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.
Ok, that was absolutely the last time I'll ever say, "I'll have the next part up in a couple days…". I swear, whenever I say that, I end up with writer's block or something and then it takes me three weeks to post the next bit. So, never again. I will try to work on writing and posting more frequently, but the next week and a half may be sketchy since I've got finals coming up. Hooray…
And, big surprise to me(!), this story was nominated for the Best Angst award on Queertet.net, which was completely unexpected and many thanks to whoever nominated me!
annie918 – Thanks so much for the great comments! And don't you just hate when you miss an update…that happens to me and I'm like "where'd that come from?!?"
allie – aw…thanks!
Pixie13 – I'm a big fan of Ken too…I didn't used to be, but writing this story helped a lot. And it's always cool to see stories about the "other" Ducks, and to see how each writer portrays them, since their characters aren't as developed in the movies as Charlie and Adam and Fulton…thanks for the review!
Tino – I like Ken's grandfather too…I'm really looking forward to developing his character. I read a figure skating book a while ago about a skater in Japan and I'm modeling Ken's grandfather after her a bit. And I glad you're liking Ken now…we can always use more Kenny Wu fans! And thanks for the good luck wishes; skating is actually going really well now, so I'm thrilled about that! Oh…and as for Ken competing again…well, we'll see. Don't forget, he's got another hockey season coming up!
As it turned out, one week made all the difference for Ken. His grandfather was staying in a hotel close to Eden Hall and was in the process of searching for a nearby apartment. They had cleared Ken's training with Coach Orion and obtained permission to use the Eden Hall ice rink during hours when it wasn't in use. And Ken's skating was quickly improving. After practicing the same jumps and moves over and over for five hours a day for close to ten years, Ken knew the technique for all the jumps, but sometimes could never tell exactly what he was doing wrong. Ken's grandfather had spent several decades skating, coaching and watching skating, and was often able to pick out the slight nuances in Ken's skating.
So with his grandfather's help and advice, Ken was quickly becoming more consistent in his skating.
Ken had also finally told the Ducks about his skating. They had taken it better than Ken had expected; no "wimpy figure skater" comments, in fact, they had all been pretty supportive. Connie and Julie had even come to watch him practice a couple times and though he still thought Ken was crazy for getting up at four thirty in the morning, Adam convinced Ken to stop hiding his alarm clock under his pillow and always grabbed Ken some breakfast when he was running late from practice.
"Excellent." Ken's grandfather told him after another early morning practice. "Your jumps are regaining height. That is good." Ken smiled at the praise; relearning skating was difficult and he liked the feeling of making progress. Approval from his grandfather was a good indication of that.
"You will be here this afternoon." The statement wasn't a question, but it wasn't really a command either. It was more of a conformation; that was the way his grandfather's mind worked. He believed that skating was a decision that should be made by the skater, not forced on by parents or coaches. Ken remembered seeing kids as young as six, seven and eight being yelled at by coaches or parents to get back on the ice, or to stop complaining they were tired. Ken's grandfather believed in asking him, and as Ken got older he would ask himself, if he really wanted to skate today. For Ken, the answer had always been yes.
Ken nodded. Ken still had Ducks practice every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after school, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays the rink was empty, so Ken practiced for two more hours those days.
Ken said goodbye to his grandfather, stuffed his skates into his locker, and showered and changed for school. He raced to the cafeteria, grabbed a bagel and orange juice for breakfast, and slid into a spot at the Ducks' usual table, where most of them were watching Averman haphazardly scribbled on a sheet of paper. Ken glanced at Guy, who nodded and rolled his eyes.
"Not again." Ken muttered to Julie, who was sitting next to him. She smirked. Averman had gotten in to the bad, but mildly amusing, habit of leaving his lengthy English and history essays till the last possible moment, a routine that Ken could never understand. But it was very entertaining for the rest of the team to watch him scramble to finish his papers; the Bash Brothers had even started timing him. Today, they grinned almost evilly as the bell signaling the five minute passing period before first hour rang and Averman looked at the clock in horror.
"Shit…" He muttered to himself. "Go on," he told Ken, Adam, Guy, Connie and Julie. "I'll catch up." The group raised their eyebrows at each other. Their English essays were due at the beginning of class; Averman only had a few minutes to finish and get to class. Adam shrugged and they left the cafeteria, heading toward the English wing of the building.
"I hate that he gets away with this." Julie commented as they fought their way through the crowded hallway.
"I don't get it." Adam added, nodding. "How does he write a three page essay in forty minutes and still pull off an A?"
"It's Averman." Guy pointed out. "He's the strangest person we've ever met and probably the smartest too."
"It just angers me that he can put it all off and still do better than me." Connie said and Julie nodded emphatically. "I spent four hours on our last essay and all I got was a B-."
Having reached their English classroom, Ken placed his paper on top of the pile on Mrs. Willis's desk and slid into his seat. He turned so he could see the doorway and grinned at Adam who was sitting behind him, keeping an eye on his watch.
"He's got forty-five seconds." Adam muttered to the group.
"I take it Averman's trying to beat the clock again?" Sky remarked as she took her seat in front of Ken.
"You know it." Ken replied with a grin.
"Think he's gonna make it?" Julie asked, both she and Connie watching the door as well.
"I dunno." Guy answered, leaning over Adam's shoulder to check the time. "He didn't even start this one till this morning. And unless he writes his conclusion and makes it from here to the cafeteria in…" He fell silent as an out of breath Averman sprinted into the classroom, paper held triumphantly in his fist. He raced to the front of the classroom and tossed his paper on the top of the pile just as the bell rang. He turned, took a dramatic bow, and made his way to his seat, his fellow Ducks and a few others applauding him and the rest of the class wondering what had just happened.
"Hey, Ken."
At hearing his name on his way to his last class of the day, Ken stopped walking down the hallway and waited for Charlie to catch up with him.
"What's goin' on, man?" Charlie asked, clapping Ken on the shoulder.
"Not much." Ken replied. "You?"
"A bunch of us are gonna check out a movie this afternoon, before all you crazy Honors kids have to study. You in?"
"Nah." Ken shook his head. "Can't. I've got practice."
"Oh, right. Cool, we'll see you later then."
"See you later." Ken echoed as Charlie disappeared into the crowd.