Star stared at the key in her hand and the door in front of her to make sure they matched.
Room 319 B, third floor, room nineteen in B building, yup that was the place. She put the
key in the lock and gently turned the knob. She wasn't sure what she was expecting but it
wasn't what she found. Star was sharing a room with Luis's girlfriend Nicci and could
already tell they were nothing alike. Nicci was laying on her bed with her knees bent, her
face buried in the latest copy of Y.M. her Guster c.d. blaring in her headphones. Her side
of the room was wallpapered in Josh Hartnett, Orlando Bloom and Hayden Christensen
pictures.
Star cleared her throat politely to gain Nicci's attention.
"Hi Star, are you my new roomy?" Nicci put her magazine down and adjusted her glasses.
"Yup, where should I put my stuff?" Star noticed her luggage had arrived sometime
during the course of the day.
"Wherever you want just don't block the picture of mine and Orlando's love child." She
gestured to a clipping of Orlando holding a little blonde girl.
"I won't I promise." Star began to unpack in silence, Nicci seemed nice enough but they
had nothing in common.
"Does Luis know you have kids?" Star joked moments later opening a box.
"No." Nicci giggled "Do you need some help?"
"Nope I got it thanks."
"Okay well then I'm off to cheerleading practice." Nicci was a cheerleader that
explained a lot. Though her leaving was good for Star after the fight she had with Cole
after his practice she just wanted to be alone. This one had been worse then the one in the
cafeteria because Riley had been there. She'd know Rick her whole life as well and he
was treating her the same way Cole was. Giving her the third degree about the Ducks.
She was so red with rage she was going to punch both of them in the stomach. Thank god
for Scooter was all she could say. It was evident that he and Charlie were going to be
giving their knight in shining armor muscles a work out.
A little while later there was a knock at the door , which when it was opened revealed
Rick Riley's younger brother Bryon.
"Hey Star Rick told me you were here I had to see for myself."
"Yeah I'm here." She retorted wryly, Star had hated Bryon her whole life and the stupid,
lusty look he was giving her now was not helping.
"So I see, I was thinking maybe you'd wanna go get a coke or something."
"I don't think so, I've got a tons of stuff to do, unpacking and such., sorry." With that she
closed the door in his face. "Still the same jerk he always was." Star mumbled to herself
as she sunk into her bed with an exasperated groan.
For the next half hour Star stewed in her thoughts. Memories of childhood mostly, when
Cole was her best friend, and Rick Riley cared more about their friendship and hockey
then reputation and money, and when Bryon pushed her in the mud and pulled her hair
instead of flirting with her, and then there was the crush she had on Scooter when she
was seven. All of the memories only made her madder, what had happened to them?
They had grown up and boy she missed the old days.
There was a knock at the door again and Star rolled out of bed with an attitude thinking it
would be Bryon back to annoy her again.
"I already told you I don't wanna get a soda with you! Why won't you just leave me
alone?" She yelled flinging the door open only to see Adam standing there with a timid
expression on his face.
"No you didn't, but I'll leave you alone if you want me to." He shied back .
"Oh Adam I'm sorry I thought you were someone else. Come on in. Wait a minute how
did you know which room I was staying in?"
"I ran into Nicci. I was thinking maybe you might want to come to Pizza Hut with me
some of the team is going to grab a slice." He sat gingerly on the edge of her bed a photo
of her and Cole catching his eye. "Your brother looks a lot nicer in that picture."
"He was nicer then, that was the day he left to come here, the day my parents sent me to
boarding school in Paris. They never really wanted me around anyway Cole was their
pride and joy."
"Wow French boarding school."
"Yeah it sucked actually I wanted to come home so bad, here I am. To bad it didn't turn
out how I hoped."
Adam really couldn't say much, his older brother was is best friend and even though his
dad pushed to be the best he knew his parents loved him.
"Well let's go get that pizza." Star stood up shaking her head as if to erase the painful
memories.
"Follow me." Adam headed out the door and Star sighed Adam Banks was the cutest
thing she'd ever seen.
"After you." Adam said as he held the door open for Star as they walked into Pizza Hut.
"Thank you." She replied, amazed with his politeness.
"No problem." He said, blushing a little bit.
The two friends quickly found a table and sat down close to the rest of the ducks.
"So how are you liking Eden Hall?" Adam asked.
"It's better than my old school, that's for sure." Star sighed.
Adam just nodded.
"So what about you, Adam? Do you like it here?"
Adam shrugged. "I like it, I like having the ducks around all the time. You know, half of
the team lives in various parts of the country, so during the summers and everything we
don't really get to see each other."
The other ducks nodded in agreement.
"So, anyway. How are you and Nicci getting along?" He asked.
"Pretty well actually." Star replied.
Nicci nodded in agreement. "It's going to be an awesome year!"
Star laughed as they continued their conversations about school, and hockey, and other
things....Little did they know that Cole had talked with Scooter, (Who had decided not to
go, and to stay and study for a test, instead) earlier, and found out where Star had gone.
Her being off campus hadn't bothered him that much. It was when he had found out who
she was with that he really got upset, and decided to go down there to bring her back.
"Star!" She heard that very familiar, very threatening voice roar from behind her. Star
cringed before she turned around to face her brother.
"Star, your coming back to campus right now." He said, in a low toned voice.
"Why?" Star objected.
"You can't hang out with J.V. That's all there is to it." Cole replied simply.
"But their my friends."
It took everything Cole had not to scream out some profanity at that very second.
"Go back to campus, Cole. It's not like we're doing anything here. Were just hanging
out." Fulton spoke up.
Cole ignored that comment, and kept his eyes firmly on Adam, clear that he knew what
was going on. "Come on, Star. We're leaving." He said again.
Star shook her head. "You can't make me."
"Leave us alone, Cole. Go back and annoy your own team." Charlie spat.
"You better watch yourself, Conway. You have no idea what we're capable of. You just
wait." Cole said as he walked out of the restaurant.
" 'Capable'...I didn't know that Cole knew any three syllable words." Averman said.
"Shut up, Averman." Star said, rolling her eyes.
"Star one question are you sure you're not adopted of something?" Goldberg asked with a face full of pepperoni.
"I'll fix him for ya if he comes back." Portman offered
"No Dean please don't hurt my brother. He's just a little over protective, if he had his way I wouldn't date till I was forty. Hanging out with you guys is just the top of the cake." Star leaned in and took a piece of mushroom pizza pretending what had just happened didn't.
By the end of the night Charlie backed by the rest of the team had named Star an honorary duck. To which she laughed and replied
"I'm going to be disowned from the family."
Room 319 B, third floor, room nineteen in B building, yup that was the place. She put the
key in the lock and gently turned the knob. She wasn't sure what she was expecting but it
wasn't what she found. Star was sharing a room with Luis's girlfriend Nicci and could
already tell they were nothing alike. Nicci was laying on her bed with her knees bent, her
face buried in the latest copy of Y.M. her Guster c.d. blaring in her headphones. Her side
of the room was wallpapered in Josh Hartnett, Orlando Bloom and Hayden Christensen
pictures.
Star cleared her throat politely to gain Nicci's attention.
"Hi Star, are you my new roomy?" Nicci put her magazine down and adjusted her glasses.
"Yup, where should I put my stuff?" Star noticed her luggage had arrived sometime
during the course of the day.
"Wherever you want just don't block the picture of mine and Orlando's love child." She
gestured to a clipping of Orlando holding a little blonde girl.
"I won't I promise." Star began to unpack in silence, Nicci seemed nice enough but they
had nothing in common.
"Does Luis know you have kids?" Star joked moments later opening a box.
"No." Nicci giggled "Do you need some help?"
"Nope I got it thanks."
"Okay well then I'm off to cheerleading practice." Nicci was a cheerleader that
explained a lot. Though her leaving was good for Star after the fight she had with Cole
after his practice she just wanted to be alone. This one had been worse then the one in the
cafeteria because Riley had been there. She'd know Rick her whole life as well and he
was treating her the same way Cole was. Giving her the third degree about the Ducks.
She was so red with rage she was going to punch both of them in the stomach. Thank god
for Scooter was all she could say. It was evident that he and Charlie were going to be
giving their knight in shining armor muscles a work out.
A little while later there was a knock at the door , which when it was opened revealed
Rick Riley's younger brother Bryon.
"Hey Star Rick told me you were here I had to see for myself."
"Yeah I'm here." She retorted wryly, Star had hated Bryon her whole life and the stupid,
lusty look he was giving her now was not helping.
"So I see, I was thinking maybe you'd wanna go get a coke or something."
"I don't think so, I've got a tons of stuff to do, unpacking and such., sorry." With that she
closed the door in his face. "Still the same jerk he always was." Star mumbled to herself
as she sunk into her bed with an exasperated groan.
For the next half hour Star stewed in her thoughts. Memories of childhood mostly, when
Cole was her best friend, and Rick Riley cared more about their friendship and hockey
then reputation and money, and when Bryon pushed her in the mud and pulled her hair
instead of flirting with her, and then there was the crush she had on Scooter when she
was seven. All of the memories only made her madder, what had happened to them?
They had grown up and boy she missed the old days.
There was a knock at the door again and Star rolled out of bed with an attitude thinking it
would be Bryon back to annoy her again.
"I already told you I don't wanna get a soda with you! Why won't you just leave me
alone?" She yelled flinging the door open only to see Adam standing there with a timid
expression on his face.
"No you didn't, but I'll leave you alone if you want me to." He shied back .
"Oh Adam I'm sorry I thought you were someone else. Come on in. Wait a minute how
did you know which room I was staying in?"
"I ran into Nicci. I was thinking maybe you might want to come to Pizza Hut with me
some of the team is going to grab a slice." He sat gingerly on the edge of her bed a photo
of her and Cole catching his eye. "Your brother looks a lot nicer in that picture."
"He was nicer then, that was the day he left to come here, the day my parents sent me to
boarding school in Paris. They never really wanted me around anyway Cole was their
pride and joy."
"Wow French boarding school."
"Yeah it sucked actually I wanted to come home so bad, here I am. To bad it didn't turn
out how I hoped."
Adam really couldn't say much, his older brother was is best friend and even though his
dad pushed to be the best he knew his parents loved him.
"Well let's go get that pizza." Star stood up shaking her head as if to erase the painful
memories.
"Follow me." Adam headed out the door and Star sighed Adam Banks was the cutest
thing she'd ever seen.
"After you." Adam said as he held the door open for Star as they walked into Pizza Hut.
"Thank you." She replied, amazed with his politeness.
"No problem." He said, blushing a little bit.
The two friends quickly found a table and sat down close to the rest of the ducks.
"So how are you liking Eden Hall?" Adam asked.
"It's better than my old school, that's for sure." Star sighed.
Adam just nodded.
"So what about you, Adam? Do you like it here?"
Adam shrugged. "I like it, I like having the ducks around all the time. You know, half of
the team lives in various parts of the country, so during the summers and everything we
don't really get to see each other."
The other ducks nodded in agreement.
"So, anyway. How are you and Nicci getting along?" He asked.
"Pretty well actually." Star replied.
Nicci nodded in agreement. "It's going to be an awesome year!"
Star laughed as they continued their conversations about school, and hockey, and other
things....Little did they know that Cole had talked with Scooter, (Who had decided not to
go, and to stay and study for a test, instead) earlier, and found out where Star had gone.
Her being off campus hadn't bothered him that much. It was when he had found out who
she was with that he really got upset, and decided to go down there to bring her back.
"Star!" She heard that very familiar, very threatening voice roar from behind her. Star
cringed before she turned around to face her brother.
"Star, your coming back to campus right now." He said, in a low toned voice.
"Why?" Star objected.
"You can't hang out with J.V. That's all there is to it." Cole replied simply.
"But their my friends."
It took everything Cole had not to scream out some profanity at that very second.
"Go back to campus, Cole. It's not like we're doing anything here. Were just hanging
out." Fulton spoke up.
Cole ignored that comment, and kept his eyes firmly on Adam, clear that he knew what
was going on. "Come on, Star. We're leaving." He said again.
Star shook her head. "You can't make me."
"Leave us alone, Cole. Go back and annoy your own team." Charlie spat.
"You better watch yourself, Conway. You have no idea what we're capable of. You just
wait." Cole said as he walked out of the restaurant.
" 'Capable'...I didn't know that Cole knew any three syllable words." Averman said.
"Shut up, Averman." Star said, rolling her eyes.
"Star one question are you sure you're not adopted of something?" Goldberg asked with a face full of pepperoni.
"I'll fix him for ya if he comes back." Portman offered
"No Dean please don't hurt my brother. He's just a little over protective, if he had his way I wouldn't date till I was forty. Hanging out with you guys is just the top of the cake." Star leaned in and took a piece of mushroom pizza pretending what had just happened didn't.
By the end of the night Charlie backed by the rest of the team had named Star an honorary duck. To which she laughed and replied
"I'm going to be disowned from the family."