Disclaimer - I do not own anything even remotely related to The Mighty Ducks. I only wish I had thought of them first…
Italics indicate character thought.
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"Adam, you really need to think this through a bit more, I think." Neumann was sitting with his elbows resting on his knees, facing his team captain with concern. "I know you're just worried about Jesse, but you have to worry about Adam too."
Adam pulled a piece of paper from his book bag, shoving it at the older man. "Coach, I have thought about it. I've talked to my parents." He shook the paper again. "They faxed down this letter for you. This is something I can do." He shrugged. "It's important for me to do it."
Neumann looked at the fax, reading slowly. He sighed. "Well, Banks? Do you want to tell Jesse or do you want me to?"
-
"Dude, this party is the biggest deal of the fall semester!" Fulton was pacing the room, free hand waving wildly. "You came the last two years. It's tradition, man." He stopped, looking serious as Guy came through the front door. "Portman, how could you not come?"
Guy dropped his book bag, mouth hanging wide open. He spoke loudly. "Portman, get your ass to Minnesota! It's an institution!" He sat on the arm of the couch, waiting for Fulton to finish the phone call.
"Alright, dude. Think about it though. Everyone'll be here." Reed nodded. "Okay. Later."
He clicked the cordless phone off and tossed it on the end table. Guy looked at him in surprise.
"Is he really thinking about not coming?"
He shrugged. "Yeah. He's student teaching now and he's worried about if he has the time or not." He smiled fully now. "I told him to screw it. This is the party to be at. You can't miss Halloween with the Ducks." He paused nodding. "He'll be here."
-
Jesse shook his head furiously, struggling to stand up from the bench in the locker room. He had been cleaning out his locker when Adam had showed up, and made his day even worse. "I don't need your charity, Cake Eater." He turned around, throwing the rest of his kit into a gym bag.
Adam winced. It had been a long time since any of the guys, especially Jesse, had called him that. He had never liked it, or understood it, and he had thought they were past it. He was starting to get angry now and raised his voice. "It's not charity, Jesse. It's friendship!"
Jessed turned on him, so upset, so embarrassed, that he didn't even think what was coming out of his mouth. "Well I don't want that either, Banks."
What the hell? "What the hell, Hall?" Adam scuffed the floor with his shoe, raising his hands. "So we're not friends now?"
Oh, God. Is that really what I said? Jesse took one deep breath, than another. He dropped his bag down and looked up at his friend. "I didn't mean that, Adam." He sat down, exhausted from the emotions running through him. How do you explain being humiliated? "Adam, I can't take this from you. I'd be too embarrassed."
His voice was so soft that Adam could barely hear him. He sat down next to the guy he had known for 10 years now. "Jesse, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Let me do this for you." Before Jesse could deny him again he laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's not charity. It's one friend helping out another. Please, Jesse. I don't want to be captain of a team you aren't on."
"Adam, I can't take your scholarship spot. You earned that."
Adam shoved him a little. "Jesse, you are every bit as good a hockey player as I am. You earned it too."
"Well, I don't know about that but…" he looked over at Adam, still ashamed for calling him by that old nickname after all these years. "Banks, are you sure? You need to be totally fucking sure."
Adam grinned. He hardly ever really cursed, earning him a crystal clean image. This was the second time in one conversation. "I'm so totally fucking sure, Jesse."
-
"So now that Jesse has a scholarship spot he can red shirt right?" Averman was pulling himself slowly up and down, doing his second set of chin up reps. Over the past few years his body had really matured, allowing him the ability to build his muscles and take his game to the next level.
Fulton was next to him on a machine, working out his calves. "Yup. And Adam will just classify as a walk-on. Other than that it's all the same. All good, man."
Across the room, Beau was warming up with cross knee crunches in high number reps. As her muscles started to burn she reached down to turn her IPod up louder, using the pounding beat of The Killers to drive herself into a calm place where she wouldn't mind the excessive reps.
A shadow fell over her and she looked up to see Tommy Lex, clad in basketball shorts and a white t-shirt, glaring at her and moving his mouth. All she heard was the song "Mr. Brightside" and its surreal rhythm. When he just continued to stare at her she paused in the upswing of her crunch and pulled an ear bud from her right ear. "What was that, Tommy?"
His voice was thick with sarcasm. "I said nice to see you back actually doing some work, Princess."
Beau was dimly aware of the fact that Guy had paused in his pushups next to her, a little tensed. When she spoke she kept her voice light. "Thanks, Lex. What's with the nickname?"
Over on the cardio machines Charlie had stopped his run. He was straining to hear what was being said and it was getting easier and easier as the other members of the team stopped their workouts to listen as well.
Tommy rolled his eyes, backing up a step. "Princess? Oh, don't act surprised. You've got all of these guys wrapped around your little girl finger." He gestured around the room. "I guess it must be easy to get on peoples' good sides when you're putting out for them."
"What? I'm not put…" Calm. Stay calm. It's so not worth it. Guy's words from the first practice came to Beau and she looked over at him now, knowing he was right. Life was way too short for people like Tommy Lex. "You know what, Tommy? You can think what you want about me. I'm not going to play into your little games. Let me know if you ever want to have a real conversation."
With that she resumed her crunches. Guy grinned at her, nudging her leg gently and starting his last set of push-ups. He pointed toward the door, noting that Coach Neumann had entered in time to see her take the high road.
When Tommy didn't get the reaction that he wanted, his blood started to boil. He turned away from her, muttering under his breath. As he stalked across the room, the team was able to hear him clearly.
"Stupid slut thinks she can play hockey." Charlie had already come a step off of the equipment and it didn't take much to see that his body was rigid, his eyes narrowing. "She should go back to the south and worry about her redneck parents and her dead fag brother."
Beau heard the comment and it stung but she was distracted when she saw Charlie start to move. Charlie was over the free weights and on Tommy in no time and had him pinned to the ground before Beau could come up off the floor.
"Charlie!" Guy was right behind her and Fulton and Coach Neumann already had their hands in Charlie's shirt, trying to pull him away.
"Take it back you asshole!" He slammed a punch into Tommy's head. "You don't talk about her family that way!" He threw another swing before being hauled five feet away in one strong tug by Fulton. Beau jumped in front of him, hands on his chest, shoving him back further.
Tommy was up on his feet in a heartbeat and if Coach Neumann hadn't grabbed him, he and Charlie would have been at it again. "You're a maniac, Conway! That's what sleeping with a whore will do to you!"
Charlie's face was red and he pointed viciously. "Fuck you!"
"Charlie, damnit!" Beau rose on her toes, putting her face a mere inch from his, forcing him to look at her. "Stop!" His eyes finally focused on hers and she saw his muscles relax, his look soften.
He looked over her shoulder to where Neumann was shoving Lex across the room, his face contorted in anger. "I'm sorry, Beau. I just saw red when he started talking about your family. He has no right."
She smiled. "No, he has no right. My mom would love that you stood up for them. And for Parker."
He nodded, looking over her shoulder at Coach. He reached up and ran a hand over Beau's hair, wondering how she could be so calm.
"That's it, Tommy!" Neumann was livid. "I have had enough of your aggression, enough of your attitude and enough of you refusing to be a member of this team!" He pointed towards the locker room. "You are done."
Lex tore through the door, slamming it behind him. Neumann turned around, taking a deep breath. He looked at Adam, and then over to Jesse where he had been working his arms.
"Hall, there's your scholarship position."