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Chapter 2: Guy and Jesse and Averman, Oh my!
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Connie and Charlie made their way up to Guy Germaine's door. They knocked and waited for an answer. A blond girl, probably about eight or nine, answered the door.
"Hey Sammie. Is Guy home?" Connie asked.
"Hey Connie! And Charlie. He's in the living room, watching TV." The little girl told them.
"Thanks kiddo," Charlie said, ruffling her hair. Connie just smiled at her and walked into her ex-boyfriend's house.
Connie and Guy had been going out and breaking up and going back out for as long as anyone could remember. At one point, she would have told everyone that they would date forever and eventually get married, without a second thought. But things change. Last summer they had broken up, and to everyone's dismay, they still hadn't gotten back together. Connie wasn't sure how she felt about this. Sure, she dated other people, but she never really felt the spark that she felt when she and Guy were together. And the whole him dating other people thing? She totally hated it. But she was happy that they had stayed friends. She couldn't imagine her life without him.
"Guy, man, what's up?" Charlie said, plopping down on the couch beside him. "You will never, ever guess what Bombay's doing."
"Nope, I probably won't. Oh, hey Cons," he said, nodding at the brunette.
"God, it would be SO MUCH more fun if one of you losers would guess," Charlie declared. Connie and Guy just shook their heads at him.
"Well, are you going to tell me? Or do I need to beat it out of you," Guy said impatiently.
Charlie repeated what he had told Connie. Guy, like Connie, could hardly believe it.
"You mean we get away from here for a whole month? YESS!!!"
"Do you think your mom will let you go?" Connie asked anxiously. She really, really wanted Guy to be able to go. She had just realized that if there was ever a time to win Guy back, this would be the perfect opportunity. She mentally kicked herself. She was NOT supposed to be thinking about getting Guy back. She was supposed to be moving on.
"She better! Nah, she will. She loves the Ducks," Guy told her.
"And let me tell you, we love her," Charlie said, winking suggestively at Guy. Guy's mom had been voted Hottest Mom Of All Time by all the male Ducks on the looonnnggg bus ride home from one of their away games last year. And they never let poor Guy forget it.
"Charlie, dude, that is it!" Guy said. He grabbed a pillow and hit Charlie over the head with it. Connie giggled. It was nice to see Charlie get pummeled every once in a while.
Charlie stood up and gave Guy the peace sign. Normally, he probably would have tackled Guy to the ground by now, but it was getting late and he wanted to tell all the Ducks about their plans. "Hey, hey, chill out, I was just kidding around," he told Guy. "We still gotta tell the rest of the Ducks. You wanna come?"
Guy nodded, "But there's no way in hell that we're blading all the way to Edina again to tell Banksie. We're gonna have to call him."
"Okay," Charlie agreed. "We'll tell Cake eater over the phone."
The three friends left the Germaine's house. "On to Jesse's," Charlie told them as he walked a little faster.
Connie and Guy, however, kept walking at a normal pace. Guy fought the urge to take her hand. "You are not her boyfriend anymore," he reminded himself. God, he hated that. Last summer, breaking up had seemed like an okay idea. They were too young to be dating the same person they dated their entire lives. But now, now they had each dated other people . . . now it just sucked. He knew Connie had moved on, and it ripped him apart. But still. Moonlight strolls on the beach, ice cream on the boardwalk . . . was there honestly any place better to re-ignite an old flame?
Guy's thoughts were rudely interrupted, however, by a basketball hitting him in the side of the head.
"Sorry about that, Germaine." Guy looked up to see a red-haired boy with glasses grinning apologetically at him.
"Jesus, Averman. Stick to hockey," Guy advised. Averman had missed the basket by at least three feet.
"Um Averman?" Charlie ventured, "Why exactly are you at Jesse's house when he's not?"
"That is a little bit shady," Connie agreed.
"What, it's not normal to stalk your best friends? I guess it's a good thing you never caught me at your houses, then," Averman replied.
The other three exchanged glances. They thought he was joking, but with Averman, well, it was pretty much impossible to be totally sure.
"Nah, actually, some kid swiped one of his basketballs, and he's chasing after him, trying to get it back. He threatened to chop off the kid's balls, so my guess he'll be returning pretty quickly," Averman informed them, grimacing at the thought of losing such an essential body part.
As if on cue, Jesse turned the corner, holding a basketball under his left arm. He was still swearing under his breath. Charlie, Connie, Guy, and Averman laughed. Typical Jesse.
When he saw then, however, Jesse's face lit up. "Hey guys!" he said, "What's up?"
Charlie suddenly remembered why they had come in the first place. In his sheer panic that Averman was stalking his house, and then his contemplation of how much it would hurt if your balls were cut off, he had completely forgotten about Bombay's offer.
"Actually, a lot is up," he told Jesse. "Bombay has come through in the clutch, yet again."
"Basically," Guy began, "Bombay is paying for us all to fly out to some little town in New Jersey for an entire month. All expenses paid."
"And the house is only a block away from the ocean," Connie told them.
"Sweet!" Jesse said, as he and Averman high-fived.
"The beach! I love the beach!" Averman cried, "And you know what the best part of the beach is."
"THE BABES!" Jesse, Charlie, and Guy all chorused.
Averman looked at them like they had fifteen heads. He shook his head. "Speedos!" he informed them excitedly.
The other four looked at each other. He was joking. They hoped.
Chapter 2: Guy and Jesse and Averman, Oh my!
----------------
Connie and Charlie made their way up to Guy Germaine's door. They knocked and waited for an answer. A blond girl, probably about eight or nine, answered the door.
"Hey Sammie. Is Guy home?" Connie asked.
"Hey Connie! And Charlie. He's in the living room, watching TV." The little girl told them.
"Thanks kiddo," Charlie said, ruffling her hair. Connie just smiled at her and walked into her ex-boyfriend's house.
Connie and Guy had been going out and breaking up and going back out for as long as anyone could remember. At one point, she would have told everyone that they would date forever and eventually get married, without a second thought. But things change. Last summer they had broken up, and to everyone's dismay, they still hadn't gotten back together. Connie wasn't sure how she felt about this. Sure, she dated other people, but she never really felt the spark that she felt when she and Guy were together. And the whole him dating other people thing? She totally hated it. But she was happy that they had stayed friends. She couldn't imagine her life without him.
"Guy, man, what's up?" Charlie said, plopping down on the couch beside him. "You will never, ever guess what Bombay's doing."
"Nope, I probably won't. Oh, hey Cons," he said, nodding at the brunette.
"God, it would be SO MUCH more fun if one of you losers would guess," Charlie declared. Connie and Guy just shook their heads at him.
"Well, are you going to tell me? Or do I need to beat it out of you," Guy said impatiently.
Charlie repeated what he had told Connie. Guy, like Connie, could hardly believe it.
"You mean we get away from here for a whole month? YESS!!!"
"Do you think your mom will let you go?" Connie asked anxiously. She really, really wanted Guy to be able to go. She had just realized that if there was ever a time to win Guy back, this would be the perfect opportunity. She mentally kicked herself. She was NOT supposed to be thinking about getting Guy back. She was supposed to be moving on.
"She better! Nah, she will. She loves the Ducks," Guy told her.
"And let me tell you, we love her," Charlie said, winking suggestively at Guy. Guy's mom had been voted Hottest Mom Of All Time by all the male Ducks on the looonnnggg bus ride home from one of their away games last year. And they never let poor Guy forget it.
"Charlie, dude, that is it!" Guy said. He grabbed a pillow and hit Charlie over the head with it. Connie giggled. It was nice to see Charlie get pummeled every once in a while.
Charlie stood up and gave Guy the peace sign. Normally, he probably would have tackled Guy to the ground by now, but it was getting late and he wanted to tell all the Ducks about their plans. "Hey, hey, chill out, I was just kidding around," he told Guy. "We still gotta tell the rest of the Ducks. You wanna come?"
Guy nodded, "But there's no way in hell that we're blading all the way to Edina again to tell Banksie. We're gonna have to call him."
"Okay," Charlie agreed. "We'll tell Cake eater over the phone."
The three friends left the Germaine's house. "On to Jesse's," Charlie told them as he walked a little faster.
Connie and Guy, however, kept walking at a normal pace. Guy fought the urge to take her hand. "You are not her boyfriend anymore," he reminded himself. God, he hated that. Last summer, breaking up had seemed like an okay idea. They were too young to be dating the same person they dated their entire lives. But now, now they had each dated other people . . . now it just sucked. He knew Connie had moved on, and it ripped him apart. But still. Moonlight strolls on the beach, ice cream on the boardwalk . . . was there honestly any place better to re-ignite an old flame?
Guy's thoughts were rudely interrupted, however, by a basketball hitting him in the side of the head.
"Sorry about that, Germaine." Guy looked up to see a red-haired boy with glasses grinning apologetically at him.
"Jesus, Averman. Stick to hockey," Guy advised. Averman had missed the basket by at least three feet.
"Um Averman?" Charlie ventured, "Why exactly are you at Jesse's house when he's not?"
"That is a little bit shady," Connie agreed.
"What, it's not normal to stalk your best friends? I guess it's a good thing you never caught me at your houses, then," Averman replied.
The other three exchanged glances. They thought he was joking, but with Averman, well, it was pretty much impossible to be totally sure.
"Nah, actually, some kid swiped one of his basketballs, and he's chasing after him, trying to get it back. He threatened to chop off the kid's balls, so my guess he'll be returning pretty quickly," Averman informed them, grimacing at the thought of losing such an essential body part.
As if on cue, Jesse turned the corner, holding a basketball under his left arm. He was still swearing under his breath. Charlie, Connie, Guy, and Averman laughed. Typical Jesse.
When he saw then, however, Jesse's face lit up. "Hey guys!" he said, "What's up?"
Charlie suddenly remembered why they had come in the first place. In his sheer panic that Averman was stalking his house, and then his contemplation of how much it would hurt if your balls were cut off, he had completely forgotten about Bombay's offer.
"Actually, a lot is up," he told Jesse. "Bombay has come through in the clutch, yet again."
"Basically," Guy began, "Bombay is paying for us all to fly out to some little town in New Jersey for an entire month. All expenses paid."
"And the house is only a block away from the ocean," Connie told them.
"Sweet!" Jesse said, as he and Averman high-fived.
"The beach! I love the beach!" Averman cried, "And you know what the best part of the beach is."
"THE BABES!" Jesse, Charlie, and Guy all chorused.
Averman looked at them like they had fifteen heads. He shook his head. "Speedos!" he informed them excitedly.
The other four looked at each other. He was joking. They hoped.