped around channels, finding barely anything on except gospel chants and conversations on the world's economy, so he was forced to settle on an old Guns N'Roses song. He collapsed against the seat, glancing at his brunette girlfriend. "That was fun."

Carly smiled. "Yeah, if that's what you want to call it. I don't know if the guy who fell down the stairs would call it that, though."

Wade shrugged, remembering how one of the freshman had gotten so drunk that he'd missed a step and stumbled head first down the stairs. He'd been lucky and come out of it with only a gash above his eyebrow. "Still…it wasn't that bad."

Carly paused at a stop sign and glanced at Wade. The darkness made his dark features seem even more handsome, ebony coating on side. You could almost believe that was the color of his hair. She twisted the side of her lip. "No, it wasn't."

The compartment was silent as they drove on, passing porch-lighted houses and black streets, filling the inside. Wade brushed his fingers over his lips repeatedly, slipping into his thoughts until he saw the football coach's house coming up on them. It was pitch black, no color resembling life within. If anything he was asleep or celebrating the big win. Either away, the house was alone. Wade looked over at Carly, curious if she'd noticed. A straight line was on her lips, eyes narrowed; she had.

Wade cleared his throat. "I didn't see Nick there."

Carly's head shot at him instantly at the mention of her brother. She swallowed and pretended the statement didn't bother her. "Yeah, me neither. He probably just wasn't in the mood."

"Sure. Or he could've been avoiding it."

Carly raked her hand through her hair, shuffling it atop her head. "Can we not talk about my brother, please?"

"I'm just saying. It's understandable."

"Look, I don't pretend to understand my brother, but if he wasn't there, I'm sure he had a reason. He isn't a coward." Carly unexpectedly snapped.

"I didn't say he was a coward. I'm just saying that he's avoiding a situation that needs to be subjected. I'm not trying to be contentious." Wade defended.

Carly didn't respond. Her eyes fell on Wade. He was a good guy and they'd been together a long while, high school sweethearts, so she knew she could tell him anything, but her brother was still a sore subject for her. It didn't help that he seemed to bring him up at every possible opportunity. She didn't like to talk about Nick, not about all they had been through recently. After one of their childhood friends had died because of an overdose, Nick had fallen into a phase of destruction, a period in his life where he only knew violence and being "bad-ass." Truthfully, it scared her. She was afraid of losing her brother, and afraid of where he was going to end up, but she'd never voiced her fears to him. She knew he'd shrug them off half-heartedly, her words completely forgotten by his next rebellion act. Her words wouldn't mean a thing to him, she knew, so she kept silent.

Carly eased the car to a stop in front of the coach's house. "I'm sorry I snapped. It's just…what's going on with Nick is getting more and more grandiose." She paused, unsure if she should tell him especially when it concerned Nick's well being. She took a deep breath. "I overheard my parents talking last night. They were talking about Nick's behavior…My dad says if Nick pulls one more stunt, they're going to kick him out of the house."

"Carly…" Wade couldn't help but let out a fake chuckle. "Maybe that'd be good for him. Maybe it'd teach him a thing or two. Maybe…"

Carly shook her head. "There are two many maybes and what ifs. I need security and certainty that he'll be okay."

Wade rolled his eyes, hidden under the night. "And here I thought you didn't like the guy."

Carly smiled nonchalantly. "He's my brother. Enough said."

She saw Wade nodding, watching his eyes rove around his surroundings. Suddenly they settled on something beside her. "Hey, what's that?"

Carly looked to where he was staring. A black figure was fidgeting in the coach's driveway, circling the car in the driveway. She narrowed her eyes, hoping for a clearer image. Each time she came close to identifying the person, it ducked into a darker area, thus making it impossible. "Who is that?"

Just as the question came out, the person set something down and dove in its pocket. There was a sharp slap followed by a bright flame. Briefly, the assailant's face was visible. Carly choked. "Was that—" Wade tried.

"Nick." Carly sneered.

Without hesitation, Carly opened her door and climbed out, slamming it shut. Wade scramble for her, urging her to stay in the car, but she was faster than he was. He had no choice but to follow her across the lawn, his hoarse breaths muffled under her strict whispers of Nick's name. The cigarette bud quit bouncing and was thrown to the ground. White smoke tornadoed with the air.

"Nick." Carly whispered again, nearing closer to the delinquent.

"Hey sis." Nick Jones greeted. He moved around to the hood of the car, balancing something in his palm.

"What are you doing?"

"Just having some fun. A little payback for old Gordon in there."

"Are you out of your mind? You're going to get caught."

Nick shook his head, his lips descending into a deep frown that gestured he didn't believe what she was saying. "Naw. Only fools and idiots get caught."

Carly planted her hand on the car, overriding the memory that cars have alarms, but immediately drew back. She looked at her hand; slim coated her skin. She skimmed her fingers over the substance, her stomach rolling each time in a sick jump. She traced her fingernails around the perimeter of whatever she'd touched, finding it was in an oval cut. Examining the car, she noticed there were more of the objects. Her eyes shot over to Nick, her lips parting in shock. He was putting sandwich meat on the car; the paint would be torn off with the meat, destroying the appearance of the car.

Carly ventured around the car towards Nick, ignoring Wade's strenuous looks to uncover what was going on. Carly grabbed Nick's jacket, firmly holding his arm from slapping on another slice. "You can't do this."

"Why not?"

"Because you can't just do this type of thing. You can't put meat on someone's car."

"That'll strip the paint, you know." Wade interjected.

Nick and Carly both looked at him, sending him a dumb look. Then Nick laughed, turning his attention back to Carly. "You brought the boyfriend. I feel special."

"We didn't come for you. We were going home." Carly explained.

"Then keep driving, Carly." Nick instructed.

His tone was ice, coldness slivering out of his throat. She didn't even recognize the man before her. Who was this? Certainly this couldn't have been the same man that used to push her on the swings when they were seven or sleep on the floor of her room when she was afraid after being convinced there were monsters stalking her. This wasn't him. That boy wouldn't do this. That boy wouldn't be putting meat on an adult's car because of a grudge that he got himself into. Where had this transformation come from? What happened to the brother she loved? Was he still with her? Was he alive?

Peeling off another slice from the packaging, holding the tip firmly between his fingers, he draped the meat on the empty space. He snickered to himself. Carly furrowed her eyebrows, watching him continue to torment the car. Her arm whipped out and connected with the package. It fell to the gravel, scattering, becoming useless.

Nick stared at her angrily. "What the hell!"

Carly grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the car, telling Wade to open the back door. Nick easily overpowered her and wrenched out of her hold, taking a valiant step back. He brushed his hands together, rubbing off the filthiness he suddenly felt he had. Carly, leaning forward in an inquiry position, tilted her head to the side. "Are you drunk?" she questioned harshly, her voice barely over a whistle.

"No, I'm not drunk!" Nick bellowed.

A light switched on inside Coach Gordon's house, the outline of the heavy-set man moving quickly towards the front door. No eyes peaked out. Panic filling her body, Carly grabbed Nick's arm and ran with him to the car, her rapid stretches fitting his broad ones. Wade shoved Nick in the back seat as Carly moved the get-away car into drive. She slammed the gas petal. They sped off down the street, becoming only two red lights lingering in the distance, leaving Coach Gordon to discover the mayhem that was distributed on his car.

Nick burst into laughter once they were safely away, balling up in the backseat while he clutched his aching stomach. Carly turned in her seat and swatted him a few times, lips crunched together, her force strong and furious. She called him an idiot, her eyes staring at him from the rearview mirror. He shrugged and settled, parting his legs on the floorboard and using his wrist as a pillow. Wade was glaring at him; he fit the hood over his head, hiding half his face from Wade's judging demeanor. No one spoke as they drove through another neighborhood, en route to Wade's home, until Nick inquired where they had come from.

Carly glanced at him, unsure if there was a right answer. Surely he wouldn't tolerate the one she had. He hadn't been very friendly to anyone who brought up the player that replaced him on the football team after he got kicked off, especially not since he had been training the boy. "A party, on Maple Drive."

"Ah, Derek's party. Celebrating the big accomplishment, was he?" Nick snickered.

"It had nothing to do with you, if that's what you mean. He won Homecoming, he was enjoying the popularity." Wade explained.

"I'm sure." He paused. "But I'm sure you didn't miss me. If there were any opportunity for you to make a move on my sister, then you'd be more than happy to take it, huh?"

"Nick!" Carly shrieked.

"What? It's a common misconception. Mr. Wade here isn't so innocent. I know his type. They act all sweet and shit, but then when they get you, all they want is in your pants. I advise you to watch yourself, sis."

"It isn't like that." Wade said.

"Then what is it? Can you honestly tell me you don't want to get in her pants?" Wade opened his mouth to protest, but stopped. Carly looked at him expectedly, waiting for him to defend their relationship, but he kept silent. Nick smiled in the backseat. "That's what I thought."

"Shut up." Carly spat out.

She shook her head incredulously. This was what Nick did, what he knew he was good at. He liked to argue because he knew where to push and how to push so that he'd win. He received adrenaline from other people's anger, something few people enjoyed. The whole idea and scene gave him power that he was amused at, how he corralled and trapped people into confessing secret things, watching them squirm uncomfortably under the pressure. It was his high.

Not a second later, Carly pulled up against the curb in front of Wade's house, clicking a button so the doors unlocked. Wade didn't move, just sat in place staring at Carly in hopes that she would look him in the eye so he could explain what he meant. She finally looked at him for barely a second before her eyes trained on his door. It opened, revealing Nick standing to the side.

"Get out, Wade." Nick ordered. He was ignored. "Do not kiss my sister, do not try to talk to her. Just say goodnight and get out."

Carly waited for him to do as told. Wade lowered his eyes to the floor, sighed, and looked at Carly one last time. "I'll call you later." Carly nodded. Wade got out. He found Nick staring disapprovingly at him. "Asshole." he muttered under his breath.

Nick puckered his lips, a sound similar to that of a kissing taunt coming out then slid in the car. The door clipped Wade's shoulder. Carly hesitated for not even a second, looking at Wade watching them before she drove off, disappearing down the street.

Their house wasn't ten minutes away; Carly was grateful that this tensioned silence wouldn't have to be endured for long. She glanced at Nick in the corner of her eye several times, noting his slouched posture with his hood still over his head and his forehead pressed against the glass to watch the world sleeping in a black abyss. She wrung her fingers tightly on the leather steering wheel, forcing words that she wanted to scream at him to stay down. Her eyes flickered, fighting that urge and the urge to keep silent. To scream or not to scream?

He deserved it so she did. "Did you have to do that? Out of all the things, you had to pick on him. Why?"

"Carly, I didn't mean anything by it. It's fun to see him squirm." Nick replied, closing his eyes in a butterfly's sway. His dark eyes were heavy.

"Why?" Carly jabbed the wheel as the word came out. "He's never done anything to you. He's tolerating you, more like it."

Nick waited until they'd pulled into the driveway to yank out a retort. Pushing the door open, one foot braced on the concrete, he turned his head to her. "I don't want to be tolerated by him. You tell him that for me."

Ringing the keys in her hand, she climbed out of the car, the lights blinking as it automatically locked, and stalked after Nick who was nearing the back gate. He vanished in the shadows that the trees offered, but she continued to go after him. She heard him open the gate and slip inside, leaving it open. He knew she was following him. Then there he was, lazily walking through the backyard, kicking at a soccer ball abandoned in the open.

Anger started to boil in her veins. Was he really so self-centered right now that he didn't see what was going on? Their parents were going to kick him, and that was certainly going to happen if someone identified him as the culprit of the nights attack. He would be charged. Her hands connected with his back, her feet grounding as she shoved him forward. He caught himself, stopping short. He bit his bottom lip, smirking to himself.

"We aren't through." Carly gritted out. Nick spun around slowly. "We're finishing this now."

"Yeah? Bring it on." Carly didn't say anything, just stood there. "You don't have anything to say? Fine, I'll start. You have no idea what I'm going through. I'm sick of people pretending they know exactly what's going on in my head—"

"Maybe if you let someone in, Nick, we wouldn't. We'd leave you alone, but you shut everyone out. It's impossible to get through to you anymore."

"I doubt that bothers you. That way the perfect one gets the center-stage. The attention, the spotlight, you relish it, right? You're comfortable where you are…the couldn't give a damn about me."

Carly stared at him, tears rimming her eyes. Had he just..? "How could you say that to me?"

"I can say it because it's true. You've always been Miss Perfect. The perfect grades, the perfect home life, the perfect popularity, the perfect everything. And I'll tell you, Carly, it's getting very annoying. You like being the perfect twin, the good twin, because therefore you get all the attention. You know you need no one and that works for you. The good twin isn't supposed to need anyone." His hand grazed his chest. "I'm the bad twin. I'm the one no one wants."

Carly's lips quivered, swallowing the lump in her throat. The tears struck again. As much as she hated it, Nick wasn't entirely off course. She had always been considered the perfect twin. She got the good grades, had the good boyfriend, the good friends…all around the good life. She and Nick couldn't be more different. He was fire, she was ice. He was spontaneous, she was the reason. He was autodidactic and belligerent, she was ambitious and vehement. He was the evil twin, she was the good twin. They had, unknowingly, become epitomes of their selves.

His voice mitigated as the next words came out. "You're the perfect one, the good one."

"You had perfect once." Carly said, her voice breaking. "It was your choice to throw it away."

"I was never as good as you. I wasn't worthy and I'm still not, but it doesn't matter. I'm of no use. I could disappear and no one would notice because everyone is too busy watching you."

"What about me?" Carly screamed. "What am I supposed to do if you get thrown into jail? You're my brother, you're supposed to be here! But you can't be here if you get locked in a cell. You don't know it, but I need you! You protect me, you keep me safe. What am I supposed to do if you go?"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks by the time she finished. Her breathing was labored, no longer calm breaths but heaving pants. She began to hiccup as she tried to regain control. She couldn't believe that had come out of her mouth. She refused to look at Nick, afraid of his reaction to her words, even when he started to say her name, his voice now gentle and tender. He moved closer to her, his arms apart, but she shook her head, muttering 'no' over and over again. Finally he managed to circle his arms around her, yet didn't touch her. Just kept her in a sphere so she was trapped.

Her fists pounded into his chest, still only uttering one word, fighting his comfort. He advanced to calm her, firmly embracing her. He held her tightly, shushing her and whispering to her that it was okay. She shook her head; it wasn't okay. They were going to find out; he was going to be sent away. He was going to leave. She gripped his jacket, keeping him close.

"I need you, okay. I need you, I need you." she whispered again and again. Would he understand?

Slowly, he rocked her, tightening his hold on her. "Shh, it's okay. I didn't know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Carly's body shuddered, a small sob escaping her throat. She loosened her clench and looked up at Nick, his face blurred by her watery vision. She sighed. "I don't want you to go."

Nick smiled weakly and stroked her cheek affectionately. He laid a kiss on her forehead, causing her to suck in a deep breath. "I won't."

Carly nodded. Her eyes snapped shut when Nick squeezed her shoulder and brushed past her, the keys on his belt jingling as he jogged up the stairs. She turned to say one last thing.

"Nick…" He turned to her; she ducked away. "I won't tell Mom and Dad."

Nick smiled gratefully and mouthed a 'thanks' before disappearing into the house. Carly hugged her arms, rubbing the skin as goosebumps rose. She curled a strand of hair behind her ear and stared up at the house, her eyes narrowing on Nick's bedroom window. It was still dark, would be the rest of the night.

Tonight, Carly realized that Nick's new attitude was going to stick because he had got away with it. She'd let him get away with it. What did that say about her?

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