Bombshells

"Did you see Zoey's sister? Did you?!"

"You know I did, and keep it down, Sammy," Reed Swift warned his best friend.

Although his mother had allowed him to sit on the opposite side of the large round table, Reed didn't want his parents to hear Samson O'Dell's boob obsession. Reed had done major whining to get one friend seated at their table while his older cousin, Ramsey, got three of the ten seats for her friends/staff. Even worse, his family's newspaper's administrative assistant, Eva Marie Mazon, sat on Reed's other side. And based on the slight smirk on the twenty-four-year-old beauty's face, the busty brunette heard the comment.

"Talk about something else," Reed ordered.

"Like what? Your cheerleader fetish?"

"Sammy!"

"Everything alright over there?" Hearst Swift questioned, watching his son clean up the glass of water that he'd knocked over.

"All cool, Dad," Reed reassured while kicking his Sammy under the table. His best friend returned the gesture in a harder fashion that made Reed wince in pain.

"They aren't bothering you, are they?" Nancy Swift inquired.

"Oh, they're fine, Mrs. Swift. Just being teenage boys," Eva Marie responded. Once the table's attention shifted away from the two teens, Eva Marie patted Reed's arm. "It's perfectly normal to have a crush on cheerleaders. Especially when your cousin has a couple of pretty ones for best friends."

A blushing Reed couldn't answer as his arm felt on fire from where the hot young woman touched him. Of course, Sammy filled the silence.

"Nuh-uh. Nope. Not true at all. Reed's not crushing on Whitney or Lacey. Don't get me wrong, Whitney's packing the power," Sammy said, holding his hands out in front of his chest. "The seniors are untouchable."

"You mean unattainable," Reed corrected, sighing.

"No, I don't!"

"Um, I think you do, Sam," Eva Marie remarked.

"Whatever," the teen remarked, shrugging. "Reed's focused on tight booties. What?" Sammy questioned Eva Marie's failed attempt to hold in a grin. "My boy is also more realistic. Sophomores are his goals. He's all about Beatrice, Saylor, and Yolanda. I think he should add Ariel into the mix, even if she's a Sugarbee. I mean, she's always around my house."

"So let me get this straight. Reed is the more realistic of the two of you. Does that make your dream girls unrealistic? Maybe seniors?" Eva Marie inquired, finding the conversation to be humorous.

"Naw, three years older is my max age gap," Sammy declared confidently. "Zoey is my ultimate goal."

"You like Zoey Gibble?" Dexter Kirby questioned. He sat on Samson's other side.

"Yeah, I do. And don't think I haven't noticed you checking out my girl, Dex. Zoey is a goddess unworthy of you," Sammy proclaimed before issuing his warning. "So I'd better not see you trying to push up on my girl. My mom's thinking of adding some self-defense classes at her studio. So I'm about to learn me some skills."

"At embarrassing yourself," Reed joked.

The sharp elbow that dug into Dexter's rib didn't come from the rival for Zoey's affection on his left side. No, it came from his right.

"Would you pay attention?" Norah complained.

That drew Dex's attention back to where Norah, Daisy, and Ramsey were discussing their back-to-school edition and its coverage of Whitney's near-**** experience. Dex heard his sister complaining about the lack of updates from Geoff about his medical coverage.

"Despite his attitude, Geoff always comes through with solid work," Ramsey begrudgingly admitted. "Let's focus on our assignments. Norah?"

"I've completed the majority of the sophomore and junior reactions I wanted. However, I'd like to contact roughly a dozen more students. I'm considering stopping by Grubby's or the mall tomorrow. If not, I'll directly contact them on social media."

"The same for me with the seniors. Maybe we can hang out together at Grubby's tomorrow afternoon," Daisy suggested, earning a pleased nod in return. "That's if I can leave Dex alone."

"Dexter, how are you coming along on Sean's biographical information?" Ramsey queried.

"Sean Tarver?" Eva Marie butted in.

"Do you know him?" Ramsey questioned while Daisy slapped her forehead in annoyance at herself.

"I sure do. He's my neighbor, or used to be. I grew up next door to the Gibbles," Eva Marie explained. "And my parents still live there. Hell, my best friend used to babysit him. So I can probably help Dexter out."

"That'd be so helpful to my brother," Daisy said, adding a thank you. "Still, Dex needs to interview Zoey, and he needs to do it tonight."

"Be cool, buddy," Sammy warned with a growl. "I'll be watching you."

While the table discussed the Boxwood Court cul-de-sac, Ramsey zoned out. Eva Marie grew up by the Tarvers? How did I miss that as well? She's worked part-time at the Flyer for years and full-time for the last two. Darn it! I need to be better!

"Uh, Rammy?" Daisy prodded.

"Oh, sorry," Ramsey apologized. She also added a look that told Daisy to repeat what she missed.

"We're discussing the new, additional assignments," Daisy hinted.

"Yes, yes. The two of us have decided to let Geoff interview Whitney."

"That should prove entertaining," Norah commented, smirking sinisterly.

"And shut him up," Dex added, chuckling.

Ramsey shot a glare at Daisy. Despite Geoff's attitude, she didn't condone the staff talking poorly about each other. And as much as Ramsey saw Daisy as an equal partner at The Buzzy Bee, she couldn't overlook how her friend's opinion of Geoff had been embraced by Norah, Dexter, and even Odette. As her brother, Dex's views couldn't be helped, but Ramsey didn't appreciate Geoff gaining ammunition for his complaints to Ms. Resto. Ramsey also had concerns over Daisy's continued loyalty and preference for Mrs. Brass, their former advisor. It's not like Mrs. Brass had been **** out. Their English Composition teacher and the school's cheerleading coach chose to retire from The Buzzy Bee.

"I've also decided that Norah should conduct the interview with Sean," Ramsey continued, stressing the "I" part.

Daisy mentally rolled her eyes at Ramsey's sudden mood shift. What else happened up at Wasp Lake? Rammy's holding some detail back, but what?

"Wait, what will you be doing?" Norah questioned, realizing that her editor didn't appear to have an assignment. That was odd for her.

"Dais and I had planned to work on a special investigation," Ramsey began, referring to Austin. "However, circumstances have changed. I think we should put that on the back-burner for now and focus on these allegations against Mr. Stratton."

"Perhaps we can delegate parts of that special investigation to you guys once we've finished the back-to-school edition," Norah suggested, earning a noncommittal shrug from Ramsey.

A throat clearing alerted the group to another person at the table.

"Don't forget that you need to watch over Reed tonight," Hillary Swift reminded her daughter.

Sammy's laugh sounded first.

"I don't need a babysitter," Reed stated. "I'm thirteen!"

"We know that, honey," Nancy responded. "It's just that--"

"Somebody needs to keep an eye on you," Hearst finished for his wife.

"Sammy's going to be with me. We brought our tablets, and we'll just play games with our friends online. Rammy doesn't need to watch us."

"Reed's right. I can stop in every so often and check on them, but I don't need to stay in the room," Ramsey agreed. The school newspaper's editor-in-chief had more pressing matters to deal with and said so when her mother started to argue. "I can check into the claims against Lacey's dad at the same time."

"No! You will not go anywhere near the district attorney's office story," Hillary informed her daughter. "Allegations of public corruption are outside the purview of a high school newspaper."

"No offense, Ms. Swift, but try telling that to previous Buzzy Bee editors and reporters. Sebastian Ferrin outworked the Daily Flyer with much of his reporting," Daisy pointed out.

"That may or may not be true, Daisy, but my daughter will not go anywhere near this story," Hillary responded through gritted teeth. That her family's paper, and herself, had been outworked a decade ago by a bunch of teenagers on several major stories still left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Mom, I have a responsibility as editor and to Lacey--"

"I said no, and that's final," Hillary commanded. "I didn't move you into your own room so that you could--"

"My own room? You knew? You knew!" Ramsey exclaimed while slapping the table with her palm. "Of course, that's why Levi was here at the hotel, seemingly out of nowhere, to grill Mr. Stratton. How could you lie to me, Mother?"

"I did not lie!" Hillary replied harshly before forcing herself to calm down. "The Flyer received a tip that information was forthcoming about corruption in the DA's office. That's all we knew until someone handed over those files. Your grandfather sent Levi here to handle the matter, not me. Why? Because of your friendship with Lacey. So don't make accusations toward me."

"Well, I don't work for the Flyer; I run The Bee," Ramsey declared. "I decide what my paper will investigate."

"You're a school reporter. You have no say. Your school advisor decides what is published. If not her, then the school administration. That's why I never worked at The Buzzy Bee. It's a powerless role."

"That's not entirely true, and you know it. Besides, you have no say over what The Bee does," the younger Swift declared.

"I have a say over what my daughter does, and I'm ordering you not to go anywhere near this story. Or you will be grounded. Got that? Ramsey?"

"Fine, I got that!"

"Now, Hill, let's not ruin tonight by insulting The Buzzy Bee. Dad thinks it's a great experience for Ramsey," Hearst said, coming to his niece's aid. "Let's worry about that tomorrow. It's not your story either."

Ramsey waited until her mother's attention turned away from her. Then, glancing over slowly at Daisy, they made eye contact.

"Dex, you need to get that Zoey interview finished as soon as the speeches are over," Norah whispered. "We have a new story."

"Huh? What are you--"

"Didn't you see the agreement between Ramsey and Daisy?"

"What? They didn't say anything," Dex asked in confusion.

"Not with words, but their look."

"What look? How could you get that from a look?"

"Oh, for...Look, let's try this from a different angle," Daisy whispered, the frustration evident in her tone. "You love Star Wars, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Remember, at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, when Lando finally had it with Vader's demands? What does he do?" Norah questioned.

"He frees Leia and Chewie."

"And how?"

"Uh, his men pull their blasters on the stormtroopers in the hallway."

"But how did his men know to do that?" Norah waited for a few seconds. "Lando gave Lobot a look to set it in motion."

"Oh, yeah! I loved how Lando...wait, so that's what Ramsey and my sister did?"

"Pretty much the same," Norah remarked before leaning closer. "We're going big time with the DA case."

"Cool," Dex nodded. But then, he had another thought. "Wait, so who's the Empire in this version?"

Norah didn't respond as her phone and Daisy's beeped from an alert. Checking it, she couldn't help but smile as Daisy muttered, "Showtime."

---

"Your daughter kicked my son? In his knee?! What sort of a girl are you raising, Annette?" Orrin Rusk demanded of his wife's best friend. "A knee injury could ruin his career!"

"I'm sure your son deserved it," Annette Baris replied. The dark-haired mother also sent her daughter a quick warning glare. For the amount of complaining that Annette was about to endure, Beyza had better have a damn good reason.

"Beyza kicked...Auss, what did you do?" Miranda asked, turning to peer down the table at her son.

"Austin didn't do anything. Your friend's daughter has started to take after her. Or maybe she's taking after her aunt, and Austin turned down the offer," Orrin commented.

"Orrin! That's uncalled for," Miranda scolded, swinging her head around in the opposite direction.

"Don't you dare imply that about my daughter! She isn't like my sister," Annette growled while flashing her teeth. Her hand slid down to the napkin-encased silverware.

"I saw it," Aurora said, breaking the tension. "Bey said that he deserved it, so Austin likely did."

"I didn't do anything!" Austin denied.

Feeling guilty for many things tonight, Beyza wisely kept her mouth shut before picking up a glass of water for a sip.

"Hey, if the little lady says that Austin deserved it, then I totally buy it," Montgomery Rusk chimed in with a chuckle.

"No one asked you...Hold on. Why are you at this table in the first place?" Orrin questioned his cousin.

"Shit, did I sit at the wrong table?" Monty asked, standing up. Then, overacting, he scanned the ballroom while using his hand as a visor before sitting back down. "Nope, this does look like the Rusk table, cuz."

"Why is he sitting...why are any of you sitting at my table?" Orrin questioned.

The table consisted of himself, his wife, two kids, and his cousin. Miranda's brother and two nieces, along with Annette and Beyza, rounded out the occupants. All were family or friends of his wife.

"Why aren't any of my friends or family at this table?" Orrin directed the question toward his wife.

"Yoo-hoo! Family right here," Monty called out, waving his hand.

"Who assigned these seats?"

"Rachel," Miranda revealed. That caused her husband's face to turn sour.

"Better watch it, Orri," Monty warned.

"Don't call me that!"

"Hey, I'm just saying that Grandma always warned us that making that face held a risk of it freezing that way," Monty recounted.

"Our grandmother never said that."

"Oh, maybe she never warned you guys. Hmm, that would explain TR's sour face turning permanent," Monty mused.

Aurora laughed.

"My brother's face is not stuck, and watch yourself, Aurora. You're already grounded," her father warned.

"I'm laughing because Nana did say that all the time before she died. How could you not know that?" the teenager challenged.

"She did?" Austin asked.

"Oh, well. Maybe Grandma only warned her favorites," Monty added, winking at Rory.

"Stop lying, Aurora. Why must you always be such a troublemaker?"

"Rory is not a troublemaker," Miranda responded to her husband.

"Yeah, Rory's a sweet girl. Now, the boy is the troublemaker, I bet. That's probably why Beyza kicked him," Monty speculated.

Orrin turned to glare at his younger cousin.

"No, why are you here tonight? Don't you have your gaudy and tacky annual sale tonight?"

"Hey, my pops and your old man started that tradition. Just because you went all new car bigshot doesn't mean I forgot my past."

Formerly known as Rusk's Used Cars, Monty's Car Jamboree had leaned heavily into the extravagant and boisterous side of salesmanship after Monty parted ways with his cousins, TR and Orrin. He'd taken the annual New Year's Eve sale and turned it into a spectacular show. Most years featured fireworks, circus performers, dancers, a band, and an aging Father Time passing the torch to a Baby New Year. Orrin had a point about Montgomery's presence at the charity ball, as his cousin had never missed the sale since he was a kid.

"So you finally packed it in with the sale?" Orrin questioned.

"I'm sorry, have you not been to your dealership lately? You know, the one located across the street from mine," Monty pointed out. "We've had signs up for weeks. Not to mention, the carnival was setting up yesterday."

"You have a carnival?" Kelsey questioned.

"We sure do. Although the weather might shut down most of the rides for tonight," Monty admitted. "But, hey, there is always tomorrow!"

"But knowing Uncle Monty, I bet they have games," Rory told her cousin.

"He's not your uncle; he's my cousin," Orrin clarified, causing Rory to roll her eyes physically while her mom and Uncle Tucker did so mentally. "Shouldn't you be at this nonsense to run it?"

"Ah, unlike you and your brother, I can delegate for one night to my crew," Monty proclaimed. "I wouldn't miss Cassie's event unless the world ended. Besides, it's time that my nephew gets his chance to run the family tradition."

"Landry's not your nephew," Orrin stated.

"Well, last I heard, TR told him he wasn't his son anymore. So I'll officially adopt Landry as my nephew!" Monty announced. "You know, I bet I have some fake adoption papers at the office that I can use to declare that status for the new year."

"That sounds awesome," Rory said. Then, nodding at Beyza, she added, "Can we be there?"

"No, you can not be there. You are grounded," Orrin stated.

"Now, I find it difficult to believe that such a little sweetheart got grounded for legitimate reasons. What did you do, Rory?" Montgomery inquired.

"Told Dad and Austin to stop arguing over the stupid football playoffs," the blonde actress explained, crossing her arms.

"Football playoffs? From last year?"

"No, the high school championship," Miranda clarified.

"High school? Who cares about high school? The NFL playoffs and Super Bowl are where the loot is at," Monty responded, already thinking of fun ways to exploit those games in January and February.

"High school football and championships are important in Honey Hollow," Orrin stated.

"Oh, really? Listen up, kid," Monty said, turning his focus on Austin. "You don't want to be like your old man and uncle. Talking about your past glory on the field a generation later won't bring you shit. Look at Thurman Rusk, the great TR, who was once a star running back. How does he spend his days now? Complaining about his shitty knees and his son. That's the same son that could've been drafted in baseball but blew his knee out while playing football, so his dad could live vicariously through him."

"And what did you do in high school, Montgomery?" Orrin questioned.

"Chased the ladies. And I sure had more fun and came out with more stories to talk about these days. That's why I don't need my son to win a state championship for a bunch of TV commercials. I mean, if I had a son. Well, I don't think I have one," Monty responded. "No, don't deny it. I bet that's why you're pissed about Honey Hollow losing in the semi-finals. Is that why you're throwing money around town to make friends?"

"I don't throw money around to make friends."

"You sure? Because nobody that I know likes you. So I just assumed that's why you're giving money to others."

"What money are you talking about?" Miranda questioned.

"Uh-oh. Didn't you tell her? Oh, that's low even for you, Orri," Monty remarked.

"It's none of your business, dear. I'm just helping out some of the little guys in the automotive field," Orrin replied dismissively.

"So this money is from Orrin Automotive?" his wife inquired.

"Well, no, it's my personal money."

"Your personal money? I'm unclear as to when we started having personal money separate from one another."

"As the breadwinner in the family, I believe that entitles me to--"

"The breadwinner? So the income that Mom earns from The Orchard is what? A hobby?" Rory challenged her father.

"Stay out of this, Aurora, or else I'm going--"

"Do what, Orrin? Ground her for asking the same question I was about to ask," Miranda remarked.

"Let's talk about this later, okay? Now is not the time."

"How long has this been going on?" Miranda asked. Then, not getting a response, she turned toward Monty with an arched eyebrow.

"Since the beginning of fall, at least."

"Thank you."

"I mean, Orri could've been buying friends since we were kids for all I--"

"My dad doesn't need to buy friends. He's a great man, who people love around town," Austin defended.

"Gawd, can you keep proving your dumbassery any further?" Rory mocked.

"That's enough! Keep talking, and I'm going to--"

"Do what, Dad? Not let me be in any of your precious commercials? Like that was ever going to happen anyway," his daughter shot back. "Hey, maybe Mom and Aunt Annie can start making commercials for the restaurant. Beyza and I can dress up as sexy waitresses or barmaids and flirt--"

"Say another word, and you are locked in your room for the rest of the year," Orrin threatened.

"Don't you dare threaten Rory with--"

"That's a brilliant idea!" Monty cut off Miranda, causing everyone to stare at him. "The thought has crossed my mind in the past, but I know my cousin. Shit, I know both of them. Grandma used to wonder if their mom put broomsticks up their asses for punish--you know... never mind that part. Rory, I'd gladly make you the star of my commercials."

"Really?!"

"She will not--"

"You'd be perfect! You can not only act, but I've also seen your great character work in those plays. We could have you dress up and play multiple characters in the same commercial. Maybe even create a few recurring characters," Monty rattled off.

"Aurora is not allowed. Do you hear me? You are not allowed," Orrin declared.

"Shit, Rory's eighteen. She can do what she wants," Monty pointed.

"Not while she's living under my roof."

"No problem. Rory, you can move into my place if you need to," Monty offered.

"You are not stealing my daughter like you did TR's son," Orrin responded.

"I'm not stealing anyone's kid. I'm offering a safe place to escape a controlling parent. No offense, Miranda," Monty apologized.

"Controlling? You haven't seen controlling from me yet. Aurora, from now on--"

"I love the idea," Miranda announced. "Not the one about Rory moving out. I meant the commercials. Honey, you have my permission to be in your Uncle Monty's commercials if you want."

"I can? Thanks, Mom!"

"No, she can't! What are you doing, Miranda?" Orrin challenged.

"What I should've done long ago," his wife stated.

"Yeah, it's about time," Annette agreed.

"You stay out of this!"

"And if it doesn't work out at home. You can always move up to Grassy Valley for the summer, Rory," Tucker offered.

"Am I fucking invisible? I said no! My word is final."

"Your word isn't the only word, Orrin," Miranda informed her husband.

"I will not be disrespected like this. Not at my own table," Orrin stated before standing up. "I will be respected. And you will soon learn why."

"Oh, sit back down, dear," Miranda called after her husband. Orrin had the self-awareness not to stomp away and cause a scene.

"Wow! You were awesome, Mom," Rory said, moving from her seat to hug her mother.

"What happened? I don't get it," Austin muttered. Everyone respects Dad, don't they?

A buzzing sound drew his twin sister's attention.

"Are you fucking for real? How much of a fucking dumbass are you?"

"Rory, don't talk to your brother like that," Miranda scolded. Then, her daughter shoved a phone in her face. "Oh, Auss, you can't...you told other people that story?"

"What story? OH!" Austin said, squinting at his sister's phone.

"I knew it!" Kelsey exclaimed. The eighteen-year-old shoved her phone toward her older sister.

"Y-You didn't s-save them?" Kaia asked, her lips quivering.

"I did! Well, not like Weston said. I am the person who ran and got help. If it weren't for me, Whitney and fu--Tarver would be dead," Austin insisted.

"I knew it! You're a hero," Kaia declared, throwing her arms around her cousin.

Austin attempted to ignore her large breasts but couldn't.

"Better pucker up, bro," Rory warned, causing Austin to push Kaia away. However, that wasn't what his twin meant. "If you have any chance of keeping Lacey, you'd better do a boatload of ass-kissing."

"Lacey? Lacey!" Austin exclaimed, realizing his girlfriend must have seen the latest Nosy Nectar update.