replace me///adam banks

s e v e n

Jane Fox

Team usa is gathered on a practice field in their matching tracksuits. "And hold, two, three, four.", Dean demands. Not gonna lie, Dean would be a good yoga teacher. "If coach isn't here than why do we have to be?", Connie's asks. "We have a game tonight, we have to workout.", Dean responds. "It's not like he has come to any of our other practices.", Axel sighs. "I say mutiny, who's with me?", Goldberg stands up from his lunge. "Goldberg, I'm too tired to mutiny.", Dwayne stands up. "Come on guys. It's not like we couldn't use the conditioning.", Julie respond s dryly. Not having it with the teams attitude. "Speak for yourself, babe.", Dean checks her out. "Her name is Julie, not 'babe'", Adam scoffs. "Don't tell me how to talk, rich boy!", Dean shoves Adam. Causing Fulton to come to the rescue, "Hey Portman! Chill!". The team begins to fight and shove Dean back. "I just sit back and observe.", I joke to Luis and Axel. We begin playing rock paper scissors. Not noticing a kid challenging us to a street hockey game. "Fuck you Luis.", I yell after losing fives in a row. The whole team turns to the three of us, "What?".

After being dragged onto the bud by Adam, and punching Luis in the stomach. He said and I quote, "It's not my fault you suck at rock paper scissors.". I took that as a highly offensive comment. We are gathered on a basketball court with our outdoor gear on. "My little brother Russ here, has been telling me that you have been chokin' big time.", Russ's old brother informs. "Your brothers got a big mouth.", Jesse spats. "He never knows when to shut up does he?", Axel whispers to me. The two groups of hockey players grown silent waiting for him to respond. "He does, doesn't he?", he smirks, "Anyways, we thought we'd call you all to see what you got.". "Yeah. We know you can talk to the press and sign autographs and stuff.", Russ cuts in. "We can do more than that.", Luis remarks. "Oh yeah. We can teach you to play like the real team usa.", the brother responds. "What would you know about it?", Dean huffs. "Oh little DeDe, you better put on a helmet.", I slap the back of his head skating out to center ice.

"Hey man, I want you to creme Dean. Can you do that for me?", I smirk. "Hell yeah. I'm Mike Tyler and your JJ Fox, correct?", Russ's older brother introduces. "Yes sir.", I shove him onto the ground skating down the pavement with control of the puck. I spin to avoid one of Russ's boys, easily making my way to the goal. Which is a semi empty garbage can. Shooting the puck through my legs, score the first goal of 'the game'. Mike skates up behind me, "Never underestimate a girl, eh?".

Mike slams Dean into the fence, "You gotta earn every inch.". I skate up behind them, dabbing Mike up. I skate over to where our team is sitting, "Conway you are on, I need some water.", I say sitting down on the bench next to Banks. "How's your wrist?", I say gently grabbing it from his lap. "It's fine J. If it hurts I'll tell you.", he slings his arm around my shoulder. "Hey! Ain't no whistles out here either, you keep diggin' until you score that goal!", Mike yells after passing the puck. "Yeah, yeah.", I chuckle, "Love that you stood up for Jules.". "What can I say, I've changed for the better and because of you.", Adam smirks.

After Jesse takes. lousy shot, Mike yells, "You make every chance to score you get worth it. Shoot it hard!". I steal the puck from a kid in a orange hat, winding up to take. a shot. The puck slams into the back of the can, making it fly into the fence. Skating with Mike, to put the can in its rightful place. There is a visible dent in the bottom of the metal, "Was that hard enough for you?". Mike chuckles ruffling my hair.

"Don't just stand there, come and get it!", Mike taunts. Luis and I make eye contact and smirk. "Don't mind if we do.", Luis steals the puck with me behind him as backup. Luis nears the fence speeding up instead of slowing down. "Lu, past it!", I yell from behind him. Before he crashes into the fence, he pass es it to me. I shoot and score. Turning to go help Luis up but see someone has already beat me too it, "Use the breaks, baby.". Fulton has the puck shooting it, making the puck go flying into a windshield. "Eh, no sweat. It happens all the time.", Mike reassures. "Excuse me, can you throw it back please?", Charlie asks. "Always been a polite little boy, ay Charles?", I ruffle his hair. "Here kid.", the owner of the car says, "Alley-oop.". Charlie skates after it, shooting it into the metal bin.

Russ winds up to take a shot sending it flying. The puck moves side to side, up and down before heading straight into the can. "What the heck kinda shot was that?", Fulton asks. "That was fucking cool.", I add. "Ah, you like that.", Russ smiles. "Yeah!". "That's my knucklepuck, it's hard to be accurate but it drives goalies crazy.", Russ brags.

Ken hops over a fallen player , ducking two defenders. Passing it to Dwayne, who shoots and scores. Ken skates around celebrating. "Sweet move, kid.", Mike smirks skating up to the boy, "You done messed up now! Come here, I'm gonna get you! Come here! Come here! Come here, junior! Come here!". Poor Kenny looks scared out of his mind. "I'm just messin' with you, okay. Listen, when a guy comes at you like I just did, you do this. Stick, gloves, shirt.", Mike says demonstrating on Ken. "Shit, that's exactly what coach Stansson told us.", Axel chuckles. Ken fires back at Mike with the same moves he just got taught. "Way to go, Kenny-boy.", I cheer dragging out the y. "Thank you JJ.", Ken responds returning my energy.

Russ's boys are all lined up on the fence yelling at us with 'Good luck guys!' or 'Go get 'em!'. We all way goodbyes as we climb onto the team bus. "We learned more here and in two hours than we have learnt with our actual coach and in 3 weeks.",Julie points out before sitting next to Luis. I turn to Adam, who is sitting right next to me. "Did we win?", I ask. I feel him laugh as I turn my back to lean on him, facing the window. "I have no clue. It's gotta be close.", Adam responds. "I swear if we didn't win, I wasted all that energy for nothing.".

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authors note:
Short chapter, I've been busy so decided to just post what was already written. Hopefully I'll have a longer chapter posted by monday.
-tanya

word count: 1183 words