Title: More Than You'll Ever Know
Summary: All Adam's dad wants is for Adam to make pro-hockey. All Adam ever wanted was a friend. A friend to stick by him. He'd lost one before, and when she comes back, sparks fly, but not for the better.
Main Duck: Adam Banks
Rating: PG-13 for language and later violence
Time frame: After D2, before and during D3 maybe after D3 if I feel like it and if you give me reviews =p
Author's Note (more like plead): Thanks for all your reviews: Usagi (Thanks! See what a little begging can do for ya? *winks* update soon though!), Brittany (I think I will continue at that =p), and Kelly (Yes, the Jessica, Adam rivalry will be interesting and half of it will seem stupid too, but when you're in a fight, you're in a fight. What can you do? And yeah, I liked Larson a lot too!)
Charlie
If that girl that just skated by wasn't one of the hottest ones yet…I could tell Fulton (Portman was in Chicago), Luis, Dwayne, and Averman were practically drooling over her.
"What happened between you and that beautiful little lady?" Averman asked finally turning back to Banks. Banks shook his head and muttered, "I gotta go guys. We'll talk later." He turned and skated away. That was strange. Just a few minutes ago, he was asking what we wanted to do.
"What was that all about?" Guy asked, confused.
"It must have been pretty bad between them," I mused. It wasn't like Banksie to run off without reason, "It wonder what happened…" I sighed and decided to play the role of psychiatrist, not for the first time, and skated off after him, in hopes of finding him. The team knew what I was doing because isn't it always me who does that?
"Come on Banks…be here somewhere…" As if on cue, I saw him sitting on the bench over-looking the whole park.
"Hey Charlie…" Adam looked up when he heard my footsteps on the dirt.
"How did you know I'd be here?" I asked, surprised that he wasn't surprised.
"You're just that predictable, Charlie. Besides, you're the one that always comes after the upset one. Come one, you should know better than that!" He was faking all that cheery crap and I knew it.
"What's up?" His mask slid and his face was dark again.
"Nothing…."
"Then why did you mood change from happy to upset in a second back there? And is it just me or is it just too much of a coincidence that the change in mood happened directly after you saw that girl again?" He was silent. Either he didn't want to admit that I was right or he was just feeling way to down to respond.
"Adam?" I sat down, using his first name, something I've only done once before.
"Why?" he blurted out.
"Why what?"
"Why do you Ducks bother being so nice to me? It's been almost 4 years, I know. But I'd never forgive me if I were you."
"That's the thing. We're not you. And Banks, you're a Duck too; you've proven loyalty to us ever since McGill pushed you into the goalpost your 1st year with us. The past is the past. What you did can be forgotten because you've changed. You're a Duck, Adam, a natural born Duck."
"You mean that? I mean, all of you?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Okay." He still wasn't convinced and I knew it, but at the same time, it wasn't what was bothering him so I let it drop. For now.
"Now, are you going to tell me about the girl?"
Adam hesitated, but said, "To make a long story short, we used to be really good friends. We had a fight, we never spoke since, that's all."
"I want the long story."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Don't tell…not even the others. Okay, well maybe Jesse, but no one else."
"Sure."
He took a deep breath then started, "Okay. I met Jessica Morris when her brother Ethan came to my house to play with my brother. He was hanging out when she and their mom came to pick him up. We were about three then and Ethan and my brother introduced us. We hung-out with Danny Larson and Barry McGill. It was the four of us since the beginning, something like the 'Fantastic Four'. We pledged that no matter what, we'd stick together until the end. Obviously, Barry broke it. Well, when Danny, Barry, and I tried out for hockey, Jessica tagged along. She hung-out at practices and was considered a Hawk. Coach put her in a few times when we were against District 5…well, before the Ducks. She's actually really good and Reilly even got her a jersey. So anyway, when I got transferred to the Ducks, she remained my friend and stuck by me when everyone else labeled me traitor. But after the Junior Goodwill Games last year, around the time of Christmas, she started going out with Zak Hill, who used to be the Hawk goalie." He stopped.
"Well what's wrong with Zak Hill, other than the fact that he's a Hawk?" I asked. Adam sighed, "He's the biggest player ever. I mean, I guess Zak's nice enough. He just wouldn't make a great boyfriend, that's all. I've seen what he's done to other girls."
"So why didn't you tell Jessica that?"
"I did. I told her exactly what I told you. I really didn't want her to get hurt."
"What happened?"
"She blew-up at me. She said something about judging people too soon. She said I was being judgmental or just plain jealous. Anyway, she yelled that she never judged my friends who were female, not that I had many, so I shouldn't judge her boyfriends. She was real hurt and we never spoke since."
"Oh…"
"It's stupid, I know. We should have apologized and made up by now. But it's more than that. It's not just the whole Zak Hill thing. It was the fact that Jessica didn't trust me to be looking out for her. It hurt me too since we were best-friends and everything."
"But you guys were…"
"I don't think that's all either," he continued, obviously not able to stop talking now that he started, "I think I really liked her more than I'd like to admit." So that was it. That was what was bothering Banks so much about Jessica's appearance that day. I guess it didn't help much that the rest of the guys were gawking at her either. I looked at my watch and jumped. My mom made me promise to be home before six. I had ten minutes.
"I gotta go, sorry." I apologized.
Banks smiled at me weakly, "Bye!"
I ran off and by the time I got home, I saw Coach…I mean Bombay's car parked in front of our house. He wasn't going to be our coach at the new prep school and I had forgiven him, yes. But it was still awkward not to call him coach.
"Hey, Charlie!" he greeted, slapping my back.
"Hey, Bombay!" How's it going?"
"Pretty good. How's the rest of the team doing? Excited for high school?"
"Yeah, I guess."
We went inside, after giving up on small talk, where my mom cooked dinner for all of us. My step-dad was on business. Thank God. My mom had a week off while the diner was being renovated.
"Ring, ring!" Coach's phone rang. Rolling his eyes, he picked it up, "Hello? Yes, yes, yes…" his face grew dark "What? Here? That's right…" my mom and I exchanged worried glances. What was going on?
"I-I remember. No, she never told me about the second one. I don't know…tomorrow? Ten in the morning? Okay. Where? Alright. I'll be there." He hung-up with that same dark expression etched onto his face.
"Gordon, what's wrong?" my mom asked. He sure was acting weird.
"Nothing. It's not an important call. Don't worry," he turned back to dinner, "This is great, Casey. Charlie, you learn to love mom's cooking. Later on, when have no food to eat and can't cook anything edible, you can come back." I laughed lightly.
Even thought he claimed that it was nothing, Bombay was distant throughout the rest of the night. I knew it was the phone call, but what was it? And why was he being so secretive?
I sighed as I lay in bed that night thinking about weird things happening. Banksie's dilemma was strange. He kept saying that he hated Jessica, but he consistently said nice things on her behalf. Bombay's problem was even more bizarre. What was it about that phone call? It kept me awake for way too long, but finally, I fell into a very uneasy sleep.
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