The Greatness You Are

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING (except Grace and the occasional outside character).

Author's Note: Ok, well this is the last installment of the chapters that take place before try-outs. This chapter's about how Grace came to know the other Minnesotan boys. For my purposes, Robbie and Buzzy are going to be younger, or closer to the ages of Grace and Rammer who are 19 when the movie begins. At the time they meet, Grace and Rammer are juniors in high school, Robbie is 19, and Buzzy is 21. They already know Rammer, but meet Grace through one of her uncle's hockey teams, which Rammer is a part of. So with that said, read up and enjoy!

Thanks so much to all of my reviewers!
TJ6: I'm really glad that you like the flashbacks. They were fun to write and this chapter's filled with them too! Thanks for reviewing!
Meadow567: Thanks, I'll remember the zamboni for the future. I'm really glad you like Rammer and Grace's friendship. Its platonic love right now, and it could be for the rest of the story, or it might change. I still haven't decided. It's good that you like the flashbacks because I love writing them! Lol thanks for the great review!
Killerkeanegirl: Thanks for the great review! Oh, we'll see what happens with Rammer and Grace ;-) Haha keep reviewing!

Stay up and make some memories here
With us now
To roll red carpet out with friends
To love and roll on
Our love is so right
I won't waste a minute here tonight
Our love is so right
And tonight my dance is all about you 1

Grace suddenly awoke as she felt a warm pair of arms envelope her in a drunken stupor. Turning her head slowly to the right, she saw Robbie McClanahan, arms draped around her waist mumbling incoherent thoughts as he slept through his drunken daze. She looked over, and sitting on her other side was Buzzy Schneider. He was also sleeping, head leaning all the way back against the top of the large sofa, snoring softly while giving off the occasional grunt. Rammer was in a chair across from the couch, having passed out a while ago. His legs and arms spread out everywhere, looking comical as he was too big for the rather large chair. He looked so peaceful when he slept, they all did, even after playing round after round of beer pong and "I never", they still looked like they were in a natural sleep, rather than one fazed by alcohol. They would all be feeling this in the morning. Holding her head in her hands, Grace felt her pounding headache already, which would soon become the start of a hang-over.

She looked over at the boys; her boys, strewn all around the room, and gave a small, tired smile at the sight of them. They had just come back from a college party and had relocated to Robbie's basement, which always seemed to be their weekend ritual. Whenever she saw them like this, it always reminded her of their first meeting. They weren't exactly passed out…yet, but just the thought of getting drunk at a party brought back memories. They were all at a party…

--

Gripping the cloth harder in her hands, Grace held on with all her might. She was afraid of falling straight off the roof and making a huge scene, not to mention possibly breaking her neck. It was 1 a.m. and she was sneaking out to go with Rammer to a college party he had been invited to by some of the boys on his hockey team. The team he played for while it was out of season in school, consisted of college players from the UM, with Herb Brooks as their coach.

She looked down. She was almost all the way to the ground. Rammer had told her about the party last night, and although he was hesitant to go, through much begging and persuasion, she convinced him to invite her to go along with him. At this point, Grace wasn't allowed to converse with the college hockey players, Herb not wanting her to distract his players, or possibly get involved with them. But to Grace, that was just Herb's nice way of saying he didn't trust her to keep her hands to herself. Grace was always up for trying new things, and at 16, a college party sounded like a good way to go. Now she saw Rammer, standing under her, holding the sheet steady as she made her descent. Grace was wearing a short skirt, so he tried not to look up, but as a concerned friend he tried to keep an eye on her at the same time.

Finally making her way down on the ground, Grace erupted in giggles and Rammer covered her mouth with his hand making sure no one could catch them sneaking out. It seemed like whenever they were trying to do something without getting caught, Grace always found everything funny. They hurriedly scrambled towards the car and once inside, Rammer surveyed her outfit for the night.

"Where are your clothes?" Rammer was not pleased with what she was wearing, worried that his drunken, and even non-drunk hockey team would find her all too appealing in the state of dress she was currently in.

"Umm, I'm wearing them…" What nerve. Grace looked down at her short skirt that ran about mid-thigh, and halter top, bearing a large portion of her stomach. Ok, so maybe she'd overdone it a little bit, but how bad could it be? She glanced over at Rammer who was wearing a regular pair of jeans and a button-up shirt. Suddenly, a jacket was being shoved in her face and she saw Rammer holding it out to her.

"Here, put this on. You don't want all those guys to be looking at you in that." He looked almost bashful and refused to make eye contact with her, looking instead at his hands which rested neatly in his lap. Grace rolled her eyes and reluctantly took the jacket setting it neatly in her lap.

"Ok, thanks dad." Rammer looked at her expectantly, probably assuming that she would put it on, but she just held it and stared out the window in to the night sky. He gave a short sigh and started the car up, wanting to get to the party and then leave quickly. Unfortunately for Rammer, Grace had other plans.

They walked into the house where the party was being held. It was a frat party. Some of the guys from the hockey team were a part of the fraternity and wanted a good turn out, so it seemed as though the whole campus was there. Gazing around the room, there were kegs of beer lined up against one wall and couples groping each other on every other possible surface. Rammer turned to say something to Grace along the lines of "Let's get out of here.", but looking to his left, no one was there. Suddenly feeling panic stricken, Rammer walked around the room trying to find her. He pushed through a crowd of people into another room and finally laid his eyes on her.

She was talking animatedly to some guy who was staring at her chest, which she didn't seem to notice or care about, and she was being securely held against his side in his arms. The guy was clearly drunk, and Grace with a beer in her hand, was probably well on her way there too. He whispered something in her ear, and she seemed to agree nodding her head slightly giggling softly. A twinge of jealousy rose up from the pit of Rammer's stomach and just as he was about to walk over to Grace, he saw Robbie and Buzzy heading his way. They made slight conversation, but it ended quickly when Rammer saw that same guy from earlier leading Grace upstairs.

As she walked upstairs, she actually had wanted to leave the party all together. Grace couldn't find Rammer through the crowd though, and this guy had been holding her side almost painfully tight. Scanning the room, she finally laid her eyes on Rammer. And he looked mad. He was pushing through the crowd, with two other guys following behind him. His fists were clenched, his jaw was set tightly and he had the angriest of expressions on his face. Something had spilled on his jeans and the cuffs from his shirt were rolled up to his elbows. He looked like he was ready to start a fight.

He finally reached Grace just as the guy holding on to her was leading her into a separate room at the top of the stairs. Rammer had grabbed her side and yanked her away from the other guy. He did it gently enough so as not to hurt Grace, but soundly enough to send a message to the guy that she, or he was not to be messed with. The two guys behind Rammer looked confused but glared along with him at the man currently refusing to let go of Grace's waist. They had helped Rammer in apprehending her and taking away her current source of discomfort, which happened to be the guy who had just been shoved down the stairs by Rammer. This was when she had first met Robbie and Buzzy, who had in fact been the two guys with Rammer.

The next morning Grace woke up with a pounding headache in someone else's bed. On one side, she saw Rammer and on the other was Robbie. At the foot of the bed sleeping soundly on the floor was Buzzy. This was how it came to be for the rest of their friendship. They were inseparable.

--

Now as Grace walked upstairs from Robbie's basement, she looked through the window to see the first streams of sunlight glaring through the window. She smiled. It was already morning. Scuffling around the McClanahan's kitchen which she had come to know well in the past few years; Grace poured herself a glass of water and headed back downstairs. She could hear sirens in the distance, bringing back one of her not so fond memories that the four had previously shared, but it was nonetheless part of their history together, and she eventually learned to embrace the memory and laugh about it with her three best friends.

--

It had seemed so right at the time they decided to do it, but it turned out to be so very wrong. Grace, and probably all of the boys surrounding her had most likely never thought they'd end up here…In jail. Apparently defacing public property for fun wasn't considered completely legal and it had sent them into a holding cell for the night. She had been scared out of her mind…

There had been absolutely nothing to do around the house. Three out of the four could not legally drink alcohol so bar hopping was out of the question, although let's face it; they all had before. There were no parties on campus, and basically the four were left with nothing to do but settle for their own devices. It being almost a year after they had first met, you would never see one without the other three. Even though Rammer and Grace were still in high school, the group of friends always spent time together as Grace was finally allowed to attend her uncle's hockey games even helping him coach periodically.

"So do you guys wanna see a movie or something?" Buzzy had asked. Always the positive one, he tried to make sure everyone was always happy. "There's this one that just came out and…"

Buzzy was cut off by a chorus of "no's" and Robbie running upstairs. They were sitting around in Rammer's basement doing nothing when he came back down with a carton of eggs, a roll of toilet paper, spray paint and silly string, and a mischievous grin all over his face. The group immediately took the hint and exchanged dangerous grins with one another. This would be fun.

Less than an hour later, the foursome met up in the wooded area behind Robbie's house. They were all fashioned in black attire as to remain unseen by their unsuspecting victims who would have the exterior of their houses redecorated very soon. They were all crouched down and discussing who's houses they would hit and how hard. Robbie and Rammer were wearing backpacks with all of their supplies, and Grace and Buzzy were trying their hardest to not laugh.

"Ok, so how about we just go right up the street and do every house?" Robbie, who was always the over achiever strived in doing more than anyone else, and this was to be no exception. He reveled in this kind of play and was almost floating from excitement.

"No way, that's too many." Buzzy, being the practical one, always brought Robbie back down to earth. "We don't have enough stuff to do all of that anyways."

"Fine then let's just do the row of houses across the street." Buzzy nodded his head and Robbie looked pleased with himself for the suggestion. Starting with the house closest to Rammer's they began their task at hand innocently enough. Robbie was in control of the toilet paper, Rammer the eggs, and Grace and Buzzy the artwork, being given the silly string and spray paint. Unfortunately they had only gotten through about three houses when they saw blinking lights behind them and a tall burly police officer getting out of his car and making his way towards them.

Without thinking, they had run. As fast as they could away from the house. Dropping their supplies, they sped away as fast as they could, Rammer and Robbie throwing off their backpacks to run faster. They could all hear the man speaking on his radio and then him chasing after them. This was it, Grace had thought. They were going to all go to jail. As she was running, she began to panic, and someone else seeing this grabbed her hand in his. Grace looked down at her hand and then back up to the body it was connected to. It was Rammer. He had always been there for her in times of danger and peril, and although this being a bit extreme, proved to be no exception.

Jumping over a fence, Buzzy had tripped and yelled for them to go on without him. It was almost comical the way he had said it as if in a movie, with him yelling "Save yourselves!", but at the time none of them were able to laugh it off. They had tried to pull him over the fence, but it was too high and the police officer must have grabbed his legs as he was trying to escape because they felt another force tugging at poor Buzzy. They kept trying to pull him over, but turning around they could see more flashing lights and a second police officer approaching. Once again, they ran.

The next to be apprehended was Robbie. A police man had come out of no where and just grabbed him. As Grace had watched Robbie get pushed into the same police car as Buzzy, Rammer tugged on her wrist and they kept moving. After running through back yards and jumping many more fences, they entered the wooded area behind Rammer's house and kept running through trees and debris. As they came to a clearing, a police officer grabbed Grace and just like Robbie and Buzzy, she was put into a police car, only with more delicacy than they had used with the two boys before her. Rammer, not wanting her to be alone followed her into the police car willingly with no extra force necessary.

In the holding cell they were forced into, there were a couple of drunks and a homeless man, who paid them all no mind. The three boys sat on a bench and Grace sat draped across Robbie's lap. Once left alone, the four sat in silence, contemplating their rather unfortunate turn of luck for a while before Grace erupted into fits of giggles. It was no funny situation to be stuck in, but Grace thought of it as the only way to get over something so serious. The boys eventually all came around and began laughing as well, knowing that soon it would probably get a lot worse. Especially when their families found out. It wasn't a very funny situation, but it rose hilarity in them, possibly for the fact that what they did was so stupid, and that they were all together. This would definitely be a story for the grand kids.

That night, the boys moved onto the floor and allowed Grace the luxury of sleeping on the bench in as much comfort as was allowed. She was no longer worried of what was to come. She had her boys there with her and at the moment nothing else mattered. The other three, were thinking the same thing.

In the morning, they had been awoken by a not so happy Herb along with Rammer, Buzzy, and Robbie's fathers. None were too pleased and had been notified the night before and had apparently come to collect their children. No charges were being filed for their fun the previous night and they were free to go. Well, technically. Grace had been grounded for two months, not so bad, I can just sneak out, she had thought, but it turned out she was not grounded for everything, just from spending time with her three best friends, including Rammer; which turned out to be much worse. The boys all had to do extra sprints with Herb on the ice and their fathers were not going very easy on them as well. Rammer was grounded, Buzzy's parents said they were cutting him off for two months, making him fend for himself in money matters, forcing him to take on more hours at his current job in addition to college, and Robbie's father had made him do some extensive community service, by far the worst of the three. One thousand hours of picking up trash at the side of the road was nothing to scoff at.

The fiasco had arisen some positive effects, rather than solely their heinous punishments. They had grown closer as a group and stuck by each other throughout the whole evening. Their bonds became stronger and trust and loyalty were to never be an issue among them. They were tied for life.

--

Grace let out a small laugh at the memory. At this sound, Rammer had awoken and after a few attempts at getting up, staggered over to where she was currently sitting, on the bed opposite of the couch Robbie and Buzzy were draped over. Grace smiled as she saw Rammer approach, and leaned into him as he sat beside her. Although her memories with her boys had been great, nothing could compare to the memories she shared with Rammer. He was her best friend and that meant the world to her.

Rammer looked down at Grace whose head was leaning against his chest. Her blue eyes were set on a small patch on the carpet and she was biting her bottom lip, meaning that she was deep in thought, or about to be. Grace loved the feel of being in Rammer's arms. She always felt so protected and loved, like nothing could ever come between them. It was her favorite place in the world. Coming out of her trance-like state, Rammer brushed a loose piece of hair from her face so he could see her more clearly. She smiled up at him and he leaned back, still tired and feeling more than a little hung over. Grace went down with him, and soon she was lying next to him and the soft sounds of his breath floated around in the air. He was already asleep.

It was almost the middle of summer. The only difference in this year from all the others, was that they would not being going back to school after the summer ended, not if her boys made it on the US team they wouldn't be. They would all make it, of that Grace was sure. Nothing official had even been discussed yet, but she knew with her uncle as head coach, he would be giving all three boys a hell of a look. She wondered if they would still perform their end-of-summer ritual at the hockey rink this year. Grace finally drifted back to sleep, memories of the third year from their celebrated tradition playing in her mind. It had been her senior year, so the boys had made it extra special for her and Rammer's final year in high school. That was a good year.

--

Established the year their friendship made its humble beginnings, it was an end-of-summer ritual that, the night before school started the foursome would have a last dinner together, so to speak. It was always at the same place, the hockey arena, and the same time. Midnight.

Beginning the ritual, Grace had once again, with the help of Rammer snuck out of the Brooks' house successfully and they were now driving down to the university hockey rink. Waiting for them there, would be Buzzy and Robbie with food and beer. Rammer and Grace were bringing their skates and blankets to sit on. Every year right before school began again, the four would head over to the university skating rink, break in, and have an end-of-summer meal together. They had fondly began calling the night "The Last Supper." It was their final night of freedom before a years worth of homework and tests and this was their third year performing the tradition.

When Rammer and Grace arrived at the rink for their "picnic", Robbie had already picked the lock to the building and him along with Buzzy were waiting patiently on the ground outside the rink, careful to stay hidden in the shadows so as not to be seen. When he saw the car pull up Robbie gave them a wide smile and opened the door to the large building invitingly. Hugs were exchanged, well with Grace, and handshakes and light punches on the shoulder for the boys.

Once inside, Rammer laid out a blanket on the ice and Grace ran to find a match to light a few candles with, in order to bring the rink out of darkness. Buzzy and Robbie got out the food and spread it over their makeshift dinner table, and when everything was ready they sat down and began eating. The four were in the middle of the ice sitting on a blanket for this year's dinner. Their last supper.

"So, Gracie how does it feel? Your last year." Robbie had asked the question. He still wasn't sure how she felt about leaving high school just yet, and although he knew she was excited he was worried for her. All of the boys were. She had still been somewhat undecided about whether she would go back to New York for college or stay in Minnesota. She had told him that her father wanted her to attend college at UM, and that was the whole point of her coming and living with her uncle anyways, but Robbie knew she still held strong connections in New York. The boys didn't know if they would be able to survive without her if she left them.

Grace gave him a 100-watt smile and looked his way. "Oh my God. I'm so excited! I can't wait to graduate and spend more time with you guys." She had given him the statement as she was stuffing a cookie into her mouth, making her words a little cloudy and less comprehendible. "But I still haven't made up my mind about college yet. If I go back to New York, my parents will probably cut me off financially. My dad would be pissed."

At hearing the words "New York" Rammer visibly cringed and rushed to hide his remorse about the thought of losing Grace for the next four years. Although he did a good job covering it up from Grace, Robbie and Buzzy both caught the look and watched him skeptically as he began to speak.

"Wait, you're still thinking about going back to New York for college? I thought you decided to stay here." As Rammer spoke, he tried to hide his anger at her thinking of going anywhere but Minnesota with him, Robbie, and Buzzy.

"Well, probably but I'm just not sure yet. Why, would you guys miss me?" Grace put on a large grin at her last statement and looked around the group of boys.

"No way." Rammer was the first to speak up and vocalize his emotions on the current situation. "You get in the way of meeting girls anyways." He looked over at her and she smacked him hard on the shoulder. He gave her a teasing smirk and decided to change his answer. "Nah, you're too fun. We would miss you." The statement was a simple on and sounded playful and unserious, but the three boys all knew how much they would actually miss her if she left. They would be shattered and lost without her. They had known her for a scant three years, but already she had made a huge impact on their lives, coming through like a hurricane, sweeping them up in her impulsive tendencies, loving ways towards "her boys", and her absolute divinity they believe she possessed compared to all others. Indeed to them, she was incomparable.

"Of course you would. I'm your guys' world." Grace laughed at their denial of her announcement but unbeknownst to her, it was actually their reality. Bored with where the conversation was headed, Grace steered it in another direction. They talked for hours about their past summer experiences and what they planned to do with their next. For them, the end of the summer was like the beginning of a new year. They always liked to leave the past one with a big bang. Grace standing up, wobbling a little with beer in hand, signaled to the rest of the group that it was time for some skating.

After a few more beers and a lot of skating, Grace, Rammer, Robbie, and Buzzy all laid out the blanket in the middle of the ice once again with every intention of playing a good natured game of truth or dare. They stumbled onto the blanket, a little less sober than before and giggled excitedly at the fun to come.

"Ok, since I'm the youngest I'm going first." Without waiting for the boys' approval, Grace began asking her assault on Buzzy. "Buzzy truth or dare?"

Buzzy looked a little incredulous being the first one to have to choose. Grace always thought of the most painfully truthful truths and humiliating dares out of the four of them. "Umm, how about dare."

Grace's face lit up with excitement at the anticipation of Buzzy's ill-fated pick. "Ok Buzzy, I dare you to go outside on campus and ask out the first guy you see, and you have to keep asking guys out until one says 'yes'."

"I hate you." Everyone laughed at Buzzy's misfortune and comment, and followed him outside into the quad area to see the dare put into action. If he wanted, he could have backed out from the dare, but the consequences from that would be much worse than asking a man out on a date. Hiding behind a tree, Grace, Rammer, and Robbie tried to stay hidden as Buzzy approached his first victim.

Buzzy's conversation with the man was muffled but the guy ended up walking away from him with a disgusted look on his face. The second wasn't much better, and neither were the third, fourth, and fifth. At the rate Buzzy was being turned down, it looked as though they would be out there all night. After a few more rejections, Buzzy went back to his friends in a temperamental mood and sporting a black eye. That was from lucky bachelor number six. They gave him a break and headed back to the arena after promising Buzzy they would never tell anyone else about the embarrassing occasion.

The next to ask was Buzzy, having just somewhat completed his own dare. He turned his attention to Robbie who was sitting across from him with a curious smirk on his face…And so the game commenced.

Hours later, the four stumbled out of the hockey arena, joking loudly, the two college boys with beers in hand. As Grace headed back to Rammer's car, she felt a hand tugging lightly at her arm. She turned around to see Robbie, although no more sober than the rest of them, having sense enough not to let his two friends drive home drunk.

"Gracie…You know better. C'mon you guys can stay in one of our rooms tonight." Robbie motioned to himself and Buzzy, while pulling her towards him in an effort to convince her to stay the night. She tried to break his grip, wanting her comfortable bed, in exchange for a hard dorm mattress shared with Robbie or Buzzy.

"But Robbieee I wanna go hooome." Grace's speaking was a little slurred from her alcohol consumption, but Rammer grabbed her by the waist, pulling her in the direction of the dorms, and eventually carrying her after her attempts at walking were marred by stumbling and inability to continually walk straight. As Rammer carried her up the stairs, he looked at her, noticing for the first time that she had actually fallen asleep in his arms.

The next morning Grace had awoken on top of something warm, which she soon discovered was Rammer. He was holding her with his arms wrapped tightly around her chest and she found that she couldn't move from the position, opting instead to wait until he woke up minutes later. As soon as he saw Grace on top of him, Rammer smiled, slightly drifting back to sleep, but then looked again and quickly let go. They both had massive hang-overs from the night before, which was no help with their first day of school. Although she had been punished for not coming home the night before, and also for being late for her first day of school that year, it was their best celebration, and she loved each and every one of the boys for it.

--

Grace came out of her daze to find herself lying next to Rammer. His hands were casually draped across her and she found comfort in knowing that he was there. Looking around the room she saw her boys. They would all be there for her. No matter what.

1. So Right by Dave Matthews Band

A/N: So, starting next chapter, is going to be the beginning of the Olympic journey for all the boys and it will introduce a lot more of the characters for you, since I know most of you are just dying to hear about all the Boston boys! I pretty much know how the rest of the story's going to go right now, but there are still like two boys I'm really thinking about. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Feel free to review and tell me what you think!