Life's Full of Little Surprises
ZELINIA- I must take the time to thank you, so... THANK YOU! Finding out that my first chapter went against the guidelines was slightly upsetting, but I'll survive the heartbreak. Any who, I'm glad you like what is going on so far and I hope you keep enjoying as much as you have been. Dani and Adam are very opposite, but that always makes for an interesting story.
Suzaku24- Thanks for the review. I'm glad that you like where the story is going. I hope I can keep it as enjoyable as it has been so far.
mickEmousina- You seem excited for my updating, this is always a nice thing to know. When you say that you were practically peeing on yourself during the scene with Portman's mom, I sure hope that means you were laughing about it; and I'm sure when it happened to your mom, it was awkward. Please read on and enjoy.
Delibertlee- Wooooo, a new reviewer! Thank you for the review and I hope I can keep this story interesting. It should be interesting to see what happens when the Ducks find out who is; as well as she find out who they are.
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Dean rolled over in his sleep. He was so close to the edge of the bed before he rolled over, that he rolled off... smack dab on Dani. "YEOUCH!" Dani screamed into her pillow, "Loser, get your fat ass off of me!" Dean woke with a snort, mumbled a 'huh', and noticed he was laying on his significantly smaller sister. She was flailing around under him for lack of air, and he finally removed his large mass from her. The scream had awaken their mother, who looked at both of he children with much concern. She asked Dean if he was okay, he was, and turned to Dani, "Don't worry, it was mainly my knees." She was seething, "Until his feet landed on my head." She was trying to rub her back, which Dean promptly took over through is apologies. 'He's dense and irritating, but I have to admit, he a good masseuse.'
"Sorry Dani." He added for the ten thousandth time since he had woken up on her knees.
She nodded sarcastically, "That was painful, but I can forgive you." She told him, "If it affects my skating, I will hunt you down and gut you like a fish. Do they let you do that at Eden Hall?"
"Gut someone like a fish? I doubt it. Why are you asking about Eden Hall, anyway?" He looked as Dani's eyebrows raised and she reminded him that he had school starting in a week. "Oh, right. I forgot. Did they ever find a tutor for the team?" He asked, trying to change the subject from his school.
"Yeah. Coach met her last week and we will meet her when school starts. You know, trying to keep everything level. He told us her name, but I forgot it." Dean mumbled 'per usual' and Dani smacked him. "I'm not good with names, I'm a face person. Now leave me alone."
(--------)
The past week went by fast, too fast for Dean and Dani's liking. Sure, Dean was glad to see his out-of-state friends again, but that also meant that school approach-ith. Dani was glad to hear that the team was getting a new place to practice, but Coach Orion was being awfully secretive about it, and that made her uneasy.
Dean was ecstatic, damn near peppy, to find out that he and Fulton where sharing a dorm room. That meant more nights of listening to music and banging around the room, as long as they didn't wake Dean Buckley, of course. He was sitting in the dorm by the time that Fulton had arrived, his face obscured by a large box.
"Little help would be nice." the voice behind the box said.
"Fulton?" Dean asked, recognizing the voice of his best friend in a New York minute.
"Portman?" Dean helped Fulton put the box on his bed, "Dude, alright. I'm not stuck with a loser this year."
"Aren't all the Ducks supposed to bunk together, like all the other teams in school?"
"Oh, right. Well, I'm glad it's you." Fulton replied. "Could I have a little help with my other stuff?" Dean helped, and before long they were making their way to the auditorium in search of the other Ducks, waiting to listen to another one of Dean Buckley's long-winded, positivity boring speeches about school pride and their futures.
Finding the Ducks was not a hard feat, all of them (minus Julie) were assembled outside the auditorium talking about Adams love life, or lack thereof. Charlie had his arm around his girlfriend, Linda's, waist; as usual he was the most vocal. "I don't see way you can't just pick one, you're probably one of the most crushed guys in school." Linda looked at him, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You're a pig, you know that?" Adam asked, "I don't want a girlfriend, so get...off...of...my...case!" He was trying to make a point that his friend clearly wasn't getting.
"Didn't that girl on the bus say something like that? What was her name again, Banksie?" Charlie had a mischievous look in his eye. Ever since Adam had told the in-state players, and Dean, what happened on the bus, Charlie hadn't let him live it down.
"It was Danielle, and she called you, Terry, and Jesse chauvinist pigs." Linda asked what he did to deserve that, Charlie said he did nothing, "Yeah, right. Like you three weren't looking her up and down?" Linda punched Charlie hard in the shoulder.
"Gettin' beaten up by a girl. Wow, that is really sad." Dean finally decided to get into the conversation.
"Yeah, whatever. Back to Banksie." Charlie retorted, turning back to Adam, "I suggested Julie as a potential girlfriend."
"You did WHAT?" The group (consisting of Adam, Charlie, Dean, Fulton, Linda, Russ, Ken, Luis, Averman, Connie, Guy, Goldberg, Dwayne, and a few of the team members girlfriends) looked around to see Julie walking towards them, looking like a mountain lion that had been woken up to early, followed by Scooter.
"I told him he was a moron." Adam stated plainly to the looks on Julie's and Scooter's face's. Both heaved sighs of relief as the crowd started filing into the auditorium.
Once everyone was in, Dean Buckley rose to speak. He had to tell the students to be quiet FIVE times before loudly threatening to take away all sports privileges and after hours in the computer lab, this shut up the athletes and uber-nerds; then he threatened to push through the uniform policy he had been thinking about for the past few years, needless to say the rest quieted immediately. "Thank you. First off, welcome back to Eden Hall, I am sure this will be quite productive. As I am as sure that you all will support your Mighty Ducks all year." The crowd cheered, minus the remaining members of last years Varsity Ice Hockey team, other then Scooter. The rest was the same as usual; grades, pride, alumni, 'Blah, Blah, Blah! When will this be over?' Dean asked himself as he leaned back in his chair, waiting for the speech to be over.
After what seemed like an eternity Dean Buckley winded down, "Thank you all for your attention ladies and gentlemen," The students started to get up from their seats, "Wait a minute, I'm not finished." The students let out an involuntary groan and made their way back to their seats, "I would like to thank Coach Orion, for giving Eden Hall a wonderful opportunity." Most of the school got their attention span back, "He as made the appropriate plans for Eden Hall to host the U.S Women's Olympic Figure Skating Team, until the Olympics in a few months." Now he had Dean's undivided attention; that meant Dani would be here, this was certainly going to be interesting. "Now, the members will not be in classes with you, as to not interrupt their practice schedule, but I expect nothing more then respect and politeness. These girls..." Orion interrupted him by whispering 'young ladies' so that everyone could hear, "Young ladies, have worked very hard to get where they are. And they are representing the United States, you should at least be able to represent Eden Hall properly." The student body was now all ears, that hadn't happened in a while, "They will be staying in select dorm, and will be using our skating facility..." There was a loud 'WHAT' from last years Varsity members, except Scooter, who thought this year was going to be amazing. "And I have been assured that it will not interfere with Hockey. Dinner will be served at six, I will see you all then."
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The first week of school went as it would normally. On the first day, nobody gave any homework, except those teachers that would be hard and strict. Fulton's first day, however, was much more interesting then he let on. He had almost every class with Dean, and all classes with at least three members of the Ducks. By the time lunch came around he went outside for some fresh air and freedom from the tension of first-day blues. He had eaten a big breakfast so he wasn't hungry, so not eating lunch gave him the outside to himself, or so he thought. He was walking near the Ice Rink, by one of the alleys that separated the it from the main school, and he heard his name being called, "FULTON!" The voice was a female's, it was very familiar, but he couldn't put a name with it. He turned to see a very pretty red head wearing a red, white, and blue wind-breaker running down the alley towards him. He knew her face, but he still couldn't remember her name, "What are you... Do you go to school here?" The red head asked, he merely looked around confused, "You don't remember me do you?" She asked with an amused look on her face.
"To be honest, not really no." He was getting red in the face.
"Well, I have changed. For one, I used to be taller then you." She laughed and unzipped her wind-breaker, revealing a green jersey with a duck on the front. He hadn't had time to process this, when the girl turned around and pulled the wind-breaker to her elbows, showing the name "DUNCAN", then it hit him.
"TAMMY!" She laughed and nodded. 'How stupid could I be? I had a crush on her from the I first met her! No scratch that, from the time I first SAW her!' He had met Tammy when he joined the Ducks in the sixth grade, but he first saw her on his first day of second grade, and those feelings where starting to rush back to him.
"So, what are you doing here, at Prepsville, USA?" She joked and smiled. 'She is really hot when she smiles like that. FULTON, get a grip man, there was never anything between you and her.'
"The Ducks got scholarships after we won the Junior Goodwill Games." He was embarrassed to tell her, a former D-5 Ducks member, this bit of information.
"Oh yeah, I heard about that. Congrats Bash Brother." He noticed that his title as a Bash Brother sounded better then ever when she said it, he mentally kicked himself and, yet again, told himself to get a grip.
"So what about you?" He wanted to stop thinking about Tammy calling him a Bash Brother, so he did the only thing he could think of, change the subject.
"I'm here with the U.S Olympic Women's Figure Skating Team." He was shocked, and happier then ever, to hear this.
"You made it to the Olympics. Wow, that's impressive." He couldn't help but notice that her blushless cheeks were turning a pinkish-red, she was blushing. He looked at his watch and back to Tammy, "I had better get going, class and all." She agreed and watched him turn away.
'Oh, come on Duncan. Swallow your pride and do something spontaneous!'. "Fulton!" She called out, he turned and she ran up to him, 'Do this before you come to you senses and change your mind.' She told herself. At that point she did something very un-Tammy, she put her hand on the back of his neck, pulled him down to her level, and kissed him. She actually KISSED him, the very thing she had wanted to do since he had joined the Ducks. She was very surprised at herself, he seemed surprised as well; but neither was going to stop. That was until...
"HOT DAMN!" A voice called from the opposite side of the alley. They looked around to see a pretty brunette clutching her mouth with her hands, she moved them, "SORRY, don't mind me, I was never here, continue." She was in the verge of walking back into the rink, but Tammy stopped her.
"DANI, come here." Dani walked up to the pair, looking rather embarrassed. "Fulton, this is Danielle Portman. Dani, this is..."
"Fulton Reed." She finished. Tammy looked confused, "He's my brother's best friend. Dean was a part of the USA Ducks."
"You're Portman's sister?" Fulton asked.
"Danielle Portman; but, please, call me Dani." She held out her hand and Fulton shook it, "Now, there was a reason I came out here. Oh, right. Coach wants to talk to the team and he wanted me to see if you were finished. But I seem to have interrupted something important, I'll be back later."
"DANI. I'll see you some other time. I have to go." She shook Fulton's hand, but Dani put a hand on the back of their necks and pushed them together, thinking 'What the hell?" and then pushed them apart.
"We good now? We're good." She stated before walking back down the alley.
"Bye Fulton." Tammy said and she ran to meet Dani before she got to the door. As the two disappeared in the door, he punched his fist in the air and walked back to the main building, all smiles.
(-------)
"Will the hockey teams please report to the Mess Hall. Repeat, will the hockey teams please report to the Mess Hall. Thank you." The voice of the school's secretary sounded over the P.A system on the first Friday of school. Dean looked around his third class of the day. Fulton, Connie, Guy, and Dwayne looked at him and each other with shocked, yet ecstatic, looks on their faces. If you are going to be pulled out of class, then Exercise Physiology was the one to be pulled out of.
The five gathered their things and left the room. They met up with the rest of the team in the Mess Hall. Adam noticed something weird about Fulton when he entered the Hall, "What are you so smiley about?" He asked.
"He's been like that all week, even smiling in his sleep. It's starting to get really annoying." Dean answered.
But Fulton had a different answer, "We just got out of Exercise Physiology, I have every reason to smile." This was true, but it was not the reason he was smiling. He was smiling because he still had Tammy on his mind, and he was the only one who knew she was there. But their conversation was broken by the arrival of Coach Wilson (the varsity coach, who was walking with Rick Riley, the former Varsity captain, who was visiting on his first day off of collage), Coach Orion, the Varsity members that Wilson coached after flat-out refusing to coach the Ducks, and Dean Buckley.
"I know you all have questions, but let me talk while we walk." Dean Buckley said, passing them. He walked out of the Mess Hall, towards the front door. "I know that some of you have objections to the U.S Figure Skating Team using our facilities."
"Damn Straight!" Biff Cole, a varsity enforcer, exclaimed, Rick Reily gave him a praising look. Dean had given him a look of annoyance, and the fact that Dean put him through plate-glass last year shut him up.
"Well, I think you ought to meet the girls... I mean 'young ladies'." Coach Orion gave Dean Buckley a look that made him change his sentence. "They are very sweet and promise to have the ice Zamboni-ed off by the time you gentlemen..."
"And ladies." Julie added.
"And ladies have to practice." Dean hid a snort, not just because Julie corrected Buckley. Sweet and Dani didn't really mix, she was just like him, but she could hide it when necessary. He had the subtleness of an elephant in a china/glass shop. Dani could be the same, but could also be the mouse that scares the elephant in the china/glass shop.
They reached the ice rink a few moments later. When the group walked in, all they saw was a man doing a few spins on the ice. Then Orion called out, "Eric!" and the man stopped. They reached the edge of the ice and stepped onto in, with caution and holding onto the wall. They soon decided to get back off.
"Everyone, this is my brother, Eric Orion. He is the coach for the U.S Olympic Figure Skating Team." Coach Orion said, the varsity laughed lightly.
"Let me guess, you think Figure Skating is a pansy sport that anyone can do, with little or no practice?" He and Kenny had the same look on their face's; it clearly stated that these morons didn't know the first thing about the difficulty of figure skating, and Dean had to agree.
"Well, yeah." Cole stated dumbly.
"Really?" Eric Orion looked as though contemplating what to do, "PORTMAN, get out here!" He screamed, low rumblings started around Dean at the sound of 'Portman'. Dani skated up behind her coach.
"Yes Coach?" She sounded quite confused as to why he had addressed her, she hadn't done anything wrong.
"Lap around the rink, end in a Triple Axle, land on one blade, and don't mess it up." Dani's eyes widened.
"Okay." She was still confused, but Dean highlighted on it.
"Coach, your asking the wrong girl, Dani can't land a Triple." He looked at her shocked face, "I have $50 on that she can't land it before the Olympics." Dani smacked him on the head as hard as possible, then she started her lap. She was the fastest on the team, so it took no time at all, until she had to do the Triple Axle. She jumped up and prepared to land it, that was the best way to land a move, in her opinion; also remembering Dean's advice about her little over-rotating problem when it came to Axles. She spun in the air once, twice, three times and landed gracefully on one skate.
Shocked as she was, she skated back to her coach who said something along the lines of 'Thank you for helping me prove my point.' and she held out her hand in front of Dean, "I do believe that is 50 for me."
"Now, see, that's all you needed to land the Triple." Dean said as if he knew what would happen, he handed her $50 in 10's and 5's.
"Yeah, whatever. I have a question, what is with the 'Penalty Box Stripping' stories I keep hearing?" The Ducks laughed, "I mean, I know that you put this ape..." She pointed to Cole, "Through plate-glass, and got called on something, but if I were mom, you'd be dead."
"Mom isn't going to find out Dani." Dean said in a commanding voice, but Dani knew it as pleading.
"If she doesn't hear it from someone around this place. A lot of people keep bringing it up." Dean looked ready to plow his head into the glass. She looked at his team, "Well, aren't you going to introduce me?"
"Oh right." He told her the names of his teammates; it was clear that Charlie Conway didn't recognize her, but Adam Banks did, and she recognized him, as cute as he was on the bus a month ago, but wide-eyed that she was related to Dean. Then Dean told them her name, "She is my little sister."
"Twin sister. A minute and a half means nothing." Then Dean Buckley introduced the Varsity, Coach Wilson, and Rick Riley. Dani instantly hated them all, except Scooter Vanderbilt, he was nice. Then she noticed something, "Scooter?" He looked at her, "I just have to..." she stopped talking as she grabbed his upper arms and moved him from the Varsity to next to the Ducks, as far as she could get him from his team. "Sorry, I have a weird thing about flow." This, of course, was a complete lie. Dani didn't give a rats rear end about flow, but she moved Scooter for a reason.
"HEY SPAZWAY!" A voice called across the ice, "Quack at any principles lately?" Tommy Duncan was skating up to his former teammates. The D-5 Ducks laughed, recognizing him and yelling out 'TOMMY', leaving the others confused. Dani gave him a look and he got into a story about sixth grade and quacking at the principle.
"It was sixth grade." Charlie said defensively. The Ducks greeted him as Tammy skated up to her brother.
Dani gave a look to her and Fulton that said 'Not saying a thing', and got into the chatter. She was thinking about the irony of her situation. Tammy and Tommy had been members of the D-5 Ducks, Tammy had something going on with Fulton, her brothers best friend and teammate, her coach was her brother's coaches brother, she thought Adam was really cute, and they all were weirdly connected in one way. It seemed Gia was the only one that didn't know anything about the Ducks, except that they went to the Junior Goodwill Games. When she skated up, Dani did the introductions. But after those, her coach explained that the girls had to practice. Everyone left, and Dani was going to be sure to mention to Scooter the reason she moved him, just not now.