The next morning Larissa woke up with her face feeling like she'd been beaten with a 2x4, so she spackled her cheeks with foundation. The make up did little more then give the bruise and orange tinge. And she really didn't want to get out of bad that Sunday. It was however the first day she'd be joining the Ducks for breakfast as Adam's girlfriend. So she got out of bad despite her better judgment.

Larissa sipped her milk and peeled the wrapper from her chocolate chip muffin as she waited. Adam's hands came down around her shoulders and she felt him nuzzle the back of her neck.

"Good morning sweetie." She greeted him

"How'd you know it was me?" You could hear the smile in his voice.

"Oh Adam it's you." She pretended to be disappointed that he was behind her

"Who were you expecting?" He rested his chin on her head

She winked at Averman as he sat down across from her
"Les, we have something going on the side."

"I thought we were going to keep that a secret." Averman pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"Oops my bad." Larissa smiled

Adam took his seat and for the first time that morning he could get a look at her welted face.

"Oh, baby." He touched it tenderly

"Ouch." Larissa flinched at the pain.

"I'm sorry. I don't know how you can not be mad at me."

"Because it's not your fault, you didn't push me. And even if you had I wouldn't blame you cause it's part of the game."

"I shouldn't have made you play."

"You didn't make me do anything, Adam. Let me ask you something if I was older would you feel so bad?"

"I don't know."

"I'm younger then you but I'm not a child. Now let's stop talking about this alright."

"Is it safe to sit down now or are you two still arguing?" Julie questioned holding her tray above their heads

"Yeah Jules have a seat." Adam informed her

Larissa leaned her head on his shoulder, now ignoring her milk and muffin. Adam kissed her cheek , the tip of her nose and then her mouth. Drawing her into hungry, burning kisses.

"Hey you two, some people are trying to eat here." Goldberg razzed

"Goldie you're always eating." Charlie defended them

"Yeah Banks gag me." Connie put her finger in the throat for emphasis.
"Like you and Guy aren't worse." Adam reminded her "And Goldberg if my girl was kissing you, you'd have no problem with it."

"You're girl?" Larissa was obviously insulted by being described as a possession

"Yeah my girl." Banks tucked a stray hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead erasing all her anger.

"If ya don't stop pawing at each other I'm gonna to have Dwayne tie yas up." Portman added

"They might like that." Luis kidded and Larissa gave him the evil eye

"Okay I think we better be nice now, because I don't know about you guys but I don't want Rissa coming after me." Kenny jumped up from the table in false fear.

"So what are you guys doing today?" It seemed that Adam and Larissa being a couple made them the center of everyone else's business.

"I have to go get new slacks and stuff for homecoming, plus my date needs a dress." Adam popped a grape from Russ's tray in his mouth. "We're all wearing our varsity blazers right? So I don't have to get a tux."

"There's no way I'm getting a tux dude." Fulton declared "I'm getting pants and no tie."

"Have you done that yet?" Connie turned to Guy

"You know I knew I forgot something." Guy shrugged nonchalantly and Connie smacked him

"Have any of you got what you need yet?"

She was answered with eleven shaking heads.

"Team trip to the mall?"

"Shopping." Julie giggled pulling out her wallet and counting her cash

Larissa leaned over and whispered in Adam's ear
"I can't afford a new dress."

"Honey I have money." Adam squeezed her knee "You just have a good time with the girls."

The caravan of cars pulled into the mall parking lot and the anxious team unloaded. Julie and Luis had driven in the back seat of Banks's car and had fought the entire time.
"Listen Luis, yes you're good looking, yes you're an excellent hockey player and no I will not date you." Julie slammed the car door almost catching Luis's fingers

"Jules be nice to Luis," Connie scolded getting out of Guy's passenger seat "we all know you like him so there's no use hiding it."

Julie threw up her hands in defeat. How long had they known?
"Alright you win, would you like to be my date for home coming?"

"Definitely." Luis smiled putting his arm around Julie's shoulder as her features took on a crimson shade.

"Everyone, food court at 2:00 no matter what. Got it?" Charlie ordered

"Hey Conway you're only captain on the ice." Russ countered

"Okay Russ when and where would you like to meet?"

"2:00 at the food court?"

"Yeah, good idea."

Larissa, Julie and Connie waved goodbye to the guys and ran off. There must've been a million and three stores in the mall and as the girls walked past and through then Larissa said nothing. She didn't really know them and even though she had nothing to be threatened about she was slightly resentful of Julie.

"So Larissa are you planning of talking to us as any point today?" Connie put her hand on Rissa's shoulder.

"I really don't have anything to say." She responded meekly

"You can talk to us about anything. What's up with you and Banks?"

Larissa's eyes began to dance at the thought of her favorite subject
"I really like him, every time I'm with him I get this feeling in my stomach. It's something I've never felt before."

"I know what you mean, I used to get the same thing when Guy and I first got together. I still do sometimes."

"Banksie's a really great guy. I had a crush on him in our sophomore year, but I never said anything I always thought he was to good for me." Julie worked her way into the conversation "But I guess I have Luis now so I'll get over it."

Larissa bit her bottom lip to keep from telling the beautiful goalie that Adam had in fact felt the same for her.
"Guys you've known Adam longer then I have, what sort of dress do you think he'd like?"

"If he's anything like Guy, which he's not, one he can get off quickly." Connie held a cranberry colored dress in front of her and returned it to the rack when she realized she hated the color.

"I just don't want to humiliate him."

"Larissa if he likes you as much as it seem, you have nothing to worry about. You could go in curlers and a bathrobe and he wouldn't care."

Guys

"Portman You can't wear a Grateful Dead tie to homecoming." Charlie shook his head

"Sure he can it'll go with Molly's tie-dyed gown." Russ said sarcastically

"Guys what do you think of Larissa?" Adam called out of the blue, over the pile of shoes he was trying on

"She's nice Adam, I don't think anyone's got somethin against her." Dwayne's Texas twang answered him

"My dad said she'll be nothing but trouble, I can't figure out as someone as sweet as her could be trouble. I thought maybe you guys would have and idea."

"Maybe he thinks she'll distract you from hockey and you won't make the N.H.L." Ken leaned a rack of pants.

"Yeah that must be it."

"Hey Banks if you two ever break up I can date her right?" Averman nudged him in the shoulder

"Do the words in my dead body mean anything to you?"

Girls

"What do you thin of this one?" Larissa had already tried on twenty different gowns already but while both her and the dresses were exquisite, they didn't mesh well.

"Wow Larissa that looks fantastic." Julie complimented

"Looks like it was designed for you." Connie agreed

It was a gorgeous dress, charcoal gray stain with spaghetti straps and crisscrossing straps down the back. The finishing touch was the rhinestones that cover the top and got less frequent before fading out at the bottom.

"You're going to knock Banks's socks off."

"I hope so." Rissa looked at the price tag sulked and put the gown back "Never mind."

"What's wrong?" The two other guys quizzed in unison

"$423, I couldn't ask Adam to spend that kind of money." Just as Rissa finished saying that Julie's cell phone rang.

"Hello? Well speak of the devil. She found one but she won't buy it." Even from hearing one side you knew she was taking to Banks. "She said it's to expensive. Yes Connie and I both think it looks great on her. Okay. Yup. Bye." Jules hit the end button on the phone and turned to Rissa "He says buy it."

Soon it was 2:00 and the girls carried their bags over to the food court where the boys were already waiting. Julie tried to hold in her embarrassment as she took the empty seat next to Luis. And she really turned red when he kissed her on the cheek. The team hooted, Luis laughed and Julie hid her face in her hands.

"So did you buy that dress?" Adam asked as Rissa dunked a French frie in ketchup and fed it to him

"Yes I did. But Adam it was wicked expensive. I'd be surprised if I didn't max out you credit card"

"I've got a high limit, besides you're worth it."

"Whatever you say." Larissa brought Adam's McDonalds cup up to her lips expecting Coke. "Root beer." she smiled

"Of course, it's what you like isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"You guys have exactly ten seconds to get in your cars and get back to school for practice!" The team heard a familiar voice yell. When they looked up they saw coach Orion standing cross armed a couple feet away. He had never seen them move as fast as they did at that command.
*~Thanks to all the reviewers I wasn't sure anyone was actually going to read this. I know I promised trouble for Adam and it's coming soon, just bare with me okay.~*