Love in the Shadows ~ Dean Portman x OC

Ch. 31: I Want to Be With Charlie

Pov: Adam Banks, August 24th, 1995, Minneapolis, Minnesota

They froze my jacket along either the other varsity players. I can't believe it. I thought we were all friends and just because I'm on a different team shouldn't change that. On Monday though I walk into school and Rick, Cole, and the rest of varsity were talking about JV's game. Surprisingly nothing bad as far as I heard. Rick then proposed we take them to dinner to celebrate. Finally we're not fighting so I can keep my friends.

We walk up to their table at lunch sporting our new jackets Coach bought us after JV froze ours and Rick congratulates the Ducks
"Hey congrats on the Blake game!"
"Yea right, we tied" Charlie sounds defeated
"Hey, a point's a point" He's got a point "We're all Warriors now. You guys proved your guts. You all set for dinner Friday?"
"Dinner?" Russ questioned
"Well it's an Eden Hall tradition. Varsity gotta treat freshmen to dinner. So round up your posse and meet us at 6:00, at the Minnesota Club, downtown. Anybody need a ride, we can take you. I mean, you guys do like steak and seafood, right?"
"Yea we do" Charlie chimes in
"Look I don't like you pukes, all right?" Wow really persuasive Cole. Touching stuff "But this is a tradition. At Eden Hall, I learned to care about tradition" Varsity leaves but the team still looks a bit unsettled so I assure them "It's cool" and I walk off.

Hopefully this will bring me and Charlie-

Hopefully this will bring varsity and JV closer together.

Me and my family frequent the Minnesota Club so I wasn't too surprised at the luxury or the prices. Varsity got there a bit earlier to sit down and all that as we waited for the Ducks to arrive. Per usual, they didn't really talk to me except for Scooter who said "Hey Banks" so... progress. I think I overheard Cole and Rick talking about a surprise but I'm not positive.

We'd booked the event hall for a dinner of this size and everyone was in their Sunday best. I'd never seen Charlie as cleaned up as he was. It was a bit jarring but he looked fine.

NOT fine as in attractive but fine as in satisfactory NOT THAT he satisfies me or anything just that... back to dinner:

Rick and Charlie are talking hockey, Dwayne is complaining about the different forks, Averman is loving this, and all seems well. Rick, at the center of the table, suddenly stands as he clinks his glass
"On behalf of the Eden Hall Warrior Varsity State Champion hockey team, I'd like to welcome the future state champs, the Eden Hall freshman. Here, here." He raises a glass and the rest of the dining room follows.
"We're just glad you loaned us Banksie so that we'd have a chance to beat you guys in the annual Freshman-Varsity Showdown" As Rick says this Cole and Johnny slap my back like a "dude"
"Now, nobody move. We've got one last surprise, Fellas?" All varsity started standing up and Rick motioned me to stand up too. I have a feeling this is not going to be good.

First alarm was that Rick kept calling me "Banksie". He usually calls me Freshman, Duck, or "You". Second off, all of Varsity got up and exited the dining room. What surprise needs 20 guys to pull off?

But I left anyways not wanting to cause a scene and Rick assured Charlie "Don't worry, we'll be right back" so I eased up a bit. As I was walking, I heard Scooter ask someone if they got the candles. What candles?

When I realized we were leaving and sticking them with the bill it was too late. I was already in Scooters car as the rest of Varsity was laughing their asses off. I couldn't turn around or anything because Scooter was my only ride home. Believe me I would've walked home instead but that would've been 3 hours to my house. If they didn't hate me before, they sure as hell hate me now.

"What the hell Scooter?"
"It's tradition. Varsity stick freshmen with the dinner bill. It's harmless fun"
"Harmless? That bill was probably $900! We're on scholarship!"
"It's fine. The restaurant will make them work off the debt so they'll be doing grunt work the rest for the night and get home scott free"
"They're gonna be mad"
"Uh huh"
"What if they do something back?!"
"They're on scholarship. Anything they do and it's back to street puck for the Ducks. Be glad we didn't leave you there with them"
"You should've"
"I can turn around Banks. If you really want to. But I can't stop Varsity from bashing you on the ice. If you go back, you'll be injured and off the team for the rest of the season"

He's right. These guys are huge and the last time I tussled with guys like this I almost broke my wrist. "Take me home"
"A please would be nice"
"Bite me"
Scooter then pulls the car over and turns around to face me in the passenger seat "I'm not the enemy here Banks. You're a good kid and a decent player but you've gotta get your head out of your ass once in a while. Rick will make your friends miserable until their scholarships drop or they drop. If you really want to have a good time here, get them to quit. Rick will learn to tolerate you and if he doesn't he graduates this year. Next year you'll be a star player and when I'm gone you can be captain. Keep your head low and don't meddle with the Ducks. You're a Warrior now. A real Warrior" I don't say anything so he just puts the car back into drive and keeps going. I get home and immediately text Charlie and the Ducks but no one responds.

I really hope they don't do anything stupid
__________________________________
Pov: Adam Banks, August 25th, 1995, Minneapolis, Minnesota

"They what?!" Jesus Christ they are so going to get us kicked out.
"I'm gonna kill those Freshies!!" Rick, covered in ant bites yells in the locker room as he slams his gear onto the bench. We are having a face off with them at the crack of dawn because the Ducks put fire ants into Varsity's beds and tied their doors together so they couldn't escape. And apparently Dwayne hog-tied Cole.

I knew they would do something. I get my gear on and head out onto the ice to get a couple laps in. There I see Charlie doing the same thing. I wave and he just gets off the ice and doesn't say a word. Dammit.

I can't stand him being mad at me. I don't care if we date or not but he's still my closest friend and I love him. Him being mad at me makes me wanna cry. But every time I cry, I go to Charlie. I step off the ice for a breather and pass Scooter
"Sorry about the ants"
"You didn't know. But don't go apologizing for everything they do. Best not to associate yourself with them"

I want to be them. I want to be a Duck. I want to play and hang out with my friends again. I want to be with Charlie and...

I want to be with Charlie...

I run to Charlie before he gets to the locker room and I pull him to face me "Charlie I-"
"Save it Cake-Eater. You made your bed now lie in it"
"But Charlie"
"Save it for the ice Preppy" He turns around to walk away and to keep him I pull his arm back and spin him. I guess I turned or something too hard because his lips came crashing onto mine. I immediately noticed and truly kissed him like I'd been dreaming of since the Junior Goodwill Games. I could swear on my life and everything/one in it that I felt him kiss me back. But as quickly as I reacted to it, he pushed me back, looked me up and down like I was a freak, wiped his lips off, and walked back inside the locker room.

WC: 1388