Lana Needs a Filter

"You saw RJ? Up at Wasp Lake?" Priscilla questioned. The dark-skinned coed then bit her lip before reluctantly asking, "How's he doing?"

"Pris, don't start..." Merritt warned her friend while Lana rolled her eyes.

"Stop obsessing over your ex-boyfriend. Did I teach you to be this clingy? No, I didn't!" the redhead reminded loudly.

"I'm not clingy. I'm just curious," the ex-girlfriend countered before a sad face formed, admitting the truth. "How was his Christmas? Is his family okay? Did he look happy? Was...did he have a date with him?"

"Nope. I'm not fucking doing this. You can just ask him yourself tonight. RJ's probably already here somewhere," Lana pointed out, gesturing to the growing crowd. "Besides, I barely saw him. Ask Peyton. She spent most of the night with him. Whoa! Slow down there, missy."

Peyton struggled to catch her breath after **** on the mixed drink. The leggy blonde also struggled over how to reply.

"Wha--I didn't spend the whole night with RJ." The eldest Tarver sibling **** a chuckle. Suddenly feeling warm, she shoved away the memory of RJ's rigid member pistoning in and out of her while they tested the shocks of her mom's car. "We talked for a bit, but mostly danced. I spent way more time with Ellie before Finn stole her."

Peyton didn't intend to throw Finn under the bus to avoid her one-night stand with RJ. However, it worked out that way as Finn overheard from several feet away, where he stood with a small group of their male friends. His blush and Lana's furious flinch keyed Merritt into realizing that something had happened.

"Wait...Finn and Ellie hooked up? No way!"

"What?!" Priscilla's concern over her ex immediately morphed into delight for two of her favorite people. Of course, she noticed Lana's scowl within seconds and replaced her pleased look with one of indifference. "Oh, whatever."

"Whatever?! Ellie's like a sister to you, and Finn's...oh, right. Sorry, Lana," Merritt's excitement trailed off as she noticed the redhead's scowl.

"Why are you sorry?" Lana questioned sharply.

"You and Ellie Ridge? Wow! How did that happen? And how didn't Lana stop you?" Eoin questioned. Nodding at his friend with pride, Eoin slapped Finn on the shoulder.

"What's that mean, O'Hara?" Lana demanded. "I don't care who Finn makes mistakes with."

"Sure, you don't. Where's Barney? Or Auggie? Actually, I'm sure that one of your roommates can back me up on this. So what do you say, Peyton? Want to admit how the two of you micromanage my boy's dating life?"

"We do no such thing!" Lana hissed.

"We're only trying to protect Finn," Peyton insisted, earning a glare from her BFF.

"What the hell, Pey?"

"Oh, knock it off, Lan. I know how you two are," Finn declared. "It's not like girls I've talked to haven't mentioned a ginger and a blonde grilling them with questions afterward."

"You know, I can see the ginger being jealous, but what's the blonde's reason?" Eoin questioned teasingly. The wink he added didn't sit well with Peyton.

"Watch it, O'Hara. You're getting close to being added onto my shit list next to--"

"Poppy!" Lana exclaimed. "Damn, girl, that's an eye-popping dress."

Always loving the spotlight, Poppy Dufor gave her dress a little spin to show it off. A slim-fitting sequin number, it dazzled for multiple reasons. First, it showed off considerable skin with its deep V-neck, strappy lace back, and high-leg slit. The other reason the dress grabbed people's attention came from the way its multi-colored sequin design appeared to shift colors when the bright lights fell on it. The shimmering vibe worked splendidly with Poppy's personality.

"Me? You're the one with the tit-popping dress, Stratton."

"I'm just here to make men happy so that they'll open their wallets and write big checks to Aunt Cassandra's charity," Lana proclaimed solemnly, placing a hand over her heart.

Finn snorted. Or was that Peyton?

"I bet if your tits pop out, it will lead to even bigger checks," Eoin remarked.

Lana turned to issue a sharp response, yet she paused after noticing that Eoin wasn't even looking her way. Following his line of sight, the redhead's eyes were the ones that popped wide.

"Are you checking out my mom?!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, Eoin, I would've never suspected...oh, of course I would've," Poppy tittered. Nudging Lana with an elbow, she teased, "Guess somebody wants the older model first."

"Eww!" Peyton sounded.

"I am not checking out your mom!" Eoin insisted firmly. Suddenly, he pointed over at Rachel Stratton. "See? I was just watching her stop Barney."

Lana turned back to study Eoin's excuse. Sure, she now saw her mother talking to Barney. Strangely, her mom seemed quite animated as she appeared to ask the bumbling photographer a series of questions. Turning back to face Eoin, Lana stated a simple fact.

"Barney wasn't near my mother when I caught you staring at her."

"Sh-She was motioning him over. That's what caught my attention," Eoin replied. He watched as Mrs. Stratton continued to ask a string of questions. When she made Barney pull out his phone, Eoin cringed and wished he could warn them that everyone was watching.

"Huh? Why is my mom badgering him with questions?" Lana questioned aloud. Her face began to scrunch up as her brain worked to decipher a reason.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Finn asked, turning toward Eoin as he realized something odd was happening.

"How would I know?" Eoin responded a tad too loudly. That earned additional curious looks from Priscilla and Merritt. "Maybe it's about some pictures that Barn took."

"No, something is up. Can you sense it too, Pey?" Lana queried.

"Hmm, you might be right."

"Gawd, you people are oblivious. It's obviously about some surpri--oh!" Poppy covered her mouth as she realized it was likely a surprise for Finn. When everyone turned to see why she stopped, the brunette turned away, using the motion to hit Eoin in the thigh.

"Fine!" Eoin exclaimed as he recalled a possible way out. "Mrs. Stratton is concerned about Barney's lack of a girlfriend."

"She's worried about all of us for that reason," Finn chuckled.

"I don't know," Peyton mumbled.

"She made Barn promise to dance with at least three women, or there would be consequences," Eoin continued to supply. When asked what those might be, he added, "If he fails, then Mrs. S is assigning Lacey and Poppy as matchmakers for him."

"Me?"

"Her?! What about me?" Lana demanded while Poppy beamed. "I can play matchmaker!"

"Uh, you're the threat of last resort."

The high-pitched squeal from Peyton swiftly descended into a giggling fit. Priscilla covered her mouth to hold in her own laughs while Merritt turned to study the ballroom ceiling.

"Laugh it up, Miss I-Haven't-Been-Laid-Since-The-Breakup," Lana shot back. "Or did you get some the other night? I wonder..."

"Holy shit! That long?" Eoin questioned as several of the other girls looked on with sympathy. "You know if you need--"

"No! And don't think I'm falling for that scam."

"I don't see what the big deal is about finding Barney a few dance partners," Poppy commented.

"Uh, maybe because he's bound to trip the girl. And that's the best-case scenario," Lana retorted.

"Or he can repeat his prom night with Emily," Priscilla remarked.

"Hey, Barney didn't mean for that to happen. Sometimes you lose your balance," Eoin defended. "And he felt awful afterward."

"Emily never held it against him," Finn added.

"Duh, why would she? Barney's like a puppy. Sure, he might have accidents or chew up the wrong item, but he's too adorably harmless to be mad at," Poppy stated.

"Then how about you take the risk by dancing with him?" Lana challenged.

"If it will help him loosen up, I will. That's what people do for their friends," Poppy snapped back.

"Crap. She's got us on that. Maybe we all should give Barney a hand until he feels comfortable," Peyton suggested, feeling guilty that Poppy showed them up.

"Just don't make it seem like a pity dance," Eoin warned, showing signs of being relieved. "Barn doesn't need to feel worse."

"You know, I think Lana is right. Something is going on with you, Barney, and Mrs. Stratton," Peyton stated, peering at the former soccer star.

"Gee, I don't know. My mom picking Lace as Barney's matchmaker over me sounds like something she'd do."

"Perhaps. Hmmm," Peyton sounded as she pondered the feeling on the back of her neck. "When have we ever known Eoin to give something up so fast?"

"That's true," Finn agreed.

"Why am I suddenly getting picked on? Lana started a fight at Becky and Brian's engagement party. And I guarantee she pulled some other shit while up at Wasp Lake," Eoin remarked, proving he knew his longtime classmate well. "Whatever. I'm going to find some other friends and--Whoa!"

The longtime circle of friends turned their heads to find what had caused Eoin's awed face. Standing at the top of the stairway was a stunning figure. Wearing a dusty rose-colored mid-satin slip dress with a high slit, she had a face and body familiar to many men in the ballroom. However, the brunette with blonde highlights had become a friendly face over the last several days to several of the clique members.

"Mother of...Skye Fucking Willows is at your mom's party, Finny!" Eoin exclaimed with a hint of a groan underneath.

"Uh, yeah, she is here. What's the big deal?" Finn responded nonchalantly.

"What's the big deal? Look at her!"

"I think Finn means, what's the big deal, as she's been staying at the cabin with us for the last several days," Peyton revealed. The blonde loved to throw Eoin off-balance, which succeeded fabulously.

"At the ca-cabin with you? Why would she--no way! Harvey Diamond AND Skye Willows are an item?" Eoin assumed wrongly.

"Oh, no. Skye came to the cabin as Fred's girlfriend," Lana supplied, waiting for the coming reaction.

"Fred? Fred who...no. No, no, no! Not Fred! Oh, gawd no. Skye Willow is dating Freddie Singer?!" Eoin's face showed pure horror at the combination. Around him, other guy members of their extended clique looked disgusted.

"Relax. My dad screwed up as always," Finn reassured his close friend.

"He fucked up a thing with Skye?"

"And got punched by Mr. Diamond for how he treated her," Peyton recounted what she'd overheard Mr. Stratton telling others.

"Good! I hope your dad went on a bender for--"

"He tried to chop through the ice and sacrifice his life for Whitney during the middle of the night," Finn revealed in a soft voice.

"What? Oh, shit, I didn't...you know...are you alright?" Eoin immediately grabbed the other guy's arm in concern.

"Yeah, he took off and missed the cemetery service, but Uncle Larry came down to help me find him."

"Oh, Finn," Merritt gasped.

"Don't worry, buddy. We'll make up for your dad scoring Skye Willows," Poppy proclaimed. "We'll find you someone better."

"Who is she?" Priscilla questioned, not recognizing the name.

"Who is she? You haven't seen her pictures," Eoin responded before explaining her status as a local social media model. Priscilla perked up at the mention of Goforth's, recalling the brunette from the restaurant. "I can't believe you got to be around her for all those days. Barney's going to shit when he hears."

"Oh, Finny got to do more than be around his dad's ex," Lana remarked suggestively. "In fact, we had quite the exhausting time last night in the hot tub."

"Lan," Finn growled softly. He took a deep breath as all his friends' attention swung to stare at him in shock and awe.

"No way!"

"Good for you!"

"Actually, Skye owes me from our contest," Lana hinted. Then, she raised her hand up while calling Skye's name. "Over here!"

"Contest? What contest?" Poppy inquired, having a few guesses based on the two girls' past competitions.

"Please don't. None of us wants to know," Peyton attempted.

"Oh, we all want to know," Eoin said for almost everyone.

"Lana, don't," Finn warned.

"Despite my amateur status as merely a regular non-model smokeshow, Lana Stratton still reigns supreme as blowjob queen," Lana announced, preening.

"That doesn't sound as impressive as you think," Peyton commented.

"Wait, Skye blew you?" Eoin questioned.

"We don't want to know," Merritt remarked.

"Says you, Moxey," Lana replied. "And I was the one who had Finn as my partner."

"Lana! Could you show an ounce of discretion for once in your life?" Finn responded, appearing embarrassed.

"Wait, that doesn't count. He's your ex-boyfriend. Unless Skye had an ex, it's not equal--" Poppy argued before Lana cut her off.

"Skye had Nate."

"Nate? Nate Toone? Nate Toone is in town?" Poppy questioned, her eyes flashing.

"Yes, my little Smurfie just had to return to see me."

"He came to town because the rest of his family couldn't travel for the service and charity ball," Peyton explained, rolling her eyes at Lana's self-importance.

"Well, of course, but he also missed--" Lana responded, getting cut off once again.

"Where is that little shit? I'm gonna stomp his Smurf-ass a new hole," Poppy hissed with murderous eyes.

"Ooh, who's getting a new asshole?" Stephanie Francy asked in delight as she bounced over.

Skye arrived seconds later. While Poppy steamed about past slights, Finn introduced the older newcomer to the rest of his friends. The brunette quickly earned pleased smiles as she gushed over all the women's dresses.

"You all look so beautiful. I can't believe I'm even here tonight. Everything feels magical."

"Speaking of magic: I was telling my friends how I bested you last night in our contest," Lana divulged with a smirk.

Skye immediately blushed in embarrassment.

"Jesus, Lana, can you act appropriately for once?" Finn scolded.

"What Finn said," Peyton added as Merritt nodded in agreement.

"I only brought it up because of my reward," Lana defended herself.

"Please don't tell us how Finn's cum tastes again," Poppy responded, shaking her head.

"When did she tell us that?" Steph asked, perking up with interest.

As several of their extended clique members slipped away because of the subject, Lana placed her hands on her hips in indignation.

"I'm not talking about that kind of reward. I meant that Skye owes me her help in landing any guy that I want. I hope you didn't forget, as there are a lot of men here that interest me," Lana said.

"I didn't forget, and I honor my bets. Just find me when you need me to seal the deal," Skye promised.

"That's what you won? Who is the guy?" Peyton asked with a heavy dose of suspicion.

"Don't worry, Pey. I won't go after anyone that you don't like."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"Don't worry, Pey," Eoin said, mimicking Lana's voice. "I'll help you get lucky tonight. And if I fail, I promise to make it up to you however you want in my room."

"Seriously?" Finn questioned, not looking happy with his friend.

"C'mon, you know I'm only kidding. If I piss off Peyton, she might ban me from their house," Eoin reassured him. "How would I survive without their dinners, study buddying, and beds?"

"You should give him a try, Pey. He's quite good," Steph whispered.

"You eat at their house too?" Merritt challenged. "You're going to start chipping in for the grocery bill from now on."

"We should charge you rent," Peyton threatened.

"Only if he shares your bedroom. It's getting awfully dry up there since Trev--would you fucking look at that!" Lana screeched, pointing toward the top of the stairs.

"Oh. My. Gawd!" Peyton gasped.

Standing at the top of the stairway in the ballroom, a vision of beauty stood nervously. Murmurs started as people noticed that she looked almost as if a classic animation character had stepped off-screen.