Disclaimer - I do not own anything even remotely related to The Mighty Ducks. I only wish I had thought of them first…
Italics indicate character thought.
It felt like the room was spinning. Charlie had watched Beau disappear through his bedroom door before the finality of it all sank in. What the hell just happened? He said it aloud. "What the hell just happened?" The breath was thick in his lungs and he could feel his heart beating faster. "She just broke up with me." He looked around his room frantically and saw the box of trophies spilled across the floor.
Still in a daze he bent over and began picking up the awards and shoving them back into the package. I'm single. I love her and she just broke up with me with absolutely no warning. The more he thought about it the more angry he got. I've given her everything. Every single part of me. She just threw that back in my face without even a discussion. She broke up with me in under a minute flat. He didn't realize how tense he was until the arms of the hockey trophy were digging into the palm of his hand. It set him over the edge and he threw the figure at the bedroom door.
Charlie sat straight up in bed, knowing instantly that he had been dreaming…again. "Heh. More like a nightmare." He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts of Beau and of that night out of his mind. The room was still pitch black and he looked over at the red numbers on the clock, sighing. "Five am." He slid his feet down to the floor, feeling the cold hard wood beneath his toes. When he stood up only in his boxers the cold air brought goose bumps to his skin. He made his way to the shower, making sure his travel suit was hanging neatly on the closet door still. As he turned on the bathroom light, squinting at the adjustment for his eyes, he could still smell Beau on him. Maybe some day soon that will stop. He stepped into the tile and let the warm spray wash over his face, trying to wake up. "It's a good thing they are paying me to be up this early."
It had been almost two months. Two months. Beau still thought of him every day. Charlie was the first thing on her mind when she woke in the morning and she stopped herself at least ten times a day from picking up the phone and calling him. He had played in a few games now and Beau had started to watch each of them on television, but the minute she saw his picture on the screen she had had to turn it off. She had never had asthma but she assumed the tightening in her chest was what it would feel like.
She had only been back in Minnesota for a week. The summer at home had been really boring. She had coached in-line hockey again, which was always fun and she had spent a good week crying on her mother's shoulder. Her mother had asked her once a day if she had called Charlie. Rachel and Fulton were no better.
Fulton was in Raleigh for training camp and Rachel was home for the summer as well. The girls spent a great deal of time up in the city with him and they too kept encouraging her to call him. She had never broken down and told them why she had ended things with Charlie, but it certainly didn't stop them from trying to pry it out of her. Between her friends and her parents, the days couldn't go by quickly enough.
She was excited, though, because Guy, Jesse, and Cole were all coming home today. She wanted to be surrounded by noise and chaos and that was exactly what she got when Cole and Jesse came banging through the door together, laughing. She couldn't help but grin. Seeing Jesse walking of his own accord and not hobbling on the crutches was wonderful.
"Hey there, boys." She stood up from the couch.
"Mayland!" She was enveloped in hugs before she pushed Jesse to arms length and looked him up and down.
"Well look at you, Hall. All spiffy and in one piece. Excited for one more season of eligibility?" He grinned dropping a bag down on the floor.
"Are you kidding? I've been ready since the last game I played in." He rotated his ankle around. "Coach has been sending me all sorts of exercises to do all summer so I'm strong and ready to dominate!" He sobered, poking her shoulder and then crossing his arms over his chest. "So, how come we have to hear from Banks that you broke up with Conway?"
Cole shoved her as well. What was it with her teammates and the shoving? "Yeah. What? You don't tell your friends this kind of thing?" He was picking at her, but his smile faded. "What happened, Mayland? You guys were like…perfect."
Before she could answer them the door swung open and Guy poked his head in. "Hello?"
He walked tentatively into the main living room and looked around, smiling at his friends. "Wow, this place is great." He had lost several pounds. Connie had told Beau that it was because he wasn't eating much and was barely sleeping, but it was still surprising to see. He looked exhausted.
Beau had talked to him herself many times over the summer, but he was always trying to put a positive spin on things. She walked over and hugged him, noticing the lack of bulk through his shoulders. "It's good to see your ugly face, Germaine."
He grinned at her. "Yours too, Mayland."
She squeezed his shoulder. "You look tired, buddy. I know you said that TFA was exhausting but it really took it out of you, huh?"
He rolled his eyes but smiled. "It was hell, but it's been the best thing I've ever done. Teach for America is one of those things that you just can't understand unless you've experienced it."
Jesse grimaced. "Sort of like Goldberg's breath after he's been wearing his goalie's mask for a whole game?"
"Exactly like that."
An hour later and Jesse and Cole had gone out to meet the rest of the returning team. Guy had a meeting at the school administration early the next morning and wanted to relax, and Beau begged out under the pretense of a headache, but really she wasn't ready to face the questions about Charlie. Turns out she got them anyway.
They had only been alone and flipping through the channels for ten minutes before Guy turned to her, his face hard. "So are you going to tell me what really happened, or do I have to harass it out of you?"
She tried to feign innocence, pointing the remote at the TV. "Tell you what really happened with what?"
Guy snaked his hand out and grabbed the remote, shutting the television off and plunging the room into silence. "We're friends, right Beau? Because I like to think of you as being one of my very best friends."
She looked hurt. "You shouldn't have to ask that, Guy. Of course we are."
He turned toward her, crossing his legs. "I didn't press the issue this summer because I wanted to talk to you about it face to face, but I'm asking you now, friend to best friend…why did you break up with Charlie, because it's obvious you're still in love with him?"
She was like a deer in the headlights. The only one who knew the truth was her mother. If Guy knew, he might tell Charlie. If Charlie knew…what? Why shouldn't Charlie know? You miss him. And there went Beau's resolve. She tried to get herself back on track, shrugging. "I don't know, Guy. It's a long…I don't want to talk about it. I didn't want to do long distance." She got up and started to head for her room. "I think I'm going to bed."
He was up and following her down the hall. When he finally caught up he grabbed her arm forcefully and spun her around to face him, her eyes wide. "I care about you, Beau. Quit lying to me…and to yourself. Why did you break up with him?" She was still just looking at him and it infuriated him to see her play innocent…to know what she was giving up on. "Jesus, Beau! Are you really going to let what you guys had just be a memory? Did you really break his heart for such a selfish reason as 'you just couldn't do the long distance thing'?" He was yelling at her. She had never heard Guy yell, and it got her hackles up. That and the fact that he was calling her selfish.
She finally jerked her arm away, pointing a finger in his face. "You don't know anything about it, Guy. And don't call me selfish."
"If the shoe fits." He was disgusted with her. Someone so smart doing something so stupid and for no apparent reason. He started to walk away but her raised voice stopped him.
"I wanted him to live his life!" The words were out before she could stop herself. Guy turned around slowly, incredulous.
"What?" It was said like an accusation.
"I didn't want to hold him back." She felt a huge weight lift with the confession to her friend. She sagged back against the door jamb of Cole's room and dropped her head into her hands. "I wanted him to have his freedom, Guy."
"Oh geez, Beau." Guy had known, all along, that it had to be something like this, but hearing her say it... "Did you even give him a chance to know that what he was getting was his freedom?"
She pouted. "No." She raised hey eyes, and to Guy's dismay, they were filled with tears. "Guy…" It was a plea. "What did I do?"
B: Don't worry. I can't keep them apart forever! Thanks for reviewing!
duckfluff: Thanks! Yeah, I think staying true to your home is always a must. That's why I'm a huge Colts fan at heart. Love me some Peyton Manning!
BellaLou: It's totally because you KNOW what your paper is supposed to sound like, so you miss the mistakes. I'd be happy to look at stuff for you any time. I actually just taught English for a year, so I'm primed and ready. I hadn't really mentioned Jesse in a while other than to say that he had been given Tommy Lex's scholarship spot and that he was taking a medical red-shirt for a season. That basically means, if you don't know, that he gets an extra year of eligibility, so he's staying and playing with Beau and Cole in their junior year. Nothing new with his family though. I just figured I'd let y'all assume that his dad is still a jerk. :)
Cc: I'm so glad you are still liking Guy. I can totally see him in middle school molding young minds and getting shit thrown at him by some hooligans! I want to do more with the friendship between him and Beau and tried to do that here. I think it will play a part in the Connie/Guy fic I'm thinking about doing next. Thanks for reviewing every chapter! I look forward to it.
antiIrony: Yeah, it seems like we get stupid when we get in relationships. It's a built in part of the species I think. I have to admit I'm guilty of doing the "it's for him that I'm doing this" thing. It was stupid then and it's stupid of Beau now. It's why I like her! Thanks for the feedback!