AAOOOSC!: Gulls' Adventures!

An hour later, Brandon, Joseph, Nick, Matt, Ryan, and Kalle are gathered around the grand dining room. They each are eating a bowl of cereal with milk.

The newest addition to the breakfast is a tablet, which is propped up at the end on the table. The tablet is displaying a FaceTime session of Max Friberg, who is in his dining room in St. John’s also eating cereal.

"Mmmm," Max is heard saying from the screen. "Good cereal, boys!" He wipes his mouth with his napkin.

Nick perks up at the tablet from his bowl. "Yeah, it is good cereal!"

"First toast, now cereal," Joseph grumbles from next to Nick, tapping his spoon against the bowl’s edge. "What’s next: oatmeal?"

Scott then passes by them with kitchen towels. "If you gentlemen stop by tomorrow, I will be serving oatmeal." He then exits the area and disappears down the hallway.

Joseph proceeds to growl with a scowl at his bowl of cereal.

"Oatmeal is good!" Max is heard explaining from the electronic device.

On the other side of the table, Matt has Mr. Ernie on the table with a tiny pile of cereal by the critter. He gazes at him with a small smile. "Do you like the cereal, Mr. Ernie?"

Mr. Ernie nibbles on the bit of cereal.

"You’re lucky your pet can eat human food," Ryan points out from next to his goalie buddy. "Zeppelin would throw gas bombs if she eats that."

Matt turns to him. "Oh, Mr. Ernie’s not mine, he’s a friend’s! But yeah, it helps to feed him!"

Mr. Ernie plucks another piece of cereal from the pile and begins stuffing it into one of his cheek pouches.

Matt chuckles at the small animal. "Awww, Mr. Ernie’s now saving cereal for later! He likes it!"

"Why am I eating breakfast with a rat?" Joseph mutters with sharp eyes on the critter.

"That’s a hamster, Joseph!" Max points out from the tablet.

Joseph faces the screen with softer facial features. "Still a rat."

Matt lets out a horrified gasp before gingerly covering Mr. Ernie’s tiny, delicate ears with his fingers. "Don’t say that in front of Mr. Ernie! You’re hurting his feelings!"

Joseph rolls his eyes. "Whatever."

Directly across from Joseph, Kalle cranes his head to look at the tablet that is inches from his arm. "So you’re the Maxi Monty talks about?"

Joseph whirls to him with narrowed eyes. "Hey, I talk about him too!"

Max chortles. "Yes, I suppose!"

"It is him!" Brandon points out from next to Nick.

Kalle’s eyebrows shoot up at Brandon. "Oh!" He turns back to the Swede. "Well, I’m Kalle Kossila, a teammate of the Gulls!"

"Oh, welcome to the group!" Max gives him his sweet, "W"-shaped smile. "I’m Max Friberg, but I’m no longer in the Gulls" —he places a hand on his chest— "I’m now in the St. John’s IceCaps."

"Yeah, I heard. These guys are mourning for you." He nods toward the three skaters. "They keep talking about you."

Joseph stares at his best friend through the screen with a longing expression.

"Yes, I do miss them too and think about them every day," Max replies meaningfully, dropping his hand. He gazes at Joseph.

Joseph nods his head, his eyes locked on him. "Same here…," he murmurs, "same here…"

Max then tears his gaze away from him, turning to the Finn. "But thank you for taking them in." He gives him a sweet smile.

"Yeah! That’s what friends are for!" Kalle gives him back his toothy grin.

Max then turns to face his three former roommates. "Wait, why you guys not at the house?" A bewildered expression comes across his face. "What happened?"

Brandon, Joseph, and Nick exchange uncertain and trepidatious expressions.

Matt then whirls to Max and blurts out, "The house is being rebuilt!"

The three roommates turn to the goalie with surprised expressions.

"Yeah," Ryan adds in, turning to Max, "the house got blown up and the owner is now going to take care of it. So for now, we have to stay here."

Joseph begins slumping in his seat and grumbles, "I should just go back to Toronto, the season’s already over…"

Max narrows his eyes at them with suspiciousness. "And how did the house get blown up…?"

"Joey’s bad temper," Brandon answers jokingly, eyeing his roommate with a smirk.

Joseph shoots him the death stare in return. "Well, if it wasn’t for Dustin…!"

"What about Dustin?" Max asks with an interested expression.

Ryan raises his thick eyebrows at him. "Oh, you don’t know what Dustin did to us?"

"What did he do to you guys?" Max darts his eyes from right to left in anxious curiosity.

Brandon, Joseph, Nick, Matt, and Ryan all exchange expressions of reassurance. They all face the tablet their former teammate is being shown through.

Brandon then warns him: "It’s a long story."


The End of AAOOOSC! Gulls Adventures!

Notes

E.20 "Ready Or Not
Part 10/10
Episode 20/20