𝐦𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 | 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

"have i ever missed a game?"

"I think I stared at my wall for 15 minutes last night," Rowan Pierce admitted, her summer blonde hair whirling through the morning's gust of wind.

The boy to her right looked over at her. A small chuckle escaped his lips while he slightly shook his head. "That nervous, huh?"

"I don't know if I'm more nervous for school or to see if Larson and McGill are actually going to show up."

"Speak of the devil," Adam joked as he spotted the two boys turning the corner onto their street.

Alex Larson and Brendan McGill both wore hockey jerseys and basic blue jeans. McGill's brown hair flopped as he started to run, Larson only a few strides behind him.

"You guys are late," she stated, standing up once they had started up the driveway.

"No, not late," McGill protested. "Right on time."

"We still have one whole minute until we'd be late," Larson smartly agreed.

"Alright, can we go now?" Adam Banks sighed, seeing Rowan narrow her eyes at the two.

"Yeah."

"This year is gonna be ours, I mean think about it! We got three players on the best hockey team in all of Minnesota and the soon-to-be first girl Hawk," McGill exclaimed, swinging his arm around her shoulder as they all began to walk

"As I've said, I'm not joining your stupid hockey team," Rowan said, pulling McGill's arm off her.

"Leave the poor girl alone. You know she'd never join the Hawks," Adam laughed.

"Yeah, she's too stubborn", Larson added.

"Oh, sorry that skating directly into other people isn't exactly my idea of a good time", She argued. "I'd rather watch you guys do it."

"Speaking of which -- are you coming tonight?"

"Of course, have I ever missed a game?"

"No, never," They all said in unison. It was true. Rowan had never missed a Hawks game. Whether she wanted to or not, she knew she would never hear the end of it if she did.

"Who are you playing anyway?" She asked.

"The Panthers. Should be an easy win," The boys cockily laughed.

The rest of the walk to school was in comfortable silence. As they approached the middle school Rowan felt her anxiety peak once again. She grabbed onto hands on either side of her, she looked to see her fingers intertwined with Larson's and Adam's.

"Hey, where's my action?" McGill questioned.

He received a side glare from all three of his friends. They stepped into the school building and stopped once they reached Rowan's locker.

"See you guys at lunch?" Rowan nervously asked.

"Yeah, we'll save you a seat," Adam confirmed.

"Alright, I gotta get to class," She said while slowly backing away. The trio of boys watched as she waved a soft bye to them before entering a large crowd in the halls. By the time they had lost her blonde hair, the bell had rung.

"Oh, shit guys, come on!" Larson panicked, grabbing their shoulders and running towards their first period.

The time seemed to be ticking slower by the minute. Multiple classes passed only to be filled with familiar faces of kids they've known since kindergarten. Adam couldn't tear his eyes off the clock, anxiously waiting for the sound of students passing through the halls. And he heard it, he bolted for the first lunch wave.

Within 5 minutes, he was joined at a table by Larson and McGill. It seemed as if their eyes never left the cafeteria doors, waiting impatiently for Rowan.

"How does she always take so long?" Larson groaned.

"She has timing issues, I think we need to bring it up one of these days," McGill remarked.

"How far do you think her class is?" Adam inquired.

Just on cue, Rowan Pierce walked into the noisy lunchroom. Her eyes danced from table to table, searching for the seat that was promised to her. She quickly walked over to their table while giving a few waves to girls who said their hellos. "Anyone got a jacket I can borrow?"

"That's seriously the first thing you ask?"

"It's not that cold in here, Ro," McGill mumbled, half a sandwich stuffed in his mouth.

"I got dress coded so I really need a jacket," She pleaded, ignoring McGill's previous comment.

"You got dress coded?" Larson repeated in astonishment. "Why?"

"Apparently, my shoulders are quite distracting," She muttered.

"Distracting?" Larson repeated once again.

"I didn't know there were perverts at this school!" McGill announced as they stood up at once in a protective matter. "Just tell us who it was and we'll sort it out."

"Hey, I can take care of myself," She spoke.

Adam was the first to pull a one out of his bag. As he handed it to her, her green eyes scanned the embroidered #9 Banks on the arm.

"Thanks, Adam," She smiled.

"No problem," He responded while immediately looking down to hide the blush that tinted his cheeks. Larson was the only one who took notice of this, he quickly nudged Adam in the ribs while stifling a laugh.

"Shut up, Larson," Adam whispered, slapping the boy's elbow out of his now aching rib cage.

The concluding bell rung, emptying the entire school in a matter of just minutes. Rowan, Adam, and McGill impatiently waited under the large oak tree as Larson tried to explain to his math teacher why he hadn't made a single appearance for summer school. Adam and McGill kept snickering and predicting how he was 'so dead'. He took so long that Rowan began to wonder if he actually was.

Finally, he exited the building, sending them all into sighs of relief. "You're alive!"

"So, how long do you think you'll be grounded for?" Adam asked, leading them through Minnesota's streets.

"Right, so here's what I'm thinking: if I play real good tonight I can minimize the time to maybe like 2 weeks."

"I wish you the best of luck with that, truly," Rowan pronounced, approaching North Hennepin Avenue.

McGill and Larson lived just a few blocks over, waving their goodbyes as they continued on.

"You know, sometimes it's remarkable how much of an idiot Larson can be."

"I think he was dropped as a baby," Adam declared, running a hand through his sandy-colored hair.

"Definitely," She nodded, reaching for the keys to her house as Adam cut across the lawn that separated their houses, turning at the sound of her voice. "Adam, your jacket!"

"Keep it, I mean you're gonna need to show your support for the Hawks somehow."

"I think anyone who's ever been to a Hawks game knows what side I support," She laughed.

"Still -- keep it. It's gonna be cold in there and anyways, I want everyone to know who #9 Adam Banks' top fan is," He grinned.

She rolled her eyes in response, biting down on her lip to hide the smile that threatened to break out onto her face.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but notice her heartbeat quicken.