"so , nick ... '' she turned and gawked at my brother , wearing the most obvious i-have-a-crush-on-you smile i 'd ever seen . '' now , do you know him ? '' '' this is my best friend lucas . we go back a long way . '' '' hey , gals . what 's up ? '' lucas smiled and gave me a fist-bump , then turned to _ ..." What is the word in the blank space (_)? The answer is
nick