The heavy black iron fences slammed closed behind the boys as the entered Adam's driveway. Charlie just stopped midway and stared up at the house. The shire size awed him, having lived most of his life in an apartment no bigger then a shoebox.
"You live here?" Charlie gasped, dropping his gear bag from his shoulder.
Adam smiled with a nod. "Yeah, don't worry it's not that big from the inside."
Adam grabbed the other boy's hand and tugged him toward the front door. Once inside the foyer Charlie gawked again, he'd never been in a house with a foyer before, let alone one with a spiral staircase. So that's what the Edina Cake-eaters lived like, it was amazing. No wonder the Hawk's always came off so snotty, they were loaded.
"I home!" Adam exclaimed tossing his sneakers in corner, it was a big no, no to wear your shoes on Mrs. Banks' white carpet. Then he leaned over and whispered. "Take your shoes off."
"There you are little brother." Nick came out of the parlor with a six pack of cola in one hand and a bag of pretzels in the other. "You wanna watch the Star's game with me? Oh, and your friend too." The older turned to his sibling's new teammate. "Hey, I'm Adam's brother Nick, nice to meet you."
Charlie gleefully took his hand, shaking it like he was in the presence of a celebrity. "Charlie, Charlie Conway.'"
Adam snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah Nick, we'll be in a sec."
"Okay, I'll go find the channel."
As Nick walked away the spell bound Charlie Conway managed. "That was Nicholas Banks."
"Yeah, I know he's my brother." Adam laughed.
"He's like famous, he's the best Pee Wee player ever."
"Nah, he's not that good. I beat him once. Though come to think of it, I bet he let me win. Come on, let's get in there before me miss the face off."
Adam had the best time he'd had in the long time that night. He didn't have to pretend to be someone he wasn't around Charlie, like he did with Larson and McGill. In fact he'd found himself sticking pretzel rods up his nose and snorting like a walrus. It was so great to be able to act his age for once. It was something he really had needed.
Things like happiness didn't last that long for the boy however. As soon Nick had left to take Charlie home and it was just Adam and his parents, the youngest Banks' smile faded. In less then fifteen minutes he went from happy to wishing he'd gone with his brother for the drive.
"So your brother tells me you made the playoffs." Philip opened his briefcase and dug through a stack of papers without looking up and his smallest child.
"Yes Sir." Adam replied quietly, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
"That's good. This means you'll be practicing more am I correct?"
"Yes Sir."
"That's what I thought. That pitiful team of yours is going to need all the help it can get."
"Yes Sir."
"Now you understand I distinctly told you, you weren't to play for District Five and you went against my wishes."
"Yes Sir."
"I should punish you, but your mother thinks it's best to let it go. Since I've never known my wife to be a stupid women, I'll let this slide. Now go up stairs, I still need to have a talk with your brother about bringing you to the rink."
Adam sat on the beanbag chair in the corner of his room in the dark and strained to hear out the window. When the familiar sound of Nicholas's car roared up the drive he shivered. The door closed on the car and soon the front door of the house did the same.
"Nicholas, get in here." Mr. Banks demanded of his eldest son.
"Sure, Dad." Nick retorted and entered the parlor.
The beginning of the conversation was to low for Adam to make out. Mostly harsh murmurs, and fierce whispers. That was normally a bad sign, when Philip wasn't yelling at you, you knew he was really pissed. Then suddenly the silence of shattered with a thunderous smack. The sound seemed to echo through all the halls of the home. It was like the entire house erupted in the one instant. The thud was followed by a crash, a slammed of the door and the squeal of Nick's tires as he peeled out of the drive.
A quiver ran the length of his spine as the noise of his brother's engine grew quieter. It was all his fault, he should've just stopped playing like his father asked. But no, he couldn't do that, he had to drag his brother into it. Nick was Phil's favorite, why'd he have to ruin it. Why did he always have to do everything wrong…?
"You live here?" Charlie gasped, dropping his gear bag from his shoulder.
Adam smiled with a nod. "Yeah, don't worry it's not that big from the inside."
Adam grabbed the other boy's hand and tugged him toward the front door. Once inside the foyer Charlie gawked again, he'd never been in a house with a foyer before, let alone one with a spiral staircase. So that's what the Edina Cake-eaters lived like, it was amazing. No wonder the Hawk's always came off so snotty, they were loaded.
"I home!" Adam exclaimed tossing his sneakers in corner, it was a big no, no to wear your shoes on Mrs. Banks' white carpet. Then he leaned over and whispered. "Take your shoes off."
"There you are little brother." Nick came out of the parlor with a six pack of cola in one hand and a bag of pretzels in the other. "You wanna watch the Star's game with me? Oh, and your friend too." The older turned to his sibling's new teammate. "Hey, I'm Adam's brother Nick, nice to meet you."
Charlie gleefully took his hand, shaking it like he was in the presence of a celebrity. "Charlie, Charlie Conway.'"
Adam snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah Nick, we'll be in a sec."
"Okay, I'll go find the channel."
As Nick walked away the spell bound Charlie Conway managed. "That was Nicholas Banks."
"Yeah, I know he's my brother." Adam laughed.
"He's like famous, he's the best Pee Wee player ever."
"Nah, he's not that good. I beat him once. Though come to think of it, I bet he let me win. Come on, let's get in there before me miss the face off."
Adam had the best time he'd had in the long time that night. He didn't have to pretend to be someone he wasn't around Charlie, like he did with Larson and McGill. In fact he'd found himself sticking pretzel rods up his nose and snorting like a walrus. It was so great to be able to act his age for once. It was something he really had needed.
Things like happiness didn't last that long for the boy however. As soon Nick had left to take Charlie home and it was just Adam and his parents, the youngest Banks' smile faded. In less then fifteen minutes he went from happy to wishing he'd gone with his brother for the drive.
"So your brother tells me you made the playoffs." Philip opened his briefcase and dug through a stack of papers without looking up and his smallest child.
"Yes Sir." Adam replied quietly, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
"That's good. This means you'll be practicing more am I correct?"
"Yes Sir."
"That's what I thought. That pitiful team of yours is going to need all the help it can get."
"Yes Sir."
"Now you understand I distinctly told you, you weren't to play for District Five and you went against my wishes."
"Yes Sir."
"I should punish you, but your mother thinks it's best to let it go. Since I've never known my wife to be a stupid women, I'll let this slide. Now go up stairs, I still need to have a talk with your brother about bringing you to the rink."
Adam sat on the beanbag chair in the corner of his room in the dark and strained to hear out the window. When the familiar sound of Nicholas's car roared up the drive he shivered. The door closed on the car and soon the front door of the house did the same.
"Nicholas, get in here." Mr. Banks demanded of his eldest son.
"Sure, Dad." Nick retorted and entered the parlor.
The beginning of the conversation was to low for Adam to make out. Mostly harsh murmurs, and fierce whispers. That was normally a bad sign, when Philip wasn't yelling at you, you knew he was really pissed. Then suddenly the silence of shattered with a thunderous smack. The sound seemed to echo through all the halls of the home. It was like the entire house erupted in the one instant. The thud was followed by a crash, a slammed of the door and the squeal of Nick's tires as he peeled out of the drive.
A quiver ran the length of his spine as the noise of his brother's engine grew quieter. It was all his fault, he should've just stopped playing like his father asked. But no, he couldn't do that, he had to drag his brother into it. Nick was Phil's favorite, why'd he have to ruin it. Why did he always have to do everything wrong…?