Author's Note:Thanks for all of the reviews of this story :-) I realize I may not receive any reviews for the revision, but it is rather nice that people have checked this fiction out over 300 times since I posted the revised Chapter One. Happy reading!
Chapter 3: Varsity Bullies
The next morning when Kelsey awoke, she thought about what had happened the night before. She groaned as she recalled the blushing episode as Dean had left. Thankfully, he hadn't noticed the pink pigment that had crept into her cheeks, but Kelsey felt rather stupid over it. By now she was so used to boys, or so she thought, that she rarely blushed around them. Perhaps she just felt special over the fact that he had acted so nicely towards her the night before.
" Kelsey!" Caleb called from downstairs. "Hurry up, or you'll be late for school!"
Kelsey reluctantly got out of her warm bed and ran into the bathroom across the hall to take a quick shower. After wrapping her plush robe around her, she walked back into her bedroom to start of the hard task of deciding what to wear. After browsing through her small walk-in closet numerous times, she settled on another pair of black slacks, a black camisole, and a red three quarters sleeve cardigan. She decided that perhaps she would wear a little make up today, figuring it would not be such a bad idea to look girly for once. Though she loved to dress up, she had decided to stop being a girly girl in order to keep her previous hockey teammates from dismissing her skills. With the ultra feminine Connie Moreau on the Ducks team, Kelsey felt safe removing some of the "just one of the boys" facade she was so used to. She applied her mascara and put some lip-gloss on before grabbing a pair of black flats from her closet, then ran down the stairs, her damp blond hair swishing back and forth in the ponytail it was pulled in to.
" It's hard to imagine that your mother was a model." Caleb chuckled as he handed her some money when she reached the bottom of the stairs.
" Well, I could go back up-stairs and change into my sequined dress." Kelsey started back up the stairs.
" Maybe for prom. Right now, you have to get to school, or you'll be late." Caleb laughed.
" I love you, dad. I'll see you when-ever." Kelsey said, acknowledging to her father that she had no idea of how long his job assignment would last this time. She bent down and kissed her father on the cheek.
" I love you, too. I'll see you tomorrow."
Kelsey threw her flats into her bag, and grabbed her roller-blades. She buckled them up and cautiously walked down the steps. After putting on a pair of oversize sunglasses to ward off the bright morning sun, she skated off towards school. She was enjoying the gentle breeze blowing around her and having nothing to worry about, when a voice broke her out of her thoughts.
" Hey, Kelsey, wait up!" came Charlie's voice from an alley to her right.
" Hello, Charlie. What are you doing here?" Kelsey asked as she stopped skating towards school and skated over toward the alley.
" Waiting for Fulton. He's too busy practicing to," Charlie yell as he cupped his hands around his mouth, "Hurry!"
" Alright, I'm coming. Jeez." Fulton mumbled, picking up his practice puck and moving over to the pair.
The three of them skated the rest of the way to school, and found the rest of the team sitting on the grass in front of the building. Kelsey took of her blades and socks, replacing them with her simple black flats.
" So, are we going to the movies on Friday?" Julie asked the group.
" I guess." Charlie replied, pulling his sneakers on.
" Which one are we seeing?" Les asked, for once not joking around with his friends.
" I hope we see Scream 4, 'cause I wanna get some action." Goldberg said, causing them to all snicker.
" Your chance of getting action is about as good as Dwayne becoming sharp." Adam laughed.
"What do ya mean?" the aforementioned young man asked with a bewildered look.
Everyone burst into laughter, not being able to hold it in for much longer. The group continued to laugh until a gang of boys came over their way, causing the Ducks to stop laughing. Kelsey wasn't sure of what was going on, but decided it would be best to follow suit.
" So, who's the new duckling?" asked Trevor Riley*, as he leveled with the teenagers who had previously been relaxing on the lawn.
" Her name is Kelsey, and she isn't a duckling." Charlie defended.
" Conway, your petty remarks are useless." Riley sneered.
" Sounds like someone wants the new chick." Cole added stupidly.
" My name isn't chick, and I hate being called that." Kelsey said hotly, not being able to keep her temper in check. She was not in the mood for boneheaded jocks to pick on her or have her new friends fight her battles.
" Well, this one has a temper to match her looks." Riley said.
" Better back down." Fulton glared as he stood up, his fist curled at his side.
" Bash Brother on the prowl, huh?" Riley laughed. " Baby, you could do so much better than these losers."
" Listen here, creep. I am so sorry to report this, but I don't date jerks." Kelsey fired back, not giving the rest of the Ducks a chance to join the argument.
" You should watch yourself, duckling. You might not be so lucky." Riley threatened as he saw Dean Buckley walk by.
The group strutted off, leaving the group in peace.
" Who were those creeps?" Kelsey asked when their tormentors were out of earshot.
" That was Riley and Cole." Charlie replied dully. "And, I guess those were some guys trying out for the Warriors."
" Riley is the little brother of our dear friend, Rick Riley, who graduated two years ago. And, Cole is just a moron who can't graduate. Their daddies donate thousands of dollars to the school, which makes them think they're so much better than us." Julie added as she rolled her eyes.
" Yeah, they are always picking on us." Kenny said, frowning.
The bell rang, signaling for them to go to their lockers. They all reluctantly picked up their belongings and trudged into the building. Kelsey opened up her locker, smiling briefly at how neatly arranged it was. She carefully removed her biology book and gym clothes, placing them into her bag before heading to class.
"Today, we will be learning what type of instruments you use to dissect animals and insects with." Mrs. Needlemire droned after taking the roll. "So, now you will copy down these words, write their correct definition, and the pronunciation for every single one of them. You must also choose and write a report on one of them. I'm off to the office. If I hear a peep from this classroom, you will be dealt with."
She walked out of the room, much to the delight of her captive audience.
A note landed in the middle of the table that Kelsey was sharing with Julie.
" Open it." Julie mouthed, not daring to actually say the words until the Needlemeister was truly out of earshot.
Kelsey opened the note, taking in the fact that the words were scrawled haphazardly across the lined paper.
Who do you have next?
" It must be from Portman." Julie supplied in a whisper as the rest of their classmates begin whispering to one another or exchanging notes.
" Yeah." Kelsey whispered back as she picked her pencil back up.
I have Gym. Why? Kelsey wrote out in a neat cursive.
" How can you write like that?" Julie asked in a whisper, marveling at the beautiful loops that the writing contained. "I can't ever get my writing to look that nice."
" I don't know. It's just how I write." Kelsey replied offhandedly as she folded the note back up.
She aimed the paper to the table where Fulton and Portman were sitting and threw it. She watched him read it before he scribbled down the answer, then he threw it back.
Cool, I have gym next, too.
Kelsey wrote down another question, Who teaches Gym?, before throwing the paper back to him. Since Advanced Physical Education was not a homework orientated class, Kelsey hadn't bothered meeting the teacher during her ruined lunch break the day before.
" I hope the Needlemeister doesn't come back any time soon." Julie whispered as she continued fervently writing out definitions.
" Me too." Kelsey whispered back, taking note that she was barely even finished with the assignment.
The note flopped down on her desk as she made a mental note to finish the assignment for homework.
Mrs. Arlington. She's OK.
What do you mean 'OK'?
Kelsey threw the note back. Just as it landed on his table, Mrs. Needlemire came into the room, causing the students to all act as if they had been feverishly doing their assignment.
" Class is dismissed," she droned, ignoring the audible sigh the entire class gave as the sound of chairs scraping against the floor was met with the sound of the bell ringing.
" I meant that she is nice, but she is too jittery." Portman said from behind Kelsey as they exited the classroom.
This caused Kelsey to jump, with a small gasp escaping her lips, dropping all of her books to the floor.
" Sorry." Portman said. " I didn't mean to scare ya."
" It's OK." Kelsey bent down to pick up her books, but Portman beat her to it.
" Here," he said as he handed her the books, and taking her arm to move her out of the stampede that was trying to exit the boring teacher's presence.
" Thanks." she felt her face burn. 'I'm blushing again.' she thought miserably.
She walked with him to their next class, barely listening to the words he was saying. She managed to nod in all of the right places, keeping him satisfied as they entered the large gymnasium. Noticing that the girl waving at them was Connie, they sidled over to young woman and were soon joined by Goldberg.
" At least we have friends." Kelsey quipped as she watched more students pour into the room.
The others nodded their agreement as the teacher came into the Warrior decorated gymnasium.
" Good morning, everyone!" Mrs. Arlington chirped as she greeted the teenagers. " Get changed into your gym clothes and meet me right here in ten minutes."
The girls parted ways with the boys and made quick work of getting out of their clothes and getting into their work out clothes. After Connie finished primping in the mirror, the pair headed back out to join the others who had finished getting dressed.
" Okay, class. Today, we are going to run 30 laps." Mrs. Arlington said enthusiastically as the stragglers came out of the locker room.
"30? I can barely run 15." Goldberg complained under his breath as he began to trot after the rest of the students.
Kelsey mentally agreed with him, finally realizing why this had been called an Advanced Physical Education course on her schedule. Between hockey and this class, she was going to be in the best shape of her life.
By the time class was over, everyone, even Goldberg had finished. They had ten minutes left of class, so Mrs. Arlington allowed them to talk after they had all finished showering and getting back into their school clothes.
" So, Guy and I have thought of what movie to see." Connie said brightly as they regrouped in the bleachers.
" What?" Kelsey asked, pulling her cardigan back over the camisole.
" Well since we went to see a 'chick flick' last time, Guy thought that we should go and see " The Scorpion King"." Connie replied.
" Yeah, I can probably get me a girl by Friday, so I won't even have to watch it." Goldberg said excitedly as he finally joined them on the bleachers.
" I'm sure you could." Kelsey said while rolling her eyes. She may have not known Goldberg for long, but she was pretty sure his skills were not as great as he thought they were.
" So, how's your stepmom?" Goldberg asked, changing the subject before being submitted to more teasing.
" Why do you want to know?" Kelsey gently enquired.
" I just wanted to know." Goldberg defended, shrugging his shoulders.
" I don't know. She left for New York last night, and I haven't talked to her since shortly after practice yesterday." Kelsey answered, not wanting to really continue this conversation.
Thankfully the bell rang at that moment, effectively ending the conversation. The grabbed their bags and headed off to their third period classes. Kelsey did not have her Anatomy class with any of the other team members, but she did have AP Algebra with Ken. However, both of the advanced classes were filled with mostly lecture, so Kelsey had no time to converse with anyone, regardless. After the bell rang to signal the start of the lunch period, Kelsey darted off to her locker to put her things up.
"Ready for lunch?" Connie asked as the two met up outside of the cafeteria doors.
Kelsey walked into the highly segregated cafeteria, and gave a sigh. Connie took notice of the rest of the Ducks standing in the lunch line, so the two joined them.
" So, since I'm officially on the team, I can sit with you guys now, right?" Kelsey asked Charlie as she took her place behind him in line.
" Yeah. We sit…"
" I already know." Kelsey cut him off, not wanting another lesson of the seating of the cliques.
She still found it entirely ridiculous that people were so immature that they could not all be friends. Her previous schools may have had cliques, but it was not to this degree. She thought it was depressing that people only associated with like minded individuals.
" Move out of the way, Ducks." Riley growled as he shouldered his way past the majority of the team.
" Hey, you can't skip!" Kelsey said, having a feeling of deja vu. " We were here first!"
" As if I cared. Now move." Riley glared.
" No, I was here first, so you move!" Kelsey raised her voice, getting the attention of the students sitting at nearby tables.
" I said move." Riley growled.
" No." Kelsey said stubbornly, causing the rest of the Ducks to glance anxiously between the two arguing teens.
She could not understand why no one else had put him in his place; the rest of the team had been attending the school for two years now.
" I would move if I was you." Averman meekly supplied, keeping his eyes toward the floor.
" I am not moving." Kelsey repeated defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest.
" Then, I'll move you myself." Riley asserted, as he narrowed his eyes.
He followed through with his threat, picking Kelsey up off of the floor and pushing her into the wall. He smirked as he gave an extra push before walking by.
" Ouch." Averman mumbled as he winced.
" What happened?" Dwayne asked, just arriving to the line.
" Are you okay?" Charlie asked, a look of concern upon his face.
" My arm hurts." Kelsey mumbled as she rubbed her elbow.
The extra push Riley had given her had caused her elbow to jerk and bounce into the stone wall behind her. It was taking all she had to not scream from the pain shooting up her arm.
" We'll take her to the Nurse's office." Fulton said as Portman nodded.
The pair had just arrived to the cafeteria in time to witness the event. The Bash Brothers had not communicated it yet, but both were not only mad at the brute that was pushing the smaller girl around, but also with the entire team for not at least stepping in to stop him. Both guys sported intense glares, with Portman flexing the fingers on his right hand aggressively.
" That would be a good idea." Julie agreed, not wanting anymore trouble to be started on school time.
" Just in case the goons show up." Charlie added, wanting the situation to cool down before things escalated.
Kelsey cradled her left arm as the Bash Brothers escorted her out of the cafeteria and down to the nurse's office.
" Well, it's not broken." Nurse Lansing said, after examining Kelsey's arm for barely two minutes. "But, you should go to the hospital to make sure. You could possibly have a hairline fracture."
" All right." Kelsey said, not being a newbie to injuries.
The pain had started to abate, luring the teen into believing the nurse was right. The nurse gave Kelsey a sling to keep her arm in for the rest of the day, since the blond had insisted on finishing the school day out. Kelsey slowly walked out of the office, hoping the guys had cooled off in her absence.
" I guess it isn't broken?" Portman said hopefully, getting up from the spot on the floor he had been occupying.
His mood had not improved at all as he had conversed with Fulton his desire to give Riley a taste of his own medicine, along with giving the rest of the team a crash course in looking out for each other. Specifically, looking after the girls. Portman may have sported some chauvinistic word choices, but he would never stand by and let a guy physically harm a female.
" No, but I have to go to the doctor after school." Kelsey frowned.
" What's wrong? Don't like doctors?" Fulton asked as he, too, got up.
" No, it's just that I don't know my way around this place and my dad is at work, so I don't have a way to the hospital." Kelsey explained, a frown still imprinted upon her face.
" Well, I could take ya." Portman offered. " I mean, we'd have to take the bus..."
" Well, I suppose." Kelsey said as he trailed off. " Are you sure you know the way?"
" It couldn't be that hard to figure out." he said with a smirk. " I do live in Chicago."
Kelsey conceded. " Alright, then. Thanks, guys."
" Oh, it wasn't a problem." Fulton replied. " Really, you saved us from losing our scholarships."
" Yeah, Riley is toast as soon as I catch him off campus." Portman said with a somber look.
The bell rang, so the trio let the subject drop as they headed to their classes.
Kelsey sat in the doctor's office waiting for him to get the results of the X-Rays of her arm back from the radiologist. She had been given a small dose of pain medication when she had reached the office, which had put her in a slightly more pleasant mood. As soon as the first class after lunch had finished, she had went back to the nurse's office for aspirin because the pain in her arm had intensified, and she was fearing the worse.
" So, do you think you'll still be going with us to the movies Friday." Portman questioned as he sat in a chair by the examination table.
He had quickly navigated them to the hospital by the bus, grinding his teeth each time Kelsey had given a whimper. For her part, she had tried to play off the fact that her arm was causing her excruciating pain, but gave up the facade as they had sat on the bus. She just did not feel like causing the young man to lose his scholarship due to her being stubborn.
" I haven't completely decided. It really depends on how things turn out here." Kelsey answered. " Just how long do these quacks need to see if my stupid arm is broke?"
" It could be a few minutes, babe." Portman reassured, hoping he was right.
Kelsey glared at him, but refrained from saying anything as the door opened.
The doctor came through the door, looking over the chart he was holding. " Well, Ms. Paris, I'm afraid to say that your arm is slightly fractured. I find it miraculous that you haven't completely fractured the bone due to the inept nurse at your school not putting a splint on your arm, and I am dismayed that she even let you stay at school." he tutted as he began pulling out the materials necessary for a cast. " I have called Eden Hall Academy to inform them of this lack of response, so hopefully we can prevent this in the future. You're a remarkable young lady for dealing with the pain for so long."
" How long do I have to wear the cast?" Kelsey questioned with a slight whine in her voice.
A nurse came into the room, and began helping the doctor.
" I am going to say at least five to six weeks. Maybe a little longer, but we will keep a firm eye on things." he assured. " Do you have a color preference, Ms. Paris?"
Half an hour later, Kelsey was sleeping on the bus, her head rested against Portman's shoulder. Her cast covered arm, which was blue to match her eyes, was tucked securely into the sling. The doctor had insisted on giving her another dose of medicine before leaving, though Kelsey tried to reassure him that her arm was not causing her much pain. No sooner had they caught the bus and settled into seats, the girl was out like a light. Portman had a complacent smile on his face, enjoying all of the wistful looks he was getting from the guys who would get on the bus that were around their age. He was a little bit saddened that her hair was pulled back into a ponytail because he had the urge to run his fingers through her silky hair.
Much sooner than he had wanted, the stop close to her apartment came, so he nudged her awake long enough to get her off the bus.
" Where are we?" she asked groggily, as she patted her side. " Wait! Where's my bag?"
Noticing the note of panic in her voice, Portman put a calming hand on her uninjured shoulder. " Hey, it's cool. I've got it right here."
He patted the bag as it hung from his right shoulder.
She sighed gratefully, before closing her eyes. " I'm so tired." she murmured, starting to sway on the spot.
Portman steadied her, before picking her gently off of her feet. " Don't worry, you're knight in shining armor will get you back to the castle safe and sound."
Kelsey laughed lightly, her thoughts too muddled for her to sarcastically retort. She nuzzled her face against his hard chest and drifted off to a light sleep as he started walking.
Portman carried her back to the apartment within minutes, and placed her onto her feet on the stoop. " Princess, you need to tell me where your keys are."
He kept his hands securely around her waist, not wanting her to topple over and further injure herself.
" Pocket." she mumbled, not even opening her eyes.
Portman rolled his eyes as he opened the flap of her bag with one hand, noticing a small zippered pocket on the inside. He quickly pulled the keys out, making sure he kept one hand wrapped around her right arm. He gently pulled her over to the door, and held her against it as he unlocked it. After placing her keys back into her bag, he scooped her up again and opened the door. He quickly placed her onto the white couch, being careful to place her on her uninjured side. The young man then removed her shoes, placing them at the end of the couch, before dropping her bag next to it.
Kelsey continued sleeping, not even stirring when he grabbed a throw blanket from the closet in the hall upstairs that he carefully placed over her curled up body.
" Hey," he whispered into her ear, " if you need anything just give me a call at the dorm."
He had carefully written the number down on a conveniently placed notepad. He really did not want to leave her, but had a massive mountain of homework to do. And a little pow-wow to attend to with his coward buddies.
"Mmhmm." she mumbled in return.
Portman resisted the urge to kiss her on the forehead and made his exit, puzzled by the sudden change in his feelings.
Later that evening, Kelsey was sitting on her couch talking to Julie on the phone. She had the receiver tucked between her right shoulder and her chin as she used her right hand to push the channel changer on the remote control.
" So how's your arm?" the goalie asked, grateful for the break in her homework.
" It's broken. I'm stuck wearing a cast for the next six weeks."
" Man, that sucks. But, at least the season still doesn't officially start until November."
" Yeah, but think of all the practices I have to miss." Kelsey groaned. " I'll be benched for sure."
" Coach Orion is pretty understanding."
" I suppose." Kelsey mumbled sadly.
" Look on the bright side. Now someone will have to carry your books." Julie quipped, trying to get the other girl to cheer up.
"Oh, really?" Kelsey asked with a smirk. She had always seen guys carrying books around for girls in her previous schools, but since she hadn't had a boyfriend since she was in Norway, she had never given it a thought.
She quit changing the channels as she landed on one showing Pretty Woman. She kept the volume turned down low in order to keep up with her conversation with Julie.
" I bet Goldberg would, if ya promised to go to the movies with him."
" I'll pass. Maybe I can get Luis."
" You'll be late for class. He always flirts between classes." the other girl replied.
" Yeah. Well, maybe I can get Charlie to."
" Linda is always hanging around him before class."
" Well, Fulton and Dwayne are out of the question." Kelsey said.
Dwayne was a sweetheart, but Kelsey just did not want to take advantage of his kindness. He would feel compelled to do everything for her, and she didn't want him to be late for his classes because of his kindness. Fulton would just feel too awkward, and Kelsey did not feel right asking him to give up being comfortable around her just for that.
" What about Averman?"
" Never ask me that again!"
The girls laughed for a few minutes before continuing with the conversation.
" Well, ya could ask Portman."
" I doubt he would." Kelsey said, knowing she was completely wrong about that.
She was confused enough as it was, without having him constantly helping her out. Even though they had just met each other again for the first time in years, everything seemed to be falling comfortably back into place. Well, except for this infatuation she was currently feeling for him. She had never really been into the stereotypical bad boy, but then again, she also knew Dean Portman wasn't the stereotypical bad boy.
" Well, it's him, Kenny, or Russ." Julie counted off.
" I'll figure it out tomorrow. Did you get finished with the biology assignment?" Kelsey asked, wanting very much to change the subject.
" Yes. Did you?"
" I can't, honestly. I'm not ambidextrous, so it's impossible to do."
" Oh, the Needlemeister is going to flip." Julie sighed. " I could do it for you."
" Thanks for the offer, Julie, but I really don't want to make you take up the slack for the both of us."
Julie frowned, but decided to not admonish the injured girl over the phone. " Is anyone home with you?"
" No, but I'm fine, really. Listen I got to go. I'm still pretty tired, and I just want this day to be over with. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
" Later."
" Bye."
Kelsey hung up the phone, and turned the volume up on the television. After the movie was over, she managed to microwave the dinner her dad had prepared for her before leaving for his assignment. After silently eating her meal, she decided to take a shower before going to bed. After carefully taking the longest shower in her life due to having her left arm hanging uselessly at her side in a specially designed plastic sleeve, she got into her pajamas and took a couple of aspirin. After watching her alarm clock tell time until nine o'clock, she began drifting off. The stresses of the past few days and the misery she had been subjected to caused the teenager to have a fitful night of sleep.
" Kelsey, honey, I have to tell you something." her father said early one morning.
" Is mommy coming home early?" Kelsey asked in her innocent 4-year- old voice.
" Kelsey, mommy was hurt in an accident, so we have to go to the hospital."
" But what about the Halloween party?" Kelsey whimpered, not fully understanding what was going on.
" We'll have a party after mommy gets better, sweetie." Caleb replied, hoping that he was right about this. " Why don't we go to see mommy at the hospital?"
So, they drove to the hospital.
" Hi, baby." her mom whispered from the bed.
" Why were you huwt?" Kelsey asked, tears glistening on her pink cheeks.
" Mommy was in an accident. Kels, before I go to sleep, I want you to know that I'll always love you."
"I love you too, mommy."
The next sequence in her dream brought her to a few days after the accident.
" When's my mommy coming home?" Kelsey managed through tears.
" Kelsey, honey, I already told you. Your mommy's not coming home. She had to go somewhere." Caleb said, noticing the hint of anger in his voice. He was having such a difficult time with all of this. Even though the initial prognosis had been good, Kirsi had developed a blood clot after the surgery to stop the internal bleeding caused by the accident. Within just a few hours, Caleb's beautiful wife was dead, and he was left all alone with his young daughter. " Kelsey, baby, daddy is sorry. It's just, mommy... can't come home.
The funeral home had many people in it, most of them people Kelsey had never met in her young life. The only comfort she is getting is from her next door neighbor's son, and he isn't very equipped to handle the sobbing girl.
Now she is sitting in a chair, while the grown-ups walk past the coffin where her mom rests.
" I want my mommy!" Kelsey cried loudly, wanting so much to throw herself onto the floor.
The little boy beside her hugs her. " It's okay, Kels. I'm sorry, but your mom is gone to a better place."
" But I want her."
" I know, but it's gonna to be okay. You'll see. Everything will be okay."
Kelsey awoke from the nightmare with a start, sending a jolt of pain through her body as she jerked her arm. Noticing that she was soaked in sweat, she reluctantly got out of bed to turn the fan in her room on before settling back into her bed.
" This is going to be a long night." she mumbled, wishing her dad was home so she could talk to him and feel better.
A.N.- Thank you everyone for your reviews. I am contemplating removing the old chapters due to my wanting to change the storyline of this story. I am sure I can come up with something dramatic to replace the other terrible plot device I used last time, so I think it would only make more sense to remove the other chapters. As I have stated in the last chapter, I would really like to know your opinion as to changing the storyline somewhat from the original. So, any reviews would be very helpful :-)
* I have edited this chapter for the upteenth time, and since I don't know the youngest Riley's name (I just know he was mentioned as losing his JV spot in the movie), I have named him Trevor. Imagine he is very similar to Rick. And, since he needs a goon, I figured Cole was a good candidate for not graduating. Also, certain Ducks (i.e. Julie, Fulton, Dwayne, Luis, Russ, Ken, and Portman) will be a grade ahead of the others, putting them as seniors and the rest as juniors. Kelsey is also a senior. I really can't think of anything else I am changing (I'm currently working on the new direction of the story), but I hope this clears some things up.