Being born the second eldest of four, it left Nick with a sense of responsibility but the freedom that came with having less expected out of you. His older sister never being one for the best grades or being particularly great and active in sports, meant that there was no one looking at him to fill the shoes of his sister for some family namesake. That didn't mean that he didn't attempt to leave one of his own. His younger brother, Jackson, and him were sandwiched between two girls, leaving Nick to find solace in the need to one up his younger brother and play protector of his baby sister. This doesn't mean that he didn't take to young Jackson right away as children. Just a mild sibling rivalry that had didn't rear its ugly head until the boys were really in their early adolescent years. Each having to out do each others times in sports, points in video games, and even academically.
And with those teenage years, came teenage stunts. Nick was no more or no less the average teen when it came to teenage rebellion. Opting to sneak out and do as he wished, having parties in places that shouldn't have been, and so on. Nick ended up feeling like he needed that break in life. Somehow, this turned into completing stupid stunts or take on ridiculous dares. For his sophomore and junior years of high school, Nick and getting into trouble tended to happen on a normal basis, with his family and school. Of course, he also has a charming way about him that has always aided him in getting his ass out of the fire. But when all else failed he knew that he could always depend on his family, even if he were the one that was wrong in whatever it was, which he more than likely was. Growing up, he has always helped out at his dad’s store, still never realizing that there was trouble there. Even then, he was never allowed to officially work there until he was in high school, where his dad decided that he should have a job and earn his own money like a normal teenager.
Looking for a place to go to school post high school, he wanted to get out, to find new experiences and find a place that he felt that much more free. There was a certain excitement about him the moment he gained acceptance to the University of New York. It wasn't some big, great prestigious school like Harvard, but he wasn't looking for that kind of pressure. His freshman year being one that didn't work out so well. He found himself more so reliving his previous high school moments of rebellion with renewed freedom and enjoying the whole college party scene a little too much. Knowing full well that something had to be done, he opted to change his ways come sophomore year. Wanting nothing more than to graduate on time, he took some summer courses, as well as winterim and made it through in his four years, gaining his bachelors degree, later heading back for his masters.
There was also another hiccup that came through his college years, but one that didn't have anything to do with his own choices. Only those that came after. There was a time where his brother Jackson had ended up calling him. It was one of those phone calls you would expect help with bail, but it was more than that. He was in trouble, real trouble, and he was the only person that Jackson could think of to take care of his son. Their parents were not able to handle that extra little person to take care of, even though their mother would have jumped at the thought. Jackson wasn't on the best terms with them and there were health issues at the time that would have added to such a bad idea. Their older sister on the other side of the country living her own life. Nick took the responsbility beliving it would be short lived. Instead, it became harder than he expected, playing single parent to his nephew.
Keeping this a quiet aspect, not wanting to have to explain things to people, he still had to take care of this little boy. Family meant everything, but cost was cost. Having to do things he didn't expect to take care of him, making decisions he would regret, yet felt he did right on all at once. It was a mess and he tried not to think too deeply into it. All of this changed relationships for him, causing him to maintain an all too quiet lifestyle with this little boy for years before he was able to gain any real assistance himself, let alone find Jackson back out and claiming he wanted to be a good father.
Moving back to New York once things had calmed down with his family, he has been in and out of it since. First, having moved there for work only to have been back and forth over family issues and the like, before concreting this life with the purchase of his own home. A first time home buyer at that. Since then, things haven't exactly been amazingly simple and easy for Nick, but that's life. Something he accepts and acknowledges as it is.