A Firm Hand

Zack took Chloe’s hand and stood, though he needed no assistance in getting up. It was a symbolic gesture both to himself and the redhead who had been his friend since childhood. He was taking a step forward and in doing so, in having faced this undeniable truth about himself with her, it had helped to mend some of the damage he’d done. And it was nice to realise that the things he thought to be irreparable were, in reality, fixable with time and effort and honesty. And it gave him new hope for his relationship with Ashley, that perhaps, despite bot acting immaturely and indecisively, all was not lost.

“Yeah, let’s go,” he said with a small but sincere smile.

“Good,” Chloe declared, leading him by the hand. “Because if you didn’t, my first order as Supreme Chancellor would have been for you to do it anyway.”

Zack laughed as he walked hand in hand with her out into the hallway, never thinking for one minute what their hand holding might be misconstrued as. Chloe didn’t consider the possibility either, simply enjoying the lightness of being, the lack of tension and distrust that had once stood like a wall between them. That wasn’t to say she’d completely forgiven him; she would never give her heart to him like that again. But at the very least, she felt she had regained her friend and the grudge was gone.

Gavin watched from the living room that he leaned against, waiting for the pair, astounded by their holding hands as they exited the bedroom. He cocked an eyebrow and turned his head slightly. He was sure that they weren’t together again. A less informed person might have misunderstood their touching for something more serious, but Gavin knew Chloe. There was no way she was going back to that well. It had been poisoned for her. And beyond that, though they were holding hands, he could tell by the way they walked, the clasping of their palms rather than the intertwining of fingers, and the way they looked and laughed at each other that this was intimate, but it wasn’t romantic.

Upon seeing the other member of their trio, Chloe blushed and withdrew her hand from Zack’s. She didn’t think that Gavin would presume anything had happened, he knew them too well for that, but seeing him seeing them made her realise what it might look like to the untrained eye. Gavin snorted humorously at Chloe’s knee-jerk reaction, for which she slapped his arm when the three gathered together.

“Hey man, listen, I want to say sorry for the way I behaved earlier, before and after I went to the lake,” Zack said, frowning apologetically as Gavin looked at him. “Even if I was upset with you, the way I spoke to you, and kept speaking to you, wasn’t right. There’s a lot of things going on in my head right now, not just with you and Ashley, but I was using you to take out my frustrations, and that wasn’t fair of me.”

“What? No way, you don’t need to apologise. I’m the one who has been out of line, I don’t deny that. I understand you being upset with me,” Gavin replied, dismissing Zack’s reasoning with a hand wave. “But I don’t think you’re being fair to Ashley. Especially since I talked to Madison, and, I don’t have any proof but, I think she’s lying about Ashley wanting to break up with you.”

“Yeah, the more I think about it the more likely that seems. The only proof we have is Madison’s word and right now Madison is the only person in the world who hates me as much as Brandon. Maybe even more,” Zack admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I fully intend on talking to Ashley when she returns.”

“I guess the question is what should be do to pass the time until they return?” Chloe mused with a half pout. “It could take all night to drag a confession out of Hannah.”

“We could play a game,” Gavin suggested optimistically, reviling in any opportunity to engage in his favourite pastime. In the absence of a computer game, a real-life game would be just as good.

Zack nodded along with the idea, accumulating in a groan. “I suppose we should include Madison. Though, I’m really not looking forward to all the snide comments I’ll have to endure.”

“I understand how you feel, but it really would be rude not to,” Chloe insisted, and walked over to the couch, Zack and Gavin following close behind. She waited, watching the petite brunette laying along the cushions, until slowly Madison turned her head and looked up at the patient red-head while swallowing the mouthful of chips she’d been munching. Chloe asked, “Would you like to play a game with us?”

Madison smiled and quipped, “So long as it doesn’t involve Zack and I locked in a room with a dead body, sure.”

Chloe chuckled as she knelt beside the coffee table, reaching underneath, and said, “No, we won’t be-”

“Wait, who would the dead body be in this scenario?” Gavin asked seriously. “Or would you be the dead body because you want to punish Zack?”

“Maybe it would be someone who wants to punish both of us?” Madison suggested as she sat up.

Gavin cocked his head and asked, “Who would want to punish you?”

Madison bit her lip and gazed up at Gavin from under her brow. “Sometimes us girls just need a firm hand to keep us in place.”

Gavin choked, and Zack’s eyes went wide, while Chloe scoffed from the ground beside the table. Of them only Zack was aware of Madison’s more than sisterly relationship with Brandon, though he was willing to concede that teasing wasn’t exactly cheating. Yet it was difficult to tell how serious Madison actually was. The curious glimmer in her stare appeared genuine enough, but the last time Zack saw the petite brunette cheerleader she only had eyes for her brother.

“Enough,” Chloe said, her tone rather harsh. She cleared her throat, and, with considerably more gentleness, continued, “Let’s just pick a game to play. We have RISK, Taboo, Parcheesi, a pack of cards…”

“Mmhm, we could play strip poker,” Madison offered, looking back up at Gavin.

“No!” he and Chloe said in unison.

Madison smiled deeply. “Clearly there’s a story there that I missed.”

“The night that we were in the forest looking for Victoria, when Lisa ran off to the waterfall, these guys were back here playing strip…something or other,” Zack informed her, simply trying to be helpful but noticing Madison’s annoyance that he was even speaking directly to her.

“Strip Never Have I Ever,” Chloe corrected him as she busied herself, sorting through the games beneath the table and the many boxes of condoms Heather had left there. “And I think it caused enough drama for one life time.”

“And the last thing I need is Victoria waking up and finding me playing yet another strip game in her absence,” Gavin remarked gloomily.

“Yeah, she might start to think you’re some kind of deviant,” Madison said, grinning.

“Besides, I don’t think I’d like it as much as you think. You might have to see Zack naked too,” Gavin reminded her, and then, seeing the feigned hurt on Zack’s face, he added, “no offense, man.”

“You make a valid point,” Madison admitted, and then to Chloe, “What else do we have?”

“Clue.”

“Ugh, haven’t we had enough of mysteries?” Zack dismissed. Even as a lover of suspense and drama, he was a little sick of it.

“Monopoly.”

“Chloe always cheats,” Gavin said.

“Just because you always end up in jail,” Chloe countered before continuing. “Connect4.”

“Is a two-person game,” Madison noted.

“Scrabble.”

“Meh, words,” Gavin grunted.

“The Game of Life.”

“Real life is troublesome enough without getting fired and facing bankruptcy in a board game,” Zack said, rubbing his head.

Chloe growled. “Snakes and motherfucking ladders!”

“That sounds like a bold new edition,” Gavin joked, and then throwing up his arms in defence of Chloe’s irritated glare. “Okay, okay, I think that sounds good, right?” Gavin looked right to left, Zack and Madison agreeing with his choice. “Great. Why don’t you guys set up and I’ll get us some drinks.”

“I’ll help,” Madison said immediately, bouncing off the couch and chasing after Gavin into the kitchen.

The small brunette cheerleader watched as Gavin gathered three glasses from the cupboard and took a bottle of soda from the fridge. He was sort of handsome, she decided, though not in a traditional sort of way like her brother was, but better looking than the average guy at least. And he had a good sense of humour. That was a nice bonus. He was also her only option, considering Zack wasn’t an option at all. Her brother only thought that he wanted her to see other guys, but now that he’d been with her, let him see how jealous it made him to see her actually be with another man.

“So, Gavin,” she said sweetly. “I was thinking you could help me out with another thirst of mine.”

“Oh?” He asked, turning to face her. “Do you need a refill?”

“I think you need to fill me first before you can refill me,” she sang seductively, taking careful, measured steps towards her prey. “No, I mean some of that firm hand we talked about earlier.”

Gavin swallowed, realising what she was suggesting. “Are you sure Brandon would like that?”

“Well, my overprotective brother isn’t here,” Madison remarked, sliding closer and dropping her hands to his belt buckle. “So, now’s your chance.”

“I mean, as your boyfriend,” Gavin clarified, reaching out and grabbing her by the waist, as if this would somehow stop her getting closer, but she was already close enough to undo his belt and move on to the buttons of his jeans. “Your boyfriend Brandon wouldn’t like this.”

Madison’s fingers froze as she turned her eyes up towards him. “H-how do you know about that?”

“Victoria guessed as much earlier when we heard you two were hanging out in the woods alone, but you basically confirmed it yourself earlier,” Gavin explained with an empathetic smile, hoping he hadn’t embarrassed her.

“I had hoped to do with this without you thinking that I was just using you, but I guess it can’t be helped,” Madison shrugged her shoulders, her hands still on the precipice of opening his jeans. “But my dear brother seems to think I’m missing out if I can’t have kids and shit, so he wants me to move on to another man who can give me all that traditional crap. But I know that once he hears of me actually being with another man, he’ll flip his lid and change his mind. So, wanna help me prove my brother wrong? I think we still have time for a quick blow job while the others set up.”