And…the usual disclaimer: Disney owns the Mighty Ducks. The name, the characters, Orion, the Varsity players, and Linda are not mine. However, I do own any characters you don't recognize…i.e. Ken's parents, Ken's grandfather, Elaine, Brian, Sky, Tony, Sonja, etc.
Iceeblue – thanks so much for your review. I like the friendship between Ken and Adam myself, it away seemed to me like they would have a lot in common. And glad you love figure skating…are you a skater or a fan?
Annie918 and allie – hmmm…I wonder if you'll find out who it is in this chapter…maybe…maybe not…(evil laugh) Thank you, thank you, thank you for reviewing!
Tino – awww…thanks again…you always write such nice reviews! Yes…the song is one of my favorites that Foolish Things does, if you want more info on them, try www.foolishthingsmusic.com …I believe the site is under construction, but it's got some info about the band and I think they've got the lyrics posted too. And, yes, I am a figure skater; I've been skating since I was five. But right now I'm going through my own skating issues, part of which prompted the creation of this story.
Again, mucho thanks to everyone who reviewed and everyone who's reading this. And just so y'all know, the next update will take a couple weeks. I've got three major exams (major as in, they determine whether I pass or fail my classes) in the next two weeks so I've got to spend some serious time memorizing g-protein receptor pathways and amino acid structures and junk like that. So I'll have to limit the amount of time I spend writing and reviewing. But(!), I have the whole week of Thanksgiving off from school, so I plan on getting some serious writing done then and will probably be able to update a couple of times that week. So, until then…
Somewhere seemingly far away, an alarm sounded. Ken stirred and after several moments, registered what it was. He reached under his pillow and turned off his alarm clock. He slid out of bed, pulled on sweatpants and a sweatshirt, grabbed his backpack and coat and silently left his room. Within five minutes, he reached the ice arena and retrieved his skates from the bottom of his locker.
For nearly three weeks now Ken had been skating in the early morning hours. He could see himself improving too; yesterday he had been able to land a couple of double revolution jumps and the simple stuff was becoming simple again. His love for skating had been rekindled and Ken spent the hours he wasn't skating with his mind in the rink, recalling technique and remembering how everything used to feel.
Despite his excitement of being able to skate again, Ken had not told anyone. He wasn't sure how the Ducks or Orion would react to the idea of him figure skating. He thought Orion might react negatively to anything that might cause his hockey training to suffer, and the Ducks… The Ducks were his best friends, but he wasn't sure what they really thought about figure skating. Ken had been faced with several hockey players in his life, mostly when he was younger, that thought that figure skating was a waste of ice or didn't qualify as a sport. Granted, figure skating was less of a contact sport than hockey, but that didn't mean it was harder or more difficult. After participating in both sports for several years, Ken knew that one definitely wasn't harder than the other; they each required different skills. Still, he didn't know how the Ducks would react and so he decided not to tell them, sneaking off in the early morning hours or late at night to practice.
Ken had also kept his skating from his parents. Ken's parents had called him several times in the past few weeks, but Ken had kept quiet about skating, knowing they would ask questions. At this point, Ken wasn't sure exactly what he was skating for, or why, other than he felt happier doing it.
After two hours of practice, Ken left the ice, showered, and got ready for school, stuffing his stuff back in the bottom of his locker. With twenty minutes to go before class, Ken headed to the cafeteria, starving as usual. He grabbed a bowl of cereal, a banana and a carton of milk and made his way through the crowd to the Duck's table.
"You're like a machine, man." Adam told him as Ken took a seat across the table, shaking his head. "I don't know how you do it."
"Considering I used to be on the ice at 5:30 in the morning for figure skating practice, I think I'm used to it." Ken told him.
Adam rolled his eyes. "I'd never be used to that."
Ken was about to reply when Averman dropped into the seat next to him and nearly collapsed on the table. "Sleep…" He gasped, his eyes drooping shut.
"What's the matter with you?" Adam asked, pulling his binder out from under Averman's head.
"That stupid essay for Willis." Averman pulled his head off the table and yawned. "I was up all night finishing the damn thing."
"We've had the assignment for two weeks." Ken told Averman. "Why'd you put it off till last night?"
"Just cause I'm not an overachiever like you or Banksie…" Averman trailed off and dropped his head onto his arms. Ken and Adam exchanged a look. Ken didn't exactly consider himself an overachiever, but he had finished the essay several days ago so he wouldn't have to worry about it.
"So." Guy dropped a load of books on the table, causing Averman to jump in his sleep. "What's the plan for tonight, guys?" He asked. "It's finally Friday. We have to do something for making it through this week."
Ken nodded. The past week had been by far the most difficult and demanding week of high school so far. He'd had two tests, a paper and a presentation all due aside from the normal amount of reading and studying for his classes. He'd been able to get everything done and was sure he'd done well on his tests, but Ken was still relieved the week was over.
"What about dinner and a movie?" Adam suggested. "It's not the most exciting thing in the world, but at least it's something to do."
Guy and Ken both agreed and before the first bell rang, all the Ducks had joined in the plan for the evening.
After dinner than night, a movie and a stop for desert at the diner, Ken and the other Ducks reached their dorm just before one in the morning.
Ken yawned as he followed Adam into their room and staggered toward his bed. He'd been up for about twenty hours straight and wanted nothing more than to sleep.
As Ken was pulling a t-shirt on, Adam noticed the blinking light on their answering machine and played the message.
"Hi Ken, it's you mom. I need you to give me a call when you get this. I'll talk to you soon. Bye."
Adam turned to Ken, who shrugged. "It's 11 out there, I'll call them tomorrow. Besides, I gotta sleep." He pulled back the covers on his bed and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Ken woke up later than usual the next morning, but still had enough time to get some practice in before the rest of the team was awake. He quickly changed, pulled on a sweatshirt, and grabbed his keys.
Fifteen minutes later, Ken was on the ice, music playing. After warming up some simple jumps, he took a few more laps around the rink. He had come so close to landing a double loop jump yesterday; he was determined to get it today. The loop jump was a particularly difficult one because, unlike some other jumps, you couldn't use a toepick to help you get into the air. But the jump had always been an easy one for Ken and he could feel himself getting closer and closer to landing it.
After numerous attempts, however, Ken was beginning to get discouraged. He had fixed his problems of not getting enough rotation into the double jump and being tilted in the air, but he still couldn't get it. He was tired, out of breath and his butt was numb from falling so many times.
"Somedays you have to know when to stop." Ken told himself, remembering many times when his coach had to drag him off the ice. Wanting to continue skating was one thing, but sometimes working too hard was counterproductive and often caused injury. Ken skated over to a bench, feeling slightly frustrated. As he sat down, he glanced at the clock on the far wall and his heart jumped. It was nearly ten. Most of the Ducks would be up by now and wondering where he was. Ken scrambled to take his skates off.
"You are improving." A voice from behind him startled Ken and he turned to find himself looking straight into the eyes of his grandfather.