Chapter Title: Things Left Unsaid

Disclaimer: I just realized I hadn't done one yet. I don't own them, sad but true. It's nice to think about though.

AN: I cannot begin to tell you guys how fun it is to write this. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner. I'm glad you guys like it.

Guy wasn't stupid, he knew Charlie was avoiding him because of Connie. He felt bad enough as it was. And then every time he turned around someone was bringing up that Charlie and Connie were always together. He knew he shouldn't be jealous; it was Charlie for crying out loud. The three of them had been friends for years. But deep down Guy could tell it was something more. It always had been, Guy wasn't as close to Charlie as Connie was. The two of them had grown up down the street from each other while Guy lived one town over. Charlie gave her something Guy never could. And Guy had yet to figure out what it was.

He needed to get out of the house. He only left to go to work, but where would he go? Who would he go with? Nobody was talking to him. He heard a knock on his door and ran a hand through his hair before answering it. He was surprised to see Fulton on the other side.

"Hey." He said not knowing what else to say.

"I was in the neighborhood. And I thought you might want to shoot some pucks."

"With you?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with that?" Fulton said giving him a weird look.

"Dude we hardly ever talk. I thought you were on Connie's side."

"I'm not on anybodies side. And about not talking to you much, sorry about that."

"It's not a problem."

"You and Connie were always attached at the hip, it made me uncomfortable."

"The big bad Bash Brother was afraid of us?" Guy said shoving him.

"I didn't say that. I'm not used to people making out right in front of me 24/7."

"We did do that didn't we? Since you put it that way I see what you mean." He said as they skated down the street.

The two of them laughed as they skated down the street. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.

XXXX

Connie watched as Charlie skated through the schoolyard with Jess and Averman. Things had changed between them the night he walked her home. It had been three weeks since it happened and Charlie still wouldn't talk to her about it. She had never seen him as anything more than a friend. But after that night they had crossed some kind of invisible line. She knew he had noticed it. Damn you for being stupid Conway, I hate you sometimes. Okay, so maybe she didn't hate him. But she did want to shake some sense into him.

"Aren't you gonna play?" Charlie asked stopping in front of her.

"No. I don't feel like it."

"Then why'd you come?" Averman asked skating up to them.

"Because I felt like it." She said getting up.

"Please don't hurt me!" He said jumping behind Charlie.

Connie shook her head with a sigh.

"I'm gonna go. I have to get home." She said picking up her skates.

"Cons, hold up." Charlie said skating after her.

She stopped wishing he hadn't come after her. Why did he always have to make things difficult? She turned to him as he stopped a few feet away from her.

"What?" She asked folding her arms over her chest.

"You don't have to leave." He said looking her in the eye.

"I just don't feel like hanging out right now." She said looking at the ground.

He knelt so that she was looking him in the eye.

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to? I know you, something's wrong."

"I don't want to talk about it." More like you don't. She thought trying not to cry.

"I can come by later if you want." He said putting his hands on her shoulders.

Even if he wouldn't admit it, his body language screamed he knew what was going on. That was the only thing that made going through all of this worth it. Connie hoped he didn't wait too long. She nodded giving in, she never knew if she was coming or going with him lately. He skated away when she didn't say anything else. What was she getting herself into?

XXXX

Julie was at work that afternoon when her boss said someone was on the phone for her. She knew she would get a lecture when she got off the phone. Maybe she could make it short.

"Hello?"

"Hey Catlady!"

"Russ! How's my partner crime?" She said remembering all the times they had gotten in trouble together over the years.

"Not the same without you."

"Is there a reason why you called me? At work?"

"Sorry about that. I just talked to Charlie, he thinks something's wrong with Connie. And he wants you to call her. I told him I'd pass along the message."

"I guess I can call her later."

"Take care of yourself."

"I will. Talk to you later."

"Bye."

She ignored the evil look her boss was giving her and went back to work. She hoped she wouldn't fire her. She needed this job to pay for college. She had promised her dad that she would pay for half of her tuition. Even though he told her she didn't have to. She didn't want to lean on her dad like her brother did. She just wished that she had applied for the scholarship she wanted sooner. Maybe then she would have gotten it. It was just something else for her to worry about.

She sighed knowing she was in over her head. She needed someone to talk to about all of this. But she couldn't think of anyone who would understand what she was going through. Okay, so there was one person. But he was half way across the country in Chicago. She was over wishing that he was there, she knew she couldn't ask him to pack up and leave his family just because she missed him. Talking to him would just have to do.

Her boss told her to go home because they were dead and Julie didn't argue with her. She could handle the lunch and dinner rush easy. But she couldn't stand it when the restaurant was empty. She pulled out her phone as she clocked out. She dialed his number without looking because she knew it so well.

"Hello?"

"Hey Hannah."

"Hey Jules!" The seventeen year old nearly yelled into the phone.

"Where is he?"

"He's at work. He won't be home for a couple hours."

"Can you tell him I called?"

"Sure."

"Thanks sweetie. I appreciate it."

"No problem."

Julie closed her phone with a sigh. Maybe she should Connie, it would do good to have a girl's perspective. It was time like this when Julie wished she had a sister. She opened her phone again dialing the number from memory.

"Hello?"

"Hey Cons."

"Thank God! I was just about to call you."

"Us girls have that telekinetic thing going for us don't we?"

"No, we just both have guy problems."

"Is Guy bothering you?"
"I wish it were that easy. But no, my problem goes deeper than Guy." She said with a sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"Something happened between me and Charlie. He won't admit though."

"Do you think he knows what's going on?"

"Oh he knows, he just won't admit that he's into me!"

"Whoa, okay you need to explain." Julie said opening her car door.

"It all started three weeks ago…"

Connie gave her the Reader's Digest version knowing that Julie was driving. She didn't want her to have an accident or anything. Portman would come to Minneapolis and kill her himself if anything happened to Julie.

"And he's been touchy feely, and yet he won't talk about it?"

"Exactly."

"He so likes you." Julie said laughing.

"I know! I just wish he'd admit it."

"Maybe you should talk to someone there. Maybe one of the Ducks."

"Yeah, right. They all got uncomfortable when you and me would walk in our sports bras and short shorts! You think they would understand what's going on?"

"It's worth a shot. Tell you what, talk to Jess and Fulton. Fulton was comfortable around us. And Jess knows Charlie almost as well as you do."

"Jules you're the best. Thanks."

"Anytime." Julie said pulling up to her house.

She shut her phone for the second time in half an hour as she walked into the house. She hoped Connie and Charlie were able to work things out.

XXXX

Connie sat on Fulton's back deck listening to Jess ramble on and on about what she should do. She should have known he would have an opinion. She had known him for years, and he had an opinion on everything!

"Jess I get the point. But if I'm upfront with him I might scare him off."

"I'm not saying go Velvet Hammer on him, just be cool about it."

"Even though I want to strangle him?"

"Maybe you shouldn't tell him that." Fulton said coming out of the house.

"What do you think I should do Fult?"

"I agree with Jess, you should be honest with him. But don't push him, he'll eventually tell you."

"If I wait for him I'd be old and gray before he admits to anything!"

"Then try something different." Fulton said being the voice of reason.

"What do you mean?" Connie asked giving him a weird look.

"Who says you can't make the first move?" He asked staring at her.

Connie liked that idea. She jumped off the stairs and turned to her two friends.

"Thanks you guys. You've really helped." She said before walking away.

Jess and Fulton looked at each other with worried looks. They just hoped things didn't blow up in their faces.

XXXX

Julie was listening to music when her dad knocked on the door that night. She opened it and he handed her the phone.

"It's Dean." He said before walking away.

"Hey." She said shutting the door.

"Hey yourself."

"So you're finally calling me back?"

"I was tired when I got in. I laid down for a little while first."

"Well sleep is more important than talking to me." She said with a smile.

"Not that much more."

"So how have you been? I haven't talked to you in a couple days."

"Busy, every time I call you you're either working or sleeping."

"It's the same thing with you."

"Whoever said saving money for college was easy was dead wrong."

"You can say that again." She said with a sigh.

"Any plans this weekend?"

"No, I'm actually off this weekend."

"How'd you get that lucky?"

"Jason's coming into town. He's bringing his new girlfriend home to meet dad and me."

"Sounds exciting." He said exciting.

"Don't be a smart ass. Or you just might get a play by play of what happened the next time I e-mail you."

"Do it and I'm never speaking to you again!"

"You would never do that. You'd miss me too much."

"True. Have you talked to Fulton lately?"

"Yesterday. He called you a pansy, why would he say that?"

"It's a story for another time. I'm gonna let you go. I need to get dinner started."

"Being the man of the house is hard work huh?" She asked smiling.

"Now who's the smart ass?" He asked sounding threatening.

"You don't scare me."

"Seriously I need to go."

"I'll talk to you later."

"Later Jules."

Julie hung up feeling better, she always did after she talked to him. She was finding it hard not to tell him how she felt. She knew she needed to be upfront with him, but she was having trouble finding the right words.