The Wheelchair Hostage

Sean managed to reach JoJo before any other onlookers moved forward and became well-wishers. Apparently, many of them were intimidated by the animated conversation between the two Gibble sisters.

"I can't believe that Mom wouldn't let me into their room to see that dress," Zoey complained with a face crossed between a pout and a huge grin.

"I'm sorry, Zo. You know how I get when I'm nervous," the older sister apologized.

"Don't I know it. And here I thought you were in trouble. You in trouble? Hahaha," the younger sister laughed. She knew that if anyone in their house got into trouble with their mom, JoJo would be the last person they would suspect.

"Um, actually, Mom did get, uh, mad when Mrs. Lockett told her that--Sean!"

Zoey would have to wait until the night of January 2nd to hear all the details about her big sister's first time with Jared Lockett. That whispered conversation, between Zoey's shocked exclamations, would earn the older sister an extra level of respect from the younger one. Until then, Zoey needed only wait a few more minutes until she'd learn about JoJo's transformation into a woman and by whom. Unfortunately, this bit of news wouldn't come in a private huddle in a bedroom.

"Ohmigawd! Doesn't Jo look gorgeous?" Zoey asked her next-door neighbor and former crush. Although she'd moved on from those childhood feelings, they still caused the sophomore to view Sean through a rose-colored lens. Seeing him with a small group of pretty girls didn't cause Zoey to bat an eye. The only surprising aspect came from the girls' identities. Why's he hanging out with part of my clique? I guess I could understand Cadence. That bitch is cousins with--His leg! "I'm so sorry! How are you doing?"

"Better. And I can understand why you didn't ask first. Your sister looks fantastic," Sean stated, leaning up to return the hug.

For once tonight, he prayed that his injuries would be the topic of conversation. Zoey had a way of hijacking any talk to the subject she wanted. Unfortunately for Sean, JoJo's raised eyebrows all but declared that wasn't happening.

"You have an entourage now, Mr. Big Shot? Should I ask for an autograph?"

JoJo held the disapproving glare long enough for Sean to grow concerned. The best friends could usually tell whenever one or the other was joking. Not noticing any of the brunette's tells, Sean began to explain.

"It's not like I wanted...they...Whitney made me!"

"I had you!" JoJo squealed in satisfaction.

Zoey's matching grin left no doubt to onlookers that she and JoJo were sisters. Scrambling back up from where she'd kneeled beside the wheelchair, the social butterfly began to greet the Babybees.

"No interrogation?" JoJo challenged, appearing shocked.

"I already got the lowdown from his mom. Sean hates medicine talk. So who better than Dr. Mom?" Zoey shrugged off the fact that she'd accosted Bridget for every detail as soon as she saw her. "You taking good care of my sister's best friend, Bea?"

"Oh, I'm barely holding Yolanda away from your future husband," Beatrice laughed. Although from different schools until this year, Beatrice and Zoey had bonded as young girls at a local gym for cheerleaders. The current Babybee captain still hoped that she could convince the ever-busy Zoey to rejoin the lifestyle next year.

"Wha--That...that crush was from when I was like five. Or something like that." The blush spreading over her face didn't help the denials from the usually self-confident actress and artist.

"Don't worry, Zo. I think most of them now have crushes on Sean," Zara told her longtime study buddy.

That comment led to bickering among the Babybees in attendance, who debated what constituted an actual crush. Harley kept quiet as usual while Yolanda stated that just because she wanted to fuck a guy, she didn't have a crush on him. Cadence proved the loudest in proclaiming that she did not have a crush on Sean. The Stratton cousin reminded her squadmates that only athletes and popular boys interested her.

"As if Sir Sean isn't popular. He's the next big thing on Nosy Nectar," Kizzy declared.

"Sir Sean?" JoJo mouthed at Sean while holding in a giggle.

"No, he's not," Cadence responded to Kizzy's prognostication.

"Wanna bet? Whitney's going to repay him with so much sex, I can almost guarantee a sex tape leaking," Kizzy predicted.

"What?!" Zoey screeched.

"I haven't done anything with Whitney. Uh, well, at least not, um, that," Sean backtracked his denial as he recalled the shower handjob.

"Ohmigawd! Whitney totally blew him!" Yolanda squealed, sounding impressed.

"Eww!" Cadence responded, turning greenish.

"So that's what she helped you with in the shower earlier," JoJo remarked, unable not to tease her closest friend.

"Jo!" Sean exclaimed.

"There you have it," Kizzy cheered.

"Confirmation," Harley semi-finished for her bestie.

"JoJo never lies," Zara stated confidently.

"I did--we didn't--Whitney did not blow me in the shower," Sean hissed as softly as he could. He'd noticed the group of onlookers had shifted their attention from JoJo to himself. The male teenager also noticed something else. "Kizzy, what--are you recording this? Put that away!"

"Ah, but I need to send confirmation to Nosy Nectar," the younger Beal sister whined. "They won't post without evidence."

"Whitney and I didn't--"

"Yeah, I got that. But that means you got a handy from her. I can figure it out," Kizzy pointed out. "Uh, I meant, I can figure it out, sir."

"Okay, girls, this has been fun, but can you leave us alone?" JoJo asked, sensing that Sean couldn't handle any more teasing.

"Yeah, I'll be fine with--"

"Sorry, sir. We can't do that," Beatrice interrupted. "Captain Diamond gave us explicit orders. I was personally told that I'm in charge of you until she returns."

"Absolutely. We're to give you tender, loving care," Yolanda reminded. Even though she meant the words innocently, they couldn't help but sound dirty.

"Shit, I'm not missing out on the action. No way," Kizzy declared.

"Kizz," Harley admonished with that lone nickname.

"No, we're staying, Harls. He's a goldmine for attention. Imagine all the scoops we'll see firsthand before Nosy Nectar blasts them out."

"Look, I know what Whitney ordered, but JoJo's my best friend. If I'm not safe with her, who would I be safe with?" Sean asked rhetorically, but the Babybees took it as a real question.

"She was with you when you almost died," Zara reminded.

"But she wasn't on the ice with me and--"

"And Whitney had her two best friends, Lacey and Ramsey, with her," Kizzy argued. Beatrice gave her a how-do-you-know-that look. "Katie told me that."

"Listen, I don't need babysitting--" Sean's voice trailed off. A flashback of Boobie Heaven and Disney porn hit him as a version of Cinderella whisked by before screeching to a halt.

"Hiya, Seanie! If you need me to babysit you, I'm sorrie-warrie. Whitney has an emergency and needs my help in a jiffy."

"Uh, that's okay."

"I'm supercalifragilisticexpialidocious about that dress, JoJo. Whoopsie, I need to go. Bye!"

The Babybees and Zoey watched in shock as the second person in a fairytale-inspired dress raced off. Beatrice blinked multiple times as if she'd just imagined the appearance. YoYo opened and closed her mouth several times without making a sound. Even Cadence appeared stunned into silence.

"She's gorgeous," the usually quiet Harley spoke first.

"Is she an actress?" Kizzy questioned, glancing at Zoey.

"Who was that?!" the younger Gibble challenged her sister.

"Oh, you girls don't know Chastity? Seriously? Wow, I guess Whitney doesn't fully trust all of you yet," Sean commented nonchalantly. He'd managed to hide his shock at the honey blonde's brief appearance and the partial return of memories from Diamond Manor.

"Who was that?" Zoey repeated with a glare.

"She works for Diamond Corp and is very close to the Diamond family. I guess if Whitney hasn't introduced you yet..." JoJo began, seeing an opportunity to have a private conversation with her BFF.

"Then you don't know Whitney all that well. Nor do you understand what her orders actually mean," Sean finished. Then, with their unspoken best friend connection, he continued. "Maybe if you follow my orders, I'll give you girls a leg up and introduce you to Chastity. That way, you can impress Whitney later."

"Tell us what your orders are, sir," Kizzy responded after sharing looks with her squadmates.

"How about you leave me alone with my best friend for a bit? I'm sure Zoey can keep you entertained," Sean suggested, nodding at the younger Gibble sister.

"Ooh! I see some cute boys over there," Zoey announced, noticing several guys around their age who must be from out of town. "Hey, does anyone know them? No? Then let's go introduce ourselves."

The two best friends waited and watched as Zoey and Beatrice took the front positions and led the others over to the unfamiliar boys. JoJo shook her head at how simple it looked for her little sister to walk up to good-looking, unknown guys. Finally alone, JoJo felt inspired by her younger sibling and asked a teasing question.

"Don't expect me to call you sir. I'll save that for later in bed with Jared."

Sean gawked, not believing his once-shy BFF would say something so suggestive. Although he wanted a moment for a private conversation, Sean also didn't mind an interruption if it stopped JoJo from having a sex talk. Unfortunately, he got both.

"Holy fuck! Look at you!"

Sean cringed as he recognized the girl's voice rushing over. Often the bane of his existence around the Gibble home, JoJo's closest female friend skidded to a halt in front of them. Her eyes barely flickered down at Sean's cast before they returned to the princess of the ball.

"Where the fuck did you get that dress? Why didn't you tell me about it? And who convinced you to wear it?" Iona O'Hara rattled off.

With a highly competitive, hyperactive personality, Iona was the only girl on the soccer team who outclassed JoJo. Unlike in other sports around school, Iona didn't let her star status turn her into a snob. If anything, she sought to relieve the stress of that status by helping others improve their lives, either on the field or between the sheets. And scoring JoJo a date, a boyfriend, or just a fuck had become a pet project for the hyper girl. Already a semi-legend when it came to sex around Honey Hollow High, Iona could still be a flirty tease when she wanted. And her favorite target seemed to be Sean.

Iona made Sean feel uncomfortable for a multitude of reasons. First, her teasing personality often led to frank, sexual comments directed at him. Second, Iona's pushing of JoJo to be more sexual with her attitude and outfits threatened Sean's belief that his best friend was just one of the guys. And finally, Sean found Iona to be hot. Real fucking hot.

The soccer star had a wavy, dark brown bob, light brown eyes, medium-sized breasts, and an incredibly toned ass. That ass barely covered by the shortest pair of Umbro shorts delighted and tortured Sean every summer. Iona didn't disappoint tonight either. The strapless, sequined brown mini-dress wrapped around her body to hug her curves was short and didn't appear tight enough. With a tendency to bob on her feet when excited, Iona kept tugging her strapless dress up to keep it from slipping down too far.

As JoJo struggled to answer her other good friend's barrage of questions, Sean suddenly found himself the third wheel. Glancing around, Sean started to feel a bit lonely. Maybe I shouldn't have sent the Babybees off so quickly. I just know that Iona's going to eventually start up on--huh?

"Dammit, Tarver. Aren't you listening to me?" Iona demanded while standing over him. "Here, take my phone and get some good ones of us together."

Reluctantly, Sean took the girl's phone. Proceeding to snap off a string of pictures of the two girls, he only half-paid attention to their conversation.

"Elvis will be so pissed that he missed that dress on you."

"He's not here?" JoJo asked in surprise.

"He couldn't get a ticket. I heard from Abby that people started scalping tickets after Whitney Diamond almost died. Tons of people from school wanted to be here tonight, suddenly," Iona recounted. "I mean, who the fuck scalps tickets to a charity ball? Hey, those pictures are going to look like shit from that angle, Tarver. Can't you stand up and take them?"

"Be nice. Sean broke his foot saving Whitney," JoJo admonished. Maybe we shouldn't have sent away the Babybees. Sean could use the protection from Io.

"Oh, did he?" Iona's wink clued JoJo into the forthcoming teasing. "Why hasn't anyone reported that bookish Sean Tarver of all people saved the horny heiress named Whitney Diamond. I could've sworn that I heard the damsel in distress used a diamond ring to cut her way out of the ice sheet."

Sean started to roll his eyes, but halted almost at once. Shit! That will just set Iona off more.

"It's not funny, Io. The whole thing was scary and--Jared!" JoJo's ear-piercing scream sent Sean and Iona leaping into the air. Then, sprinting a few steps, Belle jumped into the arms of her Beast.

Sean chuckled internally at the way Iona's head rocked back in shock. Oh, this should be entertaining.

"Where have you been? I looked all over for you when I got down here," JoJo said. "Did you miss my..."

"No, I saw your grand entrance. It was beautiful and magical," Jared stated, leaning forward for a quick kiss.

Sean watched as Iona's eyes bugged out.

"But what took you so long?" JoJo asked, once their lips parted.

"Honestly, I had to run to the bathroom. My stomach has been churning after our talk with our moms."

"My mom was cool with everything after she realized that Mrs. Tarver helped take care of the problem," JoJo reminded, careful about the words she chose.

"Yeah, but it's your dad that I'm--"

"Holy shit! Are you two a couple?" Iona blurted out.

"What?! No!" JoJo denied.

"We are not a couple," Jared added.

"Iona, you remember Jared Lockett, right?" JoJo hurriedly inquired.

"Your old friend who moved to Rattle Ridge. As if I could ever forget such a piece of manliness," Iona commented. However, she didn't fail to pick up on the frown on JoJo's face at her comment.

"Uh, nice to see you again," Jared greeted as Iona's eyes narrowed at him.

"Hmm, something isn't right here," Iona declared. Then, glancing over at Sean, she noticed him fidgeting awkwardly. "No fucking way! You two fucked?!"

Jumping up and down, Iona nearly failed in tugging up her dress before it exposed her medium-sized breasts. Doing it in the nick of time, the brunette attracted additional attention as she continued to scream.

"Joanne Gibble, you're not a virgin?! Yes, yes, yes! About damn time, girl," Iona squealed. "And Jared is a fantastic fucking choice! How was it? How was he? Did it hurt? Is he big? I bet he's big."

"What?!" Zoey's disbelief could be heard from nearly fifty feet away.

Sean's entertainment started to die out as he noticed JoJo's confidence fade under the barrage of questions. Jared also noticed his lover pulling back into the shell of shy JoJo.

"Hey, Jo can answer your questions later. I, um, have a friend here from home that wants to meet her. So, I'm going to steal this little lady for a few minutes." Grabbing JoJo's hand, Jared escorted her away to meet this imaginary person.

"Wait, you can't leave now!" Iona whined. "Not after years of anticipation."

"You do realize that there isn't a friend from Rattle Ridge?" Sean chuckled. Then, he realized that he'd screwed up by poking the bear,

"Well, well, well. It looks like that leaves me with the hero of the hour. And you're stuck there in a wheelchair," Iona remarked, flashing a wicked grin.

---

"This party sucks," Austin complained yet again.

"Perhaps you shouldn't spill your drink out all over your suit then," Lacey scolded, dabbing a towel damp with seltzer water on his suit.

"I'm talking about the people. Nobody good is here."

"What do you mean? Most of our friends from school are here, including some of your teammates," Lacey pointed out.

"You mean most of your friends. None of mine are here." At least Austin knew to lower his voice. "Weston's fine with the other guys around, but not when it's just me and him."

"Howie and Chet are here," Lacey continued. "And Kessler...okay, I get that you aren't friends with him."

"Damn straight," Austin declared. He wasn't as close to as many defensive players on the team as he was to his brothers on the offense. "Howie's okay, I guess."

"Just okay? Maybe you should go hang out with Dawson?" Lacey needled, not appreciating her boyfriend's attitude.

"The little shit--"

"Heavens to Betsy! Lacey, come quick. Whitney's having an emergency," Chastity interrupted, almost out of breath.

"An emergency? Oh, my gawd! Is it bad? Did anyone find Mrs. Tarver or another doctor?" Lacey questioned, fretting that Whitney's health had deteriorated.

"Kitty whiskers! How did you know?"

"Wait, what?"

"The emergency is a doctor," Chastity revealed. "A Dr. Summerfield arrived, and Whitney looked scared. Not that I blame her. Goodness gracious, the doctor speaks like a robot."

"Dr. Summ--wait, you mean Dr. Summer Mayfield?"

"That's what I said, and Whitney demanded I get you to stop her. What are we stopping her from doing?"

Lacey held back the truth that Dr. Mayfield was another of Whitney's chaperones for the night. Considering that Chastity also filled that role, it probably wasn't a good idea to reveal that Whitney wanted all her chaperones distracted. Still, the petite redhead hated lying to the bubbly blonde.

"We're not stopping Summer; we're helping find her a date."

"Sweet Christmas! You are a cupid."

"Uh, sorry, Auss. I gotta go help Whitney," Lacey apologized.

"Yeah, whatever. Just leave me here all alone," Austin complained, ignoring the classmates standing near him. "Miserable and alone."

---

"What the hell are you doing?"

Sean peered around Iona's shoulder at Peyton. His sister wore a shocked and furious face. He could fully understand her question. After Jared dragged JoJo away, Iona had decided to play one of her favorite games: flustering Sean into giving her dirt.

This time, with Sean stuck in his wheelchair, Iona had climbed half onto the side of the chair while wrapping an arm around his neck. The brunette had proceeded to rub her hands along his body as she demanded the details on JoJo and Jared's first time.

Sean attempted to explain that he'd been in the hospital when it happened. Not to mention that he'd been on painkillers that made him unaware of his surroundings. That hadn't placated Iona, who slipped down to sit on his lap with her back to him. Sliding back and forth, she's peppered her movements with new inquiries. Strangely, she realized that her usual tactics weren't working on Sean. Yes, his erection seemed harder than in the past, but Sean didn't seem to mind her rubbing her ass on it. While pondering the reason why his older sister had accosted them.

"Uh, it's not what it looks like, Pey," Sean answered before Iona.

"Oh, it's kinda what it looks like," the brunette joked.

"Iona, stop that!" Peyton attempted for discretion, yet her voice still carried.

Glancing over while flirting with a couple of girls, Eoin winced as he saw who Peyton addressed. With a quick apology, he rushed over just as Peyton placed her hands on her hips.

"It looks like you're giving my brother a lap dance in the middle of the ballroom!"

"Iona, what are you doing?" Eoin snapped at his younger sister.

"Apparently, big sis over there thinks I'm giving her baby brother a lap dance," Iona laughed, scoffing at the description. "Do you even know what a lap dance looks like, Peyton?"

"Of course, I know!"

"Lana is her best friend," Sean pointed out.

"True. Yet, between Lana and Kiki, I'd think she'd know the difference. I'm not giving baby brother a lap dance," Iona stated.

"Yes, you are!"

"Now, let's calm down, Peyton," Eoin worked to soothe his friend. "And get off him, Io!"

"Nope, not until Seanie gives me what I want."

"Ohmigawd! You're in the middle of the ballroom," Peyton shrieked.

"Gawd, get your mind out of the gutter. And wait, have you ever visited your friend at her job? Because this is sitting on a lap, not a lap dance," Iona countered.

"I've been there."

"You have?" Sean queried in disbelief.

"Just once," Peyton swore.

"As much as my kid sister is oversexed, I'm gonna agree with her this time. That's not a lap dance," Eoin commented. "Hmm, Lana did say that you covered your eyes for half of that trip."

"Oh, and I bet you visit Kiki at the strip club all the time, don't you?" Peyton accused.

"Not very often. I'm not big on the whole paying to watch. I prefer my girls up close and private, but I do like to support my friends," Eoin explained.

"By jamming money down their g-strings?"

"Damn, whatever happened to the laidback girl I grew up with? You've gotten so uptight the last few years," Eoin remarked. "Let me finish. Some of us visit Kiki at the club occasionally to cheer her up or offer feedback. Do you not realize how important that job is to her? She doesn't have parents paying her tuition like we do."

"I am well aware of that," Peyton hissed.

"Sure you are, but Kiki needs her performances to pay off. That's where her male AND female friends' feedback comes into play. Maybe if you were a better friend, then--"

"Are you calling me a bad friend, O'Hara?"

"Uh-oh," Sean muttered.

"I know. This is about to get good," Iona whispered, turning her head slightly to look at Sean.

The two teens watched as their older siblings began to bicker. Eoin scored points about Peyton growing more uptight recently. The blonde countered by claiming that Eoin became too focused on sex after the knee injury that ended his soccer career. Sean winced as Eoin called Peyton out for living in Lana's shadow.

"How dare you?!" Peyton hissed.

"Oh, please. You know it's true. You use Lana as a social crutch. You sure as fuck don't need it, Pey. You're not her sidekick. Hell, you're one of the most intriguing women that I know," Eoin explained as Sean nodded along with his points.

"Well, how about if you stop mooching off of us? Do you really need to stop at our house or Prissy and Merry's place to eat?" Peyton challenged.

"No, I don't. But you ever stop to wonder if I'm just bored or lonely?"

"More like horny!"

"I would never, nor do I ever, think of my friends as booty calls. How could you even think that?" Eoin challenged back, sounding hurt by the suggestion.

Iona grew a puzzled face at the non-verbal movements happening. By the time she glanced back at Sean, he'd also noticed it. Their two siblings were moving awfully close together as they bickered.

"Maybe your problem is that Trevor wasn't cutting it in bed. That's why you've gotten increasingly uptight. You need a good fucking."

"Hahaha. Now you sound just like Lana. All the problems in the world can be solved with sex," Peyton mocked. "Yet, sex also causes more problems."

"Hey, she's your best friend. So I'd say Lana knows what you need best."

Sean found himself perplexed. Only Nate Toone ever seemed to get under his sister's skin this easily. However, Peyton and Nate didn't end up nearly face-to-face with this strange vibe he now witnessed.

"Is that your game? Piss me off and then offer me a good time tonight?" Peyton questioned as their two faces moved to barely two inches apart.

"So are you two gonna kiss or what?" Iona inquired.