Disclaimer: I don't own them, I merely adore them.
"I want to see some hustle!" Coach Orion yelled from the box. "Moreau! Stay on your man! Conway, share that puck, Banks is wide open!"
Immediately the Ducks poured even more energy into their morning scrimmage. Connie raced to close in on Guy, who was in hot pursuit of Charlie and the puck. Charlie sailed the puck to Banks, who flew down the ice towards Julie. Tensing, Julie kept her eyes glued to the puck.
God, he's graceful. The thought fluttered across her mind, momentarily distracting her just as Banks took his shot. She jerked back to attention and barely extended her leg in time to block the goal.
"Gaffney! This may be just a scrimmage, but it's not the time to catch up on beauty sleep! Get in the game!"
Julie cringed at the truth in his comments, grateful that no one could see her flushed cheeks. Bank's shot had been almost lazy, she should have had no difficulty blocking it. Sighing, she struggled to keep her eyes from straying to Banks who was chasing Guy down the ice. This was beginning to get ridiculous.
Beginning? her mind scoffed. You can't even think about anything besides him. You're obsessed.
No, I'm not obsessed, she told herself defensively. I think of a lot of things besides Banks. Like...school! I spend all my time away from hockey studying.
As Charlie cleared the puck from Goldberg and started back in her direction, Julie realized that this was neither the time nor the place for an argument with herself. She had to concentrate, and as long as Banks didn't have the puck, she would be a-okay.
Halfway down the ice, Charlie passed the puck to Connie. In an effort to keep the puck away from Guy, she then passed it to Banks, who poured on the speed and headed in her direction.
"Crap," Julie sighed, even as she admired the way he spun to escape Jesse's grab for the puck. It's going to be a long practice.
********************
"...and then he told me that he thought we should 'take a break.'" Connie rolled her eyes. "So I told him, 'We were just on a break, Guy. Now you want another one? Make up your mind.' And he said, 'Yeah, well, maybe this one should be more permanent.' Can you believe that?" She angrily bit into a piece of toast.
Julie made a sympathetic face as she drank her milk. Apparently, Connie and Guy had gotten into another fight after practice. Considering their history of break-ups and make-ups, though, Julie figured give them a day or two and they'd be a couple again.
"So, once again, I sit before you as a free agent," Connie announced, struggling to sound perky about it.
"Maybe just give him a couple of days to cool down?"
Connie shook her head forcefully, causing her long braid to whip around behind her. "I'm sick of giving him time to cool down. I mean, it seems like all we ever do is fight anymore. Maybe," she paused and toyed with her fork. "Maybe he's right. Maybe this time it should be permanent." She cringed at the word.
Julie froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. Now that was different. Connie had never said that before.
"Is...that what you want?" Setting the fork down, she leaned forward across the table.
Connie sniffled. "No. I just think it might be best."
Fishing in her backpack, Julie pulled out a small pack of tissues and slid them across the table. Connie took them with a wobbly, but grateful, smile.
Julie waited a minute as Connie blew her nose before speaking. "You love Guy, right?"
"Of course," Connie answered with a confused frown.
"Well, maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic?" Connie's snort interrupted her and Julie shot her best friend a smirk. "Hey, it could happen. As I was saying. "Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe that as long as you love him, you can't give up on him. You owe yourself the chance of being happy. And I know he loves you."
Tears coursed down Connie's face. "Yeah? How do you know that?" she asked, managing to sound wry through her shaky breath.
"The way he looks at you." Julie discreetly watched Guy who was pretending not to stare at Connie from two tables away.
After a couple minutes, Connie gained control of herself and took a deep breath. Picking up her fork, she said, "Well, if he loves me, he'll just have to prove it."
Hearing the steel edge to Connie's voice, Julie sighed as her beautiful speech fell down around her ears. Picking up her own fork, she quickly finished her lunch and the two girls headed off to class. Julie had the uneasy feeling that Connie was going to do something really stupid to get Guy's attention, and Julie was going to be in the middle of it. As usual.
********************
"Julie!"
Turning at the sound of her name, Julie saw Connie and Portman coming down the hall in her direction. Waving, she leaned on a nearby locker to wait for them.
"Hey guys," she said with a smile as they caught up. "How were your classes?"
"Great," Connie answered.
"Yeah, great," Portman repeated, rolling his eyes.
Julie pushed open the doors that lead outside and the three friends stepping into the mid-afternoon sunlight. "So what's–"
"Did you hear about the party tonight?" Connie interrupted.
"Uh...no." The teammates started in the direction of the dorms as Connie began to gush about the party.
"Everybody's going. There's going to be music--which means dancing--drinks, and, best of all, lots and lots of eligible young men." A high pitched squeal escaped Connie, causing Portman to wince.
"Who's everybody?" Julie asked Portman.
Rubbing his ear, he shrugged. "I'm assuming she means the whole team's going. But, you know, I don't understand her language sometimes."
"Shut up, Dean," Connie said happily.
"The whole team?" Julie echoed, trying to cover up the nervous quiver in her voice.
"Yeah! It's gonna be so great!"
Julie nodded absently trying to think up an excuse to avoid the party, and, consequently, a run-in with Banks. "Uh, yeah, great. But I have a lot of homework, so maybe I should..." She trailed off watching Connie's face fall.
"But it won't be half as much fun without you."
Dean threw his arms around the girls' shoulders. "Don't be lame, Catlady. Of course you're coming. Didn't you hear? The whole team is coming and that includes you if you've forgotten. Besides, it's Friday night. There's no way we'd let you stay in and do homework." He made a face which implied that he considered doing homework a fate worse than death.
"Okay, I'll come, but I'm not drinking!" she announced stubbornly. God only knew what she'd do if she drank. Probably something really stupid like announcing to the entire party that she was in love with the team's lead scorer. Julie felt a headache coming on as she listened to Connie's excited chatter.
"I want to see some hustle!" Coach Orion yelled from the box. "Moreau! Stay on your man! Conway, share that puck, Banks is wide open!"
Immediately the Ducks poured even more energy into their morning scrimmage. Connie raced to close in on Guy, who was in hot pursuit of Charlie and the puck. Charlie sailed the puck to Banks, who flew down the ice towards Julie. Tensing, Julie kept her eyes glued to the puck.
God, he's graceful. The thought fluttered across her mind, momentarily distracting her just as Banks took his shot. She jerked back to attention and barely extended her leg in time to block the goal.
"Gaffney! This may be just a scrimmage, but it's not the time to catch up on beauty sleep! Get in the game!"
Julie cringed at the truth in his comments, grateful that no one could see her flushed cheeks. Bank's shot had been almost lazy, she should have had no difficulty blocking it. Sighing, she struggled to keep her eyes from straying to Banks who was chasing Guy down the ice. This was beginning to get ridiculous.
Beginning? her mind scoffed. You can't even think about anything besides him. You're obsessed.
No, I'm not obsessed, she told herself defensively. I think of a lot of things besides Banks. Like...school! I spend all my time away from hockey studying.
As Charlie cleared the puck from Goldberg and started back in her direction, Julie realized that this was neither the time nor the place for an argument with herself. She had to concentrate, and as long as Banks didn't have the puck, she would be a-okay.
Halfway down the ice, Charlie passed the puck to Connie. In an effort to keep the puck away from Guy, she then passed it to Banks, who poured on the speed and headed in her direction.
"Crap," Julie sighed, even as she admired the way he spun to escape Jesse's grab for the puck. It's going to be a long practice.
********************
"...and then he told me that he thought we should 'take a break.'" Connie rolled her eyes. "So I told him, 'We were just on a break, Guy. Now you want another one? Make up your mind.' And he said, 'Yeah, well, maybe this one should be more permanent.' Can you believe that?" She angrily bit into a piece of toast.
Julie made a sympathetic face as she drank her milk. Apparently, Connie and Guy had gotten into another fight after practice. Considering their history of break-ups and make-ups, though, Julie figured give them a day or two and they'd be a couple again.
"So, once again, I sit before you as a free agent," Connie announced, struggling to sound perky about it.
"Maybe just give him a couple of days to cool down?"
Connie shook her head forcefully, causing her long braid to whip around behind her. "I'm sick of giving him time to cool down. I mean, it seems like all we ever do is fight anymore. Maybe," she paused and toyed with her fork. "Maybe he's right. Maybe this time it should be permanent." She cringed at the word.
Julie froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. Now that was different. Connie had never said that before.
"Is...that what you want?" Setting the fork down, she leaned forward across the table.
Connie sniffled. "No. I just think it might be best."
Fishing in her backpack, Julie pulled out a small pack of tissues and slid them across the table. Connie took them with a wobbly, but grateful, smile.
Julie waited a minute as Connie blew her nose before speaking. "You love Guy, right?"
"Of course," Connie answered with a confused frown.
"Well, maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic?" Connie's snort interrupted her and Julie shot her best friend a smirk. "Hey, it could happen. As I was saying. "Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe that as long as you love him, you can't give up on him. You owe yourself the chance of being happy. And I know he loves you."
Tears coursed down Connie's face. "Yeah? How do you know that?" she asked, managing to sound wry through her shaky breath.
"The way he looks at you." Julie discreetly watched Guy who was pretending not to stare at Connie from two tables away.
After a couple minutes, Connie gained control of herself and took a deep breath. Picking up her fork, she said, "Well, if he loves me, he'll just have to prove it."
Hearing the steel edge to Connie's voice, Julie sighed as her beautiful speech fell down around her ears. Picking up her own fork, she quickly finished her lunch and the two girls headed off to class. Julie had the uneasy feeling that Connie was going to do something really stupid to get Guy's attention, and Julie was going to be in the middle of it. As usual.
********************
"Julie!"
Turning at the sound of her name, Julie saw Connie and Portman coming down the hall in her direction. Waving, she leaned on a nearby locker to wait for them.
"Hey guys," she said with a smile as they caught up. "How were your classes?"
"Great," Connie answered.
"Yeah, great," Portman repeated, rolling his eyes.
Julie pushed open the doors that lead outside and the three friends stepping into the mid-afternoon sunlight. "So what's–"
"Did you hear about the party tonight?" Connie interrupted.
"Uh...no." The teammates started in the direction of the dorms as Connie began to gush about the party.
"Everybody's going. There's going to be music--which means dancing--drinks, and, best of all, lots and lots of eligible young men." A high pitched squeal escaped Connie, causing Portman to wince.
"Who's everybody?" Julie asked Portman.
Rubbing his ear, he shrugged. "I'm assuming she means the whole team's going. But, you know, I don't understand her language sometimes."
"Shut up, Dean," Connie said happily.
"The whole team?" Julie echoed, trying to cover up the nervous quiver in her voice.
"Yeah! It's gonna be so great!"
Julie nodded absently trying to think up an excuse to avoid the party, and, consequently, a run-in with Banks. "Uh, yeah, great. But I have a lot of homework, so maybe I should..." She trailed off watching Connie's face fall.
"But it won't be half as much fun without you."
Dean threw his arms around the girls' shoulders. "Don't be lame, Catlady. Of course you're coming. Didn't you hear? The whole team is coming and that includes you if you've forgotten. Besides, it's Friday night. There's no way we'd let you stay in and do homework." He made a face which implied that he considered doing homework a fate worse than death.
"Okay, I'll come, but I'm not drinking!" she announced stubbornly. God only knew what she'd do if she drank. Probably something really stupid like announcing to the entire party that she was in love with the team's lead scorer. Julie felt a headache coming on as she listened to Connie's excited chatter.
