"Learn the difference in your intuition guiding you and your trauma misleading you." - Alicia, Beautiful Mindset Life


Adam bit his lip as he leaned over to unlace his skates on the hard bench of the locker room. It had been a tough practice.

Coach Orion was determined to make this year—senior year—the greatest of all for the Ducks before they all went off to college. The original Ducks might be all set to fly away, but Orion was going to make sure they had one last season to remember. Then the next round of varsity players would rise up to take the name, which had been turned into the school's mascot by Gordon Bombay's negotiations when the team had first arrived at Eden Hall.

Adam appreciated Orion's enthusiasm, but it was getting harder and harder for him to keep up when he was sporting stiff joints and fatigue.

"I want to check your bloodwork, Adam," Dr. Bartlett's words echoed in his mind. "We'll be able to detect the presence of inflammation by checking to see…" But Adam had zoned out when the doctor went into technical details about the specific antibodies being checked. His mind was stuck on the phrase "rheumatoid arthritis."

It can't be. He's just wrong about this.

Adam found himself once again brooding over the doctor's pronouncement when Luis and Russ were at once beside him.

"Hey Banksie, you comin' to the Vulcans game on Friday?" Russ inquired. His tone was always about three times louder than necessary, which drew the attention of half the locker room.

Adam pulled off his skates, then looked up. "Well, I'm actually already going with someone else."

Jesse paused in the middle of taking off his shirt. "Wait. Who?"

Adam hoped his cheeks weren't coloring as he responded nonchalantly. "Lacey Primmer. And her little sisters," he quickly tacked on.

"Lacey… Shipley's Lacey?!" Russ's eyes flew open wide as he gave a long whistle. "Again with this chick?"

"Oh gosh, dude, you're really asking for it, aren't you?" Portman called from a few feet away where he stood peeling off his sweaty pads.

Adam sighed. "Guys, I said already, it isn't like that. We're just friends. And her sisters are going with us, so it's not a date or anything." But several of the guys and Connie went quiet.

"Shipley okay with that? I mean, this time he may smash more than just your windshield," Jesse cautioned.

"We're friends. Really," Adam repeated more firmly. "And who's he to tell her who she can and can't be friends with?"

"Just sayin'," Jesse shook his head before heading off to the showers. Russ lumbered off after him, mumbling under his breath.

Fulton came over to Adam then, speaking more quietly. "Adam, seriously, I don't know that you should be hanging around with her. Shipley might use this as an excuse to—"

"Why's everyone so afraid of Shipley?" Adam countered, looking around at anyone who was still staring at him. "I can handle him. I mean, I'm not looking to start trouble with the guy but if it finds me, it finds me and I'll deal with it."

Connie came over beside Fulton. "Adam, is it really that you like her? Or is this just revenge for your car?"

Adam started to defend himself but stopped. That was doubtlessly what it looked like to his teammates, the same way that it had looked to Julie like Lacey was just trying to scout out his issues for her boyfriend. But he rather liked spending time with this girl. Should her relationship with a rival team member really be a dealbreaker?

He sighed. "This isn't about Shipley, I swear. It's just…," he shrugged. "I don't know why this is such a big deal. We're just barely friends at this point. Yeah, I like her but not in a romantic way because she's not my type."

Adam wasn't actually sure about the last few words, but it was a moot point because of the barrier caused by her relationship and his commitment to fix his hockey game. And anyway, what even is his type? Suddenly his mind was a mess.

"I don't think anyone's trying to judge you here," Connie continued. "It's just that if he thinks you're after his girl, even if you're really not, he could take it out on you in a major way. And we've seen firsthand, the guy has a temper."

"Right," Fulton chimed in. "And I don't know that I could come to your defense fast enough if he decides to rearrange your face." His friend moved on to his locker. But Adam rolled his eyes, standing to pull off his own shirt and start unfastening his pads. This was a sure way to get Connie, at least, off his back, as the two girls on the team always discreetly turned away from the guys undressing and went into the girls' showers to take off their own padding. Sure enough, Connie sighed as she took the hint that the conversation was over and walked away.

Well, no matter what his teammates thought about his taking Lacey to the game, he was going to do it. He was tired of always doing the cautious and acceptable thing. He'd been doing it all his life. This time, he would do what he wanted and take the consequences as they came.

"What else does this need?"

Lacey noted her appearance in her mirror with a critical eye the evening of the dreaded Vulcans game. In order not to make this look suspiciously like a date to anyone she and Adam might run into, she had decided to go casual and put on Max's Foo Fighters sweatshirt. Her hair was swept into a ponytail, and she had kept going back and forth on shoes before settling on her newest pair of sneakers. She then glanced around her room until her eyes lit upon her jewelry box.

"Good idea," she congratulated herself aloud as she crossed the room and pulled out a pair of plain silver hoop earrings. This would dress things up just enough.

Then her door burst open. "You ready?!"

Lacey cried out, nearly dropping the box. "Ariel, don't do that! I've told you how many times now?!"

"Sorry," her little sister mumbled sincerely. Ariel was oddly more sensitive to Lacey's anxiety than either Halen or Mom was.

"It's okay," Lacey shook her head after catching her breath, reaching to grab her purse. "Just knock next time. Please. And not like SWAT team pounding, either." She headed down the narrow hallway and descended the stairs. "Halen?" she called behind her.

"Already down here!" Halen answered.

"Oh. Good. We're ready." Lacey peered at herself one more time in the decorative living room mirror as she reached the last step.

"Mom? Where are y-" she started, but then turned to see her mom smoking out the window, not looking at anyone.

Her mom wasn't a regular smoker, but was known to light up now and then when stressed. And tonight, Lacey knew the cause.

"Mom?" She inquired gently, walking over.

Darlene took a deep draw off her Virginia Slim, then leaned forward to exhale out the open window. "Yeah?" she answered absently.

The smoke blew back a bit and Lacey blinked rapidly, stepping backward so as not to wear its smell all the way to Adam's car. Meanwhile, she mentally rehearsed ways to ease her mom's mind about the outing. Finally, it just came out: "He's only a friend, Mom. And he's not Steven Sigmon."

Her mom didn't look back at her, but Lacey could see her blinking her eyes more rapidly.

"And I know you're trying to protect me," Lacey went on. "But sometimes you have to trust me to think for myself. You might not believe me, but I have this in hand."

Darlene glanced over for a fleeting moment, then went back to her cigarette.

"You've always wanted to protect me. And you have. But I know-"

"I haven't always protected you," her mom cut in tonelessly. "I didn't protect you when…"

Her voice broke. They both knew what she was referring to.

Lacey's heart predictably began to race, and she swallowed hard. "Mom, I know you tried. It… it was just…" But as she was trying to think what to say to ease her mom's guilt—and she'd never realized before today just how deeply that guilt had cut the woman—she heard Halen in the hall.

"Hi! Come on in, I want to introduce you to our dad!"

Oh no.

"Uh, Halen," Lacey briskly walked toward her overly friendly sister, but it was too late. Adam had politely accepted the invitation and was stepping into the hall. She saw him survey his surroundings, and she couldn't imagine what was going through his head regarding their tiny, cramped townhouse. And cigarette smoke and Steak'um sandwiches from dinner were not combining into a delightful aroma.

"Adam, hi." She dug her nails into her palm as she approached him, hearing her mom quickly slam the window closed behind her. No smoking in any of my houses, she could still remember Phil cautioning last time he'd come for an inspection. Lacey forced a smooth smile.

Before Adam could answer, Halen was leading him toward the living room. "I wanted him to meet Mom and Dad," she beamed, clearly proud of herself for her hospitality. As Adam humored Halen, he issued Lacey an amused, tight-lipped smile.

"There's my mom," Halen gestured to Darlene, who was nonchalantly still standing next to the window, cigarette having been tossed hurriedly outside.

Lacey's mom hesitated a moment before her eyes briefly flitted toward Lacey. She managed a cool smile. "Hi. Adam, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. Adam Banks." Adam held out his hand to shake hers, and Darlene stared at it a moment in surprise before taking it.

"Ma'am. That's something I don't get called every day."

Halen then pointed at Ariel. "And that's my sister Ariel."

"We met when he de-toilet papered the house, remember?" Ariel spoke up from where she leaned against the wall, scarved, jacketed and ready to go. "But hi again."

Adam raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, it was quite a day."

"And I'm Stuart," Stuart came through from the kitchen just then with a welcoming smile, carrying a glass of his beloved iced Earl Grey recipe. "Otherwise known as Dad," he smiled at Adam, holding out his other hand. "Great t'meet ye, Adam. Take care o' me lasses tonight?"

"Oh, yes sir," Adam replied nervously. "And it's good to meet you."

Stuart held up his glass. "Earl Grey on ice. 'Tis rather good. Try it? I brought it oot fer ye."

Lacey reached up to rub her temple. "Actually, Stuart, we're kind of in a hurry."

"Jus' a drop!" Stuart continued to hold out the brew to a hesitant Adam. "It has a wee bit o' 'oney an' lemon in it. Not mooch, jus' enough t'give it the perfect finish."

Adam looked mildly uncomfortable as he reached for the glass and took a sip. Lacey couldn't tell by his face what he really thought, but he handed the glass back to Stuart with a smile. "Thank you, that's actually pretty good. My mom likes Earl Grey, but I don't think any of us has ever had it cold."

Darlene rolled her eyes behind him, and Lacey gave her a withering stare before clapping her hands together. "Okay, well thanks for bringing that out for him," she turned a smile on Stuart, teeth clenched. "But now we gotta go. You guys ready?" She turned to the twins.

"Oh! Not yet, I gotta get my purse," Halen turned and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. "Sorry!" But Halen didn't generally carry a purse. And Lacey took note of her own butterfly clips in her sister's hair—how had she snuck in and gotten those?!—along with a matching blouse and slouch socks, both a shade of Pepto-Bismol pink.

Oh my gosh, she has a crush on Adam.

Her suspicions were well-founded when Halen appeared a moment later, purse on arm and gloss on lips. And wearing way too much Country Apple.

"Okay, now we're leaving," Lacey informed everyone, walking to the door too quickly for Adam to open it for her. All she wanted was to get out of here and hope Adam would forget every embarrassing thing he was just exposed to.

Halen and Ariel followed close behind, then Adam. Just as Lacey noted that this time Adam was driving an SUV, the shiny, black boxy vehicle in front of her emitted a beep and the headlights flashed. She paused.

"Just my keyless entry," Adam passed her with an amused glance.

"Oh," she gave a light laugh. Lacey knew the newer cars had this feature, but she'd never been around one to experience it.

"You lock your car doors?" Ariel marveled. "We never do."

"Yeah?" he opened the driver side passenger door so the girl could climb in. "My dad drilled that into me, I guess. But when you guys get a car, be sure you do it. Never know what could happen."

Lacey had to smile. Adam conversed with her sisters with ease, something Max never managed. But she noticed he always talked to them in a tone he'd use for peers, not for little kids. And it seemed to work beautifully.

Soon they were on the road, but it didn't take long before Lacey overheard Ariel making a smart remark to Halen in a low voice about her overkill with the body spray.

"Shut up," Halen hissed.

"Anyone want the radio?" Adam inquired pleasantly. He must have heard the squabble too and was trying to offset an argument.

"Yeah!" both girls exclaimed.

"Okay, what do you like?" Adam reached for one of his fancy dials.

"We like anything," Halen informed amicably.

"Rock. Or hip-hop," Ariel directed.

"Or pop," Halen added.

Lacey chuckled, glancing at Adam who flashed her a quick smile. "All right, let me find a station that has a little of all three of those." He messed with the dial for a minute before stopping on a station playing "I Believe" by Blessid Union of Souls.

"Depressing," Adam proclaimed, reaching again to turn it.

"I love it," Halen beamed. "Isn't the last verse romantic?"

Adam seemed to think about it for a minute. "Yeah, I guess it is. We'll go ahead and listen to it, then try to find something you like," he addressed Ariel as his eyes slid to the rearview mirror. Her moody sister seemed placated. "By the way, this is my parents' SUV. My car doesn't have a backseat, and I knew we'd need one."

"It's nice." Lacey took in the spacious luxury that surrounded her. This vehicle, like Adam's, was doubtlessly a late model.

She didn't say much on the way to the Vulcans' stadium. She supposed she was still brooding over Adam's first time entering her house. What must he think, coming from where he did? To offset the anxiety, she reached into her purse for her koosh and squeezed it the entire way as Adam chatted with her sisters about music. At one point, he looked over at her. "You doing all right?"

"Yeah! I'm good," she replied, sitting up a little straighter and trying to relax her tense shoulders. There was no sense in being so self-conscious over something she couldn't control. "So you said we're sitting in a suite?"

"Yup. Dad and I go to games a lot, though not always together," Adam informed her. "He and his golf buddies turn into hockey freaks in the winter, and they all chip in to get a private room. But none of them are coming tonight, so I pretty much have it all to myself."

"We get our own private room?!" Ariel squeaked.

"Yes we do," Adam smiled at her in the rearview mirror. "Sound cool?"

"YESSSS!" Ariel pumped her fist in the air. "We get to look RICH tonight!"

Lacey wanted to facepalm, but just glanced at Adam. "Sorry," she mouthed.

He gave a shrug and winked. The action made her heart flutter a little.

"Okay, so. We have rules." Adam pulled into a full parking lot and slid the SUV easily into a spot reserved for season pass holders. Of course he'd have one of those, Lacey mused.

"Rules?" Ariel inquired, but Halen stayed quiet, listening with rapt attention.

Adam switched the SUV off. "Yeah. It's really crowded here, so we need to stay together. You guys stick close and try not to get separated from us as we head up to the suite, okay? Because it'll be hard to find you."

Lacey appreciated his looking out for the twins, and made a mental note to comment to Adam later that he would have done well with younger siblings.

"Okay, we can do that," Halen replied, and Ariel nodded.

"Good. And that's all." Adam opened his door. The twins visibly relaxed, clearly having been expecting more "rules."

True to his prediction, the stadium was packed. All Adam had to do to get them in was flash his season pass, hand over a couple more bucks so quickly Lacey was unable to stop him in time, and lead them in.

Lacey appreciated his gesture, but she really, really wanted him to stop paying for everything. She might not come from a rich family, but she did have a job and wanted to show him she could take care of herself and her sisters. But that was a discussion for later. For now, it was all she could do to stay behind him as they weaved their way through the crowd, commanding the girls to hold hands and then take hers to form a chain.

"I'm not a baby," Ariel mumbled, but did what Lacey said.

Adam finally led them up a set of steps until he reached a door he unlocked with a key he fished out of his pocket. The four of them entered the suite, and Lacey stopped, stunned.

There was a row of cushioned seats positioned in front of a slim counter facing the rink. Behind that, a Quasar TV was mounted on the wall in a sitting area lined with white modern armchairs, a round coffee table positioned in the middle. Behind that, against the far wall, was an open kitchen complete with what looked like a full-service bar. Peppered around the room were a few high table-and-chair sets.

Lacey swallowed hard, feeling instantly intimidated. Suddenly, a man wearing a polite smile and a vest and tie came up to her. "Hi there, miss. What might I get you to drink?"

"U-um…," Lacey stammered, barely able to speak. "... Coke?"

"Right away. And the young ladies there?"

Lacey looked over to see the twins walking the place over slowly, turning circles so they could take in the luxury.

"Woooow," Ariel marveled. "I've never seen a TV that big!"

Adam chuckled. "What kind of drinks do they like?" he prompted Lacey.

"Oh, they… Well, I think…" Lacey struggled to pull her thoughts together. "A Sprite and a… Do you have orange soda?" She felt silly asking the question, but figured surely a place like this would have about every drink she could imagine.

"Yes, we do," the concierge smiled. "Coming right up. And you, sir?" He looked at Adam.

"Just water with lemon," Adam replied calmly. "We'll start there for now. I don't know yet if we-"

Suddenly, everything turned sideways.

The door burst open and in came a whole string of people, mostly guys until Lacey recognized Julie among the small crowd. It was with horror that she realized these must be the Ducks. She'd barely seen them before without their hockey uniforms on.

She looked quickly over at Adam, who appeared just as surprised as she was, his eyebrows raised halfway to the sky. "Wait, what are you guys doing?" he called out as the last team member stepped in, turning back to close the door as an afterthought.

The concierge paused for a moment, clearly stunned himself, but fixed his face very quickly and smiled at Adam. "Ah, yes. The team. Shall I order pizzas?"

Adam stared over at the grinning guys and girls who were either standing close to him, leaning against furniture, or plopping down in seats. "Uh…sure," he replied absently.

"Right away." With that, the concierge disappeared.

Lacey felt eyes on her immediately and looked away, shifting from one foot to the other. Her heart was racing.

"Are you Connie?!" Halen broke the silence by rushing up to the pretty brunette who was standing, somewhat uncomfortably, next to Julie and had given Lacey a sympathetic smile when their eyes met.

"I am," Connie replied in a pleasant voice, turning to regard the young girl.

"You're my hero!" Halen beamed.

Ariel just stared at each team member in reverential awe, speechless for once, but eyes wide.

"What are you guys doing?" Adam finally repeated.

"Well, it's game night," a tall, buff guy wearing a bandana around his head replied, shrugging. "You always bring us up here."

"Yup. We figured you'd wait for us, but," a nice-looking Black guy wearing a denim jacket stared Lacey down, eyes narrowed, "we figured you forgot, given you were bringing a date and all."

Lacey swallowed hard and had to hold herself back from bolting from the room. The last time these people saw her, she was accompanying her Rockets' boyfriend with serious anger issues who had crashed a Halloween party to spray paint and bash in cars. Not exactly her proudest moment.

"It's not a date," Adam answered quickly. "You guys might remember Lacey, and these are her sisters…Ariel and Halen." He seemed to need a second to remember the correct names. "You could always ask, you know, before you just barge in here."

"Oh we knew you wouldn't mind, Banksie," a Latino guy leaned forward from his chair with his chin cupped in his hands. "Your dad doesn't either, does he? I mean, we've never had to ask before."

A few of the guys went over and opened up the fridge to survey the contents, a couple of them pulling out beers.

"Hey, hey! None of that tonight, there are kids!" Adam called out, then looked around at his teammates, taking a deep breath. "If you want to stay, fine. But keep it down. I want to explain some things about the game to Lacey and the girls."

With that, Adam's uninvited guests dispersed into groups around the room, some turning on the TV, others making themselves comfortable in seats to watch the action on the rink. The guys who were raiding the fridge had apparently settled on sodas, and Ariel and Halen were wandering around the suite in heaven, peppering everyone with questions. The Ducks' fame was legendary in Minneapolis, and given the twins' sudden interest in hockey, this was a situation they found as dazzling as Lacey did daunting.

Lacey took a seat numbly next to Adam in front of the plexiglass barrier facing the game. But she couldn't focus on the players moving on the ice. She was too busy tapping each finger into the palm of her hand, counting them. Over and over.

She wouldn't be able to do this. She'd seen some of his teammates' stares. To boot, this place was too nice. Adam was too nice. And here, an iced Coke with a lemon slice was placed in front of her. She had to get out of here, go home. But just as she began to scoot out of her chair, Adam leaned over.

"Lacey, I'm really sorry. I had no idea they were coming. But trust me, they're cool. I mean some of them take a little while to warm up to, but-"

"Adam, I can't. I have to…um…," she could feel her temperature rising toward a hot flash that radiated from her bones outward. "I'm going to the restroom, then we have to leave. I'll call Mom so you don't have to take us home. I'm sorry." She stood up before he could stop her and raced toward the back of the suite, her eyes searching frantically for the restroom she knew must be there somewhere.

"It's in the corner," the girl called Connie, pointed. "Are you okay?"

Lacey nodded and bolted into the restroom, locking the door behind her and sinking to the floor, sobbing.

Why did she say she would do this? The whole thing was just too much. Adam, his extravagant lifestyle, his judging friends who knew her only as Max Shipley's girlfriend, her little sisters who were already becoming too attached to people they barely knew.

Mom might say "I told you so," but she would at least come pick them up. Lacey would thank Adam, promise to reimburse him for the tickets, and she would leave and never talk to him again. She didn't have to. If he tried to stop her or go after her, Lacey knew how to be firm.

A knock at the door made her jump and nearly lunge for the toilet to throw up. "Someone's in here," she forced out weakly.

"I know," she heard a girl's voice reply. A familiar one. "It's Julie. Can I come in? I just want to talk."

"I can't." Lacey shook her head, hiding the hot tears that spilled down her face behind her hands, despite the fact that she was alone.

"Come on. Please?" Julie persisted. "Adam's worried, and honestly, so are a couple of us."

Lacey finally moved from against the door and reached up to turn the lock. As soon as she did, the door opened, and Julie was at once on her knees beside her.

"Okay. The most important thing is, don't pull." The other girl took Lacey's hands soothingly from where she had already pulled her ponytail down and had her fists tightened around two strands. "You know that doesn't solve anything, Do you need your koosh?"

Lacey blinked. "How did you know that was my koosh? I'd told you it was my-"

"Little sister's, I know," Julie smiled ruefully. "But now that I know about the trich, I'm pretty sure I get what that koosh was for."

Lacey groaned, leaning back once more against the wall. "I upset Adam."

Julie shook her head. "Don't worry about Adam right now, he'll bounce back. The important thing is getting this situation diffused for you. Was it the team?" she inquired, trying to catch Lacey's eye.

Lacey nodded. "I know you all think I'm here to spy for Max, but I promise you that's not at all what I'm doing. Adam was persistent about wanting me to come to a game, and I only did it to humor him."

"Hey, I trust you. I know I didn't at first, but," Julie shrugged." Sometimes you've just gotta have a little faith in people. The rest of them will come around, they're just protective because, haven't you heard? Ducks fly together." She leaned over to grab a fistful of toilet paper, handing it to Lacey who used it to dab under her eyes and catch her running makeup.

Lacey smiled a little as she wiped her face. She had, indeed, heard the Ducks' tagline. "I guess they wanted to protect him from big bad Max Shipley's blonde bimbo girlfriend."

Julie sighed, leaning against the opposite wall. It seemed odd suddenly that they were sitting on a bathroom floor, but Lacey was pretty sure this one had been pristinely cleaned after the last use.

"It wasn't that great of us to just barge in here this way. Connie and I knew it, and a couple of the guys. If Charlie would have made it tonight, he'd never have stood for it. But some of our more protective counterparts talked us into just coming up to check on things." Julie shook her head. "Adam hasn't exactly dated a girl before, and I realize you two are only friends, but sometimes he's sheltered and naive. And we don't want him to fall prey to, you know, someone with bad intentions. I saw what you did to try to stop Max from destroying Adam's car, but not everyone did, so I'm afraid you're right. Some of them still see you as the enemy. But it won't last," she added quickly, leaning forward. "Just be who you are. And don't back down."

Lacey gave Julie a small smile. "Thank you for this." She kept wiping at her eyes, pretty sure there couldn't possibly be any eyeliner left. "The thing is, it's not just the team's mistrust, it's also him. He has access to all this…stuff, and I don't think I could ever get used to a friendship with someone this privileged."

"But he's really nice about it all, Lacey. I promise," Julie spoke on Adam's behalf. "And he's concerned about you right now. He's out wondering what he did wrong. All you need to do is just tell him how you feel about all this extra stuff, which is just a lifestyle for him, and he'll rein it in. I think maybe he wants to…," Julie paused as though thinking. "I think he wants to show you he'd like to be a closer friend, but he's not really sure how to go about it. When I helped him understand about the trich thing, he hung on to every word I said and wanted to know how to help you through it. So all this is really just about trying to earn your trust, I think."

"But this doesn't do anything to earn trust. Why do rich people always think that?" Lacey's voice rose slightly, before she realized Julie may be wealthy as well. She knew next to nothing about this girl. But whether or not she was, Julie didn't miss a beat.

"Because that's the way they think."

Lacey shook her head.

"I just wish you'd give it a chance. Give all of us a chance. Please. For Adam." But before Lacey could answer, the door to the spacious restroom opened again, and in came Connie. Lacey tensed up.

"Hi," Connie began carefully, lowering herself to the floor beside Julie. This was becoming a regular Girls' Night, Lacey thought with bemusement.

"I'm sorry about the way everybody was acting back there. Don't let them get to you. They're just trying to protect Adam," Connie reinforced. "Please come back out. I promise they won't give you any trouble this time."

The confident manner in which Connie stated this made Lacey wonder if the girl had given the other team members a lecture before she had joined her and Julie in the restroom. "Besides," she smiled. "Your sisters are having such a good time out there that they haven't even noticed that you're in here. It would be a shame to drag them away now."

Lacey chuckled. "I'm almost afraid to ask what they're up to."

"Oh, the one—Ariel, I think—has been roaming around wearing Mendoza's hat, and the other one's been going around with a cocktail napkin Guy gave her to collect autographs. They're cute kids," she beamed. "Let them have their fun. Oh, and pizza's almost here."

Lacey took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She could try this again, couldn't she?

As they said: for Adam, who had been so kind to her ever since that day in the coffee shop. And for her little sisters.

She pushed herself to her feet. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Yes!" Julie exclaimed, standing up along with Connie. "And believe me. If anybody says anything to you, we'll take care of it."

Lacey smiled warmly. These two girls had been nothing but nice. Trying to ease her pounding heart by assuring it everything was all right—Dr. Hemby had always told her you needed to talk to the anxious part of your brain like you were talking to a child—she pushed her way out the door, only to come face-to-face with Adam.

"Lacey," he let out a breath he must have been holding for several seconds. He gently took her arm and walked with her to a quiet corner of the suite, then whispered, "I'm really sorry. Should I shove everyone out? I know when you get overwhelmed, bad things start to happen."

Wow. He really had been listening to Julie's talk about trich.

"Just tell me what to do and I'll do it," Adam looked into her eyes intently. "I feel really responsible for inviting you to this and it turning out this way."

Something about staring into Adam's eyes while standing this close to him caused Lacey to turn her own eyes away. His were unlike any she'd seen before. They were large, deep-seated pools of intense sensitivity framed by thick lashes. Looking into them this earnestly caused heat to creep into her cheeks and ice to skitter down her spine simultaneously.

"I think your teammates are just trying to protect you," she finally answered. "And it's okay. Really. I just… I've never been in a place this nice, either, and I think it's been a little overwhelming."

Adam hesitated a moment, as if unsure of what to say. "Do you want us to go sit in the stands like everyone else? Because we can do that."

"No," Lacey shook her head. "It's fine. I promise, I'll be okay." She issued a shaky smile. "Let's just keep doing what we were doing. I didn't mean to worry you." And with that, the rest of the evening went smoothly. Before she knew it, Lacey was actually focusing on the hockey game, as Adam had drawn a diagram for her of the various player positions. He explained to her what each was called and what the designated players were responsible for.

"So what number forty-six just did was called a wrist shot. They're not easy, because most of the muscle work comes from your wrist, so your arms have to be strong," Adam explained patiently as Lacey nodded.

"Wait, why did the ref blow the whistle?" she asked at one point, confused.

"Because that guy from the Renegades passed over two lines. Remember how I was telling you that…" But Lacey began to lose focus at that point. Out of the corner of her eye, she found herself studying Adam's features once again, particularly his well-defined Cupid's bow and the way his upturned nose rounded off at the tip. His face definitely quickened her heart, but she chalked it up to being seventeen and able to appreciate a good-looking guy when she saw one, especially one sitting as close as Adam was. She hadn't thought he'd noticed her gaze until he paused his explanations at one juncture and glanced up at her.

"What?" he chuckled shyly, looking quickly back at his diagram.

"Oh, nothing," Lacey quickly improvised. "I was just trying to pay close attention to what you were saying."

This cautioned Lacey to focus, from then on, only on the game. She noticed her sisters were having their own lessons, listening with rapt attention as Guy and Averman were explaining to them how a slapshot really worked, with the player's stick touching the ice beforehand and using the flex on the end of the stick to propel the puck forward.

After the fourth time Adam pointed out to her what game plan the center was probably thinking of when he passed the puck to one of the other forwards, Lacey needed a break and went for pizza. She was at the table trying to decide what kind she wanted when suddenly, the Black guy she'd met earlier, whom she learned was called Jesse, was at her side.

"Don't think we don't know what you're doing," Jesse spoke in a low voice laced with disgust. "I'm onto you." With one last glare, he wandered off.

Lacey swallowed and stared after him for a while before taking a deep breath, counting to four, and letting it out. But Julie had told her to not to back down, and she wouldn't. Standing a little straighter, she turned her attention back to the pizza, taking two slices instead of one and hoping with all her heart that it was that guy's favorite kind.

By the end of the evening, the Vulcans won against the Renegades by only two points, and Lacey felt she couldn't possibly know more about hockey than she knew after Adam's explanations. She couldn't exactly say anyone on the team besides Connie and Julie had warmed up to her, though there had been some team members who were kinder than others. But she had made it through the night, and had proven to everyone that she was Adam's friend whether they liked it or not, and she wasn't going anywhere.

It was a good feeling.

She and her sisters all piled into the Banks' SUV around eleven to go home, and by then the twins were dead on their feet from the excitement, an overload of pizza, and a night spent socializing with a team they considered to be their new friends.

"Did you have fun?" Adam asked them as they drove.

"Yeah," each twin murmured in turn, half asleep in his backseat.

Lacey smiled at him. "Thanks. I had a great time."

"I did too. Even if things started out a little rocky," Adam glanced over at her. "And again, I'm sorry about that."

"Nothing to apologize for," Lacey leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes.

Adam must have been tired too, because he didn't speak much either, as he drove them all back home silently. But of course, when he parked in front of their house, he made to walk with them to the door.

"You don't have to. I know you're tired," Lacey remarked, a twin leaning against her on each side as they walked up the sidewalk.

"Oh, I'm not that tired," Adam replied, strengthening his tone a bit.

"What time do you have practice in the morning?" Lacey asked.

"Six o'clock," Adam chuckled, then yawned. "But no worries, I'll manage."

Stuart met them at the door and took the girls off Lacey's hands, catching her wink before nodding and closing the door again. She wanted to say goodbye to Adam properly.

"Adam…," Lacey began. "I know it's probably too late at night to have this talk, but I just want you to know that I don't need you to pay for me all the time when we go places. I mean, I have my own money, and I'm trying to teach the twins not to expect men to do everything for them."

"You know, honestly, I didn't even think about it," Adam responded, sounding somewhat surprised. "But sure, I don't mean to make any of you uncomfortable. It's just…once again, one of those things I was taught, I guess…"

"And it's really sweet," Lacey smiled at him reassuringly. "I just want you to know I'm good for it. So let me pay sometimes, okay? Maybe even for you one day."

"Sure. I can handle that," he returned the smile, then shifted. "So Homecoming's next Friday you said?"

"It is," Lacey sighed. "My dress is being worked on, and hopefully Max keeps track of the cloth scrap I gave him so he can match his cummerbund."

Adam seemed to stiffen at the mention of Max's name, but Lacey chose to ignore it. "I mean I was voted in for the court last year too, but Homecoming Queen is always a cheerleader. It's fun to have an opportunity to dress up like that, though."

"Yeah? I can appreciate that. I'm not sure why Eden Hall doesn't have Homecoming. I guess because of the Christmas Cotillion and all that. But anyway, go to bed. You're falling asleep out here," he smiled.

Lacey yawned. "You'd think I could at least stay up later than my parents, but sometimes that isn't the case. See that light?" She pointed up to the second floor. "That's my mom's room, and I can guarantee she's still up reading Danielle Steel."

"Oh believe me, I get it," Adam laughed. "And isn't it a miracle how the lady can sell so many books that have almost the exact same plot?"

Suddenly Lacey had an idea, and her eyes sparkled as she turned back to Adam.

"Oh no," he gave a lopsided smile. "What are you thinking?"

"Danielle Steel," Lacey grinned. "Your mom and mine. You need to gather up the books off her table, or on her shelf, whatever…and I'll do the same with my mom. Then we should swap stacks on them and see if they even notice."

"Hey," Adam's response was quick and eager. "That's brilliant."

"Then we gotta do it," Lacey fairly giggled like a kid. "Get them and bring them to me Monday while I'm at work. Then I'll give you my mom's. When mine catches on, and I'd like to see just how long it takes her, she'll never have any idea what happened. She'll blame Stuart first, like she always does."

"Gosh," Adam laughed. "You can really come up with some creative stuff sometimes, huh?"

"Always," Lacey grinned again, then turned toward the door. But she wanted to say one more thing, looking back around. "Thank you. For being so nice to the girls, and taking us all to that game. I don't know if I've ever had an experience like that before, and it was nice to be stretched a bit."

Adam smiled, then shrugged. "Hey, it was the least I could do for what the almost-fight between Max and me did to you." He took a couple steps down the sidewalk. "Okay, so…books on Monday?"

"Books on Monday," Lacey smirked conspiratorially. "Good night."

"Night," Adam returned, walking away,

Something about seeing him go made Lacey sad, because how long could this little friendship—or exchanging of favors, whatever it was—last? But without letting herself go there, she went inside and dropped straight onto her bed without so much as brushing her teeth.

That night, Lacey dreamed about sailing across the ice at the Vulcans rink on a pair of sparkling white skates, feeling happier and freer than she ever had. And when she looked over to see Adam leaning against the rails, she beamed.