Disclaimer : I don't own anything so there!
Joshysgirl : Excited? Were you on a sugar rush lol, or are you ALWAYS excited lol. Anyway, I'm hoping I've given you just enough information, again, but not given you too much lol. Anyways thanks for the review and support, much appreciated. Cheers mi dears!
xcdiva1784 : You only think? Hmm, hope this chapter confirms it for you lol. Anyways thanks for the support and review. Cheers mi dears!
Emily : It's great to read from you too lol. Rescue me was actually Charlie/Connie, but again, I understand, it ain't Guy lol. Maybe your hazardous guess was right, then again maybe it was wrong! Suppose you'll have to wait to find out lol. Anyways thanks for the support and review! Cheers mi dears!
Hockey-girl90 : Hope this chapter confirms for you, that this is certainly not a one-shot lol. Anyways thanks for the support and review, much appreciated. Cheers mi dears!
Chapter 2
"We can't have a girl on the team, we'd look like a group of wussies". The dirty blonde haired nine year old complained.
"This doesn't have anything to do with the fact, that she's a better skater than you does it"? His best friend asked, raising an eyebrow sarcastically.
"She cannot skate better than me"!
"Yeah, whatever Guy, she was skating rings around most of us man, wasn't she Jesse"? The younger brother questioned his elder.
"She's definitely better than most, and hey, she can handle herself". Jesse agreed.
"Whatever, I'll try not to smile too much, when I say I told you so". Guy told them.
The three had been best friends for as long as any of them could remember. Guy and his parents, had moved into the building when Guy was three years old. Both his parents worked full time, and before long, Guy found himself in the care of Giselle, Jesse and Terry's mom.
"So, see you both tomorrow"! Guy bid his two friends goodbye, as they came to the Halls front door.
"Yeah man, see ya"! Terry wandered in.
"Don't forget, we got our first practice in the morning". Jesse reminded him. "See ya later man". He added, leaving Guy to climb the following two flights to his own home.
Guy walked into the apartment, the warmth hitting him straight away. He could smell his mothers cooking, as he slipped his coat from his shoulders.
"Guy, that you baby"? His mom called.
"Yeah mom", he replied, wandering down the hall to the kitchen, to where his mother was cooking dinner, and doing some college work.
"Hey honey, you had fun"? His mom asked, kissing his temple affectionately.
"Yeah". Guy answered.
"Doesn't sound like it. What's wrong"?
"Nothings wrong". He replied.
"Oh please, I could trip over that lip of yours. So why not tell me, what's wrong, maybe I could help".
"Well, Charlie and Averman have invited Connie to join the team. But I don't think she should, because she's bound to get hurt, and well the other teams are gonna be laughing at us anyway, because we haven't got proper uniforms and stuff. But when they see we've got a girl on the team, they'll laugh even more". Guy explained.
"Do you know what I think? I think you ought to give Connie a chance. Give her a little time, it's probably just as hard for her to play with you guys, as it is for you to play with her. Besides she might surprise you". His mom told him softly. "And as for the other teams, let 'em laugh, because as long as you've played your best, then you haven't got anything to be ashamed of". She rubbed her sons cheek affectionately.
"Thanks mom". He reached over and hugged her tightly.
"You're welcome". She hugged him equally as tight in return. "Now go wash up for dinner".
She watched him dash down the corridor to the bathroom, smiling to herself. She knew one day, he wouldn't be complaining about being in close vicinity of the opposite sex, and his problems weren't going to be solved quite so easily.
"So, what time you expecting your dad home"? The tall brunette asked her friend, as they trudged through the snow, home.
"Probably not while after dinner, which is my turn to cook, so you wanna stay"? He replied.
"You sure"? She asked.
"Wouldn't ask if I wasn't. Besides your practically a permanent fixture in the place". He replied, flashing her a cheeky grin.
"I'd love to then? She answered, as they picked their pace up slightly.
When they reached their destination, it was clear to both, she wouldn't need permission from her parents, as, as per usual, there was no-one home. They never were, and even if they were, they wouldn't care, they never did. Maybe that was why they'd always been close. Both lacked time with their parents, albeit for different reasons.
"Hey Shorty, hope you're not gonna be too long with dinner, you got two hungry customers… Oh hey Con". A tall lean figure appeared in the living room doorway.
"Hey Howie". Connie greeted him.
"I told Connie she could stay for dinner, that's ok, right"?
"Yeah sure. So long as it's soon, we're starving in here". Howie smiled, as he watched the two friends make a beeline for the kitchen.
Within the hour, dinner was served. Nothing special, just something simple. After eating, all four of them, washed, dried and put away the dishes, as well as storing the left over's in the refrigerator, before retiring to the living room, where they caught the Jerry Springer marathon.
"Why would she even want to stay with him, after he cheated on her"? Averman offered his opinion.
"Who knows. I mean he's not exactly Tom Cruise is he"! Connie giggled.
"I don't see why anyone would want to go on this show, all they do is fight, and embarrass themselves on national telly". Six year old Kirsty inputted. She was wise beyond her years, and had an opinion about everything.
"That's international TV, and that's exactly why they go on. Their five minutes of fame". Seventeen year old Howie explained.
They were still watching an hour later, when Averman's dad returned from work. Despite working all the hours God could send, Mr. Averman was a cheerful man. He thought the world of his three kids, and though he constantly wished, he could spend more time with them, he was very proud of how they all pulled together.
"Hey guy's". He greeted them, as he popped his head around the doorway.
"You want some dinner"? Howie asked, twisting his torso, so he could see his dad.
"Love some, thanks, I'm gonna grab shower first though, ok".
After his shower, Mr. Averman sat alone in the kitchen, eating his dinner, and leafing through the mail, before going and joining them all in the living room. He asked each of them, including Connie, who he saw as his part time daughter, what they'd been up to that day. At turned nine thirty, he tucked Kirsty into bed, returning to the living room. Jerry Springer had ended, and they were now engrossed in a program to do with ghosts and haunting's.
"C'mon guys, start wrapping it up, huh". It was only a slight prod, but all three obeyed, and began tidying the room.
"You staying Connie"? Mr. Averman asked. It didn't take a genius to realize the nine year old would be alone for the remainder of the night.
"Nah, I best go home. You never know, thy might have a pang of guilt and decide to come home". She replied.
It always surprised him, when she admitted the lack of interest her parents had in her. It hadn't always been so, when Connie and Les had been small, his ex-wife and Connie's mom, spent a lot of time, caring for the children. Then when, his ex wife had walked out, when Kirsty was little over two years old, Connie's parents also seemed to mentally walk out on their daughter.
"C'mon then, I'll see you home". Mr. Averman offered.
"It's ok pop, I'll take her". Howie offered, opening the door ready.
"Thanks for dinner, I'll see you tomorrow". Connie thanked them, as she slipped her coat over her shoulders.
"You're welcome. You know where we are if you need anything".
Both Averman and his dad watched, as Howie walked Connie across the street, making sure she was inside safely, before running back, wanting to be out of the cold as quickly as possible.
Connie didn't mind having the house to herself. She'd long ago accepted, that whether she liked it or not, she had no choice in the matter. There was only the one person, who knew her true feelings. When she'd first hinted at her loneliness, he took it upon himself to spend more time with her. She resented him for this at first, believing he was only doing it purely out of sympathy, but on closer inspection. She realized, he was doing it much for his own sake too.
After Howie had walked her home. She ran around the house, making sure all the windows and doors were locked. It was a habit she'd gotten herself into, mostly it was out of fear that someone would break in. After checking the house, she turned nearly every single light on, in her own mind, she believed this would discourage any burglars.
Even though she'd got the whole house to herself, she always stayed in her room. It was the one way, she could guarantee that she wouldn't have to face her parents when they first walked through the door.
She began watching Drop Dead Fred, one of her favorite films. She remembered going to see it at the cinema with Averman. Well it was actually Howie who had offered to take them to the cinema, and whilst he'd been to see Terminator 2, with his friends, they'd had to settle for seeing Drop Dead Fred. She'd loved it, and knew Averman had enjoyed it just as much, but was still sour that Howie hadn't allowed them to see Terminator 2. All the way through the film, she'd been thinking how much she wanted a friend like Fred, and it wasn't until the end, when she realized, she had her Fred, Averman was her Fred.
At some point during the film, she must have fallen asleep, waking only upon the slamming of the front door. For those first few seconds of silence, after the door had slammed, panic hit her, was it burglars, had she locked it behind her. Her mind raced, willing herself to remember.
"Oh come off it Trina, he was all over you". She suddenly heard her dad yell.
"And you never have women drooling all over you huh"? Her mom snapped back.
Another normal night in the Moreau household, Connie thought to herself. They'd obviously been for a few drinks with their 'circle' of friends, after work. Shouting and yelling commenced, until Connie could no longer take it. Dressed in only her pajamas, she slipped her sneakers, and a sweater on, before slowly, and silently, pushing open her window. With perfect accuracy, she stepped out onto the porch roof, closing the window behind her, then creeping slowly to the edge. Once on the edge, She'd grab hold of the drain pipe, and slide down to the floor, just like a fireman would on his pole. Once safely on the ground, she ran across the street, and began her ascent of the tree, that lead straight to Averman's window.
Mr. Averman saw all this, as he very often witnessed it. He'd heard Katrina and Pete, Connie's parents come home arguing, and knew what would happen, so he'd gotten out of bed, and watched the whole thing. He knew on some level, he should say something, try to stop her, but he also knew, saying something may cause her to stop coming over like this, of which he didn't want her to. If she felt safe here, then so be it. By seven am, she'd be creeping back home anyway, not for her parents sake, as they probably never noticed her missing. He suspected it was more for his own sake, incase they thought he would disapprove.
As predicted, Averman came down to breakfast alone, Connie long since having returned home, again had he seen her return via the same path she'd taken last night. Averman acted no different to how he normally did, but this was where Mr. Averman had his few minutes of fun.
"You sleep ok last night Shorty". He asked his youngest son.
"Yeah, why"? Averman looked up from his cereal, eyes vaguely resembling those of a deer in headlights.
"Just wondered, Connie's parents were a little noisy coming home again". Was his reply.
"Didn't hear 'em". Averman replied, turning his attention back to his cereal.
Mr. Averman smirked, though he didn't like the fact that he was clearly being lied to, it was a harmless lie, and if he knew his son, he would one day, own up to it, but for now, he'd decided to let them keep their secret.
Later that day, 9 youngsters, skated idly around the thick ice that had covered the old pond. None of them could really skate perfectly, in fact it seemed every other stride would have them sprawled out on the ice. Sure some were better than others, but there wasn't a huge difference in their abilities.
"We suck, we really suck". Terry complained, after climbing up after having everyone fall on top of him, after a face off.
"What were you expecting, for us to play with NHL skill". Karp bit back with a sarcastic comment.
"No, but the ability to skate, would help". Jesse retorted, sticking up from his younger brother.
"Oh, and I suppose you're competition for Wayne Gretzky". Peter joined the argument.
"He could out skate you any day". Guy jumped in to defend Jesse.
Whilst the five of them argued over who was the better skater, and how bad the team was, Connie, Averman, Charlie and Goldberg, stood together watching, slightly amused, at the five boys tossing insults at each other.
"It's like handbags at dawn". Goldberg muttered, high five-ing Averman, and causing some chuckling between the four bystanders.
"We might as well go, I think practice is over for today". Connie sighed.
"You're right", Charlie agreed. "Guy's we're going, see you next practice". He shouted, to the five that were still arguing.
They got no reply, and headed straight to put their street shoes on, still going un-noticed by the remaining five boys on the ice. When they'd each got their street shoes on, Charlie attempted once more at bidding the boys farewell, but again it fell upon deaf ears. The four of them began heading out of the park, chatting easily about different things.
"Hey you guys wanna come to Mickey's, I'm sure my mom could treat us to a round of sodas". Charlie offered.
"I was meant to be helping out at the deli, but hey, I'll just tell my mom, practice over-ran". Goldberg shrugged and headed to Mickey's with the others.
An hour later, Connie and Averman were heading home. Charlie's mom had treat them to, two sodas, and a basket of fries between them. 'Warm you up', she'd said as she placed them in front of them. But now, they were back in the cold, wondering what to do for the rest of the day.
"You know, I don't think Guy likes me being on the team". Connie stated, as they headed back to Averman's.
"What makes you say that"? Averman asked.
"Just the way he keeps looking at me, he barely says two words to me". Connie replied.
"He's just shy, is all". Averman answered.
"Hmm, we'll see". Connie replied.
A few days later, Connie was proved right. Things between Guy, Jesse, Terry, Karp and Peter, where still strained, though they'd decided to agree to disagree in any future events. However Jesse, one of the better players of the group, had decided that because none of them, were particularly good skaters, they'd need to play much smarter hockey, which in Jesse's case meant, crashing and bashing into the other team. The only problem, he stated, was there were no boards to the old pond, which of cause meant landing in the snowy edges. 'Be nice and soft', he'd chuckled. They all looked slightly hesitant at the idea, well everyone except Jesse and Connie, who were both all for it. Five minutes later, Jesse had just about everyone around to the idea, except Terry and Guy, who were being the anchors of the group.
"C'mon, the only way we're gonna stand a chance, is if we're able to stand up to the other teams". Jesse tried persuading them.
"I dunno". Terry replied unsure. "One of us is bound to get hurt".
"And we know who that's gonna be". Guy mumbled.
"Huh, what are you going on about man"? Jesse stated.
"Look, I'll do it, but I'm not being partnered with Connie, I don't want to be the one to hurt a girl". Guy almost whispered.
"Huh, what was that about me"? Connie turned around at the mention of her name.
"Uh, nothing"? Guy stuttered.
"Yeah right, what were you saying"? Connie retorted. "Look it doesn't take a genius to realize that you don't think a girl should be on the team, so you might as well come out and say it".
"I just think you're gonna get hurt, is all". Guy managed to mumble.
"You think I'm gonna"? Connie laughed.
"Well yeah". Guy replied, trying to sound more confident.
With one quick shove, Guy was landing hard on his rear, Connie stood towering above him. Her lips pursed into almost a fine line, her eyes glared at him, yet he was sure he saw a flash of hurt there, almost as though, he had hurt her. That he couldn't bear, as much as he disagreed with her being on the team, he wasn't a malicious person, an the idea he had somehow hurt her, hurt him too.
"We'll see who gets hurt". Connie snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut ice.
With that she skated away, leaving Guy feeling utterly guilty about how he'd behaved. He also began feeling the bruise, from where she'd shoved him, and it hurt.
"So now do you think she's just a girl that's gonna get hurt"? Terry chided, a chuckle present. Guy didn't bother to answer.
"Terry". Jesse called.
"Yeah". Terry replied.
"Shut up". Jesse told him, skating away.
So what do you think? Please R&R!