CHAPTER 1

Annie Portman liked to think that she had more toughness per ounce than her brother Dean, because she checked just as hard as he did, but was roughly half his size. Her hockey opponents usually didn't think about her this way, until the end of the first period, when they generally were icing various body parts and cursing her (sometimes silently, sometimes not). Being not only the youngest, but also the smallest in her class, not to mention the fact that she was a girl and all the assumptions that boys tended to make about her athletic ability based purely on her sex, had forced Annie to work twice as hard in order to keep up with Dean. She participated in every race, every street hockey game, and practiced by herself until she got so good that no one could say she couldn't play – she was too good not to be on a team. Although she wasn't technically an enforcer, Annie often filled that role in games alongside Dean, because she never backed down from a challenge, and she hated to see anyone get the best of her.

When Dean was honest with himself, he even admitted that his kid sister was actually a lot tougher than him. Some of the goons they played against in their league even made him nervous - and he didn't have to worry about being smaller than anybody. It used to annoy him when Annie always wanted to hang out with his friends, rather than the kids in her own grade, but overtime she's meshed so well with the group, that he'd forgotten what it was like for her to not be around. They'd both been playing hockey since peewees, and due to them being so close in age, they were able to play on the same team. Again, this used to bother Dean. Since all of his friends thought of their younger siblings as annoying pests he used to fall into that mentality too. But Annie had proven to be such an invaluable player - she was above average at every position, including goalie - that his pragmatic side got the better of him. How could he be annoyed that his sister was on his team when she was a key component of them constantly winning?

So it wasn't a surprise that when a Mr. Tibbles from Hendrix hockey came knocking on the Portman's front door, on an unseasonably warm March day in Chicago, saying that he was recruiting for Team USA for the Junior Goodwill Games, he was looking to add both of them to the team.

"Think about the pride these two youngsters will bring not only to your family, but to the country!" Tibbles entoned in an awe inspiring voice to Annie and Dean's four Portmans and Mr. Tibbles were all seated around the Portman's kitchen table, the surface of which was currently covered in brochures and contracts.

Annie and Dean snuck eyerolls at each other, and tried their hardest not to laugh while the Vice President from Hendrix continued to try and persuade the Portman parents with his very best, and most patriotic sales pitch. If he was successful, Annie and Dean would get to spend their summer vacation playing hockey in Los Angeles with Team USA. The combination of getting to go to California without their parents and the chance to play offseason hockey was too much – neither of them could think of anything better.

Although Annie had initially joined peewees only because Dean had, and she didn't want to be left out, she quickly fell in love with the game. She felt more free on the ice than she did anywhere else. It was her happy place. She was more likely to be found on an ice skating rink or a pond than anywhere else. Sure, it had been tough when she joined. Nobody had really accepted her at first, including Dean. But being the smallest and the only girl wasn't new to her at that point. So instead of sulking, she worked hard to make sure that nobody thought she earned her spot just because she was Dean Portman's sister. She was "one of the guys" after the third game, and had never looked back.

"When we get to LA, I'm going to pick up surfing in my spare time" Dean tried to whisper to Annie as Tibbles produced some more paperwork for their parents to review. Dean was speaking into the back of her blonde braid, as she seemed to be riveted by something Tibbles had just said. Not getting a response, he gave her a quick poke in the side to get her attention.

Annie whipped her head towards Dean with a bewildered look on her face, smacking him in the face with her braid as she did so. "What was that for?" she whispered angrily.

"Because you missed my proclamation," Dean answered with annoyance. "When we get to LA, I'm going to learn how to surf," he said again with the same enthusiasm. His smile quickly turned to worry as he saw the pitying look Annie gave him.

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen." She said in a conciliatory tone while patting his arm. "I think this guy just said we have to go to school while we're there."

"WHAT!?" Dean stood up and shouted, earning him concerned looks from all of the adults, while Annie tried to hide her giggles behind her hands. He continued to stare at the adults in shock.

"Dean, are you alright?" Alana Portman asked her son, wondering what in the world could have provoked such a reaction. Her long curly brown hair, which Dean had inherited, was tied into a low ponytail, and she unconsciously clutched it for a moment in her panic at Dean's reaction.

"He's fine. Carry on adults" Annie urged, while pulling Dean's arm down so that he would retake his seat. The adults gave them one more uncomprehending look, and then continued on with their discussion.

Once their full attention was on the paperwork, Annie gave Dean a stern whispering to, "Don't ruin this over summer school, Dean! It won't be that big of a deal. It's definitely not worth NOT GOING just because you don't want to use your brain over summer vacation."

"Ugh, you're right, I'm sorry. I was just bummed. I'll be fine." he agreed.

"Ok. Good." Annie felt like she was a Hollywood agent, trying to get all the pieces of the puzzle in place to sign a major movie deal. Dean was taken care of. Now, she needed to get her parents onboard. "Let's make a deal", she thought to herself as she continued to listen to their conversation.

"Well it certainly sounds like an exciting opportunity," Dan Portman began. He worked as a lawyer and usually wore full suits and a tie during the week. But, since this was a Saturday he dressed down in a linen button down shirt and khakis. While his words sounded promising, Annie could hear the big fat "but" coming from a mile away. "...But… I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with the kids being so far away for so long. Eight weeks is a very long time." Annie's heart sank as she watched her mom nod in agreement.

"Oh but dad, Dean and I would have each other! We'd look after one another. Isn't that right Dean?"

"Absolutely!" Dean jumped in, using his most responsible voice. "You know I'm always keeping an eye out for Ann – have I ever let anything happen to her?" He mentally kicked himself as he saw his mother actually start to answer his question "Don't answer that." he said quickly. He rushed to continue his speech before his parents could dwell on his rhetorical error. "We're older and wiser now. We don't make the same mistakes twice."

The Portman parents gave each other their own secret eye roll as Dean tried to dig himself out of the hole he had just made. Nobody had forgotten the Lake Michigan Incident of '91.

Annie knew that as the "closer", she was going to have to offer something big to sweeten the deal for her parents, and get them to forget Lake Michigan. She racked her brain for what it would take to make her parents happy. Suddenly, a light bulb went off. She knew it was a risk, but it was the only option she had left. She mentally braced herself, just like she did when she was going to check someone in a game, and made her move. "I'm sure Hendrix doesn't expect us to go eight weeks without seeing you anyway. After all, we're only 13 and 14 years old. That's far too long to go without seeing our parents even once. Didn't I see something about a parents visiting weekend in one of the packets Mr. Tibbles? When the parents can come to the dorms, meet our teacher, and attend a game?"

Mr. Tibbles knew that none of the materials he had brought with him said anything of the sort, and that Hendrix had no budget set aside for flying parents from all over the country out to the West Coast. But as a salesman, he could see that this girl had game. Not only was she apparently a phenomenal hockey player "the Chicago Swiss army knife" she was called, but she had brains too. He took the soft ball that Annie had just thrown him, and he knocked it out of the park.

"Of course! How could I have forgotten? Yes, there is a parents weekend in Los Angeles that's right around the halfway mark. It's the perfect time for a visit since training will be over and the games will have just begun."

"Oh, that does make me feel a bit better actually" Mrs. Portman thought out loud. "It will be nice to check in on these two and make sure they're ok, and have at least washed their sheets once. And since training is in Minnesota, it would be such a quick flight to get over there if we needed to."

Dean could see the tide turning in their favor. He quickly picked up on how his sister was appeasing his parents, offering access and connection to their kids, and decided to try and push them over the line once and for all. "See? You'll actually see us way more frequently than you thought. First, you'll drop us off at training. Then we'll see you at Parents Weekend, and then when we make it to the finals, Hendrix will fly you out again so you can watch the game in person."

Mr. Tibbles let out a small groan that luckily he was able to cover as a hiccup as he thought about flying all of the parents out to Los Angeles. His mind was racing "They couldn't just make this offer to the Portmans and not the other parents could they? Of course not, they'd certainly talk with each other. But… if these kids really did make the finals, the publicity gained would be worth far more than the cost of the flights. These kids were tricky - I'll have to keep an eye on them. At the same time, I respect their guts.

"Dean, you're one-hundred-percent correct on that." Tibbles responded confidently. "The Portman family will be reunited several times over the summer. And in the meantime, we'll make sure they're in great hands while they're having the time of their lives."

Dan and Alana looked at each other and had one of the silent conversations that couples who had been together for a long time often conduct. To the other three at the table they seemed to be having a lively debate through their eyes alone. The debate ended with Dan drumming his hands on the table in a decisive way, and Alana giving him an exaggerated nod. Before they could say anything, Annie and Dean ran over to them and gave them big hugs. They knew they were going.

"I gather you came to a decision then?" Mr. Tibbles asked with an amused smile while watching the chaos of hugs and kisses and thank yous.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Annie squealed as she ran back and forth between her mom and dad hugging both of them. Once both parents had been properly thanked, Annie and Dean hugged each other and jumped up and down in a circle. "California here we come!" Annie yelled.