A couple of days later, the Eden Hall Varsity hockey team was in flux. Charlie and Adam were still not speaking. Fulton managed to stay sane sleeping on the floor of Portman and Dwayne's dorm, along with the arguably living molds of the half-eaten sandwiches hidden under their beds. Connie continued to date Zach Graft and Guy stayed with Francesca Nielson, possibly just to spite the other. Coach Orion never showed it, but the task of melding the senior Warriors and the junior Ducks proved harder than he expected. That worried him considerably, especially with the first game of the season so close.

The division the Varsity hockey team competed in was pretty standard; Eden Hall remained the cream of the crop, while Blake Academy, the Edoria School for Boys and the Ulysses Institute managed to be competitive, Pine Hurst and Altman Academy were the mainstays at .500 and Ashland Preparatory perennially took the role of the pushover.

"Derek, pass the puck to Dwayne! Communicate out there!" Coach Orion was frustrated. Varsity was playing Pine Hurst, a team usually defeated with ease. However, late in the third period the game was in a 3-3 deadlock. Adam had managed to score two very impressive goals—he would garner much attention from the national media this year Orion was glad to note—but otherwise the team looked discombobulated and awkward and uncoordinated and convoluted and... Orion threw his hands up in frustration. The team looked like crap, and that was all there was to it.

Adam was getting impatient on the ice. The chasm that he always feared existed between he and his Duck teammates rang true. Having learned under Coach Wilson's system for two years, Adam found himself playing more comfortably with Barry, Derek, Ryan, Nick, David and Jason on the ice than he did with any of the Ducks. Regardless, nobody was playing well tonight, and he had to attribute it to the fact that it was the Ducks' first Varsity game and the seniors had their own problems to deal with, adjusting to new teammates and a new coach. The end of the game was quickly approaching and something had to be done.

"Okay, let's change it up! Germaine, Moreau, get in there!" Adam was relieved to see Orion change the rotation. Both Dwayne and Derek were both very talented players whose skills Adam respected, but they were very much 'me-first' kind of players who did not pass the puck often. Adam decided that he would speak to Orion about changing the first line. Anyway, from his experience, Connie and Guy were players that worked very well together. Attribute it to their long-term romance, their even longer-tenured friendship or whatever, but they had a mind-connection on the ice. Adam always enjoyed playing with them.

Adam controlled the puck down the center lane of the ice, stealthily avoiding poke checks and body checks along the way. He saw Connie set up on the left-side of the ice and when the time was just right, Adam slapped the puck over to her direction.

Usually in this situation, Connie would pass the puck off to Guy exactly where he always liked it and he would shoot, inevitably for a goal.

Unfortunately, that is not what happened this time. At that moment Adam was hit from behind by a check and from his vantage point on the ice he saw the following events unfold, as if in slow motion. He saw Connie manipulate the puck in different directions, avoiding the oncoming defenders. Although Connie had unquestionably improved in her puck- handling skills since the last time Adam had played with her, now was definitely the time to pass to Guy. Adam turned his head and there was Guy on the right side, calling for the puck. Connie shot off herself, just as she was inadvertently tripped by a falling defender.

It felt as if Adam was in a cheesy movie, but he watched the puck move weakly towards the Pine Hurst goal. Suddenly he heard Orion yell "Adam, thirty seconds left!" and he was a man possessed.

In the far reaches of his hearing, Adam distantly heard Orion call for a line change as he, still on his knees, lunged for the puck and pushed it past the defender. Adam quickly got up and drove the puck down the ice, flanked all the way by both defenders. In a quick move he abruptly stopped and allowed the defenders' velocity to throw them off just enough to give Adam room. Now it was just him and the goalie, man to man. They locked eyes, both trying to fake out the other. Adam was acutely aware of the time running out and he deked, hoping that the goalie would bite onto it. Luckily, he did and Adam shot the puck, ricocheting it off of the right bar of the goal. The siren blared as the clock ran out. The Eden Hall Ducks/Warriors had won, 4-3.

There was much excitement in the locker room. The thrill of the season's first victory, no matter how ugly it truly was, always came with a feeling of euphoria. Adam even saw two of his senior teammates, Nick Harden and Ryan Hudson, give Luis a pat on the back for being the game's other scorer. However, Adam had a difficult time concentrating on the celebration. There was something that nagged on his mind, a feeling of responsibility that he had never felt before.

Adam leaned against the outside wall of the rink, just next to the entrance/exit. He waited a couple of minutes until he heard the doors open and the rest of his teammates set out to leave. Adam watched as Barry, Derek, Nick and Ryan sauntered out in their Varsity jackets, planning on heading to a party later that night. They were talking animatedly with Luis, who was very much their type. Jason, David and Preston were the more subdued seniors and they were headed back to the school cafeteria to grab a bite to eat for dinner and then to the library to study for an Advanced Math test. Surprisingly to most, but not to Adam, he saw Portman walking with them, talking of joining them in the library to get some work done on his Government paper. Finally, Adam spotted Guy, with Connie not that far behind. He hissed their names and they looked surprised, but came towards Adam at his beckoning.

Adam plunged headfirst into what was bothering him. "Your breakup is your business and I've respected that...but when your breakup starts affecting the team, then it becomes my business. You two are Varsity players now, and you have responsibilities to me, the Ducks, the senior Warriors, Coach Orion, Dean Buckley, this school and even to the state of Minnesota. You cannot take your frustrations out on each other when you're on the ice." Connie and Guy both grimaced with shame as they realized what Adam was talking about.

Adam continued. "It's irresponsible and exasperating. You need to get it together and work it out before your negative dynamic starts affecting future games."

Connie and Guy each nodded in agreement.

Adam gave them a smile. "And while we're on the subject and we've all agreed to make this my business...I just wanted to say that I think that the two of you are crazy. You've both grown up and become different people, but so what? You just don't wake up one day and stop caring about each other."

Connie and Guy turned to look at each other intently and they laughed at the same time. "Look at this guy—just because he scores three goals against Pine Hurst he thinks he can tell us how to live our love lives." Just a hint of longing shone in Guy's eyes as he held out his hand to Connie and said, "You feel like taking a walk?"

Without hesitation, Connie took his hand. "Of course." Adam watched after them with satisfaction and smiled.

Adam started to walk away from the rink towards the cafeteria to grab something for dinner. However, he was stopped by a voice sounding behind him.

"Hey, Adam, hold on a second."

Adam turned around and was surprised to see Charlie standing there.

"I need to talk to you."