After the newspaper article about the word "frindle" runs, which includes Nick's picture, he becomes rather famous; people all over town recognize him wherever he goes. All this attention makes Nick feel shy, awkward, and under a lot of pressure to be the clever, funny person others expect.

We discover this in Chapter Twelve: "Airwaves," when Nick realizes that being a "hero" comes with that burden of awkwardness. Even strangers always seem to be watching him, waiting for him to do something clever, as if he's a trained animal. The narrator of the story explains that, even for an exceptional child like Nick, it's too much to ask to expect him to be quirky and brilliant everywhere he goes, like when he's just waiting in line at the store to buy some candy.

Nick's mom and dad also experience a bit of that awkwardness. Even though they're proud of their son, they feel uncomfortable with the idea that strangers are often talking about him.