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"Are you sure I should now? I mean . . . it's the first day of school. She's probably busy . . ." Goldberg stuttered.
Ken and Dwayne stood beside him, massaging his arms to amp him up.
"Nope. I talked to her this morning, she says she's totally free today. Ask her now. Perfect timing. I know for a fact Averman hasn't asked her yet," Ken insisted.
Goldberg stopped staring at Julie from across the hallway and turned to Ken. "How do you know?"
"Russ. He says Averman's not planning on asking her for another few days,"
"Perfect opportunity! And if you ask me, y'all make a better couple then a hen and a rooster," said Dwayne.
Goldberg and Ken were used to Dwayne's bad puns at this point so they just ignored it. Goldberg was quickly regretting making this bet with Averman. Julie was pretty much the scariest girl in the world (aside from Connie, but he'd never be stupid enough to ask her out) and on top of that, she'd just been cheated on. Would she really be open to going out with him so quickly after that? He looked back over to her. She looked pretty and on top of that, she looked happy. She was standing against her locker laughing with Connie about something. If he asked her now, she'd be in a good enough mood that she might even consider.
"Alright," Goldberg said finally. "I'm gonna do it,"
Ken and Dwayne patted him on the shoulders. "Good luck, man," said Ken.
"Hope she says yes," said Dwayne.
Goldberg popped the collar of his shirt, took a deep breath and walked across the hall. Julie and Connie both turned to him when he reached them. He really, really wanted to do this without Connie there but there was no way that was going to happen.
"Hey, Goldberg. Excited for practice today?" asked Julie. "Your first year on Varsity!"
Connie snorted into her hand. It was a known fact that Goldberg was more than a little let down that Julie was the Varsity goalie while he was stuck on JV.
He decided not to make a snarky comment though. "Yep. Super excited. Hopefully Orion gives me some time in the net today,"
"Doubt that'll happen," Connie smirked.
He could give her a dirty look though. "Just like I doubt you'll get anywhere past third line, Moreau,"
She rolled her eyes. "Ugh. What do you even want, Goldberg? Shouldn't you be in the cafeteria? It is lunch time."
"Actually . . . I'm here to ask Julie something."
Julie and Connie exchanged looks of confusion. "Okay, you never call me Julie. What's up? Am I about to die and I just don't know it?" she said with a smile.
Goldberg took a deep breath. "Uh . . . no. I hope not. I'm here to ask you if maybe . . . you want to go out with me tomorrow?"
Connie turned her head and he could tell that she was trying not to laugh. Julie hit her playfully in the arm, but she herself looked more than a little surprised. There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds.
"Is this a joke or something? Are one of the guys paying you to be an asshole?"
He was a terrible liar, he knew that. "What? Paid? Of course not." And that wasn't making it any less obvious. "I just really like you. A lot. I have for like . . . years. Since freshmen year. And you know – senior year. Two goalies, one team, just like the old days. Figured maybe it was time to uh, work up some courage, ask you out."
There. That sounded pretty truthful, even if there was a lot of mumbling. He looked at Dwayne and Ken from the corner of his eye and saw them nodding and smiling.
Connie stopped laughing and took the collar of his shirt in her hand. "Is this a joke? Because you're never fucking serious about anything and you do realize that Zack just fucking cheated on her and if you're being a dick, I will kick your ass. And I'm actually being serious this time,"
It made him feel sort of bad that Connie was right and that he was indeed a dick. But a bet was a bet, and Averman had promised him sixty bucks if he won. What could he do? He needed the money.
"I'm not being a dick. I genuinely, really like her. Julie Gaffney is all I think about – she's like number one babe, super coolest girl ever. And . . . she's a better goalie then me,"
Connie and Julie both eyed each other again. This was the first time Goldberg had ever admitted that. He had to be serious.
Julie bit her lip. "I, uh . . . I guess it could be fun. You want to do it Saturday?"
Goldberg's face lit up. "Really? Uh, yeah sure."
"Is it cool if we do a double date, though?"
It didn't really matter. "Okay. Adam and Jessica?"
"No. Connie and . . . whoever,"
Connie hit Julie on the arm and she hit her back. There was literally nothing she felt like doing less then going on some shitty date that involved Goldberg of all people. "Fuck no,"
"Yeah, I agree. I mean, who's she gonna bring? Some asshole from the fucking lacrosse team?" Goldberg insisted.
Julie looked at Connie pleadingly. She didn't even want to go on this date – she was really just doing it to be nice. She couldn't ask Adam because she was slowly trying to get him to break it off with Jessica, and Connie was her other best friend. Her not having a date didn't mean anything. She'd find one. She just couldn't let Goldberg get excited about the prospect of a one on one thing first.
"Uh, no. She's uh . . . she's bringing Guy,"
Connie said nothing because she wanted to be a good friend. She tried her best to give a fake smile, confirming this statememnt. Goldberg raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Really? And . . . his girlfriend is okay with this?"
She groaned loudly. "Obviously, we'd go as friends, idiot,"
Goldberg made a pretend shocked face. "Really? You can go out as just friends with a guy?"
He could hear Ken and Dwayne gasp like he should've been expecting a kick to the nuts, but Connie didn't even make a face. She was used to the guys calling her a slut. It wasn't even a big deal to her at this point.
Once she said nothing, Goldberg turned back to Julie. "So, tomorrow then?"
Julie shrugged. "Yeah, what the hell. Could be fun,"
"Alright, uh. So, I'll pick you up then?"
Julie looked at Connie, who was playing with her hair and not paying attention. "Um . . . just . . . I'll meet you there. Where are we going?"
"TGIFridays. 6 o'clock. Quality dining if I do say so myself,"
"Okay. See you later," Julie said, finishing the conversation so that he'd go away. Goldberg smiled and walked off.
Connie watched him walk off and then hit Julie lightly on the shoulder. "I can't take Guy with me to your dinner thing! Are you insane?"
"Well, why not? I have to go on a date with fucking Goldberg? Do you think I really want to go?"
"You don't have to! You could've said no!"
"I couldn't do that! You heard him – he really likes me," Julie said.
Connie made a face. "And you couldn't volunteer Adam to go with you?"
Julie knew she couldn't tell Connie what was really going on with Adam – it was their secret. She knew she just had to make something up. "Because Adam's too soft. I need someone with me to go off if he starts being a douche. I don't think I'm strong enough right now – you know, after what happened with Zack."
That wasn't entirely a lie. She wasn't entirely sold on this whole date with Goldberg thing, and not just because she didn't even really like him that much of a person. She was only really going to be nice. But like, if Goldberg for whatever reason did try to make a move – she shuddered – she'd have Connie there so she'd have an excuse to leave.
Connie sighed. "How am I supposed to ask Guy to go with me? We've hardly talked at all since he and Alexa started going out."
"Connie, it's Guy. He's like the nicest guy in the world. He's not going to say no."
"He has every reason to though! It's a double date, he has a girlfriend, we used to go out,"
"Yeah, like a million years ago," Julie said even though she knew it was a lie. Even when Connie and Guy weren't going out, they were going out. "Like you said at the party, you're over him. He's over you. Just go as friends."
"Why do I have to go with Guy? Why can't I just bring someone else?"
Julie made a face. "Because . . . um, you said that you weren't going to be as . . . um . . . you know . . . out there . . . as you were . . ."
Connie nodded. "So you think that if I ask anyone else out that I'll take them home and fuck them?"
She said nothing.
Connie sighed. "Yeah. Okay. Whatever. I'll ask him. Just remember that I did this for you next time I need something,"
Julie leaned forward and pulled her into a quick hug. "Thank you. I love you, okay, and I owe you."
The first hockey practice of the year went well. Adam was really proud of himself, and he usually criticized every single move he made. One of the highlights of practice was the news that Julie and Goldberg were going out the following day and for whatever reason, Averman was really annoyed about it. Connie, also, seemed to be in a particularly sad mood and hadn't said anything the entire time, not even when Portman made a comment about one of her passes.
The locker room was particularly loud that day. Everyone was super excited about getting back into hockey and being seniors. And even though no one was saying anything, it wasn't lost on anyone that this was their last first practice together. Adam figured that maybe that was why everyone seemed so happy, because they didn't waste the little time that they had left together.
Adam always took the longest getting ready after practice. Although it did take him a while to get dressed, he tried to delay everything as long as possible because the only person slower than him was Charlie, and he'd take any chance he could to talk to him alone. They hadn't really talked one on one all summer, so he was happier than he cared to admit.
Once Russ left and the two of them were alone, Charlie smiled at him. "I feel like we haven't talked in forever, man. How are you? How was your summer? How are your folks?"
Adam tied his shoes slowly. "Um, yeah, it has been a while. I'm good. It was good. They're good."
"Everything's good," Charlie chuckled.
"Yep. Uh, how are you? I, um, didn't see you at Jessica's party on Friday," Adam said, trying to act like he hadn't noticed.
"Uh, yeah, I was kind of busy at home," It kind of made Charlie happy that Adam had noticed that he wasn't there with the rest of the team. The rest of the guys on the team never even would've noticed.
"Oh, uh, that's . . . cool. I uh, hope everything's okay." Why wouldn't everything be okay? Idiot, Adam mentally slapped himself.
"Yeah, it's good," Charlie smiled, feeling like it was obvious that he was lying. "Um, so uh, how's Jessica? I haven't really asked you about her."
Adam blushed and was pretty sure that it was completely obvious how embarrassed he was. Talking to Charlie about Jessica felt kind of dirty, wrong even. "She's good, yeah. Uh, she's really nice."
"Yeah, she is. I've met her," Charlie said like it was obvious.
Adam nodded. "Oh, yeah, I knew that,"
"So, like, how did you guys get together?" said Charlie, off the t shirt he wore underneath his jersey. Adam looked away instantly, afraid that he was going to get caught staring because that was all he wanted to do. He literally had to think about how they'd gotten together because he couldn't think clearly until Charlie put another shirt on.
"Um," he was sure that it was super obvious that he'd been distracted by a shirtless Charlie and that was why he hadn't answered. "Uh, it just kind of happened. Like we hung out a lot and then we just kind of decided to go out, I guess."
"Yeah, that's usually how it happens," said Charlie.
"Yep,"
Adam quickly finished tying his shoes, worried that Charlie could somehow see right through him and suddenly knew his deepest, most well kept secret. It was stupid, ridiculous even, but the constant paranoia that Charlie was going to figure him out, and confide that information to one of the other players who would then tell everyone else, scared him more than anything. The terrifying feeling was more powerful than anything – well, almost anything. The feeling Adam got in his stomach whenever Charlie even glanced his way overpowered every other emotion.
"Uh, yeah, I'm gonna go. Gotta go home – call my girlfriend. All that," Adam said and hurried out.
"Okay, man, yeah – see ya –"
Adam practically slammed the locker room door behind him, panting heavily as he walked at top speed to the parking lot. Charlie was so beautiful, he was the most beautiful thing in the world. He was so kind, the first person to accept him onto the Ducks, the first person to treat him like he was one of them. He was the only real person in the whole world – he understood people and always tried to help and didn't make stupid jokes like every other boy he knew. Charlie was every single good thing that Adam could think of and the only thing in the world Adam wanted to do was hold his hand. If he could just do that, have a moment alone with him, where things could just be, he wouldn't have to worry about anything, freak out like he'd done in there. He could just hold Charlie's hand and they could sit together and maybe talk about stupid things that they wouldn't normally talk about like their feelings about everything. Their feelings for each other would never be said, though, because they both had a clear understanding of the other.
Adam tried to ignore the tears in his eyes as he walked to his car.
Connie loved Julie and that was the only reason she was doing this. Everyone on the team called her a bitch and talked about how mean she was, but none of them would've done anything this embarrassing for anyone. (Connie sometimes felt bad that everyone felt like she was a bitch. She'd had a rough attitude since she was a kid because she needed to let the boys know that they couldn't pick on her. Plus, it wasn't like she was flat out being awful to them – they were like her brothers and even if she insulted to their faces, she'd kill to defend them behind their backs.)
As bad as an evening with Goldberg was, especially without Russ and Portman there to make fun of him, that was nothing compared to having to spend the night with Guy. Before March, she would've been more than happy to hang out with him – he was her favorite person in the world, whether she'd tell him that or not. But now . . . things weren't the way they were before. Guy had a girlfriend, something that she never in all the time she'd known him, thought she'd say. And it wasn't like Alexa was awful, she was really nice and funny and super supportive of Guy and Connie couldn't think of one thing to dislike about her. Well, there was the fact that she hadn't spoken to Guy one on one since they'd started dating, but that was more their fault than hers.
Connie changed quickly after practice so that she could ask Guy then rather than later. She left the rink and waited right outside the door so that she could catch him before he left. It usually took him only a few minutes to get changed, but it felt like an eternity before she saw the familiar patch of light blonde hair.
"Guy!" she called out.
He turned around and smiled at her, "Hey, Connie," he turned and walked towards her. "Sorry, I didn't get a chance to say hello today, how are you?" And before she knew it, his arms were around her and he was pulling her into a tight hug. She didn't even really register it for a second because she was so used to touching him, but it had been so long that she welcomed it more than she usually would've.
Connie let go and blushed, "Uh, yeah it has been a while. I'm good, you're good, I'm assuming?"
"Yep, things are actually going pretty well for me right now," he said.
She couldn't help but feel a little hurt by that, knowing that that definitely had something to do with Alexa. "So, what's up?" he said when she didn't say anything.
"Oh, yeah," Connie cleared her throat. "Um, well, you heard about Julie and Goldberg, right?"
Guy made a face. "Yeah, that's really weird. Does she owe him a favor or something?"
"She's trying to be nice. Pretty cool of her considering it is Goldberg," Connie said. "So anyway, she said she would only do it if I went with her and she said that I was bringing you . . . so . . . uh . . . you know . . . would you go with me?"
He said nothing at first, and it looked like he was blushing, which made Connie's heart race. He's so cute, she thought and then immeaditely regretted it. "Look," she said when he didn't answer right away. "I know you have a girlfriend and that you probably don't want to but it's not even a real date for Julie and Goldberg anyway so it wouldn't be for us and I can't bring anyone else because Julie thinks I'll sleep with them and I know I won't sleep with you because I care about you and –"
Guy laughed and held up a hand to stop her rambling. "No, it's cool. You don't have to explain. Of course I'll go with you."
Connie's face lit up. "Really?"
"Yeah, of course. It'll be fun, we haven't really hung out in a while,"
She jumped forward and wrapped her arms around him, elicting a laugh from him. He hugged her back.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Connie said as they pulled apart. "Even if it wasn't best for me to go with you, there's really no one I'd rather suffer through a terrible night with,"
"Yeah, so do you want me to pick you up or - ?"
"Oh, um, Julie and I are gonna meet you guys at the restaurant – TGIFridays at 6,"
Guy's eyes widened. "Wait, seriously? That place is pretty fancy . . . well, you know for us,"
"Yeah. Which is what makes me think that Goldberg may actually like Julie and this isn't just some stupid joke," she said. Guy looked a little worried and then she remembered that he was more than likely planning on paying on for both of them, and she knew that Guy had less money than everyone else on the team – and that was saying a lot.
"Oh, um, yeah, we're splitting the bill, obviously. I mean, if that wasn't obvious – we're not dating, you don't have to pay,"
Guy smirked. "How do you know I was planning on not paying in the first place?"
Connie's cheeks reddened. "Because I know you and I know you'd never make a woman pay even if you couldn't afford it."
Guy smiled back at her and looked at the ground and then back up. "Are you sure you're okay with splitting it? I can uh, find some way to pull some money together if you're not . . ."
"Guy, yes, I'm sure," Connie said, assuring him. "I'll meet you there, we'll laugh, have fun, split the bill. Everything's cool,"
He nodded. "Alright, cool. I'm excited. It'll be nice to get to hang out again - even if Goldberg's going to spend all night trying to hook up with Julie,"
Connie shuddered. "Really hope that doesn't happen,"
Next chapter is completely Goldberg/Julie/Connie/Guy's date to TGIFridays. If y'all have any predictions, I'd love to hear them! Your comments make me so happy :)
