CANDY HEARTS | 𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐒

𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧

kate picked on the french fries in front of her as millie announced to the cafeteria, "hi there! if you're just a boy or girl who can't say no, then you won't be able to say no to tickets to the mckinley drama club's presentation of...!"

"what? what?" nick asked. "oklahoma!!!" millie boasted, it was impossible to take her seriously while she was dressed like little bo peep. "ohh no!" nick smiled, "no way!" daniel added while he played with his sno ball, seemingly disinterested.

"so come on down, partner! and leave your ducks and geese at home. oh what a beautiful evening you'll have! yeeeeehaw!"

as she danced out of the room, kate couldn't wipe the smile off her face. "that was incredible marketing" she nodded.

"you'd look good in that dress" nick turned back around to face kate as a laugh left her lips. "it'd look even better on you" she replied, handing him a french fry. "stop it" he waved a hand, trying to suppress his laugh.

"hey you guys wanna rehearse today?" nick asked the group, earning an array of agreements.

"for your guys' rock band?" lindsay asked curiously. "yeahhh, we got an audition for battle of the bands coming up. winner gets three hundred bucks!" nick boasted. "i bet you guys are really good" lindsay grinned, sean shook his head almost immediately. "no, i don't think so"

"do you guys have a name?" kate asked looking between the boys. "yeah! creation" nick waved his hands out in front of him. daniel sported an embarrassed grin, "no, we don't have a name"

"come on, i like that name!" nick let his hands fall on the table. "i like it too. it's cool" kate agreed. she didn't really like it all that much, but she wanted to support the boy nonetheless. "thank you!" he turned towards her happily, almost unable to believe someone agreed with him.

"three o' clock" he prompted. "can we come?" kate questioned, earning an enthusiastic reaction from nick. "right on!"

kate had her eyes glued on nick as he drummed his heart out. 'creation' preformed sunshine of your love by cream to the best of their ability. they didn't sound terrible, but they didn't sound great. though, kate didn't seem to care much once she realized how much fun they were having.

as they played– kim, lindsay and kate made sure to cheer them on. screams erupted from the couch as the song concluded. "that was amazing! you look so hot when you play, babe" kim ran a hand through her hair, eyeing daniel.

"hey what'd you think? that was pretty amazing, huh?" nick came over, smiling widely as his eyes bounced between lindsay and kate. "it totally rocked" kate ogled up at him, breath hitching as she admired how his hair looked all messy.

suddenly a well dressed man came down the stairs, kate's attention turned toward him quickly. "hello ladies, gentleman" he greeted the room. this, she could only assume was nick's father.

"i take it the symphony is over" he joked after everyone said their hello's. awkward expressions graced the group as nick tended to the conversation "i'm sorry dad, we just finished. it sounded a lot better though, right!" he smiled. his father looked significantly less amused. "nick, could i talk to you for a moment?"

"yes sir" he answered. "i'll be upstairs" the white haired man nodded, making his exit as he quietly made his way up to the main floor. "ladies, gentleman" daniel mocked, tapping his guitar before grabbing his jacket. "let's get out of here!"

"hey, uh– i'll just be a minute you know" nick had his hands out, he looked like his previous good mood had gotten shot down. "yeah but he won't" daniel nodded toward the stairs. "hey i'm hungry, can we get something to eat?" kim asked softly from beside her boyfriend.

"yeah, you working the drive thru?" his attention turned toward sean. "yeah in an hour" the boy checked his watch. "nice! lets go there and get a bunch of free crap" daniel had a wide smile on his face.

"can't you just wait for me?" nick sighed. "just meet us there!" daniel called from halfway up the stairs. lindsay followed behind them, but kate couldn't seem to pick herself up off the couch. "hey, i'll wait for you" she smiled up at him once the basement finally cleared.

"yeah?" a small grin overcame him. "yeah" she agreed before he took up the stairs.

as he spoke to his dad, she couldn't help but overhear them. his father had given him an ultimatum. get his grades up, or go to the army. she listened with wide eyes as they continued to talk. and then she heard it. the same sentence she had heard many times before.

"you're not working hard enough, nick"

more disheartening words were spoken before the boy trudged down the steps. kate moved away from the staircase, worry plastered on her face. he said nothing, simply walking over to the laundry where he grabbed a pair of jeans.

he held it over his face as a muffled scream filled the room. kate couldn't help but watch in sadness, wanting nothing more than to console him. "nick.. i heard what your dad said. and i just wanna say that– you're an amazing drummer! with real talent. and you're the one who told me when i first met you that your drums were your life, and i don't think you should let anyone take that away from you" she rambled as if she were giving a motivational speech.

"is that really what you think?" he softly questioned her. "absolutely. you can do whatever you want if you believe in yourself" she took a step closer to him, watching him with sad eyes. he let out a nervous laugh, his eyes closing slightly. "no one's ever said that to me before"

   "well i mean it. and i believe you can make it as a drummer, truly" she urged him. he watched her with admiration in his eyes, "thank you" it came out almost as a whisper.

   "you know, katie... you're like the only person who's ever gotten what i'm about" a genuine smile appeared on his face at the care she had for him. he had never had anyone like that before.

   "yeah well.. we're not that different" the girl raised her eyebrows as a soft smile crossed her features. "i guess not.." his eyes fell to the floor. "hey, why don't we go meet up with those guys" nick nodded his head towards the stairs. "yeah let's do it" she agreed, happily.

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