Forever and Always | Adam Banks

We're Gonna Fight It

The team was getting ready for an away game, loading their gear onto the bus and checking in with Coach Orion. They were still missing Charlie on the team, but was hoping he would rejoin them soon. It seemed like the old Charlie was back when they were playing street hockey over the weekend, however it was always hard to tell what Charlie was feeling these days. 

"Conway?" Orion asks, shocked that Charlie was standing in front of him. Orion wasn't sure when to expect Charlie to be back, but he was taking Ellie's advice and being patient with him.

When the team heard Charlie's name they all looked up, focusing their attention on Charlie. It was about time he came back, as they were missing him on the ice. They were incomplete without him. 

"I want to be on the team, Coach. I want to play two-way hockey. Can I come back?" Ellie had no idea what Bombay had said to Charlie that made him change his mind about playing for Orion, but she didn't care. She was just happy he had decided to come back to the team. 

"Take a seat. We're running late," Orion tells him. He knew Charlie was a key part to the team, especially seeing how the rest of the team was acting while he was gone. They didn't have the same energy as they did when Charlie was apart of the team. "Let's go. We got a game to catch."

"It's about time, Conway," Russ says, while the rest of the team cheers, offering up high fives as he walked by and welcoming him back to the team. The Ducks were over the moon that Charlie had returned. 

Ellie was sat with Dwayne, behind Russ and Charlie. "Oh, man, you should've seen your face. Oh, Coach, I want to play two-way hockey. Can I come back?" Of course Russ was the one to tease Charlie about his re-entrance to the team. Ellie let out a small chuckle, amused by the teasing that was taking place in front of her. 

"I almost missed you." Dean Buckley was the last person the team was expecting to climb aboard the bus. "Coach, you mind if I have a few words with your boys?"

"And girls," Julie chimes in, annoyed that the girls were always getting left out. 

"If you can make it quick, Dean. We're running late as it is," Orion tells him, wanting to get to their game on time. 

"I'm afraid this important." Ellie had a feeling the news they were about to get wasn't going to be good. "We have a board meeting scheduled for tomorrow, and well, you all are on the agenda. We have to think long term here. What's in your best interest. Hard as it is for me personally, because you kids have been a breath of fresh air around here, the board is going to approve the withdrawal of your scholarships. Now, you'll be welcome to stay through the end of the semester bu after that, it will be necessary for you to enjoy other educational opportunities."

"Dean, I need a word with you," Orion tells him. He was upset by the news, not wanting to lose the Ducks. These kids were great players and he was enjoying being their coach. "Now." 

"Other educational opportunities?" Dwayne asks, confused as to what Dean Buckley was referring to. Ellie let out a sigh, knowing the rest of the team was upset as she was. "What's he saying?"

"It means adios, amigo," Ellie responds, putting it in simpler terms for Dwayne. He leans his head back on the seat, finally understanding what was going on. 

The team gathered around the windows and door, listening in on the conversation Coach Orion was having with Dean Buckley. They knew they weren't playing as well as they did with Charlie but now that he was back on the team, they knew they could turn it around. However, it seemed like the board had arleady made up their mind. Lately, it seemed like they could never escape the bad news. Ellie knew she was going to have to tell Adam, though she was unsure if this was going to be affecting him too. 

Once Dean Buckley left, the team piled off the bus and gathered around Coach Orion. There had to be something they could do to stay at the school.  

"We're just pawns, puppets for the stage show, jesters to entertain the king, barnacles on the bottom..." Averman starts rambling, going on about the position they really held at this school.

"Shut up, Averman!" Ellie tells him, tired of hearing him compare them to the bottom of the totem pole. Dean Buckley had made their position clear, and the team didn't need to hear Averman repeat it.

"Coach, is this legal?" Goldberg asks. They had signed contracts with the school, so there has to be something that binds them to the school. "I mean, don't we have contracts or something?"

"I don't what it is," Orion responds, pissed of at Dean Buckley and the rest of the board members. "All I know is we're gonna fight it."

When Ellie returned home from their game, she immediately made her way to the tree that separated her window from Adam's. She hated to be the bearer of bad news, but it was important that Adam learn about the board meeting that was taking place tomorrow.

"What's wrong?" Adam asks, noticing the worried look on Ellie's face. She didn't wear this expression often but when she did, something was really wrong.

"There's a board meeting at the school tomorrow and we all have to be there. The members are approving the withdrawal of our scholarships," Ellie says, repeating the news Dean Buckley had told them earlier.

"But they can't do that," Adam exclaims. He may not be enjoying his time on Varsity, but he didn't want to leave the school. Eden Hall had one of the best hockey programs in the state. This school was his best shot at getting scouted.

"We're trying to fight it, Adam. But if they approve it, Dean Buckley said we can only stay until the end of the semester." Ellie knew this news was going to upset Adam, as this school was important to his future hockey career. 

"This sucks." Adam hated to be the one to point out the obvious, but it was the truth. This situation seriously sucked. If they lost their scholarships, they would have to go to a different school. A different school means the Ducks were going to be split up. He and Ellie would be at some other private school in Edina while the rest of the Ducks went to a public school, or back to their home state. Things were starting to go back to normal, no one wanted to see the Ducks split apart. 

Author's Note:

I was gonna try to get the board meeting in this chapter too, but decided to have it as it's own separate chapter. Also had to bring back Adam's iconic but they can't do that. He would def say it in this situation and no one can tell me otherwise