"Stretching, before playing, can severely reduce the amount of injuries you receive while playing. This goes for any sport and any body type. So . . . I want eyes front and everyone paying attention."

I groaned inwardly at Coach Wilson's little speech. I had heard it a couple times while I was on Varsity last year, and it never changed. All you had to do was count to three and he would point someone out and tell them to be quiet, he didn't want to send someone to the nurse's office today, and with the way they were acting, it seemed it was going to be them.

One. . .

Two. . .

Three. . .

"Dean Portman! Fulton Reed!" Ooh. Two people. He decided to change this time. "I wish you would be quiet. I don't want to send someone to the nurse's station today and with the way you two are acting, it seems like it is going to be you two. Now pay attention!"

I snickered quietly, half at the fact that Portman, who smirked nonchalantly, was probably going to be doing his famous impression of Coach Wilson in the locker room today after practice. The other was the fact that Coach Wilson who was fairly short, compared to Fulton and Portman was trying to order around our two biggest enforcers and defensemen on the JV hockey team. I couldn't wait to see him really angry. His face would go all pucker-y and red, right through to his hairline. It was funnier than Orion. And it was funnier when he wasn't in your face when he was yelling, much like he was while I was on Varsity.

Plenty of times I had been held back after practice to be yelled at. I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't big enough. I wasn't handling the puck like a Varsity player.

The thing was that I didn't choose to be on Varsity. After that first practice I went to Orion and begged him to let me back on JV. Unfortunately, my father was soon informed by Coach Wilson and he stepped in making damned sure that I was on Varsity. Thankfully my father finally saw how crappy I was performing compared to the other players and allowed me to drop back down to JV. I guess he preferred me being the top player of the Ducks than the worst player with people he deemed acceptable. Those weeks on Varsity, I was like a scuff on his shoe and he spoke to me as if I were lower.

The sad thing is that now I am lower.

I looked over at Charlie who was standing beside be, amazingly silent (for once in his life) and paying complete and utter attention to Coach Wilson (another first!), stretching his right arm over his chest. "Charlie!" I hissed at him making him jump and stare at me in surprise. "Remember how you said I could come to the Ducks anytime I needed to?"

He stood completely emotionless nodding carefully. "Yeah of course. I just told you; but I wasn't expecting you to come to me or anyone else so soon." He stopped and licked his lips.

"Oh."

He shook his head. "Not that I don't want you to come to me!" He explained quickly and quietly eying Wilson and turning his attention back to me. "What is it?"

I chewed on my lip, the metallic taste of blood tickling my tongue. "Remember how I told you I did something really stupid. I mean more idiotic than anything you have ever done and ever will do?"

"Yes, and I told you that I shot myself in the foot and we decided I was the King." He scoffed, acting rather proud of his 'accomplishment.'

"Switch!" Wilson called interrupting us of a split second.

We both switched to our left arm and didn't even glance at our gym teacher. "I think I just stole your title." I muttered softly looking past Charlie at the Bashes making sure they were paying no attention to me. They weren't.

Charlie shook his head defiantly. It was obvious he thought it was a game. "Enlighten me, young grasshopper." He mocked. Yes, he's been watching too many Kung Fu movies with Russ again.

I frowned, trying to look as serious as possible. "Fine, but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone. Not Guy, not Fulton and especially not Josie. Promise me Charlie."

He blinked, the humor on his face diminished from his features subtly. Whatever you want, Banksias."

"No, don't tell me that." I replied harshly. He looked taken aback as I continued. "I want your word Charlie. You can't tell anyone."

He nodded violently. "Adam, I swear on Hans' grave that I won't tell your secret to anybody, Duck, Coach or another person on this planet; and if I do God may strike me dead. Now spill!"

"Excuse me ladies . . ." Coach Wilson walked straight in between us and looked us both over. His eyes landed on me quickly and he pursed his lips. "You can either stop gossiping and stretch or have fun in detention when you should be at hockey practice. Which will it be?"

Charlie smirked. "Which one doesn't involve Coach Orion wanting our blood?"

Coach Wilson didn't even crack a smile, although he rarely does. The few times I have seen him smile was when he saw one of his players take out someone from another team or . . . that's about it . . .

"Sorry Coach Wilson. We'll stop." I glanced at Charlie who rolled his eyes and nodded.

Wilson eyed us both and continued weaving through our class like a gardener snake in the grass.

Charlie walked him leave and turned back to me once he was out of earshot. "Ok Banks, tell."

I swallowed the lump in my throat that seemed to be growing. "Okay, last semester Will cornered me and gave me this disk and over the Christmas holidays I read what was on it and it was her diary and this morning Averman found it in his shoe and I put it in my pocket, ignored Josie until lunch was almost over, made her swear to me that she wouldn't break-up with me no matter what, gave her my ring and now I feel really guilt about it and I don't what to do!" I let out a sigh of relief once I had gotten in all out. Well that felt better.

Charlie looked completely befuddled. He opened his mouth a few times only to close it again, his eyes unmoving and unblinking. He shook his head. "Ok, let's start from the top and let's see if I can understand this in clear sentences with words not over two syllables."

I nodded, staying silent, knowing that if I added anything more he would be even more lost than what he already was.

"Ok, there was a disk that someone named Will gave you. Who's Will?" Charlie replied calmly.

"Will is the guy who likes Josie and slammed me into a wall last semester." I explained watching my words carefully.

He nodded. He understood that at least. "And the disk had someone's diary on it?"

I nodded. "Josie's."

He licked his lips biting on the lower one. "And you read it." He added. "Okay, but you didn't know it was her diary until it was too late right?"

I coughed a little and looked down at my sneakers.

"Ok, that rules out that excuse. . ." Charlie mumbled, huffing a little.

I groaned and faced him. "God Charlie I'm an idiot. Like I had no right to read her diary. Like now I know personal things about her, and I can't just forget them! That's like asking me to forget how to skate now!"

Charlie smiled mischievously. "Are we talking sexy personal things?"

"No!" I yelped at him. "I'm talking Peter, personal things. Besides I wouldn't tell you even if there were! I may have read her diary, but I wouldn't tell everything that I read!"

He nodded. "Of course. I mean, the least you can do is keep everything between you two after you betrayed her trust."

I whimpered quietly. "Thanks Charlie; that makes me feel so much better."

He rolled his eyes. "Well I'm just being straightforward about it. You keep dancing around it. It helps when you admit these things."

I frowned at him. "Can we get back to sorting this whole thing out?" I replied through gritted teeth.

He nodded. "Ok, so Averman found the disk today and you took it from him. So I'm guessing he doesn't know what's on it?"

I nodded. "No clue."

"Good. That's good." Charlie smiled reassuringly. "And you took my advice and talked to her at lunch right?"

I nodded. "But I made her promise not to break up with me instead of telling her what I did and then I gave her a ring."

His forehead crinkled in confusion. "You bought her a ring?"

I shook my head and wiggled my pinkie at him. "The ring my dad gave me after the Goodwill Games."

"Fuck . . ."

"Exactly." I muttered under my breath. "And be careful. Don't accidentally spill this to Guy or something." I begged.

He nodded. "I wouldn't. You're one of my best friends, and Guy is too, but I'll keep this from him, but what's so wrong with telling Guy, out of curiosity?"

I sighed, "Connie could drag anything out of Guy and Julie can drag anything out of Connie and Julie is Josie's roommate. I'm not saying that I don't trust Julie, but she might let it slip or feel guilty about knowing something about Josie and my relationship and just tell her to get it off her back. God Charlie, there are so many different scenarios."

Charlie nodded carefully.

I closed my eyes. "Josie is going to kill me. You can tell me. She is going to murder me."

Charlie shrugs. "She loves you. She might hate you, but I doubt she would kill you."

I nodded. "You're right." I looked over at the Bash Brothers who were loudly talking about something. "She would enlist Portman and Fulton to do her dirty work. I'll either be wearing cement shoes in the bottom of the pond or ground up into sand and shoved into a coke bottle for her to have on her dresser."

"The Bashes wouldn't do that. They are loyal to the Ducks first and foremost. They may not like what you did, and they may hassle you for it, but I don't think they would hurt you. They want to win state just as much as the next guy." He explained trying to soften my nerves. "I mean look at me. I'm not happy that you did this, but you don't see me jumping on you and giving you the beating of your life."

My shoulders drooped. "I just lost all of my friends didn't I?"

He shook his head. "Ducks Fly Together. You've just flown into some dangerous territory that you have to get out of yourself, but when you do the Ducks will be there. Some may be a little peeved, the girls to be more specific, but they'll come around."

I nodded, biting the inside of my cheek. "So what do I do?"

Charlie sighed. "You either a) keep doing what you're doing and hide it from her until you #1. Get married or #2. break up over a completely different reason . . ."

I smiled. "I like that one. Josie doesn't get really angry in that one."

He frowned. "I wasn't finished. Meanwhile your guilt eats away at your sanity and/or your conscience."

My shoulders drooped again. "Ok, choice a) got really sour really fast." I grumbled to my shoes.

Charlie nodded. "Or you could tell her and she gets angry. . ."

"See I don't like that one. Josie gets angry and that isn't good."

"I'm not finished Banks. Let me finish!" Charlie scolded me. "But as you do that, you possibly save your relationship by being HONEST with her and saving your sanity."

"Yeah, did you ever think that I may loose my manhood in the process?!?!" I growled at him.

"You took her privacy, she takes your manhood. I'd say it's an even trade." He shrugged.

My jaw dropped. "You couldn't be Charlie. Charlie Conway wouldn't say that to me. You must be a body switching alien who is TRYING to ruin my life and chances of being a father one day in the far far future!"

Charlie smirked. "Funny. See, after our little chat your humor has already returned to you."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "And it seems yours hasn't left you."

Charlie shrugged. "But that's what makes me, me. If I didn't have my humor, I'd be brooding making me. . ." He stopped and brought his finger to his chin in mock thought. "You."

I rolled my eyes. "Funny."

He grinned. "I thought so."

"Ok Ladies!" I heard Coach Wilson yell over us. "Would you like to play floor hockey or stand there chit-chatting?"

Charlie nodded and began walking over to bin with the sticks in it and pulled out a pair handing one to me. "Hey, maybe he'll have a heart attack. Peter's description of the District 5 Coach's before Bombay doesn't do it justice. He began to twitch after he hit the ground."

I smirked. Yes Charlie always knew how to lighten the mood.

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A/N: Yeah!! I finished!! Ok, so I had written most of this in French and Careers class a couple days ago (in between saving my notebook from the greedy hands of the idiot who sits beside me. I mean we're in grade 10! How elementary is stealing someone's notebook?) and then I added stuff. It was greatness! It was better than actually DOING work so, Yay me!! Ok I won't bore you anymore and just start up with my shout outs ok?

Shout outs!

SqUiDsLiLpYrO- You were a couple hours late! Had you gotten this review in a few hours earlier I would have been able to add you into the last chapter's shout outs! Chapter 3 out of all 5 is my favorite! I love it to death! I was like holy hell!! I love it! Oh, Adam can't share your squishy room; he's sharing one with me. Sorry! Did you steal Adam's little Ducks? *narrows eyes* He's been looking for them. I'm so sorry your day sucked. I hope last chapter and this chapter make up for it! *sends you a virtual hug* I hope tomorrow is better for you! I would start singing 'The Sun will come out' for you, but my parents will start looking at me funny and that's never cool. Okay anyways. Later!!

DuckHockey00214496- Hey I remember you! *jumps and points at you* You reviewed the first couple chapters and stopped!! I missed you!! Did you finish Don't Speak? Sorry if I'm being nosy, I'm just wondering. I'm so glad you like both of my Duck stories!! I agree Adam should tell her, but I won't tell you if he does because that just ruins it! Is this update soon enough? So come back soon ok? Coolies? Later!!

Shelbers- Yes I agree, Linda=devil on earth and Charlie + his crush on the devil on earth = Charlie needing his head examined. Did he get checked too hard that day? Yes, we are Canadians after all. It just sucks that our national sport isn't hockey. Stupid Lacrosse. Ok I shouldn't say that because my friends really like it, but I like hockey better. Yeah that question you asked is supposed to be the one that makes you stick around. I'm not giving away my entire story thanks. Well I'm glad you liked this chapter despite my disliking for it. Later!

Beaner- Ahhh... Good ol' Beaner. Yeah Adam wussed out twice, in one chapter. I thought you were going to be understanding? Yeah the promise was super low. But he was panicked and scared. Oh I doubt I'll actually build up on the haunted room thing. I think I may reference it once, but other than that . . . no. . . . it's not my best material. Was this update fast enough? When I talked to you I had... the first paragraph written. Go me!! *laughs* Say hi to Guy!! *sends him a hug* Later!

Review

~Toodles

KatieGurl