Part Seven

Treated to Dinner

"The plan is foolproof." Rick said grinning.

"Really?" Scooter raised one eyebrow. "You're forgetting one thing, Rick."

"Like what?"

Scooter grimaced. "Banksie."

Once again the entire Varsity team, minus Banks, was together to talk about another prank to get back at JV. It was Sunday night, two days after the pranks pulled on JV and Varsity. Now Varsity wanted to get revenge.

"Don't worry about Banksie. He knows its tradition."

"What's tradition?" the very one they were talking about came into the Varsity common area.

Rick lost his smile, his face turning irate. "You're late again, Banksie."

Adam's expression took on a confused look. "Late?" He shifted his book from one arm to the other. Scooter had momentary forgotten that he was going to help Banks with an upcoming chapter in the freshman's Biology class.

"Yes. We were going to meet up to talk about dinner for this Friday."

"I didn't hear anything about it." Adam's gaze looked at the rest of the Varsity team. His eyes settled on Scooter longer than the others. The goalie could read his mind, Why didn't you tell me about this?

Rick turned and glowered at Kenneth Johnson, the backup goalie, "You forgot to tell him to meet us here didn't you?"

"Oh man, I must've forgot," Johnson said shooting Rick an apologetic look.

If Scooter had not known Kenneth as well as he did, he would have bought it. Letting his eyes wander at Adam momentary, he could tell that the younger teen was still wondering what in the hell they were talking about, but he seemed to take Kenneth's lame excuse.

Walking over, Rick put his arm around the freshman's shoulders, bringing him into the group. "We're just talking about the tradition Eden Hall has. Varsity treats JV to dinner. Surely your brother told you about it?" Rick asked Adam.

Nodding, Adam remembered when Drew had been treated to dinner as freshman and then treated the JV team the next year when he was on Varsity when he was sophomore. Now, Adam did not think Rick and Varsity wanted to treat the Ducks to dinner this year because of everything that had been happening.

"Good." Rick said cheerfully patting Adam on the back. "We have decided to tell JV at lunch tomorrow. We're going to the Minnesota Club." He sat back down.

The Minnesota Club! It was one of the most expensive restaurants in the state. Adam did not know Varsity treated JV that grand.

"If we're done here," Scooter told Rick as he stood up, "I'm going to help Banks out with his Biology work."

"We are." Rick gave a Scooter a look as he passed him. The look said plainly, Keep quiet about everything.

Scooter did not have to be told, or should he say, get a look from his roommate. But it dawned to him that he was breaking any trust Adam had in him. But that did not matter, did it? He could care less what would happen Friday once Adam found out what really was going to happen with the Ducks.

Even though he could care less, at least that was what Scooter was telling himself, one Duck in particular was different. Julie Gaffney would never give him the time of day now. She would not even look at him once Varsity did their little dinner prank.

"Scooter, we're here." The goalie was yanked out of his thoughts. He had been so deep in thought, Scooter had almost passed the library.

Adam could tell something was bothering Scooter. What, he did not know. Scooter had not said anything on the way there. But that was fine. Adam was left alone with his own thoughts.

Mainly that Rick would not try to get back at his friends for what happened Friday night. After Rick punched his iced jacket to pieces, Adam had been worried. He had half expected Rick, with the other members of Varsity, to go and beat the crap out of his friends.

As they starting going over an upcoming lesson, Adam could not wait to see what would happen come Friday. Maybe now Varsity and JV could get along.

Finally it was Friday. The week had felt like it was going last forever.

Adam had wanted to talk to Drew sometime during the week to see how he was doing. Calling him would be too expensive. So he used the Internet in computer lab. His brother had replied with a short email. Drew asked how Adam was doing and to email him about how the dinner went over the weekend. Drew told him he was having a good time at college and with his new friends.

Slipping on his Eden Hall jacket and straightening the collar, Adam once again checked to the mirror to make sure his tie was straight.

Albeit he wore ties more often then the other male Ducks did, Adam sometimes wished that he did not have an image to uphold. No not image, maybe it was what was expected of him. He would happily go around in some of Charlie's flannels once and while.

He made a face in the mirror. Okay, maybe not Charlie's flannels, but it would be nice to be laid back now and again.

"You don't look like your happy with the idea of dinner tonight." Zack said seeing the frown on his roommate's face.

Turning to face Zack, Adam answered, "No that isn't it. Dinner should go great," he smiled.

"Yeah, I'm sure it will." Zack let a bit of envy fall in his voice. If Adam and the rest of the Ducks had not come here, it would be him and the real members of JV going tonight.

Adam had heard the envy in Zack's voice. He just ignored it.

A knock sounded on the door. Adam grabbed his wallet without saying goodbye to Zack.

Rick and three other Varsity members were waiting for him. Cole saw Adam put his wallet in his back pocket and starting laughing.

"What's so funny?" Adam wondered if how he was dressed was a joke. All the Varsity members present were pretty much dressed like he was.

"No Banksie. It's just that you don't need your wallet." Kabine said with a chuckle.

Adam was a bit confused. He had not really talked to Scooter about the dinner tonight. Which speaking of Scooter, he was not with Rick and the rest them. Maybe he and the other Varsity members are giving rides to rest JV.

Seeing the confused look on the freshman's face, Bard began to explain. "JV is going to handle-" He stopped when Rick shot him an angry glare.

JV… they were going to handle the dinners? But Rick said Varsity was treating JV. Adam was now more then a little confused. It dawned on him a second later. Varsity was going leave his friends with the check!

"You can't leave the bill for my friends to pay! They can't af-" his sentence got cut short when Cole grabbed him and pushed him up against the wall. Bard and Kabine want on either side of him, enclosing him in bodily.

"Now Banksie," Riley said calmly like he speaking to a small child. "We can do whatever we want. And besides who is going to stop us? You?" He grinned knowing full well that Adam was not going to do anything.

If Cole did not have him pinned against the wall, Adam would have punched the Varsity captain. If he could do it, though it would not do any good. "But you can't do this," was all he weakly said.

"Now listen, I'm only going say this once, freshman." Riley's voice turned menacing. "If you say or do anything, and I mean anything, to warn your Duckie friends, you're a dead Duck, got it?

Slowly nodding, Adam did not say anything. Though he did not know Rick Riley well, he knew that Riley didn't make idle treats.

Cole, Bard, and Kabine backed off. "Let's go, wouldn't want to keep the JV team waiting. Would we, Banksie?" Riley asked him pointedly.

After Adam said a quiet, "No." They all went toward the student parking lot. Adam rode with Rick and Cole. They just did not want him to be anywhere near his friends.

But he had to do something to warn his friends. He could not just stand by and do nothing! But what could Adam do?

Adam did not know how he survived dinner. He felt like he was going to be sick. There were times he nearly was.

How could I have just knowingly sat there and done nothing?

He had tried to make eye contact with Charlie when he passed him. It almost worked some, but Riley told Charlie not to worry.

Once he was back at the dorms as well as away from Varsity, Adam headed to his room. He was relieved to see that Zack was not there. Quickly changing into a sweatshirt and jeans, he did not bother with his suit, which was on his bed.

Adam could not stay around in the dorm. The food he had forced himself to eat felt like a large rock in his stomach. He needed fresh air or he was going to be sick.

The night air had a chill to it, but Adam barely felt it. Walking aimlessly he had no destination in mind. He could not go to talk to the Ducks. They were undoubtedly serving as cleaning crew to pay for the bill. They would not believe him if he tried to talk to them anyway.

How could have I just sat there and done nothing? Does Riley have that much control? Damn, I should have done something!

But if he had done something, he would either be with his friends cleaning up or have gotten the tar beaten out of him from his so-called teammates.

So he had not said anything to save his ass? But no, even if he had said something, the Ducks would have beaten him up before or after Varsity. Gee… maybe they could agree on something long enough to see who could beat me up first.

Saying something or not, Charlie and the rest of them would have felt betrayed. Like they don't already?

Adam's walking around was not helping any. He did not want to go back to the dorms, but he did not have a choice. He had to sneak in, it was after curfew.

Coming into the room and woke Zack. His roommate had not seen him since before he had gone to dinner with JV and Varsity.

Adam glanced over when Zack switched on his lamp. Blinking a few times to get use to the light, Zack asked, "How did dinner go?"

Ignoring him, Adam went over to his bed and started to fold the dress shirt he had flung on the bed after dinner. His mind still reeling from what Riley and the rest of Varsity had done. And what he did not do to stop it.

"Adam?" Turning he saw that Zack had gotten up and was standing a few feet from him. Seeing as he was not going to get an answer, Zack picked up his Eden Hall suit jacket and looked it over.

"They set us up."

Zack walked over and hung the jacket up in the closet. Having done that, he spoke. "Who set you up, JV or Varsity? And what did they do?"

Adam sighed; he really didn't want to tell his ex-friend about what happened tonight. But at the same time, he needed to talk to someone. He just wished it was not Zack. "Varsity left JV with a cake that said 'Thanks for dinner, Losers'; they left the bill for them to pay too."

Disbelief crossed Zack's face. Even he thought that what Varsity did was too much. There was no way JV could have afforded to pay for two-dozen dinners. Though Zack did not like the Ducks, Varsity had gone too far. And that meant Adam was stuck in the middle of this damn prank war.

Crossing the room, Adam got a hanger for his pants and hung it up next to his jacket. Turning back to his roommate he continued to tell him the events of the evening. "Riley made it clear that I couldn't tell them about what was going to happen and kept an eye on me so I couldn't help them. When I got back, I couldn't stay here, so I had to get out for a bit. They're not going to believe that I had nothing to do with this prank." Adam said the last part in a whisper.

"Look Adam," Zack put his hand on Adam's shoulder, "Why don't you try talking to Conway or one of the other Ducks tomorrow?" Adam did not fail to miss what JV was called.

Adam did not think any amount of talking would work with Charlie. But maybe, just maybe he could talk to Guy. Nodding, Adam thought, I've got to try.

Seeing the nod, Zack smiled. "We best get some sleep."

After changing, Adam lay in his bed trying to fall asleep. He had not been in bed long when he heard someone pounding on the door. Quickly getting up, Adam went to the door. He saw Cole, but did not have time to say anything, because Cole's fist was aimed right to his midsection.