Rating: PG-13, for swearing, alcohol abuse, physical abuse, etc…you know, all that fun stuff comes later on.

Summary: Two years before It’s Summer In My Heart Lex and Anthony had a romance. What went on in New York before Lex and Anthony ever met the Ducks? From Lex’s and Anthony’s perspectives only.

Feedback: go ahead, I love it. Come on, review, I dare ya…

Dedication: For Cimmy, because she loves Anthony so much. Even though I made him up, he was just Anthony, a shell of a character, just there, to be a part of a band. But Cimmy made me love the boy too, and she helped me take him and make him into a character that deserves a past. Anthony wouldn’t be half the character he is today if it wasn’t for Cimmy. So to my partner-in-crime: thank-you.

Disclaimer: all the characters in this story are mine.

Story Notes: These characters are characters I made up while writing in the Mighty Ducks fandom, but have developed to the point where they deserve their own history. This is probably a part of a yet-to-be-written/titled series, in the It’s Summer In My Heart universe. It’s Summer In My Heart is the first story in series I’m co-writing with Cimmy. You can find It’s Summer In My Heart at fanfiction.net in the Mighty Ducks section under the name NYgoldfish54. You can also find it on Cimmy’s site, which you can link to in her bio-box.
-You don’t have to read It’s Summer In My Heart to understand this story. It can be read on its own. But it is part of a broader universe. So if you want to read what happens later, head over to Cimmy’s site or fanfiction.net to check out the other story.
-This isn’t the first part of the series and these characters’ history, but it’s the part I felt like writing first. Does that make sense? Who knows? Here goes.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Chapter 1: Beautiful
~Lex’s POV~

    “Hey Lex! We’re taking a walk! Let’s get going!” Jeff’s voice shouts, and I know he’s shouting at the door, because I have it closed.

    I put my electric guitar back in its case, open the door to my bedroom, and step out. My six best friends are outside the door. Jeff Delricci, my absolute best friend in the whole world since I was six, and have known since I was five, is wearing a rather annoyed look his face. He’s not really mad though, as I can see the amusement dancing in his green eyes. His wavy red hair looks messy, like he’d been outside in the October wind.

    “What kept you?” says a tall boy with dark brown hair, green eyes, and freckles. Matt McDougal grins at me from the back of the group.

    “How’d you get in here?” I ask, beckoning them into my room while I grab my coat out of my closet.

    “Robbie opened the door. He called me beautiful, Lex, could you make him stop? It’s so annoying,” Anna Eukovich’s voice comes drifting into the closet where I’m searching for my coat. Robbie is my older brother. He’s fifteen, but he’ll be sixteen in four days. I’m thirteen, but I’ll be fourteen in December.

    “You think you could make her stop whining, while you’re at it?” I hear Chris Mitchell talking now, too. I smirk. I can see Chris rolling his gray eyes and running a hand through his reddish brown hair behind Anna’s back.

    Ah, my green coat, just what I was looking for.

    “Ouch! What’d you do that for!?” Sammie Blackburn’s voice exclaims.

    “Because I could,” I hear Anthony Nicholson now.

    I don’t feel like leaving my closet. I really don’t want to hear them bickering. But they’re my best friends, and I’m going out anyway, even if I don’t want to hear it.

    “You take forever,” Anna moans.

    “Quiet, beautiful,” I say to her as I swing my coat over my shoulder.

    “Shut up! That is so annoying! I don’t call you ‘musical prodigy’ do I?”

    “No,” I admit.

    “Come off it, Anna, you know you’re beautiful,” Jeff says, looking around for support.

    “Oh yeah, gorgeous,” Matt grins.

    I look at Anna. She has dark brown, almost black hair, and clear blue eyes. She’s got a pretty figure, a nice personality, and beautiful smile with white teeth. She is beautiful.

    “Would you stop? You’re annoying me now!” Sammie exclaims.

    “You’re beautiful too,” Matt grins.

    Now I look Sammie over. Sammie’s blond, has brown eyes, a nice figure, nice smile, and eyelashes. Really, really long eyelashes. Yes, Sammie’s beautiful too.

    However, this was not what Sammie was expecting anyone to say, and she looks completely shocked. “Uh, thanks,” she mumbles.

    “As warm and fuzzy as this moment is, I’d like to go out now, so let’s go,” Chris says, looking impatient.

    “I agree,” I say. “Let’s go.”

    “You’re beautiful too,” Jeff smirks at me.

    “Thanks Jeff, and you look like a girl, by the way,” I smile sweetly back at him.

    “Oh shut up, leprechaun,” he says, shoving his hands in the pocket of the sweatshirt.

    Ah yes, the leprechaun insult. Hey, I’m Lex O’Leary. I’m small and Irish. But I don’t look Irish. I don’t have the red hair and green eyes and tons of freckles. I have light brown hair and brandy brown eyes. Matt is Irish, and he looks the part. He’s not small though, so nobody calls him a leprechaun. Jeff looks Irish, but he’s Italian. I look Italian, but I’m Irish. Do I make sense? Probably not. But that’s okay.

    “Can we go now?” Chris is rolling his eyes again.

    “Yes, please, and shut up Matt,” Sammie says, before Matt can spit anything fresh out about Chris being beautiful. Matt looks stunned.

    “How did you-” he starts as we head down the stairs to the ground floor of my seven floor apartment.

    “Matt, we all saw that one coming,” Anthony grins as we reach the front door.

    “Robbie!” I holler through the apartment, “I’m going out!”

    “Bring a jacket!” he yells back from somewhere.

    “I am! See ya later!” I scream.

    “Bye!” he shouts.

    We step into the elevator, and I feel it start to drop down to the ground floor of the building.

    We walk across the lobby and out the front door, which the doorman holds open for us, and into the breezy October air of Manhattan.

    “Thanks, Bobby,” I say.

    “Anytime, Miss O’Leary, anytime,” he smiles.

    I like Bobby. He’s been a doorman at this building for as long as I can remember. He’s an older gentleman-in his fifties- and he’s thin. He has rosy cheeks, gray hair, and a friendly smile. Like a grandfather. Every year, at Christmas, my mom sends Bobby a bottle of scotch and fifty dollars in a card.

    We head down the street, and I know we’re heading for Central Park because it’s always where we end up when we take walks.

    I’m walking quietly at the back of the group, staying out of my friends constant bickering and teasing. Anthony drops back to talk to me.

    “What’s up?” I ask him.

    He runs his hand through his straight, sandy blond hair, trying to get it under control in the breeze. “Nothing, really. I was just wondering if you were feeling bad because nobody told you that you were beautiful.”

    “Jeff said I was beautiful,” I grin.

    “He was teasing. But I just wanted you to know that I think you’re beautiful,” he says.

    “You’re just saying that,” I smile, “because you’re a nice guy and very caring and would feel terrible if I felt bad about this.”

    “No, I mean it, you are,” he says, and I look at the ground. I feel embarrassed by this, but I don’t know why. Anthony’s grayish blue eyes are on me, I know they are. I can feel it. I should say something. He knows I’m embarrassed.

    “Thanks Anthony, but really, don’t worry about it. I’m fine.”

    “Alright, just thought I’d tell you,” he says. He then proceeds to try to knock Matt off balance and into a trash can.

    He’s a sweet guy, Anthony. He’s caring. This is the kind of thing he does to cheer me up, even though he knows it’s embarrassing me. Later, I’ll be glad he said that. Later, I’ll smile. And he knows it, too.

    He thinks I’m beautiful. That’s nice.