Disclaimer: Disney owns the Mighty Ducks - I'm just having fun with the
characters.
It was the Monday morning after the varsity/JV game at Eden Hall. Adam Banks woke up to the sound of the alarm ringing in his ear. As he reached out to turn the alarm off he opened his eyes and his gaze fell on his white Ducks jersey. Number 99. A smile slowly came to his face. Friday night had been great. It had been great to skate with the ducks again. To feel like part of a team instead of an outsider.
But then his smile faded as he noticed the other jersey laying next to it. The red and black jersey of the Eden Hall Warriors. With the Varsity/JV game over, he was no longer a Duck. He had made the Varsity team in his freshman year. He couldn't help but feel good about that but it made him an outsider once again. He wasn't a Duck and he really wasn't a Warrior either. The Varsity team didn't really except him. He wasn't really a part of the team even when he was out there playing with them. To them he was just some lucky freshman who happened to make the team. At times he thought they were trying to make him quit but he wasn't going to let them win. He wasn't going to quit.
He got out of bed and started getting ready for the day trying not to wake up his roommate, Steve, whom he really didn't even know. Steve liked to sleep late, skip breakfast, and then rush to his first class. He said the rushing around got his day started out right. Adam didn't even try to figure it out.
In the cafeteria, Adam got his breakfast and then looked around for a place to sit. He saw the Varsity Hockey team together at their table and although he could of joined them he didn't want to. Instead he headed for a small table in the far corner of the cafeteria that was empty. On his way he passed the table where some of the Ducks were seated. Nobody noticed him as he walked by.
'I guess I'm back to being invisible again' Adam thought as he sat down and ate his breakfast alone.
The day went by slowly for Adam. A few of his former friends said hello to him during the day when their paths crossed but that was it. For lunch he grabbed a sandwich and hid in the library. When it was time for practice he made his way to the hockey rink.
As he got ready for practice no one said a word to him and Adam chose not to draw attention to himself. He got ready and headed out to the ice. Before practice the varsity coach started talking about how disappointed he was that they had lost to the JV team. How they had not only let him down but the school. As long as the Varsity/JV game had been played at Eden Hall the Varsity had never lost. They had broken that tradition. He expected them to work twice as hard to make it up to the school.
"And," Coach Wilson said bringing the speech to an end, " I have gotten Coach O'Rion to agree to a rematch at the end of both of our seasons. And this time we will not lose."
Around him all the Warriors started yelling. Adam joined in with them. It was what he was suppose to do. But to him it just meant that he would be skating against his team again no matter what side he played on. He hated being torn between two teams.
The Coach wasn't kidding when he said they were going to work hard. He started them off with drills and worked them nonstop for the first half hour of practice. For Adam it was like skating for Coach Reilly again. Work, work, work. All that mattered was winning. Hockey wasn't suppose to be fun unless you won. To make matters worse the Coach kept praising Adam which only made the other team members hate him more.
After a five minute break, the Coach split them up into scrimmage teams. Adam couldn't help but feel like that getting the puck was second on the opposing team's mind. First on there minds was getting even for him playing with the Ducks. Adam lost track of how many time he was sent down to the ice or into the boards. He even got checked by a couple of players who were supposedly on his team. Despite that though he still managed to score a few goals. Although which team had actually one he didn't know and he really didn't care. He just wanted practice to be over with.
Adam slowly changed back into his regular clothes after practice. He didn't have the energy to move fast. By the time he left he was the only Warrior left in the locker room. He slowly left the locker room, heading back to his room. As soon as he walked out of the locker room though a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Hey Banksie," he heard Charlie Conway call out. Adam looked up to see Charlie walking out of the stands. He came over and stood in front of Adam. "O'Rion cancelled practice for us today for some reason so we decided we were just going to get together, watch a movie and hang out. Want to join us."
"Yeah sure," Adam said after getting over his initial surprise.
"Great," Charlie said reaching out and taking Adam's practice bag from him. Adam let him have the bag and took the gesture as it was meant. An apology and a act of friendship. Maybe he didn't have to be a Duck to still have friends.
It was the Monday morning after the varsity/JV game at Eden Hall. Adam Banks woke up to the sound of the alarm ringing in his ear. As he reached out to turn the alarm off he opened his eyes and his gaze fell on his white Ducks jersey. Number 99. A smile slowly came to his face. Friday night had been great. It had been great to skate with the ducks again. To feel like part of a team instead of an outsider.
But then his smile faded as he noticed the other jersey laying next to it. The red and black jersey of the Eden Hall Warriors. With the Varsity/JV game over, he was no longer a Duck. He had made the Varsity team in his freshman year. He couldn't help but feel good about that but it made him an outsider once again. He wasn't a Duck and he really wasn't a Warrior either. The Varsity team didn't really except him. He wasn't really a part of the team even when he was out there playing with them. To them he was just some lucky freshman who happened to make the team. At times he thought they were trying to make him quit but he wasn't going to let them win. He wasn't going to quit.
He got out of bed and started getting ready for the day trying not to wake up his roommate, Steve, whom he really didn't even know. Steve liked to sleep late, skip breakfast, and then rush to his first class. He said the rushing around got his day started out right. Adam didn't even try to figure it out.
In the cafeteria, Adam got his breakfast and then looked around for a place to sit. He saw the Varsity Hockey team together at their table and although he could of joined them he didn't want to. Instead he headed for a small table in the far corner of the cafeteria that was empty. On his way he passed the table where some of the Ducks were seated. Nobody noticed him as he walked by.
'I guess I'm back to being invisible again' Adam thought as he sat down and ate his breakfast alone.
The day went by slowly for Adam. A few of his former friends said hello to him during the day when their paths crossed but that was it. For lunch he grabbed a sandwich and hid in the library. When it was time for practice he made his way to the hockey rink.
As he got ready for practice no one said a word to him and Adam chose not to draw attention to himself. He got ready and headed out to the ice. Before practice the varsity coach started talking about how disappointed he was that they had lost to the JV team. How they had not only let him down but the school. As long as the Varsity/JV game had been played at Eden Hall the Varsity had never lost. They had broken that tradition. He expected them to work twice as hard to make it up to the school.
"And," Coach Wilson said bringing the speech to an end, " I have gotten Coach O'Rion to agree to a rematch at the end of both of our seasons. And this time we will not lose."
Around him all the Warriors started yelling. Adam joined in with them. It was what he was suppose to do. But to him it just meant that he would be skating against his team again no matter what side he played on. He hated being torn between two teams.
The Coach wasn't kidding when he said they were going to work hard. He started them off with drills and worked them nonstop for the first half hour of practice. For Adam it was like skating for Coach Reilly again. Work, work, work. All that mattered was winning. Hockey wasn't suppose to be fun unless you won. To make matters worse the Coach kept praising Adam which only made the other team members hate him more.
After a five minute break, the Coach split them up into scrimmage teams. Adam couldn't help but feel like that getting the puck was second on the opposing team's mind. First on there minds was getting even for him playing with the Ducks. Adam lost track of how many time he was sent down to the ice or into the boards. He even got checked by a couple of players who were supposedly on his team. Despite that though he still managed to score a few goals. Although which team had actually one he didn't know and he really didn't care. He just wanted practice to be over with.
Adam slowly changed back into his regular clothes after practice. He didn't have the energy to move fast. By the time he left he was the only Warrior left in the locker room. He slowly left the locker room, heading back to his room. As soon as he walked out of the locker room though a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Hey Banksie," he heard Charlie Conway call out. Adam looked up to see Charlie walking out of the stands. He came over and stood in front of Adam. "O'Rion cancelled practice for us today for some reason so we decided we were just going to get together, watch a movie and hang out. Want to join us."
"Yeah sure," Adam said after getting over his initial surprise.
"Great," Charlie said reaching out and taking Adam's practice bag from him. Adam let him have the bag and took the gesture as it was meant. An apology and a act of friendship. Maybe he didn't have to be a Duck to still have friends.