enemies • mighty ducks

steer clear

adam i walked into the rink, on our way to meet with coach wilson, and some other varsity bigwigs.

"how'd guy take all of this?" he questioned, as we walked through the doors of the stadium.

i shrugged, not sure what to tell him. i knew guy didn't exactly take it well, but he also didn't throw a fit or anything.

"i don't know, i think he'll be okay," i responded, glancing at the ice and debating on whether or not to add my two cents,"plus, i mean, it probably wasn't the worst thing for me to get away from the team."

adam knit his brows, looking down at me with confused eyes,"why?"

i let out a contempt sigh, toying with the straps of my backpack nervously,"i don't know, i just...i don't think charlie was gonna make it easy for me to be on his team."

"it's not his team," adam rolled his eyes, annoyed that i had practically been pushed out, "it's our team. it's just as much your's as it is his."

i chuckled in disbelief, glancing at the floor, "yeah, that's sweet, i just don't think it's the truth."

he frowned, shaking his head,"i'm sorry, slater. you deserve better."

i shrugged, feeling my heart flutter as i tried not to think too much about it. i didn't wanna come to the conclusion that charlie just simply didn't want me on his team, and that i hadn't been welcome from the very start. there was no point in upsetting myself by understanding the gravity of the situation.

"don't worry about it." i answered, coming to a stop in front of coach wilson's door.

we shared a timid glance, feeling a little scared to walk into the varsity coach's office.

"ready?" he asked me, trying to reassure me with his classic smile.

i nodded, his kind glance actually putting me at ease.

he opened the door, and we walked in, smiling at group of people that sat in the room.

i immediately recognized the people as riley, riley's dad, and coach wilson.

"adam, slater, so nice of you to join us." riley smiled.

i rolled my eyes,"my pleasure," i turned to smile politely at his father, who i had known for years,"hey, tom."

"slater!" he exclaimed, standing up to hug me, "i knew you'd make varsity, you've always been so talented."

"thank you, sir." i accepted his warm embrace, watching as adam stood there awkwardly, having no idea what to say during this strange reunion.

"welcome to varsity, kids." coach wilson gave us a tight lipped smile, handing us lettermen jackets.

i held back a laugh, trying not to show off how ridiculous i thought this whole ordeal was. not to mention, lettermen jackets didn't flatter my figure in the slightest. they made me look boxy and always hid my absolutely innovative outfits.

"thank you." adam smiled, grabbing onto the jacket.

"i trust you'll be wearing those the next time we see you." riley told us, basically not giving us the option of wearing it or not.

i nodded slowly, letting out a sigh as i let my backpack drop, slipping on the jacket.

it felt like i was shedding my skin and morphing into someone i didn't know. someone i wasn't sure i wanted to know.

•

adam and i stood in the lunch line, discussing our latest wardrobe change,"it's oddly comfortable. for some reason i thought they'd be itchy." he told me, grabbing an apple from the basket.