Summary: A tale of our favorite Ducks and where their lives take them, beginning Senior Year at Eden Hall. Focuses on Adam, Charlie, Julie, Dean, Connie, Guy…and more to come!
Disclaimer: The Mighty Ducks and all its characters belong to Disney. I do not own any of it!
Flying Together
By Rebecca
Chapter 1: Trouble
Julie sat nervously drumming her fingers on her notebook as she stared at the head of short brown hair two rows in front of her. It had been happening again, and this time, far too often. She had a boyfriend for cryin' out loud! In college! And all she could think about was Adam Banks.
Adam turned his head slightly, watching the teacher as he moved across the front of the room. Paranoid that she'd be caught, Julie snapped her attention to the clock on the wall behind her. Three minutes and she was out of there.
"…don't you agree Ms. Gaffney?"
Julie turned back, "What?"
"I said, don't you agree Ms. Gaffney?" Proffessor Walsh glared her down.
Julie felt herself turn red as she answered, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear the question."
"Obviously," the evil teacher replied as the bell rang. "Chapters 8 and 9 due Monday folks, have a good weekend." Julie slumped in her seat and looked up to see Adam, turned in his chair with a small smile. She blushed again and reached below her desk for her books.
"You all right today Jules?" she heard the Varsity Hockey Center above her as she shoved a couple of worn paperbacks and her notebook into her bag. She looked up at Adam, who had come over to her desk in the now-almost empty classroom.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…preoccupied."
"Yeah, I've noticed," he reached down and grabbed a pen she had dropped as Julie stood up.
"Thanks," she took the pen as the two walked to the hallway.
"Can I ask what's up?"
Julie looked into a pair of blue eyes that knew her far too well. Her mind went back to her earlier thoughts. Thoughts that she couldn't seem to rid of Adam Banks. Thoughts that at that very moment made her stomach tingle and ache.
"Nothing major, finals, winter break, going home." she lied.
"Scooter?" he asked quickly.
Julie's head shot up at the mention of her boyfriend. God Scooter! She thought guiltily. She hadn't thought of Scooter all day. "No no," she recovered, "nothing's wrong with me and Scooter. Just, you know…stuff."
Banks smiled that old chummy smile and patted her on the arm, "I know whatcha mean. Don't worry about it."
Julie shrugged, "I guess."
"I'm gonna hit the rink, run some drills. Up for it Cat Lady?"
Julie chuckled at her old nickname, "no thanks."
"Sure?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna get back to the dorms. Start packing some stuff for Dad to take home this weekend."
Adam nodded, "I'll call you later then."
"All right, have fun."
He jogged off as she tried excessively hard to think of the date she had that night with Scooter, and not of the phone call coming from Banks that she would most assuradley miss. "Oh boy," she said still watching him run off. I'm in trouble.
Trouble, he thought, Dear God I'm in trouble. Scooter? "Thinking about Scooter?" Could I be anymore transparent?
Mentally berating himself as he practically raced for the locker rooms, he nearly ran into his friend and Captain, Charlie Conway. "Whoa Banksie! What's the rush?"
"Sorry," he mumbled as he slowed his pace and kept going."
"Uh oh," his friend laughed.
"What?"
Come on, what happened?"
"Nothin'!"
"What did you say to Julie?"
"Come on Conway, leave me alone."
But Charlie just laughed again and slapped him on the back. "Adam my friend, you're the most laid back, unnerved kid I know unless you're either on the ice, or talking to a girl, now," he stopped and faced Adam, "I don't see any skates on ya Cake-Eater, so what happened with Julie?"
But Adam gave a half smile and shook his head, mockingly placing his hand on Charlie's shoulder, "You know Conway, you're right! Sheesh, all this time," looking down at his Reeboks, "I could've sworn I was on the ice! Thanks for clearing that up."
He started walking again, "Come on Banks."
"Nothing," he called impatiently, wishing desperately just this once that he didn't have any friends. "Nothing ok? Nothing ever happens. So just drop it."
By now they had reached the locker rooms and Banks threw his duffle bag in the corner.
His retort had thrown Charlie and he didn't quite know what to say. So they laced up their skates in silence. It wasn't until they were on the ice that Charlie started up again. "You ever gonna tell her man?"
"Aw come on Charlie, give it a rest," he said as he started his laps around the rink. But Charlie, who never gave up, followed close behind.
"No, come on Banks talk to me."
Adam rolled his eyes, "She's got a boyfriend, loser."
Charlie laughed, "Yes I agree. Scooter is a loser."
At that Adam tried not to laugh with him, "That's not what I meant. It wouldn't work ok? Break is coming soon, and she'll be spending it with her boyfriend I'm sure. She's my best friend ok? I'm gonna miss her enough already."
"So tell her that."
"Tell her what?" he sped up, sliding around the goal and started back around, "That I'm gonna miss her? She already knows that."
"Yeah, but does she know how much? Come on man, you've had a thing for her ever since team USA," he countered, bringing up their eighth grade year when the Minnesota pee-wee hockey district 5 Ducks became the USA reps for the junior Olympics. Julie had been one of the new players recruited. It didn't take Charlie long to figure out that Julie was probably the only girl Adam had ever, and would ever fall for.
"Thank you Captain Obvious," he muttered changing directions, as if he could get away from his increasingly annoying friend. "Look, it'd be a bad idea. She's with Scooter and school's ending soon. One more semester and we're outta here for good. If I can't have her the way I'd like to, then I'm not gonna lose her all together ok? So drop it."
At that Charlie did drop it. He'd been after Adam for years to tell The Cat how he really felt. Two weeks before winter break of their senior year, he wasn't going to change his mind. "Come on, grab your stick. Let's run some drills before Orion gets here."
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