Chapter 8

Life isn't a walk in the park

6:30 PM

Three weeks had passed and all the players seemed exhausted. And seemingly enough they all retained their body parts.Luckily no real drama had gone down between The Bet quite yet.But their double practices and school work, it seemed a lot of them were wearing down. They didn't have time for any added "drama". Joe sighed as she and Julie were doing their Advanced Chemistry homework in the library.

"So...what's with you lately, you seem like out there?" Julie whispered to Joe as they were almost done. Joe looked up pushing back some of her hair. She had spent a lot of time this morning braiding it in to long braids, she actually had attempted to look somewhat girly today. She had on a black tank top, a black mesh netting over it, a red and black plaid skirt, a nice pair of nylons and a pair of cute black mary jane shoes. She thought she looked girly enough, Julie had ranted on and on about the dark colors. But finally Julie gave in and laughed figuring this was as girly as Joe was probably going to get. Joe had even submitted to Julie requesting to do her make up. Julie had to admit she did look really good, but something fishy about it was making her Cat senses go wild.

"Not much, just kinda involved with school," Joe shrugged. She looked to the clock 7 pm. She smiled slightly. She was excited that it was actually a Friday and for once she had plans that didn't involve Portman following her everywhere.

"So what's with the attire anyway?" another voices asked. The girls looked up to see Charlie and Banks come up to them.

"Nothing, I'm just going out..." Joe shrugged blushing a bit.

"Exactly and with who?" Charlie smiled taking a seat by Joe. Adam sat by Julie smiling shyly at her.

"She and Fulton are going out," Julie smiled teasingly.

"Ooohhh...Joe and Fulton sitting in a..." Charlie laughed teasing. He smiled watching Joe get all red.

"We're not going out on a date, I'm helping Fulton with his English paper. He insisted that I tutor him. But you have to swear that you didn't hear it from me." Joe smiled shyly as she broke interupting his little song.

"Wow, so he actually asked you for help?" Banks smirked slightly. Banks already knew, he, Charlie, and Fulton had been through the drill. Fulton had some problems with english but not too many, he just really wanted to get time with Joe alone, without Portman and Tyler. So they had devised the plan on an english paper which wasn't really a lie, he did have an english paper to do, but it wasn't due for another two weeks.

"Yea I was suprised too, but hey I enjoy helping out a teammate and a friend," Joe nodded closing her chem book.

"A friend right.. Where are y'all studying anyway?" Adam asked arching a brow smiling deviously.

"My room, hence why Julie will be spending time with you two. You must guard her with your lives from my mutant brother. And you better not tell Portman where I am, I've had a hard enough time dodging him the past three weeks. If I get one more bouquet of flowers or a horrible sonet I'm going to go nuts," Joe put her books in her bag and zipped it up.

"Ha Portman writes sonets?" Charlie laughed.

"Not exactly, he makes Ken write them for him," Julie rolled her eyes.

"Wow, poor Ken," laughed Adam.

"No poor Joe, she's had over 5 dozen roses delivered to our room in the past three weeks. Not to mention the singing under the window, I swear if Joe doesn't kill Portman I will," Julie growled slightly.

"Well bye guys!" Joe waved and headed towards the door. The three of them watched her walk away trying not to laugh.

"Does she know?" asked Adam to Julie.

"Not a clue," she smiled.

"Great, so maybe we can get them together finally, I'm really getting tired of the gloomy brooding they're doing. I mean seriously neither of them seem to smile anymore except around each other." Charlie laughed.

MEANWHILE IN THE BOOK ASISLE BEHIND THEM...

Riley stood there watching the four. He had been taking notes on the past month on the Ducks. Especially following Joe. He had become slightly infatuated with her. He and his fellow teammates were attempting to devise a plan to sabatoge them before the JV vs Varsity game.

"Hey Riley, uh what you see over there?" asked Cole stupidly. Riley turned to see Cole standing there with Scooter.

"Not much, but I do know that Joe and Fulton are doing an english paper tonight. Or so that's what is set up. We can always tell a little bird to pass the message to Portman and watch the sparks fly," Riley laughed evilly. Cole started to laugh too. Scooter looked a bit concerned.

"You think we really should be messing with their personal lives?" he asked catiously.

"Oh come off it Scooter, you know that you're just up tight because you still have the hots for Gaffney," Riley grumbled. Scooter was quiet.

IN THE BASH BROTHERS ROOM

6:45 PM

Tyler laid in the third bed starring at Portman.

"Dude this is so lame, I can't believe we have nothing to do," he groaned. Portman looked up from his Rolling Stone Magazine.

"I know right, I can't believe this crap. Three weeks and your sister still hasn't even taken the bait, I'm begining to question her sexuality there Tyler," Portman grumbled. Tyler arched a brow,

"Dude maybe she's just not interested." Tyler shrugged as he looked to the desk where Fulton was sitting looking out the window listening to tunes on his cd player. He finally turned it off gathering up all his books and taking a last look in the mirror. He had dressed nicely. He had on a nice black button up shirt, a pair of slightly baggy black jeans, a nice pair of black boots. He actually brushed his hair too. Tyler stared at him oddly. Portman kind of shrugged. He figured that the tutor had to be some hot chick from the dance team or cheerleading. Some of them seemed to actually be smart.

"Later dudes," he waved at them exiting. They just both nodded waving slightly.

"Man this sucks, we're both not scoring," Tyler groaned.

"Didn't make much progress with Cat Lady either I take it?" Portman asked looking to Tyler.

"Nah, she's been kind of clinging over with Charlie, Joe, and Adam lately. Dunno, I'm about to say drop the whole thing. We get progress reports tomorrow. And I'm kind of wigging," he shrugged. He got up sitting next to Portman on the bed.

"What's up with Reed, why is he so out there lately?" he asked.

Dean shrugged, " Your guess is good as mine. But he's got some tutor helping him tonight with an English paper. Probably one of those chicks from the dance team, I heard he had the hots for some chick named Emily."

"Gee, I wonder who his tutor is," a voice came from the doorway. They looked up to see Eric Riley, it was the infamous Rick's cousin.

"What you got word on who the tutor chick is or you just coming to get your butt beat?" Portman asked standing up.

"Actually I do you brainless twits, and boy will you ever get the shock of a lifetime," he smirked staring at their posters of Metallica and Guns' N' Roses and rolling his eyes.

"Who is it?" Tyler asked eagerly. Now he wanted to know too, in fact probably worse than Portman did. What if it's Julie? he thought to himself.

"Your sister," Eric snickered as he turned and walked out of the room.

"WHAT!" Tyler and Portman both exclaimed.

JULIE AND JOE'S ROOM

7:00 pm

Joe took one last look in the mirror as she heard a knock on the door. She took a deep breath as she opened it.

"You're here..." she started as she saw Rick Riley standing there.

"Yup I am princess," he smirked slightly.

"I don't have time for this I'm tutoring someone tonight Rick, beat it," she rolled her eyes slamming the door in his face.

"Ouch, I like her spunk," he laughed as he walked away snickering to himself. He started to head to his original destination Candy's room.

Joe grumbled slightly as she sat at her desk a minute, there was a knock on the door again.

"God does he ever give up.." she growled. She got up and opened the door before she could see who it was she let out a loud,

"WHAT?" Fulton took a step back jumping slightly.

"Uh..." he stuttered slightly. Joe turned bright red laughing.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Fulton, Riley has been bugging me all day, I thought it was him again," she opened the door motioning for him to come in. He walked by her watching her close the door and stood in the middle of her room.

"It's ok. He's been giving a real hard time?" he asked looking to her concered.

"Well not really, well yea, but it's nothing I can't handle," she shrugged walking past him to sit at the desk, " did you bring your first draft?" She shuffled through some papers on her desk looking to him. She felt odd because she finally realized he had been starring at her the whole time.

She's so...

"Hot..I mean er yea I have it," he reached for it. I can't believe I said that out load, I'm a complete idiot! He thought to himself as he handed it to her sitting by her making sure not to make direct eye contact.

Joe smiled as she looked over his paper. She had caught on to his slip up. Hot huh, wow, ok this is weird..she thought to herself. She began to read his paper, she stopped when she focused in on it more. The assignment was to write about someone who meant a lot to them. She stopped reading it looking up to him a tear forming in her eye.

"You wrote about me Fulton?" she looked to him with a smile. Fulton nodded remaining silent.

"It's good, you really just need to edit some of the spelling mistakes but otherwise, you know it's like..." Joe stutered, " you don't really need help with your english paper do you?" She looked to him biting her lip nervously.

"No I don't," he whispered looking up at her starring in to her grey eyes.

"Fulton, umm, do you like me?" she asked in a low whisper. She didn't want to ask, she was nervous, afraid of the answer. She knew that they had talked a bit in the past four weeks, but not a whole lot.

"Yes, I do Joe," he said reaching to touch her hand softly.

"Oh," she blushed looking down as strands of red braids fell in her face.

"Do you like me?" he asked pushing a braid from her face. She looked up staring at him, still nervously biting her lip. Fulton smirked slightly, she was cute when she did that.

"Yea I do," she nodded looking in to his eyes. He smiled moving closer to her. It seemed all surreal as they inched in closer together.He drew Joe in to his lap caressing her cheek with his hand pulling her face close to his. His lips pressed against hers. Finally at last all tension left the room as they melted in to eachother's embrace and lips.

OUTSIDE JOE'S WINDOW

Portman and Tyler fought over the stool they had been standing on. They had lucked out that Joe's room had been on the ground floor this year. They both fought to look in the window at her and Fulton.

"Are they kissing!" Portman exclaimed.

"Yes..." Tyler groaned.

"This sucks," Portman growled as he got off the stool and leaned against the tree, kicking a stone.

"For you it does, it means you got 20 bucks to cough up to me!" Tyler exlaimed doing a weird little happy dance,"I won I won I won.."

"Dude you didn't land Julie so you didn't win," Portman snickered, " besides I thought the bet was off."

"I changed my mind!" Tyler laughed.

"Damnit.." Portman grumbled slightly as he sadly forked over 20 dollars to Tyler. He turned starting to walk away.

"Dude where you goingD?" Tyler asked lookingto his friend.

"A walk I need to chill," he turned to himnodding then turned around heading through the park. He sighed slightly, he actually did like Joe. He was more disapointed with Fulton. He didn't think his best friend would do that, go after a girl he liked. The more Portman thought of it the more he got mad.