What is the first step to becoming a NM?!

Sounds great. Thank you EliasAStern. :)

Don't forget to add a 5 second bonus to your time controls.

This will teach you to reach the end of the game "on the board," instead of "on the clock."  Endgame knowledge can (also) be implemented and played quickly.

Studying (intensely) both Tactics, and Endgames, will vault you into the higher ratings.  Bullet will only improve your reflexes, and you're already young enough that you don't need that kind of help. 

Openings are mostly a "black hole" for your study-time.  Under USCF 1900, any mainline opening is pretty much as good as another.  Learn only enough opening theory to get yourself a decent middlegame.  That's all you'll need when starting out.

First order of business (for openings) is to determine what openings to play with the BLACK pieces against 1) e4, or 1) d4.

With the WHITE pieces, you can always just play reversed Black systems, like Larsen's Attack, which is a reversed Queen's Indian Defense (QID), from the white side.  Simple.

Openings are largely a matter of personal taste.  Choose what suits you.

Good Luck with It.

PROTIP:If you can play the Grob as either color and consistently win against a ~1750 player, you're probably ready to be an NM.

Studying chess is very good to improve your chess, that is for sure...

But once you have reached your real level(even if this a masterlevel) you can study and play chessgames so many you like, you'll never be getting better whatever you do... That is why grandmasters keep beating international masters and so on...

How to improve your chess? Play some serious games and analyse them afterwards. Using a program for analysing afterwards can be beneficiary if you understand have to use one, - else analyse the game with a stronger player. Join a chess club.

Does the OP have any OTB rated tournament experience ? The first step is that you must start playing OTB rated ( tournament )  chess . 

I have never entered a tournament. :( I want to, i am just not sure how to go about doing it and if it costs money. I am a college student and I have books to buy. hahaha :) Thank you NM Reb!

I started playing when I was 8 years old. I joined a chess club but felt intimidated (I had many akward years growing up) and so my parents got me a chess computer which I tinkered with for many hours and I forget how often but I liked to try and beat the computer.

Fast forward 16 years and I feel the confidence, I started playing Starcraft with a few friends and it lead to friendly chess tournaments. Me and my friend (MartinezVandergeest on the site, sure he doesn't mind me spreading his chess-ness)  started watching videos, analyzing our games/others' games, etc. He got a few boxes of books  from a friend (with a giant pile of King's Indian!) and we are starting to prepare for _real_ standard time controls. (2 hours for first 40, 1 hour each 20 moves after) and even put physical training into the regime. I started doing Silman's "do as many GM games as possible each day quickly" (currently focusing on Carlsen and Alekhine, going to be Kramnik and Morphy soon, then Nakamura and Fischer; I like to have pseudo-systems...) 

It has taken 2 years to get to this regimen; if I can save up some money and get into some tournaments; do I have what it takes to become an NM and eventually IM/GM?

Not everyone can reach a masterlevel, even if you study and play 10 hours a day... Even 2000 elo rating is a gift for everyone... If it should be that simple there should be masters in chess everywhere

First thing you have to do to be a chess master is be born!

Lukov: It's called hard work and determination. It took me 12.5 long years to reach a 2000 rating, but I finally did it...at 25 years old.