The alarm on the night table by Charlie's bed woke him with a sound that should've been saved only for a nuclear warning. His head shot up and the bright morning sun started an assault on his tired eyes. If he'd stayed in the dorms the night before like the rest of the team, he could've gotten another hour of sleep, but Casey had made him promise to sleep at home, she wanted to see him before he started his Senior year.
Charlie walked to his dresser and pulled a new pair of jeans from the bottom draw, then opened the top and yanked out his team USA jersey, the rest of the team had bet he couldn't start a year without wearing his peewee's jersey, he wanted to prove them wrong. He climbed into a steaming stream of shower water and washed away the layers of dirt and sweat he'd collected the day prior. Afterward he stood in front of the bathroom mirror running his fingers over the three day beard that was covering his chin, the razor sat on the sink waiting to be picked up. Charlie being Charlie however, he shook his head, rubbed his face one more time and exited the room still prickly.
"Morning Mom." He kissed his mother's cheek and picked a Hershey bar out of the bowl on the dining room table.
"Charlie have a real breakfast, would you like me to make you an omelet or something sweetie?" Casey asked sipping her coffee.
"No thanks mom, you serve people all day." He opened the cabinet and pulled out a bag of salt and vinegar chips. "Besides, I've gotta go, gotta meet the team before assembly, call ya later."
Charlie tossed his potato chips on the passenger seat of his 87 Buick and rolled down the drivers side window, he was just about to start the car and roll out of the driveway when he got an idea. He popped out of his car and sprinted over to the Montels' front door. He didn't know why, but he knocked anyway.
Kory's mother opened it, dressed like June Cleaver and holding a plate stacked high with pancakes, Charlie thought he'd wandered into a Leave It to Beaver rerun, or at least fell into the Twilight Zone.
"Charlie, good morning." She smiled. "What can I do for you?"
"I, uh, I came over to see if Kory needed a ride to school." He answered.
"Well her father was planning on taking her in, but it would be a lot easier to have you do it, thank you. Would you like to come in, I've got pancakes?"
"No, thanks, I've got breakfast in the car."
"Alright, I'll go get Kory then."
Charlie paced the front stoop waiting for Kory, he had wanted to give her a lift but he didn't want to be late, or miss meeting up with his friends. Then the door swung open and Kory stepped out with a violin case in one arm and a backpack in the other. She was dressed in tan suede skirt and denim top and her hair was pulled back in a butterfly clip, she looked flawless for her first day at Eden Hall.
"Hi Charlie, thanks for the ride, my Daddy would've embarrassed me so much." She grinned.
"You need a hand?" Charlie took the violin case from her
The two went over to his car and Charlie, opened the door for her and she started to sit. Only to late for Charlie's warning
"Watch out from my… CRUNCH… chips."
"I'm sorry Charlie." She flushed.
"It's no biggie." He replied getting into the car and reversing out onto the street.
They road in silence for the first fifteen minutes, Kory again watching the colorful leafs as they danced in the winds outside of the car.
"Soooo, you play the violin?" Charlie tried to break the noiselessness. Yet there was no response, the he remember she read lips and tapped her shoulder gently.
Kory turned quickly to look at him.
"Hmm?"
"You play the violin," The hockey player gestured to the case in his backseat. "how do you do that?"
"Because I'm deaf?"
"Well… yeah."
"Beethoven, played the piano, composed and conducted and he was totally deaf by the end of his career."
"Good point." Charlie nodded, he liked that. A smart girl that wasn't snobby about the things she knew, basically not Linda.
Kory drummed her fingers on her knee, thinking of something to ask him.
"Are you a dorm kid?" She finally came up with.
"Yeah, we all are, the whole team. Are you?" The boy flipped on his blinker and turned into the hockey players parking lot. The particular lot was reserved for the team because it was the closest to the rink, Charlie being the Captain got front row.
"I wish, unfortunately my parents won't go for it. I begged almost the entire ride here. They refuse to leave me unattended for that long, I'll be eighteen in four months and they still won't let me be alone."
"What if I could swear you'll never be alone?" The boy asked, an idea coming into his head.
"How?" Curiosity played across Kory's subtle features.
"I've got two friends, girls on the Ducks, Connie and Julie…"
"I met them yesterday."
"Right, well they share a room at the dorms, if we could get the rooming association to allow it, we could probably get you in there with them. There's only one time they're both gone and that's when there's something for the team to be done. But then you can come to the rink with us."
"That's an interesting idea Charlie, but perhaps we should run the idea by them first."
Charlie led Kory around the campus, showing her all the important things, that no one had been kind enough to point out to him on his first day, then brought her to the auditorium to join the group.
"Hey guys." He called as they came up the stairs and found the Ducks waiting on the landing for him. "You remember Kory right?"
"I do." Portman smirked "nice to see you again babe."
Kory didn't take to kindly to that, she may not have heard what he said, but she knew a chauvinistic remark when one was made. So she reached up and grabbed the chest of Dean's tee-shirt and pulled him down so they were nose to nose.
"My father is a retired Marine, I know six different ways to kill a man with my bare hands, don't make me demonstrate on you."
The rest of the team broke into a fit of laughter and Connie added.
"You are so cool."
"Totally, come on sit with us." Julie tossed an arm around Kory's shoulder and brought her in to find a seat, everyone else falling close behind.
Charlie walked to his dresser and pulled a new pair of jeans from the bottom draw, then opened the top and yanked out his team USA jersey, the rest of the team had bet he couldn't start a year without wearing his peewee's jersey, he wanted to prove them wrong. He climbed into a steaming stream of shower water and washed away the layers of dirt and sweat he'd collected the day prior. Afterward he stood in front of the bathroom mirror running his fingers over the three day beard that was covering his chin, the razor sat on the sink waiting to be picked up. Charlie being Charlie however, he shook his head, rubbed his face one more time and exited the room still prickly.
"Morning Mom." He kissed his mother's cheek and picked a Hershey bar out of the bowl on the dining room table.
"Charlie have a real breakfast, would you like me to make you an omelet or something sweetie?" Casey asked sipping her coffee.
"No thanks mom, you serve people all day." He opened the cabinet and pulled out a bag of salt and vinegar chips. "Besides, I've gotta go, gotta meet the team before assembly, call ya later."
Charlie tossed his potato chips on the passenger seat of his 87 Buick and rolled down the drivers side window, he was just about to start the car and roll out of the driveway when he got an idea. He popped out of his car and sprinted over to the Montels' front door. He didn't know why, but he knocked anyway.
Kory's mother opened it, dressed like June Cleaver and holding a plate stacked high with pancakes, Charlie thought he'd wandered into a Leave It to Beaver rerun, or at least fell into the Twilight Zone.
"Charlie, good morning." She smiled. "What can I do for you?"
"I, uh, I came over to see if Kory needed a ride to school." He answered.
"Well her father was planning on taking her in, but it would be a lot easier to have you do it, thank you. Would you like to come in, I've got pancakes?"
"No, thanks, I've got breakfast in the car."
"Alright, I'll go get Kory then."
Charlie paced the front stoop waiting for Kory, he had wanted to give her a lift but he didn't want to be late, or miss meeting up with his friends. Then the door swung open and Kory stepped out with a violin case in one arm and a backpack in the other. She was dressed in tan suede skirt and denim top and her hair was pulled back in a butterfly clip, she looked flawless for her first day at Eden Hall.
"Hi Charlie, thanks for the ride, my Daddy would've embarrassed me so much." She grinned.
"You need a hand?" Charlie took the violin case from her
The two went over to his car and Charlie, opened the door for her and she started to sit. Only to late for Charlie's warning
"Watch out from my… CRUNCH… chips."
"I'm sorry Charlie." She flushed.
"It's no biggie." He replied getting into the car and reversing out onto the street.
They road in silence for the first fifteen minutes, Kory again watching the colorful leafs as they danced in the winds outside of the car.
"Soooo, you play the violin?" Charlie tried to break the noiselessness. Yet there was no response, the he remember she read lips and tapped her shoulder gently.
Kory turned quickly to look at him.
"Hmm?"
"You play the violin," The hockey player gestured to the case in his backseat. "how do you do that?"
"Because I'm deaf?"
"Well… yeah."
"Beethoven, played the piano, composed and conducted and he was totally deaf by the end of his career."
"Good point." Charlie nodded, he liked that. A smart girl that wasn't snobby about the things she knew, basically not Linda.
Kory drummed her fingers on her knee, thinking of something to ask him.
"Are you a dorm kid?" She finally came up with.
"Yeah, we all are, the whole team. Are you?" The boy flipped on his blinker and turned into the hockey players parking lot. The particular lot was reserved for the team because it was the closest to the rink, Charlie being the Captain got front row.
"I wish, unfortunately my parents won't go for it. I begged almost the entire ride here. They refuse to leave me unattended for that long, I'll be eighteen in four months and they still won't let me be alone."
"What if I could swear you'll never be alone?" The boy asked, an idea coming into his head.
"How?" Curiosity played across Kory's subtle features.
"I've got two friends, girls on the Ducks, Connie and Julie…"
"I met them yesterday."
"Right, well they share a room at the dorms, if we could get the rooming association to allow it, we could probably get you in there with them. There's only one time they're both gone and that's when there's something for the team to be done. But then you can come to the rink with us."
"That's an interesting idea Charlie, but perhaps we should run the idea by them first."
Charlie led Kory around the campus, showing her all the important things, that no one had been kind enough to point out to him on his first day, then brought her to the auditorium to join the group.
"Hey guys." He called as they came up the stairs and found the Ducks waiting on the landing for him. "You remember Kory right?"
"I do." Portman smirked "nice to see you again babe."
Kory didn't take to kindly to that, she may not have heard what he said, but she knew a chauvinistic remark when one was made. So she reached up and grabbed the chest of Dean's tee-shirt and pulled him down so they were nose to nose.
"My father is a retired Marine, I know six different ways to kill a man with my bare hands, don't make me demonstrate on you."
The rest of the team broke into a fit of laughter and Connie added.
"You are so cool."
"Totally, come on sit with us." Julie tossed an arm around Kory's shoulder and brought her in to find a seat, everyone else falling close behind.