CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO
TRYOUTS

Aaron Harrington had been in highschool for just over six weeks, and already he was noticing differences in the dynamics of his friend group.

Just as Aaron had predicted, or rather feared, he didn't see much of his friends anymore. Well, not as much as he would have liked to anyway.

They were all just busy with different things.

Just like he'd known he would, Aaron found himself mainly speaking with Kimmy and Lucas.

However this wasn't by choice, Dustin and Mike had joined some sort of club where they'd all play D&D together in the A.V Room. The blond couldn't remember what it was called, but they all had matching shirts that they wore.

They had asked Aaron if he wanted to join with them, and the blond had to practically refrain himself from laughing in their faces - as rude as it sounded.

The blond hadn't played D&D in years - literally. And he didn't plan on wasting his four years in highschool hanging out in the A.V Room starting again.

However because he had declined the offer, it now meant that he didn't see Dustin and Mike no where near as much.

Aaron could only be glad that he shared most of his classes with either Kimmy or Lucas. And on the rare occasion that the blond didn't have either of the two in a class with him, he kept to himself.

Aaron had definitely become the quietest in the group after starting school.

Even when he was with the party, Aaron was much quieter than he would have been when they would have hung out maybe a year ago. He also made no effort to talk to anyone new. The blond had always been shy, but it was getting to a new extent.

Aaron was glad that he'd met Kimmy all those years ago, because if he'd met her now he knew he'd never have gathered the courage to actually talk to her.

Of course he'd been nervous when he'd first approached her at school, but he'd managed to momentarily push aside his nerves to the point they were bearable and do it.

Looking back he was definitely glad that he did force himself to talk to her. Aaron was a smart boy and over the years had many achievements. He'd always got good grades, he was a good friend, a good brother, he was quite a decent hockey player - if he did say so himself. He had many achievements in life, but in his eyes the one he was proudest of was the fact that he'd managed to get Kimmy to go out with him.

Aaron was beyond glad that he'd ended up with Kimmy as a girlfriend and he believed that he needed her more than she realised. The blond was lucky that Kimmy was the way she was, they just seemed to have this sort of... natural chemistry from the start that had remained if not had gotten stronger throughout the years.

While Aaron cared deeply about both Lucas and Max, he was glad his and Kimmy's relationship was nothing like theirs. The two had fun together and could always make the other laugh, but Aaron knew he could not handle it if Kimmy treated him the way he sometimes found Max treating Lucas. First the five million times she'd dumped him, and now the fact she was completely blanking him. Aaron knew full well he wouldn't handle it well if Kimmy did that to him.

At first Aaron thought he was just more sensitive than Lucas was, but he soon corrected himself. It wasn't that he was this overly sensitive boy that couldn't handle any sort of negative comments. He could handle people not being the nicest to him, he just couldn't handle it when it came from people he cared about the most. Which was why he would struggle when Steve would torment him.

He also seemed to defend the people he cared about more than he'd defend himself. Since she got out the hospital, Aaron was pretty sure he'd snapped on more people in defence of Kimmy than he had in defence of himself since he'd been able to talk.

It seemed to just come natural to him. He wouldn't have liked people saying anything along the lines of rude to her anyway, but after finding out what she'd been dealing with for years, he felt like anything said to her in even the slightest of rude tones had him going to defend her without even thinking about it.

It was weird that he was so passionate about anything to do with her and he just... didn't care when it came to himself.

It was like his battery was almost always at zero now and he did not know why. He wanted to join in and act how he wanted to and usually would but it was like he physically couldn't.

He had made absolutely no new friends in the six weeks he'd been in that school, but if he was to be completely honest he didn't really care about that. He was more concerned that Kimmy hadn't either.

He tried not to think about it too much, seeing as the issue frustrated him to a great extent. Not because she hadn't been able to actually make any new friends, it was why she hadn't been able to that really annoyed him.

The first three weeks or so of the school year admittedly had gone well for the girl, although after that period of time it was almost like there was a turning point. And it all made its way back to one person.

Just like she had the last few weeks of summer, Max had continued to talk to Kimmy and hang out with her as if nothing was wrong when they all started school. But that soon changed.

Clearly, Max had been putting up a front that she was okay, but now that had cracked and she began to crumble. Meaning, she was sort of... blanking the party.

That wasn't really the issue when it came to Kimmy, seeing as Max was actually still talking to the brunette. However Aaron almost wished she wasn't talking to Kimmy at all. That would have probably been better than what was going on currently.

It was almost like the redhead was still making up her mind, like she didn't know if she should treat Kimmy the same way she was treating the rest of the party or not.

Because of this, she'd be avoiding Kimmy one day and then talking to her as if nothing was wrong the next. Leaving the brunette so worried that she'd done something to upset her best friend that she'd spend all her extra time trying to get Max to 'like' her again.

Obviously Max was allowed to do what she felt she needed to in order to grieve her brother, and she clearly wasn't doing well. But Aaron couldn't help but feel that it was unfair to Kimmy. But then again, maybe he was slightly bias.

Kimmy had never actually told Aaron, but she was practically bending over backwards to try help Max as much as possible but was getting little to nothing in response. The brunette had been so worried about her redhead friend that it had stopped her talking to others.

Of course she was concerned about Max's wellbeing, but Aaron got the idea that most of her anxiety over the matter came from the fact she felt Max was ignoring the party because of her - which was anything but true. Kimmy had been nothing but a good friend to Max, but it was obvious to Aaron that because the redhead wasn't really talking to her anymore that Kimmy convinced herself it was because she'd done something to hurt her.

Everything was back to how it had been the following weeks after Billy's death, only now it was worse. Max wouldn't even smile at the party in the hallway at school, a permanent frown etched onto her face.

It also didn't help that Kimmy wasn't exactly the most talkative unless she already knew the person or unless she was comfortable. Aaron had almost forgotten this about her, having not seen her having to make friends until he had befriended her - and that was more due to Aaron's efforts than hers.

The girl was so different when she was around the party, and then to take it a step further she was also very different in Aaron's eyes when she was just with him. Aaron found it puzzling that he'd never really noticed, he probably hadn't had the chance to seeing as she'd never had to make any new friends after befriending the party.

Just like Aaron did, Kimmy did tend to keep to herself in school also, and because she was taking the emotional absence of her best friend so hard, Aaron would try encourage her to hang out with himself and Lucas whenever he could.

He didn't want to come off as having to be around her all the time or that he was overly clingy or something. And while he obviously wasn't going to deny her company and did like being around her, it was more that he didn't want her to be lonely.

Aaron hoped that Max wouldn't freeze Kimmy out forever, or for any longer than necessary. Truthfully he didn't think Max realised what her abrupt absence was doing to Kimmy's mentality. And he knew the brunette would never say anything about it because of why she wasn't speaking to the party and Max's evident family issues.

Aaron had almost told his friends about his plans to try out for the hockey team, but he'd quickly decided against it. Seeing the reaction Lucas had faced from both Mike and Dustin when he'd told them he was trying out for the basketball team.

Lucas had ended up making the team, and it was obvious that while they tried to hide their distaste for the matter, it was difficult for them not to feel somewhat... offended that he'd wanted to join the basketball team instead of the club they were apart of.

Hockey tryouts were after school that very day and Aaron still hadn't told his friends, leaving him with the only option to wait until they were actually over.

Aaron was stood outside the school later that afternoon, messing around with the strap of his watch nervously as he tried to catch sight of Kimmy so they could leave before it got too busy.

He didn't have his tryouts until six that night, so he had time to go home and have dinner before hand.

His brows furrowed as he checked his watch for the tenth time in a matter of minutes, biting the inside of his cheek impatiently as people barged past him left and right.

Suddenly he saw her. And even though the girl was so far away that she probably couldn't even see him, he could feel his shoulders drop in relief.

Without thinking twice about it, he began to make his way through the crowds of students, desperate to talk to the girl and get home.

Having not completely thought through what he was doing and his mind too anxiously occupied with all his peers rushing past him, he reached out for her hand and went to pull her along behind him. Although this didn't exactly go to plan when the girl flinched and ripped her hand out of his hold, snapping her wide eyed gaze to face the boy she had yet to notice.

"Sorry." Aaron mumbled sheepishly in a small voice, looking around him nervously as he spoke. "Can we go?"

Highschool had taken Aaron by surprise - some parts of it at least. He hadn't expected to dislike it as much as he did.

It was much bigger than his middle school, and there were a lot more people - too much people.

"What's wrong?" Kimmy asked with a frown rather than directly answering his question, grabbing his hand just like he'd tried to do to hers and walking along side him.

"I hate this place." Was Aaron's instant response, his face blank as he spoke. 

"It's not that bad." Kimmy tried her best to convince him, but with the tone of her voice it was evident that she didn't even believe it.

"Really?" Sighed Aaron sarcastically.

"I mean... yeah, it's kind of bad." The girl with dark hair blurted and just by the tone of her voice, Aaron could tell she had her face scrunched up in thought as she wondered what to say to him. "But at least you'll have your hockey soon."

"Yeah, if I make the team." He scoffed in self doubt, shaking his head as he spoke without facing her, too busy trying to guide the two out of the masses of students. "Wouldn't get your hopes up, Kimmy."

"What do you mean? You're a good player, Aaron." Was Kimmy's instant response, pausing for a slight moment when someone pushed into her shoulder a little harsher than was probably necessary. "Why don't you think you'll make the team?"

The blond shrugged, waiting until they'd gotten to the side walk to answer so he could actually walk next to her.

"I just- there's probably a lot of good players, Kimmy. And they've probably all been in some sort of team before. I don't even know if I'm good, I just like to play." Aaron stressed, his self consciousness and overthinking taking a toll on his confidence. "I might not go-"

"No, please go, Aaron." The girl cut him off in a desperate plea, turning around to stop his steps and face him. "You've always liked hockey and you were so excited about the team. You'll regret it if you don't tryout."

Aaron frowned at the look she was sending him. The girl went to say something but hesitated, trying to send him a reassuring smile but she just ended up looking slightly sad for him.

"No one's going to think bad of you if you don't make the team, you know?" Kimmy told him in a serious voice, her words taking him by surprise.

Aaron didn't reply, looking to her blankly. Perhaps she hadn't been that far off, he would be lying if he said the fear of rejection hadn't been a contributing factor in why he hadn't told his friends.

"What did everyone else say?" Kimmy asked him with a small smile, trying to get him to reassure himself without him realising it.

Aaron simply blinked at her, not knowing what to say. Obviously his friends had said nothing because they didn't know, but of course Kimmy didn't know that.

"I didn't tell them." He finally blurted out, glancing to her with a look of hesitance.

The brunette's brows raised in what Aaron presumed was surprise. "You didn't tell anyone you were trying out for the team?"

"I told you-"

"I know you told me." Kimmy laughed softly at his response. "But besides me did you tell anyone else?"

"No."

Kimmy looked like she didn't know what to say to him. Most likely worried about what the party might say to him for not telling them.

"I was going to tell Lucas. And I swear I came close to telling Steve a couple times." Aaron rushed to tell her when she didn't say anything, suddenly panicking. "But I just... didn't end up..."

"It's okay. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to." The girl nodded at him, motioning for him to keep walking with her so he wouldn't panic like she knew he would. "I can come with you if you want? If you're nervous?"

"I'll be okay." Aaron told her with a small and slightly forced smile. "Thanks though."

That night Aaron did end up showing up to tryouts, and although he'd quite literally hated half of it, he was pretty sure he'd done good.

To be fair, the part he'd hated wasn't even when he was skating, it was before hand.

Aaron had worked himself up so much over the entire idea that he was close to turning away and not even attending.

The boy stood outside the doors to the rink for about ten minutes, anxiously thinking over his options before hesitantly pushing the doors open and walking in.

However while he was there he felt like a complete loser. He was the only one who didn't have someone to talk to, or hadn't found someone to talk to while there.

Much unlike what Steve had said, Aaron was sure these four years would not be the best ones of his life. He hoped they wouldn't be.

These past six weeks hadn't really been of any use to Aaron, but if he'd learned one thing it was that if highschool was the endings of childhood and was used to shape kids into adults, he did not want to grow up. Not in the slightest.

In fact if anything he found himself wishing he could go back to being twelve and stay there forever.

The blond had a feeling that he wasn't going to enjoy his highschool experience. He'd just have to push through it.

A part of Aaron wished he'd lived highschool through Steve's prospective. The older boy seemed to have had the perfect teenage experience.

However Aaron would always shake his head and remind himself that he didn't really want to be like how Steve was when he was Aaron's age. Aaron didn't want to ever treat people the way he knew Steve used to.

If anything Aaron would probably be apart of the group of people that would be treated badly by people in school. Quite the opposite to his brother.

Aaron had ended up telling Steve about his tryouts, but only because he had needed a ride there and home and he had downplayed the importance of it all to his brother tremendously. Not wanting to be embarrassed if he didn't make the team - just like Kimmy thought he would be.

Upon arriving home the boy rushed up stairs, showered and got ready for bed. Creeping down to see the girl who slept downstairs every night so he could tell her how it went.

Aaron and Kimmy ended up talking for hours, much longer than either had expected the conversation to go on for. And like usual, Aaron fell asleep in her bed right next to her. The boy well aware of how lucky he was to have someone like her in his life who cared about him.

...

TYSM FOR 17K READS OMG?!?! It all means sm to me and I appreciate everyone who has supported me!!

Hope everyone has a great day and enjoyed the chapter!!

SEASON 4 OFFICIALLY HAS STARTED!!!!

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- AJ :)