Author's Note: I know some people have written something similar, but I wanted to tie in Game Changers somehow, and this was the best way I could think of. I have another one of these coming within the next week.
The stomach pain was unbearable.
Of course, Adam Banks was no stranger to pain, not with the back-to-back injuries in the last two seasons. First was a dislocated shoulder courteous of McGill during the state pee-wee championship and then the fractured wrist during Team USA's first game against Team Iceland.
While the pain in his wrist had left, his left wrist remained weakâso much so that he found himself favouring his right wrist rather than his left. But the stomach pain was worse.
Banks found himself in the nurses' office looking for something for his stomach and some athletic tape when he ran into Coach Orion.
Unlike the rest of the Ducks, Banks had limited contact with Orion outside of that first practice.
Banks had been privy to the whispers that echoed through the school, the ones that spoke of the turmoil within the JV locker room: the heated arguments between Germaine and Moreau, Goldberg's desperate bid to reclaim his starting position, and the explosive confrontation between Conway, Fulton, and Russ.
Banks initially dismissed it as high school gossip. Still, after the early morning JV-varsity match, he could no longer deny it.
The JV team was a mess.
With Conway and Fulton now banished from the team, the varsity team was relentless. It was open season on the JV team.
Banks had seen it before. It reminded him of what happened when he was on the Hawks. Although he never initiated the brutal intimidation tactics, he never stood up in defence of District Five.
And here he was, four years later, doing the same thing - watching his current team do the exact same thing. Banks knew he could have spoken up but was too busy trying to fit in with his new team.
It was wrong. Banks knew it. He felt sick to his stomach that he had not done anything earlier. He couldn't go to the ducks after that early morning brawl. Conway was nowhere to be found. And talking to his parents was out of the question. That left only Coach Orion.
It took all of the courage that Banks could muster up to approach Coach Orion.
"Coach Orion?" Banks said as loudly as he could.
Orion turned his attention to Banks but didn't say anything at first. Instead, he took a roll of tape off the shelf and waited for Banks to raise his left hand.
When Banks didn't raise his right wrist immediately, Orion said, "What's the matter, Banks? Cat's got your tongue?"
Banks slowly raised his wrist. He didn't know what the make of Coach Orion. He had heard that he was tough and didn't suffer fools.
But Banks also knew that Bombay had hand-picked him. Despite everything, Banks knew Bombay had their best interests at heart.
"How'd you know?" Banks asked, bewildered. He never mentioned his nagging wrist pain to anyone.
"You're favouring your left side," Orion said bluntly.
Orion must have been watching the Varsity game in preparation for the JV - Varsity showdown, Banks reasoned to himself.
But if that was the case, why would he go out of his way to help someone on the Varsity? It didn't make any sense to Banks.
"Why are you being nice to me?" Banks asked.
Orion stopped what he was doing and considered Banks' question.
"I'm not," Orion said gruffly. "I'm just doing my job."
"Must be hard," Banks said. "Following up after Bombay."
"I'm not here to be Bombay," Orion glowered.
"I know," Banks replied. "If Bombay were here, I wouldn't be on varsity."
"I don't know about that," Orion said, remembering his earlier conversation with Bombay about taking over for him. "Bombay told me himself he thought you were good enough for Varsity."
Banks frowned. He thought Bombay would have kept him on JV for sure. "He did?"
Orion nodded. "Is that all?"
It would have been easy for him to say 'yes' and be on his way. It would have been what his father wanted, and it would have been best for his career.
'But what good would any of that be if I can't be with his friends? ', Banks thought to himself.
"Maybe he was wrong," Banks said quietly, almost to himself.
"You don't want to be on Varsity?" Orion asked, perplexed. "Most people would be honoured."
"Most people don't have to watch their friends bullied for being different," Banks unexpectedly shot back at Orion.
Orion was taken aback. 'Were the ducks being bullied? ' he wondered to himself.
"What are you talking about?" Orion asked.
"You honestly can't see it?" Banks asks. "They're not exactly Eden Hall Academy material."
Orion immediately felt compassion for his Adam. He knew that, except for Banks, none of the ducks could afford to attend Eden Hall. The entire varsity team and the majority of the students attending Eden Hall came from well-off, privilege-rich families. Sons and daughters of influential businessmen and politicians were the norm.
His team, however, from everything he could tell, came from all different backgrounds. They all had the marking of being different.
"Tell me about the bullying," Orion ordered.
"It started with them just intimidating Wu because he's the smallest. Stealing his lunch. And every time something like that would happen, Charlie and Fulton would respond. It kept building until Rick invited everyone to dinner at the Minnesota club. They said it was an Eden Hall tradition. The Varsity treats the freshmen to dinner. I believed him," Banks confessed.
Orion didn't say anything. Unlike Bombay, Orion tended to keep his emotions in check.
"But he lied," Banks insisted. "It wasn't until the very end that I found out that they were just going to leave them with the bill. They're not like everyone else here. They ended up having to work off their entire meal. It was embarrassing for them. To constantly be reminded that they are different."
Orion frowned. He had heard rumours of the ongoing prank war but had no idea it was that bad. "What do you want to do, Banks?" Orion asked.
"I want to make things right," Banks said with conviction. I should have gone back and helped, but I wanted to fit in so badly that I... didn't."
"Where has that gotten you?" Orion challenged Banks.
"Nowhere," Banks relented. "It makes me sick to my stomach. I used to be just like them, you know? Looking down on others because they are 'different.'"
Orion picked up on the difference in tone when Banks used the word 'different'. It was unspoken, but Orion knew what Banks was talking about. Although he wouldn't voice his opinion until much later, he was proud that his team was different. His team came from all different social and economic backgrounds. It was closer to what the real world was like. Not the bubble of Eden Hall, which mainly consisted of what the stereotypical family in Edina looked like.
"You're different too, you know?" Orion commented.
Banks blinked. "How?"
"You feel bad. Do you think anyone else on Varsity would feel bad?" Orion asked.
"No," Banks confessed. He paused for a moment before saying, "Maybe Scooter."
"You're going to have to decide for yourself what kind of player, and man, you're going to be," Orion said.
Bank understood what Orion was getting at. What good was being on Varsity if he was just going back to how things were when he played for the Hawks?
"But everyone would be disappointed if I didn't stick it out with varsity," Banks admitted. "It's all everyone ever expected of me. Either that or to become a lawyer."
"A lawyer?" Orion asked, a little intrigued.
"Yeah," Banks nodded. "Except not like Bombay."
Orion raised an eyebrow at Banks' comment. "Not like Bombay?"
"This was before I joined the team, but Bombay used to be some win at all cost, hotshot attorney. At least that's what Charlie says." Banks winced at Charlie's name. He had heard talk of what went down after Varsity left after the unsanctioned early morning JV/Varsity game.
Orion furrowed his brow. "He's not wrong."
"I'm going to be different," Banks said with resolution. "I want to help the little guy. Maybe even a public defender."
Orion's look softened a little. "So you're going to stick with varsity, or do you want to come back and play for the 'little guy'?"
Banks stood up straight. "That's why I'm here."
Satisfied with Banks' answer, Orion simply said, "I'll talk to Wilson."
Banks immediately felt the pains in his stomach start to disappear. "Thanks, Coach," He said with a small smile before turning to leave.
"Practise on Wednesday at five," Orion said as Bank left.
Banks nodded and started to leave. Just before he was about to leave, Orion said, "Oh and Banks?"
Banks turned around. "Yes?"
"You'll make a great public defender one day."