Title: And I Fell… (Part 5 - "That Boy")
Author: Wari
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it
Archive?: Sure, just ask for my permission.
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!
Comments: This chapter goes out to everyone who's been wondering where the heck our favorite Cake-Eater's been!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. :P
-----------
[[A few months later…]]
"Hey, Kenny! Throw it over here!"
"No, man, throw it here!"
Ken pivoted around on the worn down linoleum floor, imitating a basketball move he'd picked up playing on the courts. He flashed a quick grin at Russ and Luis, his eyes shifting sideways to the figure hunched in the corner. A lean, blond-haired boy stood quietly clutching a tattered notebook against his chest. His wide eyes helplessly watched as Ken ran around with his bag.
"Not today, boys! I'm going for the gold!" Ken shouted, snickering. He aimed the black bag in his hands in the direction of the trash can and shot it into the air. The bag made a dull 'thump' against the metal and disappeared into the recesses of the trash and rubbish inside.
"Score!" whooped a laughing Ken, who turned to Luis and gave him a high five. Even Russ was grinning.
"Little man, even I've got to give you props on that one. Haha!"
The boy flinched at their laughter as he left the corner and shuffled up to the can. He peered down to search for his bag and immediately grimaced, seeing it covered in a heap of something that looked really disgusting and smelled equally as bad.
He fought back a wave of nausea. Another loud laugh startled him, and he whipped his body around to face the three grinning bullies.
"Please, don't…" he pleaded, unconsciously taking a step back and bumping into the can. The action earned an amused look shared by Russ and Luis. Ken, though, plastered a sly smile on his face and took a couple steps forward.
"What's the matter, Banks? Afraid of a little…" Ken paused to take a look into the bin, the impish smile never leaving his lips, "…garbage?"
Banks whimpered as rough hands grabbed onto him and pushed.
----------
Charlie walked down the hall with Jesse chatting idly by his side. Today was an extremely dull day, he thought, running a hand through his hair. He looked around the hallway, and stared at the other students, whose eyes quickly averted as the King's casual glance swept by. That was something Charlie felt himself getting used to since his victory atop the roof --
Power and control over his peers and underclassmen.
He felt it all, but it still made him feel a little strange, though.
At that moment, Riley and his gang strolled past Charlie and Jesse, pausing to sneer at the pair before continuing down the hallway and disappearing out of sight.
Well, at least Riley and his goons didn't grovel at their feet. There was still some backbone left in this place.
Charlie brushed off his thoughts and heard familiar voices laughing in the distance. He immediately recognized them as Ken's, Luis', and Russ'. He heard Jesse chuckle faintly, then shifted his eyes down to his friend, who stared back with a devilish grin.
"I wonder what those idiots are up to…" he said and motioned for Charlie to follow him toward the raucous laughter.
They found their three friends standing around a garbage can and laughing so hard that they nearly tripped over themselves. Charlie quirked an eyebrow and leaned against the wall while Jesse wandered up to Ken and asked him what they were laughing at. Ken sniggered and pointed into the bin.
More boisterous laughing was heard, and the noise was beginning to catch the attention of other students passing by. Many of them looked away as soon as they recognized Charlie's mob as the members of the Flying 'V.'
Charlie stood back and watched them all resignedly. He knew very well what had happened, and he felt a bit of sympathy for the poor loser who'd been dumped into the trash by his gang.
It wasn't the first time that something like this occurred, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
Deciding that doing his good deed for the day wouldn't hurt, he got up and walked over to the group, giving them an annoyed look as he approached.
"Hey, whose idea was this?" he asked.
Ken sobered up and turned to face Charlie, looking a bit startled. "Uh, it was mine, Charlie."
Charlie sighed and looked over at the can then back to Ken. "Well, Kenny, what's in there?"
"Or more appropriately, WHO's in there. Ha ha!" Jesse interjected, slapping Charlie on the back while trying to suppress his laughter. Charlie ignored him. Instead, he nodded to Russ and Luis, who immediately scuttled up to the bin and hauled out a slender boy covered in garbage and clasping a black bag.
Obscured by a fringe of dirty blond hair, a pair of fearful blue eyes stared back at him.
Charlie gave the dirty-looking blond a cool gaze before turning back to Ken again.
"Hey, Charlie, we were just having a little fun, you know?" Ken explained and gave a nervous laugh before shutting up completely at Charlie's hard stare. Fortunately, Jesse stepped in on Ken's behalf.
"Yo, Charlie, Kenny was just goofin', man. Don't be so hard on him."
Charlie threw Jesse a sideward glance before looking back to the spot where the blond sat, which was now empty. He frowned.
"Charlie?"
It was Jesse again.
"What?"
"Forget it and let's go. We gotta meet up with some people in the cafeteria."
Charlie nodded and Jesse dutifully went to round up Ken, Luis, and Russ.
The brunette's eyes strayed back to where the garbage can laid turned over, trash scattered everywhere.
Something unusual laid among the rubbish.
From where he stood, it looked like beat up notebook.
"Charlie, you coming?" Jesse yelled from somewhere down the hall.
"Yeah, in a sec," he muttered and walked over to the notebook, picking it up and opening it to the front page. A name was scrawled in messy handwriting at the very top.
Adam Banks.
-------------
He took the opportunity to sneak away when they were distracted.
Running as fast as he could, he never even glanced back. He ran and ran until he found himself on the other side of campus. The boy finally slumped over the water fountain in exhaustion. He greedily swallowed gulps of water before a hand clapped over his shoulder, making him jump back in surprise and slashing some water on himself. Adam placed a hand on his chest to steady his heartbeat.
"Whoa! Adam, are you ok?"
A pretty girl with long blond hair stood before him, wearing a curious expression.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Julie. Just…just a little jumpy," he sighed and gave a strained smile. She quirked a fair brow at him.
"O-kay. Well, if you don't mind me asking," she paused, looking him up and down, "why on earth do you look and smell like you just crawled out of a dumpster?"
A faint blush crept up to Adam's cheeks.
Julie's playful mood waned and she gasped.
"Oh, my god, Adam! What happened?" Julie asked, giving him a worried look. She watched as he tossed his bag to the floor and propped himself against the filthy wall. Adam was silent for a few moments and his reticence was starting to unnerve her. She strode over and sat next to him, cursing as she fitfully arranged her uniform skirt around her lap.
"Banks, tell me what happened," she prodded and poked him lightly in the ribs. He gently slapped her hand away, looking annoyed. The action brought a scowl from Julie.
"Well, are you going to tell me this century or what??" she nagged.
"…"
"Banks, if you don't tell me, I'm going to keep on buggin' you," she warned in an irritating, sing-song-like voice.
Adam finally turned to face her. "All right, all right. If you really must know, I ran into a few of the 'Flying Jerks' and they messed me up, ok?"
Julie laid a hand on his shoulder. "Adam, it'll be all right."
Adam smiled wryly, still tinged red and not saying a word. Julie frowned then sighed deeply.
"Look, I'm here for you, alright? You can always come to me."
"Jules. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. Let's just drop this subject, please."
"But Adam --" she insisted.
"Please?" Adam's request left no room for discussion. From the corner of his eye, he saw Julie nod tentatively.
"Ok, whatever you say, Banksie."
At times like these, he was really grateful for a friend like Julie Gaffney. No one knew him as well as she did. Besides, no one in his life could ever tolerate his mood swings like she could. Not even his own parents and they were his flesh and blood.
Thinking about his parents always did make him depressed.
Adam quickly pushed his thinking aside and reached for his bag. Rummaging through his belongings, he heard Julie's disgusted sigh.
"God, they're such jerks. Why can't they just grow up like you and me? They make me sick. Every last one of them," she hissed. Dwelling on their tormentors never failed to get a rise out of her.
"Julie…" he admonished.
"Fine, sorry. I'll just shut up now."
Adam shook his head and continued searching. He often shared Julie's views on the moral decay of Hill Haven, and especially the 'Flying Jerks.' It wasn't that hard, since he hated both aspects as much as she did. He sighed, continuing to feel around for a familiar spiral binding.
"Hey, Julie?" he asked, glancing over to see her twiddling her thumbs. She looked up at him expectantly.
"Yeah?"
"Have you seen my notebook?"
A thoughtful expression flitted across her face. She shook her head, tossing her long golden hair. "Nope, I haven't. Isn't it in your bag?"
Adam peered into the bag once more. "Nuh uh, it's not there."
"Well, then how should I know where it is? Do I look like Ms. Cleo?" she asked sarcastically.
Feeling a headache forming, Adam didn't even bother with a smart comeback. Instead, he settled for frantically clawing through the black messenger bag and flinging the contents around him as he searched.
"Julie! It's not here! I had it just a while ago! Crap, where is it?!"
"Adam! Calm down! Jeez, you're going to pop a vein if you keep going on like that," she warned and began combing through Adam's things, which laid on the floor. After a good while of looking around the area, passing students were beginning to give them weird glances. Eventually, they gave up looking for the missing notebook.
"Oh, Jules, this sucks," Adam moaned pitifully, slumping down to sit on the floor. He banged the back of his head against a set of lockers once. "I had important stuff in there," he groaned and pouted.
Picking up Adam's things and placing them back in his bag, Julie knelt down to clean up the scattered objects. She'd never say it out loud, but she really felt sorry for the poor guy right about now. She stood and set the bag in his lap.
"Adam, we'll find it. Trust me, I know we will," she assured.
"But, Jules!" he whined before cautiously looking to see if anyone else was listening. "It's my…diary, for goodness's sake!"
Julie stared tiredly at her raving friend. "I KNOW that, Adam. I'm not stupid."
Adam looked at her skeptically.
Scoffing at his look, she rolled her eyes heavenward and smacked him on the arm.
"You bonehead! Quit being a baby and just think about something else for now!" she snapped then stopped to crinkle her nose in distaste. "Ew, like hygiene, for starters. Besides that god-awful smell, have you taken a look at yourself yet? You're a friggin' mess!" she exclaimed.
Adam looked offended. "Gee, thanks for the compliment, Jules. And I am NOT a baby."
"Yeah, actually, you're not. In fact, you're more of a GIRL. Anyway, let's go get you cleaned up!" Julie grabbed Adam's hand and yanked him to his feet. He stumbled and almost lost his balance.
"Hey, where are you taking me?!" he demanded.
"Where do you think, Einstein? Now, come on!" she ordered, punctuating the command with a sharp tug of Adam's hand and leaving him no room to protest as she dragged him across the schoolyard and towards the bathrooms.
----------------------------
Author: Wari
E-mail: fa_chan@yahoo.com
Rating/Genre: R for bad language, drug use, and slash/ Absolutely AU…really, I mean it
Archive?: Sure, just ask for my permission.
Feedback: I crave your comments so bring them on!
Comments: This chapter goes out to everyone who's been wondering where the heck our favorite Cake-Eater's been!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Mighty Ducks characters. Disney does. :P
-----------
[[A few months later…]]
"Hey, Kenny! Throw it over here!"
"No, man, throw it here!"
Ken pivoted around on the worn down linoleum floor, imitating a basketball move he'd picked up playing on the courts. He flashed a quick grin at Russ and Luis, his eyes shifting sideways to the figure hunched in the corner. A lean, blond-haired boy stood quietly clutching a tattered notebook against his chest. His wide eyes helplessly watched as Ken ran around with his bag.
"Not today, boys! I'm going for the gold!" Ken shouted, snickering. He aimed the black bag in his hands in the direction of the trash can and shot it into the air. The bag made a dull 'thump' against the metal and disappeared into the recesses of the trash and rubbish inside.
"Score!" whooped a laughing Ken, who turned to Luis and gave him a high five. Even Russ was grinning.
"Little man, even I've got to give you props on that one. Haha!"
The boy flinched at their laughter as he left the corner and shuffled up to the can. He peered down to search for his bag and immediately grimaced, seeing it covered in a heap of something that looked really disgusting and smelled equally as bad.
He fought back a wave of nausea. Another loud laugh startled him, and he whipped his body around to face the three grinning bullies.
"Please, don't…" he pleaded, unconsciously taking a step back and bumping into the can. The action earned an amused look shared by Russ and Luis. Ken, though, plastered a sly smile on his face and took a couple steps forward.
"What's the matter, Banks? Afraid of a little…" Ken paused to take a look into the bin, the impish smile never leaving his lips, "…garbage?"
Banks whimpered as rough hands grabbed onto him and pushed.
----------
Charlie walked down the hall with Jesse chatting idly by his side. Today was an extremely dull day, he thought, running a hand through his hair. He looked around the hallway, and stared at the other students, whose eyes quickly averted as the King's casual glance swept by. That was something Charlie felt himself getting used to since his victory atop the roof --
Power and control over his peers and underclassmen.
He felt it all, but it still made him feel a little strange, though.
At that moment, Riley and his gang strolled past Charlie and Jesse, pausing to sneer at the pair before continuing down the hallway and disappearing out of sight.
Well, at least Riley and his goons didn't grovel at their feet. There was still some backbone left in this place.
Charlie brushed off his thoughts and heard familiar voices laughing in the distance. He immediately recognized them as Ken's, Luis', and Russ'. He heard Jesse chuckle faintly, then shifted his eyes down to his friend, who stared back with a devilish grin.
"I wonder what those idiots are up to…" he said and motioned for Charlie to follow him toward the raucous laughter.
They found their three friends standing around a garbage can and laughing so hard that they nearly tripped over themselves. Charlie quirked an eyebrow and leaned against the wall while Jesse wandered up to Ken and asked him what they were laughing at. Ken sniggered and pointed into the bin.
More boisterous laughing was heard, and the noise was beginning to catch the attention of other students passing by. Many of them looked away as soon as they recognized Charlie's mob as the members of the Flying 'V.'
Charlie stood back and watched them all resignedly. He knew very well what had happened, and he felt a bit of sympathy for the poor loser who'd been dumped into the trash by his gang.
It wasn't the first time that something like this occurred, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
Deciding that doing his good deed for the day wouldn't hurt, he got up and walked over to the group, giving them an annoyed look as he approached.
"Hey, whose idea was this?" he asked.
Ken sobered up and turned to face Charlie, looking a bit startled. "Uh, it was mine, Charlie."
Charlie sighed and looked over at the can then back to Ken. "Well, Kenny, what's in there?"
"Or more appropriately, WHO's in there. Ha ha!" Jesse interjected, slapping Charlie on the back while trying to suppress his laughter. Charlie ignored him. Instead, he nodded to Russ and Luis, who immediately scuttled up to the bin and hauled out a slender boy covered in garbage and clasping a black bag.
Obscured by a fringe of dirty blond hair, a pair of fearful blue eyes stared back at him.
Charlie gave the dirty-looking blond a cool gaze before turning back to Ken again.
"Hey, Charlie, we were just having a little fun, you know?" Ken explained and gave a nervous laugh before shutting up completely at Charlie's hard stare. Fortunately, Jesse stepped in on Ken's behalf.
"Yo, Charlie, Kenny was just goofin', man. Don't be so hard on him."
Charlie threw Jesse a sideward glance before looking back to the spot where the blond sat, which was now empty. He frowned.
"Charlie?"
It was Jesse again.
"What?"
"Forget it and let's go. We gotta meet up with some people in the cafeteria."
Charlie nodded and Jesse dutifully went to round up Ken, Luis, and Russ.
The brunette's eyes strayed back to where the garbage can laid turned over, trash scattered everywhere.
Something unusual laid among the rubbish.
From where he stood, it looked like beat up notebook.
"Charlie, you coming?" Jesse yelled from somewhere down the hall.
"Yeah, in a sec," he muttered and walked over to the notebook, picking it up and opening it to the front page. A name was scrawled in messy handwriting at the very top.
Adam Banks.
-------------
He took the opportunity to sneak away when they were distracted.
Running as fast as he could, he never even glanced back. He ran and ran until he found himself on the other side of campus. The boy finally slumped over the water fountain in exhaustion. He greedily swallowed gulps of water before a hand clapped over his shoulder, making him jump back in surprise and slashing some water on himself. Adam placed a hand on his chest to steady his heartbeat.
"Whoa! Adam, are you ok?"
A pretty girl with long blond hair stood before him, wearing a curious expression.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Julie. Just…just a little jumpy," he sighed and gave a strained smile. She quirked a fair brow at him.
"O-kay. Well, if you don't mind me asking," she paused, looking him up and down, "why on earth do you look and smell like you just crawled out of a dumpster?"
A faint blush crept up to Adam's cheeks.
Julie's playful mood waned and she gasped.
"Oh, my god, Adam! What happened?" Julie asked, giving him a worried look. She watched as he tossed his bag to the floor and propped himself against the filthy wall. Adam was silent for a few moments and his reticence was starting to unnerve her. She strode over and sat next to him, cursing as she fitfully arranged her uniform skirt around her lap.
"Banks, tell me what happened," she prodded and poked him lightly in the ribs. He gently slapped her hand away, looking annoyed. The action brought a scowl from Julie.
"Well, are you going to tell me this century or what??" she nagged.
"…"
"Banks, if you don't tell me, I'm going to keep on buggin' you," she warned in an irritating, sing-song-like voice.
Adam finally turned to face her. "All right, all right. If you really must know, I ran into a few of the 'Flying Jerks' and they messed me up, ok?"
Julie laid a hand on his shoulder. "Adam, it'll be all right."
Adam smiled wryly, still tinged red and not saying a word. Julie frowned then sighed deeply.
"Look, I'm here for you, alright? You can always come to me."
"Jules. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. Let's just drop this subject, please."
"But Adam --" she insisted.
"Please?" Adam's request left no room for discussion. From the corner of his eye, he saw Julie nod tentatively.
"Ok, whatever you say, Banksie."
At times like these, he was really grateful for a friend like Julie Gaffney. No one knew him as well as she did. Besides, no one in his life could ever tolerate his mood swings like she could. Not even his own parents and they were his flesh and blood.
Thinking about his parents always did make him depressed.
Adam quickly pushed his thinking aside and reached for his bag. Rummaging through his belongings, he heard Julie's disgusted sigh.
"God, they're such jerks. Why can't they just grow up like you and me? They make me sick. Every last one of them," she hissed. Dwelling on their tormentors never failed to get a rise out of her.
"Julie…" he admonished.
"Fine, sorry. I'll just shut up now."
Adam shook his head and continued searching. He often shared Julie's views on the moral decay of Hill Haven, and especially the 'Flying Jerks.' It wasn't that hard, since he hated both aspects as much as she did. He sighed, continuing to feel around for a familiar spiral binding.
"Hey, Julie?" he asked, glancing over to see her twiddling her thumbs. She looked up at him expectantly.
"Yeah?"
"Have you seen my notebook?"
A thoughtful expression flitted across her face. She shook her head, tossing her long golden hair. "Nope, I haven't. Isn't it in your bag?"
Adam peered into the bag once more. "Nuh uh, it's not there."
"Well, then how should I know where it is? Do I look like Ms. Cleo?" she asked sarcastically.
Feeling a headache forming, Adam didn't even bother with a smart comeback. Instead, he settled for frantically clawing through the black messenger bag and flinging the contents around him as he searched.
"Julie! It's not here! I had it just a while ago! Crap, where is it?!"
"Adam! Calm down! Jeez, you're going to pop a vein if you keep going on like that," she warned and began combing through Adam's things, which laid on the floor. After a good while of looking around the area, passing students were beginning to give them weird glances. Eventually, they gave up looking for the missing notebook.
"Oh, Jules, this sucks," Adam moaned pitifully, slumping down to sit on the floor. He banged the back of his head against a set of lockers once. "I had important stuff in there," he groaned and pouted.
Picking up Adam's things and placing them back in his bag, Julie knelt down to clean up the scattered objects. She'd never say it out loud, but she really felt sorry for the poor guy right about now. She stood and set the bag in his lap.
"Adam, we'll find it. Trust me, I know we will," she assured.
"But, Jules!" he whined before cautiously looking to see if anyone else was listening. "It's my…diary, for goodness's sake!"
Julie stared tiredly at her raving friend. "I KNOW that, Adam. I'm not stupid."
Adam looked at her skeptically.
Scoffing at his look, she rolled her eyes heavenward and smacked him on the arm.
"You bonehead! Quit being a baby and just think about something else for now!" she snapped then stopped to crinkle her nose in distaste. "Ew, like hygiene, for starters. Besides that god-awful smell, have you taken a look at yourself yet? You're a friggin' mess!" she exclaimed.
Adam looked offended. "Gee, thanks for the compliment, Jules. And I am NOT a baby."
"Yeah, actually, you're not. In fact, you're more of a GIRL. Anyway, let's go get you cleaned up!" Julie grabbed Adam's hand and yanked him to his feet. He stumbled and almost lost his balance.
"Hey, where are you taking me?!" he demanded.
"Where do you think, Einstein? Now, come on!" she ordered, punctuating the command with a sharp tug of Adam's hand and leaving him no room to protest as she dragged him across the schoolyard and towards the bathrooms.
----------------------------
