"That was a great movie wasn't it," Linda said as she and Charlie
walked across the Eden Hall campus the next night. They were walking back
to the dorms after their date. "Earth to Charlie," Linda said, waving her
hand in front of his face when he didn't answer.
"What?" Charlie said distractedly. "I'm sorry. I guess I haven't been very good company tonight have I," he told her taking her hand in his.
"No you haven't," Linda admitted. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know? I guess I just have other things on my mind."
"You're worried about Adam, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I guess I am. He's been avoiding everything to do with hockey this week and not just our game Thursday evening either. He won't talk about it. If hockey comes up in a conversation he comes up with some excuse to leave. The couple of times I've tried bringing it up with him he changes the subject. I think if he had any friends outside of the Ducks he would probably even be avoided us too."
"Maybe this is his way of dealing with things."
"He isn't dealing with anything he's avoiding it."
"You've never tried to deal with something by avoided it."
"Well yes, but it never worked," Charlie admitted.
"You've known him longer than I have Charlie but even I know how important hockey is to him. It means more to Adam than it does you even though you love the game."
As he listened to Linda's words he found himself thinking about the Junior Goodwill Games. They had all been excited to be there but only Adam had been searching the stands for the scouts. Adam definitely took the game more seriously than any of the rest of them.
"I sure hope that he got good news at the doctor's today," Charlie said.
As Charlie and Linda approached the dorm building they saw Connie and Guy sitting on the steps outside talking.
"Hey guys, what are the two of you doing out here?" Charlie asked
"Avoiding the others," Guy replied looking up at him. " Adam wouldn't talk to any of us when he got back from the doctor's office earlier. Fuss, Averman, Dean, and Fulton have been complaining about it ever since and are still blaming Thursdays loss on him. Connie and I couldn't take it anymore so we came out here."
"This is ridiculous," Charlie said as he leaned up against the building.
"I have to say I don't blame them for felling hurt," Connie said. "I'm hurt by Adam not talking to us. We've been trying to help him out all week."
"How was the movie?" Guy asked trying to change the subject. He had got away from the others to avoid this conversation earlier and he still didn't want to have it.
"It was great," Linda told him and then started telling him about it. Charlie had to admit to himself that he hadn't really paid attention to the movie so he let Linda do all the talking.
"Sounds like a great movie," Connie said when Linda was finished. "We'll have to go see it," she told Guy.
"Yeah, I guess its your choice next time anyway," Guy said. The movie hadn't sounded all that interesting to him but he wasn't going to come right out and say it. He was starting to learn when not to even argue with Connie about something.
Before anything else could be said the door to the dorm opened and Adam's roommate came out of the door.
"Hey Steve," Charlie said.
"Somebody really needs to talk to your friend," Steve said in response to Charlie's greeting. "Sure we never talk much but I really don't like being ignored or getting snapped at. All I did was ask him how everything was and he went off on me and now he's pretending I don't exist. I got to get out of that room."
He didn't even wait for a reply from any of them as he stormed off in the direction of the library. The four of them watched him disappeared into the night.
"That didn't sound good," Guy said.
"You can say that again," Charlie said. "Maybe I'll go talk to him."
"Be careful," Connie said.
Charlie just shot her a look. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said turning to Linda and giving he a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Okay," Linda told him. Saying good-bye to Connie and Guy she headed over to her dorm building next door as Charlie headed inside his dorm.
As he walked by the common room he could still hear his teammates in there talking about Adam and the past week. He just shook his head and kept walking. He knew they would come around eventually. Charlie hurried up the stairs and made his way to Adam's room and knocked on the door.
"Go away," was the response he got to his second knock.
"It's Charlie, Adam. I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me," Charlie called back through the door. There was no immediate response but just as Charlie was about to knock on the door Adam finally opened the door.
After opening the door he immediately turned away from Charlie and sat down on his bed. He was still on the crutches and Charlie had seen the tears as he turned away. Charlie quietly made his way into the room and shut the door behind him. Now that he was actually in the room he wasn't sure what to do next.
There were a few moments of awkward quiet in the room after Charlie shut the door. Charlie finally walked over and sat down next to Adam.
"What did the doctor tell you?" he finally asked.
"He said my knee was healing well but its still going to be a couple of weeks until the brace can come off and then I'll have to do physical therapy to build the muscles back up. He said I'll probably be able to get back on skates in about three weeks but will have to take practices easy for awhile after that."
"That's good news isn't. You'll still be back skating before the end of the season."
Adam shook his head at Charlie's comment. "Coach Wilson said even if the doctor releases me to practice with the team he won't let me skate until I'm one hundred percent. He said he can't waste his time with a player who isn't able to pull his weight."
"He can't do that can he?" Charlie asked getting angry.
"Yes he can. My Dad already talked to the dean and the dean told him that Coach Wilson had the discretion of when injured players come back. If I can't practice with the team then I can't get back to be one hundred percent. The season is over for me."
"There is always next year," Charlie said trying to console his friend.
"It's not fair," Adam said again. " I feel like I'm letting everyone down. I'm letting my Dad down and the team. I've let you and the rest of the Ducks down."
The last part of his comment caught Charlie's attention.
"What are you talking about? You haven't let us down."
"I heard you guys talking after the game yesterday evening. Steve had left the door open I couldn't help but hear what you guys were saying."
"Oh man," Charlie said feeling really bad even though the comments about Adam had been made by his teammate not him. "We were all frustrated after the game. No one meant anything that was said."
"No, Fulton said I bailed on you guys and I have this week. I couldn't deal with seeing you guys on the ice when I didn't know when or if I would be able to play again so I avoided everything to do with hockey. When I started helping Bombay out I made a commitment to the team again and I didn't fulfill that commitment."
"Adam no one feels that you've left them down. They're hurt because they feel like you've been shutting us out. Even Connie said that to me earlier this evening."
"I guess maybe I owe you guys an apology then."
"No you don't. Because that stuff that you overheard never should have been said. If anything we owe you an apology. Just let us be there for you Adam. That is what friends are for."
The two were quiet for a little while but the silence didn't seem awkward. Both seemed to realize that it was needed. It was again Charlie who broke the silence.
"So you want to tell them what you found out today or do you want me to do it?" Charlie asked.
"Could you? I don't think I want to repeat everything again."
"Sure," Charlie told him. "If you need me you know where to find me," Charlie told him standing up and leaving the room. In his mind Charlie had an idea of how he could make Adam feel better but he knew he wouldn't to be able to pull it off on his own. He had to get somebody to help him out and he knew who he needed to ask to help him pull it off.
That would have to wait for the next day for him to get started. Right now though he had to gather the Ducks that he could find and start setting things right. They had a game on Monday night and if they were going to win it they couldn't be distracted like they had been the night before.
"What?" Charlie said distractedly. "I'm sorry. I guess I haven't been very good company tonight have I," he told her taking her hand in his.
"No you haven't," Linda admitted. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know? I guess I just have other things on my mind."
"You're worried about Adam, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I guess I am. He's been avoiding everything to do with hockey this week and not just our game Thursday evening either. He won't talk about it. If hockey comes up in a conversation he comes up with some excuse to leave. The couple of times I've tried bringing it up with him he changes the subject. I think if he had any friends outside of the Ducks he would probably even be avoided us too."
"Maybe this is his way of dealing with things."
"He isn't dealing with anything he's avoiding it."
"You've never tried to deal with something by avoided it."
"Well yes, but it never worked," Charlie admitted.
"You've known him longer than I have Charlie but even I know how important hockey is to him. It means more to Adam than it does you even though you love the game."
As he listened to Linda's words he found himself thinking about the Junior Goodwill Games. They had all been excited to be there but only Adam had been searching the stands for the scouts. Adam definitely took the game more seriously than any of the rest of them.
"I sure hope that he got good news at the doctor's today," Charlie said.
As Charlie and Linda approached the dorm building they saw Connie and Guy sitting on the steps outside talking.
"Hey guys, what are the two of you doing out here?" Charlie asked
"Avoiding the others," Guy replied looking up at him. " Adam wouldn't talk to any of us when he got back from the doctor's office earlier. Fuss, Averman, Dean, and Fulton have been complaining about it ever since and are still blaming Thursdays loss on him. Connie and I couldn't take it anymore so we came out here."
"This is ridiculous," Charlie said as he leaned up against the building.
"I have to say I don't blame them for felling hurt," Connie said. "I'm hurt by Adam not talking to us. We've been trying to help him out all week."
"How was the movie?" Guy asked trying to change the subject. He had got away from the others to avoid this conversation earlier and he still didn't want to have it.
"It was great," Linda told him and then started telling him about it. Charlie had to admit to himself that he hadn't really paid attention to the movie so he let Linda do all the talking.
"Sounds like a great movie," Connie said when Linda was finished. "We'll have to go see it," she told Guy.
"Yeah, I guess its your choice next time anyway," Guy said. The movie hadn't sounded all that interesting to him but he wasn't going to come right out and say it. He was starting to learn when not to even argue with Connie about something.
Before anything else could be said the door to the dorm opened and Adam's roommate came out of the door.
"Hey Steve," Charlie said.
"Somebody really needs to talk to your friend," Steve said in response to Charlie's greeting. "Sure we never talk much but I really don't like being ignored or getting snapped at. All I did was ask him how everything was and he went off on me and now he's pretending I don't exist. I got to get out of that room."
He didn't even wait for a reply from any of them as he stormed off in the direction of the library. The four of them watched him disappeared into the night.
"That didn't sound good," Guy said.
"You can say that again," Charlie said. "Maybe I'll go talk to him."
"Be careful," Connie said.
Charlie just shot her a look. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said turning to Linda and giving he a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Okay," Linda told him. Saying good-bye to Connie and Guy she headed over to her dorm building next door as Charlie headed inside his dorm.
As he walked by the common room he could still hear his teammates in there talking about Adam and the past week. He just shook his head and kept walking. He knew they would come around eventually. Charlie hurried up the stairs and made his way to Adam's room and knocked on the door.
"Go away," was the response he got to his second knock.
"It's Charlie, Adam. I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me," Charlie called back through the door. There was no immediate response but just as Charlie was about to knock on the door Adam finally opened the door.
After opening the door he immediately turned away from Charlie and sat down on his bed. He was still on the crutches and Charlie had seen the tears as he turned away. Charlie quietly made his way into the room and shut the door behind him. Now that he was actually in the room he wasn't sure what to do next.
There were a few moments of awkward quiet in the room after Charlie shut the door. Charlie finally walked over and sat down next to Adam.
"What did the doctor tell you?" he finally asked.
"He said my knee was healing well but its still going to be a couple of weeks until the brace can come off and then I'll have to do physical therapy to build the muscles back up. He said I'll probably be able to get back on skates in about three weeks but will have to take practices easy for awhile after that."
"That's good news isn't. You'll still be back skating before the end of the season."
Adam shook his head at Charlie's comment. "Coach Wilson said even if the doctor releases me to practice with the team he won't let me skate until I'm one hundred percent. He said he can't waste his time with a player who isn't able to pull his weight."
"He can't do that can he?" Charlie asked getting angry.
"Yes he can. My Dad already talked to the dean and the dean told him that Coach Wilson had the discretion of when injured players come back. If I can't practice with the team then I can't get back to be one hundred percent. The season is over for me."
"There is always next year," Charlie said trying to console his friend.
"It's not fair," Adam said again. " I feel like I'm letting everyone down. I'm letting my Dad down and the team. I've let you and the rest of the Ducks down."
The last part of his comment caught Charlie's attention.
"What are you talking about? You haven't let us down."
"I heard you guys talking after the game yesterday evening. Steve had left the door open I couldn't help but hear what you guys were saying."
"Oh man," Charlie said feeling really bad even though the comments about Adam had been made by his teammate not him. "We were all frustrated after the game. No one meant anything that was said."
"No, Fulton said I bailed on you guys and I have this week. I couldn't deal with seeing you guys on the ice when I didn't know when or if I would be able to play again so I avoided everything to do with hockey. When I started helping Bombay out I made a commitment to the team again and I didn't fulfill that commitment."
"Adam no one feels that you've left them down. They're hurt because they feel like you've been shutting us out. Even Connie said that to me earlier this evening."
"I guess maybe I owe you guys an apology then."
"No you don't. Because that stuff that you overheard never should have been said. If anything we owe you an apology. Just let us be there for you Adam. That is what friends are for."
The two were quiet for a little while but the silence didn't seem awkward. Both seemed to realize that it was needed. It was again Charlie who broke the silence.
"So you want to tell them what you found out today or do you want me to do it?" Charlie asked.
"Could you? I don't think I want to repeat everything again."
"Sure," Charlie told him. "If you need me you know where to find me," Charlie told him standing up and leaving the room. In his mind Charlie had an idea of how he could make Adam feel better but he knew he wouldn't to be able to pull it off on his own. He had to get somebody to help him out and he knew who he needed to ask to help him pull it off.
That would have to wait for the next day for him to get started. Right now though he had to gather the Ducks that he could find and start setting things right. They had a game on Monday night and if they were going to win it they couldn't be distracted like they had been the night before.