Author's Note: What up? So yeah... maybe I shouldn't mention this, but I know how many people have read the chapters. I know people are reading, but why aren't you reviewing? Is it good, is it bad? Please... please tell me. I want to know. Do I have to get down on my knees to beg? Cause I will.

Emador: I had to shut Drew up. As I was doing chapter 3, I didn't like the fact that I kept saying stuff about Drew. She was annoying me. Was the ending good? You didn't say if the record store scene was good. All you said the chapter was cute.

HeartsAndLies: Thanks to iTunes for the help. In the music store, there's the billboard charts and that helped. But I am a fan of the oldies. Drew and Avery, Avery and Drew… I had to get rid of Drew for a while. The whole thing was annoying me.

Flowersc781: I have to go back and see what movie I mentioned. Oh! Fever Pitch. My copy dances around, it stops here and then goes again. I think it's my DVD player. Life without music isn't a life at all. The relationship will pick up in time.

surfer-kel: OC does need a break. There are other guys on the team. nods Original? yes. No same scenes as in the movie. Yay.

Hawk50: I hope I didn't scare you away.

The radio changed the song and Aerosmith's 'Come Together' came on. Neal Broten and Dave Christian started to sing along with Steven Tyler. While some of the guys were in the weight room, lifting, a few of the guys were doing wall endurance. In the beginning when the team started to practice, none of the guys could last two minutes doing the wall sitting without complaining. After three months, to them, it was a piece of cake. Ralph was next to Bah and they were talking about the birthday party the guys were throwing for Buzz Schneider, Mark Wells, and Mark Johnson that night.

"You haven't asked her?" Bah asked Ralph, after he told him he hasn't been able to.

"I called yesterday. Val said that she was working for the professor. She didn't call back."

"Man, I hope you get to talk to her. I would like to meet the fly."

Buzz Schneider, who was on the other side of Bah, asked, "The fly?"

Ralph leaned forward a little. "It's her nickname. She checks out what other people have on their plates. You know, like a fly."

Buzz started to laugh. "Funny."

"How's Avery doing?" Jimmy asked. He had three tennis balls in his hands. He was about to do some eye/hand coordination's down the hallway. Since he was the number one goalie, he had to keep in shape.

Ralph had enough of the wall endurance, so he went and stood next to Jimmy. "She's… amazing. It's a shame that she doesn't let anybody in because there's more to her than being a bookworm."

"How so?" Verchota asked.

"Well, if she comes to the party tonight, I say we let her handle the music. She knows her shit," Ralph said.

"Right, it'll be all girlie music," OC complained.

"No. I'm serious," Ralph replied.

Bill Baker stood up from the wall. "Coxie, I can't wait to meet her. Some of the guys," he looked back at OC and Verchota, "aren't open minded. All they think about is when are they going to see hot piece of ass."

"Hey! Baker!" OC shouted. OC was about to get off the wall when Bill gave him a look. "Fine. Whatever."

"Is this the same OC who couldn't let go of the fact that he was on the same team as the Gophers?" Jimmy asked. "Wow… he just gave up."

OC gave Jimmy the birdie. "I'll get Baker back." OC smirked. "Not with violence."

"Whatever you say OC," Baker said before he went off to the locker room.

Ralph walked down the hallway with Jimmy. The assistant coach, Craig Patrick, was standing there waiting for Jimmy. "So Avery is amazing?"

"That girl you've been seeing, Coxie?" Craig asked.

Ralph nodded. "She'll be at the party tonight, or at least I hope. I haven't told her yet."

"Go find her," Jimmy told him. "It's only one."

Ralph nodded again, said bye to them, and headed off to the locker room. When he entered, Rizzo and Mark Johnson were talking. Ralph became apart of the conversation, which lead him to a few more minutes of being late to look for Avery. When he finally got out of there, he went to the quad to see if she could find her.

vvv

Avery said goodbye to the professor before she left the office. She headed down the hall to the exit doors. The day was beautiful, which meant that there were a lot of students outside enjoying the last of the summer sun. She kept saying hi to people she recognized. In the distance, she saw Ralph sitting on a bench, looking at through the crowd. When his head was turned the other way, she marched over there and plopped down on the bench.

Ralph jumped when she did, but smiled when he realized it was her. "Hey."

"Hey." Avery leaned over and gave him a hug. "Sorry, I didn't get back to you. It was a busy day yesterday."

Ralph said, "Understandable."

"How are practices?"

"Good. Same old routine," he told her. "How was class?"

"Same old stuff. Same old routine with the professor that I work for," Avery replied.

"You worked for the professor? But it's Wednesday."

Avery nodded. "His classes had tests this week. So I went in for two hours."

"You graded the tests? That has to be tedious."

"When it's final exams and there are 100 questions, same thing over and over." Avery smiled. "Besides, I actually like doing it."

Ralph chuckled. "Doesn't surprise me."

"What are you doing at the moment?" she asked him.

"I was looking for you."

"No, besides the obvious. Do you have plans?"

"Well, tonight I do…"

"Good. Do you wanna go get lunch?"

Ralph smiled. "Of course."

Avery stood up, picked her bag up, and led him to her car. They went to McDonald's after deciding on it. They sat there for a good half hour talking about the records she suggested, movies they've seen, and books they've read. When she brought him back to the campus, she dropped him off at the student apartments that some of the guys were staying at. Before he got out though, he told her about the party that night.

"Can I bring Val?" Avery asked.

"Sure."

"Eight o'clock?"

"Yup."

"Do I ring a bell to get in?"

"No. Just come on up. We're all on the fourth floor."

"Ok. I'll see you then." Avery turned to him and smiled. Ralph smiled back, before he got out of the car. When he got onto the sidewalk, he waved back at her as she backed out. Avery was preparing herself for a party. She forgot to ask if she should dress up, forgot to ask if she should bring food or presents. She hoped Val would agree to go.

vvv

When Ralph got to the fourth floor of the apartments, he could hear noise coming from Jannie and Verchota's room. When he got there, he was welcomed by not only them, but OC, Silk, Mac, and Jimmy. They did their usual greeting by shouting hey.

"Saw you get out of Avery's car," Verchota told him. "Station wagon… is there enough room in the back?"

"Why?" Ralph asked, deep down already knowing the answer.

"Was she good? Did you guys go to a secluded area?" Silk asked.

"Serious, how was it?" Jannie asked.

"T and A. That's all you guys have on your mind," Ralph said. "Not everything is about getting a girl in the sack."

"Haven't gotten any yet, bummer," OC replied.

"Man, she's a prude," Verchota muttered.

Ralph looked over at Jimmy and Mac. Jimmy shrugged while Mac was shaking his head. Ralph was curious about that. He thought Mac would definitely be involved in the bashing. "It's a good thing we're having this party. You'll have no problem getting laid tonight."

"Damn straight!"

"You mean there's going to be older women there?" Jannie joked.

"Do you just screw older women, Jannie?" Silk asked.

Jannie shook his head. "No, but I prefer screwing them. They have more experience, man."

"You know what? I'll see you guys later," Ralph said leaving the room of sex. There were times he could listen to them, but there were times he couldn't. 24/7 for those guys was about sex… and drinking. He was half way down the hall when Mac came after him. Turning around, he gave Mac a quizzical look.

"How's Avery doing?"

"Huh?"

"Drew mentioned what happened."

"She's fine. Is Drew coming to the party?"

"No. She figured Avery was going, so she backed out."

"What's up with Drew? Why did she treat Avery like that?"

Mac shrugged. "I don't know. She hasn't told me anything."

Ralph nodded. "I'll see you later." Mac said bye and went back to the room. Ralph went to his to wind down before the party began.

vvv

Avery turned off the ignition to her car, stepped out, and locked the doors. When she got to the sidewalk, she grabbed Val. "Do I look like I'm dressed for a party? She looked down at her jeans and sneakers.

Val nodded. "Yes, for the billionth time. As for the hair, you should let it down."

Avery took the hair clip out and pushed her hands through it. "Looks good?"

"Av, no matter what you look good," Val told her. "Why are you freaking out? It's just a party."

Avery nodded. "I've only met a few of the guys."

"They're guys. You know plenty of them. Besides, he likes you, that's all that matters. Now go."

Avery and Val started towards the student apartments again. When they got to the door, a couple of people were heading in. On the floor, it was a mad house. People congested the hallway, one couple was making out in a room, and beer bottles were already sitting on the floor. It took ten minutes to find Ralph. When she did, he was with Jimmy and a couple more people. They hugged and he asked if he could get them anything. When he went off, Avery smiled nervously at the group.

"It's nice to see you, Avery," Jimmy said.

Avery looked at Jimmy. "Bowled lately?"

"No. Let me introduce you to these guys. That's Buzz, his wife, Gayle, Bill Baker, Mike Ramsey, Eric Strobel, Baker's girlfriend, Kristin, Bah Harrington, and Mark Johnson's fiancé."

Avery said, "Hi. This is Val. She's my room mate and best friend."

Ralph came back over with the drinks that they asked for. "Everyone's acquainted."

The group talked and eventually Jimmy went off with Val, Gayle left with Johnson's fiancé and Kristin, Strobel went somewhere with Ramsey. Buzz asked her questions, trying to get to know her. He actually thought it was a small relief knowing she wasn't into hockey, it was refreshing. He told her that he went to Chicago once on a family vacation. Avery enjoyed talking to him, Bah and Bill. The next thing she knew, a guy had came up and put an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm Silky," the guy, who was obviously drunk, said. "It's nice to meet the girl who has put a permanent smile on this guy's face." He pointed to Ralph with the hand that was around her.

Avery smiled over at Ralph, but looked over at Silk again. "Avery."

"Let me introduce you to the guys." Silky started to walk away with her. The first guy they came up to was Jimmy. Val was laughing at something he said. "Jimmy is the father figure. Always keeping us in line."

"I figured," Avery said.

Silky laughed. "That over there is Pav. He's real quiet, but swears like a sailor. Trust me, you don't want to know how much when he's getting laid."

Avery gasped, but tried not to laugh. The guy was really drunk. "Ok." She looked over at Jimmy and Val. They were trying not to laugh.

Silky saw Ramsey. "Mike Ramsey… Rammer… youngest kid on the team. He's a virgin."

Avery laughed a little at that remark. "How do you know? He…"

"Trust me. We took him to a strip club… in Amsterdam. The city is full of sex. You would think." Silky turned to his victim. "Bah, Ralph's room mate. He is in love with his best friend, Danielle."

"Why doesn't he tell her?"

"Because he's chicken shit," Silky bluntly told her. He took a swig of his beer. "Rizzo… he's an awesome friend… but he has a need to solve everybody's problem."

"That's not a bad thing."

Silky turned to her and laughed. "Verchota! Verchota has had sex with a lot of girls. He just doesn't like to toot his own horn about it. Mac… Mac really cares for Drew."

"What?" Avery asked quietly.

"He likes Drew, but Drew doesn't want to be with him."

"That's a shame," Avery muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Jannie is a MILF lover. He likes screwing older women. More experience."

Avery just had to ask. "What's a MILF?"

"Mom I'd like to fuck," Silky told her.

Avery's mouth opened wide. "He… has sex with married women?"

"Not that I know of, but likes to screw older women," Silky stated again. "Ralph… likes to sing… in the shower." Avery smiled at that one. "Mark Johnson… he is magic. He is an awesome skater and scorer. Neal, over there, is cool. Buzz is married." OC came up. "Ohh… did someone get lucky?"

OC high five Silk. "I am the man."

Avery sighed and looked over at Emily and Pav. They were in their own little world. Avery turned back at the two guys and watched how the male ego worked. OC flat out told Silky that the girl only went down on him. Avery knew that guys talked about sex, girls do, too, but right in the middle of a party?

"Who's this Silky?"

"Avery. I'm telling her about the group."

"Oh… we finally get to meet Avery. I'm OC," he said. He stretched his hand out.

Avery shook his hand. "Hi." Avery looked away and looked for Ralph.

"So… anything new?"

"No," Avery replied when looking back over.

"That's a shame."

"Avery!" Emily shouted.

"I'm surprised Em and Pav could pull themselves apart," Silky said. "I was sure they'd disappear."

Avery pulled out from under Silky's arm and walked over to Emily. Avery actually gave her a small hug. "Man… Silky is drunk. He introduced me to some of the guys in his own way."

Emily laughed. "Yeah, he did that to me in July." Avery laughed. "Silky is friendly drunk. That's what he is."

Emily and Avery hung out for the next half an hour. They went from room to room checking things out. They talked to a few people, Avery getting to know the guys without Silky. She found Ralph talking to Rizzo, Jimmy, and Val in one room, and when she went up, she put an arm through Ralph's. He smiled down at her. The next thing that happened, Silky was getting a group together to play spin the bottle.

"Why don't we play seven minutes in heaven while we're at it," Jimmy sarcastically said when he sat down.

"Oh, maybe we will. Throw Ralph and Avery in there," Silky said while looking up at the two and wigging his eyebrows.

Avery chuckled, shook her head, and looked over at Ralph. Avery didn't want to play, so Emily and Pav got thrown in. The rest were Jimmy, Silky, Val, Rizzo, Baker, Kristin, three girls nobody knew, and OC. When Silk spun the bottle it landed on one of the girls. The girl went after and the bottle landed on one of her friends. That made OC and Silk shout in happiness, in which Verchota heard so he came over. Avery rolled her eyes.

The girl went and the bottle landed on OC. The kiss was pretty hot. OC went and it landed on Silk. Of course, they made a big deal about it, so OC did it again, this time landing on Kristin. OC smiled evilly at Baker, but he didn't do anything bad. Kristin went and it landed on Pav. Pav went and it landed on Emily, but for them though, they left after starting to make out.

"Oh, there they go," Silky said while pointing at them. "Stay clear of Pav's room."

Ralph tapped Avery on her shoulder, and when she looked, he tilted his head and pointed with it to the hallway. They left, walked down the hallway, stopped in front of a room that had nobody in it. When Avery stepped in, she went over to the bed and sat down it. Ralph fell across the bed, sighing. "What a night."

"The guys are nice."

"I would have picked a different time for you to meet them."

"No matter what, it would have been the same situation," Avery told him. "They're cool."

"I found them!" Silk shouted in the doorway.

"We've been gone for only a minute," Ralph said.

"Do you wanna play seven minutes in heaven?" Ralph got up and closed the door. "Oh, they're going to play alone!"

"He's quite a character isn't he?" Avery laughed.

Ralph nodded. "Silky means no harm."

Avery and Ralph stayed in the room for a while, talking about the guys in Ralph's perspective. Avery asked him about Jimmy, seeing what he thought of Jimmy and Val. After a while, they were ready to leave, but OC came barreling through the door.

"Oh sorry. Wrong room," he stammered. When he realized it was Ralph and Avery, he smiled. "I wasn't interrupting anything kinky was I?"

"Go find one of those girls you kissed before, OC," Ralph said to him.

"I didn't, bummer," OC said, before he left.

Ralph covered his face with his hands. "Man."

Avery smiled and patted him on the back. "Don't fret about it. They're giving you a hard time because you're a gentleman. They don't have a life."

Ralph smiled at her. "You're sweet."

"I know. You're not bad yourself."

"What are you doing Saturday?" Ralph asked.

Avery shrugged. "I was hoping I could take you to a street corner and watch Julia play."

Ralph nodded. "Sounds awesome. Should I take some singles?"

Avery chuckled. "She's not stripping."

"For tips."

Avery shrugged. "If you want."

"Then after I want to take you skating. You know how right?"

"If it's like roller skating, I won't have a problem."

Ralph nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"More like a date," Avery said smiling. Avery got up from the bed, walked over to the door, and looked back at Ralph. He was still sitting there, looking at her. "What?"

"Nothing," was all he said before going over to her and following out. They went back to the party.