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Come together to fall apart
Vicki and David are living in Berkley, California with a baby boy due in July. On July 20th at midnight, Vicki goes into labor and at dawn, Nic is born. At the age of three, Nic begins preschool and finds he is especially good at building things. Nic is doing very well until his father falls in love with a family friend and realizes his marriage is over. -
Daddy Win's
Vicki and David begin the divorce process and it truly and directly affects Nic. Decisions on his living location as well as custody rights come into play. When Nic’s mother relocates to LA, the decision making becomes much more serious. Nic gets evaluated as well as Vicki and David to decide on living arrangements. The therapist concurs that both parents love Nic very much. It is decided that Nic remains in San Francisco and spends summers in LA with Vicki. -
"Evil Stepmother
Nic begins to notice the presence in their home. He even catches David and a woman when he crawls into bed one morning and she had slept over. Nic looks at like a sleep over but is still distraught by the idea of David with anyone outside of Vicki. That is, of course, until he meets Karen. Karen and Nic draw cartoons together for hours and click very well together. Nic refers to himself and David as Karen’s “new family” which is a very good sign. They begin to form a great relationship. -
Sk8rboy
Nic begins middle school and quickly makes a lot of friends. He is very into Nirvana and the “slumpy” boy look which actually winds up making his life easier. Multiple kids approach him on his first day to greet and befriend him. David and Nic take Nic’s new friends to the beach and David gets to see how great Nic is with all of his new friends. -
It's a boy!
Nic gains a new little brother, Jasper. Though he is only Nic’s half brother, technically, Nic loves Jasper very much. Nic almost seems enchanted by Jasper and seems to take to playing with him very well. They get along well and Nic attends his first Nirvana show that very same month on New Year’s Eve. -
Caught!
Nic has begun the 7th grade and one day he enters the car to go to Nancy and Don’s (his grandparents) for a weekly dinner. David smells cigarette smoke on Nic. At first, Nic completely denies the idea of smoking and says that he was just in a group of boys that were. David continues to push information out of him and Nic admits he took a few puffs of one of the boys cigarettes and swears to never allow it to happen again. The very next week, David finds marijuana in Nic’s overnight bag and reali -
Nic Mixes Drinks!
After the marijuana incident, Nic admits to have had drank with a friend on a ski trip that he went on with David and Karen. This occurred a little before Jasper was born and I believe it to be the first of a very bad problem. Nic and his friend mixed various alcohols in a weird hope of getting ridiculous intoxicated. Once they succeed, they begin to get very sick into the next day. They explain to Nic’s parents that they just are not feeling well and do not admit it until caught with the mariju -
Baby's first wash!
Nic has now gained a little sister, or half sister, Daisy. Nic and his grandmother help wash Daisy for the first time ever. Nic is so happy with the family he is blessed with and you truly believe he’s about to change for the better. Nic seems to really love his new brother and sister very much. -
Old Surfer Dude
Nic is now in high school and one day, David receives a call informing him that Nic is to be suspended for purchasing marijuana on campus. The boy who sold it to Nic is expelled but they believe that this was a brief lapse of judgment and that Nic just needs some guidance and set him up with an advisor. Don, who Nic takes too extremely well is a surfer as well and is there to assist or guide Nic in any way possible. Due to Don’s presence, Nic becomes much more involved at school and seems to get -
Ulcer Attack! (Pic is of band called Ulcer Uterus)
Later in Nic’s high school experience he goes on a college tour with David. He visits schools like Amherst, University of Chicago and NYU. When Nic returns he becomes interested in a summer program in Paris. In July he travels to Paris for a 3 week session. Nic returns looking very out of his element and David is concerned. Days into being home, Nic begins to complain that he has stomach pain. David takes him to a family doctor that informs him that Nic has an ulcer at age 17. -
Stupid Dad
The family goes to visit David’s parents in Arizona when David makes his first big mistake. Nic is completely out of hand and out of touch with David. David wants to reconnect with Nic and in doing so he smokes a joint with him at a park, just the two of them. Not long after this does it become very apparent to David that Nic is experimenting with more than just marijuana. This worry subsides when another forms as Nic is arrested for not appearing in court for a charge of marijuana possession. D -
Crystal
Nic has ran away and days later calls in a cry for help. He begs David to come pick him up and when David does, he finds Nic in an alleyway behind a bookstore. Nic is extremely incoherent and David says that he must attend rehab. Nic agrees but later changes his mind. When David argues that he nearly died, Nic responds that he’s learned his lesson (Sheff 103). David soon after learns that this is much more than he originally thought; Nic has been using crystal meth. -
Bad News Bears
Nic is brought to an Oakland rehab where he is evaluated. After this is done, it is understood that Nic’s condition was serious and that he could die from the amount of drug use (Sheff 127). The nurse then informs David that the Oakland center is not fit for Nic’s severity and offers other suggestions. After they leave Nic seems to have lost it. David says that he should allow Nic to hurt himself if that’s truly what he wants but that’s obviously not what he’s going to do. -
Everything
After a series of relapses, beatings and running away, Nic is brought to another rehab center. This one is called Ohlhoff Recovery; Nic goes in kicking and screaming saying that he is very scared. Though it starts rough, Nic is then brought to a nurse to be evaluated and David and Karen shop for him during his stay. After the evaluation, Nic is brought to say bye to Karen and David. Though he gives Karen a very cute goodbye, his goodbye to David is a real tear jerker. He looks at his father befo -
Deal or No Deal
Later after yet another rehab center called St. Helena, Nic decides he is ready for school. Nic attends Amherst and has a girlfriend named Julia. More importantly, he meets a teacher who immediately notices he is an addict. When Nic explains that he is in the process of recovering, the teacher decides to make him a deal. Nic is currently interested in being a writer and that is this teachers’ art. The teacher informs Nic that as long as he stays clean, he will help improve Nic’s writing. -
Concrete Jungle
Nic is supposedly clean and moves into an apartment in Brooklyn. Not too far off after, David gets a call from Nic’s stepfather. The man informs David that Nic is in the hospital in Brooklyn on life support. Nic has overdosed and there is no telling if he will live or not. As David is making arrangements to fly to New York, he receives a call from a doctor informing him that Nic is going to get another chance. Nic calls David pleading for another program to get sober again and David informs Nic -
You can only save yourself
Nic realizes that the only person that will help him recover is himself. The miracle of family occurs when David, Vicki and Nic are all together in harmony. You find out that Jasper has held onto an apology letter Nic wrote him after stealing 8 dollars. The book ends with the beauty of knowing there is one thing that David and Nic have in common and that is that they know what they feel, everything.
