Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I just want to point out that before when I said that all Fulton need was a D- I was going off of my school's grading system. A D- is 60-62.9%. They do exist my friend is got that in one of her classes.
Chapter 6 - Backlash
Adam and Charlie were headed to one of their self-coached practices. Adam practiced his shot and speed. He did some drills that he learned when he was little from his brother and later mastered them in the Hawks. Charlie couldn't help practicing his shots especially his triple dyke.
They got to the rink and there were a few people, a couple of guys and a couple of girls, standing by the door. The biggest guy stepped out from the rest of them who were leaning against the wall and came over to Adam and Charlie.
His deep voice sliced through the thick silence like a knife. Adam and Charlie didn't know what to think. He said, "Which one of yous is Banks?"
In his quietly strong voice Adam spoke up indicating that their business was with him.
The guy said, "We need to discuss something with you. Alone." The boy stared right at Charlie.
Adam told Charlie to go on ahead without him. Charlie didn't want to go, but he didn't want to start an argument out here with Adam that Adam definitely would have won.
Charlie looked back one more time as he apprehensively went into the rink. He had no intentions of working out without Adam right there with him.
After Charlie went in the other people came and enclosed Adam inside a circle. They stood next to each other so Adam had no way out of this. He was going to have to do what they wanted.
Adam counted four boys including the one that talked to him and three girls with them. He was starting to get scared. How was he going to get himself out of this one?
Adam's fear must have shown through very easily since one of the girls said, "We just need to talk, but don't try anything funny or we'll have a problem. Now won't we?"
Adam nodded his head. He was the slave to these people as long as they held him in this situation. He would have gotten down on all fours and started barking the second any of them said so.
The largest guy was obviously the leader of that group. He stood tall, more or less a couple inches taller than Adam. He spoke for the entire group.
He said, "We hear you've taken up a little business with our girl, Tiny. Now I tell this to anyone who gets close to her so don't think you're anything special to us. Just a little initiation into her life is what we're here for today. Listen up Preppy because if you break her heart you don't only have to deal with her, you have to deal with all of us. You get what I'm saying to you?"
Adam nodded looking once more around the circle into the eyes of each person trying to see if they were for real. As far as he could tell they were.
The guy also nodded and added, "Good, now that we're on the same page I don't expect to have any problems with you, rich boy. Let's make sure that happens. All right? We're done here. Go do whatever it is you jocks do."
With that the seven of them left heading back to the dorms. Adam wondered how they got into Eden Hall.
Adam went into the rink and found Charlie outside the locker room door. He still had his gear in his bag and his bag in his hand. The two sophomores went into the locker room and changed to workout on the ice.
They stepped out of the locker room and started to work on their drills. Adam worked his wrist like he had since the Goodwill Games. Once something gets sprained there is a very good chance it'll just keep getting sprained unless healed and worked properly.
The two friends ran their drills and played one on one with the aspirations of making each other into better hockey players.
Charlie didn't ask what happened until the way back to the dorms. Adam told him that Tiny just had friends that cared. Charlie left it at that. If Adam were going to tell him the whole story then he'd wait until he was completely ready. Adam wasn't one to jump into things.
Throughout the next couple of weeks Tiny and Adam got closer and closer. Their young romance blossomed with the time.
They started spending less time with their friends and more time with each other. For their one-month anniversary they stayed in together. Winter sports conditioning practice had just started that week.
Some schools have hell week. Eden Hall has hell practices from October until the week of the opener when they practice more position than condition. The winter sports teams are fierce and more alert because of these practices making them the best around. That and the scholarship program.
Adam and Tiny had pulled themselves up to their dorm rooms with just enough energy to shower and change. They were going to walk to a nearby pizza parlor, but they scratched that idea. Instead they watched "The Shawshank Redemption" on the television that Adam had brought with him to school.
They had fun just snuggled up there together watching the movie. During commercials they talked about anything, mostly how sports were working out for them.
The next week however things stopped being so fun for both of them.
It started for Adam when he sat down at the Ducks' lunch table, first like always. After he sat down the entire starting line for the JV and varsity minus Tiny sat down like a swarm of bees the second after. Adam looked confused. He didn't know what was going on.
Fulton had gotten out of the line in time and see that a bunch of girls were sitting where he usually sat. Then he noticed Adam in the middle of it all. Fulton went over to the table to try and see what was happening.
The girls started threatening Adam. Adam was very intimidated by these girls and you probably would be too. They were on a mission. The girls wanted Adam to lay off of Tiny for the season. They didn't want him anywhere near her or else.
Adam really didn't want to know the "or else" part of it at all.
By the time that all of the Ducks sat down they all knew that something had just happened involving the basketball chicks and Adam. They sat there in anticipation for what Adam was going to say about it.
Adam just stared back at everyone for a second. He couldn't believe this. Adam calmly said, "They just didn't want me distracting Tiny's game."
That's when Fulton decided to speak up. He said, "What about your game? Can we trust that you won't get too distracted on the ice this season? How 'bout in the classroom? Any problems there?"
Adam was speechless. How could Fulton say those things? How could the rest of the Ducks just sit there?
Adam sat there for a second collecting his thoughts. Then he said, "Is this how you all feel? Do you all feel that Tiny is just a distraction?"
After that Charlie said, "You have spent so much time with her lately. Do you even have a clue what's going on in everyone else's lives?"
Adam felt betrayed. This is the first time that he's had someone and everyone comes down on him for it. Everybody forgave Connie and Guy when they got lost in their little world. There was Charlie and Linda. Then Luis and whoever he's hung up on next. Why are they just being judgmental of him?
All Adam could think about was how none of them had any idea what it was like to be him as he got up and left the lunchroom after barely having a bite to eat.
