Author's Note: Hi everybody! Thanks for all the reviews; they've been really encouraging! ^_^ (Oh, yeah, and I don't own any of the characters. *sigh*)
"So where is this party?" Julie questioned as she touched up her lipgloss under Connie's expert tutelage.
"It's at a house in Edina. Don't put too much on, it'll look like you have a drooling problem."
Julie rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks." Putting the lipgloss down, she picked up a tube of mascara, eyeing it skeptically. "Is it anywhere near Banksie's place?"
"I think it's only a couple blocks away." Connie took the tube out of Julie's hand and opened it, wielding the wand like a weapon. "Oh, that reminds me! Banks asked if we needed a ride there."
Ducking away from her friend's attempts at coating her eyelashes in black goo, Julie picked up a hairbrush. "Connie, why aren't we just taking your car?"
"We are."
Julie stared at the side of Connie's head, watching with interest as she smeared the mascara on her lashes. "Then why are you telling me this?"
Connie shrugged. "I just thought it was kind of interesting, seeing as how he only lives a few blocks over. It's nice that he was willing to drive all the way out here just to pick us up when he has no reason to come in this direction." She looked at her profile from side to side, then whirled to face a still confused Julie. "How do I look?"
Julie smiled wryly. "You always look beautiful."
"Thanks." Looking embarrassed, Connie turned away to pack up her makeup. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "You're looking pretty good, too, you know. If I do say so myself."
Julie sent her a half smile as she put on her coat. "I can't believe you talked me into wearing a skirt. And I don't even know why I'm dressing up. You're the one trying to make Guy jealous."
"That is not the point of this party, Julie," Connie retorted with a haughty sniff, then her look melted into mischief. "Maybe some guy will see you and fall madly in love with your beauty."
"Right," Julie responded sarcastically. "And maybe Portman is gay." As Connie broke into peals of laughter, Julie pushed her out of the dorm and locked the dorm behind them. "I hate to break it to you Connie, but guys just don't see me that way."
"What way? As a girl?" Connie snorted, fresh giggles escaping her.
"What is it you're always saying? 'I'm not a girl, I'm a duck!.'" Julie grinned. "Well, that's me in a nutshell."
Connie calmed herself and looked Julie over from head to toe. "Believe me, Catlady. That's not going to be a problem tonight."
Straightfaced, Julie turned to her friend. "Quack, quack."
Connie's laughter rang through the parking lot as they got in the car.
********************
Walking into the party, Julie immediately spotted half the ducks. Luis was talking up yet another cheerleader. Russ and Dwayne were in a corner, and from the earnest expression on Dwayne's face, Julie assumed Russ was trying to teach him how to pick up a girl. Portman was sitting on the couch surrounded by girls, some of whom were hanging all over him. Charlie was standing near the far wall of the living room next to Linda. And leaning on the wall in front of him, smiling casually was Banks.
Julie winced as Connie yelled Charlie's name over the music, and, unfortunately, right into her ear. Charlie miraculously heard her over all the noise and waved the two girls over. Connie grabbed Julie's hand and dragged her over to the group.
"Hey guys!"
The three responded amiably and Julie smiled at them, looking around for somewhere to put her coat as Connie babbled away about the traffic on the way. She didn't see a pile of coats anywhere, so she glanced into the hall trying to spot a closet. Suddenly, Portman appeared in front of her, making her start with surprise.
"Hey, Catlady!" he yelled, throwing his arm around her shoulders. Julie staggered under the force of it, but managed to keep her footing, despite the platforms Connie had bullied her into wearing.
"How ya doin', Portman?" Julie answered. Feeling herself start to overheat, she asked, "Hey, where did you put your coat?"
He stared at her for a moment as if not sure what she was talking about, then his eyes cleared of confusion. "Oh, there's a room down the hall. Everyone's coat is in there. Give it to me and I'll put it there for you."
Julie grinned. "Thanks!" Tugging on Connie's sleeve, she said, "Hey, give Portman your coat. He's gonna put them down in the back."
They took off their coats and handed them to the waiting Bash Brother. Portman looked them both up and down and nodded. "Looking hot tonight, ladies." With a thumbs up, he wandered off to the coat room.
The girls laughed and turned back to the group. Looking up, Julie caught Banks' eye and frowned when he looked away. What was up with that?
"So, Connie, what's the status of you and Guy tonight?" Charlie asked grimly. "Are you on the prowl?"
Connie smacked him in the arm. "Shut up, Charlie. I'm too classy to be 'on the prowl.'"
Charlie rolled his eyes and feigned rubbing his arm. "So sorry to have offended, oh elegant one."
"You're totally on the prowl, Connie," Julie interjected with a smirk.
As the rest of the group laughed, Connie pointed at her chest. "Moi? I'm offended." Sticking her nose in the air and giving her hair a dramatic toss, she walked off in a mock huff.
"You aren't going to join her, Julie?" Linda asked with a smile.
Julie snorted. "She's off to find one of two things: alcohol or a man. In this situation, hanging with Connie can only bring trouble."
Laughing, Banks straightened from the wall. "Not drinking tonight, Jules?"
Julie's heart skipped a beat, but she grinned easily. "No way. You saw her, someone's gotta keep an eye on her tonight."
Charlie nudged her with his elbow. "What about a guy, Jules? Interested in that endeavor?"
Laughing as he wiggled his eyebrows, Julie tilted her head. "Now why would suggest that, Captain Duck?"
Charlie motioned to her outfit. "You're dressed just like Connie."
Hands on hips, Julie swung around to face Linda. "Can you believe what he's suggesting? That I, Julie Gaffney, would dress for a man! Ha!" Mimicking Connie's hair toss, she walked off in the wake of her friend, hearing Banks' laughter behind her.
A wave of happiness spread through her, warming her even further, at the sound of his laughter. This wave was quickly followed by another of disgust. Get over it, she told herself harshly. You're about to spend the night watching from the sidelines as girls fawn all over him.
But for some reason, the feeling didn't back down. I have it so bad, she thought resignedly, heading for the kitchen in search of Connie.
"So where is this party?" Julie questioned as she touched up her lipgloss under Connie's expert tutelage.
"It's at a house in Edina. Don't put too much on, it'll look like you have a drooling problem."
Julie rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks." Putting the lipgloss down, she picked up a tube of mascara, eyeing it skeptically. "Is it anywhere near Banksie's place?"
"I think it's only a couple blocks away." Connie took the tube out of Julie's hand and opened it, wielding the wand like a weapon. "Oh, that reminds me! Banks asked if we needed a ride there."
Ducking away from her friend's attempts at coating her eyelashes in black goo, Julie picked up a hairbrush. "Connie, why aren't we just taking your car?"
"We are."
Julie stared at the side of Connie's head, watching with interest as she smeared the mascara on her lashes. "Then why are you telling me this?"
Connie shrugged. "I just thought it was kind of interesting, seeing as how he only lives a few blocks over. It's nice that he was willing to drive all the way out here just to pick us up when he has no reason to come in this direction." She looked at her profile from side to side, then whirled to face a still confused Julie. "How do I look?"
Julie smiled wryly. "You always look beautiful."
"Thanks." Looking embarrassed, Connie turned away to pack up her makeup. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "You're looking pretty good, too, you know. If I do say so myself."
Julie sent her a half smile as she put on her coat. "I can't believe you talked me into wearing a skirt. And I don't even know why I'm dressing up. You're the one trying to make Guy jealous."
"That is not the point of this party, Julie," Connie retorted with a haughty sniff, then her look melted into mischief. "Maybe some guy will see you and fall madly in love with your beauty."
"Right," Julie responded sarcastically. "And maybe Portman is gay." As Connie broke into peals of laughter, Julie pushed her out of the dorm and locked the dorm behind them. "I hate to break it to you Connie, but guys just don't see me that way."
"What way? As a girl?" Connie snorted, fresh giggles escaping her.
"What is it you're always saying? 'I'm not a girl, I'm a duck!.'" Julie grinned. "Well, that's me in a nutshell."
Connie calmed herself and looked Julie over from head to toe. "Believe me, Catlady. That's not going to be a problem tonight."
Straightfaced, Julie turned to her friend. "Quack, quack."
Connie's laughter rang through the parking lot as they got in the car.
********************
Walking into the party, Julie immediately spotted half the ducks. Luis was talking up yet another cheerleader. Russ and Dwayne were in a corner, and from the earnest expression on Dwayne's face, Julie assumed Russ was trying to teach him how to pick up a girl. Portman was sitting on the couch surrounded by girls, some of whom were hanging all over him. Charlie was standing near the far wall of the living room next to Linda. And leaning on the wall in front of him, smiling casually was Banks.
Julie winced as Connie yelled Charlie's name over the music, and, unfortunately, right into her ear. Charlie miraculously heard her over all the noise and waved the two girls over. Connie grabbed Julie's hand and dragged her over to the group.
"Hey guys!"
The three responded amiably and Julie smiled at them, looking around for somewhere to put her coat as Connie babbled away about the traffic on the way. She didn't see a pile of coats anywhere, so she glanced into the hall trying to spot a closet. Suddenly, Portman appeared in front of her, making her start with surprise.
"Hey, Catlady!" he yelled, throwing his arm around her shoulders. Julie staggered under the force of it, but managed to keep her footing, despite the platforms Connie had bullied her into wearing.
"How ya doin', Portman?" Julie answered. Feeling herself start to overheat, she asked, "Hey, where did you put your coat?"
He stared at her for a moment as if not sure what she was talking about, then his eyes cleared of confusion. "Oh, there's a room down the hall. Everyone's coat is in there. Give it to me and I'll put it there for you."
Julie grinned. "Thanks!" Tugging on Connie's sleeve, she said, "Hey, give Portman your coat. He's gonna put them down in the back."
They took off their coats and handed them to the waiting Bash Brother. Portman looked them both up and down and nodded. "Looking hot tonight, ladies." With a thumbs up, he wandered off to the coat room.
The girls laughed and turned back to the group. Looking up, Julie caught Banks' eye and frowned when he looked away. What was up with that?
"So, Connie, what's the status of you and Guy tonight?" Charlie asked grimly. "Are you on the prowl?"
Connie smacked him in the arm. "Shut up, Charlie. I'm too classy to be 'on the prowl.'"
Charlie rolled his eyes and feigned rubbing his arm. "So sorry to have offended, oh elegant one."
"You're totally on the prowl, Connie," Julie interjected with a smirk.
As the rest of the group laughed, Connie pointed at her chest. "Moi? I'm offended." Sticking her nose in the air and giving her hair a dramatic toss, she walked off in a mock huff.
"You aren't going to join her, Julie?" Linda asked with a smile.
Julie snorted. "She's off to find one of two things: alcohol or a man. In this situation, hanging with Connie can only bring trouble."
Laughing, Banks straightened from the wall. "Not drinking tonight, Jules?"
Julie's heart skipped a beat, but she grinned easily. "No way. You saw her, someone's gotta keep an eye on her tonight."
Charlie nudged her with his elbow. "What about a guy, Jules? Interested in that endeavor?"
Laughing as he wiggled his eyebrows, Julie tilted her head. "Now why would suggest that, Captain Duck?"
Charlie motioned to her outfit. "You're dressed just like Connie."
Hands on hips, Julie swung around to face Linda. "Can you believe what he's suggesting? That I, Julie Gaffney, would dress for a man! Ha!" Mimicking Connie's hair toss, she walked off in the wake of her friend, hearing Banks' laughter behind her.
A wave of happiness spread through her, warming her even further, at the sound of his laughter. This wave was quickly followed by another of disgust. Get over it, she told herself harshly. You're about to spend the night watching from the sidelines as girls fawn all over him.
But for some reason, the feeling didn't back down. I have it so bad, she thought resignedly, heading for the kitchen in search of Connie.
