Amore took Adam's hand as they walked into the school board room. Her friends were already there and none of them knew she had taken the scholarship to come back to them. So when she left Adam's side and went to stand by Charlie and Orian they all looked at her confused.
"What are you doing here?" Charlie asked.
"I took the scholarship." Amore replied. "So I'm in this as much as you are. Even though I would be able to stay all four years. Its not going to happen if you all aren't here."
Charlie smirked and took her hand in his as Buckley stepped up to the podium.
"Do I have a motion for reconsideration?" Buckley asked. The room fell deathly silent as if the board members were afraid to speak.
"I'm sorry coach, but unless there is a motion from a board member, and a second, the decision must stand." Buckley said with a heavy sigh. Amore smirked up at Orian and nodded.
"Then you leave us no choice but to bring in our attorney." Orian said and the smile on Amore's face widened as her father walked in.
"Dean Buckley, members of the board. As counsel for Coach Orian. And the freshman hockey team, I'm here today to set forth your legal options, so that you may make the best possible decision for all parties concerned." Bombay winked over at Amore and she held her head high.
"Did you call him back?" Charlie whispered in her ear.
Amore nodded. "I had to do something. I couldn't just let you guys get kicked out of school."
"Mr. Bombay, this isn't a legal procedding." Buckley said ignoring the fact that he could hear Amore and Charlie's conversation.
"Not yet, but i can assure you that it will be. Do you mind?" Bombay handed Buckley his breifcase and took out a scholarship. He turned back to the board and Amore smirked as Buckley held the breifcase, unsure of what to do with it. "These scholarships. An offer. Became a binding contract upon the signature of the recipients and acceptance by the Ducks. They cannot be voided except for cause, which, I guarantee you, you have none. Should you decide to pursue their cancellation, i will slap you with an injunction. I will tie this patter up in court for years, untill long after these kids have gone on to college. And i will collect damages. I will win. Because I am very, very good. You know why i'm so good? Because I had a good education. You gave it to me. And you're going to give it to these kids."
"He is good." Orian said to Charlie and Amore.
Amore winked at Charlie and they both spoke at the same time. "just getting started."
"Now some of you may be snobbish enough to believe that these Ducks don't belong at Eden Hall. Let me tell you, you are dead wrong. These are remarkable young people. You give them their full shot, and I promise you they will succeed. Not only on the ice, but in the classrooms as well. These people are my friends, and family, and I know what they can do. Accordingly, I demand that you reinstate their scholarships. For their benefit and for your own."
Amore held her breath as the room became silent. A few seconds rolled around, which felt more like hours to the Ducks. Then finally a woman moved to reinstate the scholarships. Then the man next to her second it. Slowly every board member raised thier hands. Amore hugged Charlie then made her way through the Ducks to Adam.
"You're staying!" Amore said jumping into his arms and giving him a huge hug. She took his hand and followed the rest of the Ducks out into the hallway.
"Congratulations... In destroying our school." Rick said stopping the Ducks in their tracks. Amore rolled her eyes seeing that he had the rest of his groupies behind him.
"Hey, look its our school too." Ken protested
"Its everyone's school you stupid jock." Linda snapped. Amore smirked knowing she had loved saying those words.
"No, it'll never be your school. Don't you get it?" Rick demanded. He had tried to sound cool, but his anger rose knowing the battle was lost, and the Ducks would be staying. "You're our own little affirmitive action, brought in for color to entertain us. But you couldn't even do that. Your fancy lawyer kept you in on a technicality. But you'll never belong."
"That fancy Lawyer happens to be my dad!" Amore growled at him. Adam put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Amore knew what he was trying to say. It wasn't worth fighting with them.
"You'll never be anything more than a bunch of rejects here on a free ride." Cole said with a smirk.
"Free ride? Look at you rich boy! Mummy and daddy gave you everything, huh?" Russ demanded
"Hey, JV- Varsity game's on friday. Then we'll show the whole school what a joke you really are. Then maybe you'll leave on your own. It'd be the only honorable thing to do." Rick said pulling on Charlie's shirt. He smacked his hand away and glared the older boy down.
"You know we're gonna hurt you." Cole said. "Expecially with little Bombay on our side."
"Listen, you had an unfair advantage last time. You had one of us: Banksie."
"Oh, well, keep him. He never had the heart of a warrior anyway." Rick said with a smirk. Amore snickered at the fact how stupid the varsity team really were. If they hadn't noticed she had gone back to the Ducks by then, well they deserved to not know.
After the varsity walked away Adam looked down at Amore. "Why didn't Charlie fight for you too?"
Amore giggled. "Adam you know I'm already on the Ducks team. But the Varsity doesn't seem to know that yet. Why tell them when we can kick their ass on the ice?"
Adam looked down at her sternly. "Because you shouldn't play with that wrist. Thats why."
"I played yesterday with no problems." Amore said with a smirk. "I should be able to play on friday."
Adam shook his head. "Once they find out you went back to the Ducks, they'll be after you hard."
Amore giggled and put her arm around his waist. "But I have you back on the team. We can show them Banbay works better when on a team they love."
Adam chuckled and put his arm around her. "Then we had better get to work. Cause they know all our plays."
Amore smirked. "I like the way you think."
XOXOXOXOX
Amore skated around Adam. He smirked and watched her skate around him a couple times then grabbed her arm and wrapped her arms around the waist. "You're going to make me dizzy."
Amore laughed and pushed away from him as the team started to scrimage. "You ready to show these Ducks what we learned?"
Adam smirked. "Lets give them some Banbay action."
Amore nodded and lined up against Russ and Adam faced off with Charlie.
"Lets see what the Varsity taught you." Charlie said with a smirk. Orian dropped the puck and Adam quickly got it away from Charlie. He passed it out to his left. Orian was about to blow the wistle when Amore came out of no where and took posetion of the puck. She headed down towards the goal to have her way blocked by Connie. Amore just smirked and passed the puck back between her legs. She pushed Connie out of the way as Adam took posetion of the puck and took it all the way to Julie. He faked as if going to pass back to Amore the shot as Julie took the bait. Adam smiled over at Amore and gave her a high five.
"Where the hell did you guys learn to do that?" Orian asked with a smirk.
Amore giggled. "It comes naturally. Why do you think the Varsity called us Banbay."
"But how did you know Amore would be able to get away from Russ in time to get the puck?" Charlie asked.
Adam shrugged. "Just knew it. I've always been able to know where she is on the ice or where she's going to be."
"Thank god you both came back to us." Russ said putting his arm around Amore. "Cause I'd hate to see what it looks like when your on opposite teams."
Connie smirked. "Oh we've seen it."
Averman nodded. "Oh yeah. It's scary."
Amore rolled her eyes. "We weren't that bad back in D-5 days!"
Charlie chuckled. "Oh yes you were. On or off the ice. Remember when he tripped you and you got that bloody nose at school."
"Or the time You checked him for picking on Charlie the first game vs. The Hawks." Guy reminded them.
"Or the time he flipped you over his back, then you tripped him." Goldberg said with a smirk.
"Ok we get the picture. Never put us on opposite teams." Amore said raising her hand in defeat.
"You only play that way when your forced apart. Not when its for fun." Charlie replied and Amore looked up at Adam in surprise. She never realized how bad they were when forced apart. It was like one couldn't thrive with out the other. Adam looked down at her and smiled. Their eyes locking for a breif second before Amore turned her head away.
"Let's get back to work." Amore said nudging Charlie's arm. "We have a Varsity team to beat!"
XOXOXOX
Julie and Connie ran their fingures over the dress rack searching for that perfect dress to wear to the dance. Amore on the other hand stood back and watched her friends. She had already gotten a dress. Alex actually found it two days ago when he was walking past a store on his way to work. He took a picture with his phone and sent it to her. Amore couldn't believe he was the one to find her the perfect dress. She thought Adam would have been more help. But when she forced him to go shopping with her, he sulked the whole time. Never even watched her try the dresses on. That wasn't like Adam at all.
"Well at least you have a date!" Julie demanded. "With Guy. You could wear bubble wrap to the dance and He'd believe you were gourgous. Me on the other hand, I need to find the perfect knock out dress for all the single guys to go damn."
Amore laughed and walked up to her friends. "Why don't you take Adam to the dance? Maybe then he'll stop bugging me about going with Alex."
Julie rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah good call. Go with the boy who is madly in love with his best friend."
Amore's jaw dropped. "Adam is madly in love with Charlie?"
Connie and Julie burst out laughing. For some reason Amore wouldn't accept the fact that Adam liked her that way.
"Charlie isn't his best friend goof." Julie replied. "You are. And frankly I'm sick of watching him fail miserably with trying to win you over."
"He's not failing miserably." Amore protested. "He's just going about it the wrong way."
Connie raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you like Adam?"
Amore rolled her eyes. "Any boy can win over a girl. He just has to do it the right way. Not sure what the right way is. But Adam is not doing it the right way."
Julie giggled. "Why don't you just tell him that you know he likes you. Because that's what's bugging him. He thinks you don't understand what he's telling you."
Amore smirked and held up a dress to Julie. "Go try this on. You look good in fall colors... I knew he liked me since the begianing of the summer."
Julie took the dress back to the dressing room and the girls moved thier conversation back there. "And you're telling me I should take him to the dance when all he's going to do is sulk in the corner knowing your off with his brother some where."
Amore shrugged. "He wont need to sulk if we double date. We'll get ready at our house. Alex will drive his car over with Adam. We'll leave for the dance together, which means they'll have to drop us off together."
Julie came out of the dressing room with a smile on her face. "You know, that might just work."
"Oh, thanks guys, I'll just get ready all by myself." Connie said pretending to pout.
"What are you talking about. You'll be getting ready at my place along with what ever other girls the Ducks have invited." Amore said with a giggle. "Convinced dad to rent you all a party bus... Your welcome."
"I feel sorry for that driver." Connie said with a giggle.
"Oh don't worry about him." Amore said with a wink. "He knows how to handle the Ducks."
Connie raised an eye brow at her friend confused then out of the corner of her eye saw the perfect dress. Her jaw dropped as she walked up to it and lightly touched the fabric.
"Cons! Its perfect!"