ADAM'S POV

Coach is going to kill us. Only last week we were in trouble for the cafeteria incident and he was pretty mad at us then. Wait until he finds out we've all scored detention for running in the hallway.

After we managed to pick ourselves up I couldn't help but sneak a glance at Julie's direction. I wasn't surprised to find she was watching Portman with the same expression I used when I was watching her.

Yes okay I do have a little crush on Julie Gaffney but she's got a major crush on Portman and it wouldn't at all surprise me if Portman liked Julie back. It was just a pity, or miracle – I'm still undecided, that they were both too stubborn to admit it.

"Ouch Cake-Eater you're on my hand!" Goldberg winced and I immediately lifted my foot up.

"Goldie I'm so sorry" I helped him to his feet.

"It's okay Banks, its not like I'm goalie anymore so I don't really need that hand" Goldie joked.

Goldberg had long since gotten over being bumped from 1st goalie to back up. I was glad Orion saw Julie's potential. I'm not just saying this because I like her but she is a much better goalie than Goldberg ever was. I never knew what Bombay was thinking not using Julie during the Goodwill Games but I guess the long and the short of it was, she was a secret weapon and Coach Stansson never had the chance to anticipate how good Julie was if he never saw her play until the last second.

"Banks quit your daydreaming, lets go!" Charlie yelled and I snapped out of it. Why is it that ninety percent of my thoughts are about hockey? Oh well hockey is my life I suppose.

"Coming" I replied taking off after the group.

Connie and Averman slowed down to wait for me, which was nice of them.

I remember when I showed up in the locker room on my first day of being a Duck. Charlie had tried to welcome me, Jesse Hall had stopped him and Averman tried to break the tension by cracking a joke.

Oooo, the Jess-man sizing up the new guy, the Jess-ter SHUT UP AVERMAN!

You know he gets that a lot. I don't mind his jokes so much, he only makes them to get people, namely his friends, out of uncomfortable situations and that's why I think he's a great friend to all of us.

"So what's been happening in your world Banks?" Connie asked me with a smile.

That was the cool thing about Connie, whenever she asked you how you were she always was really interested in how you were.

"Not much, hockey, school, food and sleep" I replied.

"The four main categories" Averman interjected but was slapped in the arm by Connie.

"And then there's you my dove, you have a category all by yourself" Averman tried to cover his mistake.

"That's more like it!" Connie grinned.

I had to laugh, the two were pretty cute together. Oh god I sound like a girl. No wonder people think I'm gay!

"You forgot the sixth, well for this week anyway thanks to Charlie, detention!" I added.

Connie and Averman made matching faces. Wow that was kind of scary.

"Don't remind us!" Averman moaned.

"I'm going to kill Charlie!" Connie complained.

"Who's killing Captain Duck?" Portman turned around interested in the conversation.

"I AM!" Connie replied before she realised who she was talking to and frowned.

"Connie what is your…." Portman began but was cut off by Fulton.

"Come on bro. Not when she's feeling all homicidal" Fulton warned.

Portman accepted the explanation from Fulton and left it alone.

"So what is the problem with Portman anyway?" I asked when the Bash Brothers had skipped ahead.

"He's jerking Julie around and I don't like it" Connie replied.

"Are they together?" I asked surprised.

"No but it doesn't take a genius to see that she likes him. Portman may be a little dumb but he's not that dumb, no one's that dumb" Connie said.

"So what did he do?" I pressed on. As much as it hurt me to hear all of this, it hurt more to see Julie so down and I wanted to help make her happy again.

"The usual, whenever a cheerleader looks in his direction he has to run like some dog on heat. The last one was Carly Keenan, I swear they were about to do each other in the hallway. Julie saw it and ran and she hasn't spoken to him since. I could just kill him sometimes"

"Do you want me to talk to Portman?" I asked hoping like hell she'd say no.

"I don't see what good it would do. He's not going to change and until Julie can take off her rose coloured glasses and see the situation for what it is, she's only gonna keep on being hurt by it" Connie said quietly so that the others couldn't hear her.

I didn't respond to that. Partly because I didn't know what to say and the other part because we'd just arrived at the rink. We peeled off to the locker rooms and suited up in our practice gear.

"Dwayne did you bring your rope?" Charlie asked upon seeing the Varsity leaving the ice. He and I were both aware that they would only hang around to watch us scrimmage and we didn't want them to see any of our new plays. The JV/Varsity showdown was coming up in a few months and we were planning on keeping them to ourselves until then.

"Sure did Charlie" Dwayne broke out into a big grin. He knew what this meant.

"So who's up for some Cowboy Round up?" Charlie asked cheekily.

"ME!" the Ducks chorused rushing out to the ice before Dwayne could swing his lasso.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Rick Riley, the Captain of the Varsity team point in Connie and Averman's direction and say something to Cole, his offsider and possibly the biggest idiot I've ever met in my entire life.

I just hoped they weren't planning to do anything to them. If they mess with one (or two) Duck(s) they'd better be prepared to mess with the whole flock.