Chapter 12 - Bonds of Friendship

That same day, a little bit earlier, the sun had begun to set upon Sunset Haven, casting the sky in an orange hue. At a ranch in the outskirts of town, a young man felt the wind hitting his face as he galloped on his favorite horse, a majestic white stallion. Guiding the animal in fast circles around the paddock in front of the stable, his short dark-brown hair matted to his head, Zachary Bishop realized that very few places in the world could make him this happy.

How did I go so long without this? He asked himself, a big, satisfied smile on his face.

After moving out of Sunset Haven with his mother and older sister several years ago, the return to his grandparents’ ranch in the beginning of the summer put him right back where he left off. For him, it had been just like riding a bike, and fortunately, his grandfather had a young horse that bonded with Zack quite fast. Whitewind, the stallion he was currently riding so adeptly. At that moment, his icy-blue eyes found his best friend, with whom he reconnected upon his return and cheerfully waved at her.

Chloe McRose waved right back from the spot in the fence where she was perched up, whistling in encouragement as the wind made her own red hair fly in long fiery waves to her side. One of the ranch’s dogs, a white Lab named Rook, barked excitedly next to her, knowing he couldn’t sneak under the fence while Zack was riding Whitewind.

“It’s getting dark, I’m gonna take him back inside,” he shouted over to her.

“Okay!” Chloe jumped down from the fence and jogged over to the stable, Rook bounding after her.

As he trotted back with Whitewind, Zack vowed he was going to put Chloe on a horse too someday, and he was sure she would most certainly love it. Dismounting the horse, the young man led it inside the stable and removed the saddle before leading it to its stall.

“Nice ride, boy,” he affectionately said, rubbing the horse’s forehead and crest. “We’re getting better and better at this.”

Chloe and Rook got into the stable a moment later, the redhead briefly looking at the other horses before joining her best friend. Having an athletic body that soccer provided her, she often hid her more pronounced curves, such as her breasts and ass, under baggy clothing, but she was slowly getting better at not doing it all the time. Zack grinned as he stared into her clear-blue eyes, being separated from each other was the worst thing about moving away, but now that he was back, their friendship resumed as if it had never been interrupted.

“I remember how well you rode those horses when we were kids,” she commented. “It’s kinda awesome to see it.”

“Thanks, that’s what I was thinking about,” Zack admitted. “Sure you don’t wanna try it?”

“Eh, the soccer field is all the excitement I’m willing to take,” she let out a chuckle. “Maybe someday.”

“Yeah,” the young man nodded and then caught sight of Rook wagging its tail with an expectant look. “Hello to you too, boy! C’mere!”

Chloe giggled as she watched the dog balance itself on his hind legs to play with Zachary. Her friend had really conquered the hearts of every animal in that ranch since coming back and it was beautiful to see it. She hadn’t come to the Bishop Ranch much over the years he had been away, as she and his cousin, Lydia, who also lived there, kind of drifted away from one another after Zack’s move. It had been emotional getting to reconnect with the other girl as well, she could admit.

Speaking of Lydia Spade…

“Hey, guys!” The petite brunette burst into the stable, a smile on her pretty face. “All done for today?”

“Yeah, I was just getting Whitewind to his stall,” Zack answered as Rook rushed excitedly toward his cousin.

With shoulder-length light-brown hair and gray eyes, Lydia had gotten rather cute while he was away, not that Zack had really noticed it during the three months since he came back. Plus, she had visited him quite often, both in Big Lake, Amethyst Shore, and Quartz City, not to mention that the internet existed, so it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her while growing up. What he hadn’t seen coming was her joining the dance team this year, but that was something he chalked up to her mother and other friends’ insistence. She was wearing a simple t-shirt cut above her bellybutton, like a crop top, and jeans.

“Did Shane call or text you?” He inquired, closing the gate to Whitewind’s stall.

“Nope, I’m just that lucky,” Lydia responded, her eyes twinkling as she made faces at Rook.

Zack and Chloe exchanged a look at that. Shane was the fourth friend in their group, but while he was away, his best male friend had seemingly turned into a stereotypical, eager male teenager and that was something that neither Chloe nor Lydia had been able to endure, so they all drifted away as well. He was gradually trying to bring Shane into their midst again, but was resigned to the fact that those things took time. Ever since the school year started, he had also befriended a guy from Shane’s basketball team, Kevin Jackson, and met his distant cousin Logan earlier that day.

“He’s probably busy chasing some girl to take to the dance, anyway,” he mumbled, not wanting to set off Lydia.

“But the Homecoming Dance is more than a month away,” Chloe commented, frowning.

Zack just shrugged, but Lydia snorted derisively. “Perv guys need that much time, Chlo. I’m not really sorry to say, but Shane’s probably not finding a date,” she said, turning to her cousin and their friend. “No one’s that ****.”

“What about you?” Zack asked, curious about his cousin’s love life. He hadn’t seen much so far, after all.

“I always end up getting asked sooner or later,” Lydia admitted, a bit ashamed to admit she wasn’t too popular. She wondered if things would change now that she was in the dance team. Well, at least she wasn’t unpopular either, and things were bound to be better that year, even if she wasn’t really sure if that was a hassle she wanted in her life.

“I normally go with someone from the team,” Chloe piped in. It had never been a big deal for her, so she wasn’t that worried.

“Well, we can always commiserate together this year,” Zack offered, getting a smile from the redhead. “I doubt I’m gonna get that close to anyone in such a short time.”

“Don’t say that, jackass!” An angry Lydia slapped his arm. “I’m sorry, Chlo, my stupid cousin didn’t mean it.”

“Ouch, Lyds! What the hell was that?” He asked, rubbing his arm while Rook barked at the two cousins.

“It’s okay, Lydia, don’t worry,” Chloe shook her head and waved her hands, trying to defuse the situation.

“Chloe doesn’t need a pity date, you idiot!” Lydia vented, hands going to her hips. “And you, Zacky, you won’t get to meet girls if you only hang out with us! I’ve got friends in the dance team you can ask!”

Zack let out a very amused laugh. “Me? With a dancer? Yeah, sure,” he joked, but as the laugh subsided, his mind wandered over to the times Lydia had the other dancers over in the ranch. They were definitely beautiful, and a couple of them really enjoyed teasing him, especially the captain.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable with that conversation, Chloe’s gaze found the crimson-colored sky. “Uhn…, it’s getting late, I should probably head home, guys.”

“You don’t wanna stay for dinner?” Zack asked with a smile. “Our folks wouldn’t mind.”

Chloe laughed nervously. “Oh, no, thanks, but my Mom would bug me so much if I stayed,” she explained. “You won’t want to know.”

“Oh, okay, then. I’ll drive you home,” Zachary pulled out the keys from his pocket and motioned for his best friend to follow him, but nimble fingers snatched it from his hand. “Hey!”

“We’ve got some girl talk to do, so let me drive her,” Lydia pocketed the keys and linked her right arm with Chloe’s left. “You go help our moms in the kitchen, Zacky.”

“Oh, yeah, I need to tell Lydia all about you meeting you guys’ cousin during my practice,” Chloe laughed.

She then waved at her best friend as the brunette girl dragged her away, and Zack just shook his head, letting out an amused chuckle. “Crazy, both of them,” he mumbled before a sigh escaped his lips as he turned to the dog. “C’mon, Rook, let’s go back!”

The darkening evening sky watched the young man and the dog jog back toward the main house in the ranch, located a couple of minutes away from the stables. If he was lucky, his mother and aunt would be done with dinner already.

---

Roughly at the same time, in a residential cul-de-sac called Verdant Lane in Sunset Haven, a beautiful 40-year-old woman tossed her dark-brown ponytail behind a shoulder as her green-eyes focused on the steaming pans in front of her. She loved cooking for her family, but it could be a little exhausting after doing the same all day long at her restaurant. Vanessa Austen wished that one of her kids could pick it up every once in a while, since her husband…, well. It was probably better to not even ask.

“Are all of them staying for dinner?” Waldon Cole, a few years older than his wife, gruffly asked from behind an issue of the Sunset Courier, their town’s newspaper.

Vanessa stifled a sigh. “I don’t know, dear. They haven’t told me.”

As if responding to the question, two sets of heavy steps trudged down the stairs, and soon after, two boys emerged from the living room. Stocky young men in their senior year, one was Vanessa and Waldon’s son, Brandon, and the other was his best friend, Trent Thornton.

“Hey, Mom! Dad…,” Brandon, with short black hair and brown eyes, greeted, with a little less enthusiasm in the latter’s case. “Is dinner almost ready? I was just walking Trent to the door.”

“Oh, you won’t be staying for dinner, Trent?” Vanessa inquired with a smile, missing how her husband rolled his eyes behind the paper.

“I’d love to, Mrs. Austen,” Trent, a dark-skinned guy with very short black hair, grinned widely, subtly checking out her slender, fit body, more out of reflex than genuine interest in his best friend’s mom. She was smoking hot, but yeah, kinda like a second mother to him. “But I gotta get home. You know how dinner time is sacred for my folks.”

“I know,” Vanessa nodded while drying her hands. “Send hugs for Kensley, Irwin, and Timber, okay?”

“Will do, no worries,” Trent chuckled while Brandon pulled him over to the front door, not before he waved at his friends’ parents. “Alright, bye, Mrs. Austen! Mr. Cole!”

“Dude, quit flirting with my mom and go,” Brandon whispered in an amused tone as he opened the door to his friend. He knew it was harmless, so it was mostly funny to him. The two boys had grown up together and bonded over their love for football. Now, both were in the school’s team, with Brandon as the quarterback who threw balls to his wide receiver, none other than Trent. Their connection was quickly becoming legendary amidst their peers.

It was definitely already dark outside, but fortunately, Trent lived nearby, just a couple blocks up the street that finished at the cul-de-sac.

“I will, but just ‘cause you don’t wanna take us to that room full of hotties up there,” Trent snickered and pointed up to a window on the upper floor.

Brandon rolled his eyes. “You know that one of those hotties you’re talking about is my sister, don’t you?”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right,” a confused look crossed over the black boy’s face as he contemplated that fact. “Anyways, I better skedaddle before Mom pings my phone. See you tomorrow, man!”

“See you,” Brandon nodded and gave a quick glance toward the calm driveways in front of his neighbors’ houses before he went back inside and closed the door. He was about to step into the kitchen when…

“Oh, Bran, sweetie, can you please check if Maddie’s friends will stay for dinner?” Vanessa requested of her son. “Be quick, though, it’s almost ready.”

“Sure, Mom. Be right back,” Brandon smiled back and retreated back upstairs, his heart beating madly as he thought about who was in that room.

---

“So, you’re gonna keep saying nothing happened?” A stunning, tall girl with long dark-brown hair and hazel eyes interrogated her best friend, a grin on her face. The four girls were huddled close together on her bed in her room at that moment. Well, three of them, that is; the fourth one was lying against the wall next to her friends, not that much interested in the subject of the conversation.

Lisa Rivera smirked, she was loving being the center of attention. “I’ve just gone to a party, you all, there’s nothing more to it,” she claimed, but the look on her face told her friends she was hiding something.

“Give up, Maddie,” an adorable, kinda curvy blonde with green eyes giggled. “I’ve tried to get it out of her all day and she didn’t say anything.”

Madison Cole briefly cocked her head at Collette Kimble and turned back to Lisa. “I know you’re Riverbank, Lis, you’re not fooling us,” she leaned toward her childhood friend, making the black jeans stretch over her toned ass. “So, you gonna tell us what happened between you and Logan Ravers or not? We’re your best friends, dammit!”

“Can you guys stop?” The slender, freckled redhead with blue eyes finally had enough. “I’m not interested in hearing all about Lisa’s sexcapades.”

“Sexcapades? Really, Penny?” Madison chuckled at their other friend, Penelope Tisdale, who seemed to be quite uncomfortable.

“I don’t think even my Grandma uses that word anymore,” Collette commented with a smile of her own.

“Well… I can’t think of any other one for what Lisa supposedly did,” Penny retorted.

“Why are you all assuming I had… sexcapades?” Lisa inquired, letting out a soft chuckle. They were all virgins, but she was the only one who had gone beyond kissing with boys before. They all shared every single one of their stories with each other, after all. She knew that Collette had had a boyfriend but never did anything sexual, Madison had snagged a make-out session or two with boys before when her father or brother weren’t looking, and that Penny hadn’t even kissed anyone so far.

“You really want us to answer that?” Madison smirked, falling back against her pillow. Her bare feet lightly brushing against Lisa’s and Collette’s.

“Lis, you’re the only one of us who has ever done anything,” Collette said, the meaning behind ‘anything’ clear amidst the four girls. “Plus, everyone knows about Logan Ravers’ reputation.”

Madison quickly nodded, snapping her fingers. “Yes, put you two together and I can guess what went on,” she crossed her arms. She and her brother were friends with Logan, so she felt a bit bad about agreeing that he had a reputation, even though it was kind of true.

Lisa let out an amused sigh as she glanced back and forth between her best friend and the blonde girl. “Fiiiine, we danced and kissed some, happy?”

Collette kicked her feet madly, letting out an adorable, happy squeal. “I knew it! I knew it!” She gushed. “How was it?!”

Penelope rolled her eyes as Madison laughed. “See? That wasn’t so difficult.” The brunette winked.

“And I may have sucked his dick while he licked me,” Lisa admitted in a lower volume, but the proud tone in her voice betrayed the fact that she wasn’t even a little bit ashamed of it.

The sound of a pin dropping could probably have been heard in the room for the next few moments as the other three girls grew serious. Penny’s eyes widened while Madison and Collette stared at their Latina friend with mouths agape. “Holy shit…,” Maddie whispered in awe.

“Now see what you guys did?” Penny accused.

“H-how was it?” Collette squeaked.

“Hold on, I’m not sure we…,” Madison started but was interrupted.

“It was so freaking hot,” Lisa admitted. “And he’s fucking huge!”

Maddie shifted her legs, Collette’s fingers tightened around the bed covers, and Penny tapped her right foot in discomfort. One thing was certain, though, the air had become a little bit hotter in Madison’s room.

“He definitely knows what he’s doing too,” Lisa continued, unaware of the shift. “I never came so fucking hard in my life.”

Collette let out a frustrated squeak as Madison grew silent with the bombarding thoughts in her mind, and Penny was actually the one to break the silence. “D-does it really feel that good?”

Madison and Collette snapped their heads toward the redhead, and the former was the one who inquired. “Girl, you can’t tell me you never made yourself cum before.”

Penelope just stared at her friends like they had just said a very dumb thing. “Duh, of course I did. I mean when another person does it to you, dummies.”

“Oooohhh, it’s so much better!” Lisa laughed. “You all gotta try it soon!”

As the images crossed each girl’s head, Madison cleared her throat and decided to change the subject, as she didn’t want to think about either Lisa or Logan in a sexual light. “So, Collette, are the dancers cooking up something for Homecoming?” She inquired, a bit abruptly. “I swear Heather is running us ragged in cheer practice. I never thought it’d be that exhausting.”

“Uhn…, yeah, Donna’s working us pretty hard too,” the blonde quietly admitted, a bit stunned by the quick change of subject, something that Penny was thankful for.

Madison and Lisa were childhood friends, being neighbors for their entire lives. She then got closer to Collette and Penny in elementary school, the three girls being quite into acting, and they had been together in drama clubs ever since then. The friendship hadn’t been shaken even when Madison got into cheerleading instead of joining Collette in dancing, the two teams’ unspoken rivalry never being a problem for them.

At that moment, a solid knock on the door made the four girls jump, and they all turned to it, startled. As if one of their parents had just heard them being naughty.

”Hey, Maddie! Dinner’s ready!” Came her twin brother’s voice from the other side.

“Coming!” She answered before facing her friends. “Any of you staying?”

“Ugh, no,” Lisa replied, letting out a sigh. “Dad was kinda mad at me for coming home late last night, so I don’t wanna irritate him even more.”

“I gotta be home too,” Collette added. “And I’m Penny’s ride.”

“Yeah, let’s go home before you all come up with more embarrassing stories,” Penelope agreed, causing her friends to laugh and hug each other.

Once they opened the door, Brandon was still there and his eyes lit up at the smashing sight of Collette Kimble. “Hey, Collette,” he greeted the lovely blonde, a look of deep admiration on his face.

“Oh, hi, Bran!” The bubbly dancer grinned at him. “How are you?”

“Pretty… fantastic,” the football player admitted while his sister rolled her eyes at the back of the group. “You’re not staying for dinner?”

“Oh, no, I gotta drive Penny home,” she admitted.

“Uhn, I can walk, you know?” The ginger supplied before she felt a light kick on the back of her leg. “Ouch!”

“She can’t, she hit her leg earlier in drama club,” Madison smiled. “Limping a bit, you know?”

Lisa laughed at the entire conversation. “C’mon, girls, let’s go home,” she said, and Madison walked them to the door as Brandon remained at the top of the stairs, watching Collette’s toned legs moving under the skirt she was wearing.

“She’s so freaking beautiful,” the young man whispered wistfully.

---

Meanwhile, at Millie’s, a coffee and pastries shop near the industrial area of Sunset Haven, a group of girls congregated around a table, just chatting and having fun while sipping coffees, teas, or sodas, depending on who you asked. Some of them were also eating chocolate cake, one of the reasons they were there.

“And there goes my dinner,” Paris said before grabbing a bite of the delicious cake. “Dad will be so mad when I get home.”

Scarlett chuckled. “Yeah, Bonnie’s parents do a mean job in the kitchen.”

The place kept an old style decoration in wood and bronze that screamed ‘cozy’, so the girls loved to be there as an alternative to the usual teen hangout spot, Alfred’s, in the center of town. Bonnie Schmidt was working behind the counter that evening, so she didn’t join them.

“You gonna eat that, Grace?” Alice inquired, pointing at the plate with a slice near the blonde, who was busily typing away at a laptop.

“Touch it at your own peril,” Grace droned in a warning tone, never taking her eyes off the screen as her fingers flew all over the keyboard.

“Jeez, can’t you stop with that even for a few minutes while we’re hanging out?” Scarlett asked, a soft frown forming on her face.

“I need to finish coding this by tomorrow,” Grace supplied. “Go talk about boys or something while I’m unavailable.”

Scarlett sighed, but conceded, they all knew how their friend was and didn’t love her any less for it. “She makes a good point,” the singer said before grinning. “I don’t know about you guys, but I had a great time at your party last night, Par.”

“Yeah, I saw you hanging around Kurt,” the Ravers girl chuckled. She and Alice exchanged an amused look, recalling the friendly kiss they shared. “I definitely don’t need details, though.”

“You’re no fun,” the blonde with oceanic-colored eyes briefly stuck out her tongue. “So, how are we with Homecoming dates?”

“I’m not worried by it,” Alice claimed, her pale fingers curling around her cup of tea. “I just broke up with Jake, so I’ll probably just go with you girls. The ones who don’t have a date, at least.”

Paris groaned, letting her head drop toward the table. “Every year, it gets harder and harder to find a girl willing to put herself out there,” she said. “We might as well just go together.”

“What’s with the loser attitude?” Scarlett demanded, taking a sip of her coffee. “I’ll definitely find a date, so you bitches have to get one too. It’s our last year of school and I don’t wanna hear this ‘let’s just go together’ bullshit.”

Alice chuckled at it. Leave it to Scarlett to get their spirits lifted. “Does that include Grace?” She asked, nodding in their busy friend’s direction, who had just taken a bite of cake without averting her gaze from her laptop.

“Especially Grace,” Scarlett laughed.

It was then that Paris got a mischievous smirk on her face, her gray eyes twinkling. “You might just get your wish,” she said. “Gracie here was acting quite smitten with the new guy today during soccer practice.”

“What? Bishop?” Scarlett asked, excitement taking over as Alice raised a shocked eyebrow. “No freaking way!”

Grace’s fingers froze and she glared at Paris. “I was not smitten! He was the one who came to me saying I was prepping the camera wrong, so I merely asked how to do it properly, that’s all!”

“Sure, and then you chatted for a while with him,” Paris teased. “No need to be ashamed, Grace. He’s kinda cute, I’d probably be into him too if I liked guys.”

“About the camera!” The blonde with emerald-colored eyes retorted, fingers tightening around her soda. At that point, Scarlett and Alice just watched it happening like a ping-pong match, the former on the verge of ordering some popcorn to go with it.

“You shouldn’t have shooed him away like you did, though,” Paris cocked her head. “People might think you’re rude or something.”

Grace sighed. “Because he and McRose couldn’t stop yapping about your wretched cousin!”

Scarlett laughed, throwing her head back. “That’s rich, our Gracie split between two hunky guys. Who’s gonna win her heart?” She declared dramatically. “Or is she bound to become a serial heartbreaker?”

While Grace gritted her teeth, Bonnie came over, twin blonde braids shaking over her shoulders. “So, what did I miss?”

“Oh, just our deep dive into Grace’s complicated and agitated love life,” Alice supplied, barely suppressing a grin.

“Aww, nothing new, then,” Bonnie droned, causing everyone but Grace to burst out laughing as she sat down.