Dash and the rest of the football team could boast their fan turnout all they wanted. This was insane.
This school was made up of three small towns and the surrounding country area. A town of 200 where main street was a long block, another of 600, and the last one told to hold just over a population of a thousand. Add in the country area and Danny would give the entire school district a possible 2,500.
(What? He got curious about numbers after making a joke about there being more girls at Casper than students here. Sadly, insanely, true. Even if Danny had eyes. There were 100 fewer high school students total than girls at Casper.)
Somehow, despite the small size, the football stands were packed. There were people left standing alongside the track and field's fenceline, grouped tight enough that kids had to be placed on top of shoulders or had their faces pressed to the cold chain fence.
Danny spun his head, amazed at the sheer number and unexpected crowd size.
Dash could boast Casper's fan number turnout for the team, but Danny knew this bested anything from back home. The entire community was here. Not just parents and some students and whomever were that sport's fanatics, but everyone.
"This is insane."
"Nah. This is a normal Friday home game."
Danny's head spun, eyes bigger.
Normal?!
"Our school's usually top of the conference. Ya shoulda seen it when we made it to state finals four years ago."
"Oh, just you wait Danny. Our class has got a great athletic bunch and those guys will be out of JV and into Varsity next year. We'll for sure be making it into playoffs then."
That nagged at Danny and it took a moment after the students seated near him explained with big grins at his face.
"Wait. If they're that good, why aren't they Varsity this year?"
"Because we're sophomores, duh. Seniors and juniors play Varsity."
"Except for a few cases. But that's more for basketball because not enough kids go out for it. Typically."
"Right," Danny agreed slowly. "It's just, this is a lot of people."
It was no surprise that shortly after he arrived with the Kauffman family, he'd been spotted and greeted and gotten bustled over into the smack middle of the student section.
But this crowd?
Insane.
Why were there so many people? And on a Friday? Yeah, the team was good, but. This was a night for slumber parties. Hanging out late. Going to the theater. A date night. There were boatloads of other things and places to...go.
Danny turned his head about again, fresh eyes at all the groupings and gatherings and chattering. Faces bright. Acting as though...this was a huge social event. One not to be missed, considering Dale and Edi's enthusiasm about finishing out in the fields.
A social event not to be missed. Because there was literally no where else and nothing else to do on a Friday night around here, wasn't there?
Wide eyed, Danny stared.
Yeah. Dash can keep boasting fan turnout all he wanted. At least there were other things to do and places to go in Amity.
In. Sane.