Coffee Klatch

Thursday, December 27th

Newt woke up, rolling over to check the time on his phone. Seeing it was just after 9 am, he grimaced at the thought of a long day on little sleep. Sitting up, he noticed Jared already moving around, but Austin and Owen still slept.

"Sorry, I tried to be quiet," Jared softly apologized upon seeing Newt stirring.

"It's okay. I probably should be up too." Newt shrugged, climbing down carefully out of the top bunk as not to wake Sean. However, he needn't be as his best friend's bunk sat empty. "Sean's already up?"

"Guess so; the bathroom was empty. Maybe he's at the cabin having breakfast. Why, is there a problem?"

"No, I just thought he would still be tired. I heard him having a bad dream last night," the smaller teen informed him while gathering clothes to change into.

After Newt stopped off in the bathroom, they headed out into the cold and over to the cabin. Entering the sunroom, they found Sean chatting with Clive Stratton, near the woodstove, a fire crackling inside.

"Ah, perfect timing, guys. Time for me to take a shower and see what's on tap for the day," Mr. Stratton announced, getting to his feet. "I hope you enjoy those, Sean."

Once the older man exited the room, Jared inquired about his comment.

"Just a couple novels he thought I might enjoy," Sean explained, showing the others two novels, The Compulsive Lying Client and **** at Lusty Lake.

"Anything good?" asked the football player without much interest.

"The first one is a legal thriller. A Perry Mason type of story. The second one is about a group of teens, vacationing at a lake cabin, who have to solve a ****. Mr. Stratton said it's rather racy. I'm not supposed to tell Mrs. Stratton, as she'll tease him non-stop about it."

"Ooh, racy? Maybe you'll have to let me borrow that first. What? I'm serious," Jared stated, seeing the surprised looks. "I might not read much, but I think we're going to have a lot of time to kill up here, and if there's a lot of sex in it, then why not."

"I guess if you want to," Sean shrugged as they headed inside to the kitchen.

"Well, it looks like sleepyhead is up," laughed Gabriela Lockett to her husband. "And early for once too."

"Aw, cut it out. I get up early all time to work out," the younger Lockett replied. "Making breakfast?"

"Sure thing, honey. We decided to split up who makes the meals this week. Your father and I volunteered to handle it this morning. We have pancakes, eggs, and bacon. So pick your poison."

Sean looked around and noticed that all the adults were awake. Most of them sat on the couches in the main room talking, waiting for their turn to shower and get ready for the day. The girls seemed to be sleeping in.

"I think I'm going to run and take a quick shower before the next wave of hungry teens shows up," Jeff Lockett informed his wife.

"Good idea. Jared, I'm going to hurry and grab something from my room too. If anyone else wanders in, let them know more food will be ready soon," Gabby told her son, relieving Sean. He felt quite guilty and confused over his dream last night, so it might be best if he could avoid her for now.

With some temporary privacy, Jared turned to Sean, "So what happened with that girl you were dating? Man, she was a hot one."

"Beyza broke up with me. She said I seemed more interested in another girl," he admitted.

"Was she right?"

"Uh, not really. I just didn't handle our relationship right, I guess," Sean lied to his old friend, hoping Newt didn't give the lie away. No need to add a fourth person to the knowledge of his crush. Jared was confident around girls, he believed in taking a chance, and if it didn't work out, then no big deal, you just move on to the next one. If he found out, he could mess up Sean's chances by pressing him hard to make a move before the timing was right. "What about you? Anyone finally lock you down for more than a month?"

"Aw, you know me. Just having fun for my senior year. What's the point getting involved when you're almost certainly splitting up for college." Jared saw Sean's sad shake of his head. "Not everyone is a romantic like you."

"I know, I know. I should probably try and have more fun too. I just hope you aren't breaking a bunch of hearts up there at Rattle Ridge," he added, sincerely hoping his friend hadn't turned into one of those guys that treated women like disposable toys.

"With my charm, you know it," the dark-haired teen joked until he realized what the other teen meant. "Hey, I'm not like that. I'm completely upfront with every girl. I tell them I'm not interested in anything long-term, no matter what. Some are cool with that; others aren't. If they aren't, that's fine; I'm not going to chase them down or trick them."

"Good to hear. I just didn't want you turning into an asshole," Sean admitted.

"Seanie boy, if I were like that, then this handsome face would be battered and bruised. Bethany would be the first to kick my ass since I can never keep a secret from her," he said, referring to his close friend, Bethany Bickley. "Cooper, her brother, often thinks with his dick first, and I've seen her slap the shit out him over it. That girl is a gossip queen; she knows all. My sister would probably sucker punch me next, and then my mom...I don't wanna imagine what she would do to me," he shuddered at the thought of a furious and disappointed Gabriela Lockett.

With Newt joining him in laughter, Sean's mind quickly pictured the hot mom in a skimpy, leather dominatrix outfit, holding a whip. Stop it! Her son is sitting right next to you. What's wrong with you?

"What about you, Newt? Secretly having some torrid affair with the prom queen?" Jared teased.

"Wh-Whitney...was prom queen last spring!" Newt stammered out in shock at the suggestion.

"Whoa! Good for you, buddy. I didn't think you had it in you." Jared peered around the cabin before whispering conspiratorially to him. "Probably shouldn't let Owen know. He looks like he can take you in a fight."

"Actually, Newt did go out on some dates with a girl a few months back," Sean informed the other teen, knowing the squirming Newt likely wouldn't want to talk about it.

"Really? Good for you. No, I'm serious. You need to get out and experience life away from that," the athletic teen said, gesturing to his tablet. "So? What's she like? What happened? C'mon, spill some details."

"She's nice...Paige...her name...didn't work," he mumbled, embarrassed. Jared looked over at Sean, spreading his hands out, asking for more.

"Paige Noble. Brunette, fairly tiny but really cute. Friendly, too, not like this one here. She's a nerd, who can be pretty intense when it comes to school and her grades," Sean rattled off. He had had high hopes for Paige and Newt and still didn't quite know what happened. Sean guessed that maybe Paige moved a little fast for Newt, not that he could imagine the school-obsessed girl getting wild, and he freaked out. Newt did go into one of his hermit periods around then, which is what he does when he gets overwhelmed.

"Sounds like exactly what you need, Newt. You still like her? If so, how about we come up with some plan for you this trip. I've had several girlfriends before I swore off relationships," he offered. Jared's offer confirmed Sean's opinion that the teen didn't need to know about his Ramsey crush. Meanwhile, Newt was not happy at his lack of a romantic life being openly discussed and prayed for any interruption.

"Ooh, you boys talking about girls?" Newt's prayers were momentarily answered by a returning Gabriela Lockett, much to Sean's sudden displeasure. "Is this about finding Sean a girlfriend?"

"Sean? No, Mom, we're talking about Newt," her son explained, surprising her slightly.

"Oh, really! You have anyone special in mind, sweetie?" Mrs. Lockett asked, getting a quick recap of the situation from her son. However, unlike her son and Sean, she could see how terrified Newt felt having this conversation. She put her hand on his shoulder gently as she soothingly said, "It's okay, Newt. I know girls can be mysterious and confusing for a guy your age. Just keep in mind for most girls your age, it's the same. This girl might be just as scared as you are." Sean gave a soft laugh at the thought of any girl being as scared as Newt. Gabriela's sharp glare shut him up immediately. "Rachel, do you know this Paige?" she asked her friend, surprising the three teens who hadn't noticed her standing in the entry to the kitchen.

"Paige Noble? Sure, she and Lacey have gone to school together since kindergarten. She's a doll. Can be a little hyper," Mrs. Stratton added, before chuckling. "Back in the fourth grade, the girls' teacher was out with a serious illness, so they had a long-term substitute. I remember an issue arose because Paige practically took over teaching the class, as she felt the sub's teaching skills were inadequate. The PTA meeting over it was hilarious, and I'm saying this as a former teacher."

"Smart with a take-charge attitude sounds like a good match for you. However, I don't think you want to be taking any advice from my son--don't give me that look," she said to her Jared. "If Lacey knows this Paige well, maybe she could be of some help," she wondered, looking over at Lacey's mother.

"That's a great idea. Lacey loves to play matchmaker, and I promise you she'll keep anything you tell her private. I'll remind her of that too," Rachel said with a smile, feeling sympathy for the uncomfortable boy.

"Now that's just an idea, Newt. Nobody is going to pressure you to do anything you aren't comfortable with. In fact, nobody here is going to bring it up again unless you want them to. So just think about Rachel's offer and if you like it, then come to her or me, and we'll talk to Lacey," Gabby assured him, gently squeezing his shoulder. Her attention now swung over to Sean, who had disappointed her by laughing at his friend's discomfort. "Now Sean's situation, I think, will require a more hands-on approach from us, don't you agree, Rach?" After nearly a lifetime of being friends, the two women could communicate with each other with just looks and gestures, and Gabby conveyed to Rachel with this unspoken language that it was time to have some fun with Bridget's son.

"I do, Gabs. Very much. I've been giving some thought over potential prospects for Sean."

"Oh, you have? Are there any frontrunners for the position of girlfriend?" Gabriela added as if the two women talked about a competition.

"Now that's the issue. I don't quite know what qualities Sean wants in a girlfriend. Does he want a sweet, innocent type? Demure or bossy? Smart or ditzy? Maybe a little wild, if not slutty?" Rachel Stratton thought aloud with a smirk, causing Sean to marvel at how much she reminded him of her eldest daughter, Lana.

"Of course, Rachel!" Gabby added with a clap of her hands. "We need to sit down with young Sean and pick his brain over his wants and desires. This probably should be done in private. We're also going to need what physical traits you prefer. Blonde, brunette, or redhead? Tall, short, or more in the Goldilocks zone? You a breast or ass man? The bigger the better, or does firmness override size? Wow, we have a lot of material to cover. This might take quite a long time."

Sean was beyond uncomfortable at this point. The banter in itself would be enough, yet he also dealt with more of those erotic images flashing in his mind. Talk about breasts, asses, and the two women spending a lot of time with him also brought up scenes from his wet dream. Preoccupied, he didn't notice Newt taking advantage of Sean's time in the spotlight to excuse himself to go to the bathroom quietly, never returning.

"Honestly, I don't know if we can handle all this work by ourselves. Maybe we should bring in Lace once we get a detailed list of Sean's wants and needs. She would know better than us what prospects would match the criteria," suggested Rachel, nearly breaking character and cracking a grin.

"Excellent idea again! You're on fire this morning," complimented her best friend. "However, I think we should double our chances by bringing in Whitney too. Ramsey, of course, can't find out about any of this. I still think she's the top contender on the sweet, innocent side of the bracket. Not to mention Sean seemed interested when her name came up yesterday."

Up to this point, Jared had been sitting on his stool as if he was a spectator at a tennis match watching the ball speed back and forth, but now at the mention of Ramsey, he looked over at Sean. Seeing the deep blush on his friend's face, he pondered, Wow, I've never seen Sean ever look that red, well unless it was sunburn. Maybe there's something to Mom's comment about Ramsey. Still, I don't know what Sean did to piss off Mom and Mrs. Stratton, but this is getting brutal.

"Absolutely. Plus, if Ramsey does come in high on the rankings, we'll be here to help him along this week. Even failure can be considered a learning experience to help us the next time," the older redhead piled on, but with a motion to her friend that it might be time to wrap up the teasing.

Sean could now be officially classified as mortified. Having Ramsey's name and her potential debated openly and out loud was a living nightmare. He would love to flee from this merciless teasing, but the raging hard-on he had kept him in place. At least it can't get any worse.

"Hmm, maybe we need another perspective to make sure we get it right? I'm thinking we should bring Bridget into this when she arrives," Gabby said, proving to Sean that it could get worse. "A mother usually knows her son better than anyone else. I, for one, know that my son prefers big boobs more than anything else in a girl."

"Jesus, mom!" her son exclaimed. "I think this has gone far enough."

"Oh, do you want us to help you next, honey?"

"No!" Jared practically shouted loud enough for the whole cabin to hear. "I'm just thinking Juliana would be pretty pissed to find out you're helping set up Sean with a different girl. Do you want to put up with a jealous tantrum when we get home?"

"Jules and I have an understanding when it comes to Sean. She can look, she can flirt, she can fantasize, but she can't jump until she turns eighteen," his mother explained. "Oh! That reminds me, I need to make sure I get Sean in as many of the pictures as I can. Your sister is going to want them for when she's up late at night."

"Are you fucking serious, Mom?" Jared screamed. Rachel finally broke down and started laughing uncontrollably. Sean just gulped and put his head down on the kitchen island.