AN 3-28-14: And with this my rewrite is complete. Now to attempt to finish this story.
Dwayne's POV:
I sat on my bed staring at the stuff surrounding me. I was suppose to be packing but I wasn't getting very far. It wasn't that I was procrastinating exactly but more that I didn't know what I wanted to pack and what I wanted to leave behind.
My parents had decided not to put the house up for rent. They were worried about what kind of damage would be done to the house while we were gone. Nor were they just shutting it up which was originally their other plan.
Instead, my mom's youngest brother John, who was an engineering student at the University of Texas at Austin, was going to stay in the house. He was a senior at the university and currently living in the dorms. However, there had been a mixup at the beginning of the year, and the university had over booked the dorms. He was currently staying in a dorm with three other guys that was designed for two. Needless to say they were crowded there and there had already been talk of him moving in with us for his last year.
With us going away, my parents figured he could still live here and keep an eye on things while we were gone. His best friend Steve, who was one of the other guys in the dorm room, was coming with him. John was going to be staying in my room and Steve was getting the guest bedroom. They were actually moving in tonight. John was going to sleep on the couch until we left although I had told him he could have the bed. He had insisted that the couch would be fine for awhile.
Still, deciding what I might want or need over the next year was difficult. Did I leave my Alabama and hockey posters on the wall or take them with me? The hockey trophies? I wouldn't really need them but I wasn't sure I wanted to leave them behind either. Not to mention, the more stuff I took, the more stuff I would be re-packing come next August to come back. Not to mention, my room in the apartment was sure to be smaller.
I heard a knock on my door. Reaching over, I turned down my Garth Brooks cassette.
"Come in," I called out.
The door opened and my Mom came in.
"Your father's on the phone. He'd like to talk to you," Mom said.
"Okay," I said standing up.
"Haven't gotten very far have you," Mom commented as we headed out of my room.
"No. I can't decided what to take and what to leave," I told her.
"Want some help?"
"No, I'll get it done," I told her as I reached the bottom of the steps. I saw the receiver of the phone in the kitchen sitting on the counter and headed toward it. My mom came in behind me and went back to packing stuff from the kitchen that we would need in Minneapolis. "Hi, Dad."
"Hey, kiddo. How's the packing coming."
"Slow," I replied honestly.
"Well you might want to pick up the pace," he said. "The real estate agent found us a decent three bedroom apartment. I'll be moving in tomorrow night. It'll be a little more cramped than what we're use to but we'll make it work."
I desperately wanted to ask what district we were in. Would I get to play hockey with my friends or would I be playing against them? I didn't ask though. I knew my Dad would get to it eventually.
"And you'll be happy to know that the apartment is in district five. You'll get to skate with your friends."
"That's great," I said, feeling a surge of excitement.
"I knew that would cheer you up a little," Dad said.. "At the latest, I hope you guys will up here with me by this weekend. Although your mother and I decided that if you get things ready to go earlier than that, you can come join me before her and your sisters come up here. We thought you might like to get settled with your new team, and besides I'm lonely. I miss y'all."
Suddenly, I had more motivation to actually pack for the move. "I miss you too Dad," I told him, already deciding to leave my posters and take only a couple of the hockey trophies.
"I have a bit a bad news for you," Dad said growing serious. I felt my excitement fade at those words wondering what might have happened. "Your friend Adam was hurt in the hockey game last night. He fractured a couple of ribs but he's back at home. I have his number if you want to call him."
My Dad gave me the phone number and then I handed the phone back to my Mom. I headed upstairs, determa little bit more motivated to get things packed than before. Ten minutes later, my Mom came upstairs to tell me she was off the phone if I wanted to use it. She then headed to Roxanne's room, probably to tell her about the apartment.
Abandoning my packing, I headed back downstairs to call Adam. Heading for the living room, I sat on the couch and picked up the extension in there. Dialing the number Dad had given me, I listened to the line ring on the other side. I wanted to see how he was feeling and I also knew that I needed to tell him I was going to be skating with the Ducks now that it was official. I wanted it to come from me and not from one of our other friends.
Adam's POV:
"That's great, Dwayne," I told him, trying to sound excited. He had just told me that he was going to be skating with the Ducks the rest of the season. It wasn't that I wasn't happy for him because I was. It would be much easier joining a team that he knew most of the members than one that he didn't know anyone. Especially seeing as the move was only temporarily.
Still, I knew what spot he was taking. He was taking the spot left empty by me being on the Hawks. What I wouldn't give to be him. To be able to skate with the Ducks this season.
"When are you going to be here?"
"I'm going to come join my Dad as soon as I get my things packed, so hopefully in the next couple of days. My parents' want to hopefully get us all out there by next weekend. Do you think your Dad will let me come see you?" I asked, thinking of the ban Mr. Banks had imposed on the rest of the Ducks.
"I don't know," Adam replied, quietly and then changed the subject. "The others know yet?"
"No, not yet. You're the first one I've talked to. Other than Charlie, the others don't even know I'm coming to Minneapolis. Are you going to see or talk to any of them soon? Perhaps you could let them know, though I suppose I could email Charlie."
"I guess I could though it may have to wait until Monday when I get to school," I told him. ~That's if they're talking to me~, I added silently to myself.
Though I had been told to stay in bed and rest this weekend, the doctor had cleared me to return to school Monday, though I couldn't participate in PE. I knew my Mom was going to be hesitant to let me go back but I was determined to convince I would be fine. I didn't want to get behind in school nor did I want to hang around the house any longer than I had too. Besides, school was the only place I could see and talk to my friends.
~If they're still your friends,~ a little voice taunted me, fueled by the fear that Fulton had taken me out on purpose just like McGill had last year.
"Thanks Adam," he said. "So do you know who won last night's game? Dad didn't mention that."
"Hawks 8-4," I told him.
Alex had called earlier this morning to see how I was and she had told me the final score. So far, her and Dwayne were the only two who I had heard from although Mom had said Mrs. Larson had called to see how I was. That of course, was probably because she was friends with Mom.
"Reilly actually put me in a lot last night for some reason. I scored three of our seven goals before I got hurt. Even playing against the Ducks, I had fun last night. Not skating much in the first two games made me realize how much I like playing the game, even if I am on the Hawks. Now of course I'm out for at least another four weeks."
"Well its better you sit out then to risk further injury."
"I wish I hadn't gotten hurt at all," I told him even though I didn't mention to him what was in the back of my head. I didn't want to even admit that I was entertaining the idea that Fulton had done it on purpose. If maybe the Ducks were no better than the Hawks. It was a thought I really didn't want to entertain but the fact that I hadn't heard from any of them had it lurking there in the back of my head.
The rational part of me though, reasoned that they were just avoiding my Dad. I hadn't told them that he was going away on business this weekend. I was afraid of being pressured into hanging out with them and that was something I still didn't want to risk. I was still afraid that Dad would find out somehow.
"Is there something you want to talk about?" I heard Dwayne ask and realized I had been silent while I was lost in my own thoughts.
"No. I'm sorry Dwayne. I guess the medication I'm on is just making me drowsy," I fibbed. I didn't want to share my fears with anyone. Didn't want to make them seem more real than they already were.
"Well, I should probably let you get some rest then," Dwayne said, although he didn't sound like he was convinced at all. " I should get back to packing anyways. I'll be in touch Adam and if you want to talk, I'm always here for you."
"I know Dwayne. If I don't talk to before then, have a safe trip."
"Thanks. Bye Adam."
"Bye," I said and then heard the soft click as he hung the phone up on his end. I hit the button to disconnect on my end and sat the cordless phone, that my mom had said to leave in my room for now after I talked to Anthony last night, down on the bedside table. I picked up the book we were reading for English and went back to getting the assignment for the weekend read.
Shane's POV:
"So are you in or out?"
That question had been haunting me since the beginning of the season and I was still no closer to deciding what I should do. Yeah, I had told McGill I was out. That I wasn't going to be involved in any of his crazy plans. Still, I knew what he was plotting to do. Knew that I should probably do something to stop it but I wasn't sure what.
My parents probably wouldn't believe me. Reilly would probably do nothing to stop if. Of course that was assuming he wasn't behind it somehow. I still remembered his instructions to McGill and I in our championship game last year. The instructions that McGill had followed through with. Warning Adam, if Adam would speak to me, wouldn't probably do much good. I thought about saying something to Alex but was afraid she might get mad at me for keeping quiet this long. And again, how much good would it actually do. I even thought about going to the Ducks coach, Bombay. There again, the question became whether he would believe me or not. Not to mention I was scared of McGill myself.
I knew McGill getting hurt in our game against the Panthers had bought me some time to think things through. Ryan and Mark wouldn't try anything without him. He was our leader although here lately I had been wondering why.
McGill and Adam had been my best friends ever since I had started school. Even before we were on the Hawks. We had learned to skate together. Learned to play hockey together. Had always been there for each other.
Then Adam had been taken off the Hawks because of some stupid imaginary line. I hadn't blamed Adam for going to the Ducks last year. I knew he really didn't want to but I also knew how much he loved the game. Put in his position, I probably would have done the same thing.
However, McGill had felt betrayed and of course when he started snubbing Adam I had gone right along with him. I had followed McGill for so long, that it didn't even dawn on me to question him at first. He said Adam was a traitor then that's just how it was. However, what he had done at the championship game last year was crossing the line. I saw then how much of a jerk that McGill was.
Of course by then, I had been so mean to Adam that I was sure he wouldn't want anything to do with me. Wouldn't have listened to any apology I tried to make. I then had the choice of staying "friends" with McGill or having no friends at all. I chose the former.
As I approached the Banks house I brought my bike to a stop. Looking up the drive, I couldn't help but think about how much things had change. There was a time when I would have thought nothing of just walking up and going straight through the front door. Would have been over at the house this morning to see how Adam was doing instead of having my Mom call.
I heard familiar voices behind me. Looking over my shoulder I saw Charlie and the other Ducks coming up the street on rollerblades. I knew they were coming to see Adam. Not wanting to deal with a confrontation, I started pedaling in the direction of my house, still no closer to making a decision about what to do about McGill's plan.