~*~
"Cake-eater! Snap out of it!"
I moan as a bright light is shone into my eyes. The figures around me look weird, like floating shapes instead of the humans I know they are. I blink a few times and focus.
"Where is Josie?" I murmur as I rub my eyes. I don't remember why I exactly have a pounding in the back of my head.
My eyes focus on Coach who is hovering over me with a half relieved half angry look on his face. "Who is this you're talking about Banks? Who is Josie?"
"The girl of his dreams." I hear Averman's joking voice from somewhere in the crowd around me. I suddenly realize that I'm in the change room on the ground.
"Shut up Averman!" The crowd says in unison not taking their eyes away from me. I moan at the sudden outburst of noise.
I sit up but am slammed back down onto my back by the dull pounding pain in my head. "Stay down Banksie. Your head hit the boards pretty hard." I hear Portman said from somewhere.
"What happened?" I mumble. The spinning roof is beginning to make me nauseous.
"You were doing laps and you blacked out and slammed into the boards at full speed." I hear Julie's worried voice by my left hand . . . or was it my right . . . "Do you know why?"
The heavy pain tones down a little and I sit up, leaning against the wall. "No, not really. I did skip lunch to talk to someone."
"Yeah that girl." Guy says. I turn to look at him. I smile at the fact he is in focus and the room isn't spinning. "I bet ten bucks that's Josie."
The Coach shakes his head. "No more skipping lunch Banks. We need everyone if we are going to state this year." I nod in reply. "Ok, now that we have got everything sorted out, can someone escort Banks to his room?"
~*~
"Ok guys, I'm fine now, can you please let me go?" I grumbled as we walked closer and closer to my room.
The guys looked at each other and nodded dropping their arms from my shoulders. "You scared us Cake-eater; like this was almost as bad as the championship game when we were still in District 5." I heard Charlie comment. Actually I don't remember much of that game. I know the score, and I know we won because I still have the trophy back home, but other than that, it's all a blur.
"Yea but this time no one pushed you." Goldberg said shaking his head.
I would have said something but the reason why I overworked myself was walking down the hall towards us. I swallowed hoping no one would say anything to her.
"Hey isn't she that girl Banksie was chasing during lunch?" Fulton asked nodding toward her.
I cursed under my breath. Shit! Sometimes I wish that I had better luck.
"Hey!" Portman said as she passed us, but completely ignored him. "Hey!!"
Dwayne grinned and pulled his lucky lasso from his bag. It was times like this I wish he wasn't born in Texas. Everyone stopped. "Who says I catch 'er?" He said as he swung it over his head. I took a deep breath wishing with all my might that he would miss as the rope gracefully slid out of his hand and over Josie's head and around her torso pulled tight making her drop all of her books.
"What the hell!" She yelled as Dwayne yelped in delight.
"Mam'." Dwayne greeted her tipping his hat to her as he pulled her over. "We just wanted to ask ya somethin'."
Connie nodded. "You know Banksie right?"
Josie's eyes slid to me. "No. Sorry. I don't fraternize with hockey players."
Averman frowned and looked at her. "Obviously you do because we never said we played hockey."
Josie lifted the lasso off of her and handed it back roughly to Dwayne. "I think I would like I minute with Banks." She spat her eyes shooting angry stares at me. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me a few feet away. "I don't know what's wrong with you and your friends, but why won't you leave me alone?"
"I didn't have anything to do with this. This was all them."
She licked her lips. "What do I have to do to get you all to leave me alone?"
I bit my lip. "Why wouldn't you come to the arena with me? What scared you so much, other than the fact I resemble someone?"
"Easy, I don't want to go there because it reminds me of Peter. What else?" she answered calmly.
"Have lunch with me." I said before I knew what exactly I was saying.
She looked at me surprised. "What? Why?"
I grinned. "So I can prove to you that I'm not Peter. I'm just some guy who wants to be your friend."
"Fine one lunch and that's it. I don't ever have to talk to you again?" She asked skeptically.
"Not unless you want to. So tomorrow." I said amazed that I wasn't stuttering like I usually do.
She shook her head. "Can't; my dad wants to meet with the Dean again. He wants to make it mandatory that I skate, but you didn't need to know that. The next day."
I nod as the guys walk over to us as she walks away. "It's a date!" I yell.
She turned around and shot a look at us all. "It's not a date. I wouldn't go out with the likes of you."
~*~
The girls had been banished from my dorm, not by me of course. I honestly would have liked them to stay. Connie and Julie probably would have given me some advice I could use that might you know actually help because they know from experience, seeing they are girls. Now I'm sitting on my bed with the rest of the hockey team squished into the dorm Averman and I share. Excellent; I'm so glad I'm not claustrophobic right now.
Luis finally breaks the silence that filled the room. I'm not quite sure why everyone is staring at me. "So you have a date with Josie, am I right?"
Fulton punched his arm. "Of course he does, you heard him say so in the hall."
"No he doesn't! You heard Josie say that she wouldn't go out with him." Portman said punching both of them. "No offence dude." He says suddenly looking at me.
"Guys! Be quiet!" Charlie yelped from the middle of the crowd. "Let Banksie talk! What did she say?"
I roll my eyes. "You're telling me you weren't eavesdropping?"
Kenny piped up from someplace in the back. "Of course we were. It's just that everyone couldn't quite hear everything you were saying."
Portman chuckled. "Yeah, Goldberg said that she said that her dad needs to meet me so we can discuss the mandatory date." He shrugged. "I don't know where he got that from."
I didn't want to tell them that after the date she didn't ever have to talk to me, like Jesus, sure I didn't like her, but it was still a major burn and I didn't want the guys to feel all sorry and I knew Guy would probably leak that to Connie who would tell Julie and then the next thing I know I'm getting looks of pity from all the girls in our grade.
"She said . . . you guys are annoying." I blurted out.
The guys looked shocked. "We are not annoying." Russ said angrily. "Although we can be a little . . . immature. But we're teenagers; who isn't?"
I smiled. "Just give her some time. She'll be a huge fan of the Ducks in no time."
I can't believe myself sometimes. I can really put my foot in my mouth.
~*~
I walked into my English class to see Josie sitting in the back in the empty classroom. I usually was the only one who came here early; I guess it would be good to have a little company.
"Hey."
She looked up from her book and rolled her eyes. "Hi."
I sat down in my desk and looked at her, even though she wouldn't look up from her book. "What are you reading?" I finally ask breaking the awkward silence of the room.
She sighed again and turned the book toward me. The title read 'The Chrysalids.'
"Oh I read that over the summer." I said in hopes of sparking a slight conversation, maybe she liked Classic books or something.
"I was reading it at my old school. I wanted to know how it ends." She mumbled not looking up.
I swallowed nervously. "I hope you don't mind me asking but did you leave because of the accident?"
She grinned and sat the book face down on the desk and looked me straight in the eyes. "No. I was kicked out. I set the Headmaster's office on fire."
"Seriously?"
She turned back to her book and continued reading. "I would never lie about my past infractions."
I shook my head. "So about our date. . ."
"It's not a date. It's me getting rid of you and the Geese." She stated still reading.
"Ducks."
She frowned and turned to me. "Pardon?"
I shook my head. "We're Ducks, not Geese."
She shrugged. "Whatever."
I decided to avoid a conflict. "So where are you in the book?"
She sighed. "I'm re-reading the first couple chapters. I'm at the part where Katherine commits suicide after her husband is murdered." Her eyes dart towards mine. For some reason her eyes are speaking to me. As if they are telling me that she doesn't want to hurt anymore and she'll do anything to stop.
I thank God as the bell rings and Grade 11's stumble into the class and Mr. Winder drops his briefcase making the papers scatter across the floor.
~*~
Everything Josie said flew out of my head as I collapsed into the locker room that afternoon. My aching muscles gave me a sense of accomplishment. I couldn't move.
"He's a slave driver." I heard Guy moan as he stumbled through the door. "I have a date with Connie tonight and even my hair hurts. Do you have any idea how long it took me to actually get a date with her without being told I'm an idiot?"
Charlie stifled a chuckle. "I wouldn't worry. Connie doesn't look like she wants to go out tonight."
"Rent a movie. Make it a Blockbuster night." Russ said pulling off his jersey slowly.
"Speaking of dates; any plans for yours Banks?" Charlie asked throwing an elbow pad at me.
I raise my eyebrows. "Convincing her that I'm not a stupid jock."
"Wow. You're quite the charmer Cake-eater." Averman said in monotone.
"DAD! No! I refuse! No!"
Everyone's eyes turned towards the door and raced towards it yanking it open and looking out.
"You have to. One extra-curricular activity."
I saw them again. Josie and her father arguing at the end of the hall near the rink.
"Hey look its Banksie's girlfriend!" Averman said from behind me.
He was quickly hushed as Coach Orion raced past the change room towards them. "Excuse me? Is there are problem here?" He said to them before Josie and her father got into a heated argument.
"No." Her father quickly snapped. His eyes quickly met his daughter's again. "You are getting on that ice. It is your only chance at a future and I'm not going to let you throw it away because of one problem."
I saw her eyes flare. "That problem just happens to be my best friend, my partner."
"He's dead, you can't change that. You move on." Her father replied quickly. "I have you a partner all lined up and. . ."
"I don't want another partner! I loved Peter and I won't let you take our only thing left away from me!" She screamed storming past Coach Orion who stood completely shocked.
She broke out into a run getting closer and closer to the change room when I quickly stepped out. I saw her face, tears streaming down. She stared me in the face and collapsed into my arms, panting and crying all at the same time.
She took a deep breath. "You're all gross and sweaty." Josie said between sniffs.
"Yeah I know." I whisper, not looking at the girl who is tucked safely in my arms. My eyes are locked on her father's.
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A/N: Yay! Another Chapter! I still WANT flames and reviews. I am asking for them! I know, I'm weird but please! I want to improve!
REVIEW!!
~Toodles!
"Cake-eater! Snap out of it!"
I moan as a bright light is shone into my eyes. The figures around me look weird, like floating shapes instead of the humans I know they are. I blink a few times and focus.
"Where is Josie?" I murmur as I rub my eyes. I don't remember why I exactly have a pounding in the back of my head.
My eyes focus on Coach who is hovering over me with a half relieved half angry look on his face. "Who is this you're talking about Banks? Who is Josie?"
"The girl of his dreams." I hear Averman's joking voice from somewhere in the crowd around me. I suddenly realize that I'm in the change room on the ground.
"Shut up Averman!" The crowd says in unison not taking their eyes away from me. I moan at the sudden outburst of noise.
I sit up but am slammed back down onto my back by the dull pounding pain in my head. "Stay down Banksie. Your head hit the boards pretty hard." I hear Portman said from somewhere.
"What happened?" I mumble. The spinning roof is beginning to make me nauseous.
"You were doing laps and you blacked out and slammed into the boards at full speed." I hear Julie's worried voice by my left hand . . . or was it my right . . . "Do you know why?"
The heavy pain tones down a little and I sit up, leaning against the wall. "No, not really. I did skip lunch to talk to someone."
"Yeah that girl." Guy says. I turn to look at him. I smile at the fact he is in focus and the room isn't spinning. "I bet ten bucks that's Josie."
The Coach shakes his head. "No more skipping lunch Banks. We need everyone if we are going to state this year." I nod in reply. "Ok, now that we have got everything sorted out, can someone escort Banks to his room?"
~*~
"Ok guys, I'm fine now, can you please let me go?" I grumbled as we walked closer and closer to my room.
The guys looked at each other and nodded dropping their arms from my shoulders. "You scared us Cake-eater; like this was almost as bad as the championship game when we were still in District 5." I heard Charlie comment. Actually I don't remember much of that game. I know the score, and I know we won because I still have the trophy back home, but other than that, it's all a blur.
"Yea but this time no one pushed you." Goldberg said shaking his head.
I would have said something but the reason why I overworked myself was walking down the hall towards us. I swallowed hoping no one would say anything to her.
"Hey isn't she that girl Banksie was chasing during lunch?" Fulton asked nodding toward her.
I cursed under my breath. Shit! Sometimes I wish that I had better luck.
"Hey!" Portman said as she passed us, but completely ignored him. "Hey!!"
Dwayne grinned and pulled his lucky lasso from his bag. It was times like this I wish he wasn't born in Texas. Everyone stopped. "Who says I catch 'er?" He said as he swung it over his head. I took a deep breath wishing with all my might that he would miss as the rope gracefully slid out of his hand and over Josie's head and around her torso pulled tight making her drop all of her books.
"What the hell!" She yelled as Dwayne yelped in delight.
"Mam'." Dwayne greeted her tipping his hat to her as he pulled her over. "We just wanted to ask ya somethin'."
Connie nodded. "You know Banksie right?"
Josie's eyes slid to me. "No. Sorry. I don't fraternize with hockey players."
Averman frowned and looked at her. "Obviously you do because we never said we played hockey."
Josie lifted the lasso off of her and handed it back roughly to Dwayne. "I think I would like I minute with Banks." She spat her eyes shooting angry stares at me. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me a few feet away. "I don't know what's wrong with you and your friends, but why won't you leave me alone?"
"I didn't have anything to do with this. This was all them."
She licked her lips. "What do I have to do to get you all to leave me alone?"
I bit my lip. "Why wouldn't you come to the arena with me? What scared you so much, other than the fact I resemble someone?"
"Easy, I don't want to go there because it reminds me of Peter. What else?" she answered calmly.
"Have lunch with me." I said before I knew what exactly I was saying.
She looked at me surprised. "What? Why?"
I grinned. "So I can prove to you that I'm not Peter. I'm just some guy who wants to be your friend."
"Fine one lunch and that's it. I don't ever have to talk to you again?" She asked skeptically.
"Not unless you want to. So tomorrow." I said amazed that I wasn't stuttering like I usually do.
She shook her head. "Can't; my dad wants to meet with the Dean again. He wants to make it mandatory that I skate, but you didn't need to know that. The next day."
I nod as the guys walk over to us as she walks away. "It's a date!" I yell.
She turned around and shot a look at us all. "It's not a date. I wouldn't go out with the likes of you."
~*~
The girls had been banished from my dorm, not by me of course. I honestly would have liked them to stay. Connie and Julie probably would have given me some advice I could use that might you know actually help because they know from experience, seeing they are girls. Now I'm sitting on my bed with the rest of the hockey team squished into the dorm Averman and I share. Excellent; I'm so glad I'm not claustrophobic right now.
Luis finally breaks the silence that filled the room. I'm not quite sure why everyone is staring at me. "So you have a date with Josie, am I right?"
Fulton punched his arm. "Of course he does, you heard him say so in the hall."
"No he doesn't! You heard Josie say that she wouldn't go out with him." Portman said punching both of them. "No offence dude." He says suddenly looking at me.
"Guys! Be quiet!" Charlie yelped from the middle of the crowd. "Let Banksie talk! What did she say?"
I roll my eyes. "You're telling me you weren't eavesdropping?"
Kenny piped up from someplace in the back. "Of course we were. It's just that everyone couldn't quite hear everything you were saying."
Portman chuckled. "Yeah, Goldberg said that she said that her dad needs to meet me so we can discuss the mandatory date." He shrugged. "I don't know where he got that from."
I didn't want to tell them that after the date she didn't ever have to talk to me, like Jesus, sure I didn't like her, but it was still a major burn and I didn't want the guys to feel all sorry and I knew Guy would probably leak that to Connie who would tell Julie and then the next thing I know I'm getting looks of pity from all the girls in our grade.
"She said . . . you guys are annoying." I blurted out.
The guys looked shocked. "We are not annoying." Russ said angrily. "Although we can be a little . . . immature. But we're teenagers; who isn't?"
I smiled. "Just give her some time. She'll be a huge fan of the Ducks in no time."
I can't believe myself sometimes. I can really put my foot in my mouth.
~*~
I walked into my English class to see Josie sitting in the back in the empty classroom. I usually was the only one who came here early; I guess it would be good to have a little company.
"Hey."
She looked up from her book and rolled her eyes. "Hi."
I sat down in my desk and looked at her, even though she wouldn't look up from her book. "What are you reading?" I finally ask breaking the awkward silence of the room.
She sighed again and turned the book toward me. The title read 'The Chrysalids.'
"Oh I read that over the summer." I said in hopes of sparking a slight conversation, maybe she liked Classic books or something.
"I was reading it at my old school. I wanted to know how it ends." She mumbled not looking up.
I swallowed nervously. "I hope you don't mind me asking but did you leave because of the accident?"
She grinned and sat the book face down on the desk and looked me straight in the eyes. "No. I was kicked out. I set the Headmaster's office on fire."
"Seriously?"
She turned back to her book and continued reading. "I would never lie about my past infractions."
I shook my head. "So about our date. . ."
"It's not a date. It's me getting rid of you and the Geese." She stated still reading.
"Ducks."
She frowned and turned to me. "Pardon?"
I shook my head. "We're Ducks, not Geese."
She shrugged. "Whatever."
I decided to avoid a conflict. "So where are you in the book?"
She sighed. "I'm re-reading the first couple chapters. I'm at the part where Katherine commits suicide after her husband is murdered." Her eyes dart towards mine. For some reason her eyes are speaking to me. As if they are telling me that she doesn't want to hurt anymore and she'll do anything to stop.
I thank God as the bell rings and Grade 11's stumble into the class and Mr. Winder drops his briefcase making the papers scatter across the floor.
~*~
Everything Josie said flew out of my head as I collapsed into the locker room that afternoon. My aching muscles gave me a sense of accomplishment. I couldn't move.
"He's a slave driver." I heard Guy moan as he stumbled through the door. "I have a date with Connie tonight and even my hair hurts. Do you have any idea how long it took me to actually get a date with her without being told I'm an idiot?"
Charlie stifled a chuckle. "I wouldn't worry. Connie doesn't look like she wants to go out tonight."
"Rent a movie. Make it a Blockbuster night." Russ said pulling off his jersey slowly.
"Speaking of dates; any plans for yours Banks?" Charlie asked throwing an elbow pad at me.
I raise my eyebrows. "Convincing her that I'm not a stupid jock."
"Wow. You're quite the charmer Cake-eater." Averman said in monotone.
"DAD! No! I refuse! No!"
Everyone's eyes turned towards the door and raced towards it yanking it open and looking out.
"You have to. One extra-curricular activity."
I saw them again. Josie and her father arguing at the end of the hall near the rink.
"Hey look its Banksie's girlfriend!" Averman said from behind me.
He was quickly hushed as Coach Orion raced past the change room towards them. "Excuse me? Is there are problem here?" He said to them before Josie and her father got into a heated argument.
"No." Her father quickly snapped. His eyes quickly met his daughter's again. "You are getting on that ice. It is your only chance at a future and I'm not going to let you throw it away because of one problem."
I saw her eyes flare. "That problem just happens to be my best friend, my partner."
"He's dead, you can't change that. You move on." Her father replied quickly. "I have you a partner all lined up and. . ."
"I don't want another partner! I loved Peter and I won't let you take our only thing left away from me!" She screamed storming past Coach Orion who stood completely shocked.
She broke out into a run getting closer and closer to the change room when I quickly stepped out. I saw her face, tears streaming down. She stared me in the face and collapsed into my arms, panting and crying all at the same time.
She took a deep breath. "You're all gross and sweaty." Josie said between sniffs.
"Yeah I know." I whisper, not looking at the girl who is tucked safely in my arms. My eyes are locked on her father's.
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A/N: Yay! Another Chapter! I still WANT flames and reviews. I am asking for them! I know, I'm weird but please! I want to improve!
REVIEW!!
~Toodles!