They won, of course they did, Adam had never played harder in his life. They all seemed so surprised at the win, he wasn't. He always won, hadn't lost a game since he was seven, against Nick. Adam wanted to celebrate and be covered in soda pop as they sprayed it all over the locker room, he didn't. He just sat on the very last bench in the back corner of the locker room. No one seemed to care that he'd excluded himself, in fact nobody even seemed to have noticed.
Adam asked Nick to drop him off at the pond between their house and the part of the district where most of the other Ducks lived. He wouldn't be staying there, but he didn't want anyone to know where he was really going. He liked having a place that was secret, that was only for him. Adam wound up at the same place he always went when he was feeling depressed or bad about something. He went straight to Hans's skate shop.
The old man was sitting at the counter near the register reading over the inventory list, with a cup of tea at his left hand side when the door opened. Hans looked up from his paper work and smiled. He'd been expecting Adam and had actually thought he'd be there sooner.
"Hello Adam, I hear you had your first game as a Duck tonight. How did it go?" He sipped his tea and peered at the boy over the top of his cup.
"Okay, I guess." Adam sighed. "We won, that was good."
"You don't sound very happy about it."
"I am, it's just… the team doesn't like me very much Hans. Jesse Hall, tried to pick a fight with me. I wish I was still on my own team."
Hans nodded with a friendly smile. He was sort of like the grand father Adam never had since his mother's father died when she was young and his dad wasn't speaking to his own father. "Let me fix you some tea and then we can talk about it some more."
"Thanks." Adam smiled back and sat down on the floor.
A few minutes later the door flew open and another young boy with bright eyes came flying through it. "Hans's we won!" He exclaimed, panting from running.
Adam looked over at his teammate with a timid expression. "He's in the back, he went to make some tea."
"Oh, okay." The other boy acknowledged. "Hey Banks, I wanted to say good game today. You played great."
"Thanks."
"Since Jesse isn't here, I can officially welcome you to the team."
Adam's face nearly broke, so maybe that kid in the locker room wasn't just trying to be nice because the coach was around, maybe he really wanted to be friends. "Thanks, umm…Spaz-Way?"
The other boy laughed. "It's Charlie, Charlie Conway." He extended his hand.
"Adam Banks, but you already knew that." Adam took Charlie's hand and with a firm grasp shook it.
"So Banks, where'd you learn to play like that? You're really great."
Adam blushed. "Thanks, my older brother taught me."
Hans stood behind the partition that separated the skate shop from his apartment and grinned as he listened to the boys. It was great to hear the way they chatted. The conversation never veered off of hockey, but there were tons of topics to be discussed. From favorite team to best uniform, they talked about it all.
And the best part for Hans was when he over heard Adam ask Charlie. "Do you wanna come over?"
"Too your house, in Edina?" Charlie nearly toppled over. "Definitely! Come on, I have to go tell my mom!"
As the door to the shop jingled open and closed, Hans nodded putting Adam's tea cup down on the counter. It looked like he wasn't Adam's only friend anymore.
~* Sorry so short, but I'm stuck for ideas at the moment, please don't hate me for the crappiness of this chapter.*~
Adam asked Nick to drop him off at the pond between their house and the part of the district where most of the other Ducks lived. He wouldn't be staying there, but he didn't want anyone to know where he was really going. He liked having a place that was secret, that was only for him. Adam wound up at the same place he always went when he was feeling depressed or bad about something. He went straight to Hans's skate shop.
The old man was sitting at the counter near the register reading over the inventory list, with a cup of tea at his left hand side when the door opened. Hans looked up from his paper work and smiled. He'd been expecting Adam and had actually thought he'd be there sooner.
"Hello Adam, I hear you had your first game as a Duck tonight. How did it go?" He sipped his tea and peered at the boy over the top of his cup.
"Okay, I guess." Adam sighed. "We won, that was good."
"You don't sound very happy about it."
"I am, it's just… the team doesn't like me very much Hans. Jesse Hall, tried to pick a fight with me. I wish I was still on my own team."
Hans nodded with a friendly smile. He was sort of like the grand father Adam never had since his mother's father died when she was young and his dad wasn't speaking to his own father. "Let me fix you some tea and then we can talk about it some more."
"Thanks." Adam smiled back and sat down on the floor.
A few minutes later the door flew open and another young boy with bright eyes came flying through it. "Hans's we won!" He exclaimed, panting from running.
Adam looked over at his teammate with a timid expression. "He's in the back, he went to make some tea."
"Oh, okay." The other boy acknowledged. "Hey Banks, I wanted to say good game today. You played great."
"Thanks."
"Since Jesse isn't here, I can officially welcome you to the team."
Adam's face nearly broke, so maybe that kid in the locker room wasn't just trying to be nice because the coach was around, maybe he really wanted to be friends. "Thanks, umm…Spaz-Way?"
The other boy laughed. "It's Charlie, Charlie Conway." He extended his hand.
"Adam Banks, but you already knew that." Adam took Charlie's hand and with a firm grasp shook it.
"So Banks, where'd you learn to play like that? You're really great."
Adam blushed. "Thanks, my older brother taught me."
Hans stood behind the partition that separated the skate shop from his apartment and grinned as he listened to the boys. It was great to hear the way they chatted. The conversation never veered off of hockey, but there were tons of topics to be discussed. From favorite team to best uniform, they talked about it all.
And the best part for Hans was when he over heard Adam ask Charlie. "Do you wanna come over?"
"Too your house, in Edina?" Charlie nearly toppled over. "Definitely! Come on, I have to go tell my mom!"
As the door to the shop jingled open and closed, Hans nodded putting Adam's tea cup down on the counter. It looked like he wasn't Adam's only friend anymore.
~* Sorry so short, but I'm stuck for ideas at the moment, please don't hate me for the crappiness of this chapter.*~