Driving with Mrs. Tarver, Part 2

The brown-haired girl fidgeted nervously in the passenger seat of the black SUV. As the vehicle pulled out of the pharmacy's parking lot, the driver glanced over in concern at the teenager. She watched as the girl clutched the little bag tightly in her hand.

"It's alright, JoJo. Take a few deep breaths and calm down," Bridget told her next-door neighbor. "Just follow the directions I gave you for the pill."

"Okay," mumbled the frightened teen.

"Remember, this is only a precaution. It's not as if anything bad happened," Bridget sought to reassure her son's best friend. "I'll let your mom know that I scheduled an appointment for you for next week. Let her help you decide on a type of birth control."

"She's going to be disappointed in me," JoJo whispered, sniffling.

"Oh, Jo, you're mother is not going to be disappointed in you. She knew this day would come. Perhaps she won't be thrilled to hear you had unprotected sex multiple times last night and this morning, but you were mature enough to come to me for help."

"I guess," JoJo responded, staring out the side window.

They drove in silence for the next several blocks, with Bridget looking over to check on the distressed teenager several times. She couldn't believe that it had been only three days ago that she sat in her car with JoJo, worrying about the girl's self-confidence. Then, she had hoped that the teen would break out of her shell when it came to her body issues. Now, she worried that JoJo might have moved too fast and that she might have pushed her too far and too fast. Hoping to distract the silent girl from her fears, Bridget began to make small talk.

"Wasn't the service beautiful? I told myself I wouldn't turn into a weeping old woman, but those words about Cassie were so heartfelt."

"They were beautiful," JoJo automatically responded. Despite her wish not to talk, the teen had it ingrained in her to always be polite. "Mrs. Singer was always kind and sweet."

"Yes, she was. I do wish you and Sean could've had more time to get to know her. I know you're scared right now, JoJo, but remember that what you're going through could be much worse." Reaching over, she patted the girl's leg. "It's okay to be worried, but don't make yourself sick over it."

"I guess."

"Hey, look on the bright side, you're not in the hospital like Whitney or dealing with a broken bone like Sean. Your mom will be fine. As I said, she knew this day would be coming," Bridget reminded her again. Then with a chuckle, she added, "Of course, your dad won't want to hear about his little girl becoming a woman. Trust me when I say that's a normal reaction from a father. Even on your wedding day, he won't want to think of you having sex with your new husband."

"Yeah, Dad's going to have kittens over this," JoJo replied, revealing a significant aspect of her worrying.

"I'm confident that your mom will knock some sense into his head," Bridget remarked, causing JoJo to snicker in agreement. Glad to see the reaction from the passenger side of the SUV, the mother shifted topics away from the girl's troubles to her son's health. "Okay, I have all of Sean's new prescriptions. If he's awake, we'll head back to the cabin right away."

"Is he really acting goofy from the pills?" JoJo inquired.

"Yes, he is acting goofy. I wish Harvey hadn't shared that with everyone. He finds it quite humorous, but then he's not the person that has to deal with the fallout. My son getting fresh with nurses I work with is going to make things awkward for some time."

"Fresh?" JoJo giggled at Bridget's word choice.

"Fine, he flirted shamelessly with them," Bridget admitted, throwing her hands in the air for a second.

"That doesn't sound like Sean at all. He's always so private about anything to do with girls. Even admitting a girl is pretty is like pulling teeth with him," JoJo revealed.

"Sometimes, a side effect of that painkiller is not all that dissimilar to being drunk or high. The new pills I picked up shouldn't have that issue," Bridget explained. "I hope."

"I hope not too fast. I'm now very curious to see this version of Sean," JoJo joked with a big grin.

"Just be prepared for him to make inappropriate comments," Bridget warned her before returning to her own concerns. "I know Libby and Eloa don't mind, but they'll find a way to tease me about it. It's some of the other hospital staff that I'm more concerned about. And then there's Sean's dad. Sean said some things last night that his father might not forget so easily."

"Yeah, Sean and his dad already don't see eye to eye too often," JoJo remarked, feeling sorry for her friend.

"I only hope that Sean's been mostly sleeping while we've been away. Mr. Diamond has several trusted employees watching over him, and I wouldn't want to repay that help by having him misbehave."

"Peyton's there now. She's good at keeping things calm," JoJo replied.

"Yes, but Lana's there as well," Bridget responded with a knowing look at the teen.

"Yeah, that could be trouble," the brunette admitted. "Are we almost there?"

"A few more blocks," Bridget answered. Then, the sports utility vehicle fell back into silence. It was now Bridget's turn to fret over what came next while JoJo thought over her actions with Jared.

Making the turn onto the final street, the SUV jerked to the side slightly as Bridget heard JoJo's question.

"Is it wrong that I get hornier when I think the sperm shooting into me might make me pregnant?"

---

"Um, I don't think anyone is coming?" JoJo commented. She and Mrs. Tarver stood outside the side door of Diamond Manor, waiting for someone to let them inside.

The brunette felt nervous again after sitting in the SUV for several minutes as Mrs. Tarver dealt with the teen's revelation. Her best friend's mother alternated back and forth between compassionately understanding the fetish that JoJo seemed to enjoy and sternly pointing out the naiveness and stupidity of risking a teenage pregnancy. JoJo had been surprised but took some comfort in Mrs. Tarver's own tale of having Peyton during her freshman year of college. She'd never heard all the issues that it brought to the life of Sean's mother.

The teenager admitted that she didn't want to give up her scholarship and plans to play soccer in college. Nor did she want to limit her choices in life because raising a child at her age would undoubtedly do that. The most surprising part of the talk turned out to be the older woman's advice about fantasies. Mrs. Tarver offered a suggestion that she found enticing. JoJo could imagine getting pregnant once she got on birth control when Jared or another boy flooded her with his cum. The way she mentioned this substitute seemed to imply that Bridget had engaged in that fantasy before.

"This is odd. Valeria seemed to take pride in fulfilling her duties," Bridget commented, pushing the doorbell again. They both knew it worked as they could hear the chimes from outside.

"Is she the butler?"

"I think she prefers the term majordomo."

"I like word butler more," JoJo remarked, stepping back to admire the mansion again. "This place looks amazing."

"You've never seen it?" Bridget asked, turning to watch the girl's awestruck evaluation.

The teenage girl strained her neck to look at the windows of the higher floors. Bridget speculated that her neighbor currently imagined herself living in a mansion of this size someday. She knew that many residents and visitors to Honey Hollow liked to drive down these several streets to gaze and admire the estates of the wealthiest families.

"I think I've driven past it a few times, but it's hard to see with some of those trees," JoJo recalled, confirming Bridget's previous guess. "And only Mr. Diamond and Whitney live in it?"

"A few employees live here as well, but, yes, it's basically the two of them."

"That sounds lonely," JoJo observed.

"Yes, I thought the very same thing this morning."

"Maybe we should just walk in if they're expecting us anyway," the teen suggested.

"I think at this point we might as well. If Harvey were still here, I would be worried about what we might walk in on with his reputation," Bridget joked but then remembered who stood next to her. "Forget I said that, dear."

"It's okay, Mrs. Tarver. Everyone at school knows Whitney's dad's reputation," JoJo relayed with a broad smile.

"I think a lot more people than your classmates know about his reputation," Bridget grumbled. "I guess we might as well go in."

"At least we won't walk into a fight like last time," JoJo cracked, thinking back to the fistfight between Jared and Austin when they arrived at the cabin.

"I hope not--" Bridget said, pushing the door open, only to hear loud voices.

"Dammit, Valeria! It's only a sweater. Harvey will buy you another one."

Bridget recognized the voice as Frida's, and it seemed to be coming from the back of the manor. Trying to remember the mansion's layout from visits many years prior, she recalled that the area held the kitchen and pantry.

"He better! I loved this sweater!" Valeria's voice seemed to echo from above.

Ah, yes, there's a small back staircase near the kitchen. Bridget also remembered.

"At least let me see if the cleaners can get rid of the stains," Frida responded.

"It's cashmere, Frida!"

"That doesn't mean it won't--"

"I did not sign up for this, Frida. If I wanted to be a babysitter, then I would've taken a job with a family," Valeria shouted. "You know what? I'm getting dressed and going shopping."

Bridget and JoJo turned to look at each other as they could hear stomping on several of the last stairs. The older woman let out a long breath as she considered what her son did to cause this reaction. The teenager nervously bit her lip as she dismissed this as the work of Sean. Nope, it's got to be something that Lana did.

"Uh-oh," JoJo murmured, testing out Bridget's mood.

"Yeah, uh-oh is right," the exasperated mother replied. With a shake of her head, she started down the hall in the direction of the library, the last place she had seen her son. "Come on, let's go find my kids."

Despite the poor mood and the anxiety she felt over what they might find, JoJo still couldn't help but gawk at the manor in astonishment. She peeked inside the several rooms they passed by, stunned by the opulence she saw. Everything either looked like antiques or expensive, and she suspected the stuff she saw was both in many cases. This place must have cost a fortune. I knew Whitney's family was well-off but not this rich. And she lives in a mansion surrounded by it? No wonder she can be a little stuck-up at times.

"Ah, here's the library...hmmm," Bridget said, stopping as she found the room empty. Scanning the library, she noticed several bottles of cleaning supplies on the desk and an end table.

"Is that food splattered all over the couch?" JoJo questioned.

"It appears so. I dread to hear what caused this mess," Bridget admitted, rubbing her hand over her face.

"Maybe we can leave and come back later," JoJo proposed, not knowing what else to say.

"No, I need to deal with this. That's another aspect of motherhood that you don't want to deal with at your age," Bridget pointed out, causing JoJo to rub a hand over her belly in concern. "Let's go see if we can find them. If not, we'll go back to where we heard Frida's voice."

"Uh, who's Frida?" JoJo asked.

"Oh, she's the Diamonds' chef. Her grandmother worked for Harvey's grandparents, so she grew up with Harvey and Graham. She's more like a friend than an employee," Bridget described Frida's role in the Diamond family.

Continuing down the hall in the direction that they'd been heading, it didn't take them long to hear a low voice. Bridget leaned forward to discern where it came from while JoJo pointed toward a room up ahead.

"--can't you be quiet for more than a minute?"

"I'm just saying that when he wakes up, we should have him rate your asses. Aren't you curious about your ranking?"

"No, I am not!"

Reaching the doorway of the room that Bridget thought was the study, she and JoJo peered inside. Peyton sat on a chair near the door. Her folded arms and grimace spoke volumes about her mood to her mother and JoJo. They had witnessed similar body language whenever she was in an especially foul mood.

"You should be! I know I'll win the best boobs category in his mind," Lana cackled in laughter. The busty redhead sat sprawled out in an armchair, sporting one of her mischievous faces. Both Bridget and JoJo knew without a doubt that the ginger had been having a good time at the expense of Sean's side effect.

"Shhh! He's sleeping," a third voice from the back of the room spoke up. JoJo felt a moment of surprise as she recognized Chastity. The teen last recalled the blonde staying at the cabin. So she didn't know when she missed the Diamond Corp employee leaving.

Both Bridget and JoJo did double-takes at the couch. Chastity sat upright on one end while Sean laid length-wise with his head on her lap. The light snoring confirmed the bubbly blonde's warning.

"Perhaps Sean will pick Chastity for best--Mom! Oh, thank you!" Peyton celebrated, seeing that her mother had arrived.

"Hiya, Sean's mom!" Chastity greeted with a wave.

"There goes the fun," mumbled Lana.

"Do I even want to know what happened here?" Bridget questioned.

**** to discover what happened while she was gone, Bridget's mood grew even worse as Peyton narrated what happened before she and Lana arrived. Chastity piped in a strange comment now and then, but she seemed to have mostly enjoyed the crazy-sounding day.

"Willow's here?" Bridget repeated.

"No, she left before we arrived," Peyton explained.

"Holy mackerel! Whitney's mom was in a mean mood. She called me the word that rhymes with a s'more," Chastity reported. "Little Seanie protected me like a knight in shining armor."

"He threw food at her, Chas; he didn't slay a dragon," Lana pointed out.

JoJo squeaked as she imagined the scene.

"Sean threw food at Willow? Oh, hell," Bridget groaned, rubbing her face with both hands. "Whitney's hospital room can't be a safe place right now."

"She looked like she might breathe fire at me," Chastity recalled, shuddering at the memory of Willow's anger.

"Anything else I need to know about?" Bridget asked, even if she didn't want to know.

"Apparently, your son is more than just a tit man. It seems he likes to--" Lana started to reveal.

"Nope, nothing else, Mom," Peyton cut off her best friend.

"--check out the asses of--"

"How did everything go for JoJo?" Peyton questioned, continuing to cut off Lana's smart mouth.

"Great!" JoJo exclaimed, hoping to shut down that conversation before it started. "So, what were you saying, Lana?"

"Oh, just that the next family reunion should--"

"Hot chocolate time!" Frida announced, carrying a tray with seven steaming mugs. "Who wants some?"

"Me!" Chastity answered, raising her hand as high as it could go.

"Oh, Frida, I am so--"

"Here, have this first, Bridget," Frida interrupted, handing her a cup. Lana and Peyton gathered around the chef to grab their mugs. JoJo hesitated as she wondered over the number of mugs.

"How did you know we were here?" the soccer star asked.

"The gate buzzes when it opens, so I checked the camera. Sorry about not getting the door," Frida apologized, moving over to place two hot chocolates on the table next to Chastity. "I had to deal with a problem."

"Fraggle Rock! This hot chocolate rocks!" Chastity complimented.

"Thanks, dear."

"Yes, we heard Valeria," Bridget revealed.

"Sean, yum yums," the perky receptionist said, gently shaking the sleeping boy's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry about what Sean caused, Frida. Please tell Valeria I'll buy her a replacement outfit. And anything else my son ruined," Bridget expressed her regret.

"No need to worry. Harvey will handle that," the dark-haired woman said, dismissing the offer.

"No, I insist. I never thought Sean would--"

"Bridget, it's fine. Sean saved Whitney's life. Some ruined clothes or furniture don't matter compared to her safety," Frida pointed out, dampening the mood in the study with the reminder. "Besides, Harvey and I don't blame Sean. Willow stormed into the manor in one hell of a bad mood. She escalated the situation. And unlike Sean, she's not on medication. Although, maybe she should be."

A groan from the couch drew their attention as Sean slowly woke up.

"Still, Valeria sounded like she blamed Sean for her sweater," Bridget added.

"Yes, Sean and the other one," Friday nodded to Chastity, "annoyed Valeria. That's not surprising. She doesn't stand for silliness. Harvey already took care of that, promising her several new outfits."

"Seanie, you likey hot chocolate?"

JoJo rolled her eyes at the way the honey blonde talked to her best friend. He's not a baby. I hope he doesn't expect me to wait on him hand and foot once we get back home.

"H-hot milk?" Sean mumbled, reaching out to Chastity's left breast with his hand. She swiftly filled it with her mug. "Here, try it."

"You see, Sean's in good hands," Lana cracked.

"Sean, I hear you've been misbehaving," Bridget stated, walking over to the couch.

"Mom? You're back!"

"Yes, I'm back, honey. And I've brought JoJo."

Sean spun his head around on Chastity's lap. Now facing the room, he waved energetically at his best friend.

"Hiya, Joey! I'm on painkillas that make me chatty!"

"I can see that, buddy," JoJo replied, staring at him as if he had grown an extra head.

"Don't worry, honey. As soon as your last pill wears off, we'll switch over to the new kind I picked up," Bridget informed him. She turned to face her daughter and Frida. "He hasn't had any more since we left, has he?"

"Yes, we gave him one not too long ago," Frida answered, nodding over to Peyton.

"We had to, Mom! He started screaming from the pain," Peyton defended the decision.

"That's fine, honey. That just means he'll be like this for a few more hours," Bridget said with a sigh.

Lana's chuckling drew a dirty look from her BFF.

"You look different, JoJo. You're glowing like a firefly!" Sean remarked in awe.

The brunette started to shake in embarrassment at what she assumed he meant. Glancing from side to side, she saw the concerned faces of the two Tarver women and Lana's smirk. Unable to take it anymore, JoJo turned to flee the room as she protested.

"I'm not pregnant!"

"Whoa! These pills must be Superman-strong. I'm having fucking weirdo dreams," Sean revealed, laying his head back down on Chastity's lap. He immediately dozed off again.

"Oh, I can't wait until he hears about what JoJo did with Jared," Lana teased.

"Lana!" Peyton snapped, chasing after her next-door neighbor.

"Seanie's not the father, is he?" Chastity queried, confused over the strange talk.

"No, he's not! Nobody is!" Bridget answered. "I better go find them. Lana, stop the jokes, or your mom will be dealing with you."

"I'm twenty-one, Mrs. Tarver. They don't control...ah, hell," Lana griped.

"Lana, how can no one be the father?" Chastity questioned.

"You got me, Chas."

Bridget left the room to follow her daughter and neighbor. Reaching an intersection in the hallway, she stopped to see if she could hear any sign of which way they went. A noise caught her attention, causing her to turn around. There in front of her stood a person she didn't expect to find.

"Hello, Bridget."

"Hello, Willow."