A/N Wow! I updated! Even though I'm in the middle of mocks! Whoo hoo! The amount of revision I'm meant to be doing at the moment just isn't funny! I'm dealing with it by ignoring it and writing my new chapter! MWAHAHAHA! I'm such a rebel, non? Mocks are really stupid anyway! They're just a practice for the "real things" in the summer but my school is taking them bloody seriously so everyone else is going with the flow. It's so unbelievably pointless!
Anyway – my chapter. I've realised that my chapters are becoming more and more in depth as I go along. This one took seven pages can you believe!? And there are only two scenes!
Kate: I was seriously worried that you weren't going to review! I was like "Oh my God! Has Kate died in a random and unexplained Act of God?" But no! Here you are! Yay! You write chapter notes? Wow that's organised! I'm more of a "hmmm, what pain do I feel like inflicting today" sorta girl. Can't wait to see it up! Can we see the difference between living in England and living in Canada? You make snowballs in August and know about ice hockey, whereas I know about cricket! Oooh the thrills of life! Seriously – England has some majorly boring sports! Apart from rugby! That's very fun and dangerous! I'm sorry that you were confused – I won't explain it to you now because hopefully this chapter will put it all straight. And the whole stepdad thing – I hadn't mentioned it before but I thought that it wouldn't be a subject that Charlie talked about much! Charlie on top hmm? Wow – that's incentive for you! Much better than a cherry!
I broke 100 hundred reviews! Thank you so much, all you great and lovely people who constantly make my day by reviewing! I love you all! This is dedicated to all of you just to show how much I appreciate you all!
When Reily stormed into the staffroom on the Saturday morning, all discussions stopped.
Reily wasn't hated by any of the other faculty at Eden Hall, but he wasn't exactly popular either. He didn't join in with the other teachers' discussions and he made no effort to seem friendly or welcoming. The others all had a certain respect for the large, muscular man; a respect bordering on discomfort and wariness.
They nodded to him in a gesture of welcome but he ignored them, striding resolutely to the coffee machine and pouring himself a cup of strong, black coffee, not bothering to offer one to anyone else.
There were fewer staff at the school, of course, on Saturday. Some stayed in the faculty quarters of the college all year round, it spared them the expense of a property in the easy reach of Eden Hall – it was a very upper-class area, but most only stayed the working week, making the long haul back to their homes at the weekend. Many of the teachers residing in the staffroom did have homes to go to but, instead, they were stuck with babysitting duties.
The drama of the melted ice rink was a welcome distraction from the usual tedium of marking and trying to keep teenaged students in some order.
The teachers looked at each other, all dying to probe the Coach for any unheard gossip. After all, if anyone knew about the status of the ice rink it would be he.
Miss Wood, the English teacher, hesitantly cleared her throat, "This must be a real pain in the ass for you, John."
Reily turned and raised an eyebrow.
"You know… the ice rink," the woman wiltered under the man's penetrating stare. "I thought, it being hockey season and everything, that you'd be wanting your team to practice."
Reily slowly took a long draft of his coffee, then he smiled. "Don't worry, Miss Woods, the ice rink will be back in no time. I'll soon have the Ducks playing their game up to my standards."
The English teacher smiled, glad that the man had responded. She grew bolder and leant forward in her seat, conspiratorially. "What happened with the ice rink? We heard that it was intentional. Is it true?"
The Coach nodded slowly, his eyes flashing. "Yes. The ice rink was vandalised. Someone added salt to the water stored in the tank in the Zamboni."
"Very clever," Mr Trodd, the Chemistry teacher, spoke up. "Whoever did it would have to have some knowledge of hockey to know the fundaments of the machine. Do you have any idea who it was?"
The Coach laughed, harshly, "If it was any other prank I would have blamed the JV hockey team. As it is, I think that there was a certain amount of intelligence required to execute such a plan." He laughed again, "Never overestimate the intelligence of the Ducks."
The rest of the teachers all joined in with the joke. Mr Trodd, however, didn't join in with the laughter and just shook his head, angrily. Once the general mirth had died down, he spoke up in the Ducks defence.
"You're wrong. I have several members of your team in my chemistry class and they all show potential, though they do tend to mess around a bit."
The teachers looked at the quiet man in uncomfortable astonishment. They didn't know how the Coach would react to being told he was wrong and they gave the small teacher inconspicuous, meaningful glances to shut up, but he continued, ignoring them.
"And you're wrong about the need for intelligence to pull off such a stunt as the one on the ice rink, too. That salt reduces the freezing point of water is rudimentary knowledge. Just go and ask my sophomore class, we've just finished the chapter."
And with that he gathered up his books and excused himself quietly. He made his way out of the heavy and tense atmosphere in the staffroom and walked down the corridor, on his way to the labs. He had not got more than half way before a rough hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. He turned and looked up into a pair of blazing blue eyes.
"Your sophomore chemistry class? Exactly which members of my team are in it?" Reily asked, his voice as hard as flint.
The small man blanched, realising what he had done. "I told you that adding salt to water was rudimentary knowledge," he said hurriedly. "Anyone living anywhere it gets cold will know that they add salt to the roads to melt the ice. Minnesota is one of those places. Anyone in the school could have done it, not just the five Ducks in my chemistry class."
Reily was prevented from shaking the irritating man by the coffee he still held. Instead he dismissed the other man's words with a wave of his hand.
"The chapter that you said that your class had just finished? It did include the freezing point of water, didn't it?"
Mr Trodd nodded, dismally.
"I thought so. Now," he paused and smiled unpleasantly, "which Ducks did you say were in the class?"
Mr Trodd shook his head, slowly, "I didn't. I'm not going to tell you unless you swear that you won't make any rash assumptions."
"Rash assumptions?!" Reily moved closer to the other man. The chemistry teacher backed up, his eyes wide, until he hit the whitewashed wall and he had nowhere else to go. Reily pushed forwards however, until he was mere inches from the small man. "Don't lecture me about rash assumptions! I know my hockey team. If you don't tell me then I'll just have to go and ask the school secretary and that certainly will not help my temper one little bit. Now, you were saying?"
Mr Trodd craned his neck backwards until he could look directly into the other man's face. He held Reily's piercing gaze for a few seconds before looking away.
"Ken Wu."
Reily moved slightly away from the chemistry teacher, his threatening posture not needed now that the man was cooperating. He shook his head, knowing full well that Wu wouldn't have the guts to take such a stand against him.
"Not him. Who else?"
Mr Trodd hesitated, then, "Julie Gaffney."
Reily doubted it. Gaffney had the intellectual mind and the guts but he knew that, at heart, she was a good girl.
"Who else?"
"Lester Averman."
Reily didn't understand Averman. The boy was an anomaly with a strange sense of humour. The Coach knew that he was terrified of him but he didn't know how the boy coped with his fear. Maybe he was one of those kids who only became brave when pushed into a corner.
Somehow, though, Reily just couldn't imagine Averman being such a person. He seemed so… transparent – someone who couldn't hide his emotions at all.
But he was a possibility. And if it was him, he would take great pleasure in crushing the idiot.
"And?"
"Guy Germaine."
Another possibility. Though he was very quiet and seemed to have little confidence, the boy held quite a hit on the ice. The Coach knew that, often, how someone played gave a hint of their real identity.
"The last?"
"Charlie Conway."
There was a tense silence, then CRUNCH…
Mr Trodd looked down at the source of the noise, the Coach's large right hand, and gasped in astonishment. The man had physically crushed the porcelain coffee cup he had been holding with his bare hand! The Chemistry teacher looked quickly up into the man's face and flinched when he saw the unparalleled rage flashing in the man's icy blue eyes.
"Conway, you say?" the man said, heedless of the hot coffee running down his hand and pooling on the floor.
The Coach's calm, pleasant tone terrified the poor teacher even more. He didn't reply to the question but it seemed as if Reily didn't need him to. The large man turned stiffly around and walked away, his fists clenching and unclenching in a very disturbing way.
Mr Trodd watched him go. When the Coach disappeared around the corner, he slumped against the wall, exhausted from the confrontation. He was not as young as he used to be and his poor heart was thumping dully in his chest. He clutched the books he was holding firmly to his breast for comfort and thought worriedly of what actions his words would incite John Reily to.
I must warn Charlie, he thought, panicked. I don't know what the man's going to do but I'd wager my life that it's not going to be pleasant.
The door banged loudly open. Charlie jumped and looked up from the piece of paper he was writing on. The figure, standing in the doorway, stormed across the dorm room and stopped angrily in front of Charlie, hands on his hips, staring furiously down at the boy.
"It was you, wasn't it?" he spat.
"What are you talking about, Banks?"
"The ice rink! This morning you said that there wasn't going to be a practice and then, by some freak act of God, the ice rink melts? I don't think it's a coincidence, somehow!" the boy near enough yelled.
Charlie got up from the floor, calmly picked up the piece of paper and the marker pen and moved to his bedside table, opened the drawer and dropped it in. Then he turned back to Adam.
"Maybe I'm psychic," he said, totally innocently.
"Don't give me that! You forget that I know you, Captain! That innocence routine won't work with me!" Adam hissed.
"Whoa, Banksie, chill man!" Charlie held up his hands defensively, incredulous at the change in the centre forward. "If you're gonna yell at least have the decency to shut the door first. As you're talking to me and I don't wanna hear you, I'm doubting that everyone else in Minnesota wants to either."
The other boy's eyes glinted and he chuckled, nastily, "Scared the Coach will hear me, Charlie? Scared that he'll find out?"
Charlie brushed past Adam, walked the few steps to the door and shut it. "What are you talking about, Cake Eater?"
"I don't know why you're doing this but it's obviously to piss Reily off!"
"Really? Are you sure I'm not doing this to piss you off, Banksie? It seems to be working pretty well so far, I've gotta admit."
"You talk a load of bullshit, Conway!"
"Cake Eater, you really need to get your panties untwisted and cool down. Maybe then we can have an adult conversation without any profanities."
"Why are you doing this, Charlie? Hmm? Does it give you a buzz to get the rest of us in trouble? Do you get off on seeing the Coach angry?"
Charlie grimaced in disgust, "Don't be sick!"
Adam grinned, "Seems I've maybe hit on something there. What do you two really get up to when he calls you to his office? Does he teach you how to handle your stick better? Do you like a man who has authority?"
"Take that fucking back, Banks!" Charlie yelled.
"Who's swearing now?" Adam asked, triumphantly.
There was silence. Charlie looked at the other boy, hurt, desperation and anger in his eyes, but he didn't reply. Instead, he moved to his bed and lay on it, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Adam looked at him concerned, the anger, which had been steadily building up, dying before he had said any of the things he had been planning on saying. He sat on his own bed and stared across at the other boy.
"Tell me, Charlie," he spoke softly, quietly. "Tell me what the hell is the point of messing with the Coach's mind? He'll only get angry, you know that. You said that you wanted out, that you wanted to leave the Ducks. What I don't understand is, if you hate him so much, why don't you?"
Charlie turned his head and looked Adam directly in the eyes. "You wouldn't understand."
Adam was frustrated. "You said that to me last time! I want to understand but I can't if you won't tell me!"
Charlie was silent.
Adam looked at him, pleadingly, "What harm can you telling me do? Maybe I can help you."
Charlie shook his head, "You wouldn't be able to. If I told you, you'd only feel guilty or sorry for me."
"So it's the famous Spazway pride is it?" Adam grinned.
"I said you wouldn't understand."
"Jesus Christ, Charlie, that was a joke!" He paused. "What did you mean that I'd feel guilty?" he asked, puzzled.
"Nothing."
"Charlie, you've really got to work on your excuses. Are you staying here because of me? That doesn't make any sense!"
"I told you it was nothing, Banks. Just leave me alone."
"It's not gonna happen, Spazway."
"Please?!" Charlie asked, his voice breaking. He picked up his pillow and shoved it over his head, shutting Adam out.
"Charlie…?"
"Just go away!" Charlie yelled, his voice muffled through the pillow.
"I'm not just gonna leave you like this! It's not…"
Adam was disturbed by a quiet knock on the door. He got up slowly and looked at Charlie, "If it's for you, do you…?"
Charlie shook his head under the pillow. Adam nodded and moved to the door. He opened it and was surprised to find himself face to face with a man he recognised as Charlie's chemistry teacher.
"Erm…" the man looked uncomfortable and worried. "Banks, is it?"
Adam nodded, resigned to the fact that people he had never met before knew his name through the Ducks' games.
"Good good, erm…" the man looked behind him, anxiously. "Is Charlie there?"
"He's asleep."
"Oh… oh dear… erm…" the man looked distraught at the news.
"Can I give him a message?" Adam asked, worried at the man's distracted behaviour.
The man's face brightened. "Oh yes. What a splendid idea! Erm…" he paused, as if at a loss for words. "Could you just tell him that I think your Coach suspects that it was him who melted the icerink? He got suspicious when I let slip that our chemistry class had just finished chapter 8 – Charlie will know which one that is. He asked me which team members were in my class and when I said Charlie he… erm… he broke a cup."
Adam raised an eyebrow.
"He broke it with his bare hands," Mr Trodd said, in way of explanation.
Adam swallowed and glanced back at Charlie. The boy had removed the pillow and was staring in shock at the ceiling. He had obviously heard every word.
"I'll warn Charlie, don't worry."
"Splendid boy! Just… just tell him I'm sorry and that I told Coach Reily not to do anything rash." He frowned, worriedly, "I don't know if he actually listened, though." He sighed and nervously pushed his spectacles up his nose and leaned towards Adam, speaking quietly, "I'm worried about what he might do to Charlie in the state he was in. He's got quite a temper on him. Tell the boy to stay away from him, will you?"
"I'll make it very clear."
"Good good. Well, thank you, young man," he smiled, feeling that an enormous burden had been lifted, "I won't keep you any longer. Your help is very much appreciated. Just, for God's sake, remember to tell Charlie."
"I will, don't worry."
The small man nodded curtly and left.
Adam took a deep breath and shut the door. He leaned against it for a moment before turning and looking at Charlie's prone figure. He walked towards the other boy's bed and sat down.
They were both silent for a moment, both ingesting the information.
"He broke a fucking cup?"
Adam nodded, silently.
Charlie grinned weakly, "I suppose it makes a difference if it was a real one or a polystyrene one. Not much force needed to break those shitty polystyrene ones." He nodded, "I'm hoping it was one of those. How could anyone break a normal mug with his bare hands anyway? It's impossible, right, Banks?"
He looked at the other boy for reassurance, but Adam had none to give. They both knew that Mr Trodd wouldn't have walked all the way to the dorms to tell them that Reily had broken a polystyrene cup.
"Shit," Charlie's voice wavered. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"
Adam looked at the other boy and nodded.
Charlie looked at the ceiling again, "I could be at home at this very moment rather than being terrified by my sadistic hockey Coach. Why the fuck I am still here?" he asked, angrily scrubbing his hand across his eyes, wiping away the moisture forming there.
"I don't know. Why are you?" Adam asked, quietly.
Charlie looked at him, resignedly, "You do realise, of course, that you're taking advantage of the moment?"
"Of course," Adam said and grinned at the other boy. "But I like to think of it as comforting."
"I really hate you, Cake Eater. You know that, I suppose?"
"Yeah, I know," Adam said, softly, knowing that the boy's words, though said jokily, had some truth behind them. Their friendship would never be the same after telling Charlie that hockey meant more to him than he did. "Go on, then," he prodded. "I'm waiting."
Charlie sighed and looked at the other boy. "There's a clause in our scholarships which says that if I, the captain, willingly leave this place then the rest of the team's scholarships can be dissolved and the Ducks can be kicked out of Eden Hall."
Adam stared at the other boy, "You're not leaving because of us?"
Charlie nodded, "Which explains the pranks. The clause only works if I willingly leave the team."
"So you're doing them to get Reily so pissed off with you that he kicks you out?"
"Yeah," Charlie said, quietly.
Adam looked at the other boy, incredulously, "See, now the only problem I can see with that plan is that you seem to have missed out Reily's violent tendencies. What if he kills you before he chucks you out?"
"Yeah well, you guys will still be at this preppy hell hole and Reily will be chucked in prison."
"I'm serious Charlie."
"Can you see another way?" Charlie asked, quietly. "Because, believe me, if there was I would have taken it. I personally don't enjoy being the subject of Reily's wrath."
Adam was silent for a moment. "You could always just walk out," he said, quietly.
"What? And let you guys be chucked out because of it? I don't think so."
"The others wouldn't mind. They'd probably be relieved."
Charlie nodded. "I know."
Adam looked at him and was about to reply before a thundering banging cut through their conversation. It was the door.
Charlie jumped and looked at it fearfully, exspecting the worst.
"Hey guys!" Portman's loud bellow carried easily through the wood. "You coming or what? I thought we were going to the cinema to celebrate our unexpected lack of practice!"
Charlie sighed in relief, jumped off the bed and flung open the door. "Sure am!" He grabbed a jacket off the back of a chair and pulled it on. "Come on, Banks!"
Adam nodded absently, picked up a jacket too and followed his room mate through the door, immersed in thought.
He knew that the only person that cared about staying at Eden Hall was himself, and he knew that Charlie was well aware of it. An overwhelming sense of guilt swept through him as he remembered his anger at Charlie over the last few days and how Charlie had taken all of it, when the only reason he was doing the pranks was to keep Adam at Eden Hall.
He reached out a hand and timidly touched Charlie on the shoulder. Charlie turned his head and looked back at him, questioningly.
"I'm going to help."
Charlie looked at him, puzzled, then realised what the boy was talking about. "You can't. Otherwise you'll be chucked out too"
"Believe me,"Adam said, stubbornly, "I'll find a way."
A/N Oooooh, wasn't that exciting?! Hee hee! Yay! Angst! I love it – don't you? And poor ickle Mr Trodd! I want a chemistry teacher like that! And Adam finally can't be mad at Charlie any more! Silly boy!
Review blurb following! Gonna be a long one – I can feel it in my bones!
Shadowblood: Wow – that's a bit of a freaky name! Hee hee! I think I must have updated my story before realising that you had reviewed! Sorry – I am ashamed. Thankyou for all the complimentary words! Make me blush! I will have updated twice since that review so you should be happy!
NYGoldfish: Thankyou for reviewing even though you were busy! That means a lot! You were my first reviewer again!
CakeEater'sGirly – Katie: You are sooo sweet! Thank you so much for understanding about my little exam problem! Your review made me want to give you a hug so here you are *hugs*. I'm glad that you now understand everything properly! I was confused for a while back there and I'm the author so yeah… The new exercises made you nervous? I'm glad – not that I know what they're gonna be yet *blushes*. I really am gonna have to put some thinking time behind that. I find it quite hard to make up hockey exercises which are evil AND vaguely legal! Obviously I'm just not evil enough at heart! *grins*
Percussion: I really hope you read this chapter! Then you can find out just what a lovely guy Charlie really is! I hope I'm managing to change your mind on this! I won't give up until I do!!
xoMEGSxo: I reckon that this chapter is actually longer than the last so that should make you happy! I'm glad you're enjoying the relationship between Banks and Charlie. I think there is such a lot of potential for fights between those two! Love them, really do! Yeah, I know – If a phsycopathic coach comes along and tries to get the better of me – they better watch out! Sophie learns chemistry! Ha ha!
Anne918: Slightly more angst between our fave Ducks here but I'm feeling that maybe it's going to be dying out now. *Sniff* There's nothing for Banks to be angry about now he knows the reasons behind the pranks! God Damn it!
Sloane Miette: "go be defiant, ducks, rah"?! Ha ha! That made me chortle into my cereal I can tell you! Thanks for reviewing!
Ice Cube: I don't actually have anything else to ask you! SHOCK HORROR! You've explained it all to me! Angsty, dramatic AND funny?! Wow! You don't ask for much, do you?! I dunno – maybe the fight scene between Charlie and Adam could be considered all three – what do you think??
Banksiesbabe: Mischief girl, hey? Lol – I dunno, I think I definitely verge on being called troublesome myself! It comes when you have as loud a voice as I do! You felt sorry for Banks? I hope you feel sorry for Charlie this chapter! Yes, Adam has kinda snuck in there and become a main duck. It's quite disturbing actually! I didn't think I liked him that much in the films but he certainly adds to the story! Thank you for allowing me to take as long as I wanted! I hope you enjoyed it!
WeBuiltThisCityOnRockandRoll: Adam did have blond hair though didn't he? I've gotta see it again! I'm sure it was… Maybe we could just settle on "golden". Ha! That makes him sound like a toddler! I think it would be mucho cool if an icerink did turn to mush! If I ever go to one, I think I may just take a bag of salt ha ha! Sorry, I didn't update quicker, slower in fact (if possible)! I blame the fact that I have to go to school! Maybe I should pack it in and just dedicate my life to writing fanfic! I don't think my parents would be particularly thrilled with that though…
Adriana3: You were my hundredth reviewer! Just for that you get a hug! *hugs*! Top five stories list? *sniff* I feel so appreciated! I like Banksie in this too. I didn't like him in the films – thought he was a bit of a wimp to tell you the truth. Like him in the realm of fanfiction though! Adds a lot of angst to the whole situation! Just to put your mind at ease, I wasn't going to make this slash anyway. Though sometimes ok, slash generally seems to just screw up a perfectly good friendship! Why must I be a sheep and follow the slash flock? There's enough out there already! Hope you enjoy my perfectly straight story!
Chelsea: Choir, hey? I can't sing for anything so I wouldn't know! Do you have to wear those white sheet uniforms? *grins*. Yeah I did that whole sodium experiment too! We were actually given blue tinted bits of glass to look through in case in damaged your eyes! How ludicrously funny is that? We were all expecting to be cowering under our desks, but at the end of it we were like "is that it?". I agree – it would have been amazingly funny if Charlie had succeeded in whacking Banks in the head with hihs shoe but I had to restrain myself! Essence of Awesomeness? *blushes* that's so nice! I can't actually believe that you've been limited to one hour on the pc per night! I feel I should fly over to America and give your parents a piece of my mind! Ha ha! They'd just be like: "who is this freaky English girl and how does she know our Chelsea?" Then they'd ban you from speaking to me and fanfiction and then I would cry! Seriously! Is it just one hour on the internet or the computer full stop? What about homework??
Cat: I was puzzled when I got your review. I thought I had made it quite clear that it WAS Charlie pulling the pranks? Sorry for confusing you! I'm glad you're liking my story and I hope the fact that it is Charlie isn't going to spoil it for you. Just out of interest, who did you think it was??
KShyne99: Thank you for your luverly review! I'm glad you think it's original! I did review as soon as possible! Thanks for not being aggressive about it! Lol.
CakeEater'sGirly - ?: I know this must sound really rude but which one are you? I know from your bio that three of you share the same name and so it gets kinda confusing for little old me when I have multiple reviews supposedly from the same person. I'm glad you're liking Charlie in this one! And Adam! Thankyou for the review but I gotta ask, why are you reviewing Chapter 7? I'd really appreciate a review back to explain all these little conundrums you've thrown at me. Meh, I'm embarassed for being so dumb!