Chapter Text
Garrett Laughlin’s always been smarter than he likes to let on.
What, you thought his friendship with Bram Greenfeld was an extreme case of opposites attract?
Well, he can’t exactly blame you for that. He does genuinely enjoy being the loud, goofy one in whatever friend group he’s in, and relishes the attention he gets from it. While he’s not a theatre kid like Simon and Abby are, he imagines the rush they get from performing is the same sense of euphoria he feels when he makes the winning shot in a soccer game, knowing that all eyes are on him. It gives him a sense of validation that warms him up inside. He’s definitely a full-blown extrovert.
However, more than once someone – usually Bram, and more recently Nick too – has had to jolt him back to reality when he’s been wrapped up in his own thoughts. Not that they’re particularly high-brow thoughts. Garrett’s not like Bram, who can hold up extended conversations with teachers about what they’re covering in AP classes (he genuinely thinks Bram is a super-smart alien sometimes), or Leah, who when she feels like it can give whole lectures on why Draco Malfoy deserved better (he’s pretty sure it’s got something to do with Harry Potter, but remembers Harry ending up with a ginger girl, not a blond dude). He can’t even really compete with Nick on that front, who regularly gives him play-by-play recaps and analysis of whatever match Ronaldo last played. To be fair, he can at least follow those, if Nick remembers to rein in his motor mouth tendency.
Nope, Garrett’s speciality is people. Specifically observing people. He doesn’t know whether or not it comes from his psychologist mom, but he suspects not. Otherwise, surely Simon “Hears and sees things” Spier would actually live up to his name. But while Simon’s known to be a bit off with his assumptions, Garrett takes pride in the fact that he’s generally spot-on. His parents always nag him about the fact that if he spent less time studying people and more time studying for his AP classes, he’d get better grades than even Bram would, but that’s not Garrett’s style. He firmly believes that if everyone spent a little more time looking at other people and trying to understand them, everyone would be a little bit happier. After all, miscommunication can get very messy.
So when Bram casually mentions to Nick that they (Garrett and Bram have been a ‘they’ since middle school) might start joining Nick’s table at lunch, Garrett’s interest is piqued. Since all three of them had gone to soccer tryouts Freshman year, they’d naturally hang around together on the pitch, and would sit as a group on bus rides to matches. But the unspoken rule was that while Bram and Garrett sat with the other soccer jocks at lunch, Nick sat with Simon and Leah (and Leah’s other friends, but Nick never really mentioned them).
At first, Garrett is a bit confused. As far as he can recall, not much has changed for Junior year. Sure, they have less classes with the other soccer guys now, since only some of them are doing AP classes, but it’s not like there’s been a sudden increase in class time with Nick. Nick’s more of a science person, while Bram’s AP classes this year are more humanities and arts, like Literature and World History. He should know – he only selected those classes because Bram did. Mainly because dyslexia sucks and he likes having Bram there to help him proofread his work before hand-in deadlines. Garrett appreciates Bram not judging his crappy spelling.
Then he starts thinking a little more. Wait, there’s the new girl, Abigail Suso. She’s in a lot of their classes now, come to think of it. And she’s become a permanent fixture at Nick’s lunch table – often next to Simon, laughing about whatever Taylor Metternich’s said that day in play rehearsals. Her funny impersonations always make the table laugh (except Leah, but Garrett’s not totally sure why), and she’s definitely caught the eye of more than one guy in the Junior class. Including Nick Eisner, which is what puzzles Garrett. Despite Bram never having a girlfriend, Garrett knows that Bram’s not the sort of guy who would compete with a friend over a girl. Bram’s a pretty decent guy like that.
So, Garrett remains confused.
He slowly adjusts to the new dynamic of their lunch table. It takes a few weeks, and a couple of misfired jokes, but he settles in. Nick’s non-soccer friends are definitely nothing like the soccer guys, but they’re still alright.
Morgan and Anna are both a little quiet when him and Bram are around, which Garrett puts down to them being a bit shy and intimidated by two fairly built jocks. They seem to be really artsy though, and remind him of his little sister Natty, whose doodles look similar to the pages in Morgan’s sketchbook that she often brings out at lunch. He doesn’t really see Nick or Simon talk to them much, so he assumes the two girls are mainly Leah’s friends. Kinda like him and Bram are mainly Nick’s friends.
Leah’s also on the quiet side, but the vibe she gives off suggests it’s not due to shyness. Garrett sees the looks she gives them when Bram’s not paying attention, and her shifts to the side when Garrett makes eye contact. He also sees the way she looks at Nick, Abby, and Simon: all a little different, but still containing the same feeling of frustration. She’s a tougher nut to crack, for sure. He’s positive with time that she’ll become more open, though.
Abby is the lively one. She tends to lead the conversation on Garrett’s side of the table, and he’s ended up sitting next to her most of the time. She strikes him as being somewhat of a kindred spirit: likes to get people’s attention so she has a chance to see them better without being obvious about it. His awkward initial attempts at making jokes to the whole table seem to be best received by her. He wonders if it’s because she sees their similarities too.
Nick’s, well, Nick. A more chill version, but still the same easy-going guy Garrett befriended two years ago. The obvious crush on Abby means that more of the table conversation is directed her way than Garrett initially anticipated, but he still appreciates seeing another side to Nick that he’s only seen a couple times before. This bubbly Nick is clearly reserved for off the soccer pitch.
Who really stumps Garrett is Simon. Initially, he could tell Simon was trying to suss him and Bram out, and was a bit stand-offish. Understandable, given that they were new additions to the lunch table. But even after a month, while Simon’s clearly become comfortable with Abby, the only real interaction he’s had with them is the awkward half-smile he makes while reaching for his drink. Which, fair enough, he supposes that suddenly having to interact with jocks that aren’t Nick makes Simon’s theatre kid self feel a little put off. Yet the restraint in interaction doesn’t only seem to be applied to him and Bram, it seems. When Simon’s not in direct conversation, Garrett can see Simon’s mouth start to droop a little, and the nose-sighs he makes before taking a drink.
So Garrett’s got a couple questions for Nick about his friends, but resolves to not ask him. He’d rather not deal with the awkwardness that comes with a “Dude, what’s up with your friends…?”
He hesitates sharing them with Bram, too, but curiosity gets the better of him.
“So, whadaya think of Eisner’s friends?”
It’s a quiet evening. Him and Bram are alone, walking back to Garrett’s car after soccer practice. Nick had gone ahead, saying he had an ‘important appointment’ to get to. Both Bram and Garrett had worked out this was code for ‘game night with Leah and Simon’.
Bram pauses mid stride, then turns to Garrett.
“Hm?”
“Nick Eisner’s friends. Y'know, the people we’re eating lunch with now.”
Bram’s quiet as he faces forward and starts to walk again. Garrett does too.
“They’re cool, I guess? Chill, but cool. Not like the soccer guys.”
“Yeah,” Garrett chuckles, “Definitely not like the soccer bros.”
There’s another period of silence, then Garrett speaks up again.
“So what made you want the change in scene? Because no offense, but they’re not exactly the most… fun people to be around…?” He lets his sentence trail off.
A beat, and then, “I think they’re kinda interesting?"
Cue side-eye from Garrett. “C’mon, Rett, if they’re friends with Nick they’ve gotta be somewhat cool.”
“I didn’t say anything, bro!”
“But I know you gave me The Look.”
“What look?”
“You know, the judgey middle-school butt-lips eye-roll look.”
Garrett laughs. “Hey, Greenfeld, I’d like to think I’ve progressed a bit beyond that look by Junior year.”
Bram grins back at him. “Nah, you’re still the dweeb I made friends with in 7th grade. Just a bit bigger now.”
They reach the car. Forgoing the trunk, they unceremoniously dump their stuff in Garrett’s back seat. Bram gets the radio connected to Garrett’s phone, while Garrett starts the ignition.
As Rascal Flatts begins to sing (hey, he’s from the South, he loves his country music), Garrett is still curious for answers, so he decides to continue questioning Bram.
“Haha, but seriously, bro, why’d you want us to switch lunch tables this year? Like, I get wanting to spend more time with Nick, he’s cool, but to be honest I don’t think his friends seem to like us that much.”
There’s a pause.
“Like I said, they’re kinda interesting.”
“You gotta give me more than that, Greenfeld.”
Then Bram blushes, of all things. It’s faint, but Garrett can just make out a flush of pink across his cheeks. “… Well, some of them are interesting.”
“Interesting, huh? Are you sure that’s the word you wanna go with?” Garrett’s definitely curious now.
Bram turns his face to the window. He hums in agreement, and doesn’t expand upon his answer. There’s a nervous energy there, definitely.
“Which one, then? Abby, Leah, Morgan or Anna?”
Bram freezes. “What?”
“Which one of them have you got a crush on?”
“Uh…”
Garrett senses there’s something off, but he puts it down to Bram just being nervous about talking about girls. He laughs softly to break the ice.
“Look bro, I get it. We don’t talk much about girls… well, not you, anyway. I know you’ve listened to me go on about Rachel Wood’s boobs too many times. But like, if you wanna talk to me about it, I’m right here, bro, yeah?”
He spares a glance to his right as he takes the turn to Bram’s house. Bram is no longer looking out the window.
“Yeah, got it. Thanks, Rett.” It’s quieter than normal.
They pull into Bram’s driveway, and Garrett waves goodbye as Bram walks in, soccer bag slung over his shoulder.
Well, Garrett now knows why they don’t sit with the other soccer guys at lunch anymore.