Twenty-One ~ A Dean Portman Fanfic

Twenty-Three

(I'm debating on doing a little time skip to advance things between Dean and Evangeline. I don't know yet, hmm.)

"Hey, where you going?" He asked, picking up his lunch tray and followed her down the aisle of tables as she glanced around for her friends. He met up beside her and already started eating bits and pieces of his lunch without being seated yet.

She cocked a brow at him, staring at him and then his hand full of food. "You're not even sitting and you're eating."

"I'm hungry." He complained. "I'm a growing boy, I need the calories."

She snorted. "Whatever floats your boat, Dean."

"What?" His eyes widened at her remark, holding back his laugh as he trailed behind her. "Hey, Sully, where you going?"

She stopped in the middle of the dinning hall, looking for Julianna and Gloria. "Um, Glory and Jules." She narrowed her eyes, trying to see where they were.

"Sit with me." He shrugged nonchalantly, fingers splitting the broccoli from the tomatoes.

Evangeline looked at him, not keen on his idea. 

As sweet as it was, she didn't think it would be very cool if she sat with him. Only because he sat at a table comprised of only JV hockey players. Even when Charlie had a girlfriend, she didn't really sit with the team and the very few players who do have a girlfriend currently, they weren't at the table either. Somedays they sat at the table and those days were usually Fridays.

She gulped and bit her lip, turning on her heels to see her friends.

Dean furrowed his brows. "I say something wrong?" He asked her suddenly. She proceeded to shake her head. "No? So, why aren't we going?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know, Dean." She huffed and turned back to face him. "They're your hockey team and no one sits with you guys unless its the team." She points, showing him only JV was at the table.

He turned his head back to see her point. "Yeah, and?"

"Do they even know about us?"

He stared at her. "Hmm, do they know?" He questioned sarcastically, knitting his brows together. "Let's see, um, no." He shook his head. "I mean, it's not like I slap your ass in the hallway. Or wait- spend my free time willingly going to the library to see you because only dorks go there. No, maybe going out late with you or-"

"Okay," She hissed, getting the point and pinched his side.

He hit her hand away. "They know 'bout chu." He waved it off. "Come on, just today then if you don't want to again."

"Dean, I think I should-"

"Stop whimping out, Sully, let's go. Move those feet." He'd grabbed her hand and led her toward his table where his chair was open between Fulton and Dwayne.

She whined the entire way over to his table and finally spotted her friends on her way over. Through her pleading looks she sent them, Glory could only give her a big thumbs up with a cheery smile and sit back down. Evangeline faked a sob and stopped behind Dean when he presented her to the table. She was a little shy approaching the group of teenagers who were a tight knit group and stood closely behind Dean with her tray, almost hiding.

"Y'all mind she sits with us?" Dean asked the group, he let her hand go as she turned her body slightly to hide from them.

"Nope."

"No."

"Go ahead."

Many answers had been redeemed by the group and Charlie tilted his head, elbow on the table with a hand in the air as he eyed the girl quietly. He knew who she was and spoke to her on the odd occasion, but it was very different seeing a girl like her with a guy like Portman.

"Here, take my spot." Dwayne grabbed his tray and stood up.

"No." Her eyes widened. "No, you don't have to move." She shook her head. "I can sit-"

"It's fine." Russ butted in. 

Averman laughed. "Grab some wood, Cowboy." He patted the empty chair beside him.

"Are you sure?" She asked him and Dwayne nodded with a kind smile. "Thank you, Dwayne."

She'd sat down first in Portman's chair and he sat in Dwayne's warmed seat, placing his tray down and continued eating. 

Evangeline was quite nervous about sitting with them, it felt like she was meeting Dean's family when it was only his hockey teammates. The downside is she already knew the majority of them from classes. She felt like she intruded on their lunch at last minute and felt uncomfortable that she sat like a stick, kind of frozen with her hands on her lap.

Connie smiled, happy to see a fresh face at the table, especially a girl. Having been the only girl on the hockey team for a long time was hard and when Julie came, she was so thankful to have someone to talk to. Having a decent female conversation was nice and now, she knew she could have those exact conversations with Evangeline, too.

Julie also smiled happily, finding it nice that Portman had someone close he could openly be with. She was in the same boat when it came to the boarding school aspect; her teammates were her only family. Her and Scooter had lasted several months before things became too complicated since he was three years older and graduated while she was a Freshmen. She did miss him, but didn't admit that to anyone.

Charlie leaned forward. "We don't bite," He explained. "You can eat."

Evie looked over to him. "Oh, I know." She agreed with him.

"Leave her alone, Charlie." Connie shook her head at him with furrowed brows.

"So ugh," Goldberg nodded from the end of the table and she turned to look over at him, like the others did. "You rich like the other snobs here?"

"Seriously, man?" Portman shot at him, grimacing, and threw a tomato at him.

"Hey," He called, raising both hands. "We had to ask."

Evangeline lowered her head with the tinniest smile ever, seeing the interactions among everyone. "Eden Hall is home to mostly snobs, so yes." She answered.

Dean shook his head as the few boys laughed and moved his hand below the table. She grew quiet upon feeling his hand place on her knee, then trailed up to find her hand. She found it tickled as his fingers wiggled, looking for her hand like a toddler followed his mother innocently. Evie moved her hand over to make it easier for him and turned her hand upside down, letting her palm meet his.

She inhaled, almost feeling better about sitting at the table when his hand clasped hers. "You're nicer than the others though." Luis points.

"You suck, man." Guy told him. "You don't say that to girls."

"Or at all?" Julie questioned.

"Eh, she gets it." Averman piped in.

"Does she?" Fulton added.

Evangeline inhaled, tightening her hold on his hand as he continued to eat off his tray, giving little glances to her. He didn't need to ask her if she felt all right because he could tell by the way she hadn't touched her plate and only spoke when she'd been asked a questioned. 

"Yo," Charlie cut the others off. "Game on Thursday at Burbank," He looked around. "Gotta be pumped for that, am I right?"

"Oh yeah!!!"

A few of them hit each other and cheered.

"Right, I forgot."

"Hey, we're gonna crush it."

The brunette glanced to the end of the table where the light haired brunette sat. 'Thank you' she mouthed and he nodded, going on to talk to the guys as Dean was oblivious to it.

The nervous girl finally ate just before the bell rang and had left the table before everyone left so she could get to her locker. She could also feel her heart palpitating so much it hurt to breathe as she was nervous about the hockey team. Evangeline knew she'd have to get used to it because Dean hung around his team majority of the time. She was just afraid they'd say something, she wanted to gain their trust and acceptance. 

So far, she gained the Captain's, Fulton's and the two girls', even Adam Banks and she wasn't even aware of it.