𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 ; 𝓶𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝔂 𝓭𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓼

Showdown

    Charlie has us at the rink doing laps to ready ourselves. "Come on, guys!" He yells at us. And Coach Orion calls us in.

    "All right, I've been doing my homework on the varsity. I'm not gonna lie to you, they're good. The way they wiped faces and the dirt last time was no fluke. If you want your pride back, you better be willing to work."

    Coach looks at all of us. He continues talking about our pride and for how we should persevere and yada yada.

    He then dumps a trashcan and man, it smelt worse than Goldberg. "That's so nasty." I plug my nose and look away.

    He then had us stand in front of the net and he was putting the trash at us, telling us to block the net.

    I was so done when Charlie flipped a half-eaten burger patty at me. I threw a coffee bottle at him and it splattered his jersey.

-

    The next day, Orion brought us to the streets and had us pick up garbage out there. I didn't like his obsession with garbage right now.

    I still had my problems with Charlie and would make picking up garbage hard for him. As I should though, sometimes I tricked Adam and Fulton into helping me with it.

-

    Coach had us in the rink again. He blows his whistle. "Let's go! Get over here!" He yells at us. "Grab a knee. You guys are not skating like Warriors!"

    "I swear if you make us do laps until we pass out to make us Warriors, I will personally find your house and set it on fire." I was so done with everyone today.

    Coach's face looks like he couldn't tell if i was bluffing or not. "Uh, you look like Ducks." He was unsettled as he opens a box. He lifts a Duck jersey. "Robertson!" He throws it at Dwayne.

    Everyone goes and grabs their jersey. I didn't. Kenny tosses me mine. "Look, Renny."

    "This is so much better than the black and red." I smile at the jersey with 97 and Astor on the back.

-

It was the day of showdown and everyone was on the ice. Charlie had us skate in a circle and touch the ice first Hans. As touching the ice was a Norwegian sign of respect.

As we go to Coach Orion, I make a cross on my chest and kiss it to the sky, for my mom. "All right, let's go hunting for goose eggs, huh?" Coach says. "Come on, hands in. On three... 'quack'."

He counts and we quack before getting into positions. "Go, Vivi!" I hear a small, but loud voice, yell from the stands. I look over and see Elio with Mrs. Blogs, Keith, and Kiera.

I wave over to them and Elio jumps up and down. I get ready to play as i hear Banks and Riley talking. "You're gonna wish like hell you stuck with us."

"Save the trash talk." Adam says back as the puck drops. Riley shoves him to the floor and skates across the ice.

    He knocks us down as I fall onto Goldie. Julie blocks the goal and varsity steals it back. Goldberg toe blocks the next goal attempt.

    Everyone starts crowding the net and Julie. Orion switches Fulton in. Charlie and Riley go to center ice and Charlie knocks him down, passing the puck back.

    Dwayne gets it and gets easily tumbled. Fulton goes to his aid and also gets bombarded. I go up and help him. "Get the hell off!" I shove them off.

    Cole shoves me back as Julie blocks the puck from Sherman. "You get off!" He looks me up and down.

    I slam down my stick and attempt to jump on him. Fulton pulls me by my waist. "Astor, no!" Coach Orion yells at me. "Come here."