AN- Guys, it's back! Entitled D4: Sophomore Year, this follows the Ducks through their second year at Eden Hall.

I'm posting today, but I probably won't be able to update again until the weekend. I have a couple finals this week and I need to study my butt of so I can do well. Curse Pre-Calculus! Curse it to the grave!

Charlie Conway bounced on the balls of his feet, his eager blue eyes searching the crowded airport for her familiar face. He almost chuckled as he realized how similar this situation was to last year, when he stood here with Connie, waiting for her to arrive. Now, he was alone. Connie was out with Adam, her "wonderfully amazing boyfriend who's just so amazing" leaving him to pick up Julie on his own.

Not that he minded in any way, shape, or form.

His ears perked up as he heard the familiar laugh and he stood, grinning like an idiot as she came into view. The grin lost some of its luster as he saw her companion. Tall and muscular Dean Portman was walking with her, laughing as well, an arm slung around her shoulder. Charlie knew it was just a friendly gesture but it still irked him.

Julie seemed to feel his gaze on her for she stopped talking abruptly and was suddenly looking straight at him. His grin widened involuntarily as she stepped away from Dean and charged towards him, dodging the many people in her way. He caught her in his arms a moment later and they kissed softly.

"Hey." she finally whispered, pulling away from him.

"Hey." he whispered right back.

He tightened his hold on her, resting his forehead against hers. Three months had been far to long of a time not to see her. Especially since he'd been able to see her almost every day for a year. A throat cleared loudly and Julie, smiling, stepped away from Charlie, who turned to his other teammate, hand out-stretched.

"Portman."

"Conway."

The boys grinned at each other as they shook hands but there was some tension in the air. All three noticed it, which was probably why Julie tugged on Charlie's hand, leading him towards the baggage claim and keeping a few feet in between him and Dean.

"How was your summer?"

"Boring. Connie hung out with Adam. Guy hung out with Linda. I got stuck with Fulton and Tammy, who's still pining after him. Ow." He rubbed his arm where Julie had hit him. "What was that for?"

"Be nice. Tammy really likes Fulton, it's hard for her that he can't seem to feel the same way."

Charlie merely grunted as he grabbed his girlfriend's bags and they waited for Dean to grab his. Charlie lead the way out of the airport to a small car. A woman was leaning against it and Julie smiled brightly and moved forward to embrace her.

"Welcome back, Julie."

"Thanks, Mrs. Conway. It's nice to be back."

Charlie's mother now hugged Dean, who looked rather embarrassed at the show of affection. Then, they climbed in the car and drove off.

Julie was arranging her things in the small dorm room she'd be sharing with Connie when the door opened and her roommate bounded in with an excited smile.

"Julie!"

"Connie!"

They hugged and chattered loudly for a few seconds before realizing neither of them could understand the other. With a small giggle, they each sat down on their beds.

"So, how was your summer?" Julie asked.

Connie grinned. "Pretty good. Spent most of it with Adam."

"So, that's going well I take it?"

Blushing, Connie nodded. "I got to know Linda, too."

Linda Tompkins was a fellow student at their school, Eden Hall Academy. She was a year ahead of them and best friends with Tammy Duncan, who had once been a Duck herself. She was also dating Guy Germaine, who happened to be Connie's ex-boyfriend/first love.

"Does she seem nice?"

"Yeah. She adores Guy, but what's not to adore. I like her. All the Ducks do. I hung out with Tammy too."

"I heard she's still in love with Fulton."

"She won't get over him, the poor thing. I'd hoped last year, what with Dean." Connie trailed off.

Julie knew what she was getting at. Last year, Dean had arrived to their new school a few months late. His original reason for not going(Bombay ditching them on a new coach) seemed unimportant to him as he waltzed through the Ducks' locker room during their final game against the evil Varsity players and brought on a miracle. He had met and flirted with Tammy, and Connie had hoped this would finally get her friend off the crush she'd had on the same boy for years. Unfortunately, no dice. All that resulted was a pretty tight friendship with Dean.

"Well, maybe she'll find someone new this year."

Connie nodded. "Hopefully."

There was a knock on the door and both girls turned, Connie's smile widening. Adam Banks stepped into the room, his brown eyes twinkling.

"Welcome back, Jules."

Julie hugged him tightly. She'd always felt close with Adam, what with him being Charlie's best friend, Connie's current boyfriend and her best friend.

"How was your summer, Banksie?"

He glanced over at Connie with a small grin. "Pretty amazing. Yours?"

"Boring. Unlike you, I didn't get to spend every waking moment with my significant other. Speaking of which." Julie trailed off with a smile as she waved to the duo and turned to leave the room.

Adam waited until she was gone before taking Connie into his arms. "Hello, daring."

She giggled and kissed him softly. "This year is going to be awesome."

"I sure hope so."

They kissed again.

Dean was laying on his bed when he heard a knock on his door. He sat up and smiled as Tammy walked in.

"Hey, Duncan." he stood up and hugged her.

"Welcome home, Portman. How was your summer." she asked, sitting down on the empty bed across from his.

"It was pretty good. I missed it here though. Missed you."

She grinned. "What's not to miss? My summer was awesome, thanks for asking. Spent it hanging out with Fulton."

"Yeah, is that going anywhere or what?"

"Unfortunately, no. We're just friends and he is determined to keep it that way. Not that he knows I want to be more." she pouted for a moment. "I just want him to wake up, you know?"

"Who wake up?"

They turned to see Fulton standing in the doorway, holding a box filled with CDs. He glanced over at Dean and smirked.

"Hey roomie. Who will wake up?" he asked, yet again, placing the box at his feet.

Tammy stood up quickly, blushing. "No one. We were talking about someone you don't know. I was telling Dean about our summer and now I'm leaving. Bye."

"Whoa, don't hit and run." Fulton grabbed her arm before she could leave. "Stick around, don't let me chase you out."

"Do you need help getting your stuff up here?" Dean asked.

Fulton shook his head, releasing Tammy. "I got it under control."

He left the room to get more stuff while Tammy sat back down on what was now Fulton's bed. "I just made an idiot out of myself."

"Yes you did. Good thing he didn't notice."

She glared at him. "I hate you."

He grinned. "No, you don't."

With a sigh, she smiled reluctantly. "No, I don't."

Julie peered into Charlie's dorm room, happy to see him distracted while hanging up his hockey memorabilia. She crept up behind him and placed her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?" she whispered into his ear.

"Uh, my extremely gorgeous girlfriend by the name of Julie Gaffney?"

She giggled and turned him around, kissing him. "I'm flattered."

"As you should be." he said, winking.

She smiled. "So, who's your roommate this year?"

"No idea. It's not Banskie, he's rooming with Luis."

Suddenly, there was a giggle from the doorway and they both looked as Guy walked in, holding Linda's hand. They both stopped seeing the other couple, and smiled.

"I think that answers that question." Charlie muttered.

"What question?" Guy asked.

"You're my roommate this year. Hey, Linda."

Linda smiled and waved at Julie. "Hey guys. Welcome back, Jules."

"Thanks." Julie smiled. "Hey Guy."

He grinned and hugged her. "Hey, Jules."

"So, how does it feel being sophomores?" Linda asked as she stepped over various boxes and took a seat on what would be Guy's bed. Julie followed her lead, sinking down onto Charlie's mattress.

"It feels good. Like, anything can happen." Julie said.

Charlie grinned. "I feel good considering I'm starting the year with an amazing girlfriend."

Julie blushed and Charlie offered his hand to her, pulling her to her feet. "No Varsity jerks, no constant fighting. This is gonna be our year, Jules. I promise."

They kissed softly. Guy sat down next to Linda and rolled his eyes towards his friends. "Sorry about them. They love being all nauseatingly cute."

Linda giggled and kissed him. "So? There's nothing wrong with it. This year is going to be good for us, too."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Tammy and Dean walked down the street, heading to Mickey's where the Duck's pre-school year party would be held.

"So, which couples are going to be disgustingly happy?" he asked.

"All of them. Despite the fact that Connie and Adam and Guy and Linda had all summer to get over the disgustingly happy phase. They all will be. Charlie and Julie won't be so bad though. They're always cutesy in private. It's nice."

"Yeah, it is." Dean agreed.

"I think it's sweet they've been dating since they were thirteen. Not a lot of couples can say that. Connie and Guy for one."

"It won't last." Dean said. "They've been together too long, plus, last year was hell for them."

She looked at him, puzzled. "How did you know?"

"Fulton called me. Told me how everyone was going to hell and how much the Ducks needed me."

"And that's why you came back, helping them crush Varsity in the process."

"Yeah. Plus, I missed....the Ducks."

"Anyone in particular?"

Julie flashed briefly in his mind. "All of them."

They entered the diner, seeing the rest of the team mingling. Connie waved Tammy over and, with a parting wave to Dean, she walked around her teammates towards the small brunette. Dean glanced around, smiling at he spotted Julie alone by the counter. He walked over.

"Hey." he said, tugging on her pony tail.

She mock-glared at him, sticking out her tongue in the process. He sat down on the stool next to her with a grin. "Come on, Jules, don't be like that."

"Don't pull on my hair like an immature kid." she countered back.

He just smirked at her and she rolled her eyes, but grinned. "I'm glad you're here, Dean. Last year's pre-party sucked without you."

"Yeah. I hated being away from the Ducks. Especially you."

His remark caused Julie to blush softly. "Why me?"

He shrugged. "Other than Fulton, I'd say you're my best friend. It sucked not being around you."

"It's your own fault, you know."

"I know. I thought I had a good reason to stay away but, as it turns out, it wasn't worth it."

"Bombay leaving did suck. I kind of wish I'd followed your example and refused to come out of protest. But, then, I wouldn't have been able to spend the last year with Charlie."

"Right. Spazway. The perfect boyfriend." Dean rolled his eyes. "From what I heard, things sucked for you two last year."

She frowned. "At first, yeah. But, we made up and things were great from then on."

Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw Charlie walking towards them. Knowing this would lead to some sort of cute moment he'd rather barf than see, he stood up. "I'll catch you later, Jules."

She watched him go with furrowed eye brows, wondering why he was acting so weird. Then, two strong arms wrapped around her and she smiled as she felt lips upon her neck.

"Hey, Charlie."

He chuckled and sat down on the stool Dean had just left. "How did you know it was me?"

"I must be psychic. I mean, forget the fact that all the guys here know if they tried something on me, you'd kick their ass. I just knew."

He leaned over the kissed her. "Are you ready for the school year?"

"Duh. As you stated before, this is gonna be our year, Charlie. And, I can't wait to spend it with you."

Dean watched as they leaned in for another kiss and felt the anger boiling up inside of him. Why did they have to flaunt their happiness? Why did they have to rub his face in it.

"Hey." Tammy slid into the booth across from him. "Why are you back here all alone?"

He pulled his mind away from the happy couple. "Guess I'm just an antisocial person."

"No you're not." Tammy said.

"Uh, yeah. I'm, how did you put it, back here all alone. I'm antisocial."

"That's not what antisocial means. Antisocial means disregarding the rules of society. Being selfish and irresponsible, having no conscience and no guilt. Manipulating people, being good liars, showing fake emotion. Impulsive. You're not antisocial."

He blinked, staring at her. "How did you know that?"

"I took Psychology while I was on the road skating. My tutor offered it. It was quite entertaining."

Dean laughed. "You're such a brain."

"Me? Nah. I'm good at subjects that have no meaning in the real world. Psychology, Sociology, Art. The important things, like math and science, I'm really bad at those."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Duncan."

She grinned at the small compliment. "Yeah, I do. I'm a kick ass skater. It's my true passion in life."

"Other than Fulton, of course?"

She kicked him underneath the table and he laughed. "You're so easy to annoy."

"You're being mean. I'm going to go spend my time with people who are nice."

He watched as she stood up and walked away, head held high and arms crossed. But, then she turned to throw him a soft smile that had him grinning. Tammy Duncan was something else.

Adam and Connie walked back to the dorms hand-in-hand. She was smiling brightly and he kept glancing at her.

"What's making you so happy?"

She shrugged, still smiling. "Just us, I guess. This time last year, I was sure you and I were only going to stay friends. Now look at us."

He grinned. "Yeah, we've come a long way. Last year sucked, though. Other than us, of course."

She nodded in understanding. "You're going to be a Duck this year, Banksie. If Varsity tries to take you, we'll throw the biggest fight to keep you."

That elicited a chuckle from him as he pulled her close and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Cons."

She smiled beautifully at him. "Anytime, Banskie."

Guy and Linda lay on his bed, making out. Charlie hadn't gotten back yet so they were alone, much to Guy's pleasure. Things with him and Linda had been progressing really well. They'd spent the summer, really getting to know each other. She was a total rights-activists, ready to stand up for any good cause. And, given the intensity of his feelings for her, Guy would most likely be standing right there with her.

She pulled away, running her hands through his blonde hair. "This this nice."

"I can always convince Charlie to crash at home." he said, trying to sound suggestive.

Linda smiled. "No, that's fine. I should go anyway."

She stood and straightened out her clothes, leaving a disappointed Guy on the bed. Then, as she headed to the door, he stood up and followed her, kissing her softly before he left.

"I'll see you tomorrow." she whispered.

"Tomorrow." he smiled softly.

They kissed once more before she slipped out the door.

Charlie walked Julie to her dorm room, grinning at she wrapped her arms around his neck. They kissed for a few moments until the small thoughts nagging at Charlie's mind needed to be voiced.

"So, what were you and Portman talking about?"

"Hmm?" she asked, too distracted by the nearness of his body to answer.

He stepped away from her, running a hand through his curly hair. "What were you and Portman talking about?"

Her eyes narrowed at his tone. "Just stuff. Nothing important. Why?"

"Just curious." he said.

"Dean's just a friend. Why are you so worried about our conversations?"

"I'm not." he said, but she could tell he was lying by the way he avoided her eyes and looked down at the floor.

She stepped closer to him, placing her hands on his chest. "He's just a friend, Spazway."

After a moment of looking at her, he smiled. "I know. Sorry, doing the stupid boyfriend thing."

"Very stupid." she smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They kissed goodnight and he waited until she was in her room before heading toward his own.

Julie sat on her bed, wondering what was with Charlie's sudden anger towards their teammate. Back at the Goodwill Games, Charlie had gotten along pretty well with Portman, after the whole welcoming period, of course. Nothing had changed. Dean was still her friend. They were closer than before, but still, just friends. Charlie was just being paranoid, she finally decided.

She changed into her pajama's quietly, not wanting to wake Connie and crawled into bed. Her lasts thoughts before drifting into sleep were of the excitement and fun that lay ahead this year.