Tori walked over to the counter in the student lounge and refilled her glass at the soda fountain. With a quick pivot she was back in her seat, with her nose buried in the pages of her English Lit book. Scholastics at Eden Hall made her old high school look like a day care. It was only her second week and she was already behind the rest of the class. Adam was suppose to be meeting her anytime to help her study. As much as she didn't want to admit it was nice to have someone on the team that was friendly toward her. However while she thought he was nice, she had no clue why every girl in school was gaga over him, he wasn't that cute.
The door to the lounge swung open, but Tori didn't lift her head from the book, if she had she probably would've had a heart attack. Banks stood in the doorway in his varsity jacket with a friend beside him. A friend with coffee colored skin and washboard ads. Jesse Hall had certainly gotten hot since the Good Will Games.
"That's her." Adam gestured toward the dark haired girl at the back table. "Hey Farrell!"
"Hi Adam." The girl looked up and smiled, right up until her jaw unhinged. "Um, come over here."
The boys walked in her direction and she sat up straight, kicking herself for just throwing on her faded jean overalls and long sleeved green tee-shirt. She'd even plopped her hair on the top of her had in a frumpy ponytail, not the best way to impress a guy. Definitely not the way you want to look when you meet someone you've been crushing on for years. 'Gosh, he's better looking in person' she thought to herself as the two got closer.
"Jesse this is Tori Farrell, Tori, this is my friend Jesse Hall, oh I forgot you already know him." Banks teased pulling out a chair across from Tori.
The girl turned ten different shades of red as she dared herself to look up at the dark skinned hunk.
"Hi." She extended her hand and when Jesse shook her knees wobbled, strong hands.
"What's up?" Jesse nodded at her book coolly.
"Nothing really, just studying. Would you excuse us for a second? Banks we need to talk."
She dragged Adam to a corner in the student lounge and pinned him against the back wall, despite being half his size. Her dark eyes where wide and her heart side lips were curled at the sides in an angry growl.
"Didn't I tell you not to bring him? My god, I don't even know what to say, I'm going to look like an idiot!"
"Easy Tori, Jesse's cool, he's not going to think you're an idiot. Besides, since when are you insecure?" Banksie raised his eye brows at her.
"Just because you're the only person on the team that talks to me, doesn't mean you know me Banks okay. I dunno how to act around guys, I've never been around guys other then my team. In Rhode Island the boys didn't bother with me unless they wanted to talk about hockey, I was one of the guys."
"Come on Tori, just go talk to him. He's been looking forward to meeting you."
"Fine, but if he thinks I'm a goof I'm out for your ass at practice tonight, got it?"
"Got it."
With a sigh Tori slunk back into her seat and sipped her soda. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably, far from tough straight talking teen she was around the Ducks. Jesse had her so unnerved, she got gitty. For all work and no play, serious all day Victoria Farrell, that was something that was hard to deal with.
"So Tore, what do you think about the Ducks so far?" Jesse asked with a sly smile.
"Well, umm, not much really." The girl replied flipping the page in her book. "I don't really talk to them, we pretty much ignore each other in class and at practice I'm all about the game."
"You're studying awful hard considering it's only the first month of school."
"Hmm? Oh, yeah well gotta stay in on scholarship."
Jesse flashed Banks a look and Adam shrugged, that was not how the meeting was suppose to go. Tori was suppose to be her wise talking, sarcastic, fun self. She and Jesse were suppose to hit it off and Tori was suppose to relax.
Finally Adam cracked his knuckles and came up with an idea.
"So Tori, there's this welcome back dance next week, it's semiformal, anyway the only way you can go is to either be a student at Eden Hall or the date of one. Now Connie's going with Guy of course. Julie's boyfriend Scooter is driving in from college, so both of the other girls already have dates. Not to put you on the spot or anything, but would you be willing to invite Jesse? I think it would be awesome if he could go."
"That would rock, I mean if you want to go with me." Jesse grinned at Tori.
"Um sure, that would be cool." She responded closing her book and standing up. "I better go though, we have practice in an hour and my gear's not packed. Talk things out with Banks and he can get back to me."
As Tori left the lounge Adam rolled his eyes, that was not Tori at all.
"So what did you think of her?"
Jesse shook his head.
"I dunno, she's pretty, beautiful eyes. I just thought you said she liked me, it sure don't seem like it."
"She does, or she did during the Good Will Games. She's not normally like this Jes honestly. I don't know why she was acting so weird. *Sigh* Do you wanna come to practice, I know the rest of the guys would love to see you. And maybe you can get a look at the real Tori."
"Yeah that's cool. You think Orion'll let me play a bit?"
"He might, let's get out of here."
The door to the lounge swung open, but Tori didn't lift her head from the book, if she had she probably would've had a heart attack. Banks stood in the doorway in his varsity jacket with a friend beside him. A friend with coffee colored skin and washboard ads. Jesse Hall had certainly gotten hot since the Good Will Games.
"That's her." Adam gestured toward the dark haired girl at the back table. "Hey Farrell!"
"Hi Adam." The girl looked up and smiled, right up until her jaw unhinged. "Um, come over here."
The boys walked in her direction and she sat up straight, kicking herself for just throwing on her faded jean overalls and long sleeved green tee-shirt. She'd even plopped her hair on the top of her had in a frumpy ponytail, not the best way to impress a guy. Definitely not the way you want to look when you meet someone you've been crushing on for years. 'Gosh, he's better looking in person' she thought to herself as the two got closer.
"Jesse this is Tori Farrell, Tori, this is my friend Jesse Hall, oh I forgot you already know him." Banks teased pulling out a chair across from Tori.
The girl turned ten different shades of red as she dared herself to look up at the dark skinned hunk.
"Hi." She extended her hand and when Jesse shook her knees wobbled, strong hands.
"What's up?" Jesse nodded at her book coolly.
"Nothing really, just studying. Would you excuse us for a second? Banks we need to talk."
She dragged Adam to a corner in the student lounge and pinned him against the back wall, despite being half his size. Her dark eyes where wide and her heart side lips were curled at the sides in an angry growl.
"Didn't I tell you not to bring him? My god, I don't even know what to say, I'm going to look like an idiot!"
"Easy Tori, Jesse's cool, he's not going to think you're an idiot. Besides, since when are you insecure?" Banksie raised his eye brows at her.
"Just because you're the only person on the team that talks to me, doesn't mean you know me Banks okay. I dunno how to act around guys, I've never been around guys other then my team. In Rhode Island the boys didn't bother with me unless they wanted to talk about hockey, I was one of the guys."
"Come on Tori, just go talk to him. He's been looking forward to meeting you."
"Fine, but if he thinks I'm a goof I'm out for your ass at practice tonight, got it?"
"Got it."
With a sigh Tori slunk back into her seat and sipped her soda. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably, far from tough straight talking teen she was around the Ducks. Jesse had her so unnerved, she got gitty. For all work and no play, serious all day Victoria Farrell, that was something that was hard to deal with.
"So Tore, what do you think about the Ducks so far?" Jesse asked with a sly smile.
"Well, umm, not much really." The girl replied flipping the page in her book. "I don't really talk to them, we pretty much ignore each other in class and at practice I'm all about the game."
"You're studying awful hard considering it's only the first month of school."
"Hmm? Oh, yeah well gotta stay in on scholarship."
Jesse flashed Banks a look and Adam shrugged, that was not how the meeting was suppose to go. Tori was suppose to be her wise talking, sarcastic, fun self. She and Jesse were suppose to hit it off and Tori was suppose to relax.
Finally Adam cracked his knuckles and came up with an idea.
"So Tori, there's this welcome back dance next week, it's semiformal, anyway the only way you can go is to either be a student at Eden Hall or the date of one. Now Connie's going with Guy of course. Julie's boyfriend Scooter is driving in from college, so both of the other girls already have dates. Not to put you on the spot or anything, but would you be willing to invite Jesse? I think it would be awesome if he could go."
"That would rock, I mean if you want to go with me." Jesse grinned at Tori.
"Um sure, that would be cool." She responded closing her book and standing up. "I better go though, we have practice in an hour and my gear's not packed. Talk things out with Banks and he can get back to me."
As Tori left the lounge Adam rolled his eyes, that was not Tori at all.
"So what did you think of her?"
Jesse shook his head.
"I dunno, she's pretty, beautiful eyes. I just thought you said she liked me, it sure don't seem like it."
"She does, or she did during the Good Will Games. She's not normally like this Jes honestly. I don't know why she was acting so weird. *Sigh* Do you wanna come to practice, I know the rest of the guys would love to see you. And maybe you can get a look at the real Tori."
"Yeah that's cool. You think Orion'll let me play a bit?"
"He might, let's get out of here."