I was up at 7. Much early than normal but only because Gordon had woken me up and made sure I stayed up. Buzzkill.

Seeing as I was still half asleep when I got ready, I put on a sweater and some jeans. Easy and simple.

Jan made sure that I had eaten his specialty breakfast. It was actually really good. And then I was ushered into a car which is where I was currently sitting.

"Where are we going?" I asked Gordon.

"Skating rink." Ah, he was pulling my own tricks out on me.

"Why?"

"I told you yesterday, Wren." He was already getting annoyed with me. I sighed and looked out the window.

When we got to the skating rink, there was a group of kids in green hockey wear and Don Tibbles was there as well. Gordon and I walked out onto the ice, I was careful to make sure I didn't slip. Gordon started talking to Tibbles and I look over at the kids on the other side of the rink. All of them wearing different colored jerseys.

Then I looked over at the other kids in green.

"I don't recognize you, are you a new player?" Number 99 asks.

I snort, very unladylike as my aunt would say, "If I was a new player this team would be screwed."

99 opens his mouth to speak but then I feel hands on my shoulder as Gordon's booming voice calls out, "I'd like to introduce my little sister, Wren." Everyone looks at me and I feel my face start to flush.

99 leans down towards me and says, "I'm Adam. Most people call me Banks or Banksie though."

A brunette looks over and adds, "Or we call him Cake-eater." Adam pushes the brunette.

Before I can reply Gordon says, "Tell me about my new kids."

Everyone looks over to the group of kids on the other side of the ice as Tibbles points at a player in blue and says, "That's Luis Mendoza. He's from our Miami club. A real speedster. Incredible skater," Mendoza begins to skate around, showing what he can do, "I clocked him at 1.9 seconds, blue line to blue line."

All of us watch in silence as Mendoza begins to show off his skills.

I look over as I hear someone say, "Shut up Averman." And a red head falls to the ground. I laugh a little as he stands back up.

Then I hear another big boom and look over to see that Luis has collided with the wall. The other skaters move to help him up, "I almost had it that time." I hear him say. I move my hand up to my mouth to prevent myself from snorting. The kids around me laugh at Mendoza.

I look over and nudge Adam, "So, you guys haven't met these kids yet?"

"No. The rest of us played PeeWees together but these guys are new."

"Oh..."

This time Adam nudges me, "Do you skate?"

"Not for sports. My aunt and I used to go to rinks."

Adam thinks about my answer for a second and then looks down at me again, reminds me that I hate being short, "Your aunt? Coach never taught you to skate or play hockey?"

I don't answer that one.

"YEEHAW! How is everyone? Y'all ready to play some puck?" Rings out across the rink as we all turn to look at the cowboy skater.

A kid that I haven't met yet jokes, "Hey look, it's hopalong gretzky." Everyone around me chuckles but I just watch as the kid messes around with the puck. Even though I know nothing about hockey, I can tell this kid's good.

"That's Dwayne Robertson. From Austin. He's the best puck-handler I've ever seen." Tibbles informs us.

"You mean for his age?" Gordon asks.

Tibbles shakes his head, "No, I don't."

The rest of the kids go by in a blur, a pretty goalie lady nicknamed The Cat, an olympic figure skater named Ken Wu, and finally a big buff kid named Dean Portman who danced around to music and shoved people around.

That pissed the Ducks off and the new kids and the Ducks all got in a big argument. Let me tell you. Made my day.

It was funny to watch everyone argue with each other for no reason. I laughed until Gordon blew his whistle and yelled, "Everybody freeze!" I walked towards him, now realizing that I was the only one standing alone. "Now, we didn't come here to fight. We came here to play hockey. We're team U.S.A. You represent your country."

"That's right." Tibbles interrupted.

"Now I want you-"

"To be all that you can be right. You gotta raise yourself up, guys! You gotta-" Tibbles raised his hands up in surrender when he realized he had cut off Gordon.

"All right, now. Let's start with a scrimmage."

"Great, scrimmage!" Tibbles blew into his whistle before Gordon got the chance to. "You heard your coach, now get-hey, you don't need me here. I've got an appointment anyways, I've got to see Mrs. McKay. She's the team tutor."

Tibbles started to walk away until Gordon called out, "Don," Gordon held out his hand, "Come on," Tibbles put his whistle in Gordon's hand, "You'll get it back at the end of the school term." Everyone giggled at that.

"Alright Ducks," he continued, "Show 'em what you got. Lets scrimmage!" and then he blew into the whistle.

I followed him as we moved into a spot where we wouldn't get rammed into on the ice, "You do realize you just blew into Tibble's whistle, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, I realized that as soon as I did it. Got any water?"

"Nope." I answered leaning over the railing as I watched the game start.

Only seconds into the game, Mendoza started to skate towards the goalie, "GOLDBERG LOOK OUT!" Gordon yelled from besides me.

Goldberg tried to get Mendoza to slow down but he couldn't and rammed straight into him, "This guy's gotta learn how to stop."

"Hey man, thanks for breaking my fall." I heard Mendoza say.

"Anytime." Goldberg replied sarcastically.

The game continued, bodies being thrown around and the puck being shot around, "I forgot how violent hockey is."

Gordon chuckles from besides me, "I didn't."

We keep watching as a group of the kids slam into the barrier, trying to move the puck out, "Come on, dig it out of there!" Gordon encouraged. The red head that had fallen before, that I now saw the name as being Averman took off his helmet next to us, "Haven't you guys been training in the off season?"

"You know, I knew we forgot something." Averman answered while chugging on water. I smiled at his answer and looked back to see Adam making a goal as Gordon cheered from besides me.

"Is he your favorite or something?" I asked.

"He's just the best." Averman answered before skating away.

Everyone started to yell something about Fulton and I watched as the puck bounced around the rink before flying straight into Don Tibbles's forehead.

"Oh wicked shot!" I yelled out before jumping over the barrier and running over to where Don now laid on the floor, unconscious.

We propped him up on Julie's legs and I grabbed a washcloth and an icepack for him. Gordon opened a package underneath Don's nose which he pushed away, regaining his consciousness.

"Mr. Tibbles, can you hear me?" The lady he had been walking in with asks, "Oh, Mr. Tibbles. Are you alright?"

"He just got hit with a hockey puck, I should think that we get him checked for a concussion." I offered.

"Oh, uh, I-I'll have the cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate shake please." Tibbles answered in return.

The lady looked up at Gordon and says, "I think he'll be okay." Doubt it, "We'll keep an eye on him." I suggest a hospital, "Oh, I'm sorry. He didn't have a chance to introduce us. I'm Michelle McKay, their tutor." The lady says while standing up and offering her hand to my brother.

"Hi, I'm Coach Bombay. Their coach." Good one Gords.

"Who said we need a tutor?" Adam calls out. Everyone calls out and agrees with him.

"I mean, y'all have fun with that. I don't have to participate." I say.

"Yes you do, Wren." Gordon answers. I start a staring contest with him, I win no school, he wins, school.

"Nah, Miss McKay. We're America's team here." Shit I blinked, "Shouldn't we just be concentrating on hockey? May I suggest, optional attendance." Goldberg asks. Once again, everyone agrees, this time I agree too.

"Well, that's not a bad idea." Miss McKay starts.

"Call me Goldberg."

"Goldberg," Miss McKay continues, "Yes. School will be optional." Everyone starts to cheer until Miss McKay starts talking again. I already don't like her she'd be the type to kiss Gordon. Gross, "However, however. Should you not attend, you will not be eligible to play." Everyone starts to groan. Once again, not my problem.

"Alright, alright. It seems we've had enough excitement for today. Go hit the showers everyone." Gordon calls out, leaving me, him, Don, and McKay alone.

We set up a proper place for Tibbles to lay down and then I follow the other two on a walk across the rink, oh how romantic. Vomit.

I zoned out of the entire conversation until I heard a loud crash as the zamboni crashes through a wall. I look over to see Guy, Jesse, and Fulton all peak their heads up from the zamboni and high five each other and check to see if the others are ok, then they look over at the three of us, "Sorry."

"Yeah, sorry."

"We're okay."

I almost double over with laughter as Gordon starts to yell at the three, "God!" I call out, "That was the most interesting thing to happen today."

"Wren go get in the car!" Gordon yells at me.

I mock salute him and say, "Yessir." As he continues to yell at the trio. I roll my eyes as I walk away.

When I head into the main area of the rink I bump into a tall body, "Oh shit, sorry." I say.

Hands grab me before I fall over, "It's alright, Bombay."

I look up and see Adam, "My last name isn't Bombay." I say as he takes his hands off of me.

"Oh, sorry." Adam scratches the back of his neck.

"I guess we didn't formally introduce ourselves, well, I mean you did. I didn't. I just..." God I've never been this flustered before what was wrong with me, "Sorry. I'm Wren Queens."

Adam extends his hand and I shake it, "Well, it's nice to formally meet you, Queens."

Adam and I walk side by side out to the parking lot as I ask, "Is that like a thing here, do you guys just call each other by your last names?"

"I mean yeah. I guess we've always done it. Kind of natural when our last names are printed on the back of our jerseys."

I laugh a little, "Alright, you got me there. That does make sense." Adam hesitates, "Go ahead. Ask the question."

"Why don't you have the same last name as Coach? I mean, you're siblings, aren't you?" Adam hefts his bag higher up onto his shoulder as we stop.

"Half siblings. We have the same mom, different dads. I'd tell you more about it but, we aren't that close yet," A car honks, "And it looks like your ride is here."

Adam looks towards the car that honks and then turns back to me, "I'd like to get closer with you. Anyways, I've gotta go but it was nice meeting you." He walks away towards his car.

"You too!" I yell back as I start to walk towards Gordon's car.

"Hey! Wren!" I hear someone call out before I even make it like three steps. I turn around to see the only girl who was on the ducks running towards me, she stops when she gets to me.

"Oh, hey."

"I just wanted to introduce myself, I'm Connie." She smiles brightly at me. Woah, she's really pretty.

"Wren, but you already knew that." I smile back.

"Hey, listen. So after practice tomorrow, we were going to go get some food or ice cream together, you know, like a team bonding. We were just wondering if you wanted to go with us."

"Oh, um...that'd be nice. But I don't want to impose, seeing as though I'm not really on the team." I start to come up with the excuse.

"No, it doesn't matter. We still wanted to get to know you, none of us knew Coach Bombay had a sister." She offers.

"Yeah, he sure likes to keep me hush hush," I mumble before speaking up, "Yeah, I'd love to go. Seems like fun."

"Great! I'll see you tomorrow!" She smiles again before walking away.

Jesus, this place is so overwhelming. I head back to Bombay's car and wait until he comes back.