Chapter Text
IT’S THE SUMMER.
Classes are out, practices are in, and Neil is sitting in a diner with an odd pairing of people.
He’s listening to the conversation between Nicky and Allison. Both are gesturing wildly with their hands as Neil dips a french fry into his ketchup before taking a bite.
He has no clue what they’re bickering about nor why he’s here but he’s not really complaining. It was either this or go with Matt and Seth. Both men are currently fixated on drag racing and who knows what best about cars.
Then there’s Dan and Renee. They had plans to go out to the mall and Neil doesn’t shop for clothes unless he has to. He clearly didn’t want to so it was out of the question. He’s sure they’d bring a couple of things back, however, and spending hours in several stores isn’t appealing.
Which left the twins and Kevin.
Neil prefers to be on the court but he digresses.
“You know what? Fine!” Nicky says and Neil looks up to stare at them as he chews. “Neil. My favorite redhead—”
“The only redhead you know,” Neil interrupts the blatant flattery with a raised brow.
Allison shrugs with a hum. “Mmm. There’s Katelyn but go on.”
“Our lovely, wonderful speed demon,” Nicky continues. “Do you think I give too much of a fuck? Genuinely. This is a no joke, serious question.”
“Do you want me to lie?”
Allison gives Nicky a knowing look and a sly smirk. “See? I told you.”
“Why don’t we bet on it? Whatever the situation is—I don’t even care if it’s something as small as mixing white clothes—If I give too much of a fuck, I owe you seventy bucks,” Nicky proposes, a small frown on his lips as he all but stabs a poor french fry into the small packet of ketchup then tosses it into his mouth.
Allison tilts her head to the side to think on it for a moment. “Two-fifty and you can’t bet on yourself so denied. ”
“You bitch.”
“Neil, are you betting?” Allison asks and Neil leans back in his seat.
He normally doesn’t get himself involved in the betting games between the Foxes. It’s a little ridiculous to bet on something like Nicky’s capacity to care about many things but he can’t deny that he’s just a little curious.
So he decides, “Five hundred that Nicky doesn’t give too much of a fuck. I’ll even throw in a couple extra if he manages not to react to something he really cares about.”
Nicky beams at that and nudges Allison. “At least someone believes in me.”
“Yeah right. More like pity,” she says and sips on her bubbly soda. “This is going to be the easiest seven hundred I make in a week.”
“Is this going to be between us or are we inevitably roping in everyone else?” Neil asks as he drums his fingers on the table.
“Oh, we so could. Trying to get more money out of us, Josten?”
“Might as well go all in if that’s the case, Reynolds. You all throw money at the slightest thing. I, for one, have full belief that Nicky doesn’t give a fuck.”
Nicky raises a hand. “Uh, yeah, Nicky here? I'm even a little aware.”
Allison leans on Nicky for a moment to dig her phone from her back pocket and taps it to life. Her fingers are flying across the screen and Nicky peers over her shoulder. “I think we should have a game night tonight.”
“And steal Kevin Exy Day from the court?”
Neil sighs, his muscles already beginning to feel the strain and tension that would come from pushing too hard at practice to make up for the missing. “I can ask.”
“Nothing to worry about then,” Nicky says after a while.
Allison doesn’t look up from her phone, seemingly still texting with giggles and laughs here and there. “Is that your best attempt at not giving a fuck?”
Nicky rolls his eyes. “ Anyway. So Erik and I were talking and—”
Neil leans forward to continue eating his lunch as Nicky rambles about his boyfriend— fiance, excuse him—and Allison setting up their game night as well as gathering who’s betting for or against Nicky.
Needless to say, Neil will be winning quite a bit if things work in his favor.