I do not own the Ducks, sorry for any mistakes, reviews are lovely.
awtr101fan- As you requested, a new chapter. Thank you for the review and I'm glad you liked Adam's reaction to seeing Esmeralda. I think the Ducks are a bit slow and haven't picked up on who she is. But then again, never have my readers. There's a twist to her.
The girl looked up, revealing a faded blue bruise on her cheek bone. On seeing this, Adam winced and looked away, much to the team's confusion.
"Hey, Phoeb's, Mar," Esmeralda said, getting up and closing her book.
"You take a book everywhere you go, don't you Essi?" Phoebe joked as her friend put her book in her handbag.
The Duck's jaws dropped as Esmeralda gave a wry smile. The whole team looked at Adam to find he was still shocked, but for a different reason. He was looking Esmeralda up and down like he had never seen a girl in his life. Swallowing the obvious lump in his throat, Adam addressed her, "hey, what's up McGill?"
Esmeralda McGill looked at Adam with wide eyes. Sweeping her gaze over his appearance once, Esmeralda replied, "look up and find out yourself, Banks." She then turned and entered the building with Phoebe and Maria. Adam went to follow but he was stopped by his team.
"Essi?" Goldberg said. "There's photo's of you and McGill's… McGill's…"
"Sister," Adam told him.
"Sister! Why are there photos of you and McGill's sister?" Averman asked.
"Because I was friends with David and Phoebe's friends with McGill so we spent a lot of time together." Adam sighed in frustration. "Look, I haven't seen her since just after the Hawk's against Duck's match."
Dean looked at Adam suspiciously. "Dude, have you kissed her?" he asked randomly.
"Yeah, once…wait, no, twice. It was like a deal thing with David." Adam thought back.
"What kind of deal?" Luis asked.
"I had the flu one game when we were eight. When I was better, David decided to make me a deal so I wouldn't play badly again. 'If I play better then you, then you have to kiss my sister'." Adam quoted his old friend.
"And you played badly?" Russ looked shocked. Adam was the best player on the team after all.
"Yeah, I was still a bit sick, I guess. McGill was pretty shocked when I kissed her." Adam headed up the steps as they talked.
On entering they found all three girls over at the registering counter, waiting for them. Phoebe was standing with her back against the counter, Maria was standing to the side of her and Esmeralda was standing, facing the counter with her crossed forearms resting on it. Phoebe was the first to notice them. She smiled but continued her chat instead of alerting the two other girls.
Adam had a sudden strike of bravery as he noticed that Esmeralda's body was leaning out from the counter, seeing as her folded forearms were the only thing on the counter. He walked up behind her, knowing everyone but Esmeralda was watching him. He slid his arms around her waist, feeling her shiver as his skin connected with hers. Once she had straightened up in shock, Adam picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.
"Banks, put me down," she ordered, placing her hands on his shoulder so she could prop herself up as much as possible.
"Ummm, no," Adam retorted, pretending to consider it.
Phoebe and Maria laughed as everyone else watched on in confusion. "I remember when you did this year's ago," Phoebe giggled.
Esmeralda smacked Adam's head. "I remember that too! I was in a nightgown."
"Like I cared, I was seven," Adam protested.
"Put me down or I'll tell your friends embarrassing secrets," Esmeralda threatened. "Ow, gently," she added after Adam dropped her unceremoniously to the ground.
"You should have added that into your threat," Adam told her, a cheeky twinkle to his eyes. "Speaking of my friends, I'll introduce you." Esmeralda grabbed the hand Dwayne offered her as Adam introduced them all.
"Sooo," Averman said, putting his arm over Esmeralda's shoulder. "Do you play hockey?"
Averman's attempts to flirt were lost on her. "Nope," she answered, popping her p as she grabbed her bowling shoes and walked off.
"Oh, Averman strikes out!" Kenny boasted. After almost three years of practice, Russ' teaching had finally sunk in and Ken knew how to smack talk.
Phoebe giggled as she grabbed her shoes and headed over to Esmeralda, Adam, Charlie, Jesse and Terry, who were all picking out bowling balls. "She doesn't date," Phoebe explained to the crestfallen boy.
"What? Like Cake-eater doesn't?" Fulton asked her.
"Yep, they both don't date. I'm not sure why Essi doesn't, probably her family, but I know why Adam doesn't." Phoebe smiled at them, telling them that she was keeping quiet about the reason.
"McGill, that ball is too heavy for you," Adam stated as they drew near.
"I know," Esmeralda admitted as she picked up a pink bowling ball. "It's for you. It matches your eyes."
"Of course, cause my eyes are pink," Adam spat sarcastically as he put down the ball Esmeralda forced into his hands.
"No, there storm blue, but they go nicely with pink." Esmeralda didn't even look up to find out Adam's eye color. She was busy picking up another heavy ball. This one: light blue.
"That one's even heavier," Adam pointed out.
"Yeah, but it's pretty," Esmeralda stated.
With a sigh, Adam grabbed the light blue ball that was next to him and walked over to Esmeralda. He then grabbed the balls heavier double out of the girl's arms before thrusting the lighter one into them.
Esmeralda gave a start of surprise before walking off to a bowling ally. Adam shook his head and swopped the light blue ball for a dark green before following her.
When everyone was down at the ally's with a ball and a change of shoes, they split into teams. Tammy, Fulton, Dean, Ken, Luis and Jesse played in one ally. Adam, Esmeralda, Phoebe, Charlie, Julie and, Connie in another. Maria, Guy, Goldberg, Averman, Russ, Dwayne and Terry in the next one.
"So, Tammy," Fulton started awkwardly, "Where's Tommy?"
"Back home. He wanted to spend the holidays with his girlfriend instead of coming back here to see the Ducks." Tammy decided to play with her nails instead of look at Fulton.
"Oh…uh…at least you came down. Your more fun, I mean, I like seeing your brother but…"
"Thanks," Tammy said, cutting off Fulton's rambling.
"Let me guess!" Esmeralda whispered to Phoebe. "He likes her, she likes him, but neither is willing to say?"
"Sounds about right," Phoebe whispered back, watching Fulton's and Tammy's failure called flirting. "So, how are you?" When Phoebe asked the question she saw Adam halt slightly as he did up his shoe.
"I'm good, but you saw me a week ago and you talked to me last night. You should now I'm good." Esmeralda dismissed.
"Yeah, but you didn't have that last week." Phoebe nodded towards the bruise on her friend's cheek.
"It's nothing, you know how klutzy I am," Esmeralda explained vaguely, with a forced giggle.
Adam finished tying his shoe and looked up. Pain flashed through his eyes when he looked into Esmeralda's broken ones. No one noticed the hurt besides Phoebe, Connie and Julie. It was quickly gone however as he walked closer to Esmeralda and Phoebe. "Understandable, it's not like that crap you call a sport teaches you balance and stamina," he jabbed.
"What?!" Esmeralda reared up. "Dancing is a sport and it teaches you great balance and stamina. Not to mention it gives practically all your muscles a work out." Her eyes no longer looked broken. They had an odd light to them. They were full of emotion and were quickly changing to a different shade of brown.
"Yeah right, how is prancing around a sport?" Adam asked, encouraging the argument that was forming.
"We don't prance around. You have to have muscles and balance to hold yourself up in an attitude. Mr. Hockey-Puck, the most you do is skate and hit a little black thing. Oh, and each other," Esmeralda retorted.
Connie, Julie, Phoebe and Maria knew Adam was biting back a smile. He got the reaction he wanted. "There's more to hockey than skating and hitting things. There's offensive and defensive," Adam replied. "Quiet frankly, I don't believe dancing is a sport because there's no tactics and I really only acknowledge team sports anyway."
"Team…? Synchronized dancing. A massive group dancing together, some times doing the same thing, sometimes not." Esmeralda fired. "And I remember you playing hockey by yourself so obviously it's not a complete team sport."
Before Adam could reply, Charlie tapped Esmeralda on the shoulder to alert her that it was her turn to bowl. She took the opportunity and walked off; bowling a strike with the ball Adam had given her.
Charlie looked at his friend who raised a questioning eyebrow. "Don't you raise your eyebrow at me! What was that about?"
Adam shrugged as Phoebe took her turn. "I got her mind off other, unpleasant, things."
"What unpleasant things?" Charlie whispered as Esmeralda and Phoebe came closer. Adam merely shook his head as he took his turn and watched Esmeralda out of the corner of his eye.
Everyone had almost finished their first game. On lane five, Dean was first with Luis at a close second after their last bowl. On lane six, Adam and Esmeralda were tied with their last bowl to go, which was three if played right. And in lane seven, Averman was first and Goldberg was second after their last bowls.
"Loser buys winner food," Esmeralda said as she picked up her bowl.
"You're on," Adam replied as he watched her. Esmeralda bowled and got a nine, spare and strike, tallying her score at one hundred and ninety-nine. Adam bowled after Phoebe and got a strike, nine and a miss, making it one hundred and ninety-eight.
"So close but so far," Esmeralda jibed.
"Yeah, yeah, anyone want anything while I'm up there?" Adam asked, nodding at the food court of such on the other side of the building.
"Yeah, but I'll come with." Julie got up and grabbed her wallet as she headed up with Adam. She wanted to know what was up with him. He had argued with Esmeralda three times now but they obviously saw each other as at least friends. However, Julies plan fell through.
"Me too. You don't know what I want," Esmeralda stated, running after them.
"If you haven't changed then you want a hotdog with the works or a chilidog," Adam told her. He dug his hands into his front pockets as he smiled sideways at her.
Esmeralda looked at him with shock and surprise. "You remember?"
Adam laughed. "Yeah, you dropped a hotdog down my shirt because I annoyed you one day. How could I forget?"
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. God, David was pissed at me for it. But hey, you really annoyed me that day." Esmeralda reached out her arm behind Adam. At first, Julie thought Esmeralda was going to put her arm around Adams waist but then Esmeralda dug her hand into Adams back pocket. Adam didn't even give a start of surprise; he just drew a raspy breath and let Esmeralda steal his wallet. The girl opened Adams wallet and looked through his photos. "Kelly's twenty-three isn't she? And Jason's almost twenty-one?"
"Yeah and Maria is nineteen, I'm seventeen and Phoebe's almost sixteen," Adam finished off aging all the Banks kids.
Esmeralda backhanded Adams shoulder. "I know Maria's, yours and Phoebe's age, Silly. I even know your birthday, 9th of June."
"19th of July," Adam replied.
Julie gave him a curious look before Esmeralda clarified. "19th of July is mine."
"Oh, yeah, I was just thinking you got it right," Julie explained.
"She's also sixteen," Adam added, giving Esmeralda a playful shove before taking back his wallet.
They reached the food court and Adam ordered himself and Esmeralda a hotdog and a frozen raspberry. Esmeralda then headed to the bathroom as Julie ordered what she wanted. Julie looked over to Adam when Esmeralda disappeared to see him writing some thing on a napkin. Just as Julie moved to see what it was, Adam finished writing and folded the napkin.
"I'll be back, if the food comes, can you mind it?" Adam asked. The moment Julie nodded; he walked off, turning a corner and heading to the bathroom.
Adam walked around the corner and headed over to Esmeralda who had just came out of the bathroom. "McGill," Adam said, alerting Esmeralda to his presents.
"Banks," Esmeralda replied, stopping in front of him.
"Here." Adam held out the folded napkin. Esmeralda opened it and looked at the writing. "It's my number. Call me if you need anything. Whether it's because you need to rant, talk or because of something at home, call me."
Esmeralda looked from the number to Adam and back before she closed the gap between them and hugged him. Adam was automatically engulfed in Esmeralda's sent. She smelt nothing like Aimee and Jamie. Esmeralda smelt like wild flowers, pine trees and fruit.
Adam buried his nose in her hair. "You still smell the same," he mumbled.
Esmeralda chuckled before replying. "And you still smell the same. Like an ice rink. You always remind me of skating."
"I thought I'd remind you of falling on your ass." Adam laughed, remembering the time Esmeralda had fallen over.
"Shut up!" she demanded, drawing back. "It was one time."
"Yeah, but I remember it," Adam told her. He grabbed her hand and turned, leading her back to the food court.
Julie waited for them. When she saw their joined hands, her eyes widened. They let go of each others hands as they reached the counter.
"Hasn't the food came yet?" Adam asked.
Julie shook her head, still in shock. She had recovered enough, however, to notice Esmeralda pocket a folded napkin.
"Finally," Esmeralda exclaimed when a boy around their age put food in front of them. "Hang on, that's not ours."
"No, it's mine," Julie said, picking up a fries.
"Damn," Esmeralda cursed as her stomach gave a grumble.
"McGill, when was the last time you ate?" Adam asked, leaning his side against the counter.
"I had a piece of toast for breakfast and I skipped lunch." Adam raised an eyebrow at her. "What, I was busy."
Adam seemed to except that and Julie took the chance to get to know Esmeralda. "So, Esmeralda, where do you go to school?"
"Oh, I attend Cutlan Hall with Phoebe. Maria visits often 'cause her college is like one block over. It's kinda like Eden's enemy," Esmeralda told her, pulling her eyes away from Adam.
"Cool, and what do you want to be when you leave?" Julie questioned.
Esmeralda tried to hold back a smile as she slyly looked at Adam. Cheekiness shone in her usually blank eyes. "I want to be a Playboy Bunny."
Adam gave a start. "A WHAT?!?" he yelled in anger.
"A Playboy Bunny," Esmeralda repeated calmly.
Julie recognized an angry Adam. It didn't happen often but when it did, it was pretty scary. The question was why was he so angry?
Adam's and Esmeralda's food arrived at that point and Julie took it as her queue to grab hers and walk off. Adam and Esmeralda followed a bit behind.
"You can't be a Playboy Bunny," Adam growled.
"And why not?" Esmeralda asked, amusement sounding in her voice. "Don't you think I have the body for it?"
"McGill, you are not going to lower yourself to doing that," Adam told her forcefully.
"You can't tell me what to do. And you didn't answer my question."
"Yes, you have the body for it but you're not going to become one!"
Julie sped up and reached the bowling ally's she and her friends were using, although almost everyone was now up at the food court. The moment she got there she went over to Phoebe and Maria. "Okay, I saw Adam and Esmeralda holding hands and before that Adam wrote something on a napkin and gave it to her, now he's telling her she can't be a Playboy Bunny. They can't be dating after hanging out for few hours after not seeing each other for about seven years," Julie rambled.
Phoebe and Maria laughed and looked at the still arguing teenagers. "They're not dating," Phoebe reassured her. "They just have a weird friendship. One minute it seems like they hate each other, next it seems like they are dating. They don't see what matters about them holding hands and getting things out of each others pockets."
"Although, I think, that will get a different reaction out of Adam now-a-days… if it's in his front pocket."
"Maria! Gross!" Phoebe exclaimed as Maria laughed and her brother and best friend drew closer. "I'll never be able to look at them two the same." This made Maria laugh harder.
"McGill, your not going to!" Adam hissed.
"Why not?" Esmeralda asked. Her amusement seemed to have dwindled slightly. Now she was more curious.
"Because you're too good for that career," Adam confessed.
Esmeralda looked at Adam in shock as Phoebe jumped in. "What career?" she asked, knowing the answer.
"Playboy Bunny," Esmeralda answered distractedly. She was still looking at Adam in shock.
"What?!" Adam demanded to know.
"Did you just complement me?" Esmeralda asked.
"I guess." Adam shrugged. "Maybe I'm getting sick."
"Well it's following your pattern. Get sick, hit on Essi." Esmeralda took a bite of her hotdog. "Ow no." she swallowed. "You got me sick, don't you?"
"Are you talking about the kiss?" Julie asked in excitement. She didn't want to sat it was a deal because she didn't want to hurt Esmeralda if she didn't know.
"One of them," Esmeralda confirmed, taking a sip of her drink.
"One of them?" Phoebe repeated in astonishment.
"Yes one of them. We're talking about the deal one," Adam said with a bored expression.
"I remember that one. I was almost as shocked as Essi, but I never heard about the second kiss." Phoebe was looking from one to the other in question. "Well?" she pressed when she got no answer.
"What?! We kissed, who cares?" Esmeralda asked her friend as Adam took that moment to take a rather large bite of his hotdog.
"You two are unbelievable," Phoebe told them. "Why don't you just go make-out?"
"If you insist," Adam retorted around a mouthful of food.
"Swallow first," Esmeralda instructed.
Adam did as he was told before leaning over and whispering in Esmeralda's ear, "I'll give you something to swallow." Thankfully he said it so only Esmeralda heard.
Esmeralda's jaw fell open. She calmly handed Phoebe her drink before turning to Adam and slapping his shoulder.
"I meant the rest of this," Adam falsely defended, holding up his half eaten hotdog.
"No thanks, I have my own. I don't really want your hotdog," Esmeralda said, letting it be taken wrongly.
Phoebe, who had just stolen a sip of Esmeralda's drink, almost spat it out. "Essi, that sounds so corrupt."
"I know but you should have heard what your brother said," Esmeralda confessed.
"I don't think we want to," Maria said, looking slightly disturbed. "Anyway, back to Essi's career choice."
"She. Is. Not. Going. To. Be. A. Play. Boy. Bunny!" Adam said each word strongly and with conviction.
"But you can look at her whenever you get sick." Julie forged innocents as she poked fun at Adam.
"Like I'd look at that stuff, I think it's pathetic. McGill is sweet." At Esmeralda's and Phoebe's raised eyebrows, Adam clarified. "I meant her appearance. She looks too sweet and beautiful to do something so disgusting."
"Finally," Maria practically yelled, slapping her hands down onto her thighs in exasperation. "A nice guy. To bad it's my brother."
Esmeralda and Phoebe giggled and Esmeralda blushed at Adams complement. "Are you telling me you wouldn't be the way you are if you had met a nice guy that wasn't related to you?" Esmeralda asked, smiling widely even though it didn't fully reach her eyes.
Maria thought for a moment. "Nope, I still would be."
"What are you talking about?" Adam asked.
Maria, Phoebe and Esmeralda looked at each other before looking back at Adam. "Never mind," all three said in unison with sweet smiles.
Adam could tell they were hiding something and he didn't like it. Maria and Phoebe never kept something from him unless it was girly stuff he didn't want to hear and even then they sometimes didn't.
"I'll tell you another time, Adam," Maria reassured him, clearly sensing his unease.
"Pop goes the weasel," Phoebe said suddenly before hitting herself on the forehead with the palm of her hand. Both Adam and Esmeralda raised an eyebrow at her while Julie and Maria tried to suppress their laughter. "Kegzy got it stuck in my head!" Esmeralda laughed as she hopped up onto the small wall that separated the bowling ally from the carpeted area. Kegzy was their black haired, blue eyes, best friend Elvin Keg. "Why am I friends with such weird people?" Phoebe asked rhetorically.
Even though it was rhetorical, Esmeralda answered it, "Because you're weird."
"I am not weird," Phoebe defended herself as Esmeralda finished her hotdog and put her drink on the wall next to her.
"Yeah, you are." Adam threw Esmeralda a wink, causing her to smile. "Remember the tissue box?"
Phoebe's eyes widened before she looked at Esmeralda who was almost falling off the wall laughing. "You told him?"
"No…" Esmeralda choked out.
"You did," Adam finished. "I heard you tell her."
"Hmmm," Phoebe said before pointing at Adam. "I'll kill you at home." She then lunged at Esmeralda who jumped off the wall and ran towards the Ducks, who were coming back from the food court. Esmeralda hid behind Dean and Jesse. When Phoebe ran over to the confused group, Esmeralda gave Jesse a slight push, making him step forward and stop in front of Phoebe.
"Hi," he said, baffled.
"Hi," Phoebe replied, slightly out of breath, before chasing Esmeralda back to the ally's.
The group quickened their pace to get back and get an explanation. "What's going on?" Russ asked.
"Well, there was something about a Playboy Bunny and then something about a tissue box," Charlie explained.
"How long have you been there?" Phoebe asked, abandoning her attempts to kill Esmeralda.
"A while," Charlie confessed to them with a smirk. "So explain the tissue box."
"Explain the Playboy Bunny!" Dean said.
"Playboy Bunny was just a joke. Never mind about the tissue box. I was sleep walking," Phoebe dismissed.
"More like sleep talking," Adam corrected.
"And sleep arguing," Esmeralda added.
"And sleep throwing," Adam finished.
"Now you have to explain!" Jesse smiled at Phoebe who blushed in embarrassment.
"Fine! I was asleep and…" Phoebe wouldn't look anyone in the eyes. "My tissue box was arguing with me," she mumbled, "So I threw it out the door. I woke up and it was outside." Everyone lost it. When everyone calmed down, Phoebe turned to Adam and Esmeralda who were standing side by side. "See this is why I hate you two getting along."
"Yeah," Maria agreed. "If you're not embarrassing us, you're telling us disturbing things." Adam and Esmeralda looked confused for a moment before Adam doubled over, laughing and Esmeralda snorted and threw her head back to laugh.
"Oh, yeah," Esmeralda remembered. When everyone but Phoebe and Maria looked bewildered, Esmeralda and Adam explained. "When we were younger, Adam was sleeping over cause he and David had an early practice. Some of my dad's mates came over with their kids…"
Adam picked it up. "The girl was about fourteen and the boy was about ten-thirteen. I was nine and McGill was eight. The girl looked a bit like McGill does now." Adam swept his eyes over Esmeralda to make sure his assumption was correct. "The boy… well he was…"
"Ugly!" Esmeralda said. "He was huge! He had stretch-marks, his stomach hung over his pants. Thank god he was wearing a t-shirt most of the time. And he was mean like my brother."
"Anyway, after a while McGill and I noticed something…"
"David was paying a fair amount of attention to one of them…"
"I'll give you a hint. It wasn't the good looking girl." Everyone looked stunned. "Yeah, I didn't sleep over after that."
"Don't know why you didn't," Esmeralda said to Adam. "You're obviously not his type. You're to fit."
After it had sunk into the Ducks head as to what was said, everyone became disgusted in David's taste of boys and changed the subject as they went back to bowling.
Thank you for reading. Some of the words that look like their spelt wrong might just be the Australian spelling. The tissue box is for my wacky and beautiful friend Laura. Review please my lovely and gorgeous fans.
…o0Black-Sand0o…
