As they walked into the common room of the Eden Hall dorm the rest of
the ducks had already gathered. Connie, Guy, Averman, and Ken were sitting
on the couch. Dean and Fulton had dragged the two easy chairs over next to
the couch and were lounging in them. The rest of them were gathered on the
floor between the couch and the tv. The coffee table that was normally
there was on the side of the room covered with backpacks, books, and
folders. They were in the middle of arguing about something as Charlie and
Adam walked into the room.
"Hey guys, what's the movie?" asked Charlie as he sat Adam's practice bag on the floor next to the coffee table. He then took a spot in the middle of the group gathered on the floor.
Adam leaned his stick up against the wall next to his bag and then took a spot on the floor on the edge of the group.
"Well, we've been having a discussion about that," Guy said from the couch. "It's either Goonies," he said holding up a video in one hand, "or Revenge of the Nerds," holding up the video in the other hand."
"Let me guess, Revenge of the Nerds was Averman's choice right," Charlie said.
"Very funny," Averman said from his spot on the floor as everyone else laughed.
After another five minutes of arguing over which movie to watch they finally settled on Goonies. They watched the movie silently for all of about ten minutes. Then Guy started telling Connie about something funny that had happened in one of his classes earlier that day. Before long everyone was laughing and telling stories. The movie kept playing in the background but no one payed much attention to it. No one except Adam that is.
Adam half watched the movie half listened to what his former teammates were saying. He couldn't help but still feel a little bit out of place. No one seemed to really notice it that much though except for Charlie who found himself watching Adam. He had invited Adam here tonight so that he would start feeling like a part of the group again. It didn't seem to be working though.
And then Russ started telling a story about one of the classes that he had with Adam. Before long he had Adam helping him tell the story. After that even Adam forgot about the movie.
"It's good to see him laughing for a change isn't it," Julie whispered to Charlie echoing what he had just been thinking about.
"Yeah it is," Charlie whispered. "Although we haven't exactly given him a lot to laugh about lately," Charlie told her thinking about everything that had gone on since they came to Eden Hall. As soon as Adam had made varsity the Ducks had started leaving Adam out of things. They started ignoring him instead of being happy for him for making varsity. Charlie felt guilty about that because he knew that the others tended to follow his lead. He had to be honest with himself though. He had resented Adam making Varsity not because he was leaving the team, that hadn't been his doing. It had just happened. He had actually been jealous of Adam. Charlie may have been the captain of the Ducks but he knew that Adam was the better player even if he hated to admit it.
"No we haven't," Julie agreed thinking about how after all they had put him through Adam had still skated with them during the Varsity/JV game the previous Friday night. She didn't think they would have been able to win if he had been skating with varsity.
At seven o'clock the group started to break up and go there separate ways. They all had homework to do for the next days classes. Guy took the tape out of the VCR which had already played to the end and rewound on its own. Adam grabbed his practice bag and hockey stick and headed up to the dorm rooms with Averman, Russ and Goldberg.
They passed Russ's room first and he said good-bye to the group. Adam's room was next but as he started to go inside Goldberg stopped him telling his roommate Averman to go ahead without him.
"Adam, I was wondering if he could help me out with my skating some," Goldberg said. "I kind of enjoyed being a defense man but I need to work on my skills if I'm going to stay there."
"Why not ask Charlie? He'ld help you."Adam was just a little bit surprised to hear Goldberg asking him for help even though he had always given pointers to his teammates whenever he could.
"I don't want anyone else to know I'm putting in the extra work. If it doesn't work out and I end up being just a goalie then the less people who know the easier it will be on me. I don't want them all feeling sorry for me."
"Okay," Adam said. He was always happy to help anyone out anyway that he could. "There's always an hour between Varsity practice and JV practice when the ice is free. How about you meet me at the rink after Varsity practice and we'll work on it then."
"Great," Goldberg told him. "See ya tomorrow."
Adam went into his room and put his hockey gear off to the side. Steve was no where to be seen which meant he would have the room to himself for a little while. He got his books out and started his homework. Suddenly tomorrow wasn't looking so bad.
"Hey guys, what's the movie?" asked Charlie as he sat Adam's practice bag on the floor next to the coffee table. He then took a spot in the middle of the group gathered on the floor.
Adam leaned his stick up against the wall next to his bag and then took a spot on the floor on the edge of the group.
"Well, we've been having a discussion about that," Guy said from the couch. "It's either Goonies," he said holding up a video in one hand, "or Revenge of the Nerds," holding up the video in the other hand."
"Let me guess, Revenge of the Nerds was Averman's choice right," Charlie said.
"Very funny," Averman said from his spot on the floor as everyone else laughed.
After another five minutes of arguing over which movie to watch they finally settled on Goonies. They watched the movie silently for all of about ten minutes. Then Guy started telling Connie about something funny that had happened in one of his classes earlier that day. Before long everyone was laughing and telling stories. The movie kept playing in the background but no one payed much attention to it. No one except Adam that is.
Adam half watched the movie half listened to what his former teammates were saying. He couldn't help but still feel a little bit out of place. No one seemed to really notice it that much though except for Charlie who found himself watching Adam. He had invited Adam here tonight so that he would start feeling like a part of the group again. It didn't seem to be working though.
And then Russ started telling a story about one of the classes that he had with Adam. Before long he had Adam helping him tell the story. After that even Adam forgot about the movie.
"It's good to see him laughing for a change isn't it," Julie whispered to Charlie echoing what he had just been thinking about.
"Yeah it is," Charlie whispered. "Although we haven't exactly given him a lot to laugh about lately," Charlie told her thinking about everything that had gone on since they came to Eden Hall. As soon as Adam had made varsity the Ducks had started leaving Adam out of things. They started ignoring him instead of being happy for him for making varsity. Charlie felt guilty about that because he knew that the others tended to follow his lead. He had to be honest with himself though. He had resented Adam making Varsity not because he was leaving the team, that hadn't been his doing. It had just happened. He had actually been jealous of Adam. Charlie may have been the captain of the Ducks but he knew that Adam was the better player even if he hated to admit it.
"No we haven't," Julie agreed thinking about how after all they had put him through Adam had still skated with them during the Varsity/JV game the previous Friday night. She didn't think they would have been able to win if he had been skating with varsity.
At seven o'clock the group started to break up and go there separate ways. They all had homework to do for the next days classes. Guy took the tape out of the VCR which had already played to the end and rewound on its own. Adam grabbed his practice bag and hockey stick and headed up to the dorm rooms with Averman, Russ and Goldberg.
They passed Russ's room first and he said good-bye to the group. Adam's room was next but as he started to go inside Goldberg stopped him telling his roommate Averman to go ahead without him.
"Adam, I was wondering if he could help me out with my skating some," Goldberg said. "I kind of enjoyed being a defense man but I need to work on my skills if I'm going to stay there."
"Why not ask Charlie? He'ld help you."Adam was just a little bit surprised to hear Goldberg asking him for help even though he had always given pointers to his teammates whenever he could.
"I don't want anyone else to know I'm putting in the extra work. If it doesn't work out and I end up being just a goalie then the less people who know the easier it will be on me. I don't want them all feeling sorry for me."
"Okay," Adam said. He was always happy to help anyone out anyway that he could. "There's always an hour between Varsity practice and JV practice when the ice is free. How about you meet me at the rink after Varsity practice and we'll work on it then."
"Great," Goldberg told him. "See ya tomorrow."
Adam went into his room and put his hockey gear off to the side. Steve was no where to be seen which meant he would have the room to himself for a little while. He got his books out and started his homework. Suddenly tomorrow wasn't looking so bad.