Note: I just could not change the personalities of Rick and Cole. So enjoy.
First Real Practice
Adam walked out of the building. He wasn't sure where he was going though. It hadn't taken them long to make him choose. He thought bitterly. Someone grabbed him by the shoulder. He spun around not sure who to expect.
"Whoa Adam! You okay?" It was Keith Hawkinson standing there with a brown haired guy. For some reason he reminded him of Gunnar Stahl. They looked a lot alike. "I called your name twice."
"I'm fine." He said. "Just hockey troubles."
"What? You didn't make the team? That's stupid. I'll talk to Coach Wilson about it..." Keith said.
"No I'm captain of the Junior Varsity Sharks." He said plopping down in the grass. That was when for the first time he noticed he was still in his hockey gear. He hadn't changed. He had wanted to get away from both teams.
"Well that's good." The brown haired guy said. "My name's Scott Vanderbuilt but everyone calls me Scooter. I'm goalie for Varsity."
"Hi." Adam said.
"Aren't you going to change?" Keith asked. "You look kinda strange in your hockey gear." He said with a grin.
Adam shrugged. "I'll wait till the locker room is cleared out. It's pretty bad in there right now. It's a war zone."
Keith grinned. "We were going to the dining room for dinner. Come with us. Most people don't come their now. Just the athletes."
"Okay." Adam said with a shrug. He had no one to talk to at the moment.
He followed them to the dining room. They were right. There was hardly anyone in there. They sat at a table with a few other Varsity players.
"It's too bad there isn't room on Varsity for you Banks." The second line center, Joey Hart said. "Rick said Micah told him that you are a great player. But all the slots on Varsity are full."
Adam shrugged. It didn't bother him all that much. He was going to play hockey after all. "That's okay."
"But being captain is still cool." Keith said. "I was captain of my JV team." He said smugly. You being captain of JV guarantees you a spot on Varsity next year."
Rick came over to them. "What's a freshman doing at the table?" Adam looked down. He didn't know he wasn't allowed to sit at the table.
"Chill Rick. He's Micah's best friend." Scooter reminded him.
Rick grinned. "I'm just messing with you. But we don't allow freshmen at this table but I think you and Micah can be exceptions. Just don't bring people with you." The way he said it made Adam know he was serious. "Sorry about Varsity. Coach didn't have any open spots."
"That's okay." And it really didn't' bother him. He was beginning not to like Rick.
Adam quickly excused himself so he could change. He was glad to find the locker room empty. He hadn't wanted to talk to any of them. He changed and went over and looked at the team lists again. She said he was captain. He wondered how Charlie was taking the fact that he wasn't captain.
He walked out of the locker room and out of the rink. There were very few people walking around campus. It was rather nice. He walked slowly back to Riley Hall not looking forward to going back to the dorm room. If the locker room was any evidence.
When he got back to his dorm, he saw most of the floor was empty. They must have been in the dining hall eating. He took out his biology book to start his homework. He was so involved in the homework; he didn't hear the door open.
"Yeah okay Charlie. See you at practice in the morning." Jesse said. Adam didn't turn around.
He could hear rustling behind him and figured Jesse was unpacking. Nothing was said that night. Adam hoped the school year wouldn't be like this.
The next morning, he was awaken by the alarm at five am. He put on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. He had clothes to change into after practice. They weren't given much time before school. Just enough time to change and grab breakfast only if they took a quick shower.
He stepped out of the dorm room and noticed there were a lot of sleepy eyed teammates. He walked to practice with Christopher and Wilson. "Have you guys ever heard of six AM practices?" Wilson asked.
"When I was on team USA our practices sometimes went till two or three in the morning. Bombay was called Captain Blood back then." Adam explained how exhausting those practices were.
"Bombay's the one who broke your wrist right?" Christopher asked.
"I still can't believe a coach would do that." Wilson said as they walked into the locker room. "I hope Coach Orion isn't like that."
They found the locker room full. They were the last three to arrive. It was split evenly. Six Ducks on one side and six All Stars on the other. He chose a locker and quickly changed. It was a quiet walk up to the rink. When they got on the ice they were ordered to do five laps. Practice was like the tryouts but Orion split the teams himself. One team had Adam, Charlie, Jesse, Harris, Connie and Wilson. The other team had Averman, Blake, Guy, Goldberg, Patrick and Christopher. He hadn't noticed how evenly split the two lines were. It was a tough scrimmage.
He tried to ignore the fact that he was in the same line as Charlie and Jesse. He played as hard as he always did. He didn't know how to play half speed. He didn't want to play differently. However, he couldn't say the same about his teammates.
There was a lot more checking then there usually was for a simple scrimmage. He was checked more times then he could remember.
Orion blew his whistle. "Take a knee." They all did. "You need to start working together. You can not have constant back fighting. You are freshmen in high school and not little kids anymore. I am not going to treat you like kids. You were admitted into this school because you are all great hockey players. Tomorrow, you better have your acts together. Practice is over." He said. They all tiredly got up and left the ice.
Adam took a quick shower and got dressed. He didn't wait for the others. He walked outside and just stared. The cool crisp late summer air made him shiver slightly. He looked at his watch. He still had forty-five minutes before biology.
He was about to walk to the dining hall when he heard two voices. "I overheard him. He really did say that. You don't think it's true do you?" That was Jesse.
"He would never do that! He's probably lying. He's an All Star now. We can't trust any of them to actually tell the truth. Come on you know that Jesse." That was Charlie and he knew they were talking about him. He wondered why.
"Come on Charlie. It's Banks. Why would he lie?"
"I don't know but he has to be lying. It can't possibly be true. Come on you know Bombay. He wouldn't." The voices were coming closer so he walked away. They were talking about his broken wrist. Jesse must have overheard him and Ryder talking.
Why didn't they want to believe him?
First Real Practice
Adam walked out of the building. He wasn't sure where he was going though. It hadn't taken them long to make him choose. He thought bitterly. Someone grabbed him by the shoulder. He spun around not sure who to expect.
"Whoa Adam! You okay?" It was Keith Hawkinson standing there with a brown haired guy. For some reason he reminded him of Gunnar Stahl. They looked a lot alike. "I called your name twice."
"I'm fine." He said. "Just hockey troubles."
"What? You didn't make the team? That's stupid. I'll talk to Coach Wilson about it..." Keith said.
"No I'm captain of the Junior Varsity Sharks." He said plopping down in the grass. That was when for the first time he noticed he was still in his hockey gear. He hadn't changed. He had wanted to get away from both teams.
"Well that's good." The brown haired guy said. "My name's Scott Vanderbuilt but everyone calls me Scooter. I'm goalie for Varsity."
"Hi." Adam said.
"Aren't you going to change?" Keith asked. "You look kinda strange in your hockey gear." He said with a grin.
Adam shrugged. "I'll wait till the locker room is cleared out. It's pretty bad in there right now. It's a war zone."
Keith grinned. "We were going to the dining room for dinner. Come with us. Most people don't come their now. Just the athletes."
"Okay." Adam said with a shrug. He had no one to talk to at the moment.
He followed them to the dining room. They were right. There was hardly anyone in there. They sat at a table with a few other Varsity players.
"It's too bad there isn't room on Varsity for you Banks." The second line center, Joey Hart said. "Rick said Micah told him that you are a great player. But all the slots on Varsity are full."
Adam shrugged. It didn't bother him all that much. He was going to play hockey after all. "That's okay."
"But being captain is still cool." Keith said. "I was captain of my JV team." He said smugly. You being captain of JV guarantees you a spot on Varsity next year."
Rick came over to them. "What's a freshman doing at the table?" Adam looked down. He didn't know he wasn't allowed to sit at the table.
"Chill Rick. He's Micah's best friend." Scooter reminded him.
Rick grinned. "I'm just messing with you. But we don't allow freshmen at this table but I think you and Micah can be exceptions. Just don't bring people with you." The way he said it made Adam know he was serious. "Sorry about Varsity. Coach didn't have any open spots."
"That's okay." And it really didn't' bother him. He was beginning not to like Rick.
Adam quickly excused himself so he could change. He was glad to find the locker room empty. He hadn't wanted to talk to any of them. He changed and went over and looked at the team lists again. She said he was captain. He wondered how Charlie was taking the fact that he wasn't captain.
He walked out of the locker room and out of the rink. There were very few people walking around campus. It was rather nice. He walked slowly back to Riley Hall not looking forward to going back to the dorm room. If the locker room was any evidence.
When he got back to his dorm, he saw most of the floor was empty. They must have been in the dining hall eating. He took out his biology book to start his homework. He was so involved in the homework; he didn't hear the door open.
"Yeah okay Charlie. See you at practice in the morning." Jesse said. Adam didn't turn around.
He could hear rustling behind him and figured Jesse was unpacking. Nothing was said that night. Adam hoped the school year wouldn't be like this.
The next morning, he was awaken by the alarm at five am. He put on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. He had clothes to change into after practice. They weren't given much time before school. Just enough time to change and grab breakfast only if they took a quick shower.
He stepped out of the dorm room and noticed there were a lot of sleepy eyed teammates. He walked to practice with Christopher and Wilson. "Have you guys ever heard of six AM practices?" Wilson asked.
"When I was on team USA our practices sometimes went till two or three in the morning. Bombay was called Captain Blood back then." Adam explained how exhausting those practices were.
"Bombay's the one who broke your wrist right?" Christopher asked.
"I still can't believe a coach would do that." Wilson said as they walked into the locker room. "I hope Coach Orion isn't like that."
They found the locker room full. They were the last three to arrive. It was split evenly. Six Ducks on one side and six All Stars on the other. He chose a locker and quickly changed. It was a quiet walk up to the rink. When they got on the ice they were ordered to do five laps. Practice was like the tryouts but Orion split the teams himself. One team had Adam, Charlie, Jesse, Harris, Connie and Wilson. The other team had Averman, Blake, Guy, Goldberg, Patrick and Christopher. He hadn't noticed how evenly split the two lines were. It was a tough scrimmage.
He tried to ignore the fact that he was in the same line as Charlie and Jesse. He played as hard as he always did. He didn't know how to play half speed. He didn't want to play differently. However, he couldn't say the same about his teammates.
There was a lot more checking then there usually was for a simple scrimmage. He was checked more times then he could remember.
Orion blew his whistle. "Take a knee." They all did. "You need to start working together. You can not have constant back fighting. You are freshmen in high school and not little kids anymore. I am not going to treat you like kids. You were admitted into this school because you are all great hockey players. Tomorrow, you better have your acts together. Practice is over." He said. They all tiredly got up and left the ice.
Adam took a quick shower and got dressed. He didn't wait for the others. He walked outside and just stared. The cool crisp late summer air made him shiver slightly. He looked at his watch. He still had forty-five minutes before biology.
He was about to walk to the dining hall when he heard two voices. "I overheard him. He really did say that. You don't think it's true do you?" That was Jesse.
"He would never do that! He's probably lying. He's an All Star now. We can't trust any of them to actually tell the truth. Come on you know that Jesse." That was Charlie and he knew they were talking about him. He wondered why.
"Come on Charlie. It's Banks. Why would he lie?"
"I don't know but he has to be lying. It can't possibly be true. Come on you know Bombay. He wouldn't." The voices were coming closer so he walked away. They were talking about his broken wrist. Jesse must have overheard him and Ryder talking.
Why didn't they want to believe him?