First, we can calculate the total cost of the apples before the discount:
6 pounds * $1.50 per pound = $9
Then, we can subtract the discount:
$9 - $2 = $7
Since Nicole and her friend split the cost evenly, we can divide $7 by 2:
$7 / 2 = $3.50
Therefore, each of them paid $3.50 for the apples.
The expression that can be used to determine this is:
($6 * $1.50 - $2) / 2 = $3.50
where $6 is the total cost of 6 pounds of apples at $1.50 per pound and $2 is the discount