Bombay's Twins

The Lobby and a Book

After running on treadmills for a good forty minutes, the entire team headed back to the locker room. On the ice, everyone was in a half circle shape shooting pucks on net as Goldberg did his best going side to side, up and down, to save those pucks. He and Julie took turns as Coach and Banks watched, skating around, helping the players, and cheering them on. Even if Adam couldn't play, he still participated and tried.

Garrett shot fiercely as Bombay watched, skating around behind his players. On the far side, Banks stood, skating around side to side, backwards and forwards. Elliott waited for the others to set up again before she shot the puck. Shooting the puck, her eyes go wide as she completely missed the net and it went over the net, above Goldberg, and hit the glass boards. She had no idea why or how she did that. Of course, her mind wasn't completely clear, but she still had no idea how she did that.

Next to her, Jesse cocked a brow and looked at her and that awful shot. Portman was laughing from the far end and she crossed her arms with a sigh. "Wow, that was just...amazing." Jesse spoke sarcastically.

She turned her head and looked at him, a little annoyed. "It was once." She told him.

"You mean six." He corrected her.

She sighed and turned back and looked at her puck. She lifted her stick and took a shot, missing the net and hitting the bar. "I can't shoot today!" She called.

Bombay skated over to her. "Don't worry, you're just having a rough practice, everyone does." Coach told her and smiled, skating over to Adam.

Practice wrapped up and everyone had left, Ellie left with the girls and headed up to their dorm so they could play some Mario together in a little while. Coach Bombay had stayed behind and spoke with Adam about his arm, and everyone knew Adam was out right now. In their room, Ellie explained that she was going to go downstairs and buy a drink. Putting her glasses on her head, so she could read prices and signs, she left the room and headed back downstairs with her wallet and book.

Opening the pages of her book, in which her mother's friend told her would be an excellent read, she continued from where she was in the middle of the chapter two.

"Huh?" Dally was taken off guard. He stared at Johnny in disbelief. Johnny couldn't say "Boo" to a goose. Johnny gulped and got a little pale, but he said, "You heard me. Leave her alone."

Dallas scowled for a second. If it had been me, or Two-Bit, or Soda or Steve, or anyone but Johnny, Dally would have flattened him without a moment's hesitation. You just didn't tell Dally Winston what to do. One time, in a dime store, a guy told him to move over at the candy counter. Dally had turned around and belted him so hard it knocked a tooth loose. A complete stranger, too. But Johnny was the gang's pet, and Dally just couldn't hit him. He was Dally's pet, too. Dally got up and stalked off, his fists jammed in his pockets and a frown on his face. He didn't come back.

Downstairs, Elliott looked up and walked over to the line and stood there, waiting to buy a drink. She pulled her glasses up on to her face better and gazed at the prices, getting her money out. After she bought her drink, she was on her way through the lobby when a teammate had seen her. Sitting in the lobby on a chair with his Walkman in his hand and headphones on, his expensive white and black shoes flat on the ground, his light brunette hair combed over to the right, he was staring right at Ellie as she passed by.

He looked up at her with a smile and then flagged her down. "Hey, Elliott!" He called and about stood up to go see her when she turned after opening the tight lid of her stubborn drink and walked over to him. She stood a few feet away from him with curiosity in her eyes as she took a sip of her blue power drink.

"Hi, Adam. How's the wrist?" She asked him, noticing his arm was still in that brace until further notice.

He shrugged as she leaned against the side of the maroon and white patterned chair. "It's all right" He spoke, staring at his wrist and then looked up at her. "I uh, just wanted to say 'hey'."

She nodded. "Hey, to you too."

It grew a little quiet between the two and Ellie didn't know whether to stay or go. She stood uneasily as he looked like he was in the same boat. "What're you reading?" He asked.

She walked over and handed him her book with the folded page so she knew where she was. He grasped it tightly, setting his Walkman next to him as his headphones were already around his neck, playing music still. "The Outsiders by S.E Hinton." He said, looking at the back he flipped the book over. "It's an amazing book, my teacher gave it to me last year."

She took a seat on one of the chairs in front of him. "Really? She asked, pulling her glasses up, he smiled with a nod.

"Yeah, it relates to kids like us, even though some of them are a little older than we are. It's nice to see that a female wrote a book in a male's point of view." He explained, handing her the book back.

She took it, setting it on her lap as she leaned back in the seat for a moment. "Well, I wasn't really into reading another book, but my mother's friend gave it to me and said I should read it."

"It's a good thing she told you to read it. You'll learn a lot."

"Calling me stupid?" She asked, standing up quickly, catching him off guard.

"No, I wasn't. I was just-"

She held her book to her hip and laughed, bringing her other hand to her mouth as her drink was set on the table in front of Adam. She laughed at how seriously he took that. She knew he wouldn't call her stupid, she was super smart in most categories, but sucked at one other one. Adam looked up after noticing that she was laughing. "Wait, what? Why are you laughing?" He asked.

"Because you actually believed that." She laughed. "Could you pass me that blue drink thingy." She asked.

He looked down and grasped the bottle, picking it up by the neck and passing it to her. She nodded as a thanks. "Hey," He stopped her before she took off. "Did you want to join me and the others tomorrow after our practice for smoothies?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I'd love to, but my brother can't have 'em, so I don't have 'em." She replied. "I'm sorry, but maybe I could make it up to you another time, before we leave, of course?"

"Nah, it's all right. You're a busy girl and probably got plans."

Elliott Caldwell was one of the most smokin' hot girls the Ducks had ever seen, besides Julie and Connie, and now that she was offering a time to hangout with Adam Banks alone, he had denied that. Now, if he told any of the others, he'd be dissed on for eternity for not going out with some girl like her. Garrett would laugh, knowing that Elliott wouldn't dare to ask someone twice after a rejection and that she rarely asks anyone. Adam won't know that Ellie will never say 'yes' or ask him such a thing, again.