Forever and Always | Adam Banks

See You Next Season

The Ducks were standing in front of a GreyHound bus saying their goodbyes to Coach Bombay. Now that the season was over, Gordon decided to take Basil McRae up on his offer and try out with the Minor Leagues. He learned a lot about himself while coaching the Ducks and he figured he would give it a shot. It was a hard goodbye for everyone. No one wanted to see Coach Bombay go, afraid he might not come back. At the same time, they were excited for him to go after his dreams. 

"Look, don't take an bad dives, okay?" Peter tells him. The kids were lined up, ready to give Bombay the same advice he gave them. If he was gonna talk the talk, he has to walk the walk as well. Coach Bombay nodded in response to Peter, taking in the advice. 

"Just remember, keep your head up, man." Jesse reminds coach of one of the most important things he taught the kids. The two pounded knuckles, and Bombay made his way to the next kid.

"Cake-eater," Ellie and Adam say at the same time. While Bombay never called either of them a cake-eater, it was now a running joke between the team. The two were now always referred to as cake-eater and cake-eater's girlfriend. They didn't mind the nicknames now, as it was now more of a term of endearment. The two shake coach's hand, a smile on their face. They couldn't believe their coach might have a chance to play in the NHL.

"Remember, strength, not concentration," Fulton tells Bombay as they shake hands. Ellie looked at Adam, not sure if that was actually the right saying. He shrugged and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close. 

"Right." 

"And for god's sake, soft hands." Soft hands was one of the lessons Averman needed the most. The original Ducks team had come a long way from where they started and Gordon was proud of them. 

"Right. Anything else?" Gordon asks his team. It was nice hearing his own words back to him. It means his team had really taken to heart the things he taught them. 

"Yeah. Have fun out there, coach." The most important lesson Coach Bombay could have taught them and Charlie was the one to remind him. Hockey didn't have to be about winning or losing. They were just kids, it was more important that they had fun doing the sport they loved. Charlie hugged Coach Bombay goodbye, a little sad to see him leave. During the season, the two connected in a way that no one else could really understand. 

"I must be crazy. A tryout with the minors. I'm gonna be goin' up against kids half my age." Gordon was nervous to be taking this step, unsure of how it would play out. He gave up hockey a long time ago, but had fallen in love with the game all over again thanks to the kids standing in front of him. 

"Just have a good tryout, Gordon. One step at a time," Charlie's mom being the real voice of reason. Always take the things life throws at you one step at a time. The team all cheered as Bombay kissed Charlie's mom goodbye. 

Bombay hopped on the bus, dropping his bag in the seat and came back to tell the Ducks one more thing. "Hey Ducks! No matter what happens, we'll see you next season. We got a title to defend." The kids cheered yet again, already ready for next hockey season to be here. They ran after the bus after it took off, stopping at the end of the block. Everyone was waiving goodbye to their coach. 

Once the bus was no longer in sight, the kids started filing off the street corner. Ellie and Adam had said goodbye to their teammates, awaiting to play with them next season. They walked off, Adam's arm still wrapped around Ellie. "Now what?" Ellie asks, unsure what they would do now that the season was over. 

"You wanna play some hockey?" Ellie chuckled at her boyfriend's response before nodding in agreement. The two made their way home and started playing in Adam's driveway. 

Author's Note: 

A short chapter, but the final chapter of D1! I hope you all enjoyed the beginning of Adam and Ellie's love story. Kick back, grab a snack and let's get on to D2!!