Notes: Not done yet guys. Still a few things. Such as the baby Banks. And I gotta figure out where I go from here. The chapter name says it all.
Well it Can't Get Worse
The Ducks came running into the rink. I was crying now. Keith was talking to me but I ignored him.
"What's going on?" Charlie asked coming up the bleachers. "Adam are you okay?"
"Tina..." I couldn't finish. I wiped away some tears.
"The Ignored were just here." Keith said.
"What? Where are they now?" Portman asked. He looked like he was going to tear something apart.
"Dean Buckley took them somewhere." Mikah said. "I swear they never told me anything Banks! If I had known..."
"They didn't tell me anything either." William said quickly. Brendan nodded.
I was too shaken up to tell them what happened. Keith and a few others told them what they had seen.
I looked at Guy when they got to the part about Connie being there. He had gone white. He sat down on a bleacher. "I knew Connie was acting weird."
"Terry and Connie." Fulton said. "What the heck is going on here?"
I spoke up then. "Disgruntled hockey players." I whispered. "And the sister of one of them. I don't know why Terry..." I couldn't finish that sentence either. Why did this happen? Two people I became close to last year just betrayed me. Am I cursed or something?
I didn't say anything else. I just stared at the ice blankly. I was grateful I never got any 'I told you so's' about Josh. I don't know how much time had passed when I heard a soft voice say "Adam." I looked up to see my parents. My mother hugged me tightly.
"Richard called us. From what he can piece together they will all either be suspended or expelled. Depends on what the board thinks." My dad said. "Let's go home." He said pulling me up to my feet.
I was so out of it I couldn't tell you anything that was said in the car on the way home. I'm sure my dad was cussing about this whole thing.
The next thing I know it's the next day. I must have slept the whole rest of the day.
I walked downstairs and found my mother drinking a cup of decaffeinated tea. "Good morning Adam." She said getting up to hug me. This pregnancy thing sure has made her emotional. "Glad to see you are out of shock." I stared at her blankly. "Never mind. The Dean called about ten minutes ago. They are having the board meeting tomorrow. They'll need you to talk."
"Do I have to?"
"You should. You were the one who found out who they were first. Adam I know this is tough with one being your ex-girlfriend but they'll need you to say something. Your father and I will both be there."
Jeffrey came in and ruffled my hair. "Glad to see you're awake."
"When did you get here?" I asked.
"Last night. I'm going to back to school in a few minutes and will be back later. Good thing I don't have classes on Tuesday."
"I should go to class." I said.
"I don't know Adam. You wouldn't even talk when we brought you home yesterday. School will be tough. I bet information on what happened yesterday will be going around all day. The Dean already said it was okay for you to miss today."
"I want to go." I said softly. "It couldn't be any worse then it already is."
"Okay. Jeffrey could you drop him off?"
"Sure. Get your stuff squirt." I think it shocked him that I didn't make a comment about that nickname.
***
When I got to school, I felt like everyone was staring at me. Diana walked right by me without saying anything. We hadn't really been friends before but we did say hi in the halls sometimes.
The rest of the day was the same. Whispering and pointing and a lot of staring. At lunch, I sat down with the other Ducks. "I feel like an insect in Biology."
"We've been trying to correct any rumor that we heard." Charlie said. "Guess it doesn't seem to be helping."
"You hear about the meeting tomorrow?" Russ asked.
"Yeah. My mom told me this morning." I said moving the food around on my plate but not eating it.
"Banks can I talk to you?" Keith asked coming up to our table. I shrugged. We walked outside of the dining room where it was quiet. "Are you going to be at practice today?"
I hadn't really thought about that. "I don't know."
"Wilson said he'd understand if you didn't. What a mess huh?"
"You have no idea." I said quietly.
"Adam I know what you are going through sort of. My best friend of five years was a part of that. If you ever need someone to talk to let me know." He said and walked away. I went back to the dining room.
I actually did go to practice. The locker room went quiet when I entered. I walked to my locker and changed. Practice went as I hoped it would. Like nothing ever happened.
I didn't go to JV practice as I usually did. I went to the library. I wanted to find out something. The Dean had called me into his office during history class and told me what to expect.
I needed to find something about the giving scholarships to the Ducks. There had to be something. The Dean told me there should be.
I searched and searched and I think I might have found what I was looking for.
Well it Can't Get Worse
The Ducks came running into the rink. I was crying now. Keith was talking to me but I ignored him.
"What's going on?" Charlie asked coming up the bleachers. "Adam are you okay?"
"Tina..." I couldn't finish. I wiped away some tears.
"The Ignored were just here." Keith said.
"What? Where are they now?" Portman asked. He looked like he was going to tear something apart.
"Dean Buckley took them somewhere." Mikah said. "I swear they never told me anything Banks! If I had known..."
"They didn't tell me anything either." William said quickly. Brendan nodded.
I was too shaken up to tell them what happened. Keith and a few others told them what they had seen.
I looked at Guy when they got to the part about Connie being there. He had gone white. He sat down on a bleacher. "I knew Connie was acting weird."
"Terry and Connie." Fulton said. "What the heck is going on here?"
I spoke up then. "Disgruntled hockey players." I whispered. "And the sister of one of them. I don't know why Terry..." I couldn't finish that sentence either. Why did this happen? Two people I became close to last year just betrayed me. Am I cursed or something?
I didn't say anything else. I just stared at the ice blankly. I was grateful I never got any 'I told you so's' about Josh. I don't know how much time had passed when I heard a soft voice say "Adam." I looked up to see my parents. My mother hugged me tightly.
"Richard called us. From what he can piece together they will all either be suspended or expelled. Depends on what the board thinks." My dad said. "Let's go home." He said pulling me up to my feet.
I was so out of it I couldn't tell you anything that was said in the car on the way home. I'm sure my dad was cussing about this whole thing.
The next thing I know it's the next day. I must have slept the whole rest of the day.
I walked downstairs and found my mother drinking a cup of decaffeinated tea. "Good morning Adam." She said getting up to hug me. This pregnancy thing sure has made her emotional. "Glad to see you are out of shock." I stared at her blankly. "Never mind. The Dean called about ten minutes ago. They are having the board meeting tomorrow. They'll need you to talk."
"Do I have to?"
"You should. You were the one who found out who they were first. Adam I know this is tough with one being your ex-girlfriend but they'll need you to say something. Your father and I will both be there."
Jeffrey came in and ruffled my hair. "Glad to see you're awake."
"When did you get here?" I asked.
"Last night. I'm going to back to school in a few minutes and will be back later. Good thing I don't have classes on Tuesday."
"I should go to class." I said.
"I don't know Adam. You wouldn't even talk when we brought you home yesterday. School will be tough. I bet information on what happened yesterday will be going around all day. The Dean already said it was okay for you to miss today."
"I want to go." I said softly. "It couldn't be any worse then it already is."
"Okay. Jeffrey could you drop him off?"
"Sure. Get your stuff squirt." I think it shocked him that I didn't make a comment about that nickname.
***
When I got to school, I felt like everyone was staring at me. Diana walked right by me without saying anything. We hadn't really been friends before but we did say hi in the halls sometimes.
The rest of the day was the same. Whispering and pointing and a lot of staring. At lunch, I sat down with the other Ducks. "I feel like an insect in Biology."
"We've been trying to correct any rumor that we heard." Charlie said. "Guess it doesn't seem to be helping."
"You hear about the meeting tomorrow?" Russ asked.
"Yeah. My mom told me this morning." I said moving the food around on my plate but not eating it.
"Banks can I talk to you?" Keith asked coming up to our table. I shrugged. We walked outside of the dining room where it was quiet. "Are you going to be at practice today?"
I hadn't really thought about that. "I don't know."
"Wilson said he'd understand if you didn't. What a mess huh?"
"You have no idea." I said quietly.
"Adam I know what you are going through sort of. My best friend of five years was a part of that. If you ever need someone to talk to let me know." He said and walked away. I went back to the dining room.
I actually did go to practice. The locker room went quiet when I entered. I walked to my locker and changed. Practice went as I hoped it would. Like nothing ever happened.
I didn't go to JV practice as I usually did. I went to the library. I wanted to find out something. The Dean had called me into his office during history class and told me what to expect.
I needed to find something about the giving scholarships to the Ducks. There had to be something. The Dean told me there should be.
I searched and searched and I think I might have found what I was looking for.