Charlie woke up late that morning. The sun was streaming through his
window. He looked around the room and his eyes fell on his Ducks jersey and
right beside it on the desk the small medal that each member of the winning
team had gotten. He still couldn't believe that the Ducks -formerly
District Five had won the Minnesota State Peewee Ice Hockey Championships.
Right beside his medal lay a second medal. The second medal was for Adam Banks who was hurt during the game. Charlie had asked Gordon if he could be the one to take it to him and Gordon had agreed. They knew that Adam was at home having been checked out at the ER and released. Gordon had called to check on him after the game last night. Charlie's mom had promised to call Angela Banks, Adam's mother, this morning to make sure it was okay to stop by.
With a smile still on his face Charlie hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed. He then headed for the kitchen where his mom was sitting at the table with the newspaper and coffee.
"Good morning Charlie," Casey Conway said looking up from her newspaper as her son entered the kitchen.
"Morning Mom," Charlie said. "When are you going to call Mrs. Banks?" he asked waiting expectantly for her answer.
Casey just laughed at her son's eagerness. "I already did. Mrs. Banks said that anytime today that you wanted to drop by was fine with her."
"Can you take me now?"
"How about you eat some breakfast and then I'll drive you over."
"Okay," Charlie said excitedly. He got himself a bowl of cereal and sat at the kitchen table and quickly ate it.
When he was done he put the bowl in the sink and rushed back to his room. He quickly grabbed the medal off of his desk and then grabbed his winter jacket and put it on as he headed back out to the kitchen.
"I'm ready," Charlie told his mom as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen zipping up his coat.
"Okay," Casey said laying the paper down on the table. She dumped the rest of her coffee down the sink and rinsed the cup out. She then ushered Charlie toward the door grabbing her winter jacket on the way out.
Casey Conway drove her car to nearby Edina, where the Banks lived. Charlie looked in awe out the windows at the huge houses. He had never been in this neighborhood before. Casey was too busy reading road signs to pay attention to the houses. She saw the sign for North Hennepin and turned onto the road. She then started reading house numbers looking for the Four- fifty. She finally found it and pulled into the driveway right behind a brand new looking Porshe.
Casey and Charlie slowly got out of the car and started walking toward the big house. When they stood on the front porch Casey rang the doorbell.
The door was soon answered by a beautiful woman, about thirty five years old. She was wearing a satin grey dress pants suit. Her light brown hair was swept up on top of her ears and diamond earrings dangled from her ears.
"Can I help you," the woman asked politely.
Getting over her awe Casey spoke for herself and for her son. "Hi, I'm Casey Conway. I talked to you on the phone earlier this morning. My son Charlie played hockey with your son on the Ducks."
"Oh, right," the woman said. "I'm Angela Banks. Please come in," she said stepping aside and letting them come inside.
As they stepped inside a maid appeared from nowhere to take their coats. As Casey and Charlie handed their coats to the maid Angela Banks kept talking.
"I'm so glad that you stopped by Charlie. You're the first one of Adam's teammates, from either team, to stop by and see him. Why don't I take you up to his room," Angela said seeing that Charlie seemed a little overwhelmed by the house. "Casey, why don't you have a seat in the parlor," Angela said indicated a room directly off the foyer they were standing in. " I'll join you shortly."
"Thank-you," Casey said and walked slowly into the room indicated. Casey was just as overwhelmed by the house as her son was.
Angela led Charlie up the stairs and down a long hallway. About halfway down the hallway Angela stopped in front of a door and lightly knocked before opening the door slowly.
"Adam, someone is here to see you," Angela said to her son.
Adam was sitting on his bed with pillows behind him, reading a book. The doctor at the ER had told him to take it easy for the next couple of days as he did have a mild concussion from the game the night before. As a result his mom refused him to leave the house today and if he had to be in the house he would rather be in his room alone than anywhere else in the house where he would have to either deal with his overprotective mother or one of the servants.
As his mom stepped aside and let the visitor in Adam was surprised to see that it was Charlie. He didn't really expect anyone to come see him but he had figured on one of the Hawks being more likely to stop by than one of the Ducks. Sure he had played with them during the playoffs and the start of the championship game but he didn't think he was friends enough with any of them for them to stop by his house. He had yet to see any of them outside of hockey practice or something relating to the team.
"Hi Adam," Charlie said quietly as Mrs. Banks left the room. "We won the game last night. I brought your medal by," he said handing the championship medal over to Adam. "We never could've done it without you."
"No you guys won the game without me," Adam said accepting the medal.
"But you helped get us there. You scored the first goal last night and," Charlie hesitated before saying the last words. It had been Jesse who had actually put it into words the night before though all of them had felt it during the game. "You became our rallying point. McGill didn't take out a former Hawk yesterday he took out a Duck and Ducks fly together."
"Thanks Charlie," Adam said. He wasn't sure what else to say. He wasn't good at opening up to people. At making friends. He had grown up with Larson and McGill and his other friends on the team. He wasn't sure what he was going to do now. He wasn't sure how Monday was going to go.
"Some of the other Ducks wanted to stop by, but we weren't sure if you actually wanted to see us so can I tell them its okay to stop by?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, that would be fine," Adam said.
Charlie asked Adam a few questions trying to find out more about his newest teammate. Adam had skated with the team for the last few weeks but no one had taken the time to get to really know him. Charlie was starting to see that Adam was a completely different person away from the Hawks. Maybe he and his friends had been too quick to judge him.
Charlie and Adam talked until Charlie heard his mom calling for him. She had to be at work soon so they had to get going. Charlie said a quick good-bye to Adam and then joined his mother downstairs. Both of them said good-bye to Angela Banks and then headed back to their small apartment.
Right beside his medal lay a second medal. The second medal was for Adam Banks who was hurt during the game. Charlie had asked Gordon if he could be the one to take it to him and Gordon had agreed. They knew that Adam was at home having been checked out at the ER and released. Gordon had called to check on him after the game last night. Charlie's mom had promised to call Angela Banks, Adam's mother, this morning to make sure it was okay to stop by.
With a smile still on his face Charlie hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed. He then headed for the kitchen where his mom was sitting at the table with the newspaper and coffee.
"Good morning Charlie," Casey Conway said looking up from her newspaper as her son entered the kitchen.
"Morning Mom," Charlie said. "When are you going to call Mrs. Banks?" he asked waiting expectantly for her answer.
Casey just laughed at her son's eagerness. "I already did. Mrs. Banks said that anytime today that you wanted to drop by was fine with her."
"Can you take me now?"
"How about you eat some breakfast and then I'll drive you over."
"Okay," Charlie said excitedly. He got himself a bowl of cereal and sat at the kitchen table and quickly ate it.
When he was done he put the bowl in the sink and rushed back to his room. He quickly grabbed the medal off of his desk and then grabbed his winter jacket and put it on as he headed back out to the kitchen.
"I'm ready," Charlie told his mom as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen zipping up his coat.
"Okay," Casey said laying the paper down on the table. She dumped the rest of her coffee down the sink and rinsed the cup out. She then ushered Charlie toward the door grabbing her winter jacket on the way out.
Casey Conway drove her car to nearby Edina, where the Banks lived. Charlie looked in awe out the windows at the huge houses. He had never been in this neighborhood before. Casey was too busy reading road signs to pay attention to the houses. She saw the sign for North Hennepin and turned onto the road. She then started reading house numbers looking for the Four- fifty. She finally found it and pulled into the driveway right behind a brand new looking Porshe.
Casey and Charlie slowly got out of the car and started walking toward the big house. When they stood on the front porch Casey rang the doorbell.
The door was soon answered by a beautiful woman, about thirty five years old. She was wearing a satin grey dress pants suit. Her light brown hair was swept up on top of her ears and diamond earrings dangled from her ears.
"Can I help you," the woman asked politely.
Getting over her awe Casey spoke for herself and for her son. "Hi, I'm Casey Conway. I talked to you on the phone earlier this morning. My son Charlie played hockey with your son on the Ducks."
"Oh, right," the woman said. "I'm Angela Banks. Please come in," she said stepping aside and letting them come inside.
As they stepped inside a maid appeared from nowhere to take their coats. As Casey and Charlie handed their coats to the maid Angela Banks kept talking.
"I'm so glad that you stopped by Charlie. You're the first one of Adam's teammates, from either team, to stop by and see him. Why don't I take you up to his room," Angela said seeing that Charlie seemed a little overwhelmed by the house. "Casey, why don't you have a seat in the parlor," Angela said indicated a room directly off the foyer they were standing in. " I'll join you shortly."
"Thank-you," Casey said and walked slowly into the room indicated. Casey was just as overwhelmed by the house as her son was.
Angela led Charlie up the stairs and down a long hallway. About halfway down the hallway Angela stopped in front of a door and lightly knocked before opening the door slowly.
"Adam, someone is here to see you," Angela said to her son.
Adam was sitting on his bed with pillows behind him, reading a book. The doctor at the ER had told him to take it easy for the next couple of days as he did have a mild concussion from the game the night before. As a result his mom refused him to leave the house today and if he had to be in the house he would rather be in his room alone than anywhere else in the house where he would have to either deal with his overprotective mother or one of the servants.
As his mom stepped aside and let the visitor in Adam was surprised to see that it was Charlie. He didn't really expect anyone to come see him but he had figured on one of the Hawks being more likely to stop by than one of the Ducks. Sure he had played with them during the playoffs and the start of the championship game but he didn't think he was friends enough with any of them for them to stop by his house. He had yet to see any of them outside of hockey practice or something relating to the team.
"Hi Adam," Charlie said quietly as Mrs. Banks left the room. "We won the game last night. I brought your medal by," he said handing the championship medal over to Adam. "We never could've done it without you."
"No you guys won the game without me," Adam said accepting the medal.
"But you helped get us there. You scored the first goal last night and," Charlie hesitated before saying the last words. It had been Jesse who had actually put it into words the night before though all of them had felt it during the game. "You became our rallying point. McGill didn't take out a former Hawk yesterday he took out a Duck and Ducks fly together."
"Thanks Charlie," Adam said. He wasn't sure what else to say. He wasn't good at opening up to people. At making friends. He had grown up with Larson and McGill and his other friends on the team. He wasn't sure what he was going to do now. He wasn't sure how Monday was going to go.
"Some of the other Ducks wanted to stop by, but we weren't sure if you actually wanted to see us so can I tell them its okay to stop by?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, that would be fine," Adam said.
Charlie asked Adam a few questions trying to find out more about his newest teammate. Adam had skated with the team for the last few weeks but no one had taken the time to get to really know him. Charlie was starting to see that Adam was a completely different person away from the Hawks. Maybe he and his friends had been too quick to judge him.
Charlie and Adam talked until Charlie heard his mom calling for him. She had to be at work soon so they had to get going. Charlie said a quick good-bye to Adam and then joined his mother downstairs. Both of them said good-bye to Angela Banks and then headed back to their small apartment.