Part Eight

Aftermath

Zack had just sat up when Adam reached the door. Before he could do anything, Adam got punched in the stomach by Varsity's enforcer, Cole Sutherland.

"Hey!" Zack jumped out of bed as Adam doubled over. He ran and put himself between Adam and Cole.

Rick came into the room and put his hand on the enforcer's arm. "We want him to be able to play." Looking at Adam, who still had his arms around his stomach, "Be ready at 5:30."

Scooter came running, he stopped to take in the scene. He had not realized where Rick and Cole had gone. It did not take him long to figure out they had gone to the freshmen dorms, but by then it was too late. His hair was still damp, and a few red marks dotted over his face. He looked like he just got out of the shower.

Rick looked at the goalie, then turned back to the youngest Varsity member. Adam gradually straightened up, he now could look at Rick. The older teen grabbed the freshman's right forearm none to gently, and pulled him out into the hallway to talk to him in private.

Adam now saw too, Rick's face had the same red welts covering it, his own hair wet. His clothes were wet like he showered in them. "If you even think about wearing your Duck jersey, Banksie, I'll let Cole beat you up so bad that your friends won't recognize you. Got it?" Riley voice was low, the senior's face mere inches from his.

Adam was still breathing a little hard from the punch Cole threw him. He was still trying to take in what was now going on. All he could guess was there was a game with Varsity and his former team.

Riley tightened his hold on Adam's arm until he grimaced in pain. "Got it?"

"Rick, let go of his arm." Scooter had not heard what his friend had said, but he could easily guess.

Ignoring the goalie, Rick kept his eyes fixed on Adam.

Riley is fully enjoying this, Adam thought, but he said out loud in a quiet but painful voice, "Yes."

Adding pressure on Adam's arm and giving it a slight twist, Rick asked, "What was that again, Banksie?" Adam barely held back a cry of pain.

"Damnit Rick, let go of his arm!" Scooter started toward the Varsity captain, but Cole grabbed his arm. Zack was still in the dorm, as the enforcer blocked him in bodily.

"What's going on?" a freshman poked his head out of a nearby room. He stepped out to see who had woke him.

Riley just glared the youth down until he stopped and then backed up a step.

"Just go back to your room, there's nothing going on here." Rick snapped. He let go of Adam's forearm.

Adam stood perfectly still, fighting the urge to rub his sore arm or sink down to the floor.

The freshman was not going to stand up to Rick, so he just glanced at Adam then went back into his room and shut the door.

"Be ready at 5:30, Banksie." Riley turned and walked down the hall, Cole following a step behind. If they noticed that Scooter was not with them, they did not stop to inquire about it.

Now free, Zack came out of his room and walked over to Adam. He had his head down and subconsciously began rubbing his wrist.

Scooter too noticed this. "Are you alright?"

"Fine."

Scooter barely heard the reply; Adam had not looked up at him or Zack. He was now rotating his wrist, but Scooter could not tell if it was painful. With as much pressure Rick put on it, it would have to be.

"Maybe you shouldn't play." Zack said.

Adam's head shot up, his eyes blazing at his roommate. "I said I was fine." His voice was quiet but it was hard as steel.

Scooter knew very well that if Adam did not play at dawn all hell would break loose with Rick. He also knew that Rick did not take whatever he said to Adam lightly. But the goalie's growing anger was becoming larger. Some of it had to do with pranks, but most of it stemmed from how Rick and the other Varsity members were treating their third line center. But Scooter was particularly pissed with what Rick just pulled.

Adam looked at Scooter, almost as if he could understand what the goalie was thinking. "I'll be at arena at 5:30," he stated. Then as an afterthought, "I'll have my Warriors jersey."

So that's what Rick was talking about, but all Scooter said was, "Just your practice jersey will be fine." He turned and started walking down the hall, he said over his shoulder, "Get some sleep."

Zack snorted at that. He had a feeling neither of them was going to sleep this night. He thought Adam was nuts for playing in few hours.

Both fourteen year olds went back to their room to sleep. But sleep was the last thing on Adam's mind.

Adam's emotions were in turmoil. He did not know what to expect would happen at the so-called game. He had never played against Ducks. Granted, he did play against them when he was Hawk, but then they were known as Distract Five at the time, so that did not count.

So for the second time he was playing against a team he once played for. Somehow this seemed different than playing against the Hawks. He was not just playing against his old team. He was playing against his friends. It felt wrong.

At 5:00 Adam got up and dressed. His wrist was only slightly sore; lucky he could rotate it without too much pain. He had wrapped it when he got back into the room mere hours before. But he was not going to keep it wrapped during the game. It did not brother him too much.

"Hey."

Adam glanced over at Zack, whom he thought had been sleeping.

"Good luck." Zack did not really know what to say, and what he just said was more out of habit then anything else. He did not sleep very much, and he knew that Adam had not slept at all.

"Thanks." Adam's voice was deprived of any emotion. He could not stay here any longer, so grabbing his bag he left.

Walking out into the chilly predawn air, Adam breathed in deeply. Fall was soon coming, but he surmised they might have an Indian summer. He enjoyed the cold air blowing on his face and teasing his dark blond hair.

Walking down the path that lead to the arena, Adam kept his mind on the weather. He liked fall, but he loved winter the most. He was not sure why. Maybe it was because he had grown up Minnesota his entire life, which was cold longer then most states. Or maybe it was the time he remembered learning how to play hockey.

Hockey. He was always good at it. He vaguely remembered his dad teaching him how to skate at four. Or was it three? He stumbled some when he started skating, just like he had when he tried to walk when he was younger than that, he was sure. But at any rate it was not long that he was flying down the ice, a natural.

His dad was not that good at hockey, but Drew was. He remembered at four, he wanted to play with his big brother out on the driveway more then anything. Drew had been nine then, and on the Hawks for the first time. Their father wanted him to practice as much as possible.

It had not taken long for Adam to begin playing with his older brother too. Just like he was on the ice, Adam was natural at playing hockey too. He learned the art of playing the game and quickly understood how to score. If there was something he was not good doing at first, he worked on it until he got it perfect. So when he was nine, he too was playing on the Hawks. But that all changed, at the age of ten, when they redrew the district lines.

Adam blew out a breath, the frost rising up into the air. He could see the arena in the distance.

"Good, you showed up." Scooter said falling into step with him. "How's the arm?"

"Doesn't really hurt. What happened last night that caused this game?" Adam asked changing the subject.

"Three words. Brazilian fire ants."

That explained the red spots on Scooter's face and the ones on Riley's last night.

Scooter continued. "JV got in our dorm with the ants and tied our doors shut but soon let us out. And Rick had told Conway and the rest of them that they were nothing but white trash. Conway challenged him by saying they would take them anytime, anywhere. Our captain couldn't pass that up." Scooter's tone was derisive.

Adam winced. He now was thankful he had to stay in the freshmen dorms, even though he had to room with an ex-friend.

"We all had a hell of a time getting those ants washed off. Hopefully Dean Buckley won't notice." Adam could not help smiling a little over that. Scooter saw it. "Trust me Banks, you wouldn't be smiling if you were there. Cole was lucky he wasn't there, but got tied up by Robertson. How in the world he could get up the stairs is anyone's guess."

They were now in front of the Varsity locker room. The arena was quiet, just like it had been the week before, when Adam wanted to be alone to skate. Only now it was foreboding.

Most of the Varsity team was starting to change into their practice jerseys. Adam did not look at anyone, but just went over to change. His stomach was in knots; he did not know how this game was going to go. But he knew it was not going a friendly one. This had everything to do with the grudge match between JV and Varsity as well as to see who was the best. His body was weary from lack of sleep and with all that happened in the past twelve hours.

"Banksie."

Adam looked up from tying his skates and noticed he was the only one left in the locker room. Him and Riley. He tensed up.

"Make sure you remember who you are playing for. And what you're playing for." Adam felt deja vu with those words. Riley stepped back so Adam could go before him out of the locker room.

Once he took the ice with the rest of Varsity, he skated some to loosen his weary muscles. The Ducks were doing the same thing. But he was looking for Charlie.

Seeing Charlie's jersey with the familiar duck logo and number 96 on it brought home something. It hit him how much he wanted to play with the Ducks and not with Varsity. But he did not have much choice in the matter.

Skating over to his friend, Adam hoped Charlie would at least know that he had not been part of the dinner prank.

"They didn't tell me until it was too late. Charlie, believe me." Charlie straightened from his hunched position.

"Yeah right, Preppie." He snapped out. Charlie's eyes were dark with anger, or was it hurt? It was too late now to do or say anything more.

Adam just lowered his head. Skating away he was not even sure how he felt about all of this. But one thing he knew for sure, was the feeling of betrayal, from Varsity and from the Ducks. But Adam knew the Ducks felt betrayal by him as well. But that did not matter now did it? But as well as feeling betrayed, Adam never felt this defeated or angry.

If Rick was going to say one more thing about JV, Scooter was tempted to punch his roommate in the face. Getting up, he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

"Where are you going, Scooter?"

"Out." He slammed the door a little harder then he intended to.

Wandering around campus for ten minutes, he found himself in front of the freshmen dorms. He had not seen Adam since this morning. Scooter knew this game had not been easy on the youngest Varsity player.

Scooter felt Rick had gone too far with the prank. Even Jeff Brown who had been in the restroom with him last night said the cake was a bit much. Guy Germaine had walked in right when he had said that.

Sighing, he wondered if maybe Adam would want to talk. Scooter knew Adam most likely would not want to, but he would feel better if he checked on the fourteen year old anyway.

Reaching the dorm room he knocked, hoping to get Adam himself and not his roommate.

Zack come to the door, he was surprised to see the Varsity's goalie.

"What do you want?" he asked grumpily. Adam had never come back from the grudge match this morning.

"Where's Adam?"

"Don't know. Haven't seen him since before your game this morning." Zack did not show his worry.

Scooter felt his stomach muscles tighten. Adam had not come back to the dorm? That had been two hours ago. "I think he disappeared after Orion broke up the fight."

"What fight?"

"Conway and Banks started a fight and Varsity and JV got in it as well. Orion came in middle of it."

Zack's face paled noticeably. "We've got to go now."