Chapter 2: Rekindling the Flame by Victory Thru Tears

Charlie's POV

I didn't even hear him come up behind me. I whirl around as he taps me on the shoulder, a small smile playing on his face.

"Great game," he tells me.

"You were great too," I answer softly. Since when had things become this weird between us? It must have been since Eden Hall, since Orion, since Varsity. I bite my lip nervously. We can't let go of the old times like that.

"I was just wondering…" he trails off.

"Yeah?" I ask hopefully.

"Who was the girl?"

Damn, he had seen that. Of course, I can't have expected him not to, I had kissed her in front of the entire school.

"I don't know," I answer truthfully. "I really don't know."

I can't tell him that it was all just an act; a prank much worse than those we had pulled on the Varsity team. He's easily jealous, and he knows that I know it. I can't stand it when Banks is mad at me, and he'd definitely be mad if he knew that I had just been trying to make him jealous.

"Oh," he says, his face blank.

I can tell by his neutral expression that he isn't happy. He's really good at hiding his emotions, but from being so close to him for the past four years I can easily see through his façade.

"We need to talk," I finally say.

He nods, agreeing with me.

"When?" I ask.

"After dinner?"

"Where?"

"We could just come here."

"Yeah, I need some practice," I say.

"No, you don't," he answers, smiling again. "You're just fine the way you are."

"Thanks, Banksie," I tell him, starting to leave for my dorm. I have a lot of thinking to do before our conversation.

He sits across the table from me, a few seats down. Out of the corner of my eye I can see him looking at me periodically.

I've done a lot of reflecting, but I still have no idea what I am going to talk to him about later in the evening. We were always more action than thought. I think I see Fulton watching me, and I quickly look away from Adam. The last thing that I need is any more rumors.

It had been hard when they started after the Goodwill Games. I was young, and so was he. We didn't know the slightest thing about anything sexual, and had barely started puberty. We had just let the Ducks talk, and they soon got over it. But it's times like in the locker room that I know we are being hideously obvious. I had seen Fulton watching us, and now I am almost sure that he knows. He's being a great friend, though, by not saying anything.

I wonder how the other Ducks will react if they find out about us. Not that I'm actually sure of what "us" is right now, of course. I don't know if Banks means to make amends to our relationship and continue things as they used to be, or if he means to break it off. From our brief conversation after the game I can pretty much infer that it is the former, but with Banks you never tell. Getting back to the Ducks, I think about them individually. I assume that all of them are straight, because they've never done anything to lead me to believe otherwise. I suppose some of them would be narrow-minded about Banks and I, if they ever found out. I'm especially not sure about how the Bash Brothers would react. I know that it's incredibly stereotypical of me to imagine them as the macho type; interested in only girls, sports, and loud music. I think that in my confusion I'm doing too much thinking, and reading into things that don't need reading into.

I look down to my plate, and to my surprise see that I have cleaned it off already. I look up to meet Banks' eyes, but I see that he is already gone. I excuse myself from the table, and head towards my dorm. I share the room with Guy, but he is still at dinner. I quickly get together my hockey gear, some of it still smelly from the game. I shove it into my ITech bag, and head out of the dormitory. The walk down to the rink is short, and I find that I'm getting very nervous. I enter the locker room to change, and see Banks' bag already inside of one of the lockers. He's probably already out on the ice, waiting for me. I dress quickly, and nervously exit the locker room.

He's on the ice already, wearing his old green Ducks jersey. Interesting—I'm wearing mine as well. I realize that he's talking to a shorter girl with dark hair. She looks up and sees me, and Banks turns as well. I can't tell what he's feeling as he looks at me. I can't hear what they're saying, but the girl picks up her coat to leave. Banks waves to her, and then turns back to me. I skate onto the rink. He silently pulls his mask down over his face, and I take a spot in front of the goal. He skates towards me, passing the puck back and forth with his stick. He takes the shot, and I block it. I skate to the centerline, and he becomes the defenseman. We continue in this fashion until the score becomes 5-4, in favor of Banks. I find that my mind is not on hockey, and I'm not sure that it has been at all this whole time. Banks is skating towards the goal, and I am gliding backwards, waiting for him to take a shot. Am I really waiting for him to do something with the puck, or am I waiting for him to acknowledge me? Coach Orion's voice echoes in the back of my mind.

Make him make the first move, Conway…

I remember the first time he had told me that, and my reply.

I'm not a defenseman, I'm a scorer.

I make up my mind, and stop skating. He quickly stops, trying not to knock me over. We end up chest to chest, the puck forgotten. I take off my mask, brushing the wet hair out of my face. He does the same, his cool blue-green eyes staring into mine. He is so beautiful. I lean towards him, and gently touch my lips to his. In that moment, I didn't care who could see us, and what they would think. It is just Adam and me, together again.