Chapter 3: Finding New Loves
By: iluvguygermaine00 & Cimmy

Author's Note from iluvguygermaine00 (Recommended): Samantha is not Samantha Germaine, that would be unbelievable wrong! This Samantha is based on Samantha Germaine from Caring, but is not the same one. This Samantha has no last name right now. She's 17; I think...I'll have to check with Catalina on that...Samantha Germaine is 11, right now (Chapter 8). Alright, that's it. Unless I think of something else... Thanks to all the reviewers...enjoy!

Julie's POV
By: iluvguygermaine00

Last night was pretty good. After Samantha switched tents with Connie things quieted down a bit.

Then in the morning, Connie was complaining about her neck. We all pretty much told her to shut up, it wasn't our fault she didn't bring a pillow.

I heard earlier this morning, Fred gave her a neck massage. Lucky. Maybe he likes her, but I don't know. I guess they're really close friends or something. Once again, lucky. I got to admit, I'm jealous. I don't even have a boyfriend, let alone a really close guy friend. I better find a guy on this trip. The Ducks aren't cutting it, I'm getting lonely.

Okay, so it's the first day of the festival and I'm excited. I hope we leave soon. Everybody seems to be in an up-beat mood.

Being the organized person I am, I'm ready to get going. But the majority of the rest of them aren't. "Hurry up!" I wail. Hey, I said I was organized, not that I don't complain.

"Calm down, Jules." Portman starts. "We'll get there sooner or later."

"Why can't it be sooner?"

"Julie Gaffney stop whining! Give up 30 minutes." Charlie says.

I roll my eyes. "C'mon, it's already one, why isn't everyone ready."

"I'm ready." Adam pipes in…ugh…suck up.

"Me too." Samantha says as she comes out of the tent she's sharing with Guy and comes to sit next to me.

"Finally." Guy glares at her.

"Don't start with me, Guy Germaine." She glares back.

"Yea, get ready!" I yell.

30 minutes later…

"Alright it's been 30 minutes, I'm leaving, who's coming?" I announce.

"Jules, wait a minute, not everybody is ready!" Charlie tries to calm me down.

"I have waited!" I argue.

"Jules, cool it. You'll get to go. Just give us about 10 more minutes." Guy yells from the tent.

"And you say I take a long time to get ready!" Samantha smiles.

Guy crawls out of his tent. "I can kick you out."

"You wouldn't." Samantha smiled.

"I did to Connie." he smiled and shrugged.

"No you didn't!" Samantha wrinkled her nose. "I switched with Connie."

"Yea, well I could still kick you out."

"But…" she started.

"Zip it, or you're out." Guy threatened.

Samantha stuck her tongue out at Guy…he just smiled.

It was silent for a minute.

"Let's go!" I scream and pull Samantha off the table. Then I grab her arm and run towards where I think the entrance is.

Unfortunately for me, Adam sprints faster than I do and he pulled Samantha and I back. I think she wanted to go really bad, too, because she whimpered when he pushed us back.

So, here we are, on our way to the festival, finally.

"God, I'm so excited!" I squeal.

"We know." Ken rolls his eyes.

I just smile. We're almost to the line, to show our passes and get in.

"Everyone have their passes?" Charlie asks, being the 'responsible' guy he is.

"Uh-oh." I hear someone say from behind me. I stop dead in my tracks.

"Who said that?" I turn around on my heels.

"Jules, please don't hurt me." Connie pleads.

"How did you forget your pass?" I yell.

"Julie, calm down. People are staring!" Fulton hisses.

I just give him a tired look.

"Sorry Julie. Would somebody come back with me and look for it with me?" she asks.

She looks at all of us, one by one.

"Don't ask." I say.

Then she looks at Samantha.

"Sorry, Connie, I let you be in Julie's tent, and have my sleeping bad." She gives an apologetic look.

"Be nice." Guy looks at her.

"What? You know for a person who was fighting with Connie at midnight, you're being awfully…" Guy elbows her in the ribs. "Ow! That hurt!" Samantha gives Guy a hurt look.

"Sorry." He smiles.

What the hell…

"Oh please! Who's gonna come with me?" Connie interrupts them.

It was silent for about 5 minutes.

"Jesus Christ, I'll go with you." Fred says, sounding annoyed.

"But---." Catalina objects.

"We'll be back in 10 minutes." Fred smiles and kisses his girlfriend.

"Oh, alright." She sighs.

"Let's go." Connie commands.

Okay, so finally, we're here. Not all of us, but at least I'm here. I'm smiling so much; nothing could make my day better.

All of a sudden, I bump into this guy and almost fall on my ass, but he catches me.

"Hi." I smile shyly.

"Hi, I'm Mark" he smiles back.

"Julie."

I see some of the Ducks roll their eyes.

"I've got to go. I have a show to do, but I'll look for you later." Mark smiles…god I love his smile.

"Okay." I blush and turn around to hear Luis making kissing noises. "Luis! Stop!" I say and hit him.

Catalina's POV

I'm worried. Fred said he'd be back in 10 minutes, but he isn't.

"Charlie, what time is it?" I ask anxiously.

"Uh, 5 minutes since the last time you asked." He gives me a tired look.

Where is he? Maybe he just can't find us. He wouldn't do anything with Connie. He loves me, right?

Julie's POV

God I'm excited. I just saw Mark's band perform. I'm looking for him, so he can find me easier.

I've spotted him and casually make my way over. I walk past him, so it doesn't look like I'm trying to get his attention.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turn around. It's him!

"Hi." I flash him a big smile.

"Hi, want to go get something to eat?"

"Sure." I smiled.

Who wouldn't say yes to this guy?

We ended up getting burgers and fries from some food stand and sat at a table under an open tent.

He tells me that he's from Missouri; he's the lead singer and plays guitar in his band. They're called Lethal Cause. His favorite type of food is Italian and his favorite movie is The Matrix.

I tell him how I'm part of the Ducks, who were once Team USA, that I'm originally from Bangor, Maine and that I go to Eden Hall Academy on scholarship.

He's 18, I'm 17, this could totally work, right?

I tell him stories about the Ducks, and he tells me stories about his life and the band.

By the end of the night, I've got backstage passes for all the Ducks and myself. Cute guy and backstage passes…score! I mean who can say no to that?!

I was having a blast until Charlie made me leave…stupid Charlie, can't he see I'm in heaven?

Connie's point of view
By: Cimmy

I follow Fred out from the area. Oh, my mood is not the best right now. I really didn't expect my first day to be all crappy! And no one but annoying Fred wants to help me out looking for my pass either. And they're supposed to be my friends?

"You wanna go get something to drink?" Fred asks me, probably to get me into a better mood. I immediately think of the beer-tents they have put up at several locations within the area. So I snort.

"I'm not eighteen, stupid."

"First of all, I'm not stupid," he tells me. "Second of all, I meant water or a soda or something. But if you want alcohol, I could probably get that too."

Even though the thought of getting drunk seems good, I decline. I really didn't come here to get into trouble. We walk back to the tents and while Fred's talking on his cell-phone, trying to convince someone on the other line that he needs a new pass, I sit on the rock next to Guy's tent and sulk.

"What'd they say?" I want to know, the minute Fred hangs up. He smiles at me.

"You can collect your new pass at the northern entrance," he says and waves to me. "Let's go."

Suddenly I just feel too tired to run all the way to the other side of the festival. Around the outside stages, the people and the tents. No, I'm just too wiped out right now.

Fred sits down next to me on the rock and pulls my arm. "Hello, Connie? Let's go, you'll miss that band you wanted to see. C'mon, I'll walk you there."

Why is he being so damn nice to me? Can't he see I'm upset? Actually, I don't know why I am upset, but it feels like I should be for some reason. Because of Guy, my missing bag, my sore neck and my dirty shoes. I am finally at the place I most want to be at, and I feel like crying. What's wrong with me?

Fred stops pulling my arm when he sees that I'm sad. "Look, I told you I'd take care of this, and it worked out fine!" he exclaims and puts an arm around me. "Would you like some food? I could get you into the beer-tent. They have barbeque. You like that."

Now he's being incredibly nice again. I thought he was supposed to be shy when it comes to girls. But I guess I'm just considered as his girl-buddy. A friend who happens to be a girl. "Nah, I don't know," I mumble and look at my watch. "What about the others?"

"Maybe this will cheer you up," Fred suggests and gets up. He put his arms around me and hauls me to my feet.

"What? Barbeque?" I mutter. "Let's go get my pass instead."

My mood gets better as soon as we get closer to the entrance again. Although, what's the point? When I finally get up to the box office, they haven't even heard of me.

"But it's supposed to be under my name!" I tell the cashier. "Did you look carefully? It's Connie. Connie Moreau." I begin to spell my name, but the cashier just gives me a tired look and shakes her head.

"I'm sorry, miss Moreau. I don't have any tickets or passes for you."

I leave the line and stomp back over to Fred. He's leaning against a tree with his hands in his pockets. When he sees me come running, he goes over to meet me. "What happened?"

"They didn't have my name!" I howl and slug his arm. He pushes me back.

"Did you say it was under your name?" he asks.

"Of course!" I shout and kick dirt all over his pants. "What other name was I supposed to mention? Bugs Bunny?"

"My name, maybe? They could've put it under my name."

"Well, isn't that just wonderful?" I growl. "Why didn't you stand in line then?"

"You were the one losing your entrance-pass!"

I sigh and start to walk back towards the camp site. This seriously sucks. Fred walks up next to me and hands me his pass. "Take my pass, and go see that band," he offers. "I don't mind, I'll just go back and stand in line for that other pass."

I smile, forgetting all about my struggles. "Do you really think you could get me into one of those places?" The thought of doing something illegal thrills me beyond no reason. Fred is one year older than me, so he's all grown-up.

"Sure," he shrugs. "You wanna go?"

Uhm, barbeque sounds good. And drinking sounds even better. It's just fair; if the others get to see great performances, I should be allowed to party. "Can we?"

Fred grins and grabs my arm. "Sure, Con. Come on, let's just go and get drunk or something."

Sounds good.

Fred's being really sweet and caring, and that's definitely what I need right now. I guess we got a bit too much to drink, but I'm fine. We're walking back to the camp site, and man, now I'm hyper. I climb up on the rocks along the way and jump down just as fast. Then I grab Fred's arm and drag him along across the path.

"Connie, cool down!" he laughs. I stop and begin twirling around. I wish I could feel like this all the time. My legs have their own life, and my thoughts are all packed into some sort of tinsel. My eyes can't really see further than a few inches away from my nose, but I'm still good.

We get back to the tents, and even if it's packed with people all over the place, none of our friends are back yet. Maybe they decided to stay and see the night performances as well. Fred seems a bit distracted and uncomfortable for some reason.

"Do you have anything more to drink?" I ask, just to avoid the awkward silence.

"Uh, sure," he answers. "I think I have something in my tent. I hid it from Catalina, but I'll get it for you."

Fred comes back with a bottle of liquor. Oh, he's my hero right now! I go over to stand behind one of the information-buildings, while sipping on the drink. It's quite strong, but I decide to finish it all anyway.

I fall when I try to take one step towards Fred, and he grabs me. I almost drag him down with me, but he's strong enough to keep us both standing. Had it been Guy or Adam, I'd be smashed by now.

"Wow, take it easy, Connie," Fred slurs. "Don't make me fall."

It's just something about the whole situation that makes me lose my mind completely. Fred looks at me with his brown, intense eyes, and the next minute he's kissing me. And I don't realize that I'm kissing him back until we're back at the tent. I would panic and all, but I'm not. I just need to do something really stupid right now, and this seems stupid enough.

Of course the thought of Catalina keeps popping into my mind, but it's so far back in my head, along with algebra and Guy, that I don't even care.

"Do you have anything else to drink?" I mumble, hoping that he'll ask me to stay with him a bit longer. I need it. I have been all alone since Guy broke up with me last year. He's been dating, and I've been sulking. I need to feel wanted and needed. Fred is just the type of guy you could have as a rebound. He's considerate, sweet and easy to get over.

Oh, I'm being mean, but if you only knew how badly it hurts to be dumped and thrown into a deep pit of darkness. I've been trying to get over Guy, but it's impossible when he's happy with other girls, and I never even leave my room.

Julie's been trying to fix me up with different guys, but I'm never interested in any of them. And to think, the one guy I want right now has been in front of my eyes all this time. Kissing one of my friends. Catalina, oh my God. What's going to happen to her now?

"I can check," Fred murmurs and kneels to be able to crawl into the tent.

"I can help you," I say and follow him inside. I can still hear voices around us, and people walking by our tent over and over again. Then I hear someone throw up somewhere close. Well, we're at a festival, who's not drunk here?

Fred wrinkles his nose. It makes him look kind of cute. "No, I don't have anything more to drink. Doesn't matter, you've had enough anyway."

What an insult. "I'm fine," I growl. He wipes some grass stains off my jeans, and that's my cue. I lean closer to him to proceed the kissing, and soon my thoughts mainly revolve around how good it feels to be needed again. Just like Guy had needed my once.

I hope I'm not doing this just to get back at my Mom for not trusting me to go on this trip. But I assume it's because I've been drinking far too much. Guy always claimed that I'm more easily pursued when I've been drinking. I guess that's code for being easy when I'm drunk. That must be one of the reasons why I dumped him, accusations like that.

Oh, right, he dumped me. I always forget about that part.

I wake up with a horrible headache, ouch. I haven't been drinking this much since New Years Eve. I ended up collapsing on Ken's bed, while he, Averman and Goldberg tried to get me out before Bombay discovered me.

I look at Fred. He's lying next to me with his arm around me. His hand is resting on my stomach. It makes me sort of nauseous; could be from the drinking...

Now I have to figure out how to get out of this embarrassing situation. That thrill I was feeling before is long gone, and now I only have guilt and regret to hold on to.

"Fred?"

He opens one eye and gazes at me. "Hey."

"I think I need to leave," I mumble and reach for my clothes. Every post-sex experience I've ever had has been awkward, even though they have all been with Guy. I guess I just want the good feelings, and not the awkward feelings.

Fred removes his hand and sits up. He's still having that adorable appearance, with his hair all messed up and his eyes still not completely open. If I hadn't known how wrong it is to do what we just did, I'd stay in his arms and not worry.

But I do know how wrong it is. I feel bad, guilty, stupid and I'm sorry. What did I do? Just because I miss Guy, I go and sleep with a guy that already has a girlfriend. I know how wrong that is.

I swallow hard. I don't want to leave. I don't want to cause trouble. I don't want anyone to hate me. I don't know what I want. I just know that I don't want to leave, and that I need to stay with Fred for a little bit longer.

I really don't get that sort of time. We both get dressed, and I'm about to go to Julie's tent to sleep, when I hear voices. They're back.

Catalina sticks her head into the tent the next second, making my blood freeze and my head spin. She looks at us for a second, and then she opens her mouth to say something. She never does. She just leaves, and I feel like the worst person in the world.

I want to yell that he was the one kissing me, not the other way around. He wanted to sleep with me, and he was the one getting me drunk. But I know it's all my fault.

My Mom was right. I'm too young to go on a trip like this.

Author's Note from Cimmy: Please don't kill me for putting Connie and Fred together like this. Because I'll probably be killing myself for breaking Fred and Catalina up, and I'll probably have nightmares about it too. While I'm dead, of course.