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Nic's Parents Get Divorced
This is perhaps the most important event in the book. His parents getting divorced could have been the reason why he got into drugs and kept relapsing. When parents get divorced it usually effects the child or children so much that they do many stupid things in their lifetime. It could even be the cause of why Nic did all the stuff he did in the first place. -
Period: to
From Start to End
This is the timespan -
David Marries Karen
David gets remarried to Karen. Nic becomes very close with Karen and makes a good relationship with her. They both love art which they look at and draw together all the time. It is good that he gets along with his stepmom because he needs a new mother figure to be there for him. -
Nic is a star!
A scouter watched Nic in a play at school and thought he would be a good candidate to do a commercial. So, he talked to David and Nic did a commercial for a car. After this happened Nic became the center of attention at school. Him getting so popular even just a little bit may have gotten him into the wrong crowd and made a domino effect on his life. -
Nic goes to Lake tahoe
Nic, his parents and his friend Phillip go to Lake Tahoe to go skiing. One night they were all in the room and David and Karen went to bed as usual. What happened wasn't just that though, Nic and Phillip went into the liquor cabinets and mixed together a cocktail of a bunch of random alcohols. The next morning Karen wakes up to the two boys throwing up all of the alcohol in the bathroom. This was Nic's first encounter with any type of drug or alcohol, yet it didn't affect him much. -
Jasper is born
Karen gives birth to a newborn which they name Jasper. This is Nic's new half-brother and he grows to love him. He is interested by him and thinks it is wonderful that there is another person in his life. Having the new family member Jasper in their lives will bring their family closer together. -
Nic smells like cigarettes
Coming home from school in seventh grade, David smells the cigarette smoke coming from Nic. Nic denies that he was doing it at first, but he later admits that he did use cigarettes. He also promised he would never do it again. This is the start of Nic's drug addiction that will change his life forever. -
Nic is found with pot
David finds pot in Nic's backpack. He approaches Nic about it and Nic's response is 'everyone does it'. His parents try to tell him that it is dangerous and he will be punished if they find him doing it again. Seeing how Nic had promised that he wouldn't do it again and still did it shows that he is getting an addiction. He is going to keep doing it and is going to need help. -
Nic starts High school
When Nic starts high school it seems that everything gets a bit worse. Instead of just a little bit of pot or some cigarettes, he starts doing worse stuff. The influence of the kids in high school make it harder for him to keep his promise to his dad. -
Another addition to the family
David and Karen have another child and this time it is a girl, Daisy. Their family is getting bigger and more connected which could be good for Nic in the long run. Also having a girl in the family may change some things around the house. Nic is probably also getting more connected to the family and not feeling as if Karen is still a stepmom to him. -
Nic gets caught buying marijuana at school
Nic goes to live with his mom in California just for the duration of the school year so that he can experience an art school. Near the end of the year Nic gets expelled from that school for buying marijuana on the campus and goes back to living with David and Karen. His parents start to notice that if it has been two years since they have heard of him with drugs that he may have acquired an addiction. -
Nic goes to college
Nic decides to go to Berkeley for college. Their family is so glad that the whole family drives him there. At first when he gets there he is really focused on his schooling, especially his art class. As the year continues he starts to complain about his classes and his teachers. David also stops getting calls from him as he usually does. -
Nic disappears
One night, after Nic graduates high school, his dad goes to check up on him in his room, but the room was empty. They didn't hear from him for 4 days until one day he was found agonizing in pain because he got beat up for owing a lot of people money. He passed out for 3 days and when he woke up his father told him he was going to rehab. Seeing Nic beaten up like that made his dad realize he needed help and needed to go to a rehab center. It would be the only way to make it better. -
Nic goes to rehab
David forces Nic to go to the Oakland Rehab Center and Nic is so furious that he punches a hole in the wall when they are leaving. The entire drive there Nic yells at his dad saying he is ruining his life, yet at the moment he was speaking he was high. Nic had to be forced out of the car when they got there. This should be the turning the point in the book for Nic and his path to recovery. -
The relapse
David gets a voicemail from Nic and he is crying. David calls him back and Nic tells him he relapsed and has been doing drugs for 3 days. They say that it takes 2 years for an addict to be fully back to normal and Nic has come close, but hasn't made it that far yet. This was a devastating moment for both Nic and David. They see how hard it is for Nic to stay clean for 2 years. -
Nic goes back home
After 3 months Nic calls his dad and David rushes over to the rehab center as soon as possible. The doctors tell him that he made outstanding progress and Nic thanks his dad for forcing him to go. Nic then goes home with his dad. David thinks that everything will be alright for the most part from now on. The good thing is that both of them are overjoyed.
