Disclaimer: The following is a prequel to Choices The Freshman and The Sophomore stories. It is a fictional adaptation. I do not work for Pixelberry Studios, the game developer or own the rights to the characters Chris Powell, Jo, Kyle or Nicole. All of the characters, story line and events were originally developed by me, some areas in part with @maxattack-powell, in conjuction to her adaptation of The Freshman.
Chapter 3: Another Day in Paradise
*The following contains strong language*
Morgan holds her scarf down to keep it from blowing around her neck as she steps out of her car in the Cherryfield High parking lot. She slams the door and locks it, hearing it beep as she walks briskly towards the gymnasium doors. The gusting wind is not making the cold temperatures any more pleasant this morning. Her backpack jostles as she moves quickly, her boots creating a cadence as she walks into the school.
She has to find Nichole.
Last night, Morgan received quite a shock when she checked her phone and found a text from Nichole that read simply “I broke up with Chris.”
Morgan text her back repeatedly, asking for details, but two questions were prevalent, “Why?” and “How was he?”
She couldn’t quite pick up on Nichole’s mood from her text, emotion sometimes hard to read or easily misread when written not spoken, but Nichole seemed rather casual about the whole thing. Morgan was floored. When Nichole mentioned she wasn’t sure about her future with Chris, in no way did Morgan take it that she was ready to drop him so quickly. Morgan found herself unable to sleep last night.
She enters the girls’ locker room where girl’s athletics, including the cheer squad and the dance team, are dressing for first period practice. They split the gym in the mornings. It is buzzing with girls getting changed for practice and talking about the day ahead. Nichole is sitting on a bench removing her shoes when Morgan slides in next to her.
“Hey!” she says. Her voice is both a greeting and a hint that a line of questioning is coming.
“Hey M,” Nichole says. She puts her shoes down in the bottom of her locker and begins to remove her jacket.
“So, how are you?” Morgan asks, eyes narrowing, as she looks at her best friend.
“Me? Oh girl, I’m good. It’s fine. I did what I had to do, you know?” Nichole states and shrugs.
“What did you have to do?” Maya asks entering the locker room. She drops her bag down and opens her locker.
“Break up with Chris,” Nichole says. Maya freezes and the entire locker room falls silent as others hear Nichole’s words. There are a few stunned gasps and a couple of “What?” exclamations from the others.
“Are you serious?” Maya asks closing her locker and leaning against it. Nichole swings her legs over the bench to face her and Morgan.
“Yeah, I broke it off with Chris last night,” Nichole states again. Her voice is as calm as if she were ordering toast for breakfast. Morgan takes a deep breath as she looks at her.
“Like, why though?” Kelsey, a junior on the cheer squad asks.
“Yeah, I thought you and Chris were going to end up married and you were going to crank out a football team for him?” Maya teases.
Morgan looks at Nichole expectantly.
“I found out I was going to UCLA yesterday,” Nichole begins.
“Oh, that is awesome! Sweet! I’ve got a friend to visit and a place to stay in LA next year,” Maya laughs.
“Right?!” Nichole laughs too. “I mean, think about it; me, living it up out in LA. When I went there to check out the campus, there were like so, so many hot guys. It was ridiculous. I met this one guy, Michael from Texas, total hottie. It got me thinking, like why would I tie myself down to a guy from Cherryfield? I gotta live, ya know? I can’t do that trying to stay faithful to my high school boyfriend,” Nichole scrunches up her face.
“I feel you, good for you,” Maya says.
Morgan looks back and forth between both of them open mouthed before frowning. “But what about Chris?”
“What about him?” Nichole raises her eyebrows.
“You guys were together for a long time,” Morgan shakes her head. “He loves you. You just…up and broke up with him like it was nothing?” Morgan tries to keep her voice and her tone from sounding harsh but her face expresses something much different.
Nichole tilts her head to the side, taking a deep breath and licks her teeth. “Like I said, I did what I had to do, M. I get to live out my senior year without worrying about him and trying to always be his damn cheerleader at his side. I can go out with who I want, when I want. I’m finally free-“
“Free?” Morgan interrupts shaking her head. Her voice rises. “You act like Chris was some shitty boyfriend. He treated you like a princess! The way you sound, you’re acting like he had you chained up in his closet for three years or something!” Morgan retorts.
Nichole’s voice rises to meet her friends. “What is your problem this morning, Morgan?” Nichole stands up and folds her arms across her chest. “You PMSing today or what?”
Morgan huffs, trying to ignore the jab from her best friend. “I just think you need to stop and think about this. Chris is a great guy and he was a great boyfriend to you. I never heard you complain about anything other than him being busy during football season. Dropping him out of the clear blue like this, just seems way harsh.”
“I did something for me,” Nichole says in almost a growl. “Not for my fucking parents, not for Chris, but for me. I wanted to get as far away from this shithole town and the people in it as I can, so I applied to UCLA. When I’m out in LA this summer, I won’t give two shits about Cherryfield or Chris Powell!”
The other girls in the locker room have all moved in closer to watch the exchange.
Morgan’s jaw is tight and creases mark her forehead. “That’s selfish. That’s what you are. Selfish, Nichole.”
Nichole glares at Morgan and bends over slightly to lean in towards her face. “Selfish, huh? Okay, then let’s talk about you for a second, Morgan. Why don’t we talk about how you are taking what I did to myex-boyfriend a little too fucking personal.”
Morgan can hear some “ooo’s” from behind her.
Morgan sits up tall. “Chris is my friend, too.”
“Oh whatever,” Nichole waves off. “Chris wouldn’t even talk to you if you weren’t always trailing around me.”
“I’ve known him since kindergarten!” Morgan defends. “We’ve been friends for years.”
“Yeah, but I’m supposed to be your best friend, which means you should have my back and not his,” Nichole crosses her arms and purses her lips. “But I think the truth is Morgan, you don’t just have Chris’s back. You want what he’s got up front, too.”
The “ooo’s” around them get louder and there are a few gasps and some giggles.
Morgan exhales slowly and shakes her head. “You just don’t get it Nikki. Most girls would love to have a guy that is that devoted and that caring and that good of a person. The rest of us are out here trying to find someone special when you had that.”
“And let’s be honest. You always wanted what I had,” Nichole shoots back. “Ow! I know! I bet if you hurry and act now, you can catch him on the rebound! That’s the only shot you are going to have.”
Maya winces and lets out a shocked laugh. “Damn….”
Morgan sits quietly for a minute, then looks up at Nichole and rises to her feet. She’s a few inches taller than Nichole and it felt like the right time to remind her of that. Now looking down at her friend, Morgan tries to keep her composure.
“You said you are free to date who you want, when you want. So, who is that going to be Nichole? What other player are you going to date, because, we all know, you only date football players. So, who is it going to be? Ryan? Chris is his boy, so no, that won’t happen. Oh wait, Ethan? Ow, that’s gonna be a hard no too. Or Alex, that’s it right? Alex, except, he would do just about anything for Chris. Who the hell do you think is going date you now? You hurt one of the nicest guys at this school. So…who?” Morgan raises her eyesbrows and waits.
Nichole sticks her tongue in her cheek, arms still folded and silently stares back at Morgan.
“Yeah. See, that’s it. No one, Nichole. So tomorrow, when it starts to sink in that you made a big mistake and that you are going to spend the rest of senior year eating TV dinners with your dad on Saturday’s or doing make-up with Maya just to go nowhere, you’re going to get it.”
Morgan grabs her clothes from her locker and heads towards a stall to change, done with this entire conversation.
***
As Morgan walks down the hall, she can feel the eyes on her. Girls and boys alike are huddled and whispering at their lockers watching her as she passes. Coming out of her 3rd period English Literature class, she realizes word of her verbal sparring match with Nichole has spread around the small campus.
She’s got more on her mind than gossipmongers. Chris wasn’t in class. With assigned alphabetical seating, Morgan Price has had a seat next to Christopher Powell since the first day of school in at least one class since they began room changes in the 5th grade. His chair was noticeably vacant this morning.
As she walks down the hall, she spots Ethan leaning against the lockers, talking to Ryan as he pulls books from his. She approaches.
“Hey,” She says clutching her books to her chest.
“’Sup?” Ryan responds. The fact that he doesn’t take her approach as an opportunity to hit on her or blatantly scope out her body only solidifies for her that something is wrong.
“Hey Morgan,” Ethan greets. She nods at him. He blows out a breath of air.
“So, how is Chris?” she asks. It’s in between classes and she’s got to get to her point, they don’t have much time for conversation.
“That’s the thing, we don’t know,” Ethan responds.
“What?” Morgan frowns.
“We had no idea Nichole broke up with him till this morning when we got here. People in class were talking about it. He didn’t text or call last night or this morning, we haven’t seen him. We didn’t know.” Ryan explains. He closes his locker and faces Morgan finally.
“Yeah, he wasn’t in 3rd period….” Morgan trails off. Worry writes itself across her face.
“I snuck my phone out and text him. Haven’t gotten a response yet though,” Ethan says.
Ryan pulls his backpack up on his shoulders. “How are you? We heard you stood up to that she-demon of a soul-less, heartless hooker that answers to the name Nichole this morning.
Morgan blinks at him before finally letting out a soft chuckle. “Nice use of words.”
“I do what I can,” Ryan responds. He grasps the straps of his backpack but eyes her, turning serious again. “For real though, you okay?” he questions, squinting slightly.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Who needs a friend like that, ya know?” Morgan says somewhat softly. Ryan eyes her. He knows she’s hurt but not wanting to say it.
“Yeah, you’re right.” He tries to offer a smile.
The warning bell sounds.
“Shit, gotta go. If I’m late for 4th again, Mrs. Pine is gonna give me detention,” Ryan says.
“Ethan?” Morgan calls as they begin to turn away. “If you hear from Chris, please let me know, okay? It’s just…not like him to not be here.”
Ethan nods. “Yeah I know. I’m starting to get worried,” he replies. When he sees Morgan’s anxious expression he tries to soothe the situation. “I’m sure he just didn’t want to be here today answering all the questions about Nichole. He’s fine I bet.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. See you guys,” Morgan turns and begins sprinting up the hall to her next class.
***
The whispers and stares continue to follow Morgan as she moves through the lunch line, silently grabbing for what can only be deemed edible by someone without taste buds. Once she pays, she grabs her tray and heads into the lunch room.
She hadn’t given lunch much thought: Until now.
She surveys the room and spots the table with Nichole, Maya, the cheerleaders and some members of the dance team. This is where she normally sits: Nichole with Chris on one side, Morgan on the other. Ethan and Ryan usually join the table as well. Today, Maya is sitting in the spot normally reserved for her next to Nichole and Kelsey is occupying what would be Chris’s seat.
Morgan takes a few steps but then pauses. She exhales deeply. One of the girls looks up and notices her staring at them. She says something to them and Nichole turns with the others to look directly at her. Nichole’s eye brow is arched, a dare for Morgan to even try and attempt to come sit with her. Maya leans over and whispers something to her and they cackle, keeping their eyes on her.
Morgan sighs, rolls her eyes and moves across the lunch room and out the double doors. She finds the stairwell on the opposite end of the cafeteria near the gym and takes a seat. Silently she begins to eat what was identified on the menu as a grilled-cheese sandwich.
She balances the tray on her lap in deep reflection. She thinks of the event this morning that led to her exile and she thinks of Chris and says a silent prayer he is okay.
The sound of sneakers moving across linoleum make her look up as the door to the gym swings open. Ryan shuffles by quickly but stops and backs up when he notices her.
“Hey,” he says looking confused.
“Hi,” she replies, chewing on her sandwich.
“Um…what the hell are you doing?” His eyes dart back and forth.
“Oh, you mean this?” She points to the stairwell and the stair she is sitting on.
“Yeah.”
“Banishment table seating for 1, reserved for Morgan,” She nods trying to joke.
Ryan’s shoulders drop and he throws his head back. “Are you fucking serious? She won’t let you sit with them?”
“I don’t want to, it’s fine,” she replies.
“Morgan this is dumb, come sit with Ethan and me,” Ryan says.
She looks up at him, a pointed look.
“Best behavior, I swear,” he puts his hands up. “I won’t hit on you or talk about how great your butt looks in those jeans, how sexy those boots are on you, or anything. See, out of my system.” He gives her a smirk. Despite herself, she laughs.
“Fine….”
“Here,” he reaches out and grabs her tray as she stands, holding it for her.
They walk towards the lunch room and before going in, she turns to him.
“Thank you,” she says sincerely. “I know I give you crap all the time-“
“Eh, I may deserve it every now and then,” he grins.
She smiles back at him. “Now and then?”
“All the time,” he agrees.
“But…I appreciate this. I don’t think my butt could take sitting on those stairs for a whole school year.”
“We wouldn’t want to do anything to damage that perfect ass now would we?” he winks. “Oops, sorry. I’m trying. See this is all so new!”
Morgan laughs as they head in to sit with Ethan and a few other guys from the team. As Morgan takes her seat in front of Ethan and next to Ryan, she glances across the lunch room. Nichole and the others silently watch her every move, an astonished look on their faces.
***
When Coach asked if either Ryan or Ethan knew where Chris was all they could do was shrug. Coach frowned. When he didn’t arrive in the locker room before practice, he had text his quarterback. He always received a swift response. No reply had come.
They ran drills with their backup QB Aaron. It was Tuesday and the big game to determine the winner of the district championship against Harrington was this Friday. They needed Chris. They needed their star quarterback. Recruiters would be there to look at both Ethan and Ryan. They needed big games and a victory to help them finalize their scholarship offers.
As soon as practice was over, Ethan and Ryan jumped into Ryan’s black Bronco with oversized wheels and raced to the Powell household. Chris’s mother usually worked late at the store on Tuesday’s, and because Chris was typically at practice, a friend of their mother’s looked after Kyle and AJ until she was able to pick them up.
Even in the setting sun, the house looked dark from within. No lights seemed to be on. Chris’ jeep was in the driveway under the awning.
“Looks like he’s home,” Ethan said as Ryan stopped the vehicle up front. He turned off the ignition and immediately hopped out, Ethan following. They head up the sidewalk to the front door and Ryan knocks hard a few times.
They stand and wait, hearing nothing. Ryan and Ethan exchange glances and Ryan puts his fist to the door again hard, pounding several times. “Powell!” He shouts.
Finally, the sound of shuffling and the door being unlatched is heard. Chris slowly opens the door. His hair is disheveled and he is wearing a pair of faded pajama pants. His t-shirt is worn and faded. His feet are bare. His eyes are puffy and blood shot and there is a hint of stubble around his face. He scratches the back of his head and without saying a word, turns around and moves back inside the house.
Ryan and Ethan exchange one more glance before walking in, Ethan closing the door behind him.
“Dude, you alright?” Ryan asks.
“I’m fine,” Chris says in a groggy voice and plops down on the couch.
“You look like hell,” Ryan says. Ethan elbows him and Ryan’s eyes widen, shrugging defensively.
“Where were you today man? You missed practice. We missed you out there,” Ethan says. “Coach said he called you, you didn’t answer. You didn’t answer my text. What’s going on Chris?”
“I just…I couldn’t be there today guys. I didn’t want to see her, be anywhere near her,” Chris says rubbing his eyes and leaning his head back on the couch. “That entire school reminds me of her. I just…I couldn’t.”
“Look, I’m sorry about Nichole. What she did, it’s pretty shitty,” Ethan says. “I know you cared for that girl and it hurts man. I’m sorry.”
Chris stares blankly out ahead of him in silence.
“Does everyone at school know?” Chris finally asks without looking at them. Ethan sits down on the couch, Ryan in a chair opposite of them.
“You know how it is man, people were gonna talk. But pretty much everyone thinks it’s jacked up what Nichole did,” Ryan explains.
Chris bites a nail and exhales. “How was she today?”
Ethan shrugs. “Don’t know. Didn’t talk to her, don’t want to talk to her.”
“Did she seem, like happy or sad or…what?” Chris says. For the first time since they arrived he finally looks over at Ethan. He runs a hand over his hair and rubs the back of his neck waiting for his best friends answer.
Ethan and Ryan exchange another knowing glance. “I mean…she seemed like she usually is I guess,” Ryan says.
“But, I can say, she got told about herself today,” Ryan says.
Chris frowns and looks at Ryan. “Dude, what did you say to her?”
Ryan’s head jerks back. “For once it actually wasn’t me. It was Morgan.”
Chris’s lips part in surprise and he frowns.
“Yeah. Apparently Morgan told Nichole off this morning, told her she was wrong for what she did,” Ryan smirks. “I would have actually paid money to see that.”
Chris is quiet again and there is an awkward silence.
“If I was better, this wouldn’t have happened,” Chris says in a hush.
“Huh?” Ryan frowns.
“If I was better, if I was a better quarterback, a better athlete, then I would have had an offer from a school like UCLA,” Chris exhales. “Then, then I would be able to play where Nichole wants to be and she wouldn’t have broken up with me.”
“Chris…” Ryan breathes out. “Don’t do that to yourself. You are a damn good player and athlete. If you were Joe Montana, Nichole probably still would have done this. This isn’t about you, it’s about her,” Ryan says.
“When we take that field, you are the only person I want to get the ball from,” Ethan says. “Ryan is right.”
There is another long silence.
“You coming to school tomorrow?” Ethan asks finally.
“Not planning on it,” Chris says matter-of-factly.
“Chris…you can’t avoid-“
“I can’t, okay. Not right now. I just can’t.” Chris bends over and stares at the floor. “If I see her right now, it’s just going to feel like I got hit by a Mack truck.”
Ryan and Ethan look at each other.
“So, what did you do all day today?” Ethan questions.
Chris shrugs. “Slept I guess. I didn’t get much sleep last night. House was quiet. I just wanted to be alone,” he mumbles and bites his nail again.
“Are you…are you sure you’re okay man?” Ryan asks concerned. “The way you sound. The way you look. I know you loved her. I get it…but you can’t, like, stop living your life because of her.”
“No. You don’t get it,” Chris sighs. “You’ve never had someone that means to you what Nichole means to me. She was the first person I wanted to see every day and the last voice I wanted to hear before I went to bed every night. The things we…the things we did together….the places we went. The fun we had, that was my girl. Then last night, she basically tells me she never really loved me back. Like…all I keep thinking of is all the times she said ‘I love you’ and didn’t even mean it. All the times she talked about being together forever and it was a lie….” Chris trails off. He balls his hands into fists and places them on the side of his head as he drops it down. He takes a deep breath, feeling the emotion welling up inside him again.
“I knew a few weeks ago, she was starting to act weird but then all of a sudden we were okay again. Then last night, without any kind of a warning, she just ended it. Like, it’s over. It’s over,” Chris says still in disbelief.
“It sucks, I’m not going to tell you different,” Ethan says. “But you gotta keep going man. Don’t let her ruin your entire life. And plus, we need you. The team needs you. You miss another practice, you might not play on Friday.”
Chris sighs deeply. “I know….”
“Man, fuck Nichole,” Ryan says. “Seriously. If she would do that, treat you like that, screw her. You’re my boy and I know you deserve better than that.”
Chris peers up at him and nods slowly.
“Do you know how many other girls at Cherryfield will be all over you now?” Ryan exclaims. “You could point your finger and replace her tomorrow.”
“I don’t want any other girl. I want Nichole back. I want to work this out,” Chris says.
Ethan slowly closes his eyes and shakes his head. “Chris, this is what she wanted.”
Chris closes his eyes and thinks for a minute. “I know,” he says, his voice slightly cracking. The emotion is there again, threatening to show itself. Suddenly he hops up. “Look guys, I appreciate you coming over to check on me. I’m fine. I just, I want to be by myself before my family gets home.” He moves over to the door, twisting the knob and looking at them.
Ryan and Ethan take their cue and stand up.
“So, see you at school tomorrow?” Ethan questions.
“I don’t know guys, we’ll see,” Chris says distantly.
“Chris-“
“Look, I don’t know,” Chris cuts Ethan off. He opens the door and makes direct eye contact with both of them.
Ethan exhales slowly. “She might not need you in her life, but the rest of us do and we are counting on you. Ryan and I have your back. But you’ve got to show up Chris.”
Ryan and Ethan stand on the porch looking back at their broken friend.
“Thanks for your concern guys. Bye.” Chris says abruptly and shuts the door, bolting it closed.