Hometown Happenings: Breaking News

BEEP

Evan Naylor heard his phone beep for the fourth time. With a game looming next week with a division rival, Guzzle Crossing, the Honey Hollow High basketball team currently held an unofficial practice. Now with a practice break, Evan picked up his phone and finally saw the Nosy Nectar story that his girlfriend, Daisy, sent over.

"Whoa!" the black-haired teen sounded as he hastily read the gossip blast. Snapping his fingers, Evan realized that he didn't need to alert Jayden Cooke or Louie McCall about the news. His two teammates looked up from their phones in shock.

"What's happening?" Dennis Conway questioned between gulps of Gatorade.

"Whitney did have an accident on Wasp Lake," Evan passed along.

"Told ya! The Stinging Truth is always right," Denny gloated, showing little thought over his classmate's condition. "You guys owe me twenty bucks each!"

"No one bet you," Tyler Blick, the new quiet kid, pointed out.

Jayden shook his head at Denny's reaction while he read a message from his cousin, Delilah.

"They're about as correct as you usually are, Denny," Evan scoffed.

"Yeah, that means they probably got around seventy-five percent of the story wrong," one of the juniors speculated. His friends chuckled as Denny glared at them.

"Nobody asked what you bitches thought!"

"Shit, seventy-five percent wrong might be too low," Evan suggested, scanning the short gossip update. "Nosy Nectar says that Whitney didn't walk onto the ice; she fell off a cliff in an accident."

"A cliff? Is she okay?" asked another of the younger players.

"Sounds like she will be. And your Stinging Truth crap was wrong about another thing, Den," his friend Louie read. "Whitney wasn't drunk. She had just finished ice skating."

"Pssh, I bet her dad is already behind a cover-up," the conspiracy theorist on the team speculated.

"And it wasn't a ranger that found her. Nope, it was my boy, Sean, that rescued her from the icy lake," Jayden announced proudly.

"Sean? Wait, as in Sean Tarver?" someone questioned in surprise.

"Yeah, my friend that Coach Grimm treated like crap when he twice tried out for this team," Jayden reminded everyone. "We all know he deserved a spot."

"Whatever. I bet all Tarver did was just hold out a branch," Denny responded dismissively. "The real story is of this so-called accident. I don't believe that one bit. I bet the secret society was behind it."

Groans filled the gymnasium.

"Seriously, Conway? I swear your brain is rotting right before our eyes."

"Yeah, you keep on thinking that, Timmy. You'll see the light once you get older," Denny told his one-year younger teammate. "Whitney Diamond posted those pictures with Skye Willows the other day. That proved another link."

"What link?"

"Doesn't anyone think it's suspicious that Honey Hollow is filled with hot women? There's way too many!" Denny insisted.

"It's the honey! Everyone knows that," another junior proclaimed jokingly. The mention of the urban legend about the town's honey producing beautiful, busty women brought a round of groaning laughter.

"You guys need to wake up and see what's around you. Whitney crossed The Secret Society of Hot Girls when she posted those pictures. They can't risk their existence coming out, so they tried to snuff her out. Lana Stratton is probably the one that pushed her. Watch Skye suffer a different fake accident. It's all there if you just open your--"

An orange object flying through the air stopped Denny's rambling rant as it slammed into his face. The basketball bounced away as the whole team stared in shock and a little envy at who threw the ball.

"Oww!" the high school conspiracy theorist cried, clutching his nose. "I'm going to kill...who threw that?"

"I did," a deep voice responded.

"Oh, hey, Dix..." Denny trailed off as he looked at the imposing figure of the team's center.

Dixon Solis crossed the remaining distance until he towered over the still crouching Denny. Blood began to seep through his fingers.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Conway? It's plain as day that Whitney might have died. Instead of worrying about her like a normal person would, you stand there and spout bullshit. You ain't right in the head," Dixon finished with a shake of his head.

"I-I think my nose is broken," Denny moaned from behind his hands.

"You always say that," Jayden reminded.

---

"You broke it!"

"So fucking what!"

Fighting back a shiver, Veronica Klass knew better than to look at her friend when her anger exploded in these moments. So instead, the black-haired girl ran a hand through her hair as she studied the damage. A small deep dent--almost a hole-- showed the spot where Olena Olesky whipped her phone against her own bedroom wall. The same smartphone that lay on the floor in several broken pieces.

Afraid to ask what caused Olena to explode, Veronica quickly thought back to what just occurred. The white-haired girl had checked her phone when it pinged. Veronica had watched as Olena's face turned bright red. A "That fucking bitch!" came screaming from her friend's mouth as she hurled the phone across the room.

After counting to twenty, Veronica risked a side look over at Olena. She noticed her friend struggling to slow down her breathing. A control freak, it was evident to Veronica that one of Olena's plans had just shattered like her phone.

"Um, what's wrong?" Veronica risked asking.

"Check Nosy Nectar," the other girl hissed, storming into her connected bathroom.

After the door slammed shut, Veronica pulled her phone out of her pocket. Reading the latest gossip bit, the teen's eyes lit up. Whitney Diamond almost died?! Wow! Wait...how isn't this a good thing? Veronica asked herself. Olena and Whitney hated each other, although the hatred ran far deeper and stronger from Olena's side. Veronica had witnessed and participated in numerous plans over the years to embarrass, humiliate, and screw over Whitney. Nearly all had failed. The few that succeeded had done little to quench Olena's thirst for ruining the cheerleader captain's social status or life.

Veronica repeated her inner question out loud when her friend returned from the bathroom. Any semblance of composure vanished as Olena erupted over the question.

"You fucking serious, Ronnie? How is Whitney Diamond almost dying a good thing?"

"Well, she's hurt...and she'll probably be laid up for a while," Veronica meekly answered.

"Exactly!"

"So..."

"Stop thinking, Ronnie. We both know that's not your strongest ability," Olena lashed out dismissively.

While Veronica saw herself as Olena's closest friend, the Olesky heiress saw Ronnie as more like her henchwoman/sounding board. Every mastermind needed a person around to witness their greatness. Sure, if push came to shove, she might admit to herself that Veronica was her only true friend, but she'd likely never say that out loud. That would show weakness, a trait that Olena learned from her father to never show.

"Um, okay."

"Whitney almost dying ruins my plans. The same plans I've spent two months putting in motion. I was finally ready to crush the spirit out of the bitch!"

"But, your plans rarely work," Veronica unwisely pointed out.

"What?!"

"Nothing," she mumbled.

"You better not have said what I think you said," Olena threatened before carrying on. "Don't you get it, Ronnie? Whitney almost died. She's already blowing up on Nosy Nectar. Fuck, even that obnoxious The Stinging Truth is all about her this morning."

"So you're mad because she's going to be even more popular?"

"No, I'm pissed because Whitney Diamond managed to go from the most envied and resented girl to a sympathetic figure!" Olena raged. "She figured out how to do the one thing that could foil my plans."

"Uh, I don't think she jumped off the cliff on purpose."

"We don't know that! Whitney might not be a master schemer like me, but she's good," the white-haired manipulator admitted. Pacing up and down her bedroom floor, Olena continued to explain. "My plan required people to have grown tired of Whitney's popularity. There are jealous girls out there that resent her hogging the school spotlight. You don't become the school's queen bee, cheerleader captain, prom queen, and homecoming queen without crushing the dreams of others. No one likes a person that doesn't share."

Veronica reluctantly let go of her phone as Olena yanked it out of her hand.

"But this." Olena held up the screen with the story. "This wrecks all that. Those girls that felt that way will now feel guilty. They'll be the first ones to wish Whitney well. The first to run over and hug her. Offer Whitney any help she needs. None of them will make any type of move against the bitch until this all blows over. And that will take months. I'll be lucky to get another plan ready to go by spring break."

"But what about Caterina?"

"Caterina will be the first to rush into Whitney's arms. My plan to strip Whitney of her captaincy was always tenuous. Cat's too wishy-washy. Concern over Whitney now trumps her hatred of the Sugarbees." Shaking her head in anger, Olena continued. "The best I can hope for in regards to the cheer squad is to **** Margo on Whitney as her successor."

"Can't we do the other parts of your plan?"

"Possibly. But I'll need to slow-walk them for now. Sienna seems suspicious lately. I don't need that ice queen joining forces with the new ice pumpkin, now do I?" Olena questioned, more to herself than to Veronica.

"What do we do then?"

"What I need to do is go into damage control mode," Olena stated, searching her room. "Where the hell is my phone?"

"Uh, you broke it," Veronica gestured to the floor.

"Dammit! Then, I guess, the first thing we do is go get myself another phone," Olena declared, already halfway out the door. "Hurry up, Ronnie. A big story such as this will need counterfacts out there and fast."

---

"This might be one of the biggest stories of the school year. That means we need to be on top of it from the start," Daisy Kirby declared.

Standing in the middle of her family's rec room, the dark-blonde-haired school reporter addressed her fellow staff members of The Buzzy Bee. A well-organized young woman, she'd already put together a plan of action for what should be the hottest story when school started back up next week. Two of the three people sitting in the room found that impressive. The other had another thought on his mind.

"When's Ramsey getting here?" Geoffrey Inch inquired. He worked the student government beat for the school paper.

"She's not. Ramsey is at the scene of the accident. She's staying with the Diamonds at their cabin for the week," Daisy explained. "Okay, so what I have--"

"Hold on. Who put you in charge?" Geoff questioned. As a staff member since he started high school, the senior male reporter had felt insulted when Ramsey had been named the new editor of The Buzzy Bee. Bitter and angry, he's spent much of the past few months working to undermine Ramsey's leadership. "If Swift's not here, I should be acting editor."

"No, you're not. I'm acting editor if Ramsey isn't around," Daisy stated, already starting to lose patience with Geoff.

"Says who?!"

"Says the vote we took at the start of the semester. Maybe if you had shown up to the meeting, then you would know that," Daisy nearly snapped but kept her voice calm.

"Vote? Who the hell voted? Did Manske vote? Did he?" Geoff pointed toward the couch and Dexter Kirby. "You're little brother shouldn't get to vote for you! He should've abstained."

"Odette did not vote. She's not an official member of The Buzzy Bee," Daisy reminded him. "Dexter voted because he is a staff member."

"We had a quorum even without you. You didn't get my vote. In case you wondered," Norah Almond revealed, her green eyes twinkling. Mousy and meek on the outside, the sixteen-year-old had already proven herself a driven and stubborn journalist.

"A sophomore shouldn't have been allowed to vote. Neither of them," Geoff complained, pointing at both Norah and Dexter. "They just joined the paper this year!"

"You're four months late for this argument," Norah pointed out, earning a nod from Dexter.

"Screw this! I'm not taking orders from the sports reporter," Geoff scoffed as he stood up. In his mind, the student government beat easily outranked Daisy's sports beat. Nearly out of the room, he stopped at her next words.

"Fine, leave if you want to miss out on such a big story." Daisy only allowed a tight smile to form as Geoff grumbled his way to sitting down again. "Okay, here's what I have planned."

Acting automatically, Norah whipped out her notebook. Dexter saw this and scrambled to find a piece of paper. Seeing that he couldn't find any, the always prepared sophomore did what she usually did and ripped out a piece from her notebook. An embarrassed thanks came back from Dexter.

"First off, we have a reporter on the scene. Every one of us knows that Ramsey has already started to record the scene, along with the reactions from the other witnesses. So we don't need to worry about that area. The story angles that I think deserve coverage are the reactions around school, any medical explanations, and spotlighting Whitney's rescuer. Geoff, you can handle the medical explanations. Write up a description of hypothermia for our classmates--a laymen's description. Once we learn more about the medical fallout, you can provide any short and long-term issues that Whitney and Sean might experience. I have it from a source that Sean has a foot injury but will be released from the hospital today."

"Fine, am I done here? Good!"

Daisy watched as Geoff stomped his way up the stairs and out of the house. Dexter mumbled an insult which earned him a glare from his older sister and a giggle from Norah.

"Alright, back to assignments. Norah, I want you to handle reactions from the student body. Take the sophomore and junior classes. Talk to both those people that viewed Whitney positively and negatively."

"I'm on it. First, I'll check in with the sophomore cheerleaders. After that, the juniors on both the cheer and dance squads. I think the girls will bring diverse opinions. The guys not so much," Norah chuckled.

"I'm going to handle the senior class reactions, plus help Dex out," Daisy noted.

"Wait, did I miss my assignment?" Dexter looked at the two girls in alarm.

"No, you didn't," Daisy sighed. Her brother showed good journalistic instincts but lost focus around or when talking about pretty girls. That's one reason she selected his assignment. "I want you to find out everything you can about Sean Tarver. Provide a biographical sketch of his life. That includes any clubs, sports, or activities that he's involved in. Also, his close friends, any girlfriends, or enemies. I can tell you that he's not close friends with Whitney, so find out why he's at her cabin."

While Daisy knew most of the answers to her questions, she wanted her brother to learn how to dig for information.

"Um, okay...but how?"

"By being a reporter," Norah stated the obvious while palming her face.

"I know that, but I don't any very many senior guys. Wait, does Evan know him?" Dexter inquired hopefully.

"Dex, I picked you for another reason. Sean Tarver lives next to JoJo Gibble. She's also his best friend. See a pattern?" Daisy questioned while Norah smirked.

"Gibble? You want me to talk to JoJo?" Dexter saw his sister shrug but also wave him on to continue. "You want me to talk to Zoey?" he asked, gulping.

"Bingo!" Norah exclaimed, poking the boy sitting next to her in the ribs with her pencil.

"I thought you could kill two birds with one stone," the older sister teased her kid brother.

"Talk to Zoey? Um, yeah, I can do that...I think," Dexter said, unsure of himself. One of the more popular and hottest girls in the sophomore class, Zoey Gibble had been Dexter's crush for years. But, confident in many areas, girls weren't one for the younger Kirby sibling.

"Don't forget to ask for all her contact information, heartbreaker," Norah teased.

---

The naked blonde walked into the bedroom with wet hair and a tiny towel barely around her private parts. Smirking, she watched as the twenty-four-year-old sat against the headboard, agonizing over what he'd done for the last twelve hours. Then, seeking to slam home the rounds of sex they'd performed together, Yelena Mishkova dropped the towel.

A deep, conflicted groan came from Gage Barringer. He didn't know how his winter break from law school ended up this way. He'd cheated and not just with any woman. Gage had cheated with the girl that lived next door to his parents. An eighteen-year-old that he'd known for over a decade.

"What's wrong, Gagey?" Yelena purred, leaning over to dangle her large breasts a few inches from his face.

"Oh, gawd! I have a fiancée!" Gage dry sobbed. "She's going to leave me. If not, kill me."

"Why beat yourself up? She doesn't have to know," Yelena stated, pulling the sheet down to expose his half-hard cock.

"But I cheated! She's going to see it written all over my face," Gage moaned, both from his adultery and from Yelena's fingertips running along his shaft.

"So you cheated. It happens. Embrace it and live life to the fullest," Yelena suggested, showing off her agility by hopping onto his upper thighs.

"Fuck me! I cheated with the little girl next door. Shit! What if your parents find out?" Gage started to panic. Fortunately, his parents were visiting friends for the weekend, so they weren't home to learn of their son's betrayal.

"Shhh, my dad is too busy with work to notice. And if my mom finds out, she might want a piece of you," Yelena teased, sending Gage's eyes even wider.

Unfortunately, with that image now in his head, Gage panicked fully. Managing to extract himself out from under the blonde, he jumped off the bed. Rolling her eyes, Yelena crumpled onto her back. She hated these moments. Sure, seducing taken guys had an allure to it, but there were also drawbacks.

"Oh, fuck. Oh fuck. What am I going to do? This is horrible," Gage said, pacing around his old childhood bedroom.

"Hey, it wasn't horrible. Now horrible for you would've been me not waiting until I was legal to make my move," Yelena pointed out. "Hell, I almost did this the last three winters and summers. At least, you don't have an underage girl fuck hanging over your head."

"I'm going to be sick!" Gage covered his mouth, dashing for the bathroom.

"I just pointed out that I AM legal!" Yelena reminded in exasperation. Hearing her phone buzz, she stretched to grab it off the nightstand. Finding a long list of messages, she clicked the first and chuckled. It seems as if Rosita and Tandy got naughty last night at Delilah's party.

"Whoa!" the blonde seductress exclaimed, sitting up straight. Swiftly, she scanned the Nosy Nectar post about Whitney Diamond. "Shit, that's a winter vacation that sucks."

Scrolling through messages, Yelena found over a dozen messages back and forth from her dance squadmates about Whitney's condition. Delilah appeared to have learned additional tidbits beyond what Nosy Nectar reported.

"Sean Tarver, huh? Well, welcome to stardom, Seanie."

Checking the last message, she saw that it was from Bianca and sent to every Sugarbee.

"We give our sympathies & well wishes. But no letup. Practice in 1 hour!"

Annoyed with Bianca's obsession, Yelena rolled out of bed and began dressing. Finished, she walked toward the bathroom door. Knocking sharply, she yelled through the door.

"Stop wallowing. Once you recall how hot last night was, we can set up another time. Until then, I'm off to my high school dance practice," Yelena stressed the words high school, knowing that Gage would be back for more before she graduated.

---

Marcus Withrow exited the back door and into the cold air. Spotting his goal, he walked over to the far side of the backyard, where a firepit sat surrounded by chairs. Plopping down onto one chair, he waited.

"Hey," Max Moxey greeted, hurriedly wiping tears from his eyes.

"Millie said you've been out here for a while now. It's pretty damn cold," Marcus pointed out.

"I know, I'm a damn fool."

"Didn't say that."

"But everyone thinks it," Max stated, rubbing his forehead.

"No, not everyone. Maybe a few assholes like Oscar."

"Austin thinks it. He just doesn't say it like Oscar."

"Bro, Austin's got it too easy. Mister QB One that lands a sweet cutie like Lacey. He doesn't get what it's like to have a crush on a hot girl," Marcus commented.

"He's lucky. Austin's not the one sitting out here, crying over a girl that's turned him down for years. That's why I'm a fool," Max insisted, wiping his eyes again.

"You're not a fool. Don't ever say that. You got a good heart, Maxy," Marcus declared. "And the heart wants what it wants."

"I wish I could make it stop," Max expressed, cradling his head in his hands. "Move on to another girl, but Whitney..."

"She's hot. I get that. Still, she's fairly bitchy as well," Marcus chuckled. "And don't blame yourself. You've always been cool around her. Never creepy or a stalker. A girl like her knows--and loves--that guys desire her."

"Doesn't that make it worse? I have a thing for a girl that everyone else wants," Max remarked. "And it's not just her looks. She's smart, loyal to her friends, and a leader."

"Whitney is all that, plus a Grade-A bitch." Marcus held his hand up when Max went to protest. "But never to you. Don't think that I haven't noticed. Whitney Diamond has turned down many a guy with a sneer or bitchy comment, but never you. She's always friendly to you."

"I think that's what makes it worse. Maybe if she had been cruel to me, then I could've moved on," Max replied.

"Or she's not ruled you out as a future boyfriend. Now don't get me wrong, by going and getting your hopes up. No asking her to prom this year, okay," Marcus made sure to point out. "Whitney's going through an older guy phase. I get that too. Many girls go through that. You've seen both my sisters do it. But for many girls, it's only a phase."

"So you're saying--"

"I'm saying, don't give up hope. BUT, it's time you have fun too. Find a girl and live your life until we leave for college."

"Are you planning to set me up with one of your girls?" Max asked, unable to keep a straight face.

"Kid, you couldn't handle one of my girls," Marcus stated in all seriousness.

That caused Max to burst out laughing.

"Bro, I wasn't...oh, hell. Listen, when school starts back up, we'll talk to Lacey," Marcus began.

"Uh, I don't know about that."

"What? Lacey is going to be thrilled."

"That's what worries me," Max admitted, shuddering.

"It won't be that bad. She'll--"

"Then how come you never asked--"

"Man, I don't need Lacey's help!" Marcus exclaimed. Lowering his voice, he continued to lay out his idea. "Look, Lacey's got a bunch of cute and hot friends. Maybe she can set you up with a cheerleader. Well, not Yumi or Winkie will have a stroke. But, hey, Kaitlin might be single soon. Roxie could be an option. Or one of those sophomores. A lot of potential in that year."

"I don't know. A cheerleader might be weird."

"Hey! Lacey's got an older sister, so she's got connections. Let's see what Whitney thinks of you once you target her hunting ground. How much you want to bet that if you date a few college girls, then she'll take you seriously?" Marcus questioned, already loving his idea.

"I don't know..."

"Nope, none of that. Not with me and Lacey in charge," Marcus proclaimed, standing up. Walking past Max, he reached down to ruffle his hair in the exact way that Mrs. Moxey did. "Now, c'mon, sonny. Time to get inside before you end up with hypothermia like your girl."

"Real funny," Max responded, but he did follow.

"Yo, you wanna come over later today? We're ordering Luigi's and watching football."

"I have to watch Millie. And don't think that I don't know what you're up to," Max remarked as they reached his back porch. "Your parents' friends are visiting, and your mom is driving you nuts."

"Hell, yeah, she is," Marcus responded, opening the back door.

"Still trying to fix you up with her friend's daughter?"

"That girl is fucking chatterbox. Pretty, but the constant talking kills it."

"Whoa, you better not plan on pawning her off on me," Max warned.

"Nah, I wouldn't do that. I figure that if you show up, it's an extra distraction."

"Merritt's gone for the day, so I have to watch Millie," Max reminded.

"Dude, Millie's why I'm asking. You know that my mom adores her," Marcus stated. Then, raising his voice, he shouted up the stairs. "Hey, Little Moxey, you want pizza this afternoon?"