Team USA *Adam Banks*

Iceland

     I opened my eyes slowly. Most of the time, my dreams were an escape from my father, but the nightmares were the worst. He was in all of them, it was like the memories replayed in my head and they wouldn't stop.

     I was nervous for today, but I found myself feeling more nervous for my team and especially Adam. If anything happened to him again, this time, I don't know what I'd do.

     We had a day off yesterday, and I spent most of it held up in my room reading and trying to heal, it was so difficult to concentrate with Adam's face and his words repeating themselves inside my head.

     I could just feel the impact he had on my life, and how empty it was not seeing him in the past few years. We aren't kids anymore, and even as children, there was always something telling me to accept and care about him.

     I didn't see Adam until we got to the outside of the locker-rooms, we were still in our clothes and he gave me the same serious look he did before, "Gray, be careful."

     "Thank you," I met his blue eyes and felt his hand brush my shoulder lightly, "But you should be careful too."

     He nodded while looking down then placed a strand of hair behind my ear before walking into the boys locker-room. I wanted him so badly, but more than that, I wanted him to be safe.

     When we got out to the bench, Iceland was shooting at their goalie, and they were so skilled. Skilled and intimidating.

     My eyes widened at one player who had the name Sanderson written on the back of his jersey, he was blonde, tall, muscular, and seemed to have everyone but his team and his coach on his bad side.

      I was the last one to leave the bench, as my skates hit the ice I stared blankly at the wall on the other side of the rink, I could hear Goldberg talking to Averman and over that I could hear the other team firing shots at their goal and Stansson raising his voice.

      "Lets play the game," one of the refs came up beside me making the rest of the team go back to the bench.

      Jesse and a player with the name 'Stahl' on his jersey were in the center and I was to the right of Jesse, I heard a laugh from behind me and looked over my shoulder to see the player named Sanderson smirking at me.

      I looked in front of me when the ref dropped the puck, Stahl stole the puck from Jesse and Sanderson elbowed me in the side, making me fall on the ice. I looked over and Adam and Charlie both stood up and had a panicked look in their eyes as they stared at me.

      Dean shoved Sanderson on the ground next to me when the ref took his arm but Dean, getting defensive, pushed it off which made the ref fall.

      "Calm down son, your out of the game," the ref got up and led Portman out of the rink and back to the locker room.

      "You can't do that! It's three seconds into the game!" Coach, with a very different look and attitude today, yelled but the ref still threw Dean out.

       Stahl had the puck, skating quickly passed everyone on our team and shot the puck into the goal with, the whole Iceland team yelled.

      The whole Iceland team was checking us, Dwayne went down, then Adam but when Sanderson was going to check me against the wall, Adam instantly skated in front of him and blocked me.

      "Are you okay?" he asked.

      "Worry about you, Adam, I'm fine," I glanced over at Sanderson and Stahl.