Forever and Always | Adam Banks

One of Them

After her explosion in the locker room with Charlie and Fulton, Ellie made her way back to the stands. Varsity was on the ice, getting ready to warm up for their game that was about twenty minutes away from starting. In this moment, all she wanted was to be wrapped up in Adam's arms. However, that would have to wait until after the game. She was just glad that it was Friday, and she wouldn't have to deal with Charlie's bad attitude for the majority of the weekend. 

She searched for number 99 on the ice and found him talking to the goalie. Scooter was the only person on Varsity, besides Adam, who wasn't a dickhead. "Hey, Banks!" She calls out from behind the class, getting his attention.

"Hey," Adam says once he gets to the glass. "I'm sorry about the prank they pulled. I swear I had no idea until after it happened. Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine. I'll tell you what happened after the game. I just wanted to wish you luck and tell you I love you." Adam didn't need to hear about the drama before playing in his first game. What he needed was support and encouragement, so that's exactly what Ellie was going to give him. 

"I love you, too." Having Ellie here calmed all of his nerves. He had been doing great in practice with the Varsity, but it was going to different in games. He wanted to play well, proving that he made Varsity for a reason.

"Banks!" Riley calls out. Adam says goodbye to Ellie and heads over to Riley, a little annoyed that he wasn't able to talk to Ellie longer. As soon as he gets there, Riley asks, "Who was that you were talking to?"

Adam was curious as to why Riley was wondering about Ellie. He had never shown interest in the JV team, other than tormenting them. Hell, Riley barely paid any attention to him. "My girlfriend." 

"Hmm," Riley nods, his eyes finding the freshman's girlfriend in the stands. He recognized her from the JV team, though was unaware she was dating Banks. It seemed the prank they had pulled earlier didn't affect her, as she was in fresh clothes. It was obvious Banks had something to do with that. This didn't sit well with Riley. Banks was supposed to be one of them now, so seeing him help out the JV team was not what he expected. 

Adam looked at Riley, their conversation leaving him perplexed. He also didn't like the way he was staring at her while she sat in the stands. It was obvious that Riley was devising some sort of plan, but Adam couldn't figure out what it was. He was weary of whatever Riley was planning, so he was definitely going to keep his eye out. 

Varsity was a talented team, Ellie could admit that. However, the only person on the ice she cared about was Adam. Watching him play always put a smile on her face. She knew he wanted to play well tonight, and he certainly was living up to those expectations. This was probably the best he had played, managing to score two goals. The two goals helped lead Varsity to a 6-0 victory.

When Adam came out of the locker room, Ellie was confused as to why he was still in the dirty clothes he wore under his gear. The usual smile that was on his face when he spotted her coming out of the locker room wasn't there this time. Something went down while the team was in the locker room.

"What happened?" Ellie asks as soon as he approached her. 

"Some of your teammates decided to get even," Adam says, and Ellie waits for him to explain what happened. "We got back to the locker room and all of our stuff was frozen."

"Frozen?" Ellie clarifies. How could their stuff be frozen? Everyone on the team had gone home, so it had to be people who lived in the dorms. "Adam, I had no idea. I guess they decided to do this after I left the locker room. I'm sorry."

"I know you didn't have anything to do with it. I just know the rest of the Varsity team is pissed. I don't know what they're planning, but they definitely want payback."

Ellie let out a sigh, knowing this wasn't going to end well. She was getting really tired of this feud between the two teams. Her and Adam were stuck in the middle, not wanting to be involved with whatever the teams were planning. It was like they were living in a real life Romeo and Juliet, just without the killing. 

"I have some of your clothes in my bag if you want to change," Ellie offers. Adam nods and she hands him a sweatshirt and sweats. When he gets back from changing, Ellie wraps his arms around him. This hug was something they both needed. "My mom is waiting outside to take us home."

"Adam, no staying too late tonight. Ellie, you have practice..." Ellie's mom starts to say as the two teens make their way upstairs toward Ellie's room. 

"At 5AM, I know, mom." Ellie wasn't too thrilled about the 5AM practice, just wanting to spend the rest of the night relaxing with Adam. All the craziness that happened today had mentally drained her.

"So, what happened after the game?" Adam asks her once they had settled into Ellie's bed. He had one arm wrapped around her while she snuggled into his chest. He knew whatever went down between her and the rest of the JV team had been bothering her. 

"Everyone was pissed at Charlie for trying to get that last minute goal, so tension was already high. And then Charlie and Fulton got even more pissed when they noticed I had the extra clothes you gave me. They were the only two who made comments about it, but the rest of the team was certainly thinking the same thing they were." Ellie hadn't felt like she was on the outs with the team since she and Adam first joined the Ducks. They were her family and she hated that they even argued over something so stupid.

"What did they say to you?" Adam hated that he wasn't able to stand up for her. The team was so caught up in this feud with the Varsity that they were turning against their own friend.

"They were saying you were my inside man and you must have been involved in the prank since you brought me a change of clothes. And then Charlie said I was just like you and the rest of the Varsity team." Ellie didn't care that she got called a cake-eater. What she cared about was that she and Adam got compared to the Varsity team. She thought her friends knew them better than that. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you." Being on Varsity was great, but it was costing Adam his friendships and putting a strain on his relationship. Watching Ellie struggle because of a feud neither of them wanted to be apart of hurt Adam. 

"I'm sure they'll get over themselves soon. But for now, I just want to lay here with you." Adam was her comfort, her safe place. No matter what was going on, she would always feel at peace when she was with Adam.