A/N: From now on, the story is going to be told in the Ducks' individual
point of views. It's just going to be too hard to tell their stories in
detail if I don't do it like this. Also, my big original character is
making her debut in this chapter. I hope you like her!
Iluvguygermaine00: Thanks for being the first reviewer for this chapter! And I insist that YOU are the one that rocks! You write such great reviews, they've made me so happy! I'm very hyper right now too, so I know how you feel haha. My OC is going in this chapter, and I hope you like her! I hope you like this chapter, and thanks again for reviewing.
DuckHockey00214496: I'm glad you wanted me to put an OC in, as she's introduced in this chapter. I agree, there do need to be more girls. I hope she isn't a mary-sue, and if at any point she begins to have those qualities please tell me! You're review wasn't sucky, it was great in fact! And stay tuned for some connie/guy relationship stuff . . .
Xomegsxo: I'm sorry chapter 5 wasn't really that interesting, hopefully this chapter picks up a little bit! I love Jesse, too, and I just had to put him in my fic! My original character is in this chapter, and I completely agree about the fact that she shouldn't play hockey, but that the Ducks should have other friends. Thanks for the advice and the revieiws!
Banksiesbabe99: Haha, I always like suspense, too! Thanks for the review, I hope you like this chapter!
Cimmy: Ah I got so excited when I saw your review, mostly because you are the author of my favorite fanfic story of all time, "It's Summer In My Heart." Honestly, I absolutely love that story. I love Charlie when he's grumpy too, haha, and I know that it's because I'm evil. I'm having fun writing him like that. And don't worry about forgetting to review, I always seem to do that. I appreciate the fact that you reviewed at all, it made me really happy! I love Connie/Guy, too, so they'll be playing a big part in this fic. You're right - OC's are cool (especially yours!), and I hope that you like Maddy. Again, thanks for reviewing, you completely rock!
Beautyqueen321: Hey! Thank you so much for reviewing, it made me so happy that you said the story and the plot are great. That was so sweet of you. I am thinking that I may make my OC a love interest for one of the Ducks, although I'm not sure which one yet. Any suggestions? OC's do make a story more fun, I think. Thanks again for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter!
Meme: Thanks again for letting me use Kate! She's been a doll so far, haha. This chapter is dedicated to you; I hope you like it! Haha, and in response to your review I completely would have slapped Charlie if I were Connie. That may be because I have the patience of about a five-year-old though, haha. But thanks for reviewing, I really hope you like this chapter!
Moviechic189: Thanks for the review, I hope you like the OC! Thanks for the support! She's not going to be overly pretty or a hockey player - sorry to let you down! But she may be a love interest for one of the Ducks! I'm not sure which one yet, but I will most definitely keep Dwayne and Fulton in mind!
WeBuiltThisCityOnRockAndRoll: I love your pen name, it's so great, and I love that song! Thanks for reading my story and for giving me feedback, I really appreciate it! Thanks for all your positive comments, they mean a lot to me! I'm glad you like the idea of an OC, tell me what you think of her! And thanks again!
Denverhockeygirl: Thanks for the advice about the OC. You're so right about Title IV not existing in private schools, I know it all too well. So my OC is definitely not going to play, because I know that it's not too realistic and I would be very likely to accidentally make her a Mary sue. I will probably make her a love interest but I'm not sure for who yet. Do you have a preference? Thanks for the review!
Disclaimer: Disney's got the Ducks. Ellie and Madeline Burke are mine. Kate Simpson belongs to Meme-Ann.
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Chapter 6: Fun, Sun, and a Large Serving of Drama
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************
*Luis's POV*
************
I wake up on the morning after we got to New Jersey, and the sun's shining, making me all warm in my bed. Normally, I'm the type of person that stays in bed as long as I possibly can, but I hear loud voices from the kitchen (I guess Averman's down there, at least), and I don't want to miss out on anything.
I go in to shower, and the bathroom is amazing. And the water doesn't run cold, which is a welcome change from my humble abode. With five brothers and sisters in the house, you're lucky if you get any water at all. This was heaven.
As soon as I get out of the shower, brush my teeth, and throw on my bathing suit and a t-shirt, I walk downstairs to the kitchen. When I walk through the door, I see the Ducks (minus Charlie and Julie) already sitting at the table, eating away and talking really loudly. Actually, when I look closer, there's a girl sitting at the table, too. A new girl? Excellent. I like girls.
When Connie sees me, she waves me over excitedly. "Hey, Luis, guess what?"
She doesn't give me a chance to answer before she tells me. "This is Ellie's daughter, Madeline, and she's coming to Eden Hall next year, cuz Bombay is moving back!"
"And he's going to be the assistant coach of the Ducks!" Guy adds.
As I'm trying to process this information, the new girl smiles at me. "Hi," she says. She wasn't a supermodel, by any means, but she had nice brown hair and pretty eyes, and a big, friendly smile. Not quite my type, but it's always good to have girls who are just friends. And looks aren't always the most important thing anyway, as I discovered the hard way freshman year. I dated the hottest girl in the school, Jeannie Ross, and she ended up being the meanest person I'd ever met. Since then, I've concentrated a little bit more on girls personalities than on how they looked on the outside, and I think I'm better off.
"Hey, Madeline, is it?" I ask as I sit down and grab a bowl from the middle of the table.
"Yep. Well you guys can call me Maddy, though," she tells me as she slides a box of cereal toward me, which I take and pour into my bowl.
"Cool. And I can't believe Bombay's moving back, that's awesome. And it'll be fun, you coming to school with us." I bet she'll be around us a lot, being that she's Bombay's daughter, or she be soon. Suddenly I start to wonder how Charlie's gonna react to this. I'm hoping he doesn't fly off the handle, but I have a bad feeling that he may. I don't think he's gonna be too welcoming towards Bombay's soon-to-be-daughter.
"So, do you play any sports?" Dwayne asks. I'm suddenly curious about this, too. She doesn't look too athletic, but people surprise you. Who would've thought that a girl as small as Connie would be as good as she is at ice hockey?
"I play basketball, mainly just because all my friends play. I'm not that great at it, and I probably won't play it at Eden Hall, 'cause I won't know anyone on the team which more or less kills the fun for me," she tells me, then adds, "Plus I know Gordon is a hockey nut and he'll be coaching you guys, so I'll need that free time to watch you guys play."
We all smile at this. We'll take all the fans we can get. Not that we really need them, since hockey is easily the biggest sport at Eden Hall, but still. It'll be nice to have another person cheering us on.
"That's what I like to hear," Averman tells her.
Just then, Charlie and Julie walk into the room together. I'm hoping against hope that Charlie doesn't say something to Maddy that he'll regret later.
"Morning guys," Charlie says to us as he shuffles over to the table. Julie gives us a big smile.
Suddenly Charlie stops dead in his tracks. "Who's this?" he asks briskly, nodding at Maddy. Lovely. Nice way to greet someone, Captain Ducky.
"Hi," she says, understandably a bit disconcerted by his rudeness, "I'm Maddy."
"Don't tell me you're Ellie's daughter," Charlie commands, and when she nods he clenches his fists and mutters "Figures!" angrily under his breath. He glares at her for a minute then storms out. Ah, what would a day with the Ducks be without some drama?
Adam stands up. "I'll go after him," he tells us, as he follows Charlie out. Honestly, I don't know how he manages to be such a good friend all the time. The fact that Charlie always seems to let all of his frustrations out on him doesn't even seem to bother him that much, and if it does, he hides it well. Maybe it's from all the years of his dad yelling at him, but at any rate, I'm glad he can handle Charlie. Don't get me wrong, Charlie's one of my best friends and I'd lay my life down for him in a second if I had to, but he can be a little bit hard to take.
Julie smiles at Maddy. "Hi, I'm Julie, and it's nice to meet you. It'll be fun to have another girl around."
Maddy's clearly shaken at Charlie's outburst, but she smiles back at Julie, "It's nice to meet you, too."
"Don't worry about Charlie. He's a good guy, but he's a little emotional sometimes. And Bombay's like the dad he never had, so this whole situation is kinda upsetting for him," Jesse tells her. She nods at his words of reassurance.
"So, anyway who's up for the beach?" Ken asks.
We decide that we're all gonna go, and by the time we walk outside, I'm feeling better already. I'm sure Adam's calming Charlie down, and he'll apologize to Maddy. I hope.
*************
*Adam's POV*
*************
I swear, Charlie can be so ridiculous sometimes. He's my best friend in the world, and I love him, but really, sometimes I just want to smack him. Plus, when he's angry he walks extremely fast, which is why I'm out of breath when I finally catch up with him.
"Hey," I greet him.
He looks at me quickly, then averts his eyes straight ahead of him again. "Hey, Banksie."
I decide to get right to the point. "Charlie, why don't you tell me what's going on. I know you're upset about Bombay, and I understand why, I really do . . . it's just that it's not really like you to go off on a total stranger."
"Shut up, Banks, and stop acting like you know how I feel," he snaps. That stung a little. Getting yelled at by your best friend can get old, fast. But he's always told me what I needed to hear and now it's my turn.
"Charlie, what is wrong with you? Remember when I first joined the Ducks? Back in Peewee's? You didn't like me, but you were friendly to me anyway. That's what you should have done with Maddy, and you know it. And maybe I don't know how you feel in this particular situation, but we all have pain and we all have burdens that we carry, and I understand that. So maybe you should get your head out of your ass and stop treating everyone like shit." I'm yelling now, and people on the boardwalk are watching. It's embarrassing, but I need to knock some sense into Charlie, or this vacation is gonna be miserable for all of us.
Charlie's not gonna let me raise my voice to him without him sparring back. "Yea, Banks, I know you know all about pain and whatever. And you know all about crappy fathers, but you have no idea what it's like not to have a father at all. And then to find someone who's as good as a father, maybe even better, and then suddenly he really is a dad and you don't even matter anymore."
"Charlie, you will never not matter to Bombay. And yea, he's gonna be a real father now, but it doesn't mean he has to stop being one to you. Things change, Charlie, and you have to take it as it comes. You can't stand still forever."
Charlie's quiet for a minute. Maybe I got through to him? That wasn't too hard.
"You don't get it," he spits out, and picks up his pace.
That's it. He's not walking away from me, and I grab his shoulder and pull him back. "Listen to me, Conway. You're being selfish and you know it. So I guess that leaves you two choices: you act civilized again, and enjoy yourself on this freaking vacation, which you wanted to go on so badly, or you can sulk the entire time. But you're not ruining it for me. You're my best friend and I'm here if you want to talk, but I'm not gonna let you yell at me about this. So you decide," I tell him, and it's my turn to walk away.
I almost feel bad. He's always been there for me and I hate fighting with him, but I just can't deal with him right now. And I know if he wants to talk, he'll find me. I walk back to the beach, to find the rest of the gang. .
***************
*Goldberg's POV*
****************
I love the beach. I really do. The sand, the waves, the sun . . .everything. There is one thing about the beach, though, that I'm not particularly fond of: the bathing suit. Even though I've lost a lot of weight since freshman year, I'm nowhere near what you would call thin. I know my friends don't care, but I hate other people seeing me without a shirt on. It's embarrassing.
The worst thing about being chubby is that you don't get noticed, at least not in a good way. For example, when we lay our towels down next to a whole bunch of girls, they check-out Portman, and Guy, and Dwayne, and all the other guys, but their eyes just pass over me. Luis gives them a big smile, and you can practically see Cupid shooting arrows. Luis is a good guy, but honestly, other than looks, what does he have that I don't?
Fulton's voice breaks me away from my thoughts. "Hey Goldie, you coming in?"
"Yea," I say, as I take off my shirt, and wait for the inevitable looks of disgust. Surprisingly, no one looks at me funny at all. Averman's waving at me from the water, so I run in. Of course, it's freezing, and I have to fight the urge to run away from the foam. At least none of my friends will throw me in.
Yea, right. Before I know it, Fulton and Russ drag me all the way out, and dunk me under a wave. I come up sputtering and cold, but I manage to splash them. Hey, they asked for it! This of course, leads to a full out splashing and dunking war. I'm embarrassed to say Connie was the undisputed winner, as she managed to get every single one of us without spending much time under-water herself. Oh well, it's not like it's the first time she's beat us at anything. Maddy seems to be fitting in pretty well, which is good, especially if we're going to be with her for the next month. For the next year, actually, now that I think about it. Julie seems to have taken her under her wing, which makes me happy, since Jules may be the friendliest person I've ever met and she'll make her feel right at home.
When we finally get out of the water, about an hour-and-a-half later, Connie and Guy lay down on their towels to take a nap. Luis and Ken are talking to those girls who have the towels next to us, and my guess is they'll probably have their numbers by the time we leave. Fulton and Portman are tossing a football back and forth, and Adam, who arrived somewhere in the midst of our water fight, is building a sandcastle with Averman. It looks more like a mountain that a castle, but hey, who am I to criticize. Julie, Dwayne, and Maddy decide to take a walk on the boardwalk. I hope they don't run into Charlie, who ran out of breakfast like a bat out of hell this morning. Adam apparently didn't get through to him, which worries me a little. If Charlie won't talk to Banksie, he must be extremely upset.
Jesse, Russ, and I throw around a Frisbee for a while. We talk about stupid stuff, which is okay, because when you're as close as the three of us are, it doesn't really matter what you discuss. After about an hour, we decide to go back into the water. The tide is calm now, and we just float on top of the waves. I'm enjoying the sun, and the sound of happy people all around me. This has to be one of the greatest places on earth, and I'm so grateful to be here.
As I'm floating on the water, my thoughts drift to my best friend Kate, and I wonder what she's doing right now. I don't know how I'm going to spend an entire month without her! We've been best friends since freshman year, and she practically lives in my dorm room. We've gotten in trouble multiple times for being in there together late at night. The funny thing is that we've never even hooked up, even though people tell us all the time how cute we'd be together. In fact, she had a year-long relationship with Luis. I'm still not really sure why they broke up; they said they "drifted apart." They were both heartbroken, and I felt bad, but Kate and I got even closer than ever before after that. I don't know where I would be without her smile. She's the one person who can always cheer me up, and I'm going to miss here while I'm in New Jersey.
Suddenly I have a brilliant idea. "Do you think Bombay would mind if I invited Kate up for a few days later on in the vacation?"
Jesse pulls his body out of the floating position and stands up. "Nah, he'll be cool with it. Kate's cool, and he likes her. Plus she gets along with Jules and Connie, so she can stay with them."
Russ nods, too. "Yea, man, she's cool. But do you think Luis will be okay with it?"
Good point. Even though Luis and her don't hold any grudges against each other, there's still some of that natural awkwardness that comes when you break up with someone. "Hmm, good point. I'll ask him about it."
And I will, over dinner. I hope he says yes, I won't be able to survive an entire month without my very best friend.
**************
*Connie's POV*
**************
I love Guy. In a friend sort-of way, I think. Or maybe not. I don't even know. Why am I so confused about this? Before I heard about this trip, I really thought I was moving on. I dated other guys, he dated other girls, and I thought I was okay without him. But now I have my doubts again.
Take today, for example. After we got out of the water, the two of us went down and lay on our towels. We talked for a few minutes, then I guess I fell asleep.
When I wake up, he's wearing a hat and sunglasses, and he's sleeping. He just looks so adorable. And then it hits me how much I really do miss him. It's a feeling that I get sometimes when I'm reminded of the way things used to be. Seeing him sleep next to me reminds me of all the times I would fall asleep at his house, when I was trying to get away from my own. I wish I could still go over there and feel safe.
A little bit later, after he wakes up, we all go back to the house to get ready for dinner. Ellie and Bombay are cooking dinner when we get there, which is sorta cute. But when we ask them if Charlie has come back, they say that they haven't seen him all day. Even if he is being a total jerk, I'm sorta worried about him. I hope he's okay . . .
A/N: I hope this is okay! I had to write it to get rid of this awful writer's block. Next chapter will be longer, I promise, and it'll be posted a lot faster! Now that field hockey is over for me, I have plenty of time to write. I hope you guys like Maddy. Please give me some input on her, and if there are any character traits you do or don't want her to have, I'd love to hear them. Also, bringing Kate in will undoubtedly cause some interesting situations, so I'm quite excited about that, and very grateful to Meme-Ann for letting me borrow her. Please review for me! Feedback makes me oh so happy, and you guys are the best!
Iluvguygermaine00: Thanks for being the first reviewer for this chapter! And I insist that YOU are the one that rocks! You write such great reviews, they've made me so happy! I'm very hyper right now too, so I know how you feel haha. My OC is going in this chapter, and I hope you like her! I hope you like this chapter, and thanks again for reviewing.
DuckHockey00214496: I'm glad you wanted me to put an OC in, as she's introduced in this chapter. I agree, there do need to be more girls. I hope she isn't a mary-sue, and if at any point she begins to have those qualities please tell me! You're review wasn't sucky, it was great in fact! And stay tuned for some connie/guy relationship stuff . . .
Xomegsxo: I'm sorry chapter 5 wasn't really that interesting, hopefully this chapter picks up a little bit! I love Jesse, too, and I just had to put him in my fic! My original character is in this chapter, and I completely agree about the fact that she shouldn't play hockey, but that the Ducks should have other friends. Thanks for the advice and the revieiws!
Banksiesbabe99: Haha, I always like suspense, too! Thanks for the review, I hope you like this chapter!
Cimmy: Ah I got so excited when I saw your review, mostly because you are the author of my favorite fanfic story of all time, "It's Summer In My Heart." Honestly, I absolutely love that story. I love Charlie when he's grumpy too, haha, and I know that it's because I'm evil. I'm having fun writing him like that. And don't worry about forgetting to review, I always seem to do that. I appreciate the fact that you reviewed at all, it made me really happy! I love Connie/Guy, too, so they'll be playing a big part in this fic. You're right - OC's are cool (especially yours!), and I hope that you like Maddy. Again, thanks for reviewing, you completely rock!
Beautyqueen321: Hey! Thank you so much for reviewing, it made me so happy that you said the story and the plot are great. That was so sweet of you. I am thinking that I may make my OC a love interest for one of the Ducks, although I'm not sure which one yet. Any suggestions? OC's do make a story more fun, I think. Thanks again for reviewing, I hope you like this chapter!
Meme: Thanks again for letting me use Kate! She's been a doll so far, haha. This chapter is dedicated to you; I hope you like it! Haha, and in response to your review I completely would have slapped Charlie if I were Connie. That may be because I have the patience of about a five-year-old though, haha. But thanks for reviewing, I really hope you like this chapter!
Moviechic189: Thanks for the review, I hope you like the OC! Thanks for the support! She's not going to be overly pretty or a hockey player - sorry to let you down! But she may be a love interest for one of the Ducks! I'm not sure which one yet, but I will most definitely keep Dwayne and Fulton in mind!
WeBuiltThisCityOnRockAndRoll: I love your pen name, it's so great, and I love that song! Thanks for reading my story and for giving me feedback, I really appreciate it! Thanks for all your positive comments, they mean a lot to me! I'm glad you like the idea of an OC, tell me what you think of her! And thanks again!
Denverhockeygirl: Thanks for the advice about the OC. You're so right about Title IV not existing in private schools, I know it all too well. So my OC is definitely not going to play, because I know that it's not too realistic and I would be very likely to accidentally make her a Mary sue. I will probably make her a love interest but I'm not sure for who yet. Do you have a preference? Thanks for the review!
Disclaimer: Disney's got the Ducks. Ellie and Madeline Burke are mine. Kate Simpson belongs to Meme-Ann.
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Chapter 6: Fun, Sun, and a Large Serving of Drama
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************
*Luis's POV*
************
I wake up on the morning after we got to New Jersey, and the sun's shining, making me all warm in my bed. Normally, I'm the type of person that stays in bed as long as I possibly can, but I hear loud voices from the kitchen (I guess Averman's down there, at least), and I don't want to miss out on anything.
I go in to shower, and the bathroom is amazing. And the water doesn't run cold, which is a welcome change from my humble abode. With five brothers and sisters in the house, you're lucky if you get any water at all. This was heaven.
As soon as I get out of the shower, brush my teeth, and throw on my bathing suit and a t-shirt, I walk downstairs to the kitchen. When I walk through the door, I see the Ducks (minus Charlie and Julie) already sitting at the table, eating away and talking really loudly. Actually, when I look closer, there's a girl sitting at the table, too. A new girl? Excellent. I like girls.
When Connie sees me, she waves me over excitedly. "Hey, Luis, guess what?"
She doesn't give me a chance to answer before she tells me. "This is Ellie's daughter, Madeline, and she's coming to Eden Hall next year, cuz Bombay is moving back!"
"And he's going to be the assistant coach of the Ducks!" Guy adds.
As I'm trying to process this information, the new girl smiles at me. "Hi," she says. She wasn't a supermodel, by any means, but she had nice brown hair and pretty eyes, and a big, friendly smile. Not quite my type, but it's always good to have girls who are just friends. And looks aren't always the most important thing anyway, as I discovered the hard way freshman year. I dated the hottest girl in the school, Jeannie Ross, and she ended up being the meanest person I'd ever met. Since then, I've concentrated a little bit more on girls personalities than on how they looked on the outside, and I think I'm better off.
"Hey, Madeline, is it?" I ask as I sit down and grab a bowl from the middle of the table.
"Yep. Well you guys can call me Maddy, though," she tells me as she slides a box of cereal toward me, which I take and pour into my bowl.
"Cool. And I can't believe Bombay's moving back, that's awesome. And it'll be fun, you coming to school with us." I bet she'll be around us a lot, being that she's Bombay's daughter, or she be soon. Suddenly I start to wonder how Charlie's gonna react to this. I'm hoping he doesn't fly off the handle, but I have a bad feeling that he may. I don't think he's gonna be too welcoming towards Bombay's soon-to-be-daughter.
"So, do you play any sports?" Dwayne asks. I'm suddenly curious about this, too. She doesn't look too athletic, but people surprise you. Who would've thought that a girl as small as Connie would be as good as she is at ice hockey?
"I play basketball, mainly just because all my friends play. I'm not that great at it, and I probably won't play it at Eden Hall, 'cause I won't know anyone on the team which more or less kills the fun for me," she tells me, then adds, "Plus I know Gordon is a hockey nut and he'll be coaching you guys, so I'll need that free time to watch you guys play."
We all smile at this. We'll take all the fans we can get. Not that we really need them, since hockey is easily the biggest sport at Eden Hall, but still. It'll be nice to have another person cheering us on.
"That's what I like to hear," Averman tells her.
Just then, Charlie and Julie walk into the room together. I'm hoping against hope that Charlie doesn't say something to Maddy that he'll regret later.
"Morning guys," Charlie says to us as he shuffles over to the table. Julie gives us a big smile.
Suddenly Charlie stops dead in his tracks. "Who's this?" he asks briskly, nodding at Maddy. Lovely. Nice way to greet someone, Captain Ducky.
"Hi," she says, understandably a bit disconcerted by his rudeness, "I'm Maddy."
"Don't tell me you're Ellie's daughter," Charlie commands, and when she nods he clenches his fists and mutters "Figures!" angrily under his breath. He glares at her for a minute then storms out. Ah, what would a day with the Ducks be without some drama?
Adam stands up. "I'll go after him," he tells us, as he follows Charlie out. Honestly, I don't know how he manages to be such a good friend all the time. The fact that Charlie always seems to let all of his frustrations out on him doesn't even seem to bother him that much, and if it does, he hides it well. Maybe it's from all the years of his dad yelling at him, but at any rate, I'm glad he can handle Charlie. Don't get me wrong, Charlie's one of my best friends and I'd lay my life down for him in a second if I had to, but he can be a little bit hard to take.
Julie smiles at Maddy. "Hi, I'm Julie, and it's nice to meet you. It'll be fun to have another girl around."
Maddy's clearly shaken at Charlie's outburst, but she smiles back at Julie, "It's nice to meet you, too."
"Don't worry about Charlie. He's a good guy, but he's a little emotional sometimes. And Bombay's like the dad he never had, so this whole situation is kinda upsetting for him," Jesse tells her. She nods at his words of reassurance.
"So, anyway who's up for the beach?" Ken asks.
We decide that we're all gonna go, and by the time we walk outside, I'm feeling better already. I'm sure Adam's calming Charlie down, and he'll apologize to Maddy. I hope.
*************
*Adam's POV*
*************
I swear, Charlie can be so ridiculous sometimes. He's my best friend in the world, and I love him, but really, sometimes I just want to smack him. Plus, when he's angry he walks extremely fast, which is why I'm out of breath when I finally catch up with him.
"Hey," I greet him.
He looks at me quickly, then averts his eyes straight ahead of him again. "Hey, Banksie."
I decide to get right to the point. "Charlie, why don't you tell me what's going on. I know you're upset about Bombay, and I understand why, I really do . . . it's just that it's not really like you to go off on a total stranger."
"Shut up, Banks, and stop acting like you know how I feel," he snaps. That stung a little. Getting yelled at by your best friend can get old, fast. But he's always told me what I needed to hear and now it's my turn.
"Charlie, what is wrong with you? Remember when I first joined the Ducks? Back in Peewee's? You didn't like me, but you were friendly to me anyway. That's what you should have done with Maddy, and you know it. And maybe I don't know how you feel in this particular situation, but we all have pain and we all have burdens that we carry, and I understand that. So maybe you should get your head out of your ass and stop treating everyone like shit." I'm yelling now, and people on the boardwalk are watching. It's embarrassing, but I need to knock some sense into Charlie, or this vacation is gonna be miserable for all of us.
Charlie's not gonna let me raise my voice to him without him sparring back. "Yea, Banks, I know you know all about pain and whatever. And you know all about crappy fathers, but you have no idea what it's like not to have a father at all. And then to find someone who's as good as a father, maybe even better, and then suddenly he really is a dad and you don't even matter anymore."
"Charlie, you will never not matter to Bombay. And yea, he's gonna be a real father now, but it doesn't mean he has to stop being one to you. Things change, Charlie, and you have to take it as it comes. You can't stand still forever."
Charlie's quiet for a minute. Maybe I got through to him? That wasn't too hard.
"You don't get it," he spits out, and picks up his pace.
That's it. He's not walking away from me, and I grab his shoulder and pull him back. "Listen to me, Conway. You're being selfish and you know it. So I guess that leaves you two choices: you act civilized again, and enjoy yourself on this freaking vacation, which you wanted to go on so badly, or you can sulk the entire time. But you're not ruining it for me. You're my best friend and I'm here if you want to talk, but I'm not gonna let you yell at me about this. So you decide," I tell him, and it's my turn to walk away.
I almost feel bad. He's always been there for me and I hate fighting with him, but I just can't deal with him right now. And I know if he wants to talk, he'll find me. I walk back to the beach, to find the rest of the gang. .
***************
*Goldberg's POV*
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I love the beach. I really do. The sand, the waves, the sun . . .everything. There is one thing about the beach, though, that I'm not particularly fond of: the bathing suit. Even though I've lost a lot of weight since freshman year, I'm nowhere near what you would call thin. I know my friends don't care, but I hate other people seeing me without a shirt on. It's embarrassing.
The worst thing about being chubby is that you don't get noticed, at least not in a good way. For example, when we lay our towels down next to a whole bunch of girls, they check-out Portman, and Guy, and Dwayne, and all the other guys, but their eyes just pass over me. Luis gives them a big smile, and you can practically see Cupid shooting arrows. Luis is a good guy, but honestly, other than looks, what does he have that I don't?
Fulton's voice breaks me away from my thoughts. "Hey Goldie, you coming in?"
"Yea," I say, as I take off my shirt, and wait for the inevitable looks of disgust. Surprisingly, no one looks at me funny at all. Averman's waving at me from the water, so I run in. Of course, it's freezing, and I have to fight the urge to run away from the foam. At least none of my friends will throw me in.
Yea, right. Before I know it, Fulton and Russ drag me all the way out, and dunk me under a wave. I come up sputtering and cold, but I manage to splash them. Hey, they asked for it! This of course, leads to a full out splashing and dunking war. I'm embarrassed to say Connie was the undisputed winner, as she managed to get every single one of us without spending much time under-water herself. Oh well, it's not like it's the first time she's beat us at anything. Maddy seems to be fitting in pretty well, which is good, especially if we're going to be with her for the next month. For the next year, actually, now that I think about it. Julie seems to have taken her under her wing, which makes me happy, since Jules may be the friendliest person I've ever met and she'll make her feel right at home.
When we finally get out of the water, about an hour-and-a-half later, Connie and Guy lay down on their towels to take a nap. Luis and Ken are talking to those girls who have the towels next to us, and my guess is they'll probably have their numbers by the time we leave. Fulton and Portman are tossing a football back and forth, and Adam, who arrived somewhere in the midst of our water fight, is building a sandcastle with Averman. It looks more like a mountain that a castle, but hey, who am I to criticize. Julie, Dwayne, and Maddy decide to take a walk on the boardwalk. I hope they don't run into Charlie, who ran out of breakfast like a bat out of hell this morning. Adam apparently didn't get through to him, which worries me a little. If Charlie won't talk to Banksie, he must be extremely upset.
Jesse, Russ, and I throw around a Frisbee for a while. We talk about stupid stuff, which is okay, because when you're as close as the three of us are, it doesn't really matter what you discuss. After about an hour, we decide to go back into the water. The tide is calm now, and we just float on top of the waves. I'm enjoying the sun, and the sound of happy people all around me. This has to be one of the greatest places on earth, and I'm so grateful to be here.
As I'm floating on the water, my thoughts drift to my best friend Kate, and I wonder what she's doing right now. I don't know how I'm going to spend an entire month without her! We've been best friends since freshman year, and she practically lives in my dorm room. We've gotten in trouble multiple times for being in there together late at night. The funny thing is that we've never even hooked up, even though people tell us all the time how cute we'd be together. In fact, she had a year-long relationship with Luis. I'm still not really sure why they broke up; they said they "drifted apart." They were both heartbroken, and I felt bad, but Kate and I got even closer than ever before after that. I don't know where I would be without her smile. She's the one person who can always cheer me up, and I'm going to miss here while I'm in New Jersey.
Suddenly I have a brilliant idea. "Do you think Bombay would mind if I invited Kate up for a few days later on in the vacation?"
Jesse pulls his body out of the floating position and stands up. "Nah, he'll be cool with it. Kate's cool, and he likes her. Plus she gets along with Jules and Connie, so she can stay with them."
Russ nods, too. "Yea, man, she's cool. But do you think Luis will be okay with it?"
Good point. Even though Luis and her don't hold any grudges against each other, there's still some of that natural awkwardness that comes when you break up with someone. "Hmm, good point. I'll ask him about it."
And I will, over dinner. I hope he says yes, I won't be able to survive an entire month without my very best friend.
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*Connie's POV*
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I love Guy. In a friend sort-of way, I think. Or maybe not. I don't even know. Why am I so confused about this? Before I heard about this trip, I really thought I was moving on. I dated other guys, he dated other girls, and I thought I was okay without him. But now I have my doubts again.
Take today, for example. After we got out of the water, the two of us went down and lay on our towels. We talked for a few minutes, then I guess I fell asleep.
When I wake up, he's wearing a hat and sunglasses, and he's sleeping. He just looks so adorable. And then it hits me how much I really do miss him. It's a feeling that I get sometimes when I'm reminded of the way things used to be. Seeing him sleep next to me reminds me of all the times I would fall asleep at his house, when I was trying to get away from my own. I wish I could still go over there and feel safe.
A little bit later, after he wakes up, we all go back to the house to get ready for dinner. Ellie and Bombay are cooking dinner when we get there, which is sorta cute. But when we ask them if Charlie has come back, they say that they haven't seen him all day. Even if he is being a total jerk, I'm sorta worried about him. I hope he's okay . . .
A/N: I hope this is okay! I had to write it to get rid of this awful writer's block. Next chapter will be longer, I promise, and it'll be posted a lot faster! Now that field hockey is over for me, I have plenty of time to write. I hope you guys like Maddy. Please give me some input on her, and if there are any character traits you do or don't want her to have, I'd love to hear them. Also, bringing Kate in will undoubtedly cause some interesting situations, so I'm quite excited about that, and very grateful to Meme-Ann for letting me borrow her. Please review for me! Feedback makes me oh so happy, and you guys are the best!