AN: I know I haven't updated this in a couple of weeks. I got a little busy. If anyone is still reading this I really do appreciate you sticking it out.
Whoever said studying for you college entrance exams were hard was wrong. Why hadn't he taken them with everyone else? Because he was stubborn that's why. To make matters worse he was studying while he was at work. At least they weren't that busy. But if Jans walked in he would send him home. The bell above the door rang making him look up. Jesse came in carrying a box with Terry following behind him. Guy came from behind the counter to help them.
"Does Jans know you're studying?" Terry asked opening his box.
"No. And you aren't going to tell him." Guy said giving him a warning look.
"If you play your cards right you could working here next year." Jesse said giving his brother a shove.
Guy watched the two of them interact. These were the times when he wished he wasn't an only child. Jesse and Terry had welcomed Guy and Charlie in as their brothers pretty early on. They were their 'brothers from other mothers' as Terry liked to say. But Guy still wanted a brother of his own. Jesse had offered to give him Terry time after time when they were younger. Guy knew he never meant it, so he always said no. The three of them stocked the shelves until the bell over door rang again.
Guy turned the corner from the back row seeing a familiar red head. He smiled to himself as he made his way towards her. His day was starting to look up. Glory turned around when she heard Guy behind her. She returned his smile before Guy noticed they weren't alone. A boy with brown hair almost as dark as Connie's stood a few feet away. Glory called him over and he stood next to her with his hands in his pockets.
"Guy this is Brandon. He's a big fan of yours." She said giving Brandon a nudge towards Guy.
Guy knelt down to Brandon's level taking him in. Like he had been at ten Brandon was small for his age. Brandon looked him in the eye before shyly looking away again.
"It's nice to meet you." Brandon said just above a whisper.
"You too." Guy said with a smile.
"Hey Guy, what should I do with--" Terry said rounding the corner.
Guy looked over his shoulder to see Terry standing a few feet away. He stood to look in the box Terry was holding before sending him to the back. He turned his attention back to Glory and Brandon noticing the boy was starting to break out of his shell.
"I do have a reason for coming here. Other than he wanted to meet you. He needs new skates." Glory said laughing shyly.
"Sure." Guy said nodding his head.
"I noticed the books on the counter. You're planning on going to college?"
"As soon as I have the money. I didn't take the college entrance exams when I was in high school."
"Why?"
"At the time I wasn't planning on going." Guy said shyly.
"Do you know where you want to go yet?"
"I was thinking maybe the University of Michigan. What size do you need Brandon?"
"My mom said ten."
Guy nodded before handing him a pair of skates to see. They spent another twenty minutes trying to find a pair that Brandon liked. It gave Guy a chance to talk to Glory so he wasn't complaining. Before they left she grabbed for his hand. She took a pen from off the counter before writing her number on his hand.
"Call me some time." She said with a smile.
"I will." Guy said returning her smile.
Guy watched them walk away not paying attention to anything around him. He felt something hit the back of his head making him turn around. Jesse and Terry were laughing at him as Jesse aimed to throw another puck at him.
"Don't you dare!" He said giving him a threatening glare.
"Then snap out of it." Jesse said with a laugh.
Guy rolled his eyes before going back to work. It felt good to have a girl flirting with him again. He hadn't done that in so long. He hadn't needed to do it with Connie because they had been together since he was twelve. He had almost forgotten how to do it.
XXXX
Portman checked the clock for the third time in an hour. Only two more hours and then he could go home. Being a waiter at a upscale country club wasn't his first choice of a job but he wasn't going to complain. This job was the main reason he was able to pay for school on his own. He didn't like the idea of asking his mom for help. The tips were great, and he was pulling double shifts most days to save even more money. The Tyler's were nice enough to let him stay with them rent free when they found out where all of his money was going. He didn't have that many bills to worry about so he felt good when he was able to pay for his first years tuition in full. Julie had offered to go buy his books for him knowing he wouldn't have the time.
The only complaints he had was that he was so warn out when he got home that all he wanted to do was sleep. He hadn't spent more than a few hours with Julie in the past two weeks. She had been coming to see him at work but his boss had put his foot down and told her if she wasn't a paying customer she couldn't stay. He was wiping down a table when he saw her out of the corner of his eye. She was talking to one of the waitresses when her eyes met his. He made his way over to her as the girl walked away. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her to him.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for lunch."
"You have to be a member to eat here." He said giving her a credulous look.
"Who says I'm not?" She asked quirking an eyebrow at him.
"Where did you get the money for that?"
"My dad sends money every month." She said shrugging her shoulders.
"I'll find you a table." He said taking her hand and pulling her through the rows.
The assistant manager was more accepting of Julie coming in. She didn't come in that often. And she didn't stay any longer than twenty minutes at a time. Long enough for Portman to take a break and then she would leave. Luckily the manager was off today. The assistant manager came over to them and told Portman he could take his break when his last customer left. He took Julie's order before going back to work.
Julie was on the phone when he came back ten minutes later. He placed her order in front of her and sat across from her. He stole a french-fry as she hung up the phone. She laughed at him as she shook her head. They ate in silence until Julie broke the silence.
"I went to get your books today."
"Thank you." He said smiling in gratitude.
"You don't have to thank me. When do you get off?"
"At four."
"Did you drive?"
"Russ needed the car." He said shaking his head.
"I'll come back and get you." She said with a smile.
The assistant manager called for Portman from the bar asking him to come over. He was back a few minutes later with a smile on his face.
"What?"
"He's letting me off early."
"Will you get paid for the full day?"
"He said I would. He knows I need the money." He said sitting across from her.
They sat for a few more minutes before Julie went to pay the bill. A few minutes later they were in the car with Portman's head resting against the headrest. He had fallen asleep as soon as he got into the car. Julie drove back to school knowing the Tyler's apartment would be too loud for him to get any sleep. Russ's younger brother and sister were attached to Portman at the hip most of the time. She woke him and he was awake long enough to walk to the elevator then to her room before collapsing on her bed. Julie had had the room to herself lately. Karen had moved out a few weeks before. She was living in her Sorority House. She had met a frat boy at a party and Julie had seen them around campus. Ken was taking it better than most guys would have. Julie had to give him credit; he was a gentleman.
XXXX
Guy was studying at home that night when his cell phone rang. He opened it without checking to see who it was.
"Hello?"
"Hey." Connie said sounding tired
"Hey you." He said with a smile.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing much. How's Canada?"
"Cold." She said with a laugh.
"It's not much better here." He said laughing.
"I heard you met a girl."
"What else did Jesse tell you?"
"That she went to school with us. The name didn't ring a bell though."
"Is it okay that we're so casual about this?"
"It's fine. I'm happy for you. What is she like?"
"She's nice. She's really good with her little brother."
"Yeah?"
"She brought him into the shop today. He plays for district eight."
"That's cool."
"So what about you?"
"What about me?" She said with a laugh.
"How are you? How's Charlie?"
"We're good. Things were a tense for a couple days. We're working it out though."
"What happened?"
"He's decided not to go to college. At least not now."
"You knew he wasn't going to when you started dating him."
"I know. I just thought I could talk him into it."
"He just wants to make a good life for you and the baby."
"He says he'll go to college if Hockey doesn't work out."
"See? That's something."
"He had scouts checking him out last week."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Nobody's called though. His coach thinks too young to play professionally."
"He needs a few more years."
"Yeah. How's the studying going?"
"Good. I take the test this weekend."
"Well good luck."
"Thanks. Listen, can you call you back tomorrow? I need to get some sleep."
"Yeah. Goodnight."
"'Night."
Guy hung up the phone a few seconds later. He never would have guessed this time last year that he wouldn't be with Connie. Or that Connie would be dating Charlie. Now she was carrying his baby. It was an eye opening experience. But he had matured over the past six months. He wasn't the person he used to be.