In the boys' dorm, Garrett lied on his bed with his Walkman on as he pondered on going over to his sister's dorm room to see if she was asleep or not. He was dying to play some video games, tomorrow they're going for their run, so he might as well play that night if he wants his games. Jesse, Adam, Averman, Charlie, and Guy sat on the ground playing a card game. They were quite loud, seeing as they had to out beat the other in the game of President.
They hadn't invited Garrett because he seemed at ease sitting on his bed and staring at the ceiling, with his hands on his stomach, as he listened to music. He seemed at peace, seeing that his music was quite loud since Jesse thought he could hear it.
"Yes!" Guy yelled, cheering as he had put his cards down first. "I'm President!"
Adam and Jesse were head to head on becoming Vice-President and Meteocre. Meanwhile, Charlie and Averman glanced every now and they at one another, seeing who'd get Donkey and Asshole. After, they'd play a game of spoons to test everyone's memory, speed, and strength during the childish game of grabbing a spoon without getting stabbed or hit.
Taking turns to put cards down quietly, Jesse spoke up. "You know, he isn't all that bad." He spoke, motioning towards Garrett.
"I like him." Charlie admitted, he was proud to admit that. He likes everyone on the team and wouldn't trade any of them for anyone else. The team is stacked the way it is and he thinks they did a stupendous job. The twins are different and although they may not pass often, he knows how good they play. That's their own play, they don't pass often. Luis can't stop and Dwayne sometime show boats, there's no difference.
"You like everybody." Averman piped up.
"No, I don't." Charlie called back and Jesse had thrown his last two cards down, gaining Vice-President. "I didn't like Adam's hockey team back in Peewees."
Garrett turned on his side, hearing some of them talk about him. He did like how they liked him, but he was upset how they were talking about hockey a few years back. His years in hockey were incredible, but he wished his father were here and knowing these were the kids his father had chosen, it sadden Garrett. Why not him? Why not his family? Why this fake family of Ducks?
In the girls' dorm, they were playing on Elliott and her brother's Nintendo Entertainment System together. Playing Super Mario Bros. 3, they would holler here or there as one died. They took turns playing as Mario, since Julie didn't like Luigi, and the other didn't mind who they played as. They had gotten shakes together about an hour ago, and now the remainder of them melted on the bedside tables as they were gathered on the small couch in front of the TV. They had moved a few things around the room so it was convenient for them.
Elliott watched as Julie maneuvered through the 2D came, scrolling the side of the screen. Jumping over something, Connie and Elliott made squealing noises as they were afraid Julie was going to fall off the map or get hit by a mushroom or turtle. The game didn't seem tense, but when you watched someone else play, it became the most dangerous thing in the room.
Outside the room, Coach Bombay looked a small piece of paper in his hands, knowing which of his players were in which rooms. He could hear laughing and yelling from a few of the different rooms as he walked by. Stopping at the girls' dorm, he knocked on the door and waited, glancing down the hall where he saw a player from a different team walk back to his room, unlocking the door.
The girls didn't hear the knock and had continued playing. Bombay sighed and knocked a second time, a little louder, and called out who it was. The girls stopped, looked at one another with knitted brows and Connie got up, being closest to the door. Opening the door, she smiled to her coach. "Hey, Coach."
He nodded. "Hi, Connie. Is Elliott here?" She nodded and turned, opening the door further. Elliott stood up without a sigh or groan, and walked over to the door. "Grab your sneakers, follow me."
Elliott did as told, not putting up a fight. The relationship status right now was Coach and Player, not Father and Daughter. She followed him down the hall, leaving the girls to play her game. Coach barely noticed she had the Game System, he didn't say anything even if had seen it.
Back at the boys' dorm, they were all screaming and squealing like little school girls as someone had put down a pair of four, grabbing a spoon. Everyone fought for a spoon and Averman missed out on it, taking a 'S'. He pouted and they had replaced the spoons back in the middle. A knock came to the door and Jesse yelled. "Come in!"
They didn't even bother to see or ask who it was before letting the stranger open the door. Coach Bombay opened the door and gazed around. In the hallway stood Elliott, with her arms crossed, as she looked at what these boys were playing. Noticing her brother wasn't there, she grew curious and wondered why he wasn't there with them.
"Anyone seen Garrett?" Bombay asked his players.
All the boys pointed to the top bunk of Averman's bed, where Garrett laid facing the wall, his back to the door. He didn't step any further in to the room and asked one of them to wake him up, or something. Adam stood up, since he was closest, and walked over to the beside. Tapping the brunette's shoulder, he called out the boy's name. "Garrett?"
Garrett turned on his side, sitting up and pulling his head phones off. "What?" He asked. Adam nodded towards the door.
"Grab your sneakers and come with me." He told Garrett.
Rhett turned and jumped off the side of the bed. Grabbing his Walkman, he kept his headphones plugged in, but the music paused as he walked to the door and grabbed his shoes. "What are you guys playing?" Coach asked them.
"Spoons." Charlie replied.
"It's kind of a violent game." Adam added.
"Yeah, look at this." Guy called, showing Bombay the red mark on his hand.
Bombay nodded. "Well, don't break anything. We need you guys for hockey, not Spoons."
The boys laughed and Garrett stepped out the door as Bombay had shut the door. Following him down the hall, the twins stayed quiet and didn't know why he wanted the two of them and not someone else. Garrett walked next to his sister, being slightly taller, by at least two inches, not much. Their hair was the exact same color. Ellie's was up in a high ponytail while Garrett's flopped to the right, where Ellie's part usually was.
"Where are we going?" Garrett asked.
"My office." He replied.
"Why can't you just talk to us here in the hall?"
"Because there's thing that the others on this team don't need to know about." He answered nonchalantly. The two followed him downstairs to his second, but permanent, office in the dorm building. Most coaches had offices here and there was a few class rooms where kids could have their classes, instead of being outside or in some lobby, or room.
Stepping in, Garrett shut the door after letting his sister walk in first. Sitting down, Ellie had brought her feet up on her brother's knees, waiting to hear what Bombay wanted. After he had taken his seat, two files sat in from of him with the names Elliott Jade Caldwell and Garrett Keith Caldwell. The twins were surprised to spot those before him.
"I want things to be clear between us. I've noticed the way you two act around me and the others. The scoffs, the groans, the eye rolls. I see everything. I know you're both mad with me for what happened in the past, but believe me, I'm a changed man." He explained to his children.
"How are we supposed to believe that?" Elliott asked. "I mean, you ditched us for work rather than being there for us. We grew up without a father for most of our life."
"Mom's boyfriend was more of a father than you were. Too bad he couldn't take us." Garrett answered, leaning back in his seat, resting his hands on his lap on Ellie's feet, which sat on his lap. Ellie knew Bombay wouldn't allow her to prop her feet up on his desk, so she stuck them on Garrett.
Hearing those words from his only son, Bombay was a little upset that his own son wanted someone else than his own dad. He understood why and deserved the criticism and anger from his children. When they first arrived, he barely noticed them, but deep down felt something between them and he. Seeing his ex-wife's eyes and hair from Elliott and a mini version of him from Garrett, he knew they were his kids. He never expected to see them there, but those names brought back that memory he once had of them.
"The problems from the past are gone. You can see I've changed. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here talking with you right now, would I?" He asked, making a point, in which Elliott had agreed with. Believing him a little, she was still upset that he had ditched them. It wasn't her he needed to convince, it was Garrett that he needed to convince.
"How do we know you're not forced here?" Garrett inquired, sitting up a little.
"Because I love what I'm doing. You two know especially that what I love doing, I'm committed to."
Garrett nodded, remembering the old days where he loved his job so much that they were the scraps of the day. Garrett knew he'd have to get used to his father someday if he was going to be living with him until he turned eighteen years old in five years. Five years without him, now he gains five years with him.
Elliott was quiet and her head was bowed as he had fallen asleep quietly, without the other two even knowing. It wasn't late, but after the long day with their game, the interview, and several talks with their Coach, it must've tired her out. Little did she know, it was going to be a lot longer for both of them, and the teams.
"You're surely committed, but I'll believe when I see it, Coach." Garrett spoke, wanting to get up, but looked over at his sister, waiting for her to get up. Seeing she was asleep, he shook her gently until she woke and they left with a simple 'good evening' to their Coach.