The whole team pile into Hans' Sports Shop, and I exclaim, "I can't believe we have a sponsor! Us! District- 5 hockey team have an actual sponsor!"
"I know right!" Connie agrees.
I look to my right and see Terry and Karp wrestling with some gloves on. Idiots.
Goldberg found a pair of thick hockey pads and tried squeezing into them but ended up falling over. "Hey Greggy, need a hand?"
"No thanks Dee! I got it!" His says, struggling to stand up. What he doesn't know is that if he untied the string around the waist band he would be able to get into them easier, but oh well.
Jesse and Averman bow to each other before letting out their best war cry and beginning to wrestle.
I catch a glimpse of the skates and excitedly run over there, I'm met with the owner of the shop. "Ahh, Miss Bombay! I thought I'd see you over here."
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I ask him awkwardly.
"No, no." He chuckles. "No, but I know you. Your father mentioned you and I could tell that you were a Bombay."
"Really? How?" I ask.
"You've got your father eyes, and his father's." He tells me.
"You knew my Grandfather?"
"Yeah, he used to come in here all the time before he unfortunately passed, so did your father." He answers.
"My dad? Gordon Bombay? Mr. 'I hate hockey and I don't like kids'?" I raise an eyebrow.
Hans nods, "He loved hockey as a kid. Me and his father would take him to the lake sometimes so he could skate around for a while whilst we caught up."
"No way." I say, gobsmacked.
"Yes way. Hockey is in your blood." Hans says wisely. "Anywho, what would you like?"
"Um, can I have those please?" I ask and point at the skates that stand out the most to me.
"Ahh, these are your father's favourites too." Hans smirks.
"Um, thanks." I walk off and as I do I see my father smiling as he watches us all obsess over the new equipment. His eyes land on my and he gives me a half smile, which I return.
<^>
I walk down one of the isles and I see Charlie accidently knock over a whole hockey stick stand. I burst out laughing when he turns around and tries to be casual about it. He hears me laughing and starts to glare at me before chasing me around the shop. We both come to a stop in front of a fake ice sculpture that had the best hockey stick I've ever seen attached to it.
"Oh my God Char, you have to get that stick!" I tell him excitedly.
"Me?" He scoffs, "What about you?"
"I could never give up my stick. It has character." I shrug. "Now get it!"
"Okay." He tries to reach for it but he can't get it. I look around and my eyes fall upon a tall figure.
"Yo Fulton!" I call to the taller boy who's head snaps up and looks at me confused.
"Dee, what are you doing?" Charlie hisses and grips my arm tightly.
"Getting you your stick." I say in a 'duh' tone. "Fulton! Come here!"
He walks over to us confused, "Yeah?"
"You see that hockey stick right there?" I point to it and he nods, "Can you get it for my good pal Charlie here because he's too much of a midget and doesn't hit the gym enough, please?"
"Sure." He laughs under his breath as Charlie pinches me and I elbow him in the stomach.
Fulton manages to get the stick off the display and hands it over to Charlie. "Thanks, Fulton."
"No problem." He avoids eye contact and walks off.
"Well that was... eventful?" I state and walk off only to be pulled to the side and I yelp in surprise.
"When were you and Fulton Reed on speaking terms?!" Guy asks, shocked.
"When wasn't I?" I fire back.
"You're saying you and Fulton Reed are best buds, then?" Guy raises an eyebrow at me.
"Well, no not exactly... but we've spoke to each other a few times before." I shrug.
"Yeah right!" He grabs my hand and drags me away.
<^>
After paying for all the equipment the team heads to the ice rink for practise. "Dude check 'em out, man."
We all stand at the edge of the rink and watch Tammy and Tommy Duncan figure skate in the centre of the ice. "Holy cow..."
"They're pretty good skaters." Peter comments.
"Anybody know who they are?" Gordon asks.
"That's Tommy Duncan. He's in my science class." Terry answers before he starts smirking. "And that's his sister, Tammy."
"Stop starring, creep." I shove his head down.
"Think they'd wanna play hockey with us?" Gordon asks.
We all reply with some form of yes. "Alright, go get dressed. I'll do the negotiating."
"You sure you'll be able to do that by yourself? It were only a few weeks ago that you was saying how much you 'don't like kids'." I remind him.
"I think I'll manage Delilah. But be my guest if that's what you really want." He gestures for me to walk over to them.
"Hey, if you think you can manage." I hold my hands up in surrender.
"Thank you." He nods. "Oh and by the way, I want you home tonight. There's a few things I think we should discuss."
"Hmm, maybe." I walk off to the locker room.
"You really going home tonight?" Guy asks and the whole locker room falls dead silent, awaiting my answer.
"There's like a one in a million chance of me actually going home." I state with a laugh.
<^>
The Team is lined up in front of 7 or 8 cones with Coach at the end. "Back to basics! Skating!"
Coach blows his whistle and one by one we start to weave in and out the cones.
"Go! Go!", "Side to side!", "Shift your weight!", "Get comfortable on your edges!", "That's good! That's good!" "Keep your balance, Karp!" Coach instructs.
All of a sudden, Charlie falls down flat on his face. "That's okay, Charlie."
I skate up to him and help him up.
<^>
Bombay brang a big crate filled with cartoons of eggs into the middle of the ice. He picks up and single egg and holds it up proudly. "Soft hands."
He chucks the egg up and catches it, "You don't shoot the puck to your teammate. You sail it to them. Karp, on your feet."
Karp stands up with his stick ready and Bombay passes the egg to him. "You send it." Once the egg comes in contact with Karp's stick it breaks and splashes a few of the team.
"Oh gross!" We all cringe.
"You don't stop the puck. You accept it. Cradle it." Bombay demonstrates.
<^>
We are all stood in a semi-circle around Bombay with a few eggs at our side. Averman just got passed the egg by Coach and as he passes it back he ends up cracking the egg. "Oh!"
"Concentration, not strength." Bombay advises.
"Like the Karate Kid, right?" Averman jokes. "Wax on! Wax off! W-"
"Shut up and try it Asshat!" I snap at the boy on my left.
"You're such a loser." Connie mutters.
"Send it back Averman." Averman successfully passes it back to Coach. "Good Averman. Charlie."
Charlie accepts the egg without cracking it, "Good, good. Now, sail it back."
Let's play a game to describe Charlie's pass, how about Fortunately, Unfortunately. Unfortunately, Charlie cracked the egg. Fortunately, Bombay was covered in yoke/egg.
"Oh! Way to go!" Peter teases along with everyone else.
<^>
We're all partnered up with a cartoon of eggs each at our sides whilst we practise passing and accepting, I am paired with Jesse.
"I swear to God, Hall, if you even think about getting egg on you best start praying!" I threaten him.
"I'll try~" Jesse smirks and passes the egg to me without cracking it.
<^>
Next, everyone is lined up in front of the goal where Goldberg is tied to, with the equal amount of actual pucks ready to get rid of Goldberg's fear.
"Coach! Will you come back here? What'd I ever do to you, man?" Goldberg whines.
"District- Five! Ready!" Bombay calls and we all get in position, ready to start shooting.
"Oh man, I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!" Goldberg repeats.
"Aim!"
"Nice knowing ya Goldie!" Me and Peter smirk at the same time.
"Fire!" Bombay shouts over Goldberg's pleas, we all start shooting at Goldberg.
In the beginning, Goldberg's yelling and screaming but after a while he begins to realise that it doesn't hurt and he starts laughing and egging us on.
Once we run out of pucks we begin to bang our sticks on the floor and chant, "Goldberg!"
"I am Goldberg, the goalie!" Goldberg growls and we all cheer for him.
<^>
Finally, we go back to the cones and master our skating. "Good! Good! Alright Charlie!"
We all crowd around around Bombay, "Good hustle! Way to go! You guys hungry? Tired?"
Bombay starts to skate backwards as the team shouts 'yeah', but I stay quiet, not bothered about food or buying this whole attitude change.
"Do you ache?" The team cheers. "Are you pumped?" And again. "Good! That was a hell of a practise guys. Be proud of yourselves!"
<^>
After we're changed out of our gear me, Guy, Jesse, Connie and Terry put on our roller skates and mess around for a bit around town.
"Yo Dee, what's up with you?" I hear Jesse call to me from across in front of me, ripping me from my thoughts.
"Um... I have to go?" I reply in more of a questioning tone then I meant.
"You sure about that?" Guy smirks.
"Yea- Yes, I think so." I reassure, but I didn't know if I was reassuring him or myself. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!"
And with that I turn around and skate off, leaving my friends confused. I'm so gonna regret this!
<^>
I keep skating and skating and I must have been to distracted because next thing I know I groaning on the floor with some other dude because I crashed into them by accident. "Shit! I'm so sorry!"
"Its cool, don't worry about it." I hear a familiar voice say.
"Wait, Banksie?" I sit up and look at him. Wait Adam's voice is becoming familiar to me? God!
"Lilah." He nods to me and I quickly scramble to my feet.
"Woah!" We both say as I almost loose my balance but Adam grabs my arms to steady me.
"Woah, Banksie, you really are stalking me, huh?" I smirk and start skating again.
"I'm not stalking you!" He claims.
"If you say so, Stalker boy!" I tease.
"I live here!" He tries to justify but I just laugh and carry on skating.
Soon I arrive at a place I definitely didn't think I'd be going to any time soon. I sigh and open the door, "Bombay? Yo douche bag, I'm home!"
Woah, not used to saying that.
"Gordon Bombay? You're the one that wanted to talk to me not the other way round." I yell throughout the house, but get no answer. "Whatever..."
I walk in the kitchen and flip the kettle on to make myself some cocoa.
<^>
Five hours later...
For the one thousandth time tonight I flick the kettle on in the kitchen and make myself a cup of coffee.
I hear the front door open and in walks Gordon Bombay with a huge smile on his face, chuckling to himself.
"Well, look who it is." I say, announcing my presence which causes him to jump.
"Delilah, wha- what are you doing here?" He asks shocked.
"Last time I checked I lived here. And anyway, you asked me to come here, remember?" I tell him.
He slaps his forehead, "Oh right! I'm sorry, I forgot and frankly I didn't think you'd come."
"Neither did I." I admit. "So... where were you for the past five hours that I have been waiting?"
"Five hours?" I nod. "I was- I was- I was with Charlie."
"Conway?" He nods. "Wow! You bail on your own kid for someone else's that you've known for like three weeks. Unbelievable!"
I grab my bag and head towards the door. "Where do you think your going, young lady?"
"What do you care?" I fire back.
"Because I'm your father and I deserve to know where you are!" He shouts, which causes me to stop in my tracks.
"Your my father?" I ask rhetorically and he nods, "If you want that title then you best get your head out your ass and damn well start acting like it!"
And with that I walk out the door, slamming it behind me. "Delilah! Delilah Bombay get your ass back here!"
I start running because I can't deal with his shit anymore.
<^>
I show up outside Guy's door with tears pricking my eyes and knock. "Please open the door!"
The front door swings open a few moments later, "Delilah? Wha- what's going on?"
"It was the one in a million chance." A tear falls from my eye as my best friend brings my into a hug.