Cool Kids [p. parker] || SLOW UPDATES

SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN
( GAME DAY )

FRIDAY CAME QUICKER THAN expected. The rest of Wednesday for Nick had been spending a good part of the afternoon keeping Peter from sobbing about his dead uncle with Gwen, Ned, Olivia, and Harry until his dad called and asked him to come home. That night he worked his ass off while doing homework and his mother, at sensing her son's stress, made him play a bit of piano of with her before they went to bed.

Thursday was a normal day; more and more people started to go up to Marty and Nick to wish them luck on the game the next day, saying that they needed it, and their words didn't ease either's nerves about possibly loosing. Anita has to tell people to piss off constantly. Peter was back at school, and Nick actually had enough courage to have a short conversation before Algebra class started. Though the conversation was about their project, Nick didn't feel like becoming an awkward mess as much as he used to. He also gave the taller boy the flash drive with the PowerPoint on it.

Finally, it was Friday and Nick was trying not to shit bricks as he thought about the game later. Students and teachers coming up to him and other team members wishing him luck felt like they were sucking the luck out of him; not giving him any. Throughout the day, Nick was a ball of nerves. He snapped at all of his friends and nearly punched Harry Osborn in the face when the guy walked up to him during lunch to ask if he had spare money. It only got worse as they went on. He knew it was only because it was Spring Central, and the fact that his crush would probably be in the stands to see him lose; nothing eased his mind. Not even music.

Marty looked to his right at Nick, and then behind them where the stands were. He scanned the crowd until he saw Anita's face, then Olivia Green's right next to her, and then Peter, Harry, Gwen, Flash, and Ned. Marty's parents were a few feet away with Nick's parents. He made eye contact with Anita, who waved the instant it happened with a large smile. She gave him a thumbs up, an action he reciprocated, before nudging Nick to get him to look. The boy merely shook his head.

"Nope, not looking," he mumbled, shaking his head profusely.

Marty rolled his eyes as he looked forward. The game had started a few minutes ago, but the coach had decided on letting the two boys wait to go in, so they were both sitting on the bench with a few others. "Nick, if you want to play well you gotta stop thinking," Marty said. "Just breath, act as if this is a practice or that Spring Central is one of the shittier soccer teams in the state. You over thinking will do jack shit."

Nick side-eyed his best friend, hands gripping the bench he was sitting on a bit tighter before he loosened the grip some. "It's not that easy, man," he whispered. Right after he said that, the other side of bleachers cheered wildly. Nick glanced up and saw that SC had made a goal. He groaned and let his head fall forward, but then he moved to where he was staring at the darkening sky before turning to find his friends. He caught sight of his parents first. The two adults waved excitedly at him and he did his best to grin back before his eyes landed on his second best friend, his crush, and his crush's friends. And Flash.