Author's Note: Some parts of this chapter are purposefully vague and unanswered. Trust me, all will be revealed in due time, heh. Thank you so much for understanding, Queen of the Cake-Eaters. Trust me, when I realized the title was similar to one of yours, I tried to think of a new one but my brain likes to shut down on me in the most inopportune moments.

:: Bottle Up and Explode ::

:: Chapter Three: Smile like Nothing's Wrong ::

"I said to leave the Ducks alone," Adam said. Riley drew up close trying to appear menacing. Adam felt his hands ball up into fists. He had a sudden flash of morbidity, like, God, this is so lame. And, to be honest, it really was. Dealing with Riley was just one big pissing contest to see who was stronger. Just as he had suspected, Riley advanced with his own fists up.

Adam swallowed a groan as he felt his back hit the row of lockers. He ducked his head and rammed his fists into Riley's stomach. The taller boy doubled over and overbalanced, falling on his back. He looked momentarily winded. Adam stood there briefly, considering maybe throwing in a couple more punches for his own satisfaction really since Riley's retaliation would be worse that way. Before he could really decide, a new voice interrupted them.

"What is going on here?" a teacher demanded, sticking her head out from the classroom.

"Are you…are you two fighting?" she said, in disbelief. "Well I've never…"

"No, not fighting," Riley said, rising to his feet. "We were just playing around and we tripped. And fell." The teacher's face was laced with disbelief but nodded.

"Well alright but be more careful next time." Her gaze turned on Adam and she frowned.

"You're new, aren't you," she said. "You don't look very good. Did hit your head when you fell? Riley, show the boy where the nurse's office is."

"Oh, no, it won't be necessary," Adam said, hurriedly and nearly sprinted away, leaving the bewildered teacher and livid Riley behind. As he turned the corner, he ran smack into the goalie of the Varsity team. Adam swallowed another groan. This was it. The goalie looked strong. He and Riley would probably beat him up right here right now.

"Whoa, there, Adam, you're not being chased," Scooter said, steadying the other boy by the shoulders. Scooter looked past Adam to see a furious looking Riley walking towards them.

"Never mind," the goalie muttered. "Go, I'll keep him for now." Bewildered, Adam sprinted for the nurse's office. Maybe Scooter was trying to lull him into a false sense of security and Cole was actually waiting just around the next corner. Adam shook his head and mentally kicked himself because no, telling Riley what to do wasn't a good idea at all.

"So…you're breaking up with me?" Connie asked.

"Looks like it," Guy said, shrugging. He wasn't trying to be the complete son of a bitch he was kind of acting like but they've been friends for too long for Connie to really take it personally. That was just the way Guy was. He was kind of cold, unfeeling almost, and to be completely honest, if Guy hadn't jumped the gun and given her the long-winded monologue, she would have given pretty much the same one to Guy.

But that didn't mean that it still didn't feel like shit.

"Well…feels kind of weird, doesn't it?" Connie said. Guy stayed silent, staring intently in front of him, which was conveniently not into Connie's face. That was when she realized that Guy had chosen the time and place for this event carefully, sitting side by side on a bench in the quad, to avoid eye contact.

"Don't you want to know why?" Guy finally said.

"We're growing apart and it hurts but it's the truth."

"No."

"Wait, what?" Connie stared at Guy's profile and it looked like his expression was growing harder and more vulnerable at the same time.

"There was that one time, that party, at the end of eighth grade." Connie felt her stomach starting to drop with apprehension.

"I don't-" Guy cut her off.

"And you hooked up with Jesse." It had been the first night any of them really gotten drunk and Connie didn't even know what she was doing half the night, hooking up with Jesse falling under that half. Connie hated not having full control over her actions and hated herself for doing that, cheating on Guy, so much that she had hardly taken a look at an alcoholic beverage sine then.

"I didn't mean to," she said.

"You know, Connie, I wouldn't have even cared if you told me. Instead, you let everybody else find out around me and they all felt sorry for me for being the idiot that got cheated on."

"Because it didn't mean anything, it was a stupid mistake. I was drunk," she said. Guy still refused to look at her.

"Even if it didn't mean anything, it still happened, Connie, and you know what? I don't think we're growing apart. I think you're pulling away from me because I still think that you're the only girl for me."

"Don't say that," Connie said. Now it was her turn to look straight ahead.

"And I'll still be the idiot that chases the girl who doesn't care about her anymore."

"You're the one breaking up with me," Connie reminded him. Guy stood up to leave and Connie grabbed at his hand. He looked at it for a second. Then he dropped her hand and left. Connie stared at his retreating back, wondering why it felt so harsh when it was really her fault anyway. She pulled her book bag over her shoulder and started the long walk back to her dorm, hoping that Julie might be there.

When Connie pushed the door open to her dorm, she found Julie digging through her backpack and closets, looking for something.

"Julie…" Her friend looked up and frowned at the expression on Connie's face, knowing that something was up.

"He broke up with me," Connie said. And suddenly, the situation hit her and she felt salty tears gather in the corners of her eyes. Fine, she had fucked up. Big time. But that didn't change the fact that now Guy was gone, she was starting to miss what she had taken for granted. Damn. Connie sat down on her bed and just let the tears fall, not realizing that Julie was staring at her with a strange expression.

"Sorry," Julie finally said. Connie looked up at her friend. Okay, Julie was kind of rough with her feelings like guys but she figured she'd get a more sympathetic response from her friend. Or, knowing Julie, maybe a suggestion to go egg Guy's (nonexistent) car or something.

"Julie," Connie started, uncertainly. Her voice was sounding kind of shaky and weird now that the tears started. "I just thought…he broke up with me." Julie already knew about the Jesse incident so she was hoping her friend could piece two and two together and come sit next to her and give her the goddamn sympathy that she needed.

"Look Connie, breaking up with your boyfriend isn't the end of the world," Julie snapped. Connie stared at her friend in shock. Julie picked up her backpack.

"I'm going to the library," she said, shortly and left the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Connie stared at the closed door. Her head felt heavy but nowhere near as heavy as her heart. The world seemed to close in around her and she felt like a wooden doll.

Except dolls can't cry this much, right?

Julie felt a small shred of remorse at acting like such a bitch to Connie just two seconds earlier, but it was hard not to get pissed off when she was crying over something as trivial as a break-up, especially one that she kind of brought on herself. It was only a matter of time before someone slipped up and told Guy that Connie cheated on him. Still, they had been going out for a long time and despite what Connie had thought about "growing away from him," Julie still knew that Connie was head over heels for Guy. Well, as head over heels as a high-schooler can get. Well okay, maybe that's a lot, then.

Julie would have been more sympathetic. She would have been a good friend, the type that would have bought her ice cream and planned devious strategies to make Guy regret what his decision. She would have done all of that if her dad hadn't called just ten minutes before and told her that he and her mom were getting a divorce.

A divorce. A fucking divorce. Where had that come from? Last time she checked, she was the one starting all the arguments in the house and Julie thought that boarding at Eden Hall would actually save their damn marriage. Apparently not so. And when she heard that their parents are getting a divorce, it kind of put everything into perspective. And crying over a relationship was pretty damn pathetic.

Julie was pretty furious at her parents for dropping this on her during midterm week too. Now how was she supposed to study? Did they really think they could tell her and she could go back to being sunny, studious Julie? Did they really think she was made of reinforced metal like that? Are they really that damn stupid?

Julie absently reached into her backpack looking for something that wasn't there. She scowled. She made a mental note to e-mail her friend, telling him to send over some of his stuff pretty soon. She was so lost in thought that she ran smack into someone without realizing it, falling flat on her butt. As if the day wasn't shitty enough already.

"That's the second time today! What's with you Ducks?" said an unfamiliar voice. Julie glared up into the face of a mildly amused looking boy who looked vaguely familiar.

"Do I know you?" she asked, ignoring his hand and stood up.

"You're Julie right? Julie Gaffney?"

"So what?" She was still glaring at him, warily. These circumstances at home were really messing up her social skills. Julie felt a small part of her brain yell at her for being so bristly and acting like an ice-queen bitch.

"I'm Scooter," he said, easily. "I'm the goalie for the Varsity team. You're the goalie for the Ducks. I've seen you play; you're really good."

"Right." He was actually getting pretty excited.

"I saw that game between you and Iceland. That save was fantastic. I was really impressed; you have a really fast glove. Bombay really knew what he was doing." Julie just stared at him. She really didn't have time for this.

"I was thinking if you wanted to hang out sometime, grab a soda and talk," Scooter offered.

"I have a lot of things on my mind right now so maybe when I'm not feeling like I want to give everyone around me a fucking lobotomy, I'll consider," she said. To her surprise, Scooter actually laughed. As she walked away, he called after her, "Anytime, just tell me when you're free."

A/N: Whoops, I'm neglecting the other Ducks. Don't worry; they'll all have their chance at the spotlight.