the brain project [1]

2 8

aidan

he walks back to the locker room, cleats in his hands. he's about to pull the handle of the door open, when a voice cuts out among the huddle of people walking towards their cars.

"aidan, wait up!"

he turns to see everett and the third-grade girl catching up to him. "aidan, this is penny. penny, this is aidan."

the little girl reaches her hand out and shakes his own with a shy grin. "hi."

he can't help but smile. "hello, penny. how was your schoolwork with everett?"

"good!" she shifts from one foot to the other. "we learned about multiplication and division!"

before he can ask her another question, penny's mom takes her by the hand and picks her up, leaving the two boys alone with aidan still holding his muddy cleats.

"you did great out there, those goals you scored were phenomenal," everett compliments, with his usual nice-guy self.

"you did pretty well, too, on friday," he surprises himself by complimenting the quarterback in return. "you have a good arm."

everett runs a hand through his dirty blonde hair, which curls at his neck. "i mean, thanks, but some people only care about your sport though, you know? like how you being good at soccer or football is more important than how good of a person you are or how you're doing in school."

he gets it, and he just stands there in awe for the second time talking to everett.

"sorry, it just gets on my nerves sometimes..."

"no, i get it," he says, and everett nods his head with a small smile. "people get so involved in your athletic skills to the point where that's what they want you to do in college because you're so good. i don't even want to play soccer after high school."

"what do you want to study?"

this is the topic that continually brings a sharp panic to his chest, always threatening to smother him until he can't breathe and then pulling away to make him gasp for air. he doesn't know. he doesn't know what he wants his future to hold. he isn't someone that has his life planned out for him, but he isn't someone that "lives in the moment" either. "i should go get a shower. i'll see you at school tomorrow."

he opens the locker room door, and slips inside before everett can say another word.