Disclaimer - I do not own anything even remotely related to The Mighty Ducks. I only wish I had thought of them first… I also do not have any claims or rights to AT&T or the fabulous Cyndi Lauper song "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."
Italics indicate character thought.
Beau and Guy didn't say good-bye. It was something they had always either consciously or unconsciously avoided and Beau moving to Detroit was no exception. They ate dinner together on Thursday night, vehemently skirting around the issue of her leaving the next day. They talked about Connie, Charlie, their families, movies they wanted to see, Ralph the cat, and the episode of American Idol that had been on the night before (Guy swore he only watched so that he could respond intelligently when Connie talked about it).
They lingered for almost three hours, ordering desert and drink after drink and when the waiters were finally staring at them, taking up the last unclean table, they reluctantly paid their bill and schlepped outside. Guy walked Beau to her car and then shoved his hands deep into his pockets, delaying the inevitable. "So, what time tom…"
"Ah, ah, ah." Beau waggled her finger at him, shaking her head from side to side. "Don't say it."
Guy grinned at her childish evasion and crossed his arms over his chest. "Fair enough." He cleared his throat and brushed a nervous hand over his sandy hair, donning an expression of easy comfort. "So, ah. I'll see ya later then."
Beau grinned up at him and clapped her hands one. "Yup. Later, buddy."
Guy leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, his usual farewell. Beau reached up and wrapped her arms around him in a frighteningly tight embrace. She pressed her head into his shoulder and swallowed forcibly to hold back the tears. Guy cleared his throat again and she pulled back, plastering a smile on her face. She sat down in the driver's seat of her car, buckled her seatbelt in silence, and turned the ignition. She gripped the steering wheel so tightly she was afraid she'd leave imprints and then smiling again she swiveled her head to look up at her best friend. Guy grinned down at her in the same false fashion and shut the door carefully. He tapped the glass and waved, stepping back into the street so that she could pull out.
Beau returned the wave and pulled into the lane, promising herself she wouldn't look in the rearview mirror. You'll see him again. It's not as if one of you is dying. At that thought she let a little sob escape. She reached out and turned the volume up, letting the pounding beats of Taking Back Sunday and "Bonus Most Pt. 2" wash over her ear drums. Breaking her own rule she looked in the rearview mirror and saw Guy standing in the middle of the dark road, his fingers interlocked on the top of his head, watching her drive away.
"I just wanted to be the first one to call you at your new place!" Rachel was so excited that Beau couldn't bear to tell her that her mother, Charlie, Guy, and Cole had all already called for the same reason. All five of them thought that they had been the most proactive, but the sad reality was that the very first call had been a telemarketer. That's right. Her first call in her new home had been an AT&T long distance marketer trying to convince her to upgrade her absolutely brand new phone plan. Rachel interrupted her thoughts. "So, how is it?"
Beau walked over to the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the arena where Charlie played. It was a staggering view and she was still unsure she could get used to being up so high all the time. She sighed. "It's really quiet."
Rachel laughed in her ear and it brought a smile to her face. "You mean there are no boys wrestling?"
Beau nodded. "No video games blaring through eight hundred speakers."
Rachel snorted. "No plastic pucks smacking into your bedroom door?"
"No one barging into my room unannounced and interrupting my work."
"You hate it don't you?" Rachel said it matter-of-factly, already knowing the answer.
Beau turned around, surveying her new space. Her very own space. "I don't hate it…exactly." She turned a circle again, hooking a thumb in her belt loop. "It's just so," she sought the right word, but Rachel found it first.
"Lonely."
She spat out a quick laugh realizing that was exactly what it was. "Yeah. It's very very lonely." She could almost feel the devious grin spreading across Rachel's face.
"You know what cures that right?"
"Good old fashioned fake microphone singing." They said it in unison and laughed hysterically like only life-long girlfriends can do and not drive each other nuts. It made Beau feel immensely better.
"Rach, you've made me feel tons better. I'm so going to put the phone down now and crank up some rockin' 80's music."
There was some whispering in the background on Rachel's end before her friend finally answered. "Fulton heard about the fake-microphone singing and says that Metallica is the way to go. Luckily, we both know he's an idiot…"
"Hey!" They both ignored him as Rachel continued.
"80's is most definitely the answer. May I recommend Journey or Debbie Gibson? I think that I would do Take on Me by the remarkable A-Ha, but that may be out of your league my dear."
Beau was crouched in front of her stereo system, the very first thing that she had unpacked in her new home. "I've got the perfect song, don't you worry chica. Thanks again, Rach."
"Love ya, Beau. Bye."
As Beau hung up the phone she hit the play button and sighed contentedly. To my new testosterone-lite life, whatever that may bring. Grabbing her beer bottle she raised the neck to her mouth, gripping it like a singer would a mic and began walking slowly around the room, weaving in and out of furniture.
"I come home, in the morning light. My mother says 'when you gonna live your life right.' Oh mother dear we're not the fortunate ones. And girls," She twisted her body, smiling at the window and pointing at her chest. "They want to have fun. Oh, girls just want to have fun."
Wishing desperately for some leg warmers she pulled her tattered sweatshirt off of one shoulder and pointed dramatically at her faux audience.
"The phone rings in the middle of the night. My father yells 'what you gonna do with your life.' Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one." She cocked a hip and stuck her hand there. "But girls, they want to have fun. Oh girls just wanna have fun."
She jumped up on her brand new couch, still wrapped in the shipping wrap. Her bare feet squeaked and raising her 'microphone' back to her mouth she did an impromptu little twist. "Some boys take a beautiful girl and hide her away from the rest of the world." She stepped down to the authentic hardwood floor and walked towards the window, her hips sliding from side to side like a model. "I want to be the one who walks in the sun. And girls, they want to have fun…"
That was how Charlie saw her for the first time in Detroit. Her door had been unlocked (he would have to talk to her about that) and the music blaring (he was sure her neighbors would want to talk to her about that). He peeked in and had been riveted from her little dance on the couch. Her jeans were riddled with holes and skin peeked out in several places. She wore and ancient Indiana University sweatshirt, the sleeves cut short and the neck removed. It hung loosely off of one shoulder, revealing a tantalizingly red bra strap. The sexy bra from all those years ago in Entomology? A new version? Charlie certainly hoped so.
Her hair was wild, big dark loose curls shooting in all directions and she wore not a single drop of make-up. Charlie was absolutely sure, in that moment, that he had never seen her look more beautiful.
"Oh, girls just want to have…" She spun in a turn, arms wide and when her eyes landed on him he saw a complete lack of recognition. Beau screamed, dropped her beer, and made some sort of wild flailing motion slash retarded karate move. When she realized who he was she yelled his name in an extremely accusatory manner and gave him the finger. "Don't do that!"
He sat down at the bar, motioning for her to mind her feet on the broken glass. "I love you, Mayland. A lot."
Joank: The tassel moving. We did that when I graduated both times. It's like a sign of the official graduation. You move it from left to right I believe. I'm surprised you guys didn't do it. Retarded yes, but there you have it!
Duckfluff: Congrats! High school or college graduation? What's next on your plate? I'm glad you like Cole. I've grown quite fond of him myself. Expect to see him again, I believe.
Hockey-girl90: THANK YOU!
Pitaqueen: Four for four it is! I'm mighty proud of myself. I'm glad you are appreciating it so much!
Cc: I'm so glad everyone likes Cole. He reminds me a ton of a guy I went to high school with. He was a total blast.
antiIrony: Yeah, I sorta felt like I had done Parker a disservice by not mentioning him for a while. I think we'll see a revisiting sometime soon.
Urban: Ooooh. Killing Casey was not something that I had thought about. Not a bad idea at all, although now it wouldn't be a surprise, would it? I'm taking it under consideration…thanks!
Sinbin05: What a sweet review! Yeah, Guy's statement about growing up is something I find myself saying a lot. I'm staring to realize why I like the Peter Pan movie so much. Why can't we just stay like 22 forever?