Romeo and Julie - Chapter 7
Disclaimer - if I owned them, they would Love me, I don't so they don't.
Notes - Ok, I hope that this chapter is alright. I wrote one draft and it sucked beyond belief, and this, I have to admit, is so much better, in my opinion anyway. It kind of explores Julie's feelings a bit. Anyway.
Another thing, it is a long one, over 5000 words (not counting the notes at the start and end.) I am amazed because I don't even write that much on my old school assignments. But I just started typing and it all came out, so, I hope you like it.
Oh, and a few Shout outs at the end of the chapter.
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"You are right Julie, these are really good" Matt smiled as he scoped some of the ice cream out of the large glass that was in front of him. Julie sipped a little of the soda and grinned. She had not really felt like a full one for herself, so Matt had offered to share with her.
"The team and I come here after every win. The owner closes the place to the public and we have a little party…it is like a tradition" Julie smiled. She looked over to the counter and waved at Casey Conway, Charlie's mother who still worked at the little dinner. She was the night manager, so she was the one who would close down the shop for them after the games. Casey grinned at the young girl and waved back.
"That would be a good tradition to have." Matt mused. "I have traditions with my family, but they are no way as good as ice cream sodas."
"All families have traditions. None of them are really fun…" Julie replied. Matt nodded and took a little more of the ice cream from the soda glass. "Family portraits are the worst…"
"Oh, I know. Every year, my dad makes me and my sister dress up in the most uncomfortable clothes, and then we have to go and get our photograph taken" Matt smiled.
"I know the feeling." Julie grinned. It was nice to have a conversation that didn't revolve completely around Hockey. As much as Julie loved the sport, it was sometimes nice to escape it. And she found herself pleasantly surprised that Matt and herself had quite a lot in common.
They had spoken about family, current affairs, sport, politics and science. It was nice to know that Matt actually had opinions on things like the worlds war crisis' and the poor standing of the value of the dollar. Talking with the boys on the team about those sorts of things was tiring, because most of them, with the exception of Ken, had no idea what she was talking about and would change the subject back to something hockey as soon as possible.
She knew for a fact that she would never have a political discussion with Dean.
"Do you miss your family?" Matt asked suddenly. Julie smiled, thankful that she could start talking again and not have her mind go to some crazy place with thoughts of Portman. She had been trying to not think about it, otherwise it would drive her mad.
"No, not at all. Well, my mum sometimes. But I have 5 brothers. It is nice to get away from them sometimes." Julie replied. Matt looked shocked.
"Five brothers. And I thought that having one sister was enough!" Matt exclaimed. Julie laughed and took some more soda. Julie realised that Matt made her laugh, and it was good to laugh every now and then. It didn't surprise her that she really was enjoying spending time with him.
Whether he knew it or not, Matt was helping her relax. What had it been that Dean had said at practice? That she needed to relax before she lead herself to a breakdown. Julie had to admit that it was true. Sometimes she did work herself to hard with hockey and school, but really, in a family her size, she had a lot to live up to. Julie wanted nothing more then to go back to Maine and have her father, mother and brothers be proud of her perfect season of Hockey and her straight A report card.
Julie also had to admit that she knew what Dean was doing by suggesting that she relax. And it scared her.
Dean had meant that he could help her relax, she was sure of it. She was also sure that as much as Dean was a great friend, the line that had been drawn between them could never be crossed. He had kissed her at the practice, and that had scared her. She enjoyed his kisses, and that was a problem. She didn't want to be like Connie and Guy, who were completely dependant on each other, who could not survive without kissing each other. She needed to be independent, to prove to herself that didn't need anyone else to live the life that she wanted to live. One of Julie's biggest fears was that if she let him into her life, they would become 'Dean and Julie', one person, just like 'Guy and Connie'.
Dean was an intense guy. It was something that many people didn't see, or merely ignored, but there was nothing that he could do without being completely into it. True, he would joke around often, but it all had a level of seriousness to it that no one could really explain. He was serious and intense on the ice, and he was serious and intense with her. And that scared her to.
Matt was nothing like Dean. Matt was intelligent (not that Dean wasn't, Julie argued with herself, it was just a different type of intelligence.), Matt was funny (Not that Dean wasn't, it was just that Matt seemed to be a lot less forward) Matt was interesting (but so was Dean, in his own way) They had things in common, other then just hockey. And Matt was a good looking guy. (he lacked the height and muscle mass of Dean, but he had really nice eyes and an amazing smile.)
Julie wondered why she was even comparing them this way. Matt was a friend, and Dean was a friend also. Both were nothing more, and it was highly unlikely that either of them would ever be anything more.
"Hey, are you ok?" Matt asked suddenly. Julie looked across the table at him, realising that she had been caught up in her thoughts and wondering what it was that they were even talking about. "I am sorry Julie, you were probably thinking about your home. I shouldn't have brought it up…"
"No, it is fine, really" Julie began, smiling to put his mind at ease, but paused as something caught her attention. She looked over Matt shoulder and he continued to speak.
The door to the diner opened, making the bell above it jingle. The two people who entered were laughing at something, but they both stopped and stared when they saw her. It was Dean and Fulton.
Julie turned back to Matt, smiling again and joining the conversation about their assignment, which was what they had come to discuss in the first place. Matt had found a few articles on the subject already, and as they both read through them quickly, occasionally underlining something that they could add to their thesis, Julie could not help but glance at Dean and Fulton, who were sitting at the counter.
Fulton sat talking to Charlie's mom, who he had known since he was just a little kid, while Dean sat, facing towards the door, watching them. His eyes gaze kept moving from Julie to Matt, and then back to Julie, as though he was wondering why she was out with him. Julie just sighed and turned back to the article.
"Hey, aren't those guys on your team?" Matt asked, looking up from the article and over his shoulder to the boys at the counter. Julie glanced at them, and tried to look surprised, as though she had not seen them there.
"Yeah, Portman and Fulton" She dismissed, shrugging. Matt looked over his shoulder at them again before turning back to the work in front of him. He had to admit that the bash brothers really intimidated him. The Ducks were a great group, Matt had had many classes with them over the years, but Fulton and Portman were both taller and bigger, and much more aggressive. He wouldn't say he was scared of them, more, nervous to be around them.
When Julie looked up again a few minutes later, both of the boys had gotten their drinks. Fulton looked like he was trying to engage Portman in a conversation, who kept looking over his shoulder at her. Julie's gaze met his for and moment, and she looked away quickly.
At the counter, Fulton realised that his friend was not even listening to a word that he had to say. The tension in the small restaurant was thick, thickest between where Dean was sitting and where Julie sat with Matt.
He was just looking at her. Fulton sighed and shoved him. "Dude, leave her alone, she probably doesn't appreciate you leering at her."
"I know" he sighed, taking one last look at Julie and then picking up her drink, crossing to the booth in the far corner, the one that would but the most distance between them and Julie. He sat with his back facing her, just so that he didn't have to look at them, as much as he wanted to. He concentrated on slowly drinking his drink so that he would not look over his shoulder at her. At them.
"Think that they are here on a date?" Dean asked, losing his self control and glancing behind them again. Julie was now in deep conversation with Matt. Fulton rolled his eyes.
Fulton had never seen his friend so obsessed with a girl before. Usually he would just shrug it off if a girl he liked was out in public with another boy. Dean was jealous, it was easy to see, and it was very surprising. Dean Portman was jealous of Matt Goddard. Dean looked over his shoulder at Julie one more time, and Fulton had to bite his tongue to stop himself from calling his friend pathetic.
"No, I don't think so." Fulton sighed. "That Rebecca girl said that she was meeting with her lab partner. Matt is in her advanced class, right? They could just be here discussing the assignment…"
"But she was smiling. Science doesn't make anyone smile!" Dean replied.
Fulton smirked. "Could always go ask her"
Fulton realised way to late what he had said, and before he had the chance to take it back, Dean was half way across the restaurant. He cursed, usually Dean knew the difference between his joking sarcastic voice and his usual voice, but today, he had either missed the tone, or decided to ignore it. When Dean was only a few steps away from Julie's table, Fulton stood to catch up with him. .
"Hey Jules" Dean grinned, sliding into the booth beside her. Fulton managed to catch up with his friend, and tried to think of a way to drag him off before the rest of the day was spent with Julie the Cat showing her claws.
"Hi Portman, Fulton. You know Matt don't you? My lab partner…" she introduced. Dean glanced across the table at him, and Fulton tried to physically drag his friend away from the table. Dean shrugged Fulton off and turned back to Julie.
"Lab partner. So, what are we studying…" he asked, picking up a few articles.
"The social and moral ramifications of scientifically creating a genetic master piece" Matt replied smiling to himself. Dean nodded, making it look like he understood what Matt had just said, even though he had absolutely no idea. "It is fascinating, really…"
"Yeah, would have to be…" he replied. Fulton once again took his friend by the elbow and tried to pull him away from the table. Dean shrugged him off again, and turned to Julie. But when he looked at her, he realised that he had no idea what he wanted to say.
Julie watched him in silence as he just sat at the table, looking at her. It was beginning to scare her. She hoped that he would not say or do anything to embarrass her or Matt. Behind him, Fulton was once again trying to politely drag his bash brother away from the table, but with very little success.
"Is there something wrong Portman?" Julie asked him. Dean sighed, she had called him Portman again. He really wished that she would go back to calling him Dean. He also wished he had something to say to her. He had marched over to the table with the intentions of maybe humiliating Matt and kidnapping Julie (he wondered suddenly why all of his thoughts seemed to revolve around him kidnapping the poor girl).
But that seemed like the wrong thing to do. So he sighed again and shrugged. "No, just wanted to come and say hello" he told her lamely.
Julie didn't believe him at all. "Well, Hello" she replied. Dean nodded, and let himself be dragged away by Fulton. When they got back to their table, Portman took a large gulp of his drink, threw some money on the table and then left the diner.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"I am pathetic"
"Yeah, you are…" Fulton told his friend as they entered their dorm room. Fulton stood with his back pressed against the door, ready to run for it if his friend had fallen into one of his moods where everything in the room had to potential to be used as a weapon of mass destruction. He was kind of worried, however, when Dean did not pick up things and begin throwing, but instead collapsed face first onto the bed, burying his head in his pillow.
"Apparently, It is impossible to smother yourself, so don't bother trying" Fulton told his friend. Portman said something, and Fulton realised that even though the words were distorted by the pillow, he understood it. Portman had just told him to go away.
Fulton just shrugged, and exited the room into the hallway. Luis and Ken, who shared a room at the other end of the hall, were sitting in the narrow corridor. Their backs were each pressed against a wall, their legs stretched to the other wall so that people had to step over them in order to continue on their way.
"Hey guys" Fulton smiled, sitting that way also. He was the tallest out of the three of them, and found that he had to fold his legs a little in order to get them to fit in the space. "Why are you out here in the hallway?"
"We are paranoid!" Luis announced. Fulton looked confused.
"Goldberg" Ken summed it up for him. It was amazing that it could all be explained in one word.
"Russ, Ken and I tested the Liquid Laxative prank on him. Just to see how it would work if we really did go head with it. Turns out he realised it was us, and he and Averman already trapped Dwayne and Russ's room."
"We are scared to go in there man" Ken added, nodding.
"I don't blame you, I don't think I would want to go in there either" Fulton smiled, glancing suspiciously at the door. "So, did it work?"
"Goldberg has been running to the bathroom all afternoon" Ken grinned. Fulton laughed. They were still going to go ahead with their prank against Old Man Walsh, they just had to find the right time and place to do so.
The boys sat in the hall chatting about a few different things. Fulton couldn't help but tell the other that he had seen Julie out with Matt Goddard. (between himself, Adam, Charlie and Connie, they knew almost everything about every one on the team. It amazed him that they were all such gossips.) He did, however, leave out the fact that Portman was having not so platonic feelings for the goalie, and that he was now in their room, feeling sorry for himself.
Almost an hour later, when Fulton was convincing the boys that whatever was on the other side of their bedroom door could not be as bad as they assumed, Julie came down the hall. She did not seem to see the boys, although she stepped over their legs, but merely continued on to Dean and Fulton's room.
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"What was that all about?"
"What was what all about?" Dean asked. He had moved to his back and was staring up at the ceiling, occasionally taking the pillow and pressing it over his face so that he could tell himself once again that he was pathetic without having people outside the room hearing him and believing him to be some sort of mental case.
Julie had burst into the room, yelling, slamming the door behind her. Dean sat up and watched her as she began to pace the room, obviously angry at him.
"You! At the diner!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air and making a strange little growling noise at him. Dean watched her closely, she was a feisty one when she was angry.
"Fult and I were thirsty" he informed her truthfully. It was, after all, what had happened. He had no intention of telling her that he was there only after not being able to find her and drag her along to spend time with him. That would just anger the situation more.
"Bull, I don't believe that for a second." She exclaimed, looking at him suspiciously after pausing mid pace. "Why were you really there?"
"Because Fulton and I were thirsty, that is the truth cat lady!" he told her. He knew she would never believe it. Almost everyone were suspicious of the bash brothers and their motives. It really did get annoying sometimes.
"Right, so it had nothing to do with me being there with Matt." she asked him, eying him cautiously.
"I didn't know that you would be there with Matt!" he exclaimed. "Honest!"
"Sure!" Julie replied and began pacing again.
"Julie, did you even tell anyone you were going somewhere with him?" Dean asked suddenly, making Julie pause again. She thought for a few seconds. It was true, she had only told people that she was meeting her lab partner, she didn't even tell Rebecca that her lab partner for this assignment was Matt. Damn, he was right, Julie hated it when Dean was right.
"Well, no" she admitted softly.
"Then how could I possibly know." he asked her, standing from where he had still been sitting on his bed. He stopped for a few seconds as a thought hit him. "And why do you think that I would care?"
"So you are saying that you don't care?" Julie asked.
"I never said that, I only asked why you would be so sure that I would care that you were out having soda with Matt Goddard" he replied. That's the way Dean, he congratulated himself, answer a question with a question. He looked away from her quickly, hoping that she would not be able to pick up on his diversionary tactic.
Julie glanced at Dean, realising that he was hiding something from her. "But you do care?"
"Why does that matter?" He shrugged casually, far to casually for her liking. He was trying to dodge the question, to get out of telling her the truth, she could tell.
"Just answer the question" Julie sighed heavily. There was silence between them for a few seconds, and then Dean looked at her, meeting her eyes with his own intense gaze.
"Fine, I care" Dean mumbled, hoping that now they could let the subject drop.
"Ha, I knew it!" she laughed triumphantly.
"Good for you Julie, you knew something that was pretty damn obvious" Dean congratulated sarcastically. He had been pretty obvious, he realised. Staring at her at the diner, approaching her with very little to say. He had been obvious, more obvious then he had ever been with any other girl, and now Dean though that maybe he was losing his edge.
"Don't take that tone…"
"Gods, you sound like my mother." Dean sighed, rubbing his face with his hand and collapsing back onto his bed. He was suddenly so over it, and all he wanted to do was to go to sleep. "Soon you will be using my full name…"
"Why does it matter so much to you that I was there with Matt?" Julie asked after a few moments of silence. Dean looked up at her, shocked and amazed.
"Like you don't know?" he questioned. Julie looked away from him nervously, only looking back when she realised something, she didn't really know. She had walked away before they could really talk about it. Julie of course assumed, but she was not sure.
"I don't know, not really" she admitted softly.
"Then you are pretty dense" Dean replied. He tried to take all the harshness out of his voice, he seriously didn't want to have to talk to her about this.
"What?…I am not dense" Julie replied defensively.
"Then what is this really about?" he asked her, challenging her to say it out loud while once again, answering her questions with questions of his own.
"Its about…well, you kissed me today…" Julie began.
"And why did I kiss you?"
She knew the answer to that, obviously, but there was a difference between knowing the answer and admitting that there was something there between the two of them that neither of them could explain. "I don't know, because you do things like that."
"I don't 'do things like that'" he told her, and she knew that it was true. "If you don't know the reason…"
"I do know the reason…" Julie told him before he could go on. She had no idea how they had gotten into this conversation, but she knew that she was uncomfortable talking to him about this. If she could be anywhere else at that point in time, she knew that she would want to be there. "But as I told you today, it is just not going to happen…"
Dean smirked, sensing her discomfort. "I don't seem to remember you telling me that"
"Well, I am now Portman, it is not going to happen." Julie said firmly.
"Ok then." Dean shrugged casually. He had to make it look like what she was saying was not effecting him. He knew that he could not let her have the power in this conversation. He had to make it look like it was not annoying the shit out of him that she didn't want him.
Julie looked at him. "Just ok then?"
She had expected him to have more to say about it all, to debate the issue with her. Dean was not the type of guy that took no for an answer, especially when it came to girls. He was not as bad as some, but he had been known to follow around a girl for weeks, asking for a date. But this time, he had shrugged as though it was nothing to him. As though she was nothing to him and he was giving up.
"What! Make up your mind, if you don't want me, I am not going to argue with you about it…" Dean sighed.
"Well…" She began. Yes Dean, her mind screamed, Argue with me about this. Why isn't this annoying the hell out of you that you cant get what you want? "Ok, that is good"
"Wait, you want me to argue with you? You want this to be a big deal?" he asked her. Julie sighed.
"No, I don't, in fact, it is no deal at all. I could care less" She told him firmly. Dean nodded.
Dean ginned. "Then why are you here?"
"I don't know" Julie replied softly.
"Ok then" Dean nodded, smiling to himself. It was obvious that she was confused with what to think. She had gone into that room knowing exactly what she wanted to say to Dean, and he had succeeded in blowing her perfect little speech completely out of the water.
"Ok then" Julie echoed, biting her bottom lip to stop herself from saying anything more. He had twisted everything she had wanted to say. Damnit, how did he do it!
"So it is no big deal?" He asked casually, standing from the bed.
"None at all" Julie told him, nodding. "And it is none of your business what I do in my spare time…"
"Ok" he agreed.
"And who I see" Julie added distractedly as an afterthought.
"I never said it was any of my business who you see in your spare time." Dean defended himself. He watched her for a few seconds before asking. "But are you going to see Matt again?"
"Would it matter?" Julie questioned.
"Not really" Dean shrugged.
"I don't believe you!" She told him in her accusing tone.
"Jules, we are going around in circles here. I don't really care if you want to see more of Matt, I done care if you marry him and have a hundred children…" Dean informed her. Julie watched him as he spoke and realised that he was being sincere. It annoyed her that he was like this, she could have sworn that this whole thing was about his feelings for her. They had as much as said that it was only minutes before, but now it seemed that he was either lying to her about how he had felt, or he had gotten over her pretty quickly. "Wait, I do care about that. The children, I mean…"
"Why?" Julie asked. She wondered why, out of all the things to two of them had said to each other that afternoon, the idea of her having children was the one that he cared about.
"Honestly, I don't know" he laughed. Julie sighed. He could not be serious about anything!
"Ok, so, discussion over?" she asked, glancing at him. He was standing over by the bed, and she was standing near Fulton's, there was only a little space between them, enough for them to stand comfortably and not have it be awkward.
"Over and done." Dean replied, and gestured that he was washing his hands of the situation. Julie smiled. It had been a long and confusing afternoon, and now it seemed it was all wearing down.
"Friends?" she held out her hand.
"Yeah, sure, whatever" he stepped into her hesitantly and took her hand, shaking it quickly. Friends was like the kiss of death, and he hoped that his facial expression hid the fact that that was not what he wanted to be to Julie.
Julie saw the look on his face and realised that he had just been playing it cool, it really did matter to him, all of it. She sighed "Dean, I am sorry, but you are just a…"
"Don't say it!" Dean exclaimed.
"Friend" she whispered.
"You said it" he groaned.
"Well, like I said earlier, it is just…"
"A play, I understand" he finished for her.
"Nothing you could say or do could change the fact that you are just a friend…" Julie told him weakly. She hoped that the would not realise that she didn't exactly mean it.
"Nothing?" he asked her, stepping closer. Julie took a step back and glanced into his eyes. The intense look was back, and she knew what he was going to do next. Julie was caught between running for her life, and staying there and letting what was to happen, happen.
"Nothing" she whispered weakly, taking another step back as he took another step closer. She was backed into the corner of the room, into the bare piece of wall beside the door. Her intention was to open the door and slip out as soon as she could, slamming it after her so that he had no way of following her, but he had boxed her in, his hands on the wall, stopping her from moving.
Julie looked at her feet. He was so close to her that she could hear him breathing. She didn't want him there, she didn't want him approaching her like this when she was so confused. Her heart was betraying her mind, and she hated herself for it.
Dean liked her, and she didn't want to like him back. But Julie did, no matter how hard she fought against it. She wanted to push away, and she had done so well so far. Now all she needed to do was to push him away from her now, to stop him from kissing her. Julie needed self restraint, she needed to stay away from him.
Her hands found Dean's shoulders to push him away just as his lips found hers and he engaged he in a deep and passionate kiss. Her treacherous hands tightened on him, pulling his closer and she moaned as his kisses had an immediate effect on her body. She hated herself for reacting like she was, for kissing her back like this, but she just couldn't stop herself. He had a way of intoxicating her.
Dean smiled a little as her moan reached his ears. Yeah Julie, he sighed, you don't want to push me away at all. She saw right though her. She was so obvious. He had managed to use every trick he knew to get her to this point. Being Fulton's friend for so long had taught him enough about talking into corners. And he had, quite literally, talked Julie into a corner.
Her arms wound around his neck as Dean crushed her into the wall behind her. His lips, as always, were heaven, his hands tracing over her hips. How she had gotten to that point, she didn't know, and honestly, Julie didn't care. All she knew was that she had promised herself earlier that day that she would never again let Dean Portman touch her romantically unless it had something to do with the play. Hell, she needed help with her self control.
Dean took a step back, breaking the kiss, and Julie turned bright red when she whimpered sadly. Whimpered. She actually whimpered. Julie wanted to slap herself, this was all Dean's fault. She had never felt so powerless in her life, and she had never been this confused.
Julie knew what she wanted, and yet, all it had taken was the idea of his lips on hers to make her weak. Ignoring Dean and her feelings until one, or both went away was going to be harder then she thought
"Nothing?" he challenged
"N…Nothing" Julie stuttered.
She reached for the doorknob and quickly opened it, practically running from the room. Dean leant against the wall that seconds before he had had her pressed against, and then slid to sit against it, smiling brightly. He had seen though her act, she was scared. He had know idea of what she felt for him, but what ever it was that Julie did feel, it scared the living daylights out of her, and that was why she was pushing him away.
Suddenly the door opened, and Fulton entered. He looked around the room, and then realised that his roommate was sitting by his feet. He looked down at him questioningly.
"Oh, she wants me, she wants me bad." Dean grinned. "And I am not giving her up without a fight!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Shout outs.
Meggiebaby81 - it could be possible that Ken has a dorm fridge and he packs his own lunch, but I would so not be bothered. That would mean that he has to go shopping to buy things for lunch, and then make his own lunch and all. But then again, he is Ken. He could do whatever he wanted to.
DuckHockey00214496 - Two things, first off, your review made me laugh. After reading it, I just got this distinct image of Ken getting up, opening his closet, having this hand reach out, pass him a bag, and then Ken closing the door. Hey, it is possible to have his mum living in the closet. And two, when going to type your name, I was like "crap, what is with the numbers!" then I realised. Germaine, Portman, Reed and Conway. Cool. I named myself after my favourites as well.
BeautyQueen321- You asked something about Goldberg saying he was from Philly. That is technically true. In the first movie, Goldberg says that he is only going to be there for one season because his family is moving back to Philly. But then, his family doesn't end up moving. So the real question should be why is he in D2 at all. Only joking, he may not be one of my favourites, but Goldie is cool.
And thanks to all else who reviewed.
Disclaimer - if I owned them, they would Love me, I don't so they don't.
Notes - Ok, I hope that this chapter is alright. I wrote one draft and it sucked beyond belief, and this, I have to admit, is so much better, in my opinion anyway. It kind of explores Julie's feelings a bit. Anyway.
Another thing, it is a long one, over 5000 words (not counting the notes at the start and end.) I am amazed because I don't even write that much on my old school assignments. But I just started typing and it all came out, so, I hope you like it.
Oh, and a few Shout outs at the end of the chapter.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"You are right Julie, these are really good" Matt smiled as he scoped some of the ice cream out of the large glass that was in front of him. Julie sipped a little of the soda and grinned. She had not really felt like a full one for herself, so Matt had offered to share with her.
"The team and I come here after every win. The owner closes the place to the public and we have a little party…it is like a tradition" Julie smiled. She looked over to the counter and waved at Casey Conway, Charlie's mother who still worked at the little dinner. She was the night manager, so she was the one who would close down the shop for them after the games. Casey grinned at the young girl and waved back.
"That would be a good tradition to have." Matt mused. "I have traditions with my family, but they are no way as good as ice cream sodas."
"All families have traditions. None of them are really fun…" Julie replied. Matt nodded and took a little more of the ice cream from the soda glass. "Family portraits are the worst…"
"Oh, I know. Every year, my dad makes me and my sister dress up in the most uncomfortable clothes, and then we have to go and get our photograph taken" Matt smiled.
"I know the feeling." Julie grinned. It was nice to have a conversation that didn't revolve completely around Hockey. As much as Julie loved the sport, it was sometimes nice to escape it. And she found herself pleasantly surprised that Matt and herself had quite a lot in common.
They had spoken about family, current affairs, sport, politics and science. It was nice to know that Matt actually had opinions on things like the worlds war crisis' and the poor standing of the value of the dollar. Talking with the boys on the team about those sorts of things was tiring, because most of them, with the exception of Ken, had no idea what she was talking about and would change the subject back to something hockey as soon as possible.
She knew for a fact that she would never have a political discussion with Dean.
"Do you miss your family?" Matt asked suddenly. Julie smiled, thankful that she could start talking again and not have her mind go to some crazy place with thoughts of Portman. She had been trying to not think about it, otherwise it would drive her mad.
"No, not at all. Well, my mum sometimes. But I have 5 brothers. It is nice to get away from them sometimes." Julie replied. Matt looked shocked.
"Five brothers. And I thought that having one sister was enough!" Matt exclaimed. Julie laughed and took some more soda. Julie realised that Matt made her laugh, and it was good to laugh every now and then. It didn't surprise her that she really was enjoying spending time with him.
Whether he knew it or not, Matt was helping her relax. What had it been that Dean had said at practice? That she needed to relax before she lead herself to a breakdown. Julie had to admit that it was true. Sometimes she did work herself to hard with hockey and school, but really, in a family her size, she had a lot to live up to. Julie wanted nothing more then to go back to Maine and have her father, mother and brothers be proud of her perfect season of Hockey and her straight A report card.
Julie also had to admit that she knew what Dean was doing by suggesting that she relax. And it scared her.
Dean had meant that he could help her relax, she was sure of it. She was also sure that as much as Dean was a great friend, the line that had been drawn between them could never be crossed. He had kissed her at the practice, and that had scared her. She enjoyed his kisses, and that was a problem. She didn't want to be like Connie and Guy, who were completely dependant on each other, who could not survive without kissing each other. She needed to be independent, to prove to herself that didn't need anyone else to live the life that she wanted to live. One of Julie's biggest fears was that if she let him into her life, they would become 'Dean and Julie', one person, just like 'Guy and Connie'.
Dean was an intense guy. It was something that many people didn't see, or merely ignored, but there was nothing that he could do without being completely into it. True, he would joke around often, but it all had a level of seriousness to it that no one could really explain. He was serious and intense on the ice, and he was serious and intense with her. And that scared her to.
Matt was nothing like Dean. Matt was intelligent (not that Dean wasn't, Julie argued with herself, it was just a different type of intelligence.), Matt was funny (Not that Dean wasn't, it was just that Matt seemed to be a lot less forward) Matt was interesting (but so was Dean, in his own way) They had things in common, other then just hockey. And Matt was a good looking guy. (he lacked the height and muscle mass of Dean, but he had really nice eyes and an amazing smile.)
Julie wondered why she was even comparing them this way. Matt was a friend, and Dean was a friend also. Both were nothing more, and it was highly unlikely that either of them would ever be anything more.
"Hey, are you ok?" Matt asked suddenly. Julie looked across the table at him, realising that she had been caught up in her thoughts and wondering what it was that they were even talking about. "I am sorry Julie, you were probably thinking about your home. I shouldn't have brought it up…"
"No, it is fine, really" Julie began, smiling to put his mind at ease, but paused as something caught her attention. She looked over Matt shoulder and he continued to speak.
The door to the diner opened, making the bell above it jingle. The two people who entered were laughing at something, but they both stopped and stared when they saw her. It was Dean and Fulton.
Julie turned back to Matt, smiling again and joining the conversation about their assignment, which was what they had come to discuss in the first place. Matt had found a few articles on the subject already, and as they both read through them quickly, occasionally underlining something that they could add to their thesis, Julie could not help but glance at Dean and Fulton, who were sitting at the counter.
Fulton sat talking to Charlie's mom, who he had known since he was just a little kid, while Dean sat, facing towards the door, watching them. His eyes gaze kept moving from Julie to Matt, and then back to Julie, as though he was wondering why she was out with him. Julie just sighed and turned back to the article.
"Hey, aren't those guys on your team?" Matt asked, looking up from the article and over his shoulder to the boys at the counter. Julie glanced at them, and tried to look surprised, as though she had not seen them there.
"Yeah, Portman and Fulton" She dismissed, shrugging. Matt looked over his shoulder at them again before turning back to the work in front of him. He had to admit that the bash brothers really intimidated him. The Ducks were a great group, Matt had had many classes with them over the years, but Fulton and Portman were both taller and bigger, and much more aggressive. He wouldn't say he was scared of them, more, nervous to be around them.
When Julie looked up again a few minutes later, both of the boys had gotten their drinks. Fulton looked like he was trying to engage Portman in a conversation, who kept looking over his shoulder at her. Julie's gaze met his for and moment, and she looked away quickly.
At the counter, Fulton realised that his friend was not even listening to a word that he had to say. The tension in the small restaurant was thick, thickest between where Dean was sitting and where Julie sat with Matt.
He was just looking at her. Fulton sighed and shoved him. "Dude, leave her alone, she probably doesn't appreciate you leering at her."
"I know" he sighed, taking one last look at Julie and then picking up her drink, crossing to the booth in the far corner, the one that would but the most distance between them and Julie. He sat with his back facing her, just so that he didn't have to look at them, as much as he wanted to. He concentrated on slowly drinking his drink so that he would not look over his shoulder at her. At them.
"Think that they are here on a date?" Dean asked, losing his self control and glancing behind them again. Julie was now in deep conversation with Matt. Fulton rolled his eyes.
Fulton had never seen his friend so obsessed with a girl before. Usually he would just shrug it off if a girl he liked was out in public with another boy. Dean was jealous, it was easy to see, and it was very surprising. Dean Portman was jealous of Matt Goddard. Dean looked over his shoulder at Julie one more time, and Fulton had to bite his tongue to stop himself from calling his friend pathetic.
"No, I don't think so." Fulton sighed. "That Rebecca girl said that she was meeting with her lab partner. Matt is in her advanced class, right? They could just be here discussing the assignment…"
"But she was smiling. Science doesn't make anyone smile!" Dean replied.
Fulton smirked. "Could always go ask her"
Fulton realised way to late what he had said, and before he had the chance to take it back, Dean was half way across the restaurant. He cursed, usually Dean knew the difference between his joking sarcastic voice and his usual voice, but today, he had either missed the tone, or decided to ignore it. When Dean was only a few steps away from Julie's table, Fulton stood to catch up with him. .
"Hey Jules" Dean grinned, sliding into the booth beside her. Fulton managed to catch up with his friend, and tried to think of a way to drag him off before the rest of the day was spent with Julie the Cat showing her claws.
"Hi Portman, Fulton. You know Matt don't you? My lab partner…" she introduced. Dean glanced across the table at him, and Fulton tried to physically drag his friend away from the table. Dean shrugged Fulton off and turned back to Julie.
"Lab partner. So, what are we studying…" he asked, picking up a few articles.
"The social and moral ramifications of scientifically creating a genetic master piece" Matt replied smiling to himself. Dean nodded, making it look like he understood what Matt had just said, even though he had absolutely no idea. "It is fascinating, really…"
"Yeah, would have to be…" he replied. Fulton once again took his friend by the elbow and tried to pull him away from the table. Dean shrugged him off again, and turned to Julie. But when he looked at her, he realised that he had no idea what he wanted to say.
Julie watched him in silence as he just sat at the table, looking at her. It was beginning to scare her. She hoped that he would not say or do anything to embarrass her or Matt. Behind him, Fulton was once again trying to politely drag his bash brother away from the table, but with very little success.
"Is there something wrong Portman?" Julie asked him. Dean sighed, she had called him Portman again. He really wished that she would go back to calling him Dean. He also wished he had something to say to her. He had marched over to the table with the intentions of maybe humiliating Matt and kidnapping Julie (he wondered suddenly why all of his thoughts seemed to revolve around him kidnapping the poor girl).
But that seemed like the wrong thing to do. So he sighed again and shrugged. "No, just wanted to come and say hello" he told her lamely.
Julie didn't believe him at all. "Well, Hello" she replied. Dean nodded, and let himself be dragged away by Fulton. When they got back to their table, Portman took a large gulp of his drink, threw some money on the table and then left the diner.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"I am pathetic"
"Yeah, you are…" Fulton told his friend as they entered their dorm room. Fulton stood with his back pressed against the door, ready to run for it if his friend had fallen into one of his moods where everything in the room had to potential to be used as a weapon of mass destruction. He was kind of worried, however, when Dean did not pick up things and begin throwing, but instead collapsed face first onto the bed, burying his head in his pillow.
"Apparently, It is impossible to smother yourself, so don't bother trying" Fulton told his friend. Portman said something, and Fulton realised that even though the words were distorted by the pillow, he understood it. Portman had just told him to go away.
Fulton just shrugged, and exited the room into the hallway. Luis and Ken, who shared a room at the other end of the hall, were sitting in the narrow corridor. Their backs were each pressed against a wall, their legs stretched to the other wall so that people had to step over them in order to continue on their way.
"Hey guys" Fulton smiled, sitting that way also. He was the tallest out of the three of them, and found that he had to fold his legs a little in order to get them to fit in the space. "Why are you out here in the hallway?"
"We are paranoid!" Luis announced. Fulton looked confused.
"Goldberg" Ken summed it up for him. It was amazing that it could all be explained in one word.
"Russ, Ken and I tested the Liquid Laxative prank on him. Just to see how it would work if we really did go head with it. Turns out he realised it was us, and he and Averman already trapped Dwayne and Russ's room."
"We are scared to go in there man" Ken added, nodding.
"I don't blame you, I don't think I would want to go in there either" Fulton smiled, glancing suspiciously at the door. "So, did it work?"
"Goldberg has been running to the bathroom all afternoon" Ken grinned. Fulton laughed. They were still going to go ahead with their prank against Old Man Walsh, they just had to find the right time and place to do so.
The boys sat in the hall chatting about a few different things. Fulton couldn't help but tell the other that he had seen Julie out with Matt Goddard. (between himself, Adam, Charlie and Connie, they knew almost everything about every one on the team. It amazed him that they were all such gossips.) He did, however, leave out the fact that Portman was having not so platonic feelings for the goalie, and that he was now in their room, feeling sorry for himself.
Almost an hour later, when Fulton was convincing the boys that whatever was on the other side of their bedroom door could not be as bad as they assumed, Julie came down the hall. She did not seem to see the boys, although she stepped over their legs, but merely continued on to Dean and Fulton's room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"What was that all about?"
"What was what all about?" Dean asked. He had moved to his back and was staring up at the ceiling, occasionally taking the pillow and pressing it over his face so that he could tell himself once again that he was pathetic without having people outside the room hearing him and believing him to be some sort of mental case.
Julie had burst into the room, yelling, slamming the door behind her. Dean sat up and watched her as she began to pace the room, obviously angry at him.
"You! At the diner!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air and making a strange little growling noise at him. Dean watched her closely, she was a feisty one when she was angry.
"Fult and I were thirsty" he informed her truthfully. It was, after all, what had happened. He had no intention of telling her that he was there only after not being able to find her and drag her along to spend time with him. That would just anger the situation more.
"Bull, I don't believe that for a second." She exclaimed, looking at him suspiciously after pausing mid pace. "Why were you really there?"
"Because Fulton and I were thirsty, that is the truth cat lady!" he told her. He knew she would never believe it. Almost everyone were suspicious of the bash brothers and their motives. It really did get annoying sometimes.
"Right, so it had nothing to do with me being there with Matt." she asked him, eying him cautiously.
"I didn't know that you would be there with Matt!" he exclaimed. "Honest!"
"Sure!" Julie replied and began pacing again.
"Julie, did you even tell anyone you were going somewhere with him?" Dean asked suddenly, making Julie pause again. She thought for a few seconds. It was true, she had only told people that she was meeting her lab partner, she didn't even tell Rebecca that her lab partner for this assignment was Matt. Damn, he was right, Julie hated it when Dean was right.
"Well, no" she admitted softly.
"Then how could I possibly know." he asked her, standing from where he had still been sitting on his bed. He stopped for a few seconds as a thought hit him. "And why do you think that I would care?"
"So you are saying that you don't care?" Julie asked.
"I never said that, I only asked why you would be so sure that I would care that you were out having soda with Matt Goddard" he replied. That's the way Dean, he congratulated himself, answer a question with a question. He looked away from her quickly, hoping that she would not be able to pick up on his diversionary tactic.
Julie glanced at Dean, realising that he was hiding something from her. "But you do care?"
"Why does that matter?" He shrugged casually, far to casually for her liking. He was trying to dodge the question, to get out of telling her the truth, she could tell.
"Just answer the question" Julie sighed heavily. There was silence between them for a few seconds, and then Dean looked at her, meeting her eyes with his own intense gaze.
"Fine, I care" Dean mumbled, hoping that now they could let the subject drop.
"Ha, I knew it!" she laughed triumphantly.
"Good for you Julie, you knew something that was pretty damn obvious" Dean congratulated sarcastically. He had been pretty obvious, he realised. Staring at her at the diner, approaching her with very little to say. He had been obvious, more obvious then he had ever been with any other girl, and now Dean though that maybe he was losing his edge.
"Don't take that tone…"
"Gods, you sound like my mother." Dean sighed, rubbing his face with his hand and collapsing back onto his bed. He was suddenly so over it, and all he wanted to do was to go to sleep. "Soon you will be using my full name…"
"Why does it matter so much to you that I was there with Matt?" Julie asked after a few moments of silence. Dean looked up at her, shocked and amazed.
"Like you don't know?" he questioned. Julie looked away from him nervously, only looking back when she realised something, she didn't really know. She had walked away before they could really talk about it. Julie of course assumed, but she was not sure.
"I don't know, not really" she admitted softly.
"Then you are pretty dense" Dean replied. He tried to take all the harshness out of his voice, he seriously didn't want to have to talk to her about this.
"What?…I am not dense" Julie replied defensively.
"Then what is this really about?" he asked her, challenging her to say it out loud while once again, answering her questions with questions of his own.
"Its about…well, you kissed me today…" Julie began.
"And why did I kiss you?"
She knew the answer to that, obviously, but there was a difference between knowing the answer and admitting that there was something there between the two of them that neither of them could explain. "I don't know, because you do things like that."
"I don't 'do things like that'" he told her, and she knew that it was true. "If you don't know the reason…"
"I do know the reason…" Julie told him before he could go on. She had no idea how they had gotten into this conversation, but she knew that she was uncomfortable talking to him about this. If she could be anywhere else at that point in time, she knew that she would want to be there. "But as I told you today, it is just not going to happen…"
Dean smirked, sensing her discomfort. "I don't seem to remember you telling me that"
"Well, I am now Portman, it is not going to happen." Julie said firmly.
"Ok then." Dean shrugged casually. He had to make it look like what she was saying was not effecting him. He knew that he could not let her have the power in this conversation. He had to make it look like it was not annoying the shit out of him that she didn't want him.
Julie looked at him. "Just ok then?"
She had expected him to have more to say about it all, to debate the issue with her. Dean was not the type of guy that took no for an answer, especially when it came to girls. He was not as bad as some, but he had been known to follow around a girl for weeks, asking for a date. But this time, he had shrugged as though it was nothing to him. As though she was nothing to him and he was giving up.
"What! Make up your mind, if you don't want me, I am not going to argue with you about it…" Dean sighed.
"Well…" She began. Yes Dean, her mind screamed, Argue with me about this. Why isn't this annoying the hell out of you that you cant get what you want? "Ok, that is good"
"Wait, you want me to argue with you? You want this to be a big deal?" he asked her. Julie sighed.
"No, I don't, in fact, it is no deal at all. I could care less" She told him firmly. Dean nodded.
Dean ginned. "Then why are you here?"
"I don't know" Julie replied softly.
"Ok then" Dean nodded, smiling to himself. It was obvious that she was confused with what to think. She had gone into that room knowing exactly what she wanted to say to Dean, and he had succeeded in blowing her perfect little speech completely out of the water.
"Ok then" Julie echoed, biting her bottom lip to stop herself from saying anything more. He had twisted everything she had wanted to say. Damnit, how did he do it!
"So it is no big deal?" He asked casually, standing from the bed.
"None at all" Julie told him, nodding. "And it is none of your business what I do in my spare time…"
"Ok" he agreed.
"And who I see" Julie added distractedly as an afterthought.
"I never said it was any of my business who you see in your spare time." Dean defended himself. He watched her for a few seconds before asking. "But are you going to see Matt again?"
"Would it matter?" Julie questioned.
"Not really" Dean shrugged.
"I don't believe you!" She told him in her accusing tone.
"Jules, we are going around in circles here. I don't really care if you want to see more of Matt, I done care if you marry him and have a hundred children…" Dean informed her. Julie watched him as he spoke and realised that he was being sincere. It annoyed her that he was like this, she could have sworn that this whole thing was about his feelings for her. They had as much as said that it was only minutes before, but now it seemed that he was either lying to her about how he had felt, or he had gotten over her pretty quickly. "Wait, I do care about that. The children, I mean…"
"Why?" Julie asked. She wondered why, out of all the things to two of them had said to each other that afternoon, the idea of her having children was the one that he cared about.
"Honestly, I don't know" he laughed. Julie sighed. He could not be serious about anything!
"Ok, so, discussion over?" she asked, glancing at him. He was standing over by the bed, and she was standing near Fulton's, there was only a little space between them, enough for them to stand comfortably and not have it be awkward.
"Over and done." Dean replied, and gestured that he was washing his hands of the situation. Julie smiled. It had been a long and confusing afternoon, and now it seemed it was all wearing down.
"Friends?" she held out her hand.
"Yeah, sure, whatever" he stepped into her hesitantly and took her hand, shaking it quickly. Friends was like the kiss of death, and he hoped that his facial expression hid the fact that that was not what he wanted to be to Julie.
Julie saw the look on his face and realised that he had just been playing it cool, it really did matter to him, all of it. She sighed "Dean, I am sorry, but you are just a…"
"Don't say it!" Dean exclaimed.
"Friend" she whispered.
"You said it" he groaned.
"Well, like I said earlier, it is just…"
"A play, I understand" he finished for her.
"Nothing you could say or do could change the fact that you are just a friend…" Julie told him weakly. She hoped that the would not realise that she didn't exactly mean it.
"Nothing?" he asked her, stepping closer. Julie took a step back and glanced into his eyes. The intense look was back, and she knew what he was going to do next. Julie was caught between running for her life, and staying there and letting what was to happen, happen.
"Nothing" she whispered weakly, taking another step back as he took another step closer. She was backed into the corner of the room, into the bare piece of wall beside the door. Her intention was to open the door and slip out as soon as she could, slamming it after her so that he had no way of following her, but he had boxed her in, his hands on the wall, stopping her from moving.
Julie looked at her feet. He was so close to her that she could hear him breathing. She didn't want him there, she didn't want him approaching her like this when she was so confused. Her heart was betraying her mind, and she hated herself for it.
Dean liked her, and she didn't want to like him back. But Julie did, no matter how hard she fought against it. She wanted to push away, and she had done so well so far. Now all she needed to do was to push him away from her now, to stop him from kissing her. Julie needed self restraint, she needed to stay away from him.
Her hands found Dean's shoulders to push him away just as his lips found hers and he engaged he in a deep and passionate kiss. Her treacherous hands tightened on him, pulling his closer and she moaned as his kisses had an immediate effect on her body. She hated herself for reacting like she was, for kissing her back like this, but she just couldn't stop herself. He had a way of intoxicating her.
Dean smiled a little as her moan reached his ears. Yeah Julie, he sighed, you don't want to push me away at all. She saw right though her. She was so obvious. He had managed to use every trick he knew to get her to this point. Being Fulton's friend for so long had taught him enough about talking into corners. And he had, quite literally, talked Julie into a corner.
Her arms wound around his neck as Dean crushed her into the wall behind her. His lips, as always, were heaven, his hands tracing over her hips. How she had gotten to that point, she didn't know, and honestly, Julie didn't care. All she knew was that she had promised herself earlier that day that she would never again let Dean Portman touch her romantically unless it had something to do with the play. Hell, she needed help with her self control.
Dean took a step back, breaking the kiss, and Julie turned bright red when she whimpered sadly. Whimpered. She actually whimpered. Julie wanted to slap herself, this was all Dean's fault. She had never felt so powerless in her life, and she had never been this confused.
Julie knew what she wanted, and yet, all it had taken was the idea of his lips on hers to make her weak. Ignoring Dean and her feelings until one, or both went away was going to be harder then she thought
"Nothing?" he challenged
"N…Nothing" Julie stuttered.
She reached for the doorknob and quickly opened it, practically running from the room. Dean leant against the wall that seconds before he had had her pressed against, and then slid to sit against it, smiling brightly. He had seen though her act, she was scared. He had know idea of what she felt for him, but what ever it was that Julie did feel, it scared the living daylights out of her, and that was why she was pushing him away.
Suddenly the door opened, and Fulton entered. He looked around the room, and then realised that his roommate was sitting by his feet. He looked down at him questioningly.
"Oh, she wants me, she wants me bad." Dean grinned. "And I am not giving her up without a fight!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Shout outs.
Meggiebaby81 - it could be possible that Ken has a dorm fridge and he packs his own lunch, but I would so not be bothered. That would mean that he has to go shopping to buy things for lunch, and then make his own lunch and all. But then again, he is Ken. He could do whatever he wanted to.
DuckHockey00214496 - Two things, first off, your review made me laugh. After reading it, I just got this distinct image of Ken getting up, opening his closet, having this hand reach out, pass him a bag, and then Ken closing the door. Hey, it is possible to have his mum living in the closet. And two, when going to type your name, I was like "crap, what is with the numbers!" then I realised. Germaine, Portman, Reed and Conway. Cool. I named myself after my favourites as well.
BeautyQueen321- You asked something about Goldberg saying he was from Philly. That is technically true. In the first movie, Goldberg says that he is only going to be there for one season because his family is moving back to Philly. But then, his family doesn't end up moving. So the real question should be why is he in D2 at all. Only joking, he may not be one of my favourites, but Goldie is cool.
And thanks to all else who reviewed.
