"Alright, take a knee" Orion called and the Ducks took a knee and had their coach in the middle of their circle. "I have an announcement to make" the Ducks were quiet waiting for him to go on. "We're getting a new player today, she should be here any minute now"

"She?" Julie and Connie asked.

"Yes, she"

"Yes!" Julie and Connie high fived.

"Is she any good?" Charlie asked.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Orion said and pointed behind him. Right at that moment someone in full hockey gear came out on the ice. They all assumed it was their new player. She had a Duck jersey on with the number 19 and she had her helmet on so they couldn't see her face. "You all can make introductions later, let's scrimmage"

The Ducks took their positions on the ice with the new girl playing right wing for the defence. Adam took the face off against Averman, he won the puck and send it to Charlie. Charlie made his way up the ice and suddenly he got checked and number 19 took the puck. She shot up the ice like a bullet getting fired from a gun. On her way she checked Guy, Luis and Ken. She got around Adam and took a shot which Julie saved with her glove.

The scrimmage continued with Charlie taking the face off against this new girl. Before the whistle blew Charlie met a pair off blue green eyes looking into his. The whistle blew and she checked him hard before taking the puck sending it to Portman. Charlie got up from his feet and chased after the puck which now had landed by Dwayne. Dwayne passed to Connie that passed towards Russ but Adam stole the puck.

Adam skated up the ice towards Goldberg that was goalie for the defence. He passed the center line before he noticed number 19 coming up behind him and passed him, then turning so they went one on one against eachother. Their eyes met and Adam thought he recognized something in them but he couldn't figure out what. They had passed the blue line long ago and now the girl didn't wait anymore. She batted his stick away and send the puck to Connie and checked Adam hard landing on top of him. She rolled off of him and quickly got up on her feet with Adam following her. But when Adam got up on his feet she had already passed the blue line. He shook his head and skated after her.

Number 19 got the puck from Dwayne, faked a shot, turned so she faced away from the goal and shot it in with the back of her stick. Adam recognized that trick, but from where?

There was a line change and the new girl went to sit on the bench. She sat down without taking her helmet off following the game. Adam sat down beside her and looked at her, still she followed the game not taking her eyes off the players on the ice.

Not much later she and Adam went out on the ice again. Adam stole the puck and the new girl got up beside him pushing him to the side so she could take the puck. She took it and went the other way. Adam watched her as she shot up the ice towards Julie and the goal.

"She's playing Hawk hockey" Adam said to himself. "How the-" Adam got knocked out from his thoughts when he crashed into the boards.

"Sorry Banksie, you better get your head in the game" Portman said hitting him on his head before skating towards Luis.

Adam cleared his head by shaking it and skated up towards Connie that had the puck. He won the puck back and turned so he skated up towards Goldberg. No one stopped him this time and Adam put the puck in before Goldberg had a chance to save it with his stick.

The scrimmage continued and the new girl had the puck. She went up full speed towards the other goal when Fulton checked Averman that landed on the ice right between number 19 and the goal. Seeing this the new girl dropped the puck from her head, made a quick 180 but she had no time to skate the way she was now facing, she jumped up and started spinning letting the speed she had before and the altitude take her over Averman with a large space between them and land on his other side.

The Ducks stood and followed the whole jump with their eyes forgetting the game. Their mouth hung open from astonishment. Averman didn't dare to move an inch, he had his eyes closed afraid that she would've landed or crashed into him.

"Nice loop" Ken spoke up breaking the silence but he didn't move anything except his lips.

"C'mon, don't just stand there, continue the scrimmage" coach Orion ordered, but even he was suprised.

The practise was coming to an end when the new girl got the puck and shot up the ice only to get checked by Adam. The puck continued and Fulton took it. Though Adam had landed on top of the girl looking into her eyes.

"Magic?" he asked, he recognized her very well.

"Get of off me!" she pushed Adam off of her and stood up.

Orion blew his whistle and told them to do twenty laps. The girl shot up the ice starting her first lap together with the rest of the Ducks.

The new girl did an extra lap thinking she would get some extra practise when the others had gone off the ice.

"Maurice"

The girl turned at the name seeing Adam right behind her.

"What?" she wanted to know.

"Have you ever been a Hawk?" Adam asked.

"Does it matter?"

"I'm just asking"

"Fine, yeah, I was" she said.

"When did you start?"

"If you're asking if we were on the same team at the same time, yes we were"

"Coach Reilly never let any girls on his team" Adam stated.

"Did you think I told him?"

"But, we thought you were a guy"

"Good for you" she said and started off the ice. "I can't believe I had a crush on you" she muttered.

"Excuse me?" Adam had heard that she muttered something and skated up to her and stood infront of her. "What was it you said?" he asked.

"Nothin'" she was on her way to leave again when Adam grabbed her wrist.

"Hey." She turned seeming annoyed. "I'm not gonna tell the others that you were a Hawk"

"Does it matter if they know or not?"

"Yes, it does. They hate Hawks, and finding out one more is on the team is not gonna make them happy"

"I wasn't the one that did all those mean things to them, so they have no reason hating me"

"Except that you were on the team. Look, earning their trust can be hard. Believe me, I know. It took me to get pushed strait into a goal post and end up in the hospital to even be considered as a team member."

"Well, that was you. You did those mean things to them. I never did. I just thought you were stupid for doing those things"

"Why didn't you tell us you're a girl?"

"If I had, you boys would've freaked, I would've been thrown off the team, and my father wouldn't be pleased. I had to keep it a secret."

"You could've told me, I wouldn't ha-"

"Yes, you would. You were a loyal Hawk and if coach Reilly asked you you would've told him, because you're not a very good liar"

"We were friends, I wouldn't have done that to you" Adam said honestly.

She looked into his eyes and saw that he wasn't lying at all, he wouldn't have done that to her, he were too good of a friend to do that. She sighed.

"Whatever" she said. "Could you let go of my hand now?"

Adam let her wrist go but kept his eyecontact with her until she broke it and yet again started to leave. She was almost off the ice when she stopped.

"Maurice" Adam called. She turned to him. "What's you're name?"

"It's Rita" she answered with a slight smile.

"Rita it's nice to see you again" Adam said, she answered with a nod and left for the locker rooms.

Adam was on his way to go to the locker rooms himself when he just remembered something he had written in his journal several years ago when he was with the Hawks.

*******

I think I'm in love.

The thing is it isn't a girl. It's one of the guys on the team. I wrote about him earlier, his name is Rickard. Rickard Maurice. Right now we're just friends, but I think I'm starting to feel more for him. It's weird, I'm totally new to this. Am I gay?

It would be different if he was a girl, but he's not and I can't help feeling the way I do.

Should I tell him? What if he doesn't feel the same way? I wouldn't think that he does, he probably thinks that we're only friends and nothing more than that.

Man, what am I supposed to do? If my dad finds out he's gonna freak. If any of the guys on the team or coach finds out I'm either thrown off the team or I become an outsider.

I can't tell them, what other choice do I got? It's gonna remain a secret that I'm in love with Rickard Maurice.

*******