Romeo and Julie - Chapter 9

Disclaimer - Not mine.

Notes - I hope you like this chapter, i tried to update it yesterday, but couldn't, so here it is today. As always, review.

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The door swung open, Meredith entered, and made her way quickly to the front of the auditorium. When she made it to the front, she pulled herself up onto the stage sitting on the edge, facing the class that all sat in the auditorium seats.

"Great game the other night guys" Meredith grinned, looking out over her class that was made up almost solely of Ducks. "I particularly loved the coronary Fulton gave Orion with the pass to Portman."

"You were there" Connie asked, surprised.

"Of course I was there." Meredith exclaimed in fake outrage. "When 99 percent of my class is on the same team, of course I am going to go along and show my support. Just because I don't understand what the hell you are doing out there doesn't mean I cant enjoy watching you guys."

"You don't understand hockey?" Adam asked, amazed. It could have been that he had been playing and watching hockey since he was two years old, but it amazed him that there were people out there who didn't understand or enjoy hockey.

"You lot don't understand acting or Shakespeare, so we can call it even." Meredith replied carefully, laughing at the young boys amazement. "Now I want to move onto more blocking, and also give the rest of you jobs, no one is going to be sitting around in lessons anymore…"

Meredith launched herself into a little speech about how those who would not be working on the blocking of scenes would be designing sets, props, costumes, advertisements and programmes.

When it was obvious that Meredith was in her own little world of explaining, Russ leant over to Ken, who was sitting by his side, and said "Guys, we take revenge on Old Man Walsh tomorrow. Pass it on."

Ken smiled and moved so he could tell Goldberg. "Hey, Russ told me to tell you that the plan against Walsh is going ahead tomorrow."

"Ken says that Russ told him to tell me that tomorrow we are going to make Old man Walsh pay. Pass it on down the line" Goldberg told Averman, who nodded and went to pass on the message.

"Hey man, tell the others that the plan against Walsh goes ahead tomorrow." Averman told Dwayne, and then, remembering something he had seen on the Simpsons the night before, added. "Purple monkey dishwasher."

"Man, Russ just called Old man Walsh a purple monkey dishwasher." Dwayne told Guy.

"A what?" Guy looked at Dwayne like he was insane. When Dwayne offered no explanation, Guy shrugged and turned to Luis "Russ called Old Man Walsh purple donkey dish water."

"Russ called Old Man Walsh a purple ass." Luis mumbled to Charlie quickly. Charlie looked at him in surprise.

"No way" He muttered, and then passed the message on to Adam, who was sitting on his other side. "Dude, Russ called Old Man Walsh an Asshole "

Adam laughed and lent over to Fulton. "Hey Fulton, guess what. Russ just called Old Man Walsh an asshole to his face."

"Well Done Russ" Fulton smiled, looking down the line at Russ, who was pretending to listen to what Meredith was saying about painting backgrounds. When he could not get his friends attention for some sort of celebratory gesture, Fulton shrugged and turned to Portman. "Portman, Russ just called everyone's favourite teacher an asshole. To his face no less."

"Very cool, I knew we could count on Russ" Portman, not surprisingly, looked the most excited about it. He to tried to look to the other end of the row, but when he could not catch Russ's attention, and turned back to his friend. "What happened…"

"I don't know. Let me find out" Fulton began, turning back to Adam. "Adam, what happened?"

"I don't know, give me a second" He shrugged, and then turned to Charlie. "Charlie, find out what happened…"

"Boys, if you are quite done whispering over there, I would very much like to get on with this." Meredith told them, and Portman, Fulton, Charlie and Adam all sunk a little lower in their seats. A few of the other ducks smiled at their friends and they all turned back to Meredith "Right, I want the Capulet and the Montague boys up here to rehearse Mercutio's death scene. Every one else, I want you to split into little groups and start working on stage settings. Pick a scene and write down all the props we will need. "

Fulton tried to listen to Meredith, but realised that his attention was once again drawn to Portman, who was staring across the room like a love sick puppy dog. He groaned and elbowed his friend in the side. "Portman, stop it, you are staring at her again"

"But, look at her, there is something wrong with her" Portman told him without even looking away from Julie. The others were all standing and either making their way to the stage or splitting into groups to prepare the prop lists.

"Yeah, she probably knows that you are staring at her." Fulton told him, standing. Portman stood also, and behind Fulton, Charlie and Adam stood as well. "You are probably making her mad"

"No, it is not that…" he mused.

"It is that" Fulton rolled his eyes. He tried to push past Portman, but he wouldn't move.

"It cant be that, she hasn't looked at me all day" Portman told him.

"Then maybe your face is the problem" Adam said irritably from behind the two bash brothers. He was suppose to go join a group while the others had their on stage fight, but he could not move, because he was being boxed in by the bashes and Charlie.

"Stay out of this Banksie" Portman threw over Fulton's shoulder.

"Yes sir" Adam saluted him mockingly. He was feeling brave, because to get to him, Dean would have to go through Fulton. Fulton would not let anything happen to him…would he?

"There is definitely something wrong with her." Portman sighed, looking at Julie, who was talking about something with Connie and a few other girls in the class.

"Maybe she is having a bad day" Fulton suggested. Portman nodded.

"Fulton, go ask her what is wrong" he replied, hitting his friend on the shoulder. Fulton looked at his bash brother as though he was insane.

"What? Why? You are the one who wants to know" Fulton replied logically.

"But I cant go over there and ask her" he replied.

"Why?" Charlie asked from the back of the group. Portman looked over his shoulder at the captain, as though he was only just realising that he was standing there.

"Because she wont answer me. She is so intent in telling herself that she hates me." he replied.

"What makes you think that she will tell me?" Fulton asked his, curious.

"Because you are Fulton." Dean told him, as though simply stating his name would be enough to make him understand his reasoning. "Everybody loves Fulton"

Behind him, Adam smirked. "Its true, you are a very loveable guy…"

"Didn't I tell you to stay out of this Banksie?" Portman asked.

"Sorry, I will remember that in the future" Adam grinned to himself and sat in his seat again. If he was going to be stuck he might as well get comfortable.

"So you want me to go over there and ask her what is bothering her?" Fulton asked him as though he was trying to confirm the plan.

"Well, yeah" Portman nodded.

"Why don't you send Adam, she would be less suspicious of Banksie since they talk a lot more." Fulton asked, indicating with his head in Adam's general direction. Portman took one look at Adam and then turned back to Fulton.

"Because I asked you to do it" he replied calmly.

"So, under the same logic, if I asked you to leave your shoes outside, you would?" Fulton asked his friend.

"I don't need to, my shoes don't smell…" Portman began.

"Yes they do, I can smell them from Edina." Adam mumbled under his breath. Portman reached out to hit him, Fulton stepped in the way. Adam made a mental note to thank him later for that.

"Last warning Banks." Portman growled.

"Right, sorry" Adam nodded. Adam looked around for a few seconds before standing, and jumping over the seat in front of him, walking down that row, and making his way to join Dwayne and Guy who were working on some scene. He wondered why had had not thought of that earlier.

Portman, Fulton and Charlie watched as Adam joined the group before turning back to the conversation that they were having. "Ok, So if you go over there and do a little bit of research for me, then I promise I will leave my shoes outside."

"Wont that stink up the hallway?" Charlie asked. Portman glared at him.

"Do I look like I care about a stinking hallway." He asked. Charlie shrugged. It was true, it didn't look like Dean cared either way. "Fine, I will leave them outside, as in, I will throw them out the window every night. Happy?"

"No, but if I was happy, the Fulton you all 'love' would cease to be" Fulton sighed. He glanced at Julie quickly, then turned back to his friend. "What am I suppose to say to her?"

"I don't know"

"Haven't thought that far ahead?" Fulton mocked.

"Shut up" Dean growled. "Just ask her what she did on the weekend. And mention the game, and my goal, if you can…"

"Ok, so pry into her personal life, and then talk you up a little?" Fulton asked.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Portman confirmed. "So, what are you waiting for?"

"Well, I cant go now" Fulton replied.

"Why not?" Portman asked him. Fulton indicated to the stage, that had a few of their friends on it. Their friends, and Meredith, who was obviously waiting for them.

"Mercutio's death scene. I am Mercutio, bit hard to practice without me." Fulton replied, finally pushing his friend out of the row. "Don't worry, I will talk to her at Break"

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After class, with a little not so gentle pushing from Portman, Fulton covertly followed Julie out of the auditorium and across the campus to the library. He watched her enter, and waited a little while before following her in. He searched for her carefully, trying not to make it to obvious that he was looking for her. He swung by the fiction section first, picking up copy of his favourite book and then made his way to the reference section of the library. (Hey, he was there, so he might as well kill two birds with one stone)

Plus, the book was the perfect cover. On the other side of the reference section were the comfortable chairs. He would just make his way over to them, and if he accidentally (well, maybe not accidentally) bumped into Julie on the way there, then that would just be a lucky coincidence.

He saw her in the Scientific journals section, smiled, and congratulated himself on a job well done. He started down the gap between the bookshelfs, bumping Julie's shoulder as he passed and causing her to drop the books. Her dropping the books was an accident. The collision was not so much.

"Sorry" he began. "Oh, hey Julie"

"Hi Fulton" She had planned to be angry at the person who had bumped her, and made her drop the stack magazines that she had been searching through. But she knew from past experience that it was hard to be angry at one of the Ducks. "What are you doing here?"

"You sound like you would never expect to see me in a library" he asked, smiling.

"Well, I don't, not really…" she mumbled distracted as she knelt down to pick up the books. Fulton knelt down beside her, put his book on the floor and helped her gather the magazines.

"Thanks a lot" he grinned at her in fake offence.

"Sorry, but it is true" Julie laughed, and Fulton could not help but smile as well. Julie put all the books back on the shelf, and then saw the thick paperback that he was holding. "What are you reading"

Fulton held the book out to her. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

"It is a good book, have you read it?" Fulton asked. Julie shook her head.

"You have read it before?" Julie asked, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice.

"I can read you know" Fulton told her, smiling brightly. Julie looked mortified.

"I know, Fult, I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't. It just came out wrong." She explained. "You enjoy it?"

"Yeah. The first time I read it, it took me almost a year to complete it. I didn't really understand very much of it, and it frustrated me that I was not smart enough to get it, so I would throw the book around a bit. But I came back to it a year after that, and really read it. Now it is one of my favourites." Fulton replied.

"Wow. Maybe I should read it one day" Julie smiled and together they both moved to the comfortable chairs in the corner. There was no one else there, so Fulton collapsed into one, resting his feet in another. Julie laughed and sat across from him.

"Yeah." Fulton smiled and put the book on the floor. "Read the hobbit first though"

"Thanks for the advice." Julie smiled. It was amazing how much she didn't really know the others on the team. When ever she thought she knew everything that there was to know, they would do something to surprise her. Like reading

"So, where were you after the game on Friday. You didn't stick around Mickey's for very long." Fulton asked casually. Julie sighed.

"No I didn't did I? I wished I could have stayed a little longer, but I just had so much to do on Saturday that I knew I would have to get some sleep." Julie explained sadly. "I left after an hour…"

"I hope you don't mind me saying so Jules, but Portman told me that you have had a lot on your plate lately…"

"Dean should mind his own business." Julie said softly. Fulton laughed.

"I agree, he should. But, he has a point." He told her. Julie looked at him, amazed. "He cares about you Julie. And I care about you to. The whole team does, you shouldn't work so hard."

"So this is an intervention?" Julie questioned. Fulton scratched his head.

"If I knew what an intervention was, I could assure you that this is not one of them." Fulton smiled. "I am just letting you know that you should do something for yourself as well. I bet, out of all the time you had this weekend, you didn't do anything for recreation."

"That's not true, I…well…I…damnit, why does it annoy me so much when you and Dean are right about things?" Julie sighed.

"I don't know. But you should take our advice if we are right. Would it really kill you if you didn't get your assignments complete on the first day that you got them? I mean, Julie, have you ever even had a detention?"

"No" She mumbled.

"You haven't lived till you have has a detention. Hell, even Connie gets detentions every now and then." Fulton told her, amazed. Julie took part in a few of the Duck's pranks and such, how was it possible for her to not even have had one detention? It would be an alien feeling for him, Fulton realised, because he had gotten a detention on the first day of the first grade, and one every day since, it felt.

"You think I need to lighten up?" Julie asked him. Fulton shrugged, and then paused and shook his head at her.

"I think you need to take a little time and be unpredictable" he informed her. Julie looked at her feet. "Not that there is anything wrong with being predictable, because honestly, we have all come to depend on predictability, but honestly, routines suck"

"You know Fulton, you are a really smart guy" Julie grinned as Fulton shrugged dismissively. "Really easy to talk to as well."

"Yeah, everybody loves Fulton" he echoed Dean's earlier thought.

Julie laughed. "Wouldn't go that far"

"No, neither would I, but apparently, others would." Fulton told her. Julie looked at him, confused, and he waved his hand to inform her that she should ignore the comment. Julie just smiled at him, and in that one moment, Fulton felt so bad. Was he really going to pry into her social life and then report the findings back to Portman. He couldn't do that, not to her, it would feel wrong. "Ok, I am going to be truthful with you Julie. I am not here of my own accord. I mean, sure, I wanted an excuse to get the book and all, but Portman asked me to come and talk to you."

"Gee, who does he think that he is?" She asked, her eyes darkening in anger. "Manipulating his best friend into doing his dirty work."

"Julie, calm down, it is a win/win situation. He promised to keep his shoes outside." Fulton told her. He was amazed that Julie was dwelling more on the fact that Portman had used him, not on the fact that he had used him to get information about her. He decided it was time to just lay all the cards on the table. "Jules, he really likes you"

"I know" Julie sighed.

"Do you like him?" Fulton asked out of his own curiosity. From her behaviour lately, it was hard to tell if the goalie did in fact return Dean's feelings.

"I cant" She mumbled.

"Why cant you?" Fulton asked, surprised. He though that his question would warrant a yes no answer, or at least a maybe, but not an 'I cant'

"He is Portman." She explained.

"So, that just means that he is a relatively intelligent, semi interesting, sometimes surprising guy. And, remember I am saying this in a non-gay way, but he is alright looking, not a complete dog" Fulton told her. He could not believe he had just listed his friends qualities like some second rate dating service. All of this seemed just so elementary school all of a sudden. "You could do worse Jules"

"He is annoying, disgusting, sexist…jock" Julie replied.

Fulton laughed. "You cant use Jock as a defining factor. You are a jock"

"Exactly. Jocks should not date jocks. I don't date hockey players, it is my personal rule." Julie explained to him. Fulton nodded, strangely understanding. He could picture what it would be like for two hockey players to date.

"But you date academics like Matt" he asked. Julie's jaw dropped in surprise.

"I am not dating Matt" Julie informed him.

"But you are attracted to Matt?" He asked, once again, more curious as a friend then as a spy for Portman.

"Yes" Julie blushed and didn't meet his eyes.

"But you are also attracted to Portman?" Fulton asked. He winced. He had just used his main tool that he used when he was talking a confession out of someone. He had decided not to make Julie answer anything he didn't want to, but then he asked her that question.

"Yes…No, no, I mean no" Julie had answered before Fulton could tell her to forget the question. "Damnit, Dean sent you to talk me into a corner, didn't he?"

"No, his exact words were more like 'pry into your personal life and talk him up a little.'" Fulton told her. Julie nodded.

"Well, well done" She whispered, and Fulton didn't know if she was about to explode in anger, or begin to cry. "What else do you need to know? Shoe size? Clothing sizes? Body measurements?"

"Jules, I wont tell him what you told me. It is not fair for him to ask me to come and betray your trust like this. I am sorry." Fulton told her sincerely, he just hoped that she would believe him.

"Fulton, you really are one of the good guys" Julie smiled at him after seeing that he was sincere.

"Yeah, spread the word huh? See if I can actually get a date this year." Fulton joked a little, and Julie could not help but laugh at him. Fulton decided now was a good time to change the subject. "Did you know Ken is dating a cheerleader? What is with that?"

"I know, Go Ken" Julie smiled.

"Luis is spitting chips. Apparently he has been working the cheer squad since the beginning of last year, and Ken 'stole his girls.'" Fulton told her, using finger italics around the end of the sentence. Julie chuckled.

"What do guys see in cheerleaders anyway? They are so brainless." she sighed.

"I know, I could never date one." Fulton admitted. He had never told anyone that girls like that didn't exactly do it for him. Sure, some of them were beautiful, but he needed some one that he could talk to. "Ken even admitted that he is having issues with Courtney. But, in his words, she is a 'bloody gorgeous ditz' I think he will only date her for a little longer before he goes insane with her giggling."

Julie shook her head as they laughed together. "I have no idea what Ken and Courtney would have in common"

"There had to be something…and what that something is, I will leave up to the imagination."

"Yeah" Julie rolled her eyes. "So, is Dean going to be pissed with you when he finds out you didn't get any information out of me?"

"Nah, I will just tell him that you told me nothing. You stayed tight lipped and then screamed at me when I tired to get you to open up. He would believe me."

"You know what…do the opposite…" she began. Fulton looked at her, wondering what she was talking about, and then smiled when she leaned in. "This is what you should tell him"

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"She said what?" Portman exclaimed. He slammed his locker shut. It was the end of their break, and Fulton had just made it back from the library. Dean had grabbed him and made them go to their lockers so that they could discuss what Julie had said.

"Julie left Mickey's on Friday night and met up with Matt at his place. They celebrated on their own." Fulton told him. He bit his lip covertly, trying not to make it to obvious that he was lying. He and Julie had made up a story to tell him.

Any other day, Fulton would feel bad about lying to his best friend, but today, after almost a week of Dean moping around and staring at the poor girl, almost a week of him yapping on and on about her, he had had enough.

"Really" Dean asked, surprised. "What else did you find out?"

"That she went out with Matt on Saturday night, they went to the movies and then for a walk in the park" he told his friend, and then paused to gauge Portman's reaction.

"Oh." Dean nodded. "Sounds like a pretty romantic date."

"Yeah, she said it was." Fulton shrugged and closed his own locker.

"So, I guess that Matt is like, her 'boyfriend' now?" Dean asked. Leaning against the locker behind him.

"Jules didn't say that." Fulton shrugged. "But I think that could be what is going on. Why don't you ask her?"

"I have a better idea" he pushed himself away from the locker and started down the hall.

"What, Portman, what idea?" Fulton called over his friend.

"I am going to go pay a little visit to Matt"

Oh boy, that could be a bad thing.

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The big old list of Shout outs

Nikkiloola - I am glad you like this story. I hope this chapter is up to standard.

Pixie13 - Hey, thank you for your review. Yeah, I know that Courtney is not exactly the type of girl the Ken would go for (especially in a previous chapter I said that he was an intelligent guy.) But I sort of wanted a way to have Ken teasing Luis, and Ken getting a cheerleader was the only way I could think to do that. But this chapter sort of explains a little bit of that. One more thing, as much as I love your reviews, you need to go write more of Carlos and more Portman/Ken slash. You have gotten me addicted.

CakeEaterGirly99 - Whining will get you no where deary. (j/k) thanks for your review. As for your suggestion of getting Dean a girl to make Jules jealous, I don't think he could do that to her, he loves her to much.

KitKat - He is a multi-talented guy. Enforcer, Scorer, actor (well, sort of), guitarist, good kisser…

MyMy - Thank you for your review.

Also thanks to Ashcake, Jo and Cathryn for reviewing last chapter.