Friendship
Chapter
11: Playing by the Rules
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Notes: From Fred’s point of view.
It was official, that girl was completely out of her mind. Fred had to really restrain himself, so he wouldn’t start laugh.
He had to admit, his outer ‘mopy-ness’ was not how he felt inside. God, she had a terrible singing-voice, but when he saw her bounce around on the bench, he was smiling on the inside. He knew why he’d fallen in love with her in the first place.
He saw Adam pull her closer, to whisper something to her. Since the others was singing loudly right beside them, it was more likely that he was yelling.
Fred sighed. He didn’t even feel jealous anymore. He couldn’t figure out why he’d been so mad at Adam in the first place. It had nothing to do with him.
“What?” he heard her scream at him. Didn’t she hear him, or did she react on something else?
Adam slapped her leg with his hockey stick. While Cecilia was pushing herself through the excited players, Fred couldn’t help but feeling nervous. Was she going to talk to him?
Charlie and Coach Bombay tried to get everyone calmed down, although Charlie looked pretty amused with the situation too.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” Fred tried to look the other way, when she came stumbling up to him. She was smiling and sweating. He loved her.
“Wanna talk?”
“Okay,” he said. The whole thing was very uncomfortable. Cecilia was still smiling, and it got rubbed off to him too. He turned the other way.
“Are you smiling?” she asked happily. She leaned forward and touched his cheek. He felt how his entire body was shivering from her touch.
She stepped back, with an embarrassed look on her face. Yeah, maybe he shouldn’t have turned away...
“Let’s get out of here,” he suggested, hearing Portman and Adam howling something about needing somebody. Yes, they could really need that. He grinned quickly, until he realized that he could need someone too. Jeez.
He grabbed her hand and went past the referees and coaches. Fred just realized that he was holding her hand. Why’d he do that?
“Are you happy now?” he asked. She twitched at his question. He hurried to finish his statement.
“You got the whole team singing. We’ll be grounded for the rest of the year.”
Cecilia chuckled. God, he loved to hear her laugh.
“Adam started,” she replied, but got quiet again. She gave him a regretful look. Right, she had said the word ‘Adam’.
“It’s okay, I don’t care if you hang out with him. Don’t kiss him again, though.”
Cecilia nodded and started to bounce up and down again. Was this the same girl he’d met in the locker-room half an hour ago? Now she was back to being that annoying, irritating, cheerful, energetic, wonderful, talkative creature he just happened to love.
“I will never kiss him ever again, Fred. He’s the worst kisser in the world.”
Her comment would’ve made him mad, if it hadn’t coming from her cheering voice. Now, it just made him laugh. Did this mean... What did this mean?
“It wasn’t my fault.”
“What?” he asked.
“To make everyone sing. I just got caught up in the moment. Adam is the nicest guy in the world.”
“I have to take your word for it,” he smiled. She pulled her jersey off and went over to the locker-room.
He took a deep breath. He had to take the chance, what if he never got it again.
“Cee?”
“Yeah,” she grinned.
“Wanna tag along to Rainbow? We can eat or something.”
“I’d love to!” Cecilia twirled around in the locker-room and threw her stuff into her locker.
He hadn’t seen anyone change clothes as fast as she did. Five minutes, to take the gear off, shower and to dress. That’s how long she was gone, and when she came back, she was fully dressed.
“Aren’t you done yet?” she asked and went past him. She sat down in front of him and swayed her legs back and forth. He smiled. He hadn’t been smiling for several weeks. Of course, she was the one who could make him smile again.
“Look, Cee,” he said. “I’m sorry ‘bout the last few days.”
“Okay. Hey, sorry I threw that puck at you.” Cecilia looked awfully content with her deed, but it still didn’t make him angry.
“Okay,” he replied. “When we’re on the subject, you do know that I would never hurt you, right?” He’d been waiting to tell her that for a long time now, ever since their huge fight.
Cecilia nodded. She looked uncomfortable with the conversation, and he wasn’t sure she was being honest to him.
“Let’s never fight again,” she smirked.
“Fine,” he agreed. They both laughed, knowing that it wouldn’t be long until they broke that agreement.
“Rainbow?” he asked.
“Better believe it, baby!” she shouted and got on her feet. She danced around him and jumped up on the bench behind him.
“How many times have you and Adam watch that movie, anyway?”
“Maybe five. Adam is crazy when it comes to comedies. We watched ‘Bean-the movie’ like eight times.”
On cue, Cecilia started to sing another song. “I had a picture of you in my mind, never knew it would be so wrong.”
“Okay, okay, that’s enough. I don’t need another performance.”
Cecilia threw her arms around his neck and jumped down from the bench.
“No?” she asked quietly.
“Not a singing performance, anyway,” he smiled. He leaned forward to kiss her. He was just about to brush his lips against hers, when she pulled away.
“If it’s some other kind of performance, then? Coz I can dance too, or juggle three things at once. Okay, maybe not at once, but I can throw them up in the air and catch two of them, if I’m lucky.”
“No, you can’t,” he said, and tousled her hair around. “Shut up now, Bee.”
Cecilia smiled when she heard him call her by her last name’s first letter.
“’key,” she whispered. This time, she didn’t pull away from his kiss.
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Notes: From Charlie’s point of view.
Charlie had the right to be pissed, according to him. The whole game was disturbed by now, and neither Fred nor Cecilia was anywhere to be found.
That might be something he could have some indulgent towards, but not the fact that Adam had made the team all crazy.
“I was just trying to cheer her up,” Adam explained. “She needed to be cheered. Up.”
Charlie sighed. Okay, that might be true, but not during a game! That was forbidden, completely forbidden.
“And, you were enjoying yourself too,” Adam smiled. “I saw you laugh at her.”
“At her, not with her,” Charlie growled. “Besides, she’s not the one who started all this.”
Adam pushed the door open to the locker-room, and they found Cecilia and Fred kissing passionately, with their arms around each other. Cecilia had her arms wrapped around Fred’s neck, and he had his hands around her waist.
“Perfect,” Charlie moaned. Why he said just that, was hard to tell. He was actually very happy for them. He might even have smiled a bit. Maybe.
“Yeah, great,” Portman shouted, making both Fred and Cecilia turn around. “I knew it all along.”
Connie squeaked happily and pulled Guy’s arm. Guy grinned at her. “I see you’re sad about this.”
Fred blushed, and Cecilia buried her face into his arm. “I told you there’d be a performance of some kind,” she mumbled. Fred began to laugh.
Adam started to cheer, dragging everyone else along too.
“I hate you,” Charlie muttered, staring at Adam.
“Lighten up, Charlie. Be happy...” Adam replied, but Charlie interrupted him.
“You’re not gonna start to sing again, are you?” he asked.
Adam grinned. “Who knows, maybe I’ll be offered a part in the school-play after this.”
Charlie shrugged. “Good luck, Banksie. Don’t forget to take Cecilia with you, maybe we’ll have some peace and quiet here, if you two decides to leave us.”
“’key,” Adam said, in true Cecilia-spirit. Charlie laughed when he saw Adam bounce over to Cecilia. They both kept bouncing up and down, squealing something to each other.
Fred laughed too, for the first time since he’d gotten that letter.
Charlie wasn’t sure what was going to happen now, with Fred’s probation and everything. All he knew was that it had been a rough couple of weeks.
He would never again try to interfere with his friends’ friendships, that much he knew. Okay, maybe he would, but not for a while, and not like this.
How easily things could’ve been avoided, if everyone just had minded their own business.
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