Chapter 20: The Showdown

I was manager of the team, so I had to show up for the game. However, I didn't have to wear the jersey I had received on Wednesday. But I wanted to, to show the team that I was one of them.

Warm-ups started at six-thirty. I was there, helping them as much as I could. When they went back into the locker room for their pre-game talk, I stayed on the ice, picking up practice junk. Rickie skated up to me.

"Lil, please stop," he whimpered. "Take the jersey off and go sit in the stands."

I shook my head obstinately.

"This isn't to get me to notice you again, is it?"

"No, Rickie, it's not." I turned to look at him. "It's about getting Adam back." I returned to what I was doing and continued. "Besides, I was going to be JV's manager before the Ducks arrived; I don't see why I can't just put up with them and do it now." I turned to him again and put my hands on his arms. "They are good kids, Rickie. More than that, they've become my friends. Don't hurt them to badly," I leaned in like I was telling an intriguing secret. "If you do, you'll have to answer to me." I gave him a pointed look and went to the bench.

Scooter came up and gave me hug. I told him good luck and he looked at me funny.

"In what exactly?" he asked.

"In the game, doofus," I said laughing.

"Oh, I thought you knew the other thing," he said, blushing. "I'm going to ask Julie out tonight."

I smiled really big and threw my arms around him. "Oh, good luck in that, too!"

Then he skated to the locker room after the rest of his team.

The teams stayed in their respective locker rooms until about five minutes to game time. I waited patiently and prayed that a miracle would happen and the Ducks would win.

When they came out, the Ducks paid tribute to Hans. I was crying. What they did was just so beautiful. That's when I knew I'd become a wussy.

The team entered the bench and Coach Orion put his hand in.

"Alright, on three, quack," he said grinning.

The team shot each other excited glances and did as Coach had said.

"Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!" the entire group of us were screaming as happily as we could. Soon the entire gym was echoing with us.

Adam went onto center ice to take the face-off against Rickie. I looked out at the two of them, biting my lower lip. Please, please, don't let Adam get hurt.

I watched in horror as Rickie plowed Adam to the ground. And so it has begun, I thought, as I sat next to Connie. The clash of the titans.

We weren't really doing too badly. Of course, they were trying to make the cheap shots, but Julie wasn't having any of that. We even managed to get a shot at Scooter in the first period.

The second period was much worse. They were hitting us all over the ice. Guy got checked into the boards really badly. The refs led him to the bench. I took him and sat him down, then tended to his wrist.

"You're brother and his pals are real jackasses, you know that?" he asked, inhaling sharply when I took off his glove.

"Yeah, I have to live with him, remember?" I laughed half-heartedly as I looked at his wrist. "Thankfully it's not broken. I think it's just a minor sprain. I'll get the tape." I disappeared to the end of the bench for a moment and came back. "Okay, let's wrap this up."

Guy watched me as I wound the tape around the sprain. "You're really good at this."

I glanced up at him and smiled. "My jackass brother got a lot of sprains when he played pee-wees. I got to help bandage him up."

Guy smiled back at me. "Banksy's a really lucky guy, you know?" He glanced out at the ice to Adam, then looked back at me. "If he'll ever get his head out of his ass to realize it."

I laughed again. "I hope so."

"Me, too," Guy said, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Thanks."

"No prob, Germaine." I returned the tape to its place and retook my place on the bench.

The rest of the second period went by pretty well. Charlie managed to steal the puck and would have scored a goal if it hadn't been for the buzzer.

"Riley! Go to the locker room and get the towels out." Orion was waiting for the team so they could all leave together.

"You got it, Coach." I slid onto the ice in my skates and bolted toward the opposite side of the rink. I entered the locker room.

"Hey," someone said.

"Whoa!" I looked up, startled. "Oh, I know you! You're Dean Portman, right?"

"Yeah," he said, standing from where he had been sitting. "Are they coming?"

"Yeah," I replied, looking at the door. "I'm Lilly Riley, the manager. And I've got an idea."

I grabbed Portman and pushed him out into the hall and toward a supply closet.

"What's the big idea, babe?" he asked, clearly ticked.

"You hide here. Once the team passes into the locker room, I let you out. Then you wait for my signal and recite whatever little speech you have planned, okay?" Before he could answer, I shut the door and went back into the locker room.

I'd barely gotten everything set up when Coach Orion entered. The team started to slowly file in behind him. I cut in front of Fulton and went to hold the door open. Once everyone was inside, I opened the door for Portman.

"Okay, I normally stand by the lockers near the door, so I don't interrupt. When you hear a knock on the wall, come on in, okay?" I said this in a rush.

Portman nodded his hand. "Whatever you say, babe."

"Don't ever call me that again, okay?" I ran back into the room and leaned against the locker.

"They're cheap shooting us to death," Luis said to Coach.

"I know they are, I know they are." Coach was trying to come up with a strategy.

"We're going to need a miracle to hang on." Goldberg looked upset.

I knocked on the wall and a second later the door swung open.

"'Dean Portman is hereby awarded a full athletic and academic scholarship to the Eden Hall Academy.'" Portman walked into the middle of the room. "I had this lying around the house and my attorney thought I should sign it." He went right up to an astonished (and happy) Fulton. "It's official boys, I'm back!"

I smiled in delight as the entire team engulfed Portman in a group hug-like thing. They were so happy. I think the surprise of it really made it all the more exciting. I left to take my place on the bench.

When the team skated out, Portman was celebrating and the other Ducks looked extremely better than they did when they entered the locker room earlier.

The third period started. About ten seconds into it, Portman flipped Cole over him and into the stands. I got a big laugh out of that.

Portman got called for hooking about two minutes before the end of the game. It was still scoreless and, with our best defensive man in the box, it didn't look good.

Then, it just went from bad to worse. Ken jumped a little too soon and had to go to the box, while we skated two men down.

"Time out!" Orion yelled.

Then it was decided that Charlie, Adam and Goldberg would be the three on the ice. Orion gave Charlie back his Captain's C. I stopped him just for a millisecond before he hit the ice.

"Charlie, watch out for Rickie." I grabbed his arm.

"Don't worry, Lil. I've got it under control." He winked at me and skated to the face-off.

I soon found out I didn't need to worry. Charlie did an awesome job when he deflected a puck from the net. Then, Charlie did just as Orion had told him; he made Rickie make the first move. Rickie went flying over him.

Charlie was on the break away. I was jumping up and down. Adam was blocking in the back of the ice and Goldberg was right on Charlie's tail. Charlie faked Scooter with a triple deke, but didn't take the shot. He passed it to…Goldberg. Everyone started to yell, "Shoot, Goldberg."

He did. Then two defensive men knocked him down. The puck went in and the buzzer sounded. We had won!

The team jumped over the wall and went out to our three on-the-ice players. I had to pick up some of the stuff before I could join in the celebration.

Charlie skated up to me. "Told you not to worry."

I smiled and hugged him. "Great game, Captain."

"Thanks," he replied. Then he took one step backward. "Lil, you're like the sister I never had. So, here's some somewhat brotherly advice: forget the work for now and go get your man."

I smiled as he took off. I dropped all the things in my hands and started onto the ice. I skated past Scooter and Julie. I noticed Luis and Rickie's (ex)-girlfriend making out. And just as I was about to reach Adam, Dwayne shouted something.

"Look what Bombay did!"

I turned to look with the rest of the team. Bombay had made a banner that said "Eden Hall Mighty Ducks." I laughed and returned my attention to the ice. Charlie and Linda were kissing (aw, how cute!).

Everyone was skating up to me and asking if I was as happy as they were. I keep nodding my head. I was starting to get back to my original mission, but just as I was about to look for Banksy, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

Being a little annoyed and somewhat frustrated, I whirled around and went, "What?"

Then I saw I was face to face with Adam.

"If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine." He started to skate away.

"Wait!" I skated after him and turned him around. "I'm sorry. It's just I was looking for you to congratulate you and everyone kept interrupting my search." I sighed and smiled. "Congratulations on beating Varsity."

"Thanks," he said. He looked at his skates.

"Adam, I…" I got tongue-tied. Then I looked at my own skates. "I'm more sorry than you'll ever know." I started to cry silently.

Then I felt someone tilt my head upward. Adam put his hands on the sides of my face and rubbed my tears away with his thumbs.

"I know, Lilly," was all he said.

Then, he pulled me close and kissed me. I thought I'd never be able to experience that again. I always seemed to melt when Adam held me, and this moment was no exception.

When we broke apart, he held me in his arms. Then he pulled me back at arm's length.

"Lilly?" he asked me, grinning.

"Hmm?" I asked, my eyes semi-closed in a dreamy manner.

"How did you like my cousin Craig?" Adam was grinning even harder.

"It was you!" I screamed, my face covered in mock-anger. "You had on a wig…but your eyes. How did you get your eyes brown?"

"Contacts." He pushed a piece of hair out of my face.

I pseudo-pouted. "I can't believe you tricked me."

His grin slightly faded. "Me trick you? What about when you tricked me? And not once, but twice?"

"But that's my character," I protested.

"Sure it is." He rolled his eyes.

"It is. I-" I started.

"Shut up and come here!"

Adam pulled me to him. He kissed me again, this kiss longer than the previous one. After we broke apart, he said, "Let's put the past behind us."

I nodded and we skated silently to the locker room. I quickly finished my duties and Adam changed. Then we left the rink and started to the celebration party at Charlie's.

As soon as we walked in, Adam's arm around me, everyone cheered. Connie and Guy came over and told us how happy they were that we had gotten back together.

The party was great. I got to know Portman, and Charlie kept teasing Banksy. The best part was that no matter who we were talking to, Adam and I stayed together and every time I turned around, he was smiling that killer smile. It was like we had never been apart.

A/N: THE END!! I hope you guys liked this story…And now for a surprise…I'm writing a sequel from Adam's point of view. Keep looking for it, okay? Thank you all for the reviews. And remember to keep looking to see the new story about Adam and Lilly. Love, peace and chicken grease, Nellie