Page 1 of Big Nick Energy

One

“So, I’m standing in the back of the crowd because I came late,” I started the story for the hundredth time. “And I feel this presence next to me. I glance over and it is the sexiest man I’d ever seen in my life.” I leaned forward and emphasized my point with my fingers. “In. My. Life. My jaw dropped in real life. And then he smiled at me. When I smiled back, he leaned down and whispered?—”

“How are you liking it so far?” Paris Brown interrupted mocking a deep baritone voice and rolling her eyes. “You tell this story at least once a year.”

Waving my hand to hush her, I continued despite her apparent annoyance. “I nodded and told him it was good. And he locked eyes with me and said good. But it wasn’t just the fact that he said good. It was thewayhe said good.”

Paris looked around my bedroom comically. “Asha, why are you telling me this?”

“Because it’s key to our weekend. Now listen…” I shook my hands and continued. “So, we’re still staring at one another when everyone starts clapping. He licked his lips and said, ‘wish me luck’ before he strolled to the front of the stage. All eyes were on him. My eyes were glued to him.” I put my hands to my chest.“And then he goes on to give the most impassioned speech about making tech more accessible for kids from low-income families and I just…I just swooned.” I closed my eyes and sighed. “I fell for him right then and there. And then when he finished, this girl ran up, threw her arms around him and kissed him.”

“Evie, his girlfriend.”

When I opened my eyes, I found my best friend looking at me like I’d just grown a second head. I put my hands on my hips and cocked my head to the side. “Where is your compassion?”

“Where is your sense?”

I laughed, grabbing the last outfit I needed to try on. “Shut up!”

“I know this story though, Asha. And you know you’ve told me this story a million times.”

“I—”

She interrupted. “You met the homecoming king, realized he was more than just good looks, and then he ran over to his homecoming queen girlfriend, and they rode off into the sunset together.” She lifted her hands up in surrender. “Respectfully.”

I sighed loudly even though she wasn’t wrong.

I crossed paths with Nick often after I joined his community enrichment group. But I only admired him from afar. We had a couple of brief conversations outside of the club, but for the most part, we were just friendly acquaintances. I was never on his radar, and I was too shy, too self-conscious, and too inexperienced to even try to get on his radar. But ten years had passed, and things changed.

I’m a grown ass woman now.

“I needed our origin story to be fresh in your mind, so you’ll understand that our plan to take over homecoming and make it memorable has changed.” I took a step closer to her. “The new plan consists of us getting the men of our college dreams.”

“What?” she gasped.

“Carpe diem.”

“What the actual fuck, Asha?”

“I was talking to my grandma yesterday and she said something that she always said but this time, for whatever reason, it hit different. It’s been in my head for the last twenty-four hours.”

“What did she say?”

I paused for dramatic effect. “She said when you have faith the size of a mustard seed, nothing is impossible. And it hit me… if Nick and Tuck are single, why shouldn’t we shoot our shot with them?”

Paris’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Faith of a mustard seed.”

“You have lost your mind. What is your plan?”

“I’m glad you asked!” With a wide grin, I took another step forward. “So, I’m going to position myself at the panel so that Nick sees me and then I’m going to lock eyes with him like we did all those years ago. And then when it’s over, he’s going to be walking past me and I’m going to tell him it was good. He’s going to remember me and”—I fanned my fingers out, mimicking an explosion— “BOOM! Fireworks!”

She shook her head in disbelief. “So, the plan is to be delusional?”

I laughed. “The plan is to catch his attention and engage.”

With a straight face, she asked, “Do you have a backup plan?”

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