The Junior Goodwill Games *Gunnar Stahl*

Chapter One

It was the ice that brought me closest to the ones I care for most, but now it was the ice that reminded now and again of what I'd lost. It was almost a blur those few months, but I remember vividly listening to the minister speak his piece. That's when it finally hit, I would never see my best friend, teammate, and brother again. I kept composure in the midst of the weeping around me, but it was hard being that one important person was missing. I remember Charlie's reassuring smile, watching the Ducks jersey lowered down into the ground. Bombay put on a brave face for us all but our team was now incomplete, leaving tears streaming down every face left.

It was so warm, the sun burned through my dark blue ripped jeans. Usually I hated the summer weather but today for the first time in a long time, I was able to appreciate it. Ripples moved through the lake next to me, it was so odd seeing it melted after skating on it every year since District 5 and The Ducks. Even when Ben was in the Lancers, he hated practicing anywhere else but here because it reminded him of when we were kids.

Ben was my older brother who passed away in  a car accident two years ago when I was in my freshman year of high school, he was also a former duck. He was one of the best scorers I'd ever seen and he taught me everything he knew, basically forcing me from a very young age to play because he had no one else to play with. It soon became the best thing that ever happened to us.

The team had spread apart since the championship being that Bombay had left to pursue a career playing in the minors, a few moved away, and a few moved to different schools. When Ben died, they all came back together from around Minnesota. All broken and newly unsure of flight. Since then, all those who stayed close to home were almost inseparable, knowing that even young lives can be taken in a matter of seconds and to cherish every moment we had left being us, and being together. Being in the off season, we hadn't practiced in months and just hung out more than anything. I could tell we all missed being on the ice.

I had my roller blades in hand and stood, walking across the long grass toward the road until I heard a sea of familiar voices. I turned to see Charlie, Adam, Jesse, Guy, Connie, Averman, and Goldberg skating towards me.

"What's going on guys? We weren't supposed to see each other until Friday?" I laughed, they all looked so excited and I was anxious to figure out why. I put my helmet on and clicked it in place under my chin.

"Bombay's back, Ash," Charlie smiled, "We're back."

"What?" my eyes widened. They all yelled a loud "come on" and I was soon skating next to them to find Fulton. We skated to Fulton's normal alley way, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he? All he does is smoke and slap-shot," Averman commented, "Fiend."

"For the cigarettes or the slap-shots?" Adam smirked.

"What do you think?"Goldberg shot back with his thick Philadelphia accent.

"Wouldn't hurt to check the park," having Connie around was so refreshing, I don't think the guys aside from Adam and Charlie would get anything productive done without us.

"I don-" Guy began but Averman chimed in, "What? You think he's going on a nice stroll through the park? Very his style, Connie."

"Shut up, Averman. Let's just go through the park on our way to his house," I chuckled, "Compromise."

"I don't think that's a word these guys know very well," Connie said with a slight cold shoulder to Guy who just shrugged at the small comment, we all started toward the park. All the boys made an "ooh" noise but I just laughed. They were like an old married couple.

"So what exactly is going on?" I asked Charlie as the rest were cracking jokes and speaking absolute nonsense like always.

"I'll tell you when we find Fulton, it's a long story," he wore a smile, but it was almost melancholy. I hated not knowing, but respected his decision to wait. I'm not the most patient person so that definitely didn't help in my favor.

"Fine, but you know how patient I am so if we don't find his ass soon I'm gonna lose it," he shook his head with a laugh.

We skated down toward the fountain at the front of the park and skated over it, through the shallow water. We'd skated through this park at least a thousand times so it wasn't exactly abnormal for us to do so.

"Oh shit," Averman exclaimed making us brake and come to a full stop, he pointed down toward the canoe racks, "There he is."

There Fulton was, in his natural state of kicking someones ass who may or may not have deserved it. I  shook my head and murmured, "Might as well just let him do his thing."

"Don't want to be on the other side of that fist, that's for sure," Goldberg said, pulling the collar of his t-shirt down and taking a deep breath.

"Wait," Adam's eyes squinted toward Fulton and the unknown guys he had on the ground, "That's McGill and Larson."

"From the Hawks?!" sputtered Guy, his hand gripped Connie's.

"Guy doesn't know how to let it go," Adam replied, laughing slightly. I could tell it put him in a better mood to see them like that, he just didn't want to admit it.

"Hey man, they still haven't paid for what they did to you so I don't blame him," Charlie affirmed, "We'd all get a hit in if Fulton hadn't already got one for all of us."

We skated down closer, seeing the two former Hawks tied to a tree with a fishing line and left with only boxers on. Fulton had a tendency to overkill when it came to embarrassing the people he hated most, he wasn't the forgiving type.

As we skated up, he turned over and shrugged. Averman queried, "Did you have to tie them up to a tree?"

"Naked?" Goldberg added.

"Come on, I couldn't help it," he threw their clothes across the stone pathway almost to the other side of the park, "They were planning on jumping you guys so I jumped them."

"Petty assholes. I wish they would have," Jesse remarked turning to the boys, "I'd like to see you try that on my side of Minneapolis."

"They would never, only have the guts to do it on their turf," Fulton snickered, turning back to us with a smile, "Come on guys."

We were now on our way to meet Bombay when Charlie finally answered what was going on, "Coach got injured in the minors."

"What?" said Guy.

"Like, bad?" Connie wondered.

"Bad, his knee is shattered," my heart sank, he must have been so lost without being able to play. That was his dream.

"Oh my god," the rest of the team babbled, trying to wrap their heads around the news.

"But, there is a bright side. Obviously,"Charlie responded on a lighter note, "Hans' brother Jan has been pitching him to the Junior Goodwill Comity for months since his injury and they want him to coach the USA team. Us."

"Us?!" Adam beamed, "That's an international competition, we're going up against the best players our age in the world."

"Whoa, cake-eater. Chill," Jesse nudged him with his shoulder.

"No dude you don't understand, there are going to be so many scouts there watching us play," he shook his head in disbelief, "If we win, we're set for life."

We neared the diner and sure enough coach stood in front with his arms crossed in front of his chest with a confident smile. He was wearing the familiar Ducks jacket he used to with his name embroidered on the front.

We all skated around him, engulfing him in a circle. We chanted "Ducks" as we circled him, he grinned, "Welcome back, Ducks. I've really missed you guys! Are you ready to fly?"

"We've been ready since you left, Coach," Charlie cheered with all of us agreeing. It was like we were children once again. The only thing missing was Ben.