"Good luck, son." Dad told me, as he pulled up to the front of the Eden Hall Campus. "I'll be back after hockey tryouts to pick you up." He reminded me.
Like Adam, I was not living on campus this year...thankfully. I sighed as I beheld the gigantic stone buildings in front of me. 'This is my life now.' I thought to myself.
"Hey, your feet glued to the ground?" I heard a familiar voice ask.
"Laura?" I asked looking up, hopefully.
"No? Who's that? One of your other girlfriends?" A brown haired girl, with shining green eyes laughed. "It's Caitie, you know, from the country club." She reminded me.
I sighed. Yes, Caitie Rogers, the stuck up, snobby, two faced, rich, daddy's girl that I had played tennis with this summer. Her parents and mine were friends, though I didn't see why. I suppose that there was no other real reason, except that we were both rich. I swear it's as if people sit around saying. "Well, I'm rich and you're rich so hey, lets get together sometime." Usually there is absolutely nothing else that people from the Edina Country Club have in common. It's almost sickening to think about, for me at least.
"So, are you excited about being in high school?" Caitie asked as the two of us walked into the building side by side. Actually, it was more liker her following me. "What class do you have first period?" She asked, after I refused to answer her first question. I sighed and handed over my schedule, hey, anything to keep her quiet. "Hey, we have some classes together...not first though." She shrugged, handing back the small sheet of paper. "I guess I see you later then?" She told me, as we made our way to the doors of the main building.
"Yeah, later." I replied, quickly making my way over to the old, wooden staircase. Caitie was defiantly not the first person I was looking for that morning. I was hardly awake, and obviously not in any shape to deal with HER. After finding my first period classroom, I slumped down in my seat, hoping not to be recognized by any other former tennis partners. Come to think of it, I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. I just wanted to mind my own business and get through the day.
"Hey, man." An unfamiliar voice greeted me.
'So much for plan A.' I thought to myself. "Hi." I replied.
"I'm Matt, Matt Watkins"
"Hey." I sighed.
"You're Adam Banks' brother, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"That's awesome. So I guess I'll see you at hockey tryouts then." He replied, patting me on the shoulder.
"Yeah." I repeated.
I made it through the day with little to no confrontation, but I didn't get a chance to see Laura until seventh period that day.
"Hey!" I exclaimed when I met up with her at the door of our last period music class. She was wearing a long red skirt, that looked like it had been hand-made, which I wouldn't doubt. I knew that Laura made most of her own clothes. Her top was a simple black halter, leaving her shoulders exposed. Her skin was smooth and creamy, and blonde ringlets fell a few inches above her shoulders. Her eyes were bright, and playful, as they had always been.
"Hey Banks." She smiled. "How are you?"
"Pretty good!" I replied, gazing into her crystal clear blue eyes. I swear, there was something about those eyes.... "So...how's your first day been?" I asked, as we walked into the class room, side by side and took a seat in the front row of the class.
"I don't know." She shrugged. "I've been thinking, and I honestly don't know how Guy and Charlie and Connie and all the others did it their first year. I mean, look at me. I stick out like a sore thumb."
I chuckled. "Laura, that's what makes you special. Look around. Do you really want to look like...that?" I asked, pointing to a girl in the corner. She had on a short, for pleat khaki skirt, and a cardigan sweater. Thick, heavy framed glasses hid her boring brown eyes. Laura smiled and looked down.
"You always know how to make me feel better, Jeremy."
I could feel my face start to heat up, and I knew that Laura noticed because of her uneasiness as she changed the subject. "Anyway, it looks like you're fitting in alright, Mr. Hockey Star."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right."
"Gee, do you think you'll make the team?" She asked, sarcastically just as the bell rang. Miss King started talking, but we ignored her, too caught up in our own conversation to notice.
"Yeah right." I replied. "All I have to do is show up."
"Mr.- um..." Miss King snapped, but then trailed off, realizing that she didn't know who I was.
"Banks." I filled in.
"Banks?" She asked.
"Yes ma'am." I sighed, slouching down in my chair.
"And Miss-"
"Germaine." Laura replied.
"As in-"
"Yes!" Laura cut her off, knowing what was coming next.
"Anyway, will you two please save your conversation for after class."
"Yes Ma'am." We replied, simultaneously.
"Anyway, as I was saying..." She went on. I leaned back over to Laura.
"Have you been getting that all day too?" I asked. "The 'you're Adam's brother, right?' thing?" She asked.
I just nodded. "Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "You too?"
"Yeah. Oh well." I sighed, turning back to pay attention. After class Laura and I discovered that our lockers were in the same hall way.
"I was wondering why I hadn't seen you all day." I told her.
"I've been getting lost." She laughed. "You know me and my terrible sense of direction." She laughed, shoving her biology book onto the bottom shelf of her locker.
"Well, have fun at hockey. Do good." She told me. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"And the next day, and the next day, and the day after that."
"Shut up, Germaine." I laughed, shoving her playfully.
"Okay, okay. Later, Banks." She laughed. And with a flash of that beautiful smile, and a toss of her golden blond locks, she left. I let myself lean back against the cold metal of her locker, and watch her walk off down the hall way, a dreamy look in my eyes the entire time.
"Hey!" Someone exclaimed, comming up behind me. I couldn't help but jump, it had startled me after all, shaking me from my thoughts.
"Matt." I breathed. "Don't do that, man."
"Sorry. You ready to head to tryouts?" He asked.
"Oh yeah, sure." I nodded, following him. "So, what do you know about Coach Orion?" Matt asked, as we walked out of the stuffy hall way and into the crisp air of that September afternoon.
"He's tough, and really hard on defense." I explained. "What position do you play, anyway?" I asked.
"Defense." He replied.
"That's cool. I'm a forward, left mostly." I explained.
"Yeah, I think I knew that." Matt mumbled absentmindedly. I frowned, I wasn't about to ask how. The locker room wasn't what I had expected it to be. It was pretty grungy, actually. It reminded me of some of the locker rooms that I had used when I had played peewee. I couldn't help but notice the poster on the back wall. It was a huge picture of the duck logo, and had been signed by all of the members of the original JV team.
"Hey, sweet!" Matt exclaimed, and wandered over the poster. A few other guys were standing back there looking at it as well. I just rolled my eyes and pulled out my pads. "This is so cool, Banks!" Matt exclaimed, a huge smile spreading over his face. "I mean, the ducks used this locker room...I'm going to be a duck!"
I widened my eyes "I can hardly contain my excitement." I mumbled. Yeah, keeping up the family's reputation might not be as easy as I thought....
Like Adam, I was not living on campus this year...thankfully. I sighed as I beheld the gigantic stone buildings in front of me. 'This is my life now.' I thought to myself.
"Hey, your feet glued to the ground?" I heard a familiar voice ask.
"Laura?" I asked looking up, hopefully.
"No? Who's that? One of your other girlfriends?" A brown haired girl, with shining green eyes laughed. "It's Caitie, you know, from the country club." She reminded me.
I sighed. Yes, Caitie Rogers, the stuck up, snobby, two faced, rich, daddy's girl that I had played tennis with this summer. Her parents and mine were friends, though I didn't see why. I suppose that there was no other real reason, except that we were both rich. I swear it's as if people sit around saying. "Well, I'm rich and you're rich so hey, lets get together sometime." Usually there is absolutely nothing else that people from the Edina Country Club have in common. It's almost sickening to think about, for me at least.
"So, are you excited about being in high school?" Caitie asked as the two of us walked into the building side by side. Actually, it was more liker her following me. "What class do you have first period?" She asked, after I refused to answer her first question. I sighed and handed over my schedule, hey, anything to keep her quiet. "Hey, we have some classes together...not first though." She shrugged, handing back the small sheet of paper. "I guess I see you later then?" She told me, as we made our way to the doors of the main building.
"Yeah, later." I replied, quickly making my way over to the old, wooden staircase. Caitie was defiantly not the first person I was looking for that morning. I was hardly awake, and obviously not in any shape to deal with HER. After finding my first period classroom, I slumped down in my seat, hoping not to be recognized by any other former tennis partners. Come to think of it, I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. I just wanted to mind my own business and get through the day.
"Hey, man." An unfamiliar voice greeted me.
'So much for plan A.' I thought to myself. "Hi." I replied.
"I'm Matt, Matt Watkins"
"Hey." I sighed.
"You're Adam Banks' brother, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"That's awesome. So I guess I'll see you at hockey tryouts then." He replied, patting me on the shoulder.
"Yeah." I repeated.
I made it through the day with little to no confrontation, but I didn't get a chance to see Laura until seventh period that day.
"Hey!" I exclaimed when I met up with her at the door of our last period music class. She was wearing a long red skirt, that looked like it had been hand-made, which I wouldn't doubt. I knew that Laura made most of her own clothes. Her top was a simple black halter, leaving her shoulders exposed. Her skin was smooth and creamy, and blonde ringlets fell a few inches above her shoulders. Her eyes were bright, and playful, as they had always been.
"Hey Banks." She smiled. "How are you?"
"Pretty good!" I replied, gazing into her crystal clear blue eyes. I swear, there was something about those eyes.... "So...how's your first day been?" I asked, as we walked into the class room, side by side and took a seat in the front row of the class.
"I don't know." She shrugged. "I've been thinking, and I honestly don't know how Guy and Charlie and Connie and all the others did it their first year. I mean, look at me. I stick out like a sore thumb."
I chuckled. "Laura, that's what makes you special. Look around. Do you really want to look like...that?" I asked, pointing to a girl in the corner. She had on a short, for pleat khaki skirt, and a cardigan sweater. Thick, heavy framed glasses hid her boring brown eyes. Laura smiled and looked down.
"You always know how to make me feel better, Jeremy."
I could feel my face start to heat up, and I knew that Laura noticed because of her uneasiness as she changed the subject. "Anyway, it looks like you're fitting in alright, Mr. Hockey Star."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right."
"Gee, do you think you'll make the team?" She asked, sarcastically just as the bell rang. Miss King started talking, but we ignored her, too caught up in our own conversation to notice.
"Yeah right." I replied. "All I have to do is show up."
"Mr.- um..." Miss King snapped, but then trailed off, realizing that she didn't know who I was.
"Banks." I filled in.
"Banks?" She asked.
"Yes ma'am." I sighed, slouching down in my chair.
"And Miss-"
"Germaine." Laura replied.
"As in-"
"Yes!" Laura cut her off, knowing what was coming next.
"Anyway, will you two please save your conversation for after class."
"Yes Ma'am." We replied, simultaneously.
"Anyway, as I was saying..." She went on. I leaned back over to Laura.
"Have you been getting that all day too?" I asked. "The 'you're Adam's brother, right?' thing?" She asked.
I just nodded. "Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "You too?"
"Yeah. Oh well." I sighed, turning back to pay attention. After class Laura and I discovered that our lockers were in the same hall way.
"I was wondering why I hadn't seen you all day." I told her.
"I've been getting lost." She laughed. "You know me and my terrible sense of direction." She laughed, shoving her biology book onto the bottom shelf of her locker.
"Well, have fun at hockey. Do good." She told me. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"And the next day, and the next day, and the day after that."
"Shut up, Germaine." I laughed, shoving her playfully.
"Okay, okay. Later, Banks." She laughed. And with a flash of that beautiful smile, and a toss of her golden blond locks, she left. I let myself lean back against the cold metal of her locker, and watch her walk off down the hall way, a dreamy look in my eyes the entire time.
"Hey!" Someone exclaimed, comming up behind me. I couldn't help but jump, it had startled me after all, shaking me from my thoughts.
"Matt." I breathed. "Don't do that, man."
"Sorry. You ready to head to tryouts?" He asked.
"Oh yeah, sure." I nodded, following him. "So, what do you know about Coach Orion?" Matt asked, as we walked out of the stuffy hall way and into the crisp air of that September afternoon.
"He's tough, and really hard on defense." I explained. "What position do you play, anyway?" I asked.
"Defense." He replied.
"That's cool. I'm a forward, left mostly." I explained.
"Yeah, I think I knew that." Matt mumbled absentmindedly. I frowned, I wasn't about to ask how. The locker room wasn't what I had expected it to be. It was pretty grungy, actually. It reminded me of some of the locker rooms that I had used when I had played peewee. I couldn't help but notice the poster on the back wall. It was a huge picture of the duck logo, and had been signed by all of the members of the original JV team.
"Hey, sweet!" Matt exclaimed, and wandered over the poster. A few other guys were standing back there looking at it as well. I just rolled my eyes and pulled out my pads. "This is so cool, Banks!" Matt exclaimed, a huge smile spreading over his face. "I mean, the ducks used this locker room...I'm going to be a duck!"
I widened my eyes "I can hardly contain my excitement." I mumbled. Yeah, keeping up the family's reputation might not be as easy as I thought....
