Oh These Days

Dedication: This is dedicated to The Mighty Ducks' category finally hitting the big 1-0-0! YAY!

AN: I know, it's another short chapter…shoot me. --sarcasm =] Thank you, Joyful and Dana for telling me about the mistake that was in this chapter. It's all fixed now.

Ken's POV

Charlie and Adam walked into class just before it started. The teacher glared at them, but there was nothing she could do, since they weren't really late. I yawned, trying to look as nonchalant as possible. Adam slipped into the seat next to me, and smiled. Wow…

I smiled back, after a moment of recuperation. He and Charlie exchanged secretive glances, and Adam sighed. I assumed he was glad that he'd made it in time for class. I'd been in the class when Charlie got his detention, and I had to admit, he was a funny guy. All the teachers had him on a blacklist type thing, nowadays.

Adam took out his notebook, and started drawing. I'm no artist, but he's not bad. He drew a sketch of our flying-V. There was a guy I'd never seen in it. He was kind of short, and looked ready to kill some one. Adam took one look at my quizzical expression and smiled. Flipping the page in his notebook, he wrote "Jesse".

He'd been on the Goodwill Games team. I could hardly remember him. It had been nearly two and a half years ago. Adam didn't talk about him much, but when he did...From what I could tell, he and Adam had a past. Friends, probably. I mean, I know they were on the same team for the D5 year, and the Goodwill Games, but I didn't know much else. I nodded, and he went back to drawing. I almost wish I'd been on the team from the start. Sometimes I still feel like an outsider. I think Luis feels the same way. Julie and Dwayne made friends pretty fast, and Portman hung out with Fulton. Luis was usually chasing girls, with little luck. And I, well…I pretty much kept to myself.

Russ had joined the team the year we had to, and he was 'one of them' now. That was months after we came too. Well, no sense to dwell on the past. Although, I was still a little sore about it. It's not always fair…the hand life deals you. Let's just say… mine sucked. They still do.

Class ended, Adam and Charlie were told to stay put. Adam told me to tell the rest of the team to wait for them, so I gathered them up, eventually. It was our lunch-hour, and they were getting antsy. Finally Charlie and Adam appeared through the door. They were grinning before they saw us all. Adam's expression was the first to fall, although he managed a smile afterward.

"What did you want, guys?" Russ asked, as if on cue.

Adam stepped forward, before Charlie had a chance. He looked at us all coyly, and I knew what was happening immediately. "Charlie and I have something to tell you."

They all listened, expectantly. "We're listening." Connie chimed. As if they needed to know.

"Well, we're…uhm, we're…"

Luis stepped forward, glaring pointedly at Charlie. "They're gay."

A few people gasped, and looked shocked, but a lot of them didn't do anything.

Dwayne shrugged, as did Goldberg. Russ didn't seem the least bit surprised. Julie looked undaunted as well. I had to wonder just how many people knew, I mean…They must have expected a bigger reaction than this.

Connie smirked, stepping over to Charlie. "How cute." Her tone was pleasant, to my surprise. Guy smiled, too. Averman, on the other hand, looked like he was about to puke. Fulton looked split, while Portman looked ready to pound them, right there.

Charlie and Adam both looked tense, no one seemed to notice me. They never did. No one bothered ask how Luis knew…I don't want to know. But, maybe he found out as simply as I did. Or even come to his own conclusion, like Russ and Dwayne. Either way, he said it with such confidence that it had to be true.

Adam looked at Luis with contempt. I'd never seen Adam look that way at anyone since he and Charlie got in a fight over a legal check last year during the pre-Varsity/JV Showdown. No one really knew what happened then…Adam and Charlie didn't fight. They just, never fought. It was like something everyone expected from them…not to fight. They never argued, or bickered, like the rest of the team. They seemed totally neutral at all times. It was freaky, really.

"Charlie, you're really gay?" Averman squeeked.

"Yeah. So what?"

"Come on, man. We don't want a gay captain." He snorted.

Adam stepped towards him, obviously the stronger. My Adam…I wish. "Back off. Charlie's been gay for a long time, and it hasn't made a difference on him being a good captain."

Averman was hushed by this…it was true, of course. Connie smiled at Adam, and glared at Les. "Come on, it's normal, Averman." She crowed.

Fulton and Portman exchanged glances. Fulton frowned, and shook his head. He half-grinned at the commotion around Adam and Charlie…I think he knew. Portman relaxed, and I think he was actually kind of…okay with it. Weird!

Charlie looked around, and we all had to go to our next class. He grabbed Adam by the sleeve, and they disappeared from the mob, to the next class.