Page 13 of Big Nick Energy

Nick looked confused and then his eyes met mine and he let out a short laugh. “I’m sorry about that.” He shook his head as he headed to the railing that overlooked the mixer below. “Homecoming Weekend and Alumni Weekend bring out the college versions of those fools.”

I joined him. “And what about you?”

He shook his head. “I actually don’t drink anymore so I’m a lot more laid-back than the college version of me.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. I like to be in control, so I try to stay away from anything that takes that away from me.”

I nodded slowly. “I get that.” I paused. “I’m sure that’s how you got to be so successful so young.”

“That’s been a team effort,” he argued modestly.

“I’m sure you’ve had a great team supporting you, but this thing you’ve built is impressive and it’s been impressive from its inception.”

He looked at me quizzically.

Nerves fluttered my belly. “I remember you making a speech outside of the rose garden about making tech more accessible for kids from low-income families and I knew then you were going to make big things happen.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You remember that?”

I nodded. “It was impressive and inspiring.”

He stared at me for a few seconds. “I don’t remember you from back then.” His eyes quickly dipped to my lips before returning. “And I would remember seeing you around.”

“I look a little different than I did when we were here. And I was kind of a wallflower.”

“You? Really?” He looked surprised.

I nodded. “Yeah, I was shy back then so I wouldn’t have really been around like that.”

“So, you came to homecoming brand new?”

“Something like that,” I giggled.

“You really weren’t at any parties or in any groups? You just went to class and back to your dorm?” He frowned. “You didn’t doanything?”

“Don’t look at me like that,” I laughed, bumping my shoulder into his. “I wasn’t one of the popular kids, but I did stuff! I spent time with friends, went to shows, and I was even part of this group you might have heard of called Hamilton University Community Enrichment.”

“Hold up, you were part of HUCE?” He took a step back and eyed me. “When I was there?”

I nodded. “Yes. That speech you gave was the reason I joined.”

“What?”

I nodded. “It inspired me to look into community-focused work. I was always a psych major, but it was you and working with HUCE that pushed me into the direction that I’m in now.”

“Wow.” A small smile played on his lips as he shook his head. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.”

“You have to know how influential you are.” I gestured to the crowd gathered below us. “You were just featured on a panel highlighting what success looks like. Your influence isn’t a secret. It’s well documented and proudly touted.”

He shifted his gaze away from me. Resting his forearms on the railing, he stared down at those below us. His jaw clenched and his expression changed slightly. “Success is relative,” he muttered under his breath.

I stared at his profile. The last question from the audience was directed at him. The person asked how to keep people interested in social services work when the wages weren’t keeping up with the cost of living. He gave a professional answer that sounded good and garnered applause, but I could tell he had more to say and was holding back at the time. And from the way his jaw clenched, it was clear he was still thinking about it.

“Yes, it is,” I agreed slowly.

We were both silent for a moment before I continued. “You made a great point when you said the nonprofit world isn’t financially lucrative, but it’s morally rewarding and spiritually lucrative.”

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