Disclaimer: I don't own the ducks. Blah, blah, blah.

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!! I LOVE YOU ALL!

"Get up, GET UP!" Fulton shouted at his friend, the lump.

"Yeah, yeah, water…" Dean mumbled from under his covers. Fulton had no idea what he was talking about.

"You want water? I'll give you water," Fulton threatened, headed toward the bathroom, an empty glass clutched in his hand. He came back with the glass brimming with water, "One…two…three," he counted slowly.

"Yeah, yeah, snugsfsfer," Dean mumbled again, swatting at Fulton to make him go away. He wanted to sleep. Could he make it any more obvious? Fulton poured water on his head. That certainly woke up him. It also woke up the rest of the people in the dorm.

"And THAT'S for breaking my radio," Fulton yelled triumphantly from inside the locked bathroom. He wasn't planning on coming out any time soon.

"Get over your damn radio," he could hear Portman sneer. "Did you finish your paper?" he asked.

"Yeah," Fulton said, slightly taken aback, how could Portman just change his mood like that? He should really learn how to do that; it could come in handy with all the things he juggled. "It took me a while, but I got help from Dwayne, that kid can really come in handy," he commented. He swore he heard Portman let out a small laugh.

"I'm going to class," Dean said, and then the door slammed shut. It was finally safe to come out.

At lunch, Portman tried to sit by Julie, but Adam kept manipulating the seating so she sat at the end and he sat right next to her. Adam kept throwing glances over at Dean, practically daring him to look at Julie. He noticed her lip seemed a little swollen; it was probably that knuckle puck Russ hit her with the other day.

"Sneaking peeks at Julie, huh Portman?" Charlie whispered in his ear.

"What? No, I'm just…" Dean looked around, "I'm just looking for something," he finished lamely.

"Just looking at Julie?" Charlie said with a grin.

"Keep your mouth shut, alright?" he snarled at Capitan Duck.

His grin grew wider, "Okay, alright, okay!" he said, putting his palms up in mock defeat. "I could ask her out for you," he added under his breath, staring at his eggs.

"Charlie, keep your big mouth shut!" Dean shouted at him.

All eyes flew to them. "Okay, I'm leaving," Dean added, and rolled away. He could have sworn he saw Adam glare at him.

"Hey Portman!" a girlish voice called out from behind him as he strolled down a pathway outside the school.
He turned quickly and found that Connie was running to catch up with him. What would Connie want, she barely talked to him. "Um, hey, Connie," he said.
"Hey," she panted, slowing down to a walk beside him. "Why were you yelling at Charlie in the cafeteria?" she asked with a devilish grin.
"Nothing," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to yell, we just got into a heated talk about..." he couldn't think of what to say next, panic started to bubble in his stomach.
"Hockey?" she laughed.
Portman nodded vigorously. "What's the REAL reason you're talking to me?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Well, I, um," she stuttered, looking at the ground, "I'm worried about..." she took a big breath and let out a sigh, "Julie, alright? She's just...changed." Connie looked the other way, "When you left, Adam kept coming over more often, wanting to see if Julie could come to the movies or to the diner or to the rink, she was so happy."
Dean's heart flinched.
"Then, Julie broke up with him and she's been really different ever since. Adam still comes by once and a while, but she asks me to tell him she isn't in the room or something. She hardly ever talks, let alone smiles. Then you came back and..."
"And what?" he snapped.
"Well, I thought it would be different, I saw the smile she had on her face at the rink when we threw you that party. She laughed for the first time in two months, Portman," Connie looked him in the eye when she said the last part.
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.
Connie shrugged, "I don't know, you just seemed left in the dark or something."
"Wow, thanks for that," he snarled, he wanted Connie to go away and quit talking about Adam.
"Well, I've also noticed something else..." she said quietly. Dean looked up at her with sarcasm in his eyes, and she hastily added, "Julie's thrown herself into hockey as a back-up to Adam, or so she says. She comes back to our dorm room really late at night, sometimes her lip will be bleeding or she'll have bruises or cuts on her arms. Two weeks ago she came back with a real shiner around her eye," she said to the ground.
"Well, what do you expect? She's the damn goalie!" Portman snapped at her again.
Connie looked hurt by his outburst, but then ventured back, "Yeah, I know that, Portman! But did you see a single bruise on her the time we played Varsity in the showdown? Or at the Goodwill Games?"
"No! But so what? Why are you telling ME this, why don't you tell Guy or something?"
"Because Guy's an idiot," she whispered under her breath. "Because you like her," she said aloud.
Dean stopped breathing and turned in silence to look at Connie. How in the world would she know anything about him?
"And I thought it worried you too," she added.
"What are you trying to imply?" he asked harshly. Of course he cared about Julie; she was one of his best friends for God's sake!
"I thought you might be able, to you know, do something about it," she said hesitantly. "You're the only one she really listens to anymore."
"Okay, I'm leaving," he said angrily and sped up, leaving Connie in his dust looking disappointed. Connie was...ugh, why couldn't she just mind her own damn business?!
He couldn't like Julie, Julie was his teammate, Julie was his friend, Julie was...really cute. No! No! No! What was Connie saying? Everybody gets bruises playing hockey, even goalies. But she had a point...Julie had been, well, quiet.
And what in the world was up with Adam? He had been acting really creepy and all protective over Julie. But that was Adam for you, when he wanted to do something almost nothing could stand in his way. But Julie should've been stronger; she broke up with him...so why was she so secluded now?
"Oww! Watch where you're going, you stupid lump!" a voice yelled out in pain.
Portman shook his head and focused his attention to the person he had just crashed into. Adam lay on the ground in front of him; his books sprawled over the ground. "Oh, sorry about that dude, I was just thinking," he shrugged apologetically and bent down to help pick up his books.
"Oh, that's a good one...a bash brother, thinking!" Adam laughed hotly. "Just hand over my books and get out of my way," he snarled, grabbing his textbook out of Portman's large hands.
"Chill, dude," he snarled back, sitting up straight again.
"Just stay out of my way!" Adam yelled at him. Dean could see a fist curling at his side as he stood up.
"Dude! Stop blowing up! I said was sorry!" Dean yelled at him.
"I'm SO sure you are, you big goon! Quit following me!" Adam screamed at him. Everybody on campus was staring at them by that time.
"I didn't DO anything!" Dean said, trying to calm himself down. The conversation had already gotten out of hand, he seriously didn't want to push it with Adam - he had connections.
Adam didn't say anything, but his face turned more red and then slightly purple. Dean saw his fist come slowly out from his side and the next thing he knew, there was a sharp pain in his nose and he tasted something salty and slightly metallic on his lips. Blood. That physco just punched him the nose! For nothing!
"What in the hell was THAT for!?" he yelled at him, pinching his nose hard to stop the flow of the blood.
"Stay the hell away from me and STAY AWAY FROM JULIE!" Adam screamed at him and stalked away quickly, before Dean had the chance to punch him back. Why couldn't that big oaf just understand?! Julie was his and the Bash Brothers were just sticking their god damned noses into it. He HAD to put Portman in line.
"Jerk," Portman muttered under his breath. His nose was still bleeding and the whole student body was staring at him. He was always the guy who punched OTHER people out. He felt like putting his fist through a wall and all he could do was go to class.

Dean stormed into his room that night, knocking over the lamp on his desk and throwing his bag at the bathroom door. "Dude, what's got you so tweaked?" Fulton asked, popping his wet head out of the bathroom door.
"Banks, god, do you know what he did today?" Dean yelled at Fulton, ramming into the side of his desk.
"No, what?" Fulton said, running towel through his hair, he tried to seem relaxed, but it wasn't working. Dean and Adam together were not a good mix.
"He punched me! Right in the nose, the stupid bastard! I accidentally bumped into him and he yelled the devil at me and slugged me!" Portman yelled at him, gripping his wheels so hard his knuckles turned white.
"Wait, he punched you?" Fulton said, confused. Oh, God, why did Portman have to go and mess with Adam TODAY of all days? He had a paper to write and now he was going to have to listen to Dean rant about it all night. "Hold on, when did this happen?" Fulton asked worriedly. Adam could still be mad...
Dean shrugged angrily, "Right before last period, boy, he should be glad I can't be out there playing hockey - I would've knocked him one," he yelled, punching his pillow.
This could not be good, Adam would still be mad, and that would mean, "Oh shit," Fulton muttered under his breath, throwing on a shirt.
"Hold it, where are you going?" Portman asked him, forgetting about how mad he was.
"I'm going to Julie's dorm, don't wait up," Fulton answered, looking scared.
"Wait, what?" Portman asked again, this was confusing.
"Nothing, just...do your stupid homework! I'll be back later...I gotta go do...something," Fulton yelled at him, opening and slamming the door behind him quickly.
Dean stared at the door, dumbfounded. What was that all about? "Shit, now my own roommate doesn't even want to be around me," he mumbled, remembering the anger and he grabbed his nose tenderly.