Challenge | Adam Banks

TWENTY-TWO

The next few days flew by in an ecstatic blur. Everyone was in high spirits. Mabel passed her math test with flying colors, Adam relished in being back with his old teammates, and Jett and Rosa continued to fall in love. Delanie was relieved to be able to just sit back and relax for a bit. Everyone she cared about was happy. She was content.

Friday brought the biggest hockey game of the season, leaving Delanie rather conflicted. On one hand, she felt as though she owed it to Jett to cheer him on for once. After all, this was the game she had been planning on attending from the very beginning, simply because he asked her to. On the other hand, how could she not cheer on her boyfriend? Not to mention she had far more friends on the jv team.

At the end of the day, she figured she'd just look silly rooting for varsity while wearing Adam's jersey.

In stark contrast, Rosa sat beside her, Jett's infamous number two on her back. The sleeves were much too long for her, but considering her habit of forgetting to bring a sweater to games, the extensive amount of material was more of an asset than a drawback.

Mabel frowned at her friends. "You two make me feel extra single," she muttered with a pout, crossing her arms over her Eden Hall long-sleeved shirt.

Delanie giggled at that, playfully elbowing her friend's side. "Hey, you wouldn't want to date a hockey player, anyway," she reminded, humor tinting her voice, "you're holding out for that baseball boy, remember?"

"Oh, I know," Mabel nodded, a sly smile on her lips. She laughed quietly, nudging her friend right back. "You know, when I first met you, you wouldn't have been caught dead in a hockey jersey. Much less an Adam Banks hockey jersey," she teased.

Delanie's cheeks tinted ever so slightly, but she smiled happily. Her gaze fell to the ice, where both Eden Hall teams were warming up. "I know," she said with a dreamy sigh, "but I'm glad it worked out this way."

"Me too," Rosa interjected, leaning over to rest her head on her friend's shoulder. She sent the two younger girls a mischievous grin. "You're gonna wish your boyfriend had stayed on varsity, though," she flaunted.

Delanie and Mabel gave offended gasps. Mabel creased her eyebrows. "Rosa! How are you going to root for varsity?" she asked, clearly distraught.

Rosa rolled her eyes. "I am a junior, Mabes," she pointed out, her eyebrows raised. Realization flashed across Mabel's face, and the older girl laughed. Her laughter settled into a smitten smile, and her cheeks reddening delicately. She shrugged, "Besides. I'm kinda dating Jett Park."

"Dating?" Delanie nearly squealed, her excitement getting the best of her.

Rosa shook her head, her face officially bright pink. "I said kinda," she countered, a light sigh leaving her lips, "not like... exclusively or anything."

Delanie scrunched up her nose. She was about to call Jett dumb, but she caught herself. She suddenly remembered him telling her about how easily girls he liked unnerved him. While in any other situation she wouldn't doubt his confidence, she was certain that his nerves were holding him back. "He's just nervous," Delanie assured her friend.

"Jett? Nervous?" Mabel snorted, shaking her head. "Couldn't imagine it."

Ignoring her blonde friend, Delanie patted Rosa's hand comfortingly. "Just be patient with him. He's a bit of a baby," she joked, causing the older girl to laugh. After a moment, Rosa nodded, her anxieties seemingly relieved. Delanie smiled, elbowing her gently. "Come on, you have time to think about Jett later. For now, we've got a game to watch."

--

Jv's victory had Mabel and Delanie very, very excitedly taunting Rosa, who was just rolling her eyes and trying to ignore them. The gentle quirk to her lips told the two younger girls that she wasn't at all angry, and was probably fairly pleased that Julie and Connie were on the winning team. Once the players began to leave the ice, Rosa got to her feet. "I'm going to go find Jett," she said hurriedly, dismissing the suggestive looks she received. "He could probably use some cheering up. I'll see you guys later."