~*~
I wasn't sure what the team would say, not that I would care . . . much. In that way I wished I was like her. But the way I saw her run out of there, I wasn't as envious. I was a bit of a distance back but she was still in my sights, her raven black hair flowed behind her as she ran out into the courtyard. I pushed my way through the doors and stopped.
There she was, sitting on the steps of the school. She turned around to look me in the eyes and just as quickly turned back around. "I thought I told you to leave me alone Banks."
"No, you said not to say a word." I answered. "Besides you looked upset."
She turned to look at me as if I were stupid or something. "Yeah well, today I didn't feel like being some jock's good time."
I smirked at her. "You realize not all of us jocks, as you like to call us, are like that."
"Yea, some are nosy and like to ask girls who want to be alone annoying questions." She spat looking down at the steps.
I sat beside her. "Maybe Joslyn, one of these nosy jocks wants to be your friend and possibly make your stay here more enjoyable."
"First of all it's Josie, never Joslyn and secondly, maybe this nosy jock should back off before he gets hurt because I'm tired of watching people cry." She looked me in the eyes; her hazel eyes blinked away tears as she got up and walked back into the school, leaving me dumbstruck.
~*~
By the time I reached my fourth period class, I was regretting skipping lunch. I could feel my stomach rumble in anger. I guess before practice I ought to pick up a power bar, even though they taste like cardboard, so I don't pass out or something.
I began to flip through my history notes when I felt something poke me hard in the back. I looked behind me to see Luis' smiling face.
"Banksie; what was up with you and that girl at lunch, you know the one that ran out?"
I shook my head; it figures Luis was the one who brought up Josie. "Nothing." I pretended to be oblivious, but I had a feeling I wasn't very convincing.
Luis nodded. "It's either you like her, or you guys made-out; either way it's totally ok with me, because she's cute, but she doesn't seem like your type."
I laughed. "Neither because nothing is up with us . . . her I mean. Besides how would you know my type if I don't know my type?"
Luis smiled. "It's like this, everyone has a match. Your match would be a cheerleader or something to do with hockey. Fulton would be that new girl's match or Portman."
"Yours on the other hand, match is anything thing that has legs." I said sarcastically.
"Exactly . . . wait no!" He stuttered as I turned around.
Luis was cool; however I would never let him set me up on a date with one of the girls he knew. He would pick someone that I basically knew, that I was already bored of. I knew this from experience. I believe he had set me up on three dates and every single one of them was a disaster from the start.
The first, the girl was late and we missed the movie, so instead we went to get a bite to eat. I didn't know a girl could spend over an hour talking about her hair, I honestly thought I dosed off when she started going on about the techniques she and her friends use. And I'm not sure but I think she started talking about putting peanut oil in her hair, which actually made me nervous because I have slight allergy to it.
The rest were fairly similar, except one was basically a complete mute, and the other spilt hot coca in my lap, which is rather painful. After the 'coca incident' as everyone on the team loves to call it, I refuse to go on dates he sets up. Actually, I refuse to go dates set up by anyone else other then me, which has so far, been none. It's not my fault that I get nervous around girls. Besides, I don't need to go to the semi-formals that the school puts on and go to all these special events. I just would like to.
~*~
The bell rang eagerly and everyone in my science class rushed out of the classroom; I sprinted down the halls to get to my dorm, which I share with Averman and you can tell which side is mine. I hate the fact that you can do that. But today, I ignore it and grab my hockey stuff and rush to the arena. It's not that I have to; I just find that I perform better when I get my heart pumping, which is another thing I hate. For once I wish I didn't have to do that.
I turn the corner and skid to a stop almost crash colliding with the one girl who can get my heart pumping even faster than it is now. I swallow. "Hey."
She blinks and walks away without a word; it was if she looked right through me, as if I wasn't even there. I bite my lip and drop my gear, I'm early I could stop to talk to someone.
"Josie! Wait up!"
I catch up with her and spin her around. "Hey, I was talking to you." I'm a little pissed off that she ignored me like that but I let it go.
"What now Banks?" she says irritated.
I stand tall. I refuse to let her intimidate me into shutting up and letting her go again. "I was wondering if we could talk after my practice."
She sighs. "Banks, you don't want me to be your friend, so stop trying." She licked her lips. "I'm sure you're a great guy and all that but I'm getting out of here one way or another."
"I still want to talk to you after practice." I state. I like the fact I'm using her tactics against her. Ignoring everything she said. "You can come to the arena, watch us practice and we could hang out or study or whatever."
She took a deep nervous shaky breath. "No. I'm not going with you."
"Why? We're pretty good. State champs."
"Banks! God! Don't you get it! I don't want to go to the freaking arena with you! And do you want to know why? Because you remind me of Peter, my partner. You're exactly like him and I don't want to know you because of that. I don't want that reminder around me every day!" She yelled at me. She had begun backing up from me. "I'm tired of crying, I'm tired of yelling and I'm tired of knowing that it's my fault he's gone."
By the time I had processed everything she had run down the halls. By the time I had processed everything, I was ten minutes late for practice.
~*~
"Sorry Coach" I mumbled as I step onto the ice.
Coach Orion looked me up and down. "Banks, this isn't like you."
"I know Coach. I kind of got involved with something that couldn't be avoided." I loosely explained.
He licked his lips. "This better not be because of the Varsity. They are still a little angry over the whole Eden Hall Ducks now."
I shook my head.
"Laps after practice, you got it?"
"Yes Coach. I got it." I agreed.
I began to skate off towards everyone else.
"Adam!" Coach Orion called after me making me stop. "You can talk to me if you need to ok?"
~*~
Most people, Charlie especially, hated laps. For me it was oddly relaxing. Coach Orion always left me while I was doing laps. He knew I would finish, because of my odd liking of them. He would punish me some other way, but being on the ice was oddly freeing for me. I wondered if that was the way Josie felt on the ice before the accident. If the ice was her special place. The rink always was for me. I knew one day, if I wanted to show a girl I really cared, this would the place I would take her, the rink, right in the middle, no one around. Perfect silence.
The only sounds around me now are my edges grazing the hard surface beneath my feet. I think that is the sound that keeps me sane. It makes me forget everything. It's the only thing that makes me do that.
Except Josie.
Ugh! Why can't get her face out of my mind?! It's like it's burned into my memories and no matter what I do I can't help but replay her crying; screaming at me. Over and over. I hate it. I know her for less than a few hours and I can't forget her no matter how much I try. And it kills me to see her cry. Actually I think almost every guy has that in their DNA code or something. They can't watch a girl cry without either crying themselves or freaking out. For me, right now, it was the latter. It was driving me crazy.
I can hear her voice echoing around my skull. Every harsh word cutting into my stomach. I feel like I'm being torn apart from the inside out.
". . . leave me alone before you lose brownie points with your little friends."
"Not a word Banks."
"Maybe he should back off . . ."
"Stop trying . . ."
I didn't realize that I sped up more and more as I went over her words to me.
"Banks! Banks stop!"
Everything went blurry, fading together, getting darker as I fell towards the ground.
"Banks are you ok?" The voice sounded odd, low and slow and the ice, well it wasn't there. I just felt nothing.
"Josie?"
The figure moved above me getting darker and darker. Soon everything was darker than her raven hair.
"Josie?"
~
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A/N: Second chapter! Yay me!! Thanks for the reviews! Save me from myself and tell me if this sucks so far! I don't care if you flame! It helps me make the story better than it is! So I encourage it! Flame!!!
REVIEW!! FLAME!! COME ON PEOPLE!!
~Toodles!
I wasn't sure what the team would say, not that I would care . . . much. In that way I wished I was like her. But the way I saw her run out of there, I wasn't as envious. I was a bit of a distance back but she was still in my sights, her raven black hair flowed behind her as she ran out into the courtyard. I pushed my way through the doors and stopped.
There she was, sitting on the steps of the school. She turned around to look me in the eyes and just as quickly turned back around. "I thought I told you to leave me alone Banks."
"No, you said not to say a word." I answered. "Besides you looked upset."
She turned to look at me as if I were stupid or something. "Yeah well, today I didn't feel like being some jock's good time."
I smirked at her. "You realize not all of us jocks, as you like to call us, are like that."
"Yea, some are nosy and like to ask girls who want to be alone annoying questions." She spat looking down at the steps.
I sat beside her. "Maybe Joslyn, one of these nosy jocks wants to be your friend and possibly make your stay here more enjoyable."
"First of all it's Josie, never Joslyn and secondly, maybe this nosy jock should back off before he gets hurt because I'm tired of watching people cry." She looked me in the eyes; her hazel eyes blinked away tears as she got up and walked back into the school, leaving me dumbstruck.
~*~
By the time I reached my fourth period class, I was regretting skipping lunch. I could feel my stomach rumble in anger. I guess before practice I ought to pick up a power bar, even though they taste like cardboard, so I don't pass out or something.
I began to flip through my history notes when I felt something poke me hard in the back. I looked behind me to see Luis' smiling face.
"Banksie; what was up with you and that girl at lunch, you know the one that ran out?"
I shook my head; it figures Luis was the one who brought up Josie. "Nothing." I pretended to be oblivious, but I had a feeling I wasn't very convincing.
Luis nodded. "It's either you like her, or you guys made-out; either way it's totally ok with me, because she's cute, but she doesn't seem like your type."
I laughed. "Neither because nothing is up with us . . . her I mean. Besides how would you know my type if I don't know my type?"
Luis smiled. "It's like this, everyone has a match. Your match would be a cheerleader or something to do with hockey. Fulton would be that new girl's match or Portman."
"Yours on the other hand, match is anything thing that has legs." I said sarcastically.
"Exactly . . . wait no!" He stuttered as I turned around.
Luis was cool; however I would never let him set me up on a date with one of the girls he knew. He would pick someone that I basically knew, that I was already bored of. I knew this from experience. I believe he had set me up on three dates and every single one of them was a disaster from the start.
The first, the girl was late and we missed the movie, so instead we went to get a bite to eat. I didn't know a girl could spend over an hour talking about her hair, I honestly thought I dosed off when she started going on about the techniques she and her friends use. And I'm not sure but I think she started talking about putting peanut oil in her hair, which actually made me nervous because I have slight allergy to it.
The rest were fairly similar, except one was basically a complete mute, and the other spilt hot coca in my lap, which is rather painful. After the 'coca incident' as everyone on the team loves to call it, I refuse to go on dates he sets up. Actually, I refuse to go dates set up by anyone else other then me, which has so far, been none. It's not my fault that I get nervous around girls. Besides, I don't need to go to the semi-formals that the school puts on and go to all these special events. I just would like to.
~*~
The bell rang eagerly and everyone in my science class rushed out of the classroom; I sprinted down the halls to get to my dorm, which I share with Averman and you can tell which side is mine. I hate the fact that you can do that. But today, I ignore it and grab my hockey stuff and rush to the arena. It's not that I have to; I just find that I perform better when I get my heart pumping, which is another thing I hate. For once I wish I didn't have to do that.
I turn the corner and skid to a stop almost crash colliding with the one girl who can get my heart pumping even faster than it is now. I swallow. "Hey."
She blinks and walks away without a word; it was if she looked right through me, as if I wasn't even there. I bite my lip and drop my gear, I'm early I could stop to talk to someone.
"Josie! Wait up!"
I catch up with her and spin her around. "Hey, I was talking to you." I'm a little pissed off that she ignored me like that but I let it go.
"What now Banks?" she says irritated.
I stand tall. I refuse to let her intimidate me into shutting up and letting her go again. "I was wondering if we could talk after my practice."
She sighs. "Banks, you don't want me to be your friend, so stop trying." She licked her lips. "I'm sure you're a great guy and all that but I'm getting out of here one way or another."
"I still want to talk to you after practice." I state. I like the fact I'm using her tactics against her. Ignoring everything she said. "You can come to the arena, watch us practice and we could hang out or study or whatever."
She took a deep nervous shaky breath. "No. I'm not going with you."
"Why? We're pretty good. State champs."
"Banks! God! Don't you get it! I don't want to go to the freaking arena with you! And do you want to know why? Because you remind me of Peter, my partner. You're exactly like him and I don't want to know you because of that. I don't want that reminder around me every day!" She yelled at me. She had begun backing up from me. "I'm tired of crying, I'm tired of yelling and I'm tired of knowing that it's my fault he's gone."
By the time I had processed everything she had run down the halls. By the time I had processed everything, I was ten minutes late for practice.
~*~
"Sorry Coach" I mumbled as I step onto the ice.
Coach Orion looked me up and down. "Banks, this isn't like you."
"I know Coach. I kind of got involved with something that couldn't be avoided." I loosely explained.
He licked his lips. "This better not be because of the Varsity. They are still a little angry over the whole Eden Hall Ducks now."
I shook my head.
"Laps after practice, you got it?"
"Yes Coach. I got it." I agreed.
I began to skate off towards everyone else.
"Adam!" Coach Orion called after me making me stop. "You can talk to me if you need to ok?"
~*~
Most people, Charlie especially, hated laps. For me it was oddly relaxing. Coach Orion always left me while I was doing laps. He knew I would finish, because of my odd liking of them. He would punish me some other way, but being on the ice was oddly freeing for me. I wondered if that was the way Josie felt on the ice before the accident. If the ice was her special place. The rink always was for me. I knew one day, if I wanted to show a girl I really cared, this would the place I would take her, the rink, right in the middle, no one around. Perfect silence.
The only sounds around me now are my edges grazing the hard surface beneath my feet. I think that is the sound that keeps me sane. It makes me forget everything. It's the only thing that makes me do that.
Except Josie.
Ugh! Why can't get her face out of my mind?! It's like it's burned into my memories and no matter what I do I can't help but replay her crying; screaming at me. Over and over. I hate it. I know her for less than a few hours and I can't forget her no matter how much I try. And it kills me to see her cry. Actually I think almost every guy has that in their DNA code or something. They can't watch a girl cry without either crying themselves or freaking out. For me, right now, it was the latter. It was driving me crazy.
I can hear her voice echoing around my skull. Every harsh word cutting into my stomach. I feel like I'm being torn apart from the inside out.
". . . leave me alone before you lose brownie points with your little friends."
"Not a word Banks."
"Maybe he should back off . . ."
"Stop trying . . ."
I didn't realize that I sped up more and more as I went over her words to me.
"Banks! Banks stop!"
Everything went blurry, fading together, getting darker as I fell towards the ground.
"Banks are you ok?" The voice sounded odd, low and slow and the ice, well it wasn't there. I just felt nothing.
"Josie?"
The figure moved above me getting darker and darker. Soon everything was darker than her raven hair.
"Josie?"
~
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A/N: Second chapter! Yay me!! Thanks for the reviews! Save me from myself and tell me if this sucks so far! I don't care if you flame! It helps me make the story better than it is! So I encourage it! Flame!!!
REVIEW!! FLAME!! COME ON PEOPLE!!
~Toodles!