A/N: I thought that we could all use a break from Tamsin. I like her, but sometimes too much is too much, especially between this story and "Convince Her to Stay." So, here's a chapter that focuses on the hockey portion of Adam's life. And, a note to Rachel--you're right, I never mentioned new team members in "Wanting What You Have." But I thought about it, and its only natural that they existed and I just forgot about them. Here is the unofficial explanation, which is made totally in hindsight and is probably untrue: In Adam's senior season, the Brat Pack would have just entered their first year on Varsity, so they wouldn't qualify as good friends of Adam. And, also, the stigma from his feelings about them in Chapter 5 may have carried over and he never really got to know them.

Six weeks after the start of the season, Adam found himself sitting in Coach Wilson's office before practice. He twiddled his thumbs, waiting for Wilson to hang up the phone. Adam glanced out of the glass panel that separated the office from the rest of the locker room. He locked eyes with Lunch Box, who smirked at him—a look that said, 'Chump, I'll always be better than you.' God, Adam hated Wesley, sometimes more than he did Cole and Riley. Scooter looked over with curiosity and gave Adam a questioning glance. However, Adam was not aware of why Wilson wanted to talk to him any more than Scooter did.

Coach Wilson placed the phone on the receiver, sat back in his black leather executive chair and looked Adam over. Adam fidgeted in nervousness. "You know why you're here, right Adam?"

The other guys used a very casual and familiar tone when addressing Coach Wilson. Adam, as the youngest member of the team once again, always spoke formally and distantly in Wilson's presence. "Actually, no sir, I have no idea."

"Do you know what this is?" Wilson gestured towards his white board. On it, the names of all the teams in their division were written in Black dry- erase marker.

"I believe those are the records of everyone in our division."

"Yes, very perceptive. And this," he pointed to the top of the board, where Eden Hall was situated, "shows that we are 6-0."

Coach Wilson rummaged around in the top drawer of his desk and came out with a bundled up newspaper. "And this? Any idea what this is?"

Adam was getting uncharacteristically impatient. "Again, I'd have to say no."

"As you may know, the PLHCA (Preparatory Level Hockey Coaches Association) does a weekly ranking of all the Division I teams in the nation. We at Eden Hall have never paid very much attention to it because, despite our storied history, we've failed to ever crack the Top 20."

Adam unconsciously tapped his fingers quickly against his knee. "With all due respect, sir, I'm not seeing how all this applies to me."

Wilson threw his arm up in mock frustration. "For Pete's sake, Adam, look at this right here." He pointed at a line on the newspaper. "This week's edition has Eden Hall ranked 14th in the nation. Fourteenth! That is unprecedented for us."

Adam smiled a wide grin. "Well, that's awesome."

"Can you think of a reason why we would garner this much attention this year, when in years past we haven't so much as cracked the radar on the national stage in years past?"

Adam thought for a moment. "Well, everyone else in our division is getting a lot better. The level of competition that we've been playing in has improved. Our team has a lot of experienced seniors." He paused. "And if nothing else, Scooter is practically flawless in the goal. We've had four shut outs this year already."

Coach Wilson grinned at Adam with high regard. "That might all be true, but that's not what the media sees. Read the commentary after our ranking."

Adam read silently and was progressively more and more stunned with every word.

14. Eden Hall Academy (Minneapolis, MN)(6-0-0)(24)—Led by an offensive juggernaut, precocious sophomore Adam Banks, along with a suffocating defense, Eden Hall could be looking toward their first appearance in the national tournament.

"Wow," was all Adam could manage to say.

Surprisingly, Coach Wilson laughed. "Yeah, my thought exactly. I never imagined that this could happen. And I don't think that I'm exaggerating when I say that we owe a good majority of this to you, Adam."

Adam's voice was filled with uncertainty. "You really think so?"

Coach Wilson nodded. "If you continue to perform at this high level, we may have a shot at the national championship tournament at the end of the season. We're counting on you."

"Well, I'll do my best, sir." Adam said halfheartedly.

"Fantastic! That's what I like to hear! You know, Rick told me that you'd be this good."

Adam was aghast at this news and forgot to keep the formal tone in his voice. "Wait, are you serious? I thought Riley hated my guts."

Coach Wilson leaned in closer to Adam with an air of confidentiality. "Well, I'm not going to lie to you and say that he didn't. But Rick had responsibilities to me first as a captain, a role he took seriously. Rick could recognize talent and he knew that you had it. Rick called you 'a future captain' and thought that you eventually could bring the team to the next level. But I don't think he thought that progress would come so soon."

Adam took the time to absorb everything Coach Wilson had just said. It was at this moment that Adam knew that for the rest of his high school career, he would be a Varsity hockey player. There was no turning back now. This realization made him just slightly sad. "Thanks for talking to me, Coach. I should get ready for practice now."

Wilson nodded. "You're a good kid, Banks."

Adam nodded in response, but noted that it was the second time someone had told him that he was a 'good' person. Adam was doing everything right by other people, but were his actions what he really wanted?