NERVOUS! stick goldstein

CHAPTER ONE, reuniting with an old friend

At first when Winnie joined the football team, she feared they wouldn't take her seriously because she's the only girl on the football team. That's the exact opposite though. Sure, it was weird and awkward at first, but now the boys were all like brothers to her. Beside one. Stick Goldstein. Winnie's and Stick's bond is different than any type of bond they have with anyone else. And not to mention the fact that they both have feelings for each other yet neither one knows that.

Winnie was currently at her coach's house because she and the team often hung out there. What she didn't except was to see a teenage girl sleeping on the couch when she and the boys arrived. Then an excited expression formed on her face upon recognizing her. Winnie and Ashley were best friends along with Brooke when Ashley lived there. She remembered her coach, Victor, mentioned something about his niece was coming to stay with him, but she didn't know when that was happening and who exactly his niece was. She knew that he and Ashley were related, that was just all she knew, she just didn't know if he had another niece. 

"Wait, Stick," Winnie furrows her eyebrows, standing behind the couch with three other members as she notices her best friend walking over to stand in front of the couch. "What are you doing?" 

"Just checking to see if she's alive." Stick replied and Winnie laughed at his response.

Winnie shakes her head, putting one hand on her hip. "She's obviously just sleeping."

"You never know until you check. I mean, she looks really still." Stick commented and he looked down at Ashley, who had been sleeping.

Ashley wakes up a few seconds later, furrowing her eyebrows when she saw a boy she didn't know standing above her. She reaches forward, hitting Stick's ears. Stick immediately stands up all the way since he was bent over, yelping in pain as he puts his hands on his ears. While the boys beside Winnie grimaces and groans, Winnie just chuckles. "That's what you get for staring at a girl while she sleeps."

"Yeah, I should've listened to you." Stick muttered, still looking pained after getting hit by Ashley.

Ashley sits up, covering herself with her blanket. She looks at the brunette-haired boy with wide eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"We're on the football team." Stick responds. "Coach lets us use the pool." He groans in pain and puts his hands on his hips. "Ugh, I think you broke my brain." He points at Ashley. "And my family has a really high deductible." 

Winnie raises her eyebrows. "Why is that part important?"

"I felt like it was necessary to add." Stick shrugged.

"Wait," Ashely glances to her right where Winnie was standing behind the couch. She grins excitedly. "Winnie?"

Winnie grins back at her. "Hi, Ashley."

"I forgot that you lived here! Oh, this is gonna be great." Ashley said excitedly. "Now we can hang out more! I missed you."

Winnie laughs at her excitement and nods in agreement. "I missed you too. And yes, we can definitely hang out more."

"Oh, and also," Ashley glances at Stick. "It's just a little trauma to your tympanic membrane."

Stick looks at her with confusion. "Tympanic membrane?" A look of realization forms on his face. "Oh, you must be Coach's genius niece."

Ashley awkwardly smiles as she looks at each of them. "This is a great chat." Looking at Stick, a serious expression forms on her face. "Hand me my robe."

Stick picks up the blue robe on the chair beside him just as Victor walks down stairs. His eyes widen. "What's going on?"

"Tio Victor, I'm not dressed." Ashley shyly responded, now wrapped in her blanket.