Adam Banks hated his life. And then he hated himself for hating his life. He knew he had things and could do things most other kids dreamed of.

Kids like Jesse Hall.

But still, Adam Banks hated his life. His life consisted entirely of making other people happy, of living up to expectations. He liked hockey, and he was good at it, but it was his father who had demanded that he play...and not only that he play, but that he played for the Hawks, continuing the Banks family tradition.

He had to satisfy his father, his coach, and his teammates, doing whatever they told him to whenever they asked. Like picking on the members of District 5.

Adam was a sensitive kid. His father had always tried to get him to "harden up", even though it was this aggressive attitude of his father's that often made him feel more vulnerable and long even more for affection and kindness.

So when he realized that being a part of the Hawks meant harassing District 5, Adam went along with it, but he hated himself for it. He wanted so badly to fit in with his teammates, but he couldn't stand what he was doing. District 5 was known to have the poorest kids in Minnesota. Almost all of them had only one parent and Adam didn't think any of them lived in houses. They all lived in apartment complexes in neighborhoods people he knew wouldn't find themselves caught dead in. Adam, on the other hand, was from Edina. He lived with both his parents and his brother in a spacious house in suburbia. Picking on these kids just felt cruel. Plus, between his father, his coach, and his teammates, Adam knew how it felt to be ridiculed. It disgusted him that he was doing the same thing to someone else.

And as if all of that wasn't bad enough...let's just throw in a crush on a member of District 5. A male member. A male black member.

His father would love that.

But Adam couldn't help it. Between the dark brown eyes, the strong attitude, and a smile he secretly died for, Adam had it bad for Jesse Hall.

Jesse Hall. The unofficial leader of District 5. The team he was forced to degrade at every opportunity.

Yeah. His life sucked.

TBC