A/N: First of all, thank you all SO MUCH for reviewing! I absolutely love
you all! You are the best EVER! Okay but here's the deal . . . I have to
go to Boston for a couple of days to look at colleges (UGH) - I leave
tomorrow (Sunday) and I come home Tuesday. But don't fret, I should have a
new chapter posted by Wednesday. I'm going to have a LOT of time to write
in the car! I think that's about it . . . so on with the story! And again,
you guys rock!!!
Disclaimer: Steven Brill and Disney own the Ducks . . . but hey, I can dream, right?
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Chapter 3: Count Me In
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After the Ducks told Jesse and Averman about the trip, the next stop was Fulton's. Even without thinking, they all knew exactly where to find the first half of the Bash Brothers: the alley. That was the funny thing about Fulton; even though he was often irrational and spontaneous, he was strangely predictable in the best of ways. That was one of the reasons why everyone loved him so much. You never knew what he'd be doing in the alley, but at least you could be sure that he'd be there.
On that particular afternoon, Fulton was sitting on a blue and green lawn chair, eating a sandwich and reading a Steven King book called "It". When he saw the Ducks, his face broke into a huge smile and he walked over to greet them. "Hey hey hey!" he said. "What's going on?"
"Nothing really," Jesse began, "except for the best news of the whole summer!"
"Pack your bags Fult!" Charlie told him. "We're headed for New Jersey!"
Fulton just grinned. He didn't need to know the specifics. Anything that would get him away from his shitty house, his abusive father, and his alcoholic mother was perfectly fine with him. "Count me in!" he exclaimed.
Now that Fulton was in the know, the Ducks proceeded on to their final destination: the Goldberg's deli.
When they got there, they were just in time to witness Goldberg accidentally spill a milkshake all over a totally gorgeous girl. Even though he'd slimmed down a bit during the high school years, he was still somewhat heavy and extremely clumsy.
"Poor Goldberg." Connie said to the group.
"You do have to feel bad for the kid," Guy agreed, even though he was desperately fighting the urge to laugh out loud. He was hoping that Connie would be impressed by his sympathy. He was rewarded with one of her million dollar smiles. God, he missed those smiles.
"Yea, dude, his women skills are absolutely zero." Fulton assessed.
"This from the guy whose most-often used pick-up line is 'Hey ladies, nice night for a stroll, wouldn't you say'? Puh-leeze," Jesse retorted. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason he felt the need to stand up for his awkward friend. Maybe it was because he had a history of being not-so- suave around the women himself.
Goldberg finished apologizing to the girl and frantically trying to help her wipe off her shirt with napkins (to which she replied by calling him a man-whore and shoving him away) and walked over to where his fellow Ducks were standing. "Hey guys . . . I guess you saw that, huh?"
"Yea we saw it. Very slick, Goldie, very slick," Charlie said. He was trying not to laugh at his friend's misfortune. He really was. Just not all that hard.
"Shut up Spaz. So did you guys come just to make fun of me, or did you actually have a purpose?" Goldberg asked indignantly. Getting picked on all the time was actually starting to get really, really old.
"Nah, as much as we love making fun of you, my friend, we DO have something to tell you. And it just might help you get over your latest humiliation in the girl category," Averman told him.
"Bombay got a house in New Jersey, a block from the water, he's bringing us all down for a month, and best of all, there will be plenty of chicks, so forget about Ms. Milkshake over there," Charlie said.
Goldberg just stood there. He wasn't sure whether or not to believe them. He would not put it past any of them to get him all excited about it, maybe even have him go all the way to the airport with all of his bags, and then inform him that there was no trip.
Guy saw his friend's apprehension. "This is the real deal, Goldie," he assured his friend.
That was enough for Goldberg. It was a well-known fact that Guy Germaine couldn't lie if his life depended on it. Whenever he tried to, he always came down with the giggles right in the middle of whatever he was saying. So if he said the trip was not a joke, then Goldberg was fully willing to accept it as the truth.
"Well, in that case, just let me ask my parents. Oh, and do you guys want anything to eat or drink or anything?"
"YEA! I'm starving," Connie told him.
"God Connie, how do you stay skinny? All you ever do is eat. OUCH!" Charlie winced as Connie kicked him under the table. "Fine. Goldberg, can you bring a plate of mozzarella sticks and Pepsis for all of us? Do we get a discount or something?"
"Yea, right," Goldberg scoffed. Two minutes ago Charlie was making fun of him, and now he wanted a discount? He was desperately in need of a reality check.
Fifteen minutes later, Goldberg returned with mozzarella sticks, Pepsi, and his parent's permission to go to New Jersey with the rest of the Ducks. He sat down to join their conversation.
"Okay, so we still have to tell Banksie, Julie, Dwayne, Kenny, Portman, Russ, and Mendoza." Charlie, as usual, was taking charge. "Here's what we're going to do. Cons, you call Julie. Guy, you call Cowboy."
Guy groaned. He liked Dwayne, it was just that sometimes he could be a little, well, slow. "Aw, come on Charlie."
"Guy, please, just call him. You are the only one of us who's patient enough to explain to him where New Jersey is fifteen times," Charlie pleaded.
Guy nodded. He WAS the most patient out of all of them. Anyway, there was really no point in arguing with Charlie. He was as stubborn as a mule.
"Thanks Guy. Okay, so Averman, you call Ken. Fulton, obviously, you call Portman. Goldie, you call Russ, and Jess, you call Luis. I'll call Banksie." Charlie continued. Everyone else nodded. Leave it to Captain Ducky to have everything organized and systematic.
They all got up to leave. Except for Goldberg, that is, who just glared at all of them. "Ahem, I REALLY hope that you guys realize that you have a bill to pay."
There was a group groan as everyone fumbled in their pockets for a couple of dollars.
"And don't forget the tip! Twenty percent!" Goldberg told them. Somehow he wasn't surprised in the least when only fifty cents were left on the table.
By eight o'clock that night, Charlie had heard from all of his friends. It had taken some time for Guy to explain to Dwayne that they would be taking a PLANE, not a car, not a bus, not a train, and DEFINATELY NOT a horse to New Jersey, but finally he got through to him, and Dwayne was in. Julie had no problem convincing her parents to let her go, as soon as she promised that she would read a book a week. The Gaffneys were way too into school. Ken's mom finally agreed to let him go, and the Tylers were more than happy to get Russ out of the "hood" for a month. Luis was getting sick of Florida girls, so he was extremely excited about checking out the girls on the beaches of New Jersey. Portman, for once, agreed to go without putting up any kind-of resistance.
In fact, the only person who was having trouble convincing his parents to let him go was Adam Banks. Mr. Banks had a history of pushing Adam wayyy too hard, and this had only intensified over the summer. He was completely freaking out because it was Adam's senior year, and he knew that scouts would be swarming his son's games. He was convinced that Adam was just not good enough, so he was determined to make his son practice hockey for at least four hours a day. The thought of Adam going away and actually, gasp, having fun for a month was more that he could handle.
Charlie frowned. It wasn't fair. Adam practiced harder than anyone he knew. Why did Mr. Banks have to be such an asshole? Not only did Adam desperately need a break from hockey and his father, Charlie wanted his best friend to be able to go to New Jersey with him. Plus, Charlie was worried about Adam. The kid was majorly stressed out. Charlie was scared he would have a nervous breakdown if he didn't get away from the wear and tear of his everyday life.
Around 8:15, Charlie's phone rang. "Hello?" he answered it.
"Charlie, hi, it's Adam," the voice on the other line said.
"Hey, what's up? Why are you whispering?" Charlie asked.
Adam started talking really fast. "Because I'm sitting in the hall closet, I don't want my dad to hear me, listen I need you to do me a favor."
Charlie would do just about anything for Adam. "Yea, sure. What do you need?"
"Okay, the only way my dad is gonna let me go is if he thinks I'll be practicing hockey. So I need you to call Bombay and tell him to call my house and say that he's rented rink time and that we're going to play like two or three hours a day. Please Charlie?"
Adam didn't need to ask his best friend twice. "Don't worry about it. Expect a call from Bombay." He hung up, and dialed Bombay's cell phone.
When his old coach picked up, Charlie told him about Adam's dilemma. He knew that Bombay would help them out. Bombay couldn't stand Mr. Banks. He had seen first-hand how much pressure Adam's dad put on him during the Goodwill Games.
Within an hour, Adam called Charlie back. "Hey, Charlie. Bombay came through! My dad said I can go! See you on Saturday!"
Charlie couldn't have been happier. The Ducks were ready for takeoff!
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A/N: Since it'll be a few days before I get a chance to update, I'm going to give you a little preview of things to come. Let's see. . . next chapter the Ducks will be on the plane, after that, it'll be all sun and fun for them! Sorry that this chapter was a little bit slow, I had to set some things up that will happen later. There will be love interests for some of the Ducks, not to mention some Connie and Guy drama. Please tell me what you think (I'm a dork, reviews make me so happy haha). Love you guys! 3 Tino
Disclaimer: Steven Brill and Disney own the Ducks . . . but hey, I can dream, right?
--------------------------
Chapter 3: Count Me In
--------------------------
After the Ducks told Jesse and Averman about the trip, the next stop was Fulton's. Even without thinking, they all knew exactly where to find the first half of the Bash Brothers: the alley. That was the funny thing about Fulton; even though he was often irrational and spontaneous, he was strangely predictable in the best of ways. That was one of the reasons why everyone loved him so much. You never knew what he'd be doing in the alley, but at least you could be sure that he'd be there.
On that particular afternoon, Fulton was sitting on a blue and green lawn chair, eating a sandwich and reading a Steven King book called "It". When he saw the Ducks, his face broke into a huge smile and he walked over to greet them. "Hey hey hey!" he said. "What's going on?"
"Nothing really," Jesse began, "except for the best news of the whole summer!"
"Pack your bags Fult!" Charlie told him. "We're headed for New Jersey!"
Fulton just grinned. He didn't need to know the specifics. Anything that would get him away from his shitty house, his abusive father, and his alcoholic mother was perfectly fine with him. "Count me in!" he exclaimed.
Now that Fulton was in the know, the Ducks proceeded on to their final destination: the Goldberg's deli.
When they got there, they were just in time to witness Goldberg accidentally spill a milkshake all over a totally gorgeous girl. Even though he'd slimmed down a bit during the high school years, he was still somewhat heavy and extremely clumsy.
"Poor Goldberg." Connie said to the group.
"You do have to feel bad for the kid," Guy agreed, even though he was desperately fighting the urge to laugh out loud. He was hoping that Connie would be impressed by his sympathy. He was rewarded with one of her million dollar smiles. God, he missed those smiles.
"Yea, dude, his women skills are absolutely zero." Fulton assessed.
"This from the guy whose most-often used pick-up line is 'Hey ladies, nice night for a stroll, wouldn't you say'? Puh-leeze," Jesse retorted. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason he felt the need to stand up for his awkward friend. Maybe it was because he had a history of being not-so- suave around the women himself.
Goldberg finished apologizing to the girl and frantically trying to help her wipe off her shirt with napkins (to which she replied by calling him a man-whore and shoving him away) and walked over to where his fellow Ducks were standing. "Hey guys . . . I guess you saw that, huh?"
"Yea we saw it. Very slick, Goldie, very slick," Charlie said. He was trying not to laugh at his friend's misfortune. He really was. Just not all that hard.
"Shut up Spaz. So did you guys come just to make fun of me, or did you actually have a purpose?" Goldberg asked indignantly. Getting picked on all the time was actually starting to get really, really old.
"Nah, as much as we love making fun of you, my friend, we DO have something to tell you. And it just might help you get over your latest humiliation in the girl category," Averman told him.
"Bombay got a house in New Jersey, a block from the water, he's bringing us all down for a month, and best of all, there will be plenty of chicks, so forget about Ms. Milkshake over there," Charlie said.
Goldberg just stood there. He wasn't sure whether or not to believe them. He would not put it past any of them to get him all excited about it, maybe even have him go all the way to the airport with all of his bags, and then inform him that there was no trip.
Guy saw his friend's apprehension. "This is the real deal, Goldie," he assured his friend.
That was enough for Goldberg. It was a well-known fact that Guy Germaine couldn't lie if his life depended on it. Whenever he tried to, he always came down with the giggles right in the middle of whatever he was saying. So if he said the trip was not a joke, then Goldberg was fully willing to accept it as the truth.
"Well, in that case, just let me ask my parents. Oh, and do you guys want anything to eat or drink or anything?"
"YEA! I'm starving," Connie told him.
"God Connie, how do you stay skinny? All you ever do is eat. OUCH!" Charlie winced as Connie kicked him under the table. "Fine. Goldberg, can you bring a plate of mozzarella sticks and Pepsis for all of us? Do we get a discount or something?"
"Yea, right," Goldberg scoffed. Two minutes ago Charlie was making fun of him, and now he wanted a discount? He was desperately in need of a reality check.
Fifteen minutes later, Goldberg returned with mozzarella sticks, Pepsi, and his parent's permission to go to New Jersey with the rest of the Ducks. He sat down to join their conversation.
"Okay, so we still have to tell Banksie, Julie, Dwayne, Kenny, Portman, Russ, and Mendoza." Charlie, as usual, was taking charge. "Here's what we're going to do. Cons, you call Julie. Guy, you call Cowboy."
Guy groaned. He liked Dwayne, it was just that sometimes he could be a little, well, slow. "Aw, come on Charlie."
"Guy, please, just call him. You are the only one of us who's patient enough to explain to him where New Jersey is fifteen times," Charlie pleaded.
Guy nodded. He WAS the most patient out of all of them. Anyway, there was really no point in arguing with Charlie. He was as stubborn as a mule.
"Thanks Guy. Okay, so Averman, you call Ken. Fulton, obviously, you call Portman. Goldie, you call Russ, and Jess, you call Luis. I'll call Banksie." Charlie continued. Everyone else nodded. Leave it to Captain Ducky to have everything organized and systematic.
They all got up to leave. Except for Goldberg, that is, who just glared at all of them. "Ahem, I REALLY hope that you guys realize that you have a bill to pay."
There was a group groan as everyone fumbled in their pockets for a couple of dollars.
"And don't forget the tip! Twenty percent!" Goldberg told them. Somehow he wasn't surprised in the least when only fifty cents were left on the table.
By eight o'clock that night, Charlie had heard from all of his friends. It had taken some time for Guy to explain to Dwayne that they would be taking a PLANE, not a car, not a bus, not a train, and DEFINATELY NOT a horse to New Jersey, but finally he got through to him, and Dwayne was in. Julie had no problem convincing her parents to let her go, as soon as she promised that she would read a book a week. The Gaffneys were way too into school. Ken's mom finally agreed to let him go, and the Tylers were more than happy to get Russ out of the "hood" for a month. Luis was getting sick of Florida girls, so he was extremely excited about checking out the girls on the beaches of New Jersey. Portman, for once, agreed to go without putting up any kind-of resistance.
In fact, the only person who was having trouble convincing his parents to let him go was Adam Banks. Mr. Banks had a history of pushing Adam wayyy too hard, and this had only intensified over the summer. He was completely freaking out because it was Adam's senior year, and he knew that scouts would be swarming his son's games. He was convinced that Adam was just not good enough, so he was determined to make his son practice hockey for at least four hours a day. The thought of Adam going away and actually, gasp, having fun for a month was more that he could handle.
Charlie frowned. It wasn't fair. Adam practiced harder than anyone he knew. Why did Mr. Banks have to be such an asshole? Not only did Adam desperately need a break from hockey and his father, Charlie wanted his best friend to be able to go to New Jersey with him. Plus, Charlie was worried about Adam. The kid was majorly stressed out. Charlie was scared he would have a nervous breakdown if he didn't get away from the wear and tear of his everyday life.
Around 8:15, Charlie's phone rang. "Hello?" he answered it.
"Charlie, hi, it's Adam," the voice on the other line said.
"Hey, what's up? Why are you whispering?" Charlie asked.
Adam started talking really fast. "Because I'm sitting in the hall closet, I don't want my dad to hear me, listen I need you to do me a favor."
Charlie would do just about anything for Adam. "Yea, sure. What do you need?"
"Okay, the only way my dad is gonna let me go is if he thinks I'll be practicing hockey. So I need you to call Bombay and tell him to call my house and say that he's rented rink time and that we're going to play like two or three hours a day. Please Charlie?"
Adam didn't need to ask his best friend twice. "Don't worry about it. Expect a call from Bombay." He hung up, and dialed Bombay's cell phone.
When his old coach picked up, Charlie told him about Adam's dilemma. He knew that Bombay would help them out. Bombay couldn't stand Mr. Banks. He had seen first-hand how much pressure Adam's dad put on him during the Goodwill Games.
Within an hour, Adam called Charlie back. "Hey, Charlie. Bombay came through! My dad said I can go! See you on Saturday!"
Charlie couldn't have been happier. The Ducks were ready for takeoff!
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A/N: Since it'll be a few days before I get a chance to update, I'm going to give you a little preview of things to come. Let's see. . . next chapter the Ducks will be on the plane, after that, it'll be all sun and fun for them! Sorry that this chapter was a little bit slow, I had to set some things up that will happen later. There will be love interests for some of the Ducks, not to mention some Connie and Guy drama. Please tell me what you think (I'm a dork, reviews make me so happy haha). Love you guys! 3 Tino