Be There | A Dwayne Robertson Fanfic ✔️

"Ducks Fly Together"

"Ya'll enjoy that?" Coach asks, annoyance radiating off him in waves. We all nod and answer with "yes"s and "yeah"s as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, okay, well so did they. Because they're still three points up, and we're one period away from defeat." His voice was low, and he wasn't yelling. He sounded more disappointed, which is worse than angry.

We all frown, sitting down. All except one. "Well, if we can't beat them, we might as well keep our pride," Jesse announces, getting agreement from some of the team.

Coach frowns, breathing out quietly. "Jesse, that's not pride. Sure, when Dwayne roped that big oaf, part of me cheered." I smile softly at the boy next to me who returns it. "But, guys I've been there. I know how you feel. I wanted to cream that jerk that busted my leg in the minors. And I really, really wanted to go after Stansson for that cheap shot. But, you know what? My knee will heal, and if I become someone I'm not, if I sink to their level, well then, I've lost more than my knee. You understand?"

The team nods, glancing at each other, while small "yeah"s come out of our mouths. "We're not goons, we're not bullies. No matter what people say or do, we have to be ourselves. You." He continues, pointing at Dean. "Who are you?"

"Dean Portman," my brother responds, sitting up straighter.

"From where?" Coach pushes further.

"Chicago, Illinois."

"You." Coach continues, moving on to Guy.

"Guy Germain," he answers. Coach asks him where he's from too. "St. Paul, Minnesota."

Coach looks at Jesse. "You."

With arms crossed over his legs, Jesse responds. "Jesse Hall from Minneapolis, Minnesota."

"Who are you?" Coach switches to the other side of the room.

"Julie Gaffney from Bangor, Maine," she smiles, proud of her hometown.

Coach doesn't say a word, just points to someone else. "Luis Mendoza. Miami, Florida." Luis stands up from the bench, nodding when he says this.

Our goalie hops up faster than I've ever seen him move. "Greg Goldberg. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania." He smiles, his round cheeks puffing out.

"Les Averman. Brooklyn Park, Minnesota." Averman high fives Goldberg, grinning as his glasses reflect the light.

"Fulton Reed. Stillwater, Minnesota." Fulton gets off the metal bench as well, and Dean follows, hitting his shoulder with a "that's right!".

"Russ Tyler. South Central, Los Angeles," says the newest team member, who is followed by the young coach's aid. "Charlie Conway. Minneapolis, Minnesota."

The figure skater stands up next. "Ken Wu. San Francisco, California."

Connie leaps up, Guy right behind her. "Connie Moreau. Minneapolis, Minnesota."

"Adam Banks. Medina, Minnesota."

"Dwayne Robertson. Austin, Texas." Dwayne stand up and I follow after him. "Meg Portman. Chicago, Illinois." I glance at Dean, who is giving me a small smile.

Our tutor, who's been standing behind Coach the whole time, shrugs. "Michelle McKay. Duluth, Minnesota."

"And I'm Gordon Bombay. Minneapolis, Minnesota." Our coach smiles, hands on his sides, sticking out proudly. We clap and cheer, not just for him, but for all of us as well. "We're Team USA, gathered from all across America. And we're gonna stick together. You know why?"

"Because we are Ducks," says someone from the doorway. Jan smiles at us, sneaking into the locker room. "And Ducks fly together."

"That's right, Jan," Coach points at him, bringing him closer to us. "And just when you think they're about to break apart," he continues, and everyone in the room finishes with "Ducks fly together!"