Author's Note: I suck. I know. I'm so sorry for not updating, but life has just been so busy! But everything's winding down, so from now until January it should be much easier for me to update. As for this chapter...I don't think it's that great, but it's a necessary chapter. Hopefully the next will be much better. Thanks again so much for reading/reviewing!

When he heard his window open, he immediately shot to it, watching with worried eyes as Adam climbed through. Once he was in the room, Adam looked up and, seeing Jesse standing there, silently grabbed him in a vice-like grip, nearly knocking both of them over in the process.

Terry looked over at the two of them from the other side of the room. From what he had overheard from the phone call earlier, he didn't know exactly what was going on, but he knew his brother was worried about Adam. As he watched Jesse lead Adam to his bed, Terry turned over onto his other side to give them some privacy, his ears still half-listening to their conversation.

Jesse gently led Adam over to his bed where they sat down together. It was only then that Adam was able to lift his head from the security of Jesse's shoulder.

"So what happened?"

Adam took a breath before beginning his tale.

By the time he was done, he was in nearly as much of a frenzy as he had been when he had called Jesse earlier that night.

Jesse rushed to soothe him while also trying to digest everything Adam had just told him.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's gonna be okay. Shhh."

He placed his hands on either side of Adam's face, forcing him to look into his eyes.

The look on Adam's face nearly broke his heart.

"No, it's not! How am I gonna do this every day? I can't! I'm not gonna survive!"

Jesse gave him a sympathetic look and pulled him back to lay on the bed.

"Yes, you will. You're strong; I know you are. You just gotta keep doing what you need to do. You go to your classes, you play hockey, and just remember that at the end of the day, I'm gonna be here."

Adam closed his eyes and nodded, his fears easing slightly. As he drifted into a peaceful sleep, secure in the knowledge that Jesse would be there when he woke up, Jesse did not. He remained awake, thinking about everything Adam had told him.

He was proud that Adam had made varsity, though not totally surprised. Yeah, he was a freshman, but he was good.

He knew it wasn't as good of a circumstance as it would seem on the surface, though.

Adam always wanted to fit in wherever he was; it was a trait he had had even back in his days on the Hawks. It probably even started earlier, knowing how Mr. Banks was with the standards he set for his son. Now, Adam was going to have to try to cope with a new group of people all over again, while being separated from his friends.

And from what Adam had told him about his first day on varsity, Jesse knew there weren't going to be any bonds being formed between Adam and the other varsity players.

After learning he had made varsity, Adam had to go back to his room to gather his stuff. There were dorms specifically designated for the varsity hockey players, so he would have to move.

With a bad feeling in his gut, he slowly got all his stuff together. Guy, who had been his initial roommate, came into their room and helped him get everything packed away.

"Good luck, man. It sucks you won't be with us, but you'll do great."

"Thanks, Guy."

The two of them gathered up Adam's things and brought them to his new room. The one positive was that since he wasn't expected to be on varsity, everyone else on the team already had a roommate, so Adam got a room to himself.

"Well...I'll see you around, man. I'll see you in class."

"Yeah. Thanks again, Guy."

"No problem. See ya."

It wasn't long after Guy had left that the door to Adam's room was banged open and all the members of the varsity entered the room, looking like a red and white preppy version of the mafia.

Riley approached Adam, whose breathing started to pick up instantly.

"Listen, you little chump. You don't have your little cheap band of rejects anymore. We hear you're good...well you better prove it, and you better do exactly what we say...always...or you'll have your ass handed to you on a platter. Do you understand?"

Adam tried his best, but he couldn't find his voice, so he simply nodded mutely, waiting for the varsity players to leave his room before he collapsed onto his bed, gasping for breath.

He immediately ran for the payphone, digging around for change so he could call Jesse.

Jesse looked down at Adam as his mind brought him back to the present. He hoped with all his might that everything for Adam would get better before it got worse, but he knew the world didn't always work that way. He pulled Adam closer, squeezing him tightly, knowing that regardless of what was to come, he'd be here.

He'd always be here.

TBC