𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝓂𝓎 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔

Junior Varsity Duckies

    For the next two weeks it was insanely hard for the Duckies to not talk with Bryce and Skills. They didn't know what Whitey was trying to get at with that.

    Poor Justin had to run them again for talking with Bryce during their math class. How'd Whitey found out about that? Nobody knew, but they did know that he wasn't bluffing about the suicides.

Verity found it particularly difficult to ignore Bryce. He would constantly bug and bug and bug her. She came close to talking with him, but the teacher ended it.

It was lunch time and Aneli was talking with Verity. "I don't know how much I can keep this up." Aneli grabs a tray. "They bug so much."

"Tell me about it." Verity agrees, grabbing a thing of grapes. "I feel bad."

Aneli grabs a bag of chips. "Don't be. Im sure Coach has a good reason for this and besides, I do NOT want to run those suicides again."

"I'm pretty sure I lost ten pounds just from that." Verity takes a seat at their usual table. "Hey, guys."

The Duckies all say hi back. "When do you think Whitey will let us talk with Bryce and Skills?" Justin looked at them.

"I hope soon." Keenan blurts. "I really need Skills' help in English. Do you know how hard it is to not ask him for help?"

Mathew shakes his head. "I only have him in health. And it's really easy."

"If Bryce talks to me, I don't think I can keep this up." Justin sighs.

Josue leaned across the table. "Dude, remember what happened at the football field. You don't want that again."

"Want what again?" Bryce and Skills strode over. "What happened at the football field?"

The team stops talking and shoves food into their mouths. "Great." Skills huffs, slamming his tray onto the table before taking a seat.

"I think it's you." Bryce starts an argument. The two argue about why the team was ignoring them.

    After five minutes, Justin ran out of the cafeteria as Bryce was trying to talk to him. "And you think it's me." Skills scoffs.

    "Shut up."

-

    Verity was walking alone towards the rink when she got pulled into a crevice. "Hey, baby girl." Bryce smiles down to her. "How we doin' this fine evening?"

    The girl looks behind him at the brick wall. In her peripheral vision she could see Bryce's face drop.

"Doll face, please." Bryce leans against the wall. "Not you too. Please, baby."

Verity starts humming a song before looking down to the floor. "I'm going to get in trouble, Banksie."

Bryce smiles hugely. "You talked! Oh, yes! Thank you, princess. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He wraps his arms around his friend. "Did you not hear me?" Verity pushes him off and Bryce looked confused. "I can't talk to you! Please stop, you're gonna get me in trouble."

"Why are you gonna get in trouble?" Bryce looked genuinely confused. "Don't tell me it's because of me and Skills."

Verity looked up at him and that gave him his answer. "Matt and Zach were theorizing that we have to stop talking with the both of you until you make up, or something like that."

"Man, fuck that hoe." Bryce clicks his tongue. "Not Whitey." He clarifies.

Verity looks back. "I really have to go, Bryce." Bryce takes a really big sigh. "Okay, just fake it til you make it. Pretend to be friends, maybe Whitey will let us talk."

-

"Portman and Ambrose, we won't be talking with Mr Banks now will we?" Whitey calls out as Verity and Justin ran.

Justin cracked and talked to Bryce... right in front of Whitey. Verity had no idea how Whitey knew about hers. The old man kind of scared her.

"I was totally expecting you to be here." Justin tells Verity.

Verity pants and huffs as Whitey blows his whistle. "Oh, I'm so happy to finish." She fell to the floor.

"Next time you guys talk, you're running ten." Whitey throws them water. "I'm serious. Now meet me at the rink, it's time for the game."

Justin helped Verity down to the rink. She was definitely not going to play good. They got suited up really quickly and met the rest of the team at the bench.

"Finally." Nathan says and Whitey sends in his players.

    It was nearing the end of the second period and the Duckies were up 3-1. Verity got the puck and was making her way down the ice when a player trips her and Verity goes flying into the net.

"Hey, whats your problem, man?" Aneli goes over and shoves the player.

Bryce came up behind her. "I'll get him, babes." Aneli got the box.

"Ducks penalty, number 13, Moreau." They announce. "Two minutes, roughing."

They do the face off with Bryce. Bryce wins and slams down the other player, passing the puck to Josue. Josue skates down the ice and passes the puck back.

Verity got the puck and passed it to Bryce. He winks and blows a kiss at Verity before making the goal. They reset and the guy who knocked down Verity got the puck.

He skates to the Ducks' net and Bryce full on body bashes him to the ice, stealing the puck as he did so. He skates down to center ice when someone took it from him. Verity watched them go back down the ice to her net and Matthew missed the block.

The other team starts celebrating their goal. "Damn it." Aneli said to herself when she skated out of the box.

"Right?" Verity agrees with her, as they sit down together.

-

It's nearing the end of the game now and the Duckies are still winning. Bryce has the puck and was completely covered.

"Yo, I'm open!" Skills slammed his stick on the ice. "Pass it, money bags!"

Bryce looked visibly annoyed but passed the puck anyways. Skills caught it and all the players went to him. That's when he sneakily passed it back to Bryce and he made it in.

Skills laughed and skated over. "Nice going, money bags."

"Don't call me that, Sylas." Bryce says before the team all goes and hugs them.

    Whitey smiled at them. "You guys deserve some other people to talk with."

    "I think I'll stick with good ol' Sylas Taylor here." Bryce pats Skills on the back.

    Skills looked back at him. "Really?"

    "Hell nah." He goes and grabs both Verity and Justin. "I miss talking with babes and Justin here."

    Randy tilts his head. "Why do you call her babes?"

    The whole team, even Whitey and except Verity, looked at him with a face. "No, why do you?" Verity asked and everyone looked back at her with the same expression. "What?"

    "Your, uh, mom's nickname was The Bash Babe." Bryce thought for a moment and some of the boys snicker. "So you know, babes for short."

    Verity smiles and Whitey had them handshake the other team before they went to change. They hated the surprise that came right after.