The next day after school, Charlie and I walked to Mickey's Dining Car where Ms. Conway worked. The two of us sat at the counter next to each other doing homework together.

I was too busy reading my history book for homework when I looked up to see Coach, "Can I sit?" He asked Charlie.

"Sure." He mumbled, then Coach sat down next to Charlie at the high top.

Coach let out a deep exhale, "Did you talk to the guys?"

"We tried." I frowned and looked down the counter at him.

"They think we're traitors just for showing up." Charlie frowned.

"They hate me that much." Coach shook his head.

"Ya," I mumbled, then went back to reading.

"Is it true, that you were a Hawk?" Charlie asked, my head slowly looked up.

"Yeah."

"Peter said you blew a really big game," I added.

"Well, Peter's right. It was the last game of the state finals, were tied 2-2 end of the 3rd period. I get a penalty shot. I triple deke the goalie right out of his pads. Pucks headed in, then CLANG!" He smashed his fist into his one hand.

Charlie and I winced, at the thought of the puck hitting the goal post, "Hits the post, we lost in overtime," He finished. "A quarter of an inch to the right and it would have gone in." He shook his head.

"Well, quarter of an inch the other way, you would have missed completely," Charlie said to be optimistic and open-minded.

Coach chuckled, "I never really thought of it that way."

"You're just not being open-minded, Coach." I gave Coach a small smile from my seat.

"At least you got to play in a championship game, God that must have been so cool!" Charlie smiled and turned to look at me before turning back.

Ms. Conway then noticed Coach sitting and she walked up to us, "Hey can I get you a cup of coffee?" She smiled.

"Yeah, I'd love one." Coach nodded with a smile, Ms. Conway then walked off to go get Coach some coffee.

"Ya know, she has many fine qualities that men find attractive," Charlie said while looking at his mom.

"I know that Charlie. That fact hasn't escaped me." Coach turned to look at Charlie, he was looking at her too.

Rolling my eyes playfully, I elbowed him, "Oh boy, Charlie giving dating advice."

"So what kind of guys does she date?" Coach asked.

"Jerks, they're all nice to her, then once they catch a glimpse of me, POW! Warp speed!" Charlie clapped his hands together. "They are gone!" He chuckled.

"Don't take it personally, Charlie." Coach frowned.

"I don't, it's just that my mom deserves someone nice," Charlie sighed, then paused. Coach was looking at the countertop. "Are you gonna come over for dinner again?" Charlie asked, still staring at Coach.

"I don't know Charlie, I don't know if it's such a good idea, that's why I came to talk to you two," He gestured to the two of us. "I talked to Jesse and Terry's dad and he's gonna take over coaching for the rest of the year."

My eyes went wide, "Your quitting!?" My face started to turn red from sadness.

"I'm stepping aside, so we can keep the team together. The guys can't play for someone they don't trust." Coach sighed again.

"I trust you!" Charlie said in a shaky voice.

"Me too, Coach. The other guys do too, they just don't know it!" Tears started welling up in my eyes.

"You gotta talk to them." Charlie pleaded.

"Charlie, I've done all I can." Coach looked at the two of us.

"No, you haven't!" I snapped, I felt hot tears run down my face.

"No, you have to make'em understand! We're the Ducks! We're your team!" I could tell Charlie was on the verge of tears because his ears were getting red.

"No your not." Coach was in denial by saying those words and shaking his head.

"We are too! We weren't even the Ducks until you came along! You made us, now you're stuck with us!" Charlie snapped, then jumped out of the stool and ran outside.

"Charlie!" I turned with tears running down my face, I could feel my whole face was as red as the walls. Coach looked away. "Nice job." I snapped at Coach before dashing off outside to help Charlie, but I mainly went outside to ball my guts out.

"Vic!" Coach said as I ran out the door.

Looking around for Charlie, I saw him sitting in the snow, hands to his face, silently crying, "Charlie." I croaked out, running towards him, falling to my knees in the snow, and giving him a hug.

We both embraced each other in a wet hug before breaking away, his face wasn't as red as mine but his ears were pink.

"He doesn't understand." Charlie wiped away his tears with the backs of his hands.

"No he doesn't, but I'm just as upset as you are," I lied. "Maybe even worse," I added before sitting beside him and putting my head on his shoulder as we sat out in the cold together crying with the icy wind blowing in our face.

The next day at school, we had a game tomorrow night, but no one was planning on going to it. Our science teacher was giving a boring lesson about atoms.

"That's right, the red is oxygen." He spoke slowly as if we didn't know what oxygen is, which made me roll my eyes as I continued to sketch little self-portraits of people on our team or on the Hawks. I was currently drawing Banks for the last 5 times.

"Now does anyone know what the blue balls are?" The teacher asked everyone chuckled except me, again, I rolled my eyes and filled in Banks's eyebrow from the side view I drew him in.

His eyes still pierced me through the paper, his jawline was sharp enough to give me a paper cut, and that stupid smirk I drew on his face makes my heart melt.

"Tommy?" The teacher asked.

"Hydrogen?" Tommy responded with a hint of questioning in his voice.

"Is correct. Now put these two together and it gives you a molecule that makes up 96% of your body," The teacher held up the molecule. "What is it?" He asked the class again.

"Pizza?" Tommy responded, everyone in the class, including myself this time, laughed at his joke which made the teacher scrunch his face.

Then a knock came from the door, "It's the principal, I'll be right back," The teacher walked over to the door. "Work on H2 CO3, it's a goodie." He smiled before stepping out of the classroom to talk with the principal.

Letting out a loud sigh, I pulled out my science textbook and opened it to the H2 CO3 work page as instructed.

Karp then turned around, "How was the game, Spaz-way?" He mentally poked at Charlie.

"Ya, did ya win?" Peter snarked, which made the team members in the class chuckled lowly.

"Guys just shut up, we don't wanna talk about it." I snapped at Karp and Peter.

"Ya, sure, Coach's pets," Peter gave Charlie and I dirty looks. "Everyone knows he like you two best, that's why he picked Victoria as the Assistant Coach."

"Likes his mom you mean." Karp retorted which made Charlie lose it and grab Karp by the collar.

"You take it back right now!" Charlie growled.

Connie then stood up, "Karp, just leave Charlie and Vic alone." She pushed the two apart.

"Mind your own business, Connie." Peter looked up at Connie and pushed her.

"Hey!" Guy snapped up from his chair. "Don't you push her!" He pushed Peter back. All the team members then got up and started pushing and shoving each other.

Getting up, I tried to rip Averman off of Charlie, "Guys stop it!" Miserably failing, I went over to Karp and managed to pull him off Charlie, he whipped back and slapped my face so hard he left an imprint.

"KARP YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I clutched my face.

"ATOM FIGHT!" Tommy yelled as everyone started throwing the model atoms at each other.

Then the teacher came running in, "My atoms!" He dropped to the floor to pick them up, I quickly sat back down clutching my cheek.

The principal came running in not far behind the teacher, "You!" She pointed at Charlie. "In your seats now!" She commanded. Everyone in the classroom scattered to sit down, Goldberg took Charlie's desk and chair leaving him standing.

"I have never in my life," The principal shook her head while her face turned beat red. "What have you got to say for yourselves?" She asked.

Then the whole team, one by one started quacking at the principal, under my hand, I even quacked along with them.

"ENOUGH!" She burst. "ALL OF THE ONES WHO JUST QUACKED GET DETENTION!" She waved her hands in the air. "If you fail to come to detention after school, you will receive two more detentions." She then stormed out of the classroom.

Under my breath, I let out faint sobs from the stinging handprint left on my face from Karp.

That Same Day at Ducksworth Law Firm...

"Thanks for coming in on such short notice, Gordon. Congratulations, I just got word your community service is over." Mr. Ducksworth opened the door to his office allowing Bombay to step in first.

"Your kidding, then I assume you brought me here to discuss me coming back to work?" Bombay asked, then he noticed Ducksworth's jersey hanging up in a glass showcase with the number facing him reading 'Ducksworth 34'. "Ah, I see you got your jersey, a lot has been happening since I last saw you, the Ducks might even make it to the playoffs." Bombay smiled at his boss before hearing chuckles and turning his head.

"Gordon, you know Coach Riley and Mr. Banks." Ducksworth once again introduced Bombay to his friends.

"But sir, these are the bad guys," Bombay mumbled to Ducksworth.

"No, no, Phil is actually one of my oldest friends." Phil Banks then got up from his chair, buttoning his suit coat and putting his glasses away, Coach Riley walking over to them.

"Gerald was kind enough to gather us all here to work out this little problem," Mr. Banks paused. "You see, my son, Adam, wants to play for the Hawks. His older brother was a Hawk. All his little friends are Hawks. That's where he belongs-" Mr. Banks was cut off my Coach Riley interrupting.

"It's a tradition. You understand that, don't you Gordon? You played." Coach Riley then walked away.

"Yes I understand but did you talk to the league?" Bombay asked.

"Yes we already talked to the league and we worked out a little deal." Mr. Banks nodded at Bombay.

"You guys cut a deal with the PeeWee Hockey League?" Bombay said with wide eyes.

"Yes, Gordon. We did." Mr. Ducksworth looked at him.

"The long and short of it is that Adam stays on the Hawks for the rest of the season and the next season they redraft the lines." Coach Riley explained.

"Correctly." Mr. Banks added.

"Now the league did say you'd have to withdraw your protest." Mr. Ducksworth looked at Bombay who chuckled.

"That's great."

"Good." Mr. Ducksworth chuckled, then Riley and Mr. Banks smiled while walking back to they're seats to sit down.

"No sir, you don't understand, I can't withdraw my protest." Bombay tried to help the three understand his perspective.

"What?" Mr. Banks sighed.

"Mr. Ducksworth, you wanted me to learn fair play and how to be apart of a team and I may have not learned everything yet but I remember something my father said to me," Bombay paused. "A team isn't a bunch of kids out to win, a team is something you belong to, something you feel, something you have to earn. I'm not gonna let those kids down, especially my Assistant Coach." Bombay then looked at Coach Riley.

The three all looked at each other before Mr. Ducksworth stepped forward, "Gordon, I'm gonna make this real simple to you, are you prepared to lose your job over some kids? Some game?" He raised a brow at Bombay.

"Let me ask you, sir, are you prepared to fire me over some kids? Some game?" Bombay tested Mr. Ducksworth.

Ducksworth stared at Bombay, "Collect your personal belongings, Gordon." He turned and walked away.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Ducksworth," Bombay said in his official voice. "Thank you very much, Mr. Ducksworth." He mocked his old boss. "Quack, quack, quack, quack, Mr. Ducksworth." Bombay walked over to him quacking.

"Gordon! Stop quacking!" He pointed a finger at Bombay. Bombay then turned around quacking and using his arms as wings, flapping them.

He stopped right by the jersey in the case, "You may have paid for this jersey, sir, but you didn't earn it," Bombay pointed at the jersey, before turning to point at Riley. "See you at the playoffs." Coach Riley scowled at Bombay before leaving to go down to his office and collect his belongings.

After School...

Once the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Charlie and the Ducks went to detention. I went to my locker to dump off all my books in my locker since I didn't have any homework to do, then I walked to the detention classroom.

While walking down the hallway, I saw Coach in another hallway, "Coach!" I stopped and flagged him down.

"Vic!" He turned and started jogging over to me. "Where's room 227?"

"I was just heading there myself." Together we walked down the hallway to room 227.

"So what happened," Coach then looked down at my face. "And what happened to your face?" He said in a worried tone.

"It's hard to explain but Karp bitch slapped me for trying to break up a fight." I lightly touched the tender skin on my cheek.

"They fought in class!?" He ran his fingers through his brunett hair in frustration.

"Ya, here it is." I gestured and made a sharp turn for the classroom. Coach opened the door to find all the Ducks writing 'I will not quack at the principal' on the chalkboards and then repeating it.

Then Karp turned to see Coach and I, "What do you want?" He snapped.

"People." Tammy groaned.

"Yeah, people," Coach briefly looked at Tammy before looking at the team. "Sit down, please, all of you," No one sat down. "Ok, don't sit down," Coach sighed. "Look what's done is done-"

"You wanna coach a bunch of losers?" Averman pushed up his glasses.

"Averman shut up," I mumbled while rolling my eyes.

"I wanna coach the Ducks." Coach finished.

"What about all the things you said, you said we didn't deserve to live." Karp retorted.

"Karp, I was being sarcastic. Do you know what the means?" Coach walked towards the back of the room.

"Nooooo," Karp said sarcastically.

"Ok, then you do, I didn't mean those things, they came out wrong. You guys know what it's like to be misunderstood." Coach looked at everyone.

"Ya, of course, we do, we're kids," Peter replied.

"So can you forgive me? Can I be your coach again?" Coach placed his hands on his hips.

"What about Banks?" Guy asked while standing in between Karp and Connie.

"He can be on the team if he wants to," I answered for Coach. "I guess," I mumbled under my breath.

"He should have been with us all year, it's you guys who were cheated. Let's forget about all that crap." Coach walked around the room.

"Yeah." The team mumbled.

"I made you guys, and I'm sticking with you," He turned to look at Charlie. "So what's it gonna be?" Coach clapped his hands together.

"We can play tomorrow night, or we can forfeit." I looked at everyone.

"So, Peter, what's it gonna be?" Coach looked at Peter.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt if we practiced." Peter looked down at the floor then back up again.

"Alright, I'll see if I can get you guys out of detention," Coach chuckled. Everyone was saying 'yes' under their breath. "You really quacked at the principal?" The team laughed. "Are we Ducks or what?" Coach smiled.

"YEAH!" We all yelled and pumped our fists in the air.