Okay, I am officially a first-class dork. ^_^ It was a joke between Kate
and me that I should write a poem about reviews...and...I did...hehehe...Yes, I'm a
loser, I know. ^_~ I seriously need a life. Or at least a new hobby. ^_~
Allie- o.O Dwayne is a newsie now? Hm. Oh well. ^_^ Ooh...shock collar! *grins*...*Charlie whimpers and tugs at the collar, looking absolutely pitiful* Aww...he looks like sad, lost little puppy...*pouts*...*Charlie pouts*...*smiles and pats Charlie's head* It'll all be okay. *Charlie sticks his tongue out at Fulton, still pouting*...Charlie, be nice. He said he won't hurt Allie or me. Such a cooperative little Charlie. Lol...
Sarah- Yes, as do many people. ^_~ Thanks for reviewing!
Hockey_Luvva- G'day! Lol...heehee. ^_^ Aw, you're so sweet! *smiles* I'm glad I provided for your Charlie fix. ^_^ Ehhky...essays aren't fun at all...I'm doing an English paper "character analysis" on Jean Louise Finch from 'To Kill a Mockingbird'...blah...Not fun. I'm afraid I can't provide any insight on the importance of school in modern society...because, well...I don't see its importance! Lol...Being embarrassed isn't fun...You see, I only get caught when I'm writing chapters for THIS! Never when I'm doing WORK...lol...but it's usually other kids asking, and I'm like "Hehe...hehe...Nothing?" Yeah. I don't trust them with my "baby." Lol...^_~ They would make fun and send me away to the people in the white coats. Lol...How dare he give Texas a bad name! *sticks out thumb at him* Lol, I'm sorry...I have no clue where that came from. Impulse, I guess. ^_^ Yeah...I'm not very Texas-stereotype...hehehe...But that's okay. Rah for accident-prone-ness...lol...Yep, the old Charlie peeked out briefly before bolting for cover again. He's a bit skittish. Can't imagine why...lol...Ha ha...yeah. We're lazy and take the shortcut with words. ^_^ Lol, why thank you! *sips water* Hehehe...Oh well. Melted chocolate is better than no chocolate at all! *grins and accepts chocolate, getting it all over hands, and thus all over keyboard* Oopsies. Hee hee. Well, thanks for the review! ^_~
Banksiesbabe99- Yes...We could call the sequel: "Karma: What Goes Around, Comes Around." Lol...^_^ Yes, Charlie needs someone to be tough...He's a bit thick-headed at the moment. Wow, you could envision it in your head? That's a super-major-compliment! ^_^ Thanks. ^_^ I'm glad you liked his time with the shrink. *grins*
Rachel- Yay! I made you laugh! *grins with pride* I'm glad you enjoyed the classis 'Yes, no, yes, no' thing...lol...Even I sometimes feel the need to insert humor every now and then. I'm glad you caught my attempt there. ^_^ Yep...Charlie is in need of some good ol' therapy. ^_^ He just doesn't know it yet. I LOVE my loyal supporters! *huggles ALL loving supporters* I LOVE YOU ALL! I agree that 'coolness' is a good word for them. Coolness is just an awesome word...lol...^_^
Katie- ^_^ Heehee...I'm glad you like. Thanks for the review. *grins* Make sure to catch up on sleep is good. Lol...^_^
Hotashell99- I'm glad you found it humorous. ^_~ I try to add humor occasionally to balance out the angst. *grins* I could never be a shrink either. I can NEVER handle people being angry with me. I counsel my friends every now and then (lol), but I could never do something where people were always mad and upset with me. ^_^ I would run out crying too. ^_~ And just for the record, I think everyone feels a little sorry for Dr. Shylo. ^_~
Kate- That IS crazy-talk! You've been gone for so long! *sobs* Lol...*nods* I'm beginning to think I have a writing addiction too. ^_^ *sits back an reflects upon this*...*nods* That was a lovely moment of reflection. You know, I think I'm gonna sit down and write a poem about reviews JUST to see if I can do it! ^_^ I've written two angsty Charlie poems, a nature poem, a poem about one of my friends, and a poem about how Canadian actors are taking over the world (not that I'm complaining ^_^), and several more. It will fit nicely to my theme of no themes. ^_~ Hehehe...actually, just after typing this response I went and wrote one! Yes, I really wrote a poem about reviews! ^_^ Can you say DORK?! Heehee. It actually came out...serious. o.O But if you want to read my poems, I finially posted them on FictionPress.Com under my penname "spazzychick96." There's currently eight poems up. Hehehe...I scare myself sometimes. Anyway...Yep. You got upgraded; just knowing I upgraded you should be payment enough. Lol...j/k! ^_~ Here, have a cookie. *hands Kate a cookie* Yeah, as for Averman's name...MD says it's Dave, but D2 and D3 say it's Lester. I think they are either really confused, or think we won't notice because few people try to figure it out anyway. ^_^ Maybe they forgot that they had already named him...Or maybe he changed his name! Lol...Heehee...That didn't inspire much confidence? My, my, I just simply don't understand. ^_^ NOO! Don't take him away! *sobs and grabs Charlie back* MINE! *huggles him* Hehehehe. Yeah. Duck stalkers. Buy your own for $14.50! I accept cash and checks. ^_~ Heehee. You mean YOU don't listen to headphones and CD players at the same time? Gosh, what a loser. Lol...JUST KIDDING! *hugs Kate* I love you Kate. Lol...and I mean that in the straightest of ways. o.O Yeah. Anyway. *nods* Poo on evil daddy of the Charliekins...*growls and gnashes teeth at him* By the way...have you heard from Sophie lately? She kind of dropped off the face of the Earth. o.O Thanks for the review, and enjoy the chapter! ^_~
Kate #2- Wait a second! MORE REVIEWS! WAH-HEE! *does happy dance* Yeah...hehe...Charlie just ADORES those mornings...Yeah, it does seem kind of like that D3 scene. ^_^ Lol. You know...when you said the thing about the time bomb, you made me think of this song called "Mood Ring" by Reliant K...so I started laughing. Lol...but it's true. He is a time bomb. ^_^ ...Yeah, physically touching Charlie never turns out pretty. He doesn't like that too much. And as for Dr. Shylo, yeah. He's is the stereotypical shrink. Lol...Yeah, I was thinking about how short the time that has passed really is. The sad thing is that it can happen that quickly; I actually had a friend who morphed from normal person to psycho just over the summer. It scared me to death, but she was my best friend. She went through two mental institutions and LOTS of therapy (she tossed out her pills too...bad Connie!) before they sent her to San Antonio to live at a correction facility until she's seventeen. I haven't seen her in a year, but I've written her a ton of letters. I guess I draw some of Charlie's character from that experience, and I try to think how they would feel. Oops. Sorry. Went off on a tangent, and you probably don't care about my personal life, so I'll stop now. ^_^ Aw, don't hide. *pats Kate's head* I hope you like the chapter though! Happy reading! Err...or...umm...angsty reading! Lol...yeah.
Nebula- Heehee. I think EVERYONE feels at least a LITTLE sorry for Dr. Shylo...Charlie's schizo-bipolar-ness tends to make it more difficult. ^_^ I'm glad you liked the way I started the chapter. *grins* I for one HATE waking up...but I do it anyway. I'm way too scared to get in trouble. ^_^ I'm glad you found it believable. ^_~ Makes me smile. Thanks for the review!
DodgerMcClure.aka.Drama-Queen- Lol...thanks for the review, and enjoy the chapter! ^_~
Angel Spirit- Yay! I made you feel sorry for him again. *grins* Yes, I know...I'm nearing sixty and beyond....It's scary. Lol. Yes, committed is much nicer than saying "obsessed." ^_^ Thank you. Lol...have fun working...^_~
Disclaimer- I don't own The Mighty Ducks.
-Chapter 53-
Russ shot baskets with Guy while the other Ducks milled around the basketball court aimlessly. The summer days were moving along slowly, and the Ducks were carrying on with their summer as usual.
Several teens had their skates on and were shooting pucks into an unguarded makeshift goal (aka a trashcan) against the wire fence.
Fulton approached the basketball court and observed his friends. He saw everyone up and moving with the exception of Adam and Julie. They were both sitting on the sidelines, deep in thought.
The 'Bash Brother' opened the gate and walked the distance to the two blonde teenagers.
"Hey Cat Lady. Hey Cake-Eater," Fulton said as he sat next to them.
"Hey Fulton," Julie replied softly, giving him a smile.
Adam nodded at the other boy. "Hey Fult. What's up?"
Fulton shrugged. "Not too much. My summer has been less then riveting, though...What about you guys?" he asked his two friends.
"Same..." they bother replied with sighs.
Fulton sighed too, and he propped his forearms on his thighs and leaned forward. "I thought summer was supposed to be fun and exciting."
"Me too..." Julie said dully, mirroring Fulton's pose.
"Hey Fulton! Wanna go get some pizza and pick up some chicks?" Portman called out with a grin when he realized his fellow Bash Brother had arrived.
"In a sec, bro!" Fulton said to Portman before turning back to Adam and Julie. "You two gonna be okay?"
The both gave him smiles.
"Yeah, I think we'll be okay," Julie answered.
Fulton nodded and left to head off with Portman.
Julie and Adam watched Fulton leave with the other "Enforcer" of their hockey team and looked at each other.
"So what's bugging you?" Julie asked after a few moments.
Adam shrugged at the girl. "Nothing, really. Just thinking. What about you?"
Julie shrugged too. "Same, I guess. I'm just really worried about Charlie, you know?" Julie said quietly.
Julie saw an unreadable expression cross Adam's face. "Yeah, I guess. But if he's going to be difficult, then I'm not going any farther out of my way. I tried that, and he threw it back in my face. I'm getting a little sick of it." Adam said before he could stop himself.
"Banks, whether of not he knows it, he does need us. Do you really think it's a good idea to let him think he's right about us not caring? I don't know about you, but this is one fight he isn't going to win," Julie said with fiery finality.
"You're only saying that because he hasn't YELLED at YOU. He hasn't DIRECTLY told YOU that you're too self-centered to care, when in all honesty you do. He hasn't given YOU a reason to think he may seriously be gone. Julie, he doesn't want my help; he doesn't want OUR help," Adam said tightly, his mind flashing back to their argument in the hospital room.
"You don't know what all he has been through; he's had it rough, and he isn't going to be perfect," Julie said defensively.
"And you do?" Adam asked sharply.
Julie opened her mouth to respond, but closed it quickly again when she realized she had nothing to say. She couldn't tell Adam...She didn't want to be the one to spill the beans.
"Well that's not the point! The point is that maybe we're not giving him a chance for the same reason he's not giving us a chance," she said awkwardly.
Adam raised his eyebrows. "And that reason would be...?"
"We aren't COMMUNICATING!" Julie said.
"Well, it isn't for a lack of trying on MY part," Adam said with a deep-set frown.
The blonde girl sighed and rubbed her temples. "I know, but maybe if we can find a way to communicate what's wrong, we can work it out."
"But he doesn't want to 'communicate' with us! Or not with me, anyway. He seems to have NO PROBLEM talking to you! He yells, screams, and insults our integrity, and yet he pulls a Jekyll-Hyde, or should I say Hyde-Jekyll, anytime you show up! Why is that, Julie?!" Adam demanded with frustration. By this time, most of the Ducks were watching with confused curiosity.
Julie stood up with anger. "I don't know, okay?! Maybe for some reason, he figured out that I'm not out to get him. I've tried hard to not bring up things that make him clam-up and become uncomfortable, and it actually works, okay?! I don't want him to hate me!"
"So you leave it up to US to make him mad?" Adam asked harshly.
"No! No, that is NOT what I'm saying, and you know it! I just mean that I'm earning his trust as best I can! I'm sorry if that bothers you!" Julie retorted hotly.
Adam shook his head and glared slightly. "Oh, this is just rich. Really, it is. I get stuck on another team BEYOND MY CONTROL, and he drops me like a ten-ton weight. Yet he acts like Super-Jerk from down under, and yet I'm expected to not be angry?! I'm sorry, but no! You can defend him all you want, Julie, but if he isn't going to let me help, why should I bother?!"
"Because maybe, just MAYBE, you can try and remember that he's your best friend! I realize it's a difficult thing to recall at the moment, but at one point you two were best friends! Isn't that worth a little sacrifice? Isn't it worth sticking by him for a little longer? He's in there somewhere, I'm sure of it...I know where you're coming from, Adam. I really do." Julie said, pained at the realization that things were falling apart at the seams as the days passed.
The tall, fair-skinned boy pursed his lips and looked at the ground for a brief moment. "I have to get home..." he said in a soft voice, walking away from the rest of his fellow teammates.
Julie let out a frustrated groan and buried her face in her hands. Grabbing her things, she walked off in the other direction to head back to her own dorm room.
From across the court, Connie had been watching the conversation. When the brunette girl saw her friend start to leave, she decided to follow the girl.
"Hey, guys, I'm going to go make sure Julie's okay." Connie said, unclasping the helmet and sitting on a bench to remove her roller blades.
"Okay...You gonna meet us for pizza later, Cons?" her boyfriend, Guy, asked as he slowed himself to a stop.
Connie nodded her head and tied her sneakers onto her feet.
Waving goodbye, Connie ran after Julie's retreating form. Her curiosity was killing her, and she had to know what had caused that little argument with Adam.
"Julie!" the brunette girl called out, catching up to her blonde friend. "Hey Jules. You okay?"
Julie turned to Connie with a slightly confused expression. "Yeah, I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?"
Her friend shrugged. "I don't know, I guess. You were just arguing with Banks, so I thought something might be wrong." Connie said, voicing her concern.
Giving Connie a half-smile, Julie hugged her. "Don't worry about it. I feel a little better...I'm just getting frustrated that no one else seems to be making any effort with Charlie except me...I just wish everything would automatically get better again..." Julie confessed as the two girls fell into step with each other.
"I know how you feel. I want everything to go back to normal too; it just seems to be so screwed up, you know? I try not to think about it, so I guess I'm guilty too." Connie said, adjusting the bag on her shoulder.
Julie kicked a rock diagonally as she walked down the sidewalk with the only other girl on their hockey team. "I can understand where you're coming from, but every time I try, it drives me crazy until I go see him. It's kinda like I wanna make sure he's still there, ya know? From what I've gathered, Montana life wasn't a day at the beach, and he has growing trust issues. He won't even talk to Bombay...or Banks. He won't talk to me, and chances are he won't talk to the therapist Bombay is taking him to."
"Bombay's taking him to a therapist?" Connie asked with shock.
Julie nodded.
Connie made a face. "That won't be pretty..."
Julie shook her head with a grim smile, but her eyes were slightly laughing. "As bad as this probably sounds, I feel sorry for whatever therapist he's going to."
"I know exactly what you mean," the brown-haired, brown-eyed girl said. "He didn't seem too excited with the idea."
Nodding, the blonde girl glanced at her watch. "He should be home by now. I'm thinking about stopping by and see what he thought. Who knows? Maybe it worked."
Connie gave the girl a skeptical look, raising her eyebrows with disbelief.
Narrowing her eyes, Julie stuck out her tongue. "Shuttup! It's possible!"
"Just about as possible as it is for the sky to fall and the world to spontaneously implode, thus blowing up the galaxy," Connie said, being the voice of reason.
Sighing and continuing to mock-scowl at her friend, Julie sighed. "Fine, fine. Maybe I just wanna go see how it went and check how he's doing," the girl admitted with defeat, still scowling slightly.
Connie grinned. "I swear it girl, you're bordering on stalker. I'm sure he's fine. Besides, chances are he's in a crummy mood; you might even end up walking in on an argument with Coach over how stupid counseling is. Then it would be all awkward and stuff, thus not helping the situation at all."
"Gee, way to be optimistic, Cons. And I am NOT bordering on stalker! I'm just being NICE!" Julie said pointedly, poking Connie in the shoulder.
"Nice? Julie, you're definitely bordering on stalker," Connie said lightly, smiling as she shrugged.
"Am not!" Julie retorted.
"Are too!" Connie said, her tongue peeking out from between her teeth as she smiled.
"Am not!"
"Yep, you would be. It's okay, Jules. It's nothing to be ashamed of," Connie said jokingly.
"I am not stalking him!" Julie said, pouting slightly as she whapped Connie on the shoulder with her bag.
Connie laughed. "You're not, huh? You're just being nice?" the girl asked Julie with amusement.
"Yes!" Julie said firmly.
"If you insist," Connie said, poking fun at her best friend.
Snorting, Julie crossed her arms. "I do insist."
After a few seconds, they burst into laughter in the middle of the sidewalk. A few of the passers-by watched them strangely before moving on with life.
Leaning on Connie for support, Julie tried to start speaking again. "See you later Cons...I'm gonna head on over and check things out. See ya back in the dorms?" Julie asked as she started walking backwards towards Charlie and Gordon's house.
Connie smirked. "Okay, have fun stalking Charlie!" Connie said, waving poshly as she grinned impishly.
"Shuttup, I am not stalking Charlie!" Julie instantly denied.
"Sure you're not," Connie said in a sing-song voice. "Bye Jules!"
"I am not-!" Julie started to retort before she realized Connie had already practically skipped away. "...stalking Charlie..." she finished to herself before growling slightly and continuing her trek.
Shaking her head and sighing, she crossed her arms and quickened her pace. Connie totally did not even know what she was talking about...She wasn't STALKING Charlie; she was just being his friend...
Allie- o.O Dwayne is a newsie now? Hm. Oh well. ^_^ Ooh...shock collar! *grins*...*Charlie whimpers and tugs at the collar, looking absolutely pitiful* Aww...he looks like sad, lost little puppy...*pouts*...*Charlie pouts*...*smiles and pats Charlie's head* It'll all be okay. *Charlie sticks his tongue out at Fulton, still pouting*...Charlie, be nice. He said he won't hurt Allie or me. Such a cooperative little Charlie. Lol...
Sarah- Yes, as do many people. ^_~ Thanks for reviewing!
Hockey_Luvva- G'day! Lol...heehee. ^_^ Aw, you're so sweet! *smiles* I'm glad I provided for your Charlie fix. ^_^ Ehhky...essays aren't fun at all...I'm doing an English paper "character analysis" on Jean Louise Finch from 'To Kill a Mockingbird'...blah...Not fun. I'm afraid I can't provide any insight on the importance of school in modern society...because, well...I don't see its importance! Lol...Being embarrassed isn't fun...You see, I only get caught when I'm writing chapters for THIS! Never when I'm doing WORK...lol...but it's usually other kids asking, and I'm like "Hehe...hehe...Nothing?" Yeah. I don't trust them with my "baby." Lol...^_~ They would make fun and send me away to the people in the white coats. Lol...How dare he give Texas a bad name! *sticks out thumb at him* Lol, I'm sorry...I have no clue where that came from. Impulse, I guess. ^_^ Yeah...I'm not very Texas-stereotype...hehehe...But that's okay. Rah for accident-prone-ness...lol...Yep, the old Charlie peeked out briefly before bolting for cover again. He's a bit skittish. Can't imagine why...lol...Ha ha...yeah. We're lazy and take the shortcut with words. ^_^ Lol, why thank you! *sips water* Hehehe...Oh well. Melted chocolate is better than no chocolate at all! *grins and accepts chocolate, getting it all over hands, and thus all over keyboard* Oopsies. Hee hee. Well, thanks for the review! ^_~
Banksiesbabe99- Yes...We could call the sequel: "Karma: What Goes Around, Comes Around." Lol...^_^ Yes, Charlie needs someone to be tough...He's a bit thick-headed at the moment. Wow, you could envision it in your head? That's a super-major-compliment! ^_^ Thanks. ^_^ I'm glad you liked his time with the shrink. *grins*
Rachel- Yay! I made you laugh! *grins with pride* I'm glad you enjoyed the classis 'Yes, no, yes, no' thing...lol...Even I sometimes feel the need to insert humor every now and then. I'm glad you caught my attempt there. ^_^ Yep...Charlie is in need of some good ol' therapy. ^_^ He just doesn't know it yet. I LOVE my loyal supporters! *huggles ALL loving supporters* I LOVE YOU ALL! I agree that 'coolness' is a good word for them. Coolness is just an awesome word...lol...^_^
Katie- ^_^ Heehee...I'm glad you like. Thanks for the review. *grins* Make sure to catch up on sleep is good. Lol...^_^
Hotashell99- I'm glad you found it humorous. ^_~ I try to add humor occasionally to balance out the angst. *grins* I could never be a shrink either. I can NEVER handle people being angry with me. I counsel my friends every now and then (lol), but I could never do something where people were always mad and upset with me. ^_^ I would run out crying too. ^_~ And just for the record, I think everyone feels a little sorry for Dr. Shylo. ^_~
Kate- That IS crazy-talk! You've been gone for so long! *sobs* Lol...*nods* I'm beginning to think I have a writing addiction too. ^_^ *sits back an reflects upon this*...*nods* That was a lovely moment of reflection. You know, I think I'm gonna sit down and write a poem about reviews JUST to see if I can do it! ^_^ I've written two angsty Charlie poems, a nature poem, a poem about one of my friends, and a poem about how Canadian actors are taking over the world (not that I'm complaining ^_^), and several more. It will fit nicely to my theme of no themes. ^_~ Hehehe...actually, just after typing this response I went and wrote one! Yes, I really wrote a poem about reviews! ^_^ Can you say DORK?! Heehee. It actually came out...serious. o.O But if you want to read my poems, I finially posted them on FictionPress.Com under my penname "spazzychick96." There's currently eight poems up. Hehehe...I scare myself sometimes. Anyway...Yep. You got upgraded; just knowing I upgraded you should be payment enough. Lol...j/k! ^_~ Here, have a cookie. *hands Kate a cookie* Yeah, as for Averman's name...MD says it's Dave, but D2 and D3 say it's Lester. I think they are either really confused, or think we won't notice because few people try to figure it out anyway. ^_^ Maybe they forgot that they had already named him...Or maybe he changed his name! Lol...Heehee...That didn't inspire much confidence? My, my, I just simply don't understand. ^_^ NOO! Don't take him away! *sobs and grabs Charlie back* MINE! *huggles him* Hehehehe. Yeah. Duck stalkers. Buy your own for $14.50! I accept cash and checks. ^_~ Heehee. You mean YOU don't listen to headphones and CD players at the same time? Gosh, what a loser. Lol...JUST KIDDING! *hugs Kate* I love you Kate. Lol...and I mean that in the straightest of ways. o.O Yeah. Anyway. *nods* Poo on evil daddy of the Charliekins...*growls and gnashes teeth at him* By the way...have you heard from Sophie lately? She kind of dropped off the face of the Earth. o.O Thanks for the review, and enjoy the chapter! ^_~
Kate #2- Wait a second! MORE REVIEWS! WAH-HEE! *does happy dance* Yeah...hehe...Charlie just ADORES those mornings...Yeah, it does seem kind of like that D3 scene. ^_^ Lol. You know...when you said the thing about the time bomb, you made me think of this song called "Mood Ring" by Reliant K...so I started laughing. Lol...but it's true. He is a time bomb. ^_^ ...Yeah, physically touching Charlie never turns out pretty. He doesn't like that too much. And as for Dr. Shylo, yeah. He's is the stereotypical shrink. Lol...Yeah, I was thinking about how short the time that has passed really is. The sad thing is that it can happen that quickly; I actually had a friend who morphed from normal person to psycho just over the summer. It scared me to death, but she was my best friend. She went through two mental institutions and LOTS of therapy (she tossed out her pills too...bad Connie!) before they sent her to San Antonio to live at a correction facility until she's seventeen. I haven't seen her in a year, but I've written her a ton of letters. I guess I draw some of Charlie's character from that experience, and I try to think how they would feel. Oops. Sorry. Went off on a tangent, and you probably don't care about my personal life, so I'll stop now. ^_^ Aw, don't hide. *pats Kate's head* I hope you like the chapter though! Happy reading! Err...or...umm...angsty reading! Lol...yeah.
Nebula- Heehee. I think EVERYONE feels at least a LITTLE sorry for Dr. Shylo...Charlie's schizo-bipolar-ness tends to make it more difficult. ^_^ I'm glad you liked the way I started the chapter. *grins* I for one HATE waking up...but I do it anyway. I'm way too scared to get in trouble. ^_^ I'm glad you found it believable. ^_~ Makes me smile. Thanks for the review!
DodgerMcClure.aka.Drama-Queen- Lol...thanks for the review, and enjoy the chapter! ^_~
Angel Spirit- Yay! I made you feel sorry for him again. *grins* Yes, I know...I'm nearing sixty and beyond....It's scary. Lol. Yes, committed is much nicer than saying "obsessed." ^_^ Thank you. Lol...have fun working...^_~
Disclaimer- I don't own The Mighty Ducks.
-Chapter 53-
Russ shot baskets with Guy while the other Ducks milled around the basketball court aimlessly. The summer days were moving along slowly, and the Ducks were carrying on with their summer as usual.
Several teens had their skates on and were shooting pucks into an unguarded makeshift goal (aka a trashcan) against the wire fence.
Fulton approached the basketball court and observed his friends. He saw everyone up and moving with the exception of Adam and Julie. They were both sitting on the sidelines, deep in thought.
The 'Bash Brother' opened the gate and walked the distance to the two blonde teenagers.
"Hey Cat Lady. Hey Cake-Eater," Fulton said as he sat next to them.
"Hey Fulton," Julie replied softly, giving him a smile.
Adam nodded at the other boy. "Hey Fult. What's up?"
Fulton shrugged. "Not too much. My summer has been less then riveting, though...What about you guys?" he asked his two friends.
"Same..." they bother replied with sighs.
Fulton sighed too, and he propped his forearms on his thighs and leaned forward. "I thought summer was supposed to be fun and exciting."
"Me too..." Julie said dully, mirroring Fulton's pose.
"Hey Fulton! Wanna go get some pizza and pick up some chicks?" Portman called out with a grin when he realized his fellow Bash Brother had arrived.
"In a sec, bro!" Fulton said to Portman before turning back to Adam and Julie. "You two gonna be okay?"
The both gave him smiles.
"Yeah, I think we'll be okay," Julie answered.
Fulton nodded and left to head off with Portman.
Julie and Adam watched Fulton leave with the other "Enforcer" of their hockey team and looked at each other.
"So what's bugging you?" Julie asked after a few moments.
Adam shrugged at the girl. "Nothing, really. Just thinking. What about you?"
Julie shrugged too. "Same, I guess. I'm just really worried about Charlie, you know?" Julie said quietly.
Julie saw an unreadable expression cross Adam's face. "Yeah, I guess. But if he's going to be difficult, then I'm not going any farther out of my way. I tried that, and he threw it back in my face. I'm getting a little sick of it." Adam said before he could stop himself.
"Banks, whether of not he knows it, he does need us. Do you really think it's a good idea to let him think he's right about us not caring? I don't know about you, but this is one fight he isn't going to win," Julie said with fiery finality.
"You're only saying that because he hasn't YELLED at YOU. He hasn't DIRECTLY told YOU that you're too self-centered to care, when in all honesty you do. He hasn't given YOU a reason to think he may seriously be gone. Julie, he doesn't want my help; he doesn't want OUR help," Adam said tightly, his mind flashing back to their argument in the hospital room.
"You don't know what all he has been through; he's had it rough, and he isn't going to be perfect," Julie said defensively.
"And you do?" Adam asked sharply.
Julie opened her mouth to respond, but closed it quickly again when she realized she had nothing to say. She couldn't tell Adam...She didn't want to be the one to spill the beans.
"Well that's not the point! The point is that maybe we're not giving him a chance for the same reason he's not giving us a chance," she said awkwardly.
Adam raised his eyebrows. "And that reason would be...?"
"We aren't COMMUNICATING!" Julie said.
"Well, it isn't for a lack of trying on MY part," Adam said with a deep-set frown.
The blonde girl sighed and rubbed her temples. "I know, but maybe if we can find a way to communicate what's wrong, we can work it out."
"But he doesn't want to 'communicate' with us! Or not with me, anyway. He seems to have NO PROBLEM talking to you! He yells, screams, and insults our integrity, and yet he pulls a Jekyll-Hyde, or should I say Hyde-Jekyll, anytime you show up! Why is that, Julie?!" Adam demanded with frustration. By this time, most of the Ducks were watching with confused curiosity.
Julie stood up with anger. "I don't know, okay?! Maybe for some reason, he figured out that I'm not out to get him. I've tried hard to not bring up things that make him clam-up and become uncomfortable, and it actually works, okay?! I don't want him to hate me!"
"So you leave it up to US to make him mad?" Adam asked harshly.
"No! No, that is NOT what I'm saying, and you know it! I just mean that I'm earning his trust as best I can! I'm sorry if that bothers you!" Julie retorted hotly.
Adam shook his head and glared slightly. "Oh, this is just rich. Really, it is. I get stuck on another team BEYOND MY CONTROL, and he drops me like a ten-ton weight. Yet he acts like Super-Jerk from down under, and yet I'm expected to not be angry?! I'm sorry, but no! You can defend him all you want, Julie, but if he isn't going to let me help, why should I bother?!"
"Because maybe, just MAYBE, you can try and remember that he's your best friend! I realize it's a difficult thing to recall at the moment, but at one point you two were best friends! Isn't that worth a little sacrifice? Isn't it worth sticking by him for a little longer? He's in there somewhere, I'm sure of it...I know where you're coming from, Adam. I really do." Julie said, pained at the realization that things were falling apart at the seams as the days passed.
The tall, fair-skinned boy pursed his lips and looked at the ground for a brief moment. "I have to get home..." he said in a soft voice, walking away from the rest of his fellow teammates.
Julie let out a frustrated groan and buried her face in her hands. Grabbing her things, she walked off in the other direction to head back to her own dorm room.
From across the court, Connie had been watching the conversation. When the brunette girl saw her friend start to leave, she decided to follow the girl.
"Hey, guys, I'm going to go make sure Julie's okay." Connie said, unclasping the helmet and sitting on a bench to remove her roller blades.
"Okay...You gonna meet us for pizza later, Cons?" her boyfriend, Guy, asked as he slowed himself to a stop.
Connie nodded her head and tied her sneakers onto her feet.
Waving goodbye, Connie ran after Julie's retreating form. Her curiosity was killing her, and she had to know what had caused that little argument with Adam.
"Julie!" the brunette girl called out, catching up to her blonde friend. "Hey Jules. You okay?"
Julie turned to Connie with a slightly confused expression. "Yeah, I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?"
Her friend shrugged. "I don't know, I guess. You were just arguing with Banks, so I thought something might be wrong." Connie said, voicing her concern.
Giving Connie a half-smile, Julie hugged her. "Don't worry about it. I feel a little better...I'm just getting frustrated that no one else seems to be making any effort with Charlie except me...I just wish everything would automatically get better again..." Julie confessed as the two girls fell into step with each other.
"I know how you feel. I want everything to go back to normal too; it just seems to be so screwed up, you know? I try not to think about it, so I guess I'm guilty too." Connie said, adjusting the bag on her shoulder.
Julie kicked a rock diagonally as she walked down the sidewalk with the only other girl on their hockey team. "I can understand where you're coming from, but every time I try, it drives me crazy until I go see him. It's kinda like I wanna make sure he's still there, ya know? From what I've gathered, Montana life wasn't a day at the beach, and he has growing trust issues. He won't even talk to Bombay...or Banks. He won't talk to me, and chances are he won't talk to the therapist Bombay is taking him to."
"Bombay's taking him to a therapist?" Connie asked with shock.
Julie nodded.
Connie made a face. "That won't be pretty..."
Julie shook her head with a grim smile, but her eyes were slightly laughing. "As bad as this probably sounds, I feel sorry for whatever therapist he's going to."
"I know exactly what you mean," the brown-haired, brown-eyed girl said. "He didn't seem too excited with the idea."
Nodding, the blonde girl glanced at her watch. "He should be home by now. I'm thinking about stopping by and see what he thought. Who knows? Maybe it worked."
Connie gave the girl a skeptical look, raising her eyebrows with disbelief.
Narrowing her eyes, Julie stuck out her tongue. "Shuttup! It's possible!"
"Just about as possible as it is for the sky to fall and the world to spontaneously implode, thus blowing up the galaxy," Connie said, being the voice of reason.
Sighing and continuing to mock-scowl at her friend, Julie sighed. "Fine, fine. Maybe I just wanna go see how it went and check how he's doing," the girl admitted with defeat, still scowling slightly.
Connie grinned. "I swear it girl, you're bordering on stalker. I'm sure he's fine. Besides, chances are he's in a crummy mood; you might even end up walking in on an argument with Coach over how stupid counseling is. Then it would be all awkward and stuff, thus not helping the situation at all."
"Gee, way to be optimistic, Cons. And I am NOT bordering on stalker! I'm just being NICE!" Julie said pointedly, poking Connie in the shoulder.
"Nice? Julie, you're definitely bordering on stalker," Connie said lightly, smiling as she shrugged.
"Am not!" Julie retorted.
"Are too!" Connie said, her tongue peeking out from between her teeth as she smiled.
"Am not!"
"Yep, you would be. It's okay, Jules. It's nothing to be ashamed of," Connie said jokingly.
"I am not stalking him!" Julie said, pouting slightly as she whapped Connie on the shoulder with her bag.
Connie laughed. "You're not, huh? You're just being nice?" the girl asked Julie with amusement.
"Yes!" Julie said firmly.
"If you insist," Connie said, poking fun at her best friend.
Snorting, Julie crossed her arms. "I do insist."
After a few seconds, they burst into laughter in the middle of the sidewalk. A few of the passers-by watched them strangely before moving on with life.
Leaning on Connie for support, Julie tried to start speaking again. "See you later Cons...I'm gonna head on over and check things out. See ya back in the dorms?" Julie asked as she started walking backwards towards Charlie and Gordon's house.
Connie smirked. "Okay, have fun stalking Charlie!" Connie said, waving poshly as she grinned impishly.
"Shuttup, I am not stalking Charlie!" Julie instantly denied.
"Sure you're not," Connie said in a sing-song voice. "Bye Jules!"
"I am not-!" Julie started to retort before she realized Connie had already practically skipped away. "...stalking Charlie..." she finished to herself before growling slightly and continuing her trek.
Shaking her head and sighing, she crossed her arms and quickened her pace. Connie totally did not even know what she was talking about...She wasn't STALKING Charlie; she was just being his friend...
