Author's Note: Wow! Thanks so much for the response, it was great! Hey, anytime I can squeeze Craig Manning, The Ducks and ancient English lit into something do you think I'd pass it up...OK, none of you actually know me, so you don't understand, but seriously, who could resist? Thanks so much!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 2: Caught
"Adam," Julie said after practice, he looked at her, "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure," He said with a nod, "Everything OK?"
"Not exactly," She said, "So, um, I was in the library this afternoon, before practice, and,"
"Don't finish," He shook his head, "I get it."
"Adam how could you?" She sighed.
"I couldn't not do it," He said softly, "I love her Julie."
"Charlie loves her," She said. He nodded. "You have to end it."
"We're telling him tonight," He stood up.
"You can't do that," Julie sighed grabbing his arm, "Adam, you know him, he'll freak and fall apart."
"You of all people should get this," He said. "You and Portman,"
"I broke up with Scooter when I realized I had feelings for Portman," She snapped.
"She wanted to break up with him," Adam said defending Linda against the passive insult Julie had just given.
"Then why didn't she?" She said. "Look, it's none of my business really, I just thought you should know that I know, I'm not going to tell Charlie or anything, I can't speak for Dean,"
"He knows too?" He said. She nodded. He groaned and sat down. "I'm in so over my head."
"I don't envy you," She sighed, "Fix it." She walked out.
"Hey," Charlie said seeing Linda waiting outside of the locker room, he kissed her, "What are you doing here?"
"Um, I wanted to talk to you about something," She said bouncing from nervousness, he nodded. Julie walked past and looked at her. Linda didn't understand the look of malice she was getting.
"What's up?" Charlie said, she stared up at him, she couldn't do it. She couldn't tell him. Where was Adam? "Linda come on, you're freaking me out over here."
"I just wanted to let you know I have to cancel this weekend," She laughed. "My mom needs me to help with the little siblings."
"Oh," He said, "Yeah, sure, OK. I'll see you later, I just want to grab a shower OK?" She nodded and he kissed her. She sighed and leaned against the wall. Adam walked out.
"Where were you?" She said. He looked at her.
"Did you talk to him?" He said.
"Yes," She said, "Not about us though, I couldn't, I looked at him, and I just I couldn't."
"Well we have to do something," He sighed, she looked at him, "Julie and Portman saw us in the library."
"They what?" She said. He nodded. "I think I'm going to throw up!" She slid down to the floor.
"Hey," He bent down and kissed her gently, "We're OK, don't worry, Julie said she wouldn't tell, and Portman's like completely whipped," She laughed. "We do have to talk to him though OK?"
"OK," She whispered and kissed him.
"What the hell?" They stopped and looked up. Charlie was standing over them.
"Charlie," Linda stood up, "Please listen, before you said anything, we really didn't mean for it to happen!"
"For what to happen exactly," He seethed, "The kissing in the hallway or is something else happening?" They looked back and forth, "Someone better give me an answer here!" He shouted.
"It's been a month," Adam said, Linda was too busy holding her breath so as not to cry to say anything. Charlie swallowed.
"Fuck both of you," He said turning around and walking away. Linda burst into tears and hugged Adam tightly. He held her close.
"It's OK," He said softly, "It's alright."
Julie stared at a blank computer screen and sighed.
"The love triangle is a time honored tradition in television drama," She said out loud as she typed. "The Canadian teen series Degrassi: The Next Generation has embraced this with a fervor rarely seen outside of Beverly Hills 90210," She hit the backspace button and deleted it all. It was crap, pure crap. Charlie walked into the room and flopped on her floor. "What are you doing?"
"I can be in the same room as him, so I'm staying in here tonight," He shrugged. She looked at him, "The guys all have crap on their floors, I can't sleep there."
"I take it you found out," She nodded.
"You knew?" He said.
"I saw them together this afternoon," She sighed, "Dean too."
"And no one cared to fill me in on this information? My best friend, my girlfriend," He groaned and fell backward, "I'm pathetic."
"A little," She nodded.
"I mean, Banks?" He said, "What's he got? I mean, not to be an ass hole, but the guy's pretty much my sidekick."
"That's pretty harsh," Julie said, Charlie shrugged, "What did they say to you?"
"Say?" He said, "They didn't say anything, I found them making out outside of the locker room and told them to fuck off."
"Mature," She nodded, "Look, I have to write this paper, so,"
"I will find other accommodations," He stood up.
"And Charlie," She said, he looked at her, "Listen to what they have to say. What they did sucks, but come on, do you really want to scrap everything you have because of it?"
"Linda and I are done," He said.
"I wasn't talking about Linda," She said. He nodded and walked out. "Failure to communicate is often the fall of those involved in a love triangle." She typed. "Sweet!" She closed the laptop. Portman walked in. "Hey."
"How's the paper?" He said sitting down.
"I wrote a whole sentence," She smiled.
"I am so proud of you," He leaned over and kissed her. She laughed. "And the real life triangle." She shook her head. "That bad?"
"Charlie was just in here," She sighed, "He saw them."
"What are you doing?" Adam sighed as he walked into Charlie and his room and saw Charlie stuffing things into a duffle bag.
"Going home until they can get me a new room," Charlie said, "And I'm not talking to you."
"Listen man," Adam tried.
"Don't," Charlie said, "Don't do your whole 'Aw shucks, I just can't help myself, how can you be mad at me thing!'"
"No you have every right to be mad," Adam said
"Oh now that I have your permission," Charlie rolled his eyes. He stopped. "Why her?"
"I don't know," Adam said, "I've always felt it, and it really just sort of happened, we couldn't help it."
"Whatever," Charlie said, "I'd stay away from me if I were you." He walked out. It had taken everything he had not to punch him.
The next day Linda took a deep breath and walked up to Charlie, standing at his locker. He looked at her, but quickly looked away. She sighed.
"Adam said you went home last night," She said softly.
"What's it to you?" He shrugged. She closed her eyes, she'd cried all night the night before, she didn't have anything left.
"Charlie, I'm so sorry," She said, "I really didn't want you to find out that way."
"Find out that way," He turned and looked at her, "Or find out at all? Because you two falling for each other, that I get, sort of. But, and here's where I get confused, why didn't you just break up with me like a normal human?"
"Because I still love you," She said, "And I didn't know how to explain that, that I love both of you."
"That's because that's stupid," He said.
"Anyway," She looked down, "It's over. Me and Adam, we talked about it last night."
"If this is an attempt to salvage our relationship," He sighed, "Don't bother."
"It's not," She said, "This is for you and Adam." She walked away. He cocked his head. Julie has said basically the same thing. Did the girls just know something he didn't?
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