"So you decided to come huh?" Portman had just finished stuffing his skates into his gym bag when he noticed Adam fully packed and standing by the door.
"I don't have anything else to do." Banks said as he zipped his jacket and the two headed out to meet the rest of the team at the pond.
As Adam stepped down the last step in front of his dorm, he came down sort of awkward on his ankle. The ankle that he had injured when he landed on it funny after Star pushed him out of the way of the car. He'd been concealing the injury well, none of the team had noticed, but skating at the pond was out of the question now. The pain was shooting up his leg, he knew he'd be spending the night watching. When he and Portman arrived everyone else was already there, including Scooter, Riley and his brother Bryon. When Star died she had said she wanted the war between the teams to be over, so it was.
Ken was in the middle of the ice doing axles and what not, Connie and Guy and Nicci and Luis were holding hands as they glided across the ice while the rest of the girls were making a chain of hands, well until Kayla fell flat on her face. Portman skated up behind Mari Anne and picked her up as Banks settled down onto a bench to watch.
He watched the couples as they held each other tightly, watched them as they circled the ice as if there was no one else in the world but them, watched as they kissed. That bench felt like it was worlds away from where the rest of team was living. He was alone in his own world, there on that bench, until Kayla fed up from falling for the millionth time wobbled her way over and collapsed down next to him.
"Give up?" Adam asked without turning his head to look at her.
She nodded and realized since he wasn't actually looking at her he wouldn't know what she was doing. "Yeah my butt, can't much more of that."
"Not worry, you'll get used to it."
"I'd rather not." She said softly. What was she doing this was Adam Banks, the guy she'd been dreaming about for at least three almost four months. She struggled to think of something else to say, to keep the conversation going. "What about you? I mean I know you can skate."
"How do you know that?"
"I've seen you play, you're awesome."
"You're a hockey fan?" She didn't seem the type and it slightly surprised him
Kayla's nerves kicked in and she said something she didn't mean to, "Not really, more like a number 99 fan." Instantly she turned as red as her hair, she was nearly glowing.
Adam tensed next to her and she mentally kicked herself.
"I'm sorry, I'm stupid."
"No it's all right, don't worry about it. I guess I just don't feel much like skating."
"Then why come in the first place?"
"Okay can you keep a secret?"
"Of course, I don't talk to anyone so it's not like I can tell anyone anything."
"I hurt my ankle a few weeks ago and I twisted it about an hour ago. If the team finds out they'll tell the coach and he won't let me play in the J.V. all star tournament."
"Your secrets safe with me."
Adam nodded, and shot her a quick smile. Kayla nearly melted, he looked so cute, sitting there.
"So..." Adam said, trying to spark up another conversation. "Play any sports?"
Kayla shook her head.
"Nothing?" Adam asked, surprised.
She shook her head again. "I'm not very coordinated."
Adam smiled. "Yeah, I kinda figured that from watching you out on the ice."
Kayla rolled her eyes, playfully. "Thanks a lot."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that!" He interjected.
She smiled. "It's okay. Contrary to popular belief, I can take a joke. Just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor."
Adam was taken aback by that comment, maybe he should give Kayla a chance.
The two sat in silence for a few minuets, watching the others skate.
"Hey, check out Kayla and Adam." Kat whispered to Mari Anne from the other side of the pond. "They make a cute couple." She noted.
"It's no use." Mari Anne sighed. "Adam's still not over Star."
Kat laughed. "Sure doesn't look that way to me, I mean look at them."
Mari Anne shrugged, skating back over to Portman and the others.
Gathering her things, Kayla started to stand up, planning to head back to the school.
"Hey, where are you going?" Adam asked.
"I was just going to head back." She replied.
"You make a habit of just leaving a group without telling anybody?"
"Nobody usually notices."
Adam frowned. "You shouldn't go back by yourself."
"I'll be fine." Kayla argued.
"Just the same, I think I've had enough of this too, so you'll just have to put up with me tagging along."
Kayla shrugged. "Whatever you say." Secretly she was happy for Adam's company, yet at the same time nervous, what if she did something wrong? Or made a fool of herself in front of him. With her luck, she would trip over something, or knock something over. But then again, there wasn't much that she could do about Adam going with her.
They rode the bus back to the Eden Hall campus in silence for most of the way. Adam sensed something strange in Kayla's presence. It was like, he didn't have to say anything, like they didn't have to talk. She was content in silence, and that made him feel good.
After the two got home Adam walked her to her dorm room, and then went back to his own, and that was it. Just a simple show of courtesy, and after a few more minuets the rest of the ducks returned and Charlie, Guy, Fulton, and Portman busted through Adam's quiet dorm room.
"Way to go, man." Charlie congratulated him.
"Yeah, we really thought that you were like, seriously depressed or something." Fulton added. "But this is great. Are you going to ask her out?"
"Ask who out?" Adam asked, seriously not having a clue.
"Um, Kayla...." Guy said, raising an eyebrow.
"What??? You think-...? Guys, I don't even know her!"
"But we all thought-" Charlie started again.
"Well you thought wrong. Listen, I'm sick of you guys worrying about me, and I'm sick of being treated like a child. There is nothing wrong with me. You guys would feel the same way I did if- if something like this happened to you! So just leave me the hell alone!" Adam said, as he rose from the bed, and slammed his door on the way out. The only thing worse than the pain he felt in his heart was the pain in his ankle. After walking a few feet to the stair well Adam stopped and sat down on the first step. He was concentrating on trying to hold the tears back from his eyes. After a few more moments he noticed someone looking at him from the door frame of the stair well, it was Guy.
`Great' Adam thought to himself. `They've sent Guy here to make me feel better, and to make everything okay, well here's news for them: it's not okay. Nothing can ever be okay again.'
"Adam, I'm sorry." Guy said simply. "I don't think that I ever did say those words to you. I mean, I know that you haven't wanted to talk about it, so I haven't said anything but, you know why I'm here."
"Charlie sent you to play peace-maker."
Guy grinned. "I'm not going to make you talk, but if you want to, you know, I'm not going anywhere. You know where to find me." He said, turning to leave.
"It's just that-" Adam said quickly.
Guy turned back around. "Yeah?"
"I felt kind of...guilty being with Kayla."
"Do you like her?" Guy asked.
"Yes- no- I don't know."
Guy nodded. "I don't think your supposed to know."
"It's just different, it's harder. I'll never replace Star, I can never love anybody that much ever again."
"Give it a chance, Banks. I think that there's just more to Kayla than meets the eye."
"She's not like Star..." Adam said, letting his tears fall.
Guy awkwardly wrapped his arm around his friend. The two sat there for almost an hour, talking, crying, mourning, still- a month after Star's death, nothing had really changed. Adam still felt the emptiness that consumed his heart- and the pain that swallowed his soul.
"I don't have anything else to do." Banks said as he zipped his jacket and the two headed out to meet the rest of the team at the pond.
As Adam stepped down the last step in front of his dorm, he came down sort of awkward on his ankle. The ankle that he had injured when he landed on it funny after Star pushed him out of the way of the car. He'd been concealing the injury well, none of the team had noticed, but skating at the pond was out of the question now. The pain was shooting up his leg, he knew he'd be spending the night watching. When he and Portman arrived everyone else was already there, including Scooter, Riley and his brother Bryon. When Star died she had said she wanted the war between the teams to be over, so it was.
Ken was in the middle of the ice doing axles and what not, Connie and Guy and Nicci and Luis were holding hands as they glided across the ice while the rest of the girls were making a chain of hands, well until Kayla fell flat on her face. Portman skated up behind Mari Anne and picked her up as Banks settled down onto a bench to watch.
He watched the couples as they held each other tightly, watched them as they circled the ice as if there was no one else in the world but them, watched as they kissed. That bench felt like it was worlds away from where the rest of team was living. He was alone in his own world, there on that bench, until Kayla fed up from falling for the millionth time wobbled her way over and collapsed down next to him.
"Give up?" Adam asked without turning his head to look at her.
She nodded and realized since he wasn't actually looking at her he wouldn't know what she was doing. "Yeah my butt, can't much more of that."
"Not worry, you'll get used to it."
"I'd rather not." She said softly. What was she doing this was Adam Banks, the guy she'd been dreaming about for at least three almost four months. She struggled to think of something else to say, to keep the conversation going. "What about you? I mean I know you can skate."
"How do you know that?"
"I've seen you play, you're awesome."
"You're a hockey fan?" She didn't seem the type and it slightly surprised him
Kayla's nerves kicked in and she said something she didn't mean to, "Not really, more like a number 99 fan." Instantly she turned as red as her hair, she was nearly glowing.
Adam tensed next to her and she mentally kicked herself.
"I'm sorry, I'm stupid."
"No it's all right, don't worry about it. I guess I just don't feel much like skating."
"Then why come in the first place?"
"Okay can you keep a secret?"
"Of course, I don't talk to anyone so it's not like I can tell anyone anything."
"I hurt my ankle a few weeks ago and I twisted it about an hour ago. If the team finds out they'll tell the coach and he won't let me play in the J.V. all star tournament."
"Your secrets safe with me."
Adam nodded, and shot her a quick smile. Kayla nearly melted, he looked so cute, sitting there.
"So..." Adam said, trying to spark up another conversation. "Play any sports?"
Kayla shook her head.
"Nothing?" Adam asked, surprised.
She shook her head again. "I'm not very coordinated."
Adam smiled. "Yeah, I kinda figured that from watching you out on the ice."
Kayla rolled her eyes, playfully. "Thanks a lot."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that!" He interjected.
She smiled. "It's okay. Contrary to popular belief, I can take a joke. Just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor."
Adam was taken aback by that comment, maybe he should give Kayla a chance.
The two sat in silence for a few minuets, watching the others skate.
"Hey, check out Kayla and Adam." Kat whispered to Mari Anne from the other side of the pond. "They make a cute couple." She noted.
"It's no use." Mari Anne sighed. "Adam's still not over Star."
Kat laughed. "Sure doesn't look that way to me, I mean look at them."
Mari Anne shrugged, skating back over to Portman and the others.
Gathering her things, Kayla started to stand up, planning to head back to the school.
"Hey, where are you going?" Adam asked.
"I was just going to head back." She replied.
"You make a habit of just leaving a group without telling anybody?"
"Nobody usually notices."
Adam frowned. "You shouldn't go back by yourself."
"I'll be fine." Kayla argued.
"Just the same, I think I've had enough of this too, so you'll just have to put up with me tagging along."
Kayla shrugged. "Whatever you say." Secretly she was happy for Adam's company, yet at the same time nervous, what if she did something wrong? Or made a fool of herself in front of him. With her luck, she would trip over something, or knock something over. But then again, there wasn't much that she could do about Adam going with her.
They rode the bus back to the Eden Hall campus in silence for most of the way. Adam sensed something strange in Kayla's presence. It was like, he didn't have to say anything, like they didn't have to talk. She was content in silence, and that made him feel good.
After the two got home Adam walked her to her dorm room, and then went back to his own, and that was it. Just a simple show of courtesy, and after a few more minuets the rest of the ducks returned and Charlie, Guy, Fulton, and Portman busted through Adam's quiet dorm room.
"Way to go, man." Charlie congratulated him.
"Yeah, we really thought that you were like, seriously depressed or something." Fulton added. "But this is great. Are you going to ask her out?"
"Ask who out?" Adam asked, seriously not having a clue.
"Um, Kayla...." Guy said, raising an eyebrow.
"What??? You think-...? Guys, I don't even know her!"
"But we all thought-" Charlie started again.
"Well you thought wrong. Listen, I'm sick of you guys worrying about me, and I'm sick of being treated like a child. There is nothing wrong with me. You guys would feel the same way I did if- if something like this happened to you! So just leave me the hell alone!" Adam said, as he rose from the bed, and slammed his door on the way out. The only thing worse than the pain he felt in his heart was the pain in his ankle. After walking a few feet to the stair well Adam stopped and sat down on the first step. He was concentrating on trying to hold the tears back from his eyes. After a few more moments he noticed someone looking at him from the door frame of the stair well, it was Guy.
`Great' Adam thought to himself. `They've sent Guy here to make me feel better, and to make everything okay, well here's news for them: it's not okay. Nothing can ever be okay again.'
"Adam, I'm sorry." Guy said simply. "I don't think that I ever did say those words to you. I mean, I know that you haven't wanted to talk about it, so I haven't said anything but, you know why I'm here."
"Charlie sent you to play peace-maker."
Guy grinned. "I'm not going to make you talk, but if you want to, you know, I'm not going anywhere. You know where to find me." He said, turning to leave.
"It's just that-" Adam said quickly.
Guy turned back around. "Yeah?"
"I felt kind of...guilty being with Kayla."
"Do you like her?" Guy asked.
"Yes- no- I don't know."
Guy nodded. "I don't think your supposed to know."
"It's just different, it's harder. I'll never replace Star, I can never love anybody that much ever again."
"Give it a chance, Banks. I think that there's just more to Kayla than meets the eye."
"She's not like Star..." Adam said, letting his tears fall.
Guy awkwardly wrapped his arm around his friend. The two sat there for almost an hour, talking, crying, mourning, still- a month after Star's death, nothing had really changed. Adam still felt the emptiness that consumed his heart- and the pain that swallowed his soul.