"My son would rather not play, than play for your team."

Along with that sentence came a realisation. My father didn't care for me, I was simply a tool for his ego. His son, the number one player on the state champion pee-wee hockey team. The Hawks were my life, I'd grown up with my team mates, we'd tried out together, we hung around at school together but hockey, the game itself, was more important. But my father would never let me play for the Ducks, they were below us. I was too "good" to play for a team like the Ducks.

Well, we showed him, didn't we Charlie.

I realised that I'd drifted back to the memories, reliving them as they occurred. Well, I was never know for my concentration skills. I quickly closed my worn diary, and replaced it in the box. Returning to the present I looked around, a saddened look at my home. I was leaving, finally, and starting a new chapter in my life. I was going to Eden Hall Academy, thanks to the Ducks and the scholarships we had been granted. Grasping the heavy box in my arms, I walked down to the car and loaded up my things.

"Adam! Phone call!" My father called from inside our house. I set down the final box, amazed at how much I had actually packed and ran inside to see who had called.

"Banks, how are you?" Charlie's voice came down the line, and I was relieved. This would give me a chance to organise somewhere to meet, rather than walk into a brand new school all alone.

"Charlie, I'm good." I replied and we talked for a while. We were both worried and excited, however my idea of meeting somewhere had slightly changed.

"You're skating to school with us, Banksie." He said in a juvenile manner, the one that only Charlie could still muster. "Meet us at the duck pond, we'll show those preppy cake-eaters some duck attitude." We both laughed at the use of my nickname, although its creator would not be with us this year. Jesse's departure from the ducks saddened me. He was my closest friend on the team, which wasn't saying much. Other than he and Charlie, the Ducks had remained simply team mates, nothing more.

"Alright Captain Duck." I countered. We decided on times and say our goodbyes. I was smiling as I went to tell my father. He wouldn't mind dropping my things off at school, because after all, it WAS helping my hockey career.

I was right, he didn't mind, although my reasoning was off. This is his son who goes to Eden Hall Academy, who wouldn't love THAT conversation piece.

I decided on one last look at my room, significantly empty after the removal of my stuff, I say my goodbyes and leave the house, skating off to meet my friends.

The duck pond as we call it now is the old lake that District 5 used to practice on before Bombay arrived. While the majority of the original Ducks have left, there is still Goldberg, Guy, Connie, Averman and of course Charlie, but the Ducks wouldn't be the Ducks without him. Fulton and I are still around, but although we weren't original Ducks, we're from Minnesota and are part of the group. It's amazing how a group of people can come together and be such close, and almost exclusive friends just through playing (or as it began, failing) hockey. But they're, I mean we're, the Ducks.

And they're the same Ducks I saw waiting for me as I skated up to the duck pond. I live furthest from here, but they don't mind, they looked happy to see me. After the small talk about holidays and what school is going to be like, we skated off to school. The Ducks, we've been together since the beginning and will stay that way, I feel no matter how physically distant we become we will always be close because of the Ducks. Our newer team mates, from the Goodwill Games, are meeting us at school, because of the distance they had to travel. So we skated, without a care in the world. Simply wondering what our new school would be like.

Goldberg and Charlie had a little adventure on the way, but it was otherwise an eventful trip. The Ducks talked about their holidays and reminisced, I stayed silent for most of the trip. While I should consider them my friends, I just wouldn't know what to say. As we entered the school grounds however, I was starting to feel nervous. This place was HUGE, and while I could've attended Eden Hall without the scholarships, I was glad that my team mates were here, this place was intimidating. We skated up to the auditorium and entered through the side door. I could hear the dean talking, and thanks to Goldberg's lack of skating ability, I could see the dean talking, from under the curtain that was hanging on the stage five seconds before hand.

"GOLDBERG!!!"