PORTMAN'S POV
When we left the hospital Fulton let me drive, well I don't know if it's as much he let me
drive as I sat in the driver's seat and wouldn't move. I can be very stubborn at times, if
you haven't already noticed. Not that he can't, we fought over the spot for a good twenty
minutes. You should've seen the people looking at us like we were nutty as putty. Finally
however he realized I wasn't budging and he couldn't move me, so I won. Why did I fight
for almost a half an hour to drive Fulton's car? I don't know, but it got him to at least talk
to me.
"We're going to talk." I declared backing out of the parking lot.
Fulton raised his eyebrows.
"Are we?"
"Yes."
"What makes you so sure?"
I thought for a moment trying to think of a good enough threat, there wasn't one.
"Because even if you want to play the break up game again, we're still friends. Jesus
we've been best friends for years damn it."
"So what do you want to talk about then Portman?" He sighed, drumming his fingers on
his knee.
"Charlie and Banks."
He sighs again, this time in relief, I knew he thought I was going to say us. Seeing as I
didn't want him to muster up the strength to push me out of the Bronco while he drove
back to his house, I didn't. Besides Charlie and Banks seemed like as good a topic as any.
All I had to do was think of how exactly I was going to relate them to us.
"Okay, talk."
"Well..." I began. "It's just you know they really love each other, you can tell just by the
way their faces look when somebody mentions the other."
Fulton nodded.
"Yeah, I know."
"I mean did you see the look on Adam's face when we went to pick up the balloon?"
"Yeah, I thought he was gonna cry. It's kinda sad, but Charlie did beat the hell out of him.
He'll be lucky if he can play at all this season, if he can't he may lose his scholarship."
"You know I never thought of it that way." I conceded.
"Figures." He grumbled like I was intentionally being insensitive.
"And Charlie looked like somebody ripped his heart out when he found out Banks wasn't
coming." I continued trying to prove I did infact notice things.
"Banks is hurting because he doesn't want to be around Charlie, Charlie's hurting because
he misses Banks. It's a tragic cycle."
"They'll have to see each other at Bombay's wedding, so they better get over it."
Fulton looked over at after chewing on his finger nail, a habit not many people see.
"Are you still going to the wedding?"
"Why wouldn't I? The whole team was invited." I observed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know... I just thought maybe since we broke up..."
"No, Fult, we didn't break up. You broke up, I was very happy with things the way they
were."
"You're an ass Portman, you know that?"
"I'm an ass? Oh man, you know what Fulton, you a moron. You spend all your time
thinking of ways to get rid of me. When you should be thinking of ways to keep me. I've
done nothing since I was thirteen but love you and you fuck with my head so bad. God
damn it Reed, just think about it for one fricken second. You broke up with me three,
that's three times." I held up fingers to illistrate. "The first time after the Good Will
Games, the second time when I woulnd't tell my dad and now. If you haven't noticed I
haven't gone away. You're stuck with me weather you like it or not, it may not be as
lovers, it may not even be as friends, but I will not let you chance me out of your life."
"I don't want to talk about this." He whispered rolling down his window and sticking his
head out it.
That was weird, he never whispers and as he turned his head, I thought his skin looked a
little green..
"Fulton, what's wrong?"
"I'm sick Portman...."
When we left the hospital Fulton let me drive, well I don't know if it's as much he let me
drive as I sat in the driver's seat and wouldn't move. I can be very stubborn at times, if
you haven't already noticed. Not that he can't, we fought over the spot for a good twenty
minutes. You should've seen the people looking at us like we were nutty as putty. Finally
however he realized I wasn't budging and he couldn't move me, so I won. Why did I fight
for almost a half an hour to drive Fulton's car? I don't know, but it got him to at least talk
to me.
"We're going to talk." I declared backing out of the parking lot.
Fulton raised his eyebrows.
"Are we?"
"Yes."
"What makes you so sure?"
I thought for a moment trying to think of a good enough threat, there wasn't one.
"Because even if you want to play the break up game again, we're still friends. Jesus
we've been best friends for years damn it."
"So what do you want to talk about then Portman?" He sighed, drumming his fingers on
his knee.
"Charlie and Banks."
He sighs again, this time in relief, I knew he thought I was going to say us. Seeing as I
didn't want him to muster up the strength to push me out of the Bronco while he drove
back to his house, I didn't. Besides Charlie and Banks seemed like as good a topic as any.
All I had to do was think of how exactly I was going to relate them to us.
"Okay, talk."
"Well..." I began. "It's just you know they really love each other, you can tell just by the
way their faces look when somebody mentions the other."
Fulton nodded.
"Yeah, I know."
"I mean did you see the look on Adam's face when we went to pick up the balloon?"
"Yeah, I thought he was gonna cry. It's kinda sad, but Charlie did beat the hell out of him.
He'll be lucky if he can play at all this season, if he can't he may lose his scholarship."
"You know I never thought of it that way." I conceded.
"Figures." He grumbled like I was intentionally being insensitive.
"And Charlie looked like somebody ripped his heart out when he found out Banks wasn't
coming." I continued trying to prove I did infact notice things.
"Banks is hurting because he doesn't want to be around Charlie, Charlie's hurting because
he misses Banks. It's a tragic cycle."
"They'll have to see each other at Bombay's wedding, so they better get over it."
Fulton looked over at after chewing on his finger nail, a habit not many people see.
"Are you still going to the wedding?"
"Why wouldn't I? The whole team was invited." I observed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know... I just thought maybe since we broke up..."
"No, Fult, we didn't break up. You broke up, I was very happy with things the way they
were."
"You're an ass Portman, you know that?"
"I'm an ass? Oh man, you know what Fulton, you a moron. You spend all your time
thinking of ways to get rid of me. When you should be thinking of ways to keep me. I've
done nothing since I was thirteen but love you and you fuck with my head so bad. God
damn it Reed, just think about it for one fricken second. You broke up with me three,
that's three times." I held up fingers to illistrate. "The first time after the Good Will
Games, the second time when I woulnd't tell my dad and now. If you haven't noticed I
haven't gone away. You're stuck with me weather you like it or not, it may not be as
lovers, it may not even be as friends, but I will not let you chance me out of your life."
"I don't want to talk about this." He whispered rolling down his window and sticking his
head out it.
That was weird, he never whispers and as he turned his head, I thought his skin looked a
little green..
"Fulton, what's wrong?"
"I'm sick Portman...."