Part Three

Conversations

Adam was in the middle of reading the first chapter in history when the phone rang. Getting up to answer it, he thought it was probably Charlie or one of the other Ducks.

"Hi, Cake-Eater. How was the first day of preppy school?"

Adam smiled; it was good to hear from his other best friend. They did not talk on a regular basis since he lived in Colorado. They emailed, but with both boys playing hockey and hanging out with their friends, it was not too often.

"Alright, I guess. But Portman decided not to come, he's staying in Chicago."

"What? Why?" Jesse had also heard about Bombay leaving. He had not been happy and he was not even going Eden Hall.

"All Fulton told us was that was he wasn't coming cause Bombay bailed on us."

"Man… that sucks. I didn't think that would've stopped Portman from going. How's Fulton dealing?"

"His bummed about it, but I think he'll be ok. He and Charlie are close, so Fulton will talk to him if he wants to."

"That reminds me, what's the new coach like?"

Adam did not want to think about today's practice, but Jesse wanted to know. Where could he start on Orion? But than again, Orion was not going to be his coach. Wilson was and he did not know how that was going to go until tomorrow.

"Name's Ted Orion. I think he played for the North Stars. Do you remember that?" When Jesse said he had, Adam continued to tell him about practice. "He's big on defense and work," Adam sighed.

He had done better scrimmaging. Orion had watched them, to see how they played. Orion did not say anything much during or after the scrimmage, just watched and wrote down notes on his clipboard. Everyone was nervous about having the new coach watch them play. All of them that is, except for Charlie. He had done laps the entire practice. Adam did not doubt that his friends thought Portman had been smart by not coming to Eden Hall.

"So he's another Captain Blood?" Adam was brought out of his thoughts by Jesse's question.

Adam chuckled. "Don't know if he's that bad, maybe not far from the mark. But he may be good for them. Help the Ducks out. Especially Charlie if he lets him." As he said all of that, Adam knew Orion was not a complete jerk, even though he did get him put on Varsity.

Jesse could hear the weariness in his friend's voice, but he caught something else. "What's really going on, Adam?"

Uh oh. Jesse had caught to his mood. He would wait to tell him. "If Charlie didn't hate Orion by the end of practice for doing laps, he does now. Orion took his C." Whether or not Orion decided to let Charlie remain captain was anyone's guess.

Charlie's C. Jesse could not believe it. He knew Adam would not say anything lightly and he never lied. Well… not usually, Jesse thought, remembering the Junior Goodwill Games and his friend's wrist injury.

But Jesse knew Charlie was what kept the team together. Everyone thought, no, everyone knew, he was the captain. C or no C.

Before any more of the conversation could go on, there was a knock on Adam's door. "Jesse, I've got to go. Talk to you later, ok?"

"Sure, Cake-Eater. Bye."

"Come in." It was most likely his mother telling him dinner was ready. But it was his father.

Philip came into his son's room. He had gotten a call from Coach Wilson just before he left the office for the day.

"Congratulations." He come over with a huge smile and slapped Adam on the back.

So his father knew. "Thanks, Dad."

Phil did not fail to hear the lack of enthusiasm from his son's voice. "Adam, you made Varsity your freshman year. I thought you would be ecstatic."

"It's great, but I actually want to stay with the Ducks." Adam realized too late, that his dad would not understand or agree with his logic.

His father's face darkened. "You would rather play with them?"

"Yes." He stated quietly.

"You don't realize that being on Varsity your first year of high school will help you with getting into college." Phil's voice was barely under control. "Your brother didn't make Varsity until he was a sophomore. But he threw it all away, and now he has to go through college the hard way."

But I'm not Drew! Adam wanted to yell back to his father. But as usual, he said nothing.

"Also," his father continued, "it will be good for your hockey career. Scouts look for players who are gifted, which you are. You should remember that from the Junior Goodwill Games."

Before Adam could react to this, Lauren Banks came in to tell her husband and son that dinner was ready.

Sitting around the table for dinner, Lauren asked her son how his day had went and how had practice had gone.

"Fine. We have a game on Friday. Um, I mean both JV and Varsity have games against the Blake Bears if you want to come." He directed that statement to his father.

"We're leaving that day. Don't you remember?" Lauren told him.

Adam wanted to mentally kick himself. He had completely forgotten that his parents were going away for three weeks. "Sorry, Mom. Must've slipped my mind."

"So you didn't get your dorm information today?" Phil asked with disapproval.

Adam shook his head no.

You'll need to pack your stuff tonight. I can help you take it to the dorm tomorrow after your practice."

Phil then turned the discussion to his day at work. Lauren mentioned some places she wanted to go to before they left on their trip.

Adam quietly ate while his parents talked. Once he was done, he headed up to his room and started packing.

He was in the middle of folding one of the several khakis from his closet when the phone rang. It was Drew.

"Hi, bro. What are you doing?"

"Getting clothes folded to take to school. Mom and Dad are leaving on a business/pleasure trip for three weeks. I'm going be in the dorms till they get back."

"Yeah, I do remember Mom saying something about that. How was school?"

"Alright."

"Just alright? You're lucky you got the Ducks. When I started, I knew only a handful of people."

Adam found that hard to believe. His brother was an easy person like. If Drew went to a party and he knew no one, by the end of it, he would be friends with everyone.

"We're Warriors now, or at least I am." Adam grabbed a pair of dark blue jeans from his dresser and folded them to add to his growing pile of pants.

Drew knew what he meant. "You're on Varsity?"

"Yeah."

Like their father, Drew picked up on how dejected Adam sounded. Part of him was happy that his little brother made Varsity. But the other part was troubled. The way Adam was sounding, he would not quit if he wanted to. Unlike Drew, Adam would play because it was expected of him.

"Drew?"

"I'm here. You want to talk about it?"

"No. But you didn't call just to ask about my day, did you? How was yours?"

"Well, some of the girls here look better then the ones I was with in high school."

Adam laughed. Drew could have any girl on his arm. He could just look a girl's way and she would come running. He always was the popular one. It looked like college would not be any different.

Drew resembled their father the most. He did not have the same brown hair as their father, it was a few shades darker. Whereas Adam took after their mother in appearance. One thing that the brothers had in common was their blue eyes.

A girl Drew had dated for a time during his senior year told Adam that she thought Drew looked like a brown haired Jonathan Brandis. Adam had just given Drew's girlfriend a doubtful look. She had insisted that if Drew dyed his hair blond, he could pass as the actor.

"Seriously, how is college life going?"

"Not bad. Good to be away from Mom and Dad." Drew really meant their father. "Everything is harder, but just need to adjust. You know how it is. You just gotta adjust to high school and Varsity."

"Think so?"

"Hey, I remember almost everyone who is on Varsity even after having been off for more than two years. Rick Riley's the captain isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is."

Drew shook his head. Somehow he hoped Adam would tell him differently. Rick was alright, but very arrogant. If he had not got to be captain on his own, Tom Riley would have had a hand in it. He also had no doubt that Rick had been envious of him during school even when he had stopping playing hockey.

"Why did you want to know that?" Adam asked. Seeing he had enough pants to last a little over a week, he started pulling out shirts to fold.

"Guess I didn't think he would be captain." More like hoped he wouldn't.

"Who do you want it to be? Cole?"

"Hell, no!" Drew said in a loud voice. Cole's abilities in hockey were as an enforcer and that was about it. He could not shoot too may goals. His reply was met with a chuckle.

"Seriously, Adam," Drew continued, "Don't let Varsity get to you just cause you're a freshman. You know, if I remember right, Scooter Vanderbilt, the goalie, started his first year on Varsity too."

"Scooter?" he asked as he pulled out a white T-shirt from a drawer. Giving it a once over, he folded it and put it in the suitcase.

Drew started laughing. "Sorry, bro. His first name is Scott, but no one calls him that except the teachers."

Adam did not laugh. "But I think in Scooter's case he didn't have Varsity dislike him because his friends got scholarships to play JV instead of anyone else who wanted to." He and rest of the Ducks had heard all about Rick Riley's talk from Russ and the others before they all had gone to first period.

"Varsity will have to just get over it, namely Rick Riley. Look bro, I gotta go. Call me some time or email, ok?"

"Sure Drew. Bye."

"Bye."

Adam contemplated on what his brother told him as he continued packing and getting his hockey gear together.

He was just settling on his bed with a sports magazine when the phone rang again. It was Jesse.

All Jesse said was, "Call me back." And he did so.

"Charlie told me you made Varsity."

Adam did not want talk about this again. But maybe Jesse would understand.

"I want to stay on with the Ducks. Going on Varsity will be like going on Ducks was four years ago."

Jesse did not know what to say. Would Varsity see Adam as the enemy? How could they, he was of their level money and hockey wise. "You're probably worried about nothing. You will fit in with them perfectly. And the Ducks will not turn on you like the Hawks did."

Adam had not thought about how his friends would treat him now that he was on Varsity. Jesse brought up a good point. "How do you know that, Jesse?"

"Charlie for one. Sure he wants you to stay on the team. Ducks fly together. But he understands your good enough to play for Varsity. Of course he's still pissed off at the rest of the world. I thought he would chill by now."

Adam sighed. "None of us are happy with Coach Bombay leaving, and now with Orion and this new school, it's a bit much to be taking in."

"You're telling me. I'm sure everything's going to be cool. Just give it a few days."

"Yeah, maybe your right." Adam did not believe himself.

"Hey, gotta go. Terry wants the phone. Later, Cake-Eater."

"Bye, Jesse." Adam was wrong. Jesse did not understand.