Disclaimer: I don't own the ducks, do I really need to repeat myself?

At around midnight, Fulton burst into the room looking extremely tired. "Of all the damn nights, you just HAD to pick THIS one to pick a damn fight with Adam, didn't you? I have a damn PAPER to write tonight, did you know that? If I don't get at least a damn A on it, I flunk Science! God, Portman, sometimes you can be so....so damn STUPID!" Fulton yelled at him, searching hurriedly through his desk looking for his notebook.
"What the hell are you talking about, Reeds? HE'S the one who punched ME!" Dean said, sitting sleepily up in his bed.
"Oh, and of course you didn't do ANYTHING to provoke him," Fulton yelled, grabbing his backpack angrily off of his bed. "Of ALL nights Portman..." he muttered under his breath, running his hands through his hair, searching for something.
"Dude, what is UP with you lately?" Dean yelled at him. "You've been spazzing out all week and rushing off to do God knows what in the middle of the night and..." he continued.
"Just shut up Dean, alright?" Fulton said fiercely, grabbing a pen from a drawer. "You don't know anything," he added absently.
Dean let out a curt laugh, "Than why doesn't anybody TELL ME, for God's sake?"
"You want to KNOW?" Fulton yelled. This was beginning to become a trend.
"YEAH! Of COURSE I wanna know!" Dean yelled, he was probably going to get into big trouble with the Dean for making so much noise after hours, but it didn't matter. "I wanna know why you're always putting up with everybody's crap and why you just leave at all hours and why you can't even stand to be near me anymore! I wanna know what your god damned PROBLEM is!" he yelled.
Fulton took a menacing step toward him, danger exploding in his eyes. "I'll 'explain' my problem to you in simple terms. I've got to come to this stupid room every night and pretend to understand my roommate's 'condition' and at the same time try to get all of my freaking homework done. Did you know that I'm this close to failing three classes? I'm going to get my ass kicked out of here if I don't bring them up in the next two weeks, that's one of my 'problems,' wouldn't you say, Portman?
But if that isn't problematic enough for you, I've got to tend to Julie like a god damned nurse while trying to be a bodyguard against Adam! Yeah, that takes up a good portion of my day! And I'm probably going to be stuck dong it for the rest of my life because Julie is so wrapped up in her own stupid shell too!
And on top of all of that, I've got to help Charlie change up the lines and still get to hockey practice on time. Yeah, that's going real well...I haven't been to practice in a week. If the grades don't kick me out, my athletic stuff will!" Fulton yelled at him, letting his backpack drop off his slumped shoulders. He felt defeated, but he needed an outlet. If he didn't get some sleep soon, he was going to lose it. To hell with his paper.
Finally, Portman didn't say anything. Sweet silence. "I'm going to take a walk," he grumbled, grabbing for his chair.
"You can't walk," Fulton muttered absently - he was just too tired. He let himself fall onto his bed. Maybe his paper could wait.
"Shut up, Fulton," Dean snapped at him, "don't you think I already know that?" he said, opening up the door. He left, slamming it shut behind him. He was going to get caught for being out of his room after hours, but Fulton didn't care. Maybe getting a new roommate would be best. No, that was just the nerves talking.
Portman wheeled angrily down the hallway, bumping into a wall here, getting caught in the plastic plants there until he was finally out of the building.- He went down to the pond, confused. He had never actually realized why Fulton was stressing so much, but if he was doing that badly on papers - why didn't he just ask for help?
Thoughts of the conversation clouded his head until he was almost at the shore, but he had to stop short because of the branches that lay dead before him. He peered out onto the pond and saw Julie. What was she doing there? She certainly had an annoying habit of showing up when all he wanted to do was be alone.
"I saw Fulton leave your room," an audible voice growled at her. Dean's ears perked up, he was hearing Adam, but he couldn't see him.
"Oh?" Julie squeaked. "Um, he was just, um, looking for the homework assignment, you know, Adam," she stuttered, turning her back on Portman.
"I know you told him! But there's nothing to tell! You get those bruises from hockey, don't you?!" Adam growled.
Julie slowly nodded her head, "Yes," she answered quietly.
"And you're just a lying, pathetic little girl, aren't you?" Adam sneered. He suddenly skated into view and grabbed Julie's wrist. "Aren't you?" he said, leaning very close to her face.
And all Portman could do was watch. All of the emotions he had from his dad's beatings came back to him. Every punch echoed hurt through his muscles now, he cringed in his seat. He had to do something to get Julie out of there.
She nodded her head in defeat.
"God, you make me sick, you can't even stand up for yourself - you have to depend on your little 'bash brother' for protection from me. But I DON'T HURT YOU, JULIE! YOU HURT YOURSELF! YOU MAKE OTHER PEOPLE HURT YOU!" Adam yelled, pushing her onto the ice.
She landed on her wrist and cried out in pain. This was too much for Dean to deal with.
"Hey! Banks! Lay the hell off!" he yelled. Adam turned fiercely in the direction of his voice, so did Julie. Her face was beginning to turn red from the small tears that had fallen down her face.
"Portman?" Adam screamed He turned on Julie, "You called him here! You stupid idiot!" he spat at her. He kicked her in the leg - hard.
"Hey! Get away from her!" Portman yelled at him, wishing the logs weren't there in front of him, preventing him from getting on the ice. "You jerk! You creep! You don't deserve to live!" he yelled, searching for a place that was cleared.
"I don't deserve to live? YOU don't deserve to live!" He yelled at Dean. Adam turned back to Julie, "You don't deserve to live either," he hissed.
"Adam, let's just leave," Julie whispered, wiping away a tear.
"Why?" he laughed cruelly. "The gimp can't get me out here, now CAN HE?" he screamed again over his shoulder at Dean who could only sit helplessly on the edge.
"Hey!" Portman yelled at him.
"You are so stupid, he can't even help you!" Adam said to the girl lying on the ice. She started to get up, but he pushed her back down forcefully. "If you EVER mess up one of our dates like this again I will, I'll..." he stumbled over his words in rage.
"You'll do what? Put her in the hospital? Get yourself arrested for assault charges? Yeah, real smart Adam! Even your parents can't buy you out of this one!" Portman yelled at him from the sidelines.
"Julie won't take this to court! She's not going to do ANYTHING," he yelled and turned back to Julie, "IF she knows what's good for her."
"Hey! Lay off you bastard! She's going to press charges!" Dean screamed, making up Julie's mind for her. She shook her head violently at him, begging him to stop silently before he got her into even more trouble.

"No! She won't!" Adam screamed back at him.
Dean saw Julie slide herself away from Adam, but hit a rock when she tried. Adam looked over at her and she stood up and tried to run, but he caught her wrist. "Don't you run away from ME!" he yelled at her.
"Adam, let go," she whispered, another tear running down her face from the incessant pain.
"Why? So you can run away and blab to the whole school? Lie to them about me?" he said loudly.
"Adam, that hurts," she whispered.
"Let go of her, man!" Dena yelled again. His voice was getting hoarse and he was tired. If only this could've been a bad dream or something....
"I'll let her go," he sneered in her face and shoved her back hard. So hard that she stumbled over her own feet and fell on her back, striking her head on the rock jutting up from the ice. She didn't get up.
"Adam, what the hell did you do?" Dean screamed at him.
He didn't reply - he just took a step back. "I didn't do that," he muttered to himself, "I didn't, she did. She made me...she brought it on herself," he said over and over again, backing away from Julie's unconscious form.
"At least help her!" Dean yelled at him. He wanted to help her so badly, but he couldn't, god damn it. "Adam, get your butt over there and HELP HER!" he yelled at him, but Adam was long gone by then. "YOU STUPID BASTARD!" he yelled into the trees, hoping Adam would hear.
"Julie? Jules? Can you hear me?" he called out to her, but she still didn't stir, her chest was barely moving up and down.
He had to find some way to get to her. God, she could be hurt, she could have a concussion. His beautiful Julie could be...dead. There was no way to get out onto the ice, so he had to get back to the dorms.
He started to push himself in reverse, but the wheels were stuck, vines had gotten into them. Mud and snow built up into them, he couldn't move. Perfect timing! Perfect god-damned timing.
"Help! HELP!" he yelled with force into the night. "Hell, SOMEONE HELP!"