Hey y'all welcome to another chapter. I own nothing though there are a few Ducks around here that I would love to own. Enjoy the story.

Chapter 19: A discovery
The next few days after dinner or any long breaks I had I went to the rink and skated. Matt was right I was as comfortable on the ice as I was on the field. One day I was out there during the break between Varsity and Junior Varsity practice skating to Lee Greenwood's 'God Bless the U.S.A.' I had the lights turned way down low except for the lights at the ends over the two goal posts. I was wearing one of my baseball jerseys and a pair of windbreakers.

I had already done 20 laps around the rink and was now skating from blue line to blue line. I wished I thought to tie my hair up because it was going everywhere. The song ended and changed to a different country song then I realized I had a bandanna tied around my wrist so I stopped and untied it dropping my headphones to around my neck. I flipped my hair over my head and tied the bandanna around my hair line and then flipped my hair back becoming more comfortable. I rolled my shoulders a few times, put my headphones back on then went back to skating.

Charlie's PoV
It was about three days after we had come back from vacation when the team got the news from Coach Orion. Jesse had been withdrawn and eligibility lists had come out revealing Adam had three C's. We were all disappointed but none more so than Mr. Banks.

"Coach we have a big game on Saturday how can we win without Banks?" I asked.

"Yeah." The rest of the team agreed.

"It's simple find him a tutor or get another player." Orion answered. A day later my spirits rose. Adam's dad had hired him a tutor and right before practice I saw someone skating on the ice. Who ever it was they were fast and some great moves. Coach came out behind us as we stood there watching. "What's going on? Why aren't you out there on the ice warming up?" He asked.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye Connie raised on finger and pointed. He pushed past us and stood next to me. "What do you think?" I asked. Coach lifted his stopwatch as the person turned and raced back to the other line. Coach clicked his stopwatch as they started again. He clicked once more as they hit the other line. I looked up as he blinked quickly. "Coach?"

"There's no way this time can be right." He said. He timed the person three more times and was still stunned. As the person turned again long brown hair rippled down her back.

"It's a girl." Russ said in disbelief. "There's no way a girl could be..."

"Excuse me?" Julie and Connie said cutting him off.

"Never mind." Russ muttered.

"Coach, what's her time?" Dwayne asked.

"1.5 blue line to blue line. I still don't believe it." Coach answered.

"She's a girl and she's fast .4 seconds faster than Luis but can she handle a stick?" Averman asked.

"Well with those moves I'm sure she could be trained to. I mean she moves better than Ken and Cowboy put together." Julie said.

"You think she'd want to play?" Dwayne asked.

"Go find out Captain." Orion told me. As soon as I stepped out onto the ice she stopped and turned toward me. I caught a glimpse of her face before she turned and bolted to the other exit. I skated after her and she tripped falling face first on the ice. I reached her side and she flipped over. I leaned closer and recognized the face and the jersey.

"ER?" I asked.

"Hey CJ you going to stand there and stare all day or are you going to help me up?" She asked. She only ever used CJ when she was annoyed or angry with me. I stuck out my hand and she took it and I pulled her up.

"But I thought you said..." I trailed off.

"Yeah well Matt's been helping me ever since Tex showed up and talked me into it."

"Did you hear Jesse's been withdrawn and Adam's been benched?" I was shocked to see her standing on the ice like she had been five years ago. Like she hadn't been away from it for five years. I was hoping I could get her to play but I knew it was very unlikely.

"That sucks for you."

"ER please come play."

"No after what happened with Matt I said I'd never play again."

"You also said you'd never skate again."

"Don't make me Charlie."

"I won't but we could really use you."

"Hey so is she gonna play or..." Fulton trailed off. I looked around at the team as the over-head lights came on. I glanced back at ER who was looking like a deer in the headlights.

"Lizzy are you really skating again?" Guy asked.

"I guess so." She muttered.

"Charlie?" Orion asked as he joined us.

"Coach Orion meet my cousin ER Jacobs, she also goes by Lizzy." I said.

"Mav you told me you said you'd never skate again." Portman said.

"Yeah I guess but you weren't supposed to find out like this." Lizzy answered.

"What changed your mind?" Connie asked. Lizzy's breathing changed. It started getting heavy. ER looked at Cowboy who was standing next to her. He shrugged.

"Tex talked me into facing my skating fear and I guess I just missed it." Lizzy answered.

"Lizzy will you please play hockey with us? We really need you." Fulton tried.

"I...I..." ER stammered.

"Please? With you on the team again we'll be undefeated again. Please, 4 shutouts in a row last time. Come on please." Averman put in. She shifted a bit and I noticed Cowboy moved behind her. "Please?" She backed up a few steps and bumped into Cowboy. She looked more frightened than I had ever seen her and that was telling me something was seriously wrong.

"Guys." I started but they over rode me.

"Come on please." Connie said starting the team off on a pleading chant.

"ENOUGH!" Dwayne yelled spinning her around and wrapping her in a hug. Everyone shut up quickly. I don't think any one had ever heard him this loud. "Y'all are scaring her just leave her alone and out of this. It isn't her problem." The team slowly backed away except me, Coach, and Adam. He bent down and muttered something to her and she nodded. He looked up at Adam. "Hey Adam can you walk her back to her dorm?"

"Sure." Adam said. He wasn't really supposed to be at practice anyway. Adam and Dwayne led ER off the ice. Orion looked at me confused.

"ER's brother Matt used to play for the Minnesota Waves minors. The day he was drafted for the Detroit Redwings and not the North Stars her step-mom told her that Matt was killed. Matt's the one that taught her, Fulton, and I almost everything we know about hockey. She was really upset from what I heard from her brother Seth." I explained.

"I remember him, we were going to draft him but he told our scouts he had his heart set on Michigan. If Michigan wouldn't take him he'd play for us. Detroit drafted him three days later. He was an amazing center."

"He still is." Dwayne said. "She wouldn't come out of her room for two weeks after she heard she barely ate anything and she got really sick. Finally her dad busted down her bedroom door and saw how depressed and upset she was. He forced her into rehab and therapy. The day I met her was 2 weeks before she ended therapy. She told me she would still be in there if she hadn't met me. There are too many bad memories for her to play again. It hit her hard she was really close to him. I don't know if she'll ever play again." I don't think any of us had realized that he came back until he shocked us with that story.

"That sounds nothing like the Maverick I know." Portman stated bluntly.

"Me neither." Connie said. The rest of the team agreed except for Fulton. He stayed quiet. "Why wouldn't she tell one of us?"

"She told Dwayne that's all she thought needed to know." I answered.

"But her and Adam and her and Jesse were closer than anyone else on the team you think she would have told them." Connie said.

"Sometimes all you need to tell is one person." Julie said.

"Thinking about it you might come to the conclusion she would tell her best friend especially if it were this sensitive of a matter." Guy said.

"Fulton did you know about this?" I asked. The team turned to him and he looked down at the ice.

"Not exactly but I figured she would. It's not the first time it's happened." Fulton answered quietly.

"We don't need to be talking about this right now. Now we need to be practicing." Coach Orion.

"We'll discuss this later." I said. Later on Adam wasn't around and I was betting he was still with Lizzy. Fulton followed me into my room and shut and locked the door. "So spill what happened to my cousin?" I asked.

"I remember the day like it was yesterday." Fulton said.

Flashback Fulton's PoV
I was sitting in my room bored when my mom told me to go visit Lizzy so I did. When I got to her house Seth was in the living room.

"Hey Seth, Lizzy around?" I asked.

"We've been meaning to get you over here. For some reason Lizzy's stopped eating so much and she's stopped playing. She's not talking to anyone, not even Matt. We're getting real worried." Seth said.

"When did this happen?"

"Few days ago and we can't figure out why. Could you try talking to her?"

"Sure." Lizzy was 9 at the time. So I went upstairs and knocked on her door. There was no answer so I pushed it open. She was just lying on her bed with her back to me. "Lizzy it's me Fulton, you want to play?"

"Go away." She mumbled.

"No come play with me." I said moving around to face her. I kneeled down in front of her and took her face in my hands. "Please Lizzy?"

"No go away Fulton." I spent about ten more minutes trying to get her out of her room but it didn't work.

"Can you at least tell me why you cry?" I asked. She just shook her head. I sighed and stood up. I went back down stairs shaking my head.

"How'd it go?" Seth asked.

"Not good she won't budge." I answered. For the next two weeks I spent a lot of time at her house but there wasn't any change. She barely ate anything and she was wasting away. One day she stopped eating completely and she locked herself in her room. Two days later we had her dad break down the door and found her passed out on the floor. Her dad had to rush her to the hospital. She was in there for about 4 months and then forced into rehab and therapy.
End Flashback back to Charlie's PoV

"She was suffering from anorexia and depression. It took a while before she was back to normal. I hated going through that. She finished the rehab and therapy when she started playing for us. That's why I gave her the nickname ER. Every time she starts getting depressed again all I have to do is give her a look and call her ER. Haven't you noticed that I never call her that unless it comes to her eating habits?" Fulton said.

"I never really thought about it but I don't think you ever have. Why did she do it Fulton? Why would anyone put themselves through that pain? Why Lizzy?"

"You know she loves Matt. I finally got it out of her after she woke up in the hospital. Matt was deciding whether to play for the Waves or Wheeling Nailers well what used to be Winston-Salem Thunderbirds. He was leaning more toward the Thunderbirds which are in West Virginia. She hated the fact that he was leaving her she got really depressed about it and she didn't want him to leave. I think it was one of the main reasons he stayed but he made her swear no matter what happened to him she would never do that again."

"She almost killed herself just because her brother was leaving her?"

"Not on purpose she just loves Matt so much Charlie I don't see why you can't understand that."

"I just don't know." I sighed.

ER's PoV
I was skating as fast as I could but slowed when I heard someone say "I mean she moves better than Ken and Cowboy put together."

"You think she'd want to play?" I could tell that was Dwayne.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Charlie step out onto the ice. I stopped and turned toward him. He started coming toward me and a thought crossed my mind. 'Oh crap he wasn't supposed to find out.' So I bolted to the other exit. I heard him coming after me and I tripped falling face first on the ice. He reached my side and I flipped over. He leaned closer and recognition dawned on his face.

"ER?" He asked.

"Hey CJ you going to stand there and stare all day or are you going to help me up?" I asked. I only ever used CJ when I was annoyed or angry with him. I don't know what it was right now. He stuck out his hand and I took it and he pulled me up.

"But I thought you said..." He trailed off.

"Yeah well Matt's been helping me ever since Tex showed up and talked me into it."

"Did you hear Jesse's been withdrawn and Adam's been benched?" He looked shocked to see me standing on the ice I could tell. I knew he was probably hoping he could get me to play but I didn't really want to.

"That sucks for you."

"ER please come play."

"No after what happened with Matt I said I'd never play again."

"You also said you'd never skate again."

"Don't make me Charlie."

"I won't but we could really use you."

"Hey so is she gonna play or..." Fulton trailed off. I looked around at the team as the ceiling lights came on. I looked at Charlie and got really scared. 'No this ain't right they weren't supposed to find out now they're gonna make me play.' I started breathing slightly heavier than normal at that thought.

"Lizzy are you really skating again?" Guy asked.

"I guess so." I muttered.

"Charlie?" A guy asked as he joined us. I think it was his coach.

"Coach Orion meet my cousin ER Jacobs, she also goes by Lizzy." Charlie said.

"Mav you told me you said you'd never skate again." Dean said.

"Yeah I guess but you weren't supposed to find out like this." I answered.

"What changed your mind?" Connie asked. I could tell my breathing changed. It started getting heavier. I looked at Cowboy who was standing next to me. He shrugged.

"Tex talked me into facing my skating fear and I guess I just missed it." I answered.

"Lizzy will you please play hockey with us? We really need you." Fulton tried.

"I...I..." I stammered. Sure enough they were asking me to play again.

"Please? With you on the team again we'll be undefeated again. Please, 4 shutouts in a row last time. Come on please." Averman put in. 'Great leave it to Averman to bring up the shutouts. I shifted my weight a bit and noticed Tex moved behind me. "Please?" I backed up a few steps and bumped into Tex. I felt more frightened than I had ever been before.

"Guys." Charlie started. 'Please do something Tex,' I thought.

"Come on please." Connie said starting the team off on a pleading chant.

"ENOUGH!" Dwayne yelled spinning me around and wrapping me in a hug. Everyone shut up quickly. I don't think any one had ever heard him this loud. "Y'all are scaring her just leave her alone and out of this. It isn't her problem." He said over my head. Then he bent down "Come on Kitten let's get you out of here. You don't need to be on the ice right now." He whispered. He looked up over my head at some one and said "Hey Adam can you walk her back to her dorm?"

"Sure." Adam answered. Then he and Adam led me off the ice and Adam took my hand and after unlacing my skates he took me back to my dorm. He stayed with me until dinner and told me not to answer the team's calls or e-mails unless I wanted to be bugged about joining the team again. "Oh and you might want to avoid them for a while." He said before heading back to his room. A few days later I realized I had science homework I hadn't done that was due the next day. I realized this shortly after dinner and I had to get it done. I looked at it after I got to my room and pulled it out and I realized I didn't understand part of it.

"Looks like I have to go talk to someone." I sighed. I picked up my book and notebook and walked out and stared down the hallway. "Swallow your pride and your fear Lizzy and go talk to him." I said heading for Charlie's door. I knocked and stood waiting. There was no answer so I knocked hard and more persistently.

"Alright I'm coming keep your shirt on." I heard Charlie call. I stopped knocking and looked at my feet. I looked back up when his door opened. I glanced at his bare chest and messed up hair.

"What happened to keeping your shirt on Char?" I asked.

"Shut up Lizzy." He said blushing. "What can I do for you?"

"Can ya help me with my science homework? I don't understand it." I said.

"I'm a little busy right now Lizzy can't it wait?"

"It's due tomorrow Char. Just give me your homework and let me copy it."

"Charlie? What's going on?" I heard a girl call from the semi-darkness of his dorm. I looked past him and could barely see a brown haired girl standing up from her spot on his bed.

"Something you want to tell me Char?" She walked to his side and ran a hand through her slightly disheveled hair.

"Who's the girl Charlie?" She asked.

"Um well...you see...She's..." Charlie stammered. I rolled my eyes and stuck my hand out.

"Lizzy Jacobs, since Char can't stop stuttering long enough to introduce us. And you are?" She looked at my hand like it was hazardous.

"Linda Byrns." She said ignoring my hand.

"Something wrong with my hand or are you just too good to shake it?" Linda still looked at me with questioning eyes. The she turned to look at Charlie and grabbed his hand protectively. I put my hand down and tried not to roll my eyes.

"Look I don't know what you want but Charlie is mine and you can't have him." I sighed.

"Keep him I don't want to take him from you, besides that's illegal in most countries including this one. I'm Dean Portman's girlfriend anyway." I said. I guess Linda's his girlfriend and somehow she didn't know I was his cousin.

"Charlie you said you were an only child." She said. It was taking all my will power to be nice to her per Charlie's request.

"Look babe he's an only child who tends to screw everything up under huge amounts of pressure hence his nickname Spazway. I'm his cousin ER Jacobs and I'm guessing you are his girlfriend." She nodded. "I promised Charlie when we came back I would meet you and try to get along with you but I have this little voice in my head that's telling me not to trust you and more often then not it's right."

"Lizzy you said..." Charlie started.

"I know what I said and believe me I'm trying but my gut's rarely, like .002 percent of the time, wrong. I'm sorry Charlie."

"You don't even know me and now you don't like me." Linda said astonished.

"You're right I don't know you but you're too protective and I know enough to say I don't like you. Now Charlie if you won't help me or give me your homework I'm going to have to find someone who is." I said. He shook his head and I walked across the hall.

"What's her problem?" Linda asked as I stopped in front of Julie's door. I knocked and Charlie answered her.

"She is, as you so kindly put it last year, a jock. She's Eden Hall's Varsity starting pitcher this year. I'm sorry about that though she has a tendency to come off as a mean person."

'Oh take preppy's side will you?' I thought as I knocked harder on Julie's door. Finally Connie opened the door as another shut behind me. "Hey Cons Julie around?" She shook her head. Her hair was messy and her shirt was a bit crooked. "Doing something you shouldn't in there?" Again she shook her head. "What's today make out with someone day?" Connie rolled her eyes and started laughing. "I'll let you get back to whatever or whoever you were doing in there." I said walking down the hall.

I knocked on Kenny's door and waited. I knocked harder and after waiting for thirty seconds Luis pulled the door open shirtless. "Don't say a word other than yes or no. Is Kenny around?"

"No." He answered.

"Did I miss a memo about today being make-out with someone day?"

"No." He said again.

"See ya later." I turned on my heel and walked across the hall and knocked on Goldberg's door.

"Bye." Luis called.

"What can I do for you?" Goldie asked.

"Goldie thank God I was going insane. Have you finished the science homework?" I asked.

"Don't panic Lizzy. Of course I finished it now come in here and I'll help you." He said moving out of the doorway. Halfway through the homework I turned to him playing with my pencil.

"Goldie I know we haven't been close in the past but..."

"Lizzy is something wrong?"

"Do you think I'm wrong in staying away from hockey?"

"No, you're a damn good player and we know it but I also know you're scared although you don't have a reason to be, I understand why you turned us down." He said. I finished the homework with Goldie's help and then I looked at him before I left.

"Where is everyone at?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He answered.

"I mean Luis is making out with his girlfriend in his room, Connie and Guy have taken over Connie's room, Charlie's with his bitchy girlfriend in his room, where are their roommates?"

"Oh, Julie, Kenny, Adam, Averman, and Fulton are in Dwayne's room." He answered. "And thank God someone else agrees with us. Very few people on the team like Linda but we don't want to hurt Captain Ducky's feelings by saying so."

"I've already told him my opinion, thanks for the help Goldie." I said nodding and walked out. I dumped my books on my bed and pulled out my planner. I crossed off science homework and realized that I had nothing else to do.

For the past few days I had been spending lunches either with the baseball team or a few kids in my art class. On Friday I was sitting at the baseball table and we were talking about which fields were our favorites and whether we'd rather play on a high school or professional field.

"Hey babe how come you aren't answering our calls or e-mails?" I heard Dean ask from behind me. I turned slowly to face him hoping my face didn't show how panicked I really was. I had explained everything to the baseball team and they told me no matter what my decision was they give their caution and support.

I swallowed hard before answering. "Because I was told not to. Everyone's gonna try to get me to play again. I don't want to Dean and it would be nice if my boyfriend supported me and his e-mails didn't say 'Hey baby you're good at hockey maybe we could get together and play sometime' or 'hey skating's a lot of fun why don't you try playing hockey at the same time.' I don't see why you don't understand."

"Who told you not to talk to us?" He demanded.

"A friend." I answered. I wasn't about to tell him that Adam and Dwayne had told me that and let them get their heads kicked in.

"Who?" He snapped.

"A friend who knows you guys and what happened." I answered.

"TELL ME WHO!" He yelled. The café got really quiet and I noticed a lot of people who were looking at him. I glanced at him and then turned to Max who was sitting next to me and hid my face.

"Back off Portman." Bash snapped as Max wrapped his arms around me. "She said a friend told her not to talk to you because you're pushing her. She told all of you she doesn't want to play hockey. NOW LEAVE HER ALONE." He was serious and if he wasn't on my side I would be scared of him.

"This is none of your business Johnson so back off."

"I don't want our pitcher, who is like a sister or cousin to the entire team, to get hurt by you guys or be forced into something she doesn't want to do, which is exactly what your teammates are trying to do. I would also appreciate it if her boyfriend, who she has spoken so highly of, would do the right thing and support her on this." Portman sighed, rubbed my back slightly, and walked away.

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