"Babe who is it?" Julie called curiously. Dean had spent way too long talking with whoever was at the door for it to be just room service.
"Babe?" Connie hissed through clenched teeth. Even Charlie looked surprised. Like he'd finally worked out what was going on.
Dean grinned sheepishly at the angry pair and Julie made her way to the door.
"Oh" the smile faded from her face when she saw how livid both Connie and Charlie looked.
"Yeah 'oh'. Julie what the hell do you think you're playing at?" Connie screamed.
"Me? What the hell did you guys think you were playing at earlier?" Julie bit back a little more harshly than intended.
"What are you talking about?" Connie was confused.
"I'm talking about the whole little pizza stunt, I ask again, what the hell did you think you were playing at?" Julie hissed.
"Trying to do you a favour" Charlie stuck up for Connie.
"By lying and playing games with us? We could have done it on our own thank you very much" Julie glared at Charlie.
"That's bullshit and you both know it, if it weren't for us then you'd still be tiptoeing around each other and moaning that you were alone" Connie exploded.
"And if I hadn't have said I was into Charlie then you wouldn't have gone after him would you?" Julie immediately regretted saying it.
Connie's eyes filled with tears and she was rendered speechless. Even Dean was shocked.
Charlie, on the other hand, knew Julie had gone too far this time. Connie had been ridiculed and teased mercilessly throughout high school about being a 'slut' (purely because the other girls were insanely jealous that Connie got to hang out with the male hockey players 24/7). Charlie knew very well that this was one of Connie's biggest insecurities.
"Shit Cons I'm sorry, I really didn't mean that" Julie tried apologising.
"No little Miss 'I'm so damn perfect' I think you did" Connie's voice was barely above a whisper as she turned and fled down the hall.
"Nice one Julie" Charlie told her, his eyes filled with disappointment.
Julie watched sadly as two of her best friends retreated down the hall and disappeared down the stairwell knowing that there was little she could do or say to take it back.
"Damn" she cursed softly before pushing past Dean back into the room where she shut herself in the bathroom and cried.
Dean had no idea what to do. He felt that this was his entire fault for even suggesting they 'have a little fun' with the Ducks.
He stepped back into the room and gently shut the door behind him.
He made his way over to the bathroom where he knocked softly on the door.
"Jules?"
only to be snapped at with a
"Fuck off Dean"
Dean sighed knowing from experience that once a girl locked herself in a bathroom nothing short of a miracle could bring them out before they're ready.
He slid down the wall to sit on the cold tiled floor next to the bathroom door.
He was going to be there when she came out whether she liked it or not.
"Connie wait up!" Charlie was panting and out of breath and he was the professional athlete.
Connie slowed down enough to allow Charlie to catch up and place his arms around her shoulders.
"I don't think Julie meant it" Charlie started immediately wondering if he was going to get his head bitten off for even suggesting it.
"I know she didn't but it doesn't change the fact that she said it, or the fact that it hurts like a bitch" Connie admitted.
"You know that's one of the things I love most about you Cons, you can see things for what they really are, no matter how much they may hurt you" Charlie grinned.
"I know……….wait, you love about me?" Connie spun around to come face to face with Charlie.
"That's what I said wasn't it?" Charlie gave her a mischievous grin. Similar to the ones he used to give her whenever he was planning to torment her with an endless tickle fight back when they were kids.
"Oh my god its Charlie Conway!" the pair's 'moment' was cut short by a group of screaming teenage girls.
"Charlie I love you!" one girl shouted as the girls formed a circle around Connie and Charlie.
Connie tried her hardest not to laugh as she was shoved out of the group.
"No groupies my ass Spazzway" she grinned as she found a bench nearby waiting patiently for Charlie to finish signing autographs and posing for photos.
Watching him doing the whole 'celebrity' thing made Connie's heart grow heavy.
It was one thing to be together when they were both in Minnesota but what then? What about next week when Charlie had to go back to California? Sure it'd be fine for that week since he'll be coming back to Minnesota for the wedding but after that?
Who knew?
She was just some childhood crush from his hometown to amuse him whilst he was in boring old Minnesota. He'll have his pick of the perfect women in California.
She was a freaking accountant for crying out loud!
"Hey Cons, sorry about that" Charlie shot her an apologetic look as he came up to her.
Worry about it after Fulton's wedding her inner voice told her.
"Its okay, 'hazard of the job' I guess, Mr Celebrity" Connie playfully teased him.
"Yeah that would be right Moreau, you only want me for my celebrity status" Charlie pretended to look hurt.
"You got me" Connie grinned and walked on ahead.
"Ouch" Charlie grinned to himself and ran to catch up to her.
Dean had no idea how long he'd been sitting on the floor but he was acutely aware that his butt had officially gone numb.
He heard movement coming from inside the bathroom and suddenly the door swung open and out stomped a very pissed off Julie.
"Jules?" Dean stood up as quickly as he could, using the wall for balance as the blood rushed back to his legs.
"You know I knew this was a bad idea" Julie didn't look at him as she headed straight for her suitcase and started throwing her belongings into it.
"What was?" Dean was growing fearful.
"You and me, I should have known it wouldn't work" Julie still wouldn't look at him as she angrily zipped up her suitcase.
"What are you talking about baby please don't go" Dean realised what she was doing.
"Portman we didn't work in high school so what makes you think we would work now?" Julie was scarily calm.
"Because I know we would work, Jules, you'll see it to if you just stay. Please" Dean had never begged a girl before but Julie was worth sacrificing a few shards of his 'ice-cool' reputation.
"You can stay if you want to, I've already paid for the room. I'll see you around Dean" Julie told him still not looking at him.
The truth was that if she had to see his face and see how much she'd just hurt him then she didn't know if she'd ever recover from the guilt.
Julie left him standing in the middle of the hotel room staring at the back of the door she'd just exited from.
a/n thanks heaps for all of your reviews. I know I'm gonna get in big trouble for this chapter! but bear with me, it won't be all bad in later chapters.