Summary: A tale of our favorite Ducks and where their lives take them, beginning Senior Year at Eden Hall. Focuses on Adam, Charlie, Julie, Dean, Connie, Guy…and more to come!

Disclaimer: The Mighty Ducks and all its characters belong to Disney. I do not own any of it!

Flying Together

By Rebecca

Chapter 7: The End of the Night

            Connie sat in utter shock. Of all the things she would've expected to hear from her ex-boyfriend tonight. This was not one of them. This was what he called her here tonight? This is why he asked that she not tell Luis. This  is why she practically snuck away from her incredibly imposing Hispanic boyfriend?

            "So," she stammered, "What's her name?"

            Guy smiled, "Tara. I met her last month. She was skating on the rink when I got there early for practice. There was no one there yet so we kinda started talking." He cleared his throat, "That's uh, why I kinda played hookie that day. We left before Orion showed up."

            Connie nodded, remembering the practice that Guy didn't show up, trying desperately to breathe. No wonder he wasn't all that upset when Orion chewed him out. She had no idea why she was suddenly feeling very flush. But she didn't like it at all. "Well, I'm really happy for you."

            "You're not mad?"

            "Mad? Why would I be mad?"

            "Well I mean," he looked down at his hands as if carefully choosing his words in his head, "I don't know. Lately you haven't been hanging much with Luis and we've been talking a lot. I just didn't want you to be having the wrong idea. I've been trying to figure out a way to tell you for weeks. I…I wanted you to be the first to know."

            Connie smiled, "Thank you. And no I'm not mad. I…was just liking hanging out with you again that's all. I didn't get the wrong impression."

            Guy let out a sigh of relief, "Good. I was starting to think that you thought I was trying to…you know, steal you back." He laughed.

            Connie laughed too…forcefully. "There you go again. Givin' yourself too much credit."

            "Well that's why you fell for me in the first place," he teased, playfully hitting him on the arm. Connie felt as if he'd hit her in the stomach with a baseball bat.

            Yeah, she thought, That's why I fell for you in the first place. "Listen, I really do have to go study."

            Guy drew back, a little surprised, "Oh. Ok. Well I thought maybe you could meet her. You know before everyone else does. She's here for the weekend. She uh…goes to Port Wayne. That's why you haven't seen her."

            "Port Wayne and she's using our ice?" she added too quickly. Luckily her joking tone did not betray her uncontrollable jealousy.

            "Maybe tomorrow? I'm really tired and uh…I think Julie might need some help tonight."

            "Why what's wrong."

            She shrugged, not wanting to reveal the Scooter episode without her permission, "She just seemed upset. I'll meet her tomorrow. I promise."

            "All right kid, I'll see ya later then. Hope Julie feels better."

            "Yeah," she said quietly, "Later." Just as sure as Julie had run from Adam, Connie sprinted away from Guy.

             She ran to her dorm room from the end of the hall, hoping she could get there before the phone stopped ringing. Maybe it's Luis, she thought sarcastically, then I can apologize for being the world's worst girlfriend. She opened the door and grabbed the phone, surprised that Julie wasn't still lying on her bed in a pool of depression almost the size of her own.

            "Hello?…oh hi Banks…no she's not here actually which is surprising she-…hey you ok?…all right I'll tell her…no, no clue. Sorry…ok, bye."

            "Catch ya shrimps later," Portman yelled as Averman and Luis headed off to find their buildings. He grabbed his stick and skates and starting walking toward his own dorm on the other side of the campus…the building most of the students had by now nicknamed "the zoo." He rounded a corner and stopped short as Julie Gaffney came into view. She was sitting with her back toward him, head bent over with her long braid trailing behind. He clenched his fists and strutted over.

            "Well well, look what the cat dragged-" He came around to face her as she looked up. An icy hand gripped his heart as he beheld that infuriatingly gorgeous face, tears streaming down and meeting where her palms were propping up her chin.

            "Whadya want Portman," she groaned, unable to rouse herself up tonight for another round with Dean.

            But Dean had lost his taste for battle too and with it his voice. He simply took the step next to her as he laid his hockey gear at the foot of the stairs. The two of them sat in the early winter cold for several minutes saying almost nothing. That whole night had been full of awkward pauses, but somehow this one oddly therapeutic. Julie found it somehow comforting to be near someone, the least likely person, who had absolutely no role in the vicious game of heartbreak she had just put herself through.

            "Julie?" he asked timidly, his voice almost entirely altered from the husky growls that had just greeted her. She didn't look up though, her mind was still swimming…drowning in thoughts.

            How could I have been so stupid? She thought again for the thousandth time that night. In the few seconds after Scooter had dumped her, she had convinced herself that maybe Banks had feelings for her. Liked her all along and she never even knew it. That's why he'd never really dated anyone else. There was definitely a connection between them, no doubt about that. Could it have been stronger than she realized? Yes! It must be! I gotta see him right now…I gotta talk to him, he'll make sense out of all this. She had run as if chasing to catch someone flying off on an airplane, almost gleeful that Scooter had torn out her heart. She could finally tell Banks how she felt. She wasn't wrong about her feelings or his- and there he was waiting for her…with Erica. Cut. Print. Academy Award for best use of dramatic irony at Eden Hall.

            "Julie?" Dean was asking again, his voice now growing louder as she pulled out of her trance. This time she turned and faced him. "What's wrong?"

            She shook her head and looked back to the ground. Banks just dumped me…and he doesn't even know it. "Scooter," she replied allowed, "He uh…he and I broke up."

            Dean struggled not to roll his eyes. Scooter…prick. Never liked that guy. He looked back to Julie and hesitated only a minute before reaching to touch her shoulder. His rough hands seemed oddly tender and before she knew it, she found herself slipping into them all too easily. "I'm sorry," he managed, short of breath because she was suddenly in his arms. He held her close…and she cried again.

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No it's not over…we got a long way to go…to be continued! (Thanks again for the reviews)