Much like Chapters 2 + 3 go together, chapters 7 + 8 are tightly connected as we pick up immediately from the end of Chapter 7. You get to see Azeil process everything that's just happened at the football stadium and his mindset going into the party. Much like Chapter 7 introduces Nia as someone who is in his corner, who is going to be his friend, Chapter 8 opens that field even more as Nia introduces Azeil to her friends. This now gives him a group of friends that don't care about what he did at Highland Prep or that he was the guy who hit the game winning shot against Langston Hughes in the championship game. They may rib him a little bit, but there is no personal animosity there and that goes a long way to making him feel comfortable in his own skin and around other people.
The group of people are all different in their own way, bonded by going to Langston Hughes and having their own set of struggles that they have to overcome. Azeil can easily relax with them and start to joke with them as he starts to talk to them. I'm always impressed with how easy it is for children and teenagers to make new friends within five seconds while adults rarely take on new friends. Azeil is in his element and no one is looking at him as a kid that doesn't fit in or care about the tone of his skin, but simply like him for who he is. The dynamic between Nia and Azeil continues to be fun to play with between both characters as their is a good amount of natural bantering and flirtation happening between them both.
Even when Azeil is caught up in his emotions and feeling a bit overwhelmed, they give him the space to step aside and find himself. Nia gives him a few moments to himself before coming out and helping him process his thoughts, being a friend to him, and you get a few moments where they're touching each other's hands and feeling more and more comfortable with one another. There's a natural attraction between them and it's playful and fun.
Then, the tension explodes with Zahair arriving. Azeil tries to not get baited in, but inevitably Zahair finds the right buttons to push and Azeil fires back. The physicality continues to ramp up for the two of them until Azeil figures out the best way forward is to not avoid Zahair, but to get intimately familiar with Zahair's safe space -- the court. It just helps that is also Azeil's comfort zone. Getting early to the gym endears him to Coach and now he's put everyone else on their back foot and set the stage for what's to come. It's the first time we see Azeil taking ownership and agency in his life.
See you tomorrow for Chapter 9.
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