❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜
chapter thirteen: captain ducky
tw(s): i just hate rick. that's it. read with caution.
— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —
EMMA HART IS curled up on a park bench, thinking to herself, and reading a book. Autumn reds, oranges, yellows, and browns surround her in perfect harmony. She is at peace. Cute children in colorful tee-shirts with countless patterns trail behind their mothers and fathers. A smattering of gingham picnic blankets dot the grassy area of the playground in the distance, silicone containers of chicken sandwiches and canteens of fruit juice.
"Hey, guess who," a voice says from behind Emma.
"Quit it, Char."
"How do you always know it's me?" he asks, kissing the top of her head.
"You're the only one who does stuff like this to me," she says, patting the spot on the bench next to her.
"What are you reading?"
"Wuthering Heights."
"You've gotta let me read it," Charlie says, resting his chin and hands on her shoulder.
"Yes, but not my copy," Emma says sternly. "I trust you, but not with my books. You're bound to dog-ear them or get a stain on them."
"Emma, the book nitpicker," Charlie says fondly, shaking his head and taking a seat on the bench.
"I'm not a nitpicker, I just have a normal human desire to keep my prized possessions in good condition," Emma says, poking his cheek. "You wouldn't know, I've seen the state of your room."
"And how would you know? I've seen the state of your closet," Charlie shoots back.
"What are you doing rummaging through my closet? Is that where my pink dress went?" Emma asks teasingly.
"Oh, please," Charlie says. "As if anything your style is of interest to me. I've got real class."
"Oh, yes. Even Jackie O's closet's got nothing on your Spider-Man pajamas."
"That's right," Charlie confirms, kissing her on the lips.
"Charlie," she murmurs. "Cool it. We're in public."
"And?"
"Haha, Charlie, very funny," she says, pulling away.
"Well, on a nicer topic, Bombay's bailing." Charlie spits out his name like it's distasteful. His mood takes a full three-sixty.
"Yeah. He served me his speech earlier this morning," Emma sighs, sticking her bookmark in place.
"I just can't believe he'd do this, y'know? It's like, he abandons the team for his pride or some opportunity, and then he comes back and says sorry and does it again," Charlie complains.
"I understand your frustration, Charlie," Emma says quietly, turning around and fixing his tie. "But forget about him for a minute and think of what awaits us at our new school. we'll have fun. I promise."
"Well, that's easy for you and someone like Banks to say. You guys have money. To those preppy snobs, the rest of us don't belong."
"Well, if they cause you any trouble, I'll have my mom sue all their companies and tow their yachts," Emma says, tousling his hair.
"Really, you can do that?" he asks hopefully.
"No, silly! I'm not the president. But I will do everything in my power to protect you at this new school."
— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —
"Emmaline, get over here!" Julie yells, spreading her arms in preparation for a hug. Emma runs over to her excitedly and accepts the embrace.
"Hey, Jules," Emma says, straining from the tight squish of the hug.
"You get more and more gorgeous every time I see you, I swear," Connie squeals, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Emma's ear.
"Doesn't she?" Julie agrees.
"Oh, my goodness, says you guys," Emma laughs incredulously.
"You didn't want to walk to school with Charlie?" Connie asks.
"Nah, he said he would roller blade. And I wanted to make time for my girls over here," Emma says, throwing her arms around both of them.
The three girls walk side by side into the auditorium and take seats near Dwayne, Russ, and Kenny.
"Hey, you know what?" a voice rings out from behind them.
Julie, Dwayne, Russ, Emma, Kenny, and Connie turn around.
"You Ducks don't belong here at Eden Hall."
Emma freezes as she realizes who it is. Richard Riley.
"Emmaline Mitchell-Hart. Well, well. Maybe you belong here," Rick says, drumming his fingers together and contemplating her features with a smirk.
Emma doesn't object to him calling her Emmaline Mitchell-Hart. It's been a tiring back and forth throughout the years. At first, she loathed the idea of having the name of the man who left and betrayed her family. But after the Junior Goodwill Games, her father tried to make amend, and Emma decided she would allow him to. And she's starting to see things from his perspective. Of course, she doesn't sympathize at all with the cheating and lying, but she understands that he's trying to change.
"You know this kid, Em?" Russ asks, looking between them with suspicious eyes.
"Yeah. My mom's settled cases for his family before. I've met him at work parties," Emma explains, narrowing her eyes in Rick's direction. "He's a delight."
"Well, um, I'm Dwayne. We're the new hockey team. And you are...?" he introduces, sticking out his hand.
Emma truly likes Dwayne. He's sweet and friendly. She's gotten annoyed with him in the past for showboating during important hockey games, but she knows he's nothing but well-meaning.
"Varsity. The only hockey team," Rick says. "State champs."
"Oh, get your head out of your ass, Richard," Emma groans, rolling her eyes.
"You know, my little brother lost his J.V. slot when they brought you yo-yos in here."
Emma snorts. Snorts turn to giggles. Rick gives her a weird look.
"You really thought yo-yos was doing something?"
"You'll shut up if you know what's good for you," Rick growls.
"Whatever. Your brother probably wasn't good enough," Julie says.
Rick leans closer to her.
"See, that's my dad."
"Yup," Emma confirms. "Ugly fellow, he is."
Rick grits his teeth. "He's gonna get the board to revoke your scholarships. Just you wait."
"That's your dad? Nice outfit," Russ states. "Did it come with a yacht?"
Emma snickers.
Dean Buckley delivers a speech about the school's core values before making a segue into an announcement about the Ducks.
There's a muffled cry from behind the curtain.
"Goldberg?" Emma murmurs.
The curtain tears from its rings, revealing some of the Ducks in all their muddy glory.
Emma's jaw falls open and she bursts into laughter with the rest of the crowd.
"Hi. We're the Ducks."
— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —
"Is there any chance it looked like a planned skit?" Charlie asks hopelessly, trailing behind Emma as they walk to class.
"Maybe, but it's slim to none. Averman's terrified face completely gave it away," Emma says, laughing.
"Aw, jeez. Not the way I anticipated starting this year," Charlie says, locking their hands.
"I'll bet, but it was cute."
Rick shoves past Charlie, hitting the back of his head.
"Hey! Captain Ducky!"
Rick approaches the pair with his group of goons behind him.
"Emmaline," Rick adds.
"Richard."
"You know him?" Charlie asks skeptically.
Emma whispers a quick explanation to him before turning to Rick.
"What do you want?" Emma snaps.
"Ooh, protective girlfriend vibe, I dig. I just wanted to let your boyfriend know that he'll never belong. We're going to run you out of this school as fast as you came here," Rick says, inching closer to them.
"Does this kid have an off button?" Emma snarks.
Rick rolls his eyes and walks away.
"Alright, I've got History with some dude named Mr. Powell," Charlie says.
"Well, I've got English here."
"Okay, bye," Charlie says, pecking her on the cheek. "I love you."
"Sorry, what was that?"
"I love you."
"Repeat that just one more time?" Emma requests, smiling.
"Oh, shut up. I'll see you at lunch," Charlie says, shaking his head.
"Not if I see you first."
Emma turns around and bumps into a tall body, her stack of assignment sheets and homework packets scattering on the floor.
"This day just keeps getting better, doesn't it?" Emma mutters to herself.
She startles as a hand reaches out and gives her a stack of papers that fell.
"Sorry about that," a voice says.
Emma looks up. It's a boy. He's wearing a red varsity jacket, and his hands are stuck deep in his pockets. He has blonde hair and a friendly smile, with black sunglasses perched atop his head.
He sticks out his hand for a handshake. "Oh, um, I'm Jude. Matthews. Jude Matthews. I'm on Varsity hockey."
Emma purses her lips before timidly accepting the handshake. "I can see that, yeah."
"Oh, right," Jude sighs. "I'm really sorry about Rick. He's a total asshat. Welcome to Eden Hall."
"Oh, thank you."
The terrible day of intimidating teachers with dry-cleaned suits and over-lined red lips is immediately made up for when Emma catches sight of the school's rink.
The Ducks whistle and marvel at it. What luxury.
"If it isn't Captain Ducky," Rick says, stepping in front of Charlie as he makes his way onto the rink.
"Get your hands off him," Fulton says, pushing him back.
Emma smiles up at Fulton. Fulton seems tough, and he is, to an extent. But he's actually really sweet. He's been slightly less spirited, though, ever since Dean left the Ducks. Dean was his other half.
"Ooh, look, a Bash Brother," Cole jeers. "I'm so scared."
Emma is genuinely confused as to why he's so full of himself. He really does have the appearance and personality of an airhead.
"Break it up!" a voice calls. "Come on, let's go!"
"How 'bout it, Cowboy? A round up?" Charlie suggests to Dwayne.
"Hey, Charlie, shouldn't we wait for the new coach before we mess around?" Connie asks.
"Yeah, Connie's right," Emma agrees.
"This is how we practice, Em. Duck hockey, guys. He'll have to get used to it sooner or later. Well, come on, Cowboy. Hit it," Charlie says.
Emma shakes her head, laughing. She enjoys Charlie's confidence, really, but she has a feeling that any coach at this type of school won't tolerate such shenanigans from them.
Dwayne starts, and Emma immediately forgets all her worries and decides to have fun. She trips on a deep cut on the ice, right into Connie, who squeals and bursts into giggles.
They are still on the ice, doubled over in uncontrollable laughter, when a shrill whistle cuts through the rink.
It's a man, blonde and icy blue-eyed and severe. Presumably their new coach, whom they're already off to a swell start with.
"My name is Coach Orion."
Yup.
"You can call me Coach," he continues. "Or Coach Orion."
"Well, you can call me Charlie," Charlie says, looking back at his team.
Emma, who is now standing up next to Connie, breathes out a quick laugh, but still gives him a wincing face. Not the time to joke around, Charlie.
"That must be what the C on your jersey stands for, huh? It sure doesn't stand for captain."
Charlie's face falls immediately, and Emma's heart aches for him. She knows how proud he is of his captain status.
"Sorry, Coach, we were just messin' with you, y'know?" Russ explains.
Emma has a feeling that this explanation will not suffice to someone like Coach Orion. So she adds, "It's kind of like a warmup. It's not conventional, but it works for our team."
Orion nods in approval in her direction.
"Hey, Bombay gave him that C," Goldberg argues.
"And I respect that, but that's the past," Orion says. "This is my team now, and I'll be selecting the captain."
"You gotta be kidding me, right? I mean, you're the rookie here. We've all been together for four years," Charlie says.
On any other occasion, Emma would have appreciate his ability to stand up for himself. But he's digging a deep hole for himself with this coach. Please, Charlie. For your own good, stop.
"Okay, Charlie, laps. Right now," Coach Orion orders.
"How many, Coach Orion?" Charlie asks with a sneer in his voice.
"I don't recall saying."
If it were Bombay, Emma would absolutely put him in his place. But that's Bombay. And as nice as he was as a coach, Emma didn't take him too seriously. But this coach is all glares and no nonsense.
"Now, you listen up, and you listen up good," Orion says. "We are here for one reason and one reason only. You know what that is? It starts with a W."
"To win, Coach Orion, sir!" Averman says confidently.
Emma would have agreed with him. But Orion seems the type to put more focus into the process than the result. To make them work.
"Um, to work, sir?" Emma tries.
"Yes, exactly! To work! High school hockey is very hard work. And it all begins with defense. I've seen your tapes. I know you can score goals. I just don't know if you can stop them," Orion says.
Emma remembers during the Junior Goodwill Games when Julie stormed into their dorm, screaming into her pillow. Emma asked her what was wrong, and Julie told her that Bombay was too attached to Goldberg and was holding off too much on giving her a chance, just because he could. Emma knows Julie's skill. She won't let it get rusty. She'll do something about it.
"You're not kids, or little ducks anymore, so I'm not gonna treat you that way," Orion continues. "You're gonna learn to play two-way hockey: offense and defense. It's gonna take one thing. Starts with a W."
"To work, Coach Orion, sir!" Averman repeats.
"I love you, Ave, but please, shut up," Emma whispers through her teeth.
"Wrong. Will. It's gonna take real will if you wanna play in my barn. All right. Count off, let's climb the ladder."
Goldberg is rusty, to say the least.
Everyone is able to best him with ease. Emma advances and slides to the right, sending the puck into the net with amazing precision, showering the tops of her skates with shredded ice. Before, Emma was average at hockey. She played well, but she wasn't exceptional. She didn't turn heads with her amazing defense or her astounding speed. But during the summer, she went to the rink every day and practiced until indigo darkness loomed over Minnesota and the janitor kicked her out for the night.
So now, she turns heads. Especially Coach Orion's. He tilts his head to the side, inspecting her technique. It's near-perfect.
"Goldberg! When's the last time you practiced?" Orion asks.
"Well, uh, we don't really practice, per se. We either play or play around. You know, have fun," Goldberg says.
I don't think he does know, Emma thinks.
Orion spots Julie over Goldberg's head, blocking pucks effortlessly left and right. Emma smirks. This guy sort of scares her, but if Julie gets the recognition she deserves, it'll all be worth it.
"That's Jules. She's a master goalie. She can think quick on her feet and she's strong. That's what makes her so good. They call her the Cat," Emma says to Coach Orion, never taking her eyes off her friend.
"Oh, yeah? Then why's she your backup?" Orion questions.
"Who knows? That's Bombay's doing. I guess he had a weird preference for the kids he coached first. That's the only explanation for passing up someone like her."
Practice ends with sweat and tired breaths. They file into the locker room.
"Somebody get me a shovel and bury me right here," Goldberg says.
"I will teach you to play like what? Starts with a W!" Charlie mimics, his voice echoing.
In the midst of their sarcastic chanting, Orion bounds into the room with a clipboard.
"Eden Hall Academy requires you to maintain a C average to compete," he announces.
That wouldn't be a problem for Emma. She's exceptionally smart. She's been an A or A plus student all her life.
"I believe that's a bad rule. I don't want any C players on my team. I want B's or better, or you're going to be riding the pine pony. Now, you got fifteen minutes after each practice to clear this locker room. You got homework to do. Oh, one more thing," Orion says, turning. "Stay clear of the Varsity team until we play 'em in the J.V.-Varsity showdown."
As much as Charlie seems salty towards this new coach, Emma actually likes him. He's brief, get's straight to the point, and seems sensible.
After Orion leaves, Connie points out the list of positions tacked on the bulletin board. Emma's heart beats harder. She really hopes Orion took Charlie's skill and good leadership into lots of consideration, since she knows that Charlie's attitude most definitely didn't get him into Orion's good graces.
"I don't believe this," Fulton says. "I play left side, not right."
"Third line?" Russ whines. "Man, that's a major diss."
"I'm not even posted," Adam says with furrowed brows. "Emmy, c'mere."
"Yeah, you are," Connie speaks up. "Adam Banks, third line, center. Varsity? Wait, you and Em are both on Varsity?"
"No, no, this cannot be happening. I can't deal with Richard 'The Rosebush' Riley," Emma chokes out.
"Rosebush?"
"Ha! Because he's a prick! Good one, Em," Averman compliments.
"Yeah, see, Ave gets it," Emma murmurs. Her eyes are trained on the paper.
Goldberg rushes over, pushing Emma over, when Averman informs him he's been made backup. Emma feels guilty for encouraging Orion to pick Julie instead of Goldberg. But either way, one of them would have been left feeling dejected, and Julie was the one who hadn't gotten her chance yet.
"Hey! Who's Captain Tibid?" Dwayne asks, confused.
"Oh, that's captain T.B.D. To be determined," Guy corrects.
"Oh, oh, I see. Well, no, I don't. That's your job, Charlie," Dwayne says.
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Emma's hand involuntarily slips up to her mouth. She almost doesn't want to see Charlie reaction.
Charlie's face drops.
— ˗ˋ ୨୧ ˊ˗ —
CLARA'S CORNER
okay, hear me out. i feel like adam and charlie were both kind of jerks in d3. definitely more charlie than adam.
however, i feel like when varsity bailed on j.v. in the restaurant, adam could have come back to offer money or help since he's loaded. or if he didn't have money, he could have just gone in-and-out quickly just to explain it wasn't his fault and he didn't know, instead of letting them seethe and grow resentful towards him. i guess that doesn't make him a jerk, just kind of slow.
but OH MY GOODNESS i love charlie so much but he ticked me off so bad in d3. what happened to cute little charlie? he was so unbelievably bitter. and i understood it to an extent, but whoa, just hear banksie out for a few seconds. and then after the meeting with the board about revoking their scholarships, and bombay coming to the rescue, charlie was all buddy buddy with banks again.
yes, the last line was a reference to that one audio. if ykyk.
anyways, vote and comment because reading comments gives me so much happiness i swear <3