First Arrivals

As the car slowly crept up the driveway towards a spot near the front door, Sean marveled at the beauty of the lake cabin. The two-story building had a stone wall foundation for the first few feet, but everything above seemed constructed out of massive wooden logs.

"You think this is the right place?" asked Owen.

"Shit, this place must have cost a fortune...so, yeah, this is totally Whitney's place," Austin replied.

The four young men braced themselves for the cold air as they exited the car. Sean looked over to the left of the majestic log cabin to take in the detached four-car garage. The garage mimicked the main house in style and construction. There appeared to be either a partial second-story or a large attic above the spots for the vehicles. Wow, I bet most people would be thrilled to have a cabin up here just the size of that garage, Sean thought as he shook his head.

"Well, well, well, I guess I won that bet I made with myself. Of course, you boys would be first to show up, what with my speed demon guy driving," a new voice said loudly from the front porch. The young woman, who had spoken, then quickly descended the handful of stairs and flung herself into the arms of her college beau. "Hi, honey! You miss me?"

Even in a more conservative winter outfit, Whitney Diamond was a sight to behold. The eighteen-year-old had long, straight blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and a flawless face. The thick, bulky sweater she had on did little to hide the two large mounds on her chest, and while her jeans were pretty tame by her standards, they still made it obvious she had an incredible, toned ass. If looks were all Whitney possessed, she would still be the teenager that men and women desired. Yet, Whitney was so much more. She was one of the more intelligent teens at Honey Hollow High and gifted with an almost magnetic aura. Despite coming across as an arrogant bitch at times, she had a level of natural charisma that most politicians would envy. Even a short minute or two conversation--when she was in the mood for one--would leave the other person feeling that, at that moment, they were the most important person in the world to her.

"Hey, Austin," she said while giving her best friend's boyfriend a very short half-hug before turning and walking over near Newt.

Whitney gave the quiet teen a slow wave of her hand, showing shockingly that she was aware of his girl-shyness. "So, Denton, you ready for some adventures this week?" Having only ever talked to her for school-related reasons, he stuttered for a brief moment, causing Whitney to answer her own question. "Oh, don't worry, you will. Maybe I'll even make that my holiday project up here."

After moving over to the final teenage boy, she gave Sean a nice long hug. "Welcome back to Diamond Cabin, Sean."

"Back? This place seems different. Is it bigger? Did your dad remodel it or something?" Sean joked with a chuckle, as he wondered why she had given him such an affectionate hug.

"Big enough now that us kids won't all be stuck in sleeping bags on the rec room floor like last time. That might have worked then, but I'm getting into old age now, and I don't think my back could take it," said a grinning Whitney. "Unless you were looking to move your sleeping bag next to mine this time."

Sean struggled to respond to her seemingly suggestive comment. At best, he would call himself a school friend of Whitney's only because they might chat in class about an assignment or the news of the day. They didn't socialize outside of class at all and never like this. Sean would bet money that Whitney only knew his existence because of the last trip to the cabin five years prior.

Maybe she's just being overly friendly because she wants to be a gracious host, speculated Sean. He had just decided on a snappy comeback comment when the entire group's attention turned toward the sound of snow crunching under the tires of a vehicle entering the driveway. Well, everyone's attention except Owen, who was now looking thoughtfully at Sean.