It was a normal first day of junior year at Minnesota High school, the teachers picking up book reports, the lunch ladies gossiping in Spanish, and the freshmen in the way. The day had just begun and Galvin, the well-known football star who definitely had a future in professional football, and his girlfriend Amy walked into the hall way with their copycat crew. Jeremy was Galvin’s best friend; they had been friends since the third grade. Macy was Amy’s cousin, Brett was the dumb one who looked high all the time, and Stacy was the gossip girl. These were the rulers of the school.
It was difficult for most students to make it through high school year without feeling personally victimized by the crew. Especially this scrawny looking kid, named Nick, whom most people called stick. He got this name from back in middle school when he sneezed up a booger bubble and got it all over Stacy’s hair. She was sleeping in class and somehow the booger slime got stuck to her hair. Poor Nick got popular quickly.
It was the beginning of the year, and Galvin and Jeremy had to lead football tryouts this year. Given that they were the most obnoxious and ignorant of their peers, they simply copied a bunch of drills they had seen that summer on a TV special about Navy Seals. They picked the players who lasted a week, and they had their team.
The next day, period three, was Mr. S ‘s class, and he was always oblivious to his surroundings and never caught on when a person skipped class. So Galvin, Jeremy, and Brett skipped class and saw that Nick had gotten to school late and had just walked into the hallway. Brett screamed “Stick”
Nick, with a distant expression on his face, turned around and with no energy in his voice said, “one day …” and then coughed and walked away toward the office.
While Jeremy and Brett joked around and talked about what a loser Nick was.
Galvin had a pain inside for the kid and wondered if what he was doing to Nick was really what the kid needed. Then that thought went away when Nick came out of the office and tripped over the janitor’s bucket and mops.
Later that day, in P.E., Galvin and his crew were running the mile and Galvin collapsed into a seizure. It happened fast, and Amy made a huge theatrical cry and acted as if the world was coming to an end. Amy only dated people who in the long run would be successful in life. As soon as Galvin dropped, she knew that this incident could be the end of his football scholarship to Penn State football and the end of her future plans for the money he would soon earn.
He was taken to the hospital. For a few weeks he had tests done for his brain and his muscles, to get him back on the field. It was the middle of the year and the end of the football season when Galvin was able to play. But since he had been replaced in the beginning of the year, when the incident had happened and, he was no longer needed. Galvin and the crew was now just Galvin. It was as if the crew had been embarrassed at what Galvin became after the incident. Jeremy, his best friend, still kept in touch even though the group was being immature about what had happened; Jeremy was still a good friend. But when the crew was around, Jeremy would get distant.
Nick was out of school for a while, and every time he came back to school he looked lifeless and confused. A few weeks later he would get better.
It was spring and close to the spring dance and Galvin had no date for the first time in years. He decided to go alone and made friends with the seniors; they were weird but cool in their way. Dancing to an old song from the 80’s was upbeat and fun, then Galvin collapsed again, and this time he was not twitching. The whole school was in fear of seeing a person die; he was taken to the hospital again.

He was then diagnosed with a tumor in the left side of his brain and cancer in his bones.
It was when he went to his first chemo therapy that he saw Nick. They were in treatment at the same time.

It was a shock for Galvin and also for Nick. They became friends for a long time even at school. One day at chemo therapy Nick did not show up. Galvin was then told his friend had passed.