Matchmaking Ups & Downs

Lacey frowned as she watched Finn down a drink at the bar. Her heart yearned to go over to make him feel happy, but she suspected he didn’t want to see her right now. A hand on her upper arm gently tugged the petite redhead away. “You can’t do anything right now, honey.”

“But, Mom!” the teenager whined. “I can’t sit here and do nothing. Finn needs us.”

“I know, I know,” Rachel agreed. The pain she felt was even deeper than her daughter’s. “Finn’s dealing with a lot tonight. Don’t worry. He’ll come to us when he’s ready. We can’t push him, or we’ll push him away for longer.”

“What if he never forgives me?” Lacey questioned, her voice cracking.

“Don’t think that. Finn will never stop loving you. The same goes for Peyton, and yes, even Lana.”

Lacey growled at her sister’s name.

“Now, don’t blame Lana. What she and Finn have is complicated,” Rachel said as an understatement. “C’mon, honey. Give Finn a little time to calm down. While you do that, you can enjoy the party. Sound good?”

Rachel sighed as her youngest didn’t reply. So, she turned Lacey further until she could watch part of the dance floor. Although the teen didn’t want to, her gaze soon fell on the ball-goers having a good time.

The first group her eyes landed on turned out to be Finn and Lana’s college friends. The matchmaker engine inside the redhead began to spark to life again as she watched Jamie-Lynn and Auggie dance. They just have that look together. If only they would admit their mutual feelings. Well, they will once I get up to Arbor Corners next year. There is no way they graduate without giving it a go.

Next, her attention fell on a sight more amusing than charming. Eoin danced madly in three directions as he attempted to keep Merritt, AJ, and Harper from moving on to find a guy of their own. Despite the horrible knee injury suffered in high school, Eoin had the endurance to keep up the pace. However, watching intently, Lacey could tell he protected his bum knee by avoiding sharp moves with it.

Then, as a new song started, Lacey’s eyebrows raised at a mismatched duo. Wait, are they incompatible? They can both be fiery and impulsive. Hmm, no, it'd never work. Perhaps for an epic breakup. While shaking her head at the possible scene, Lacey stifled a laugh by covering her mouth.

“Uh, Mom, is this still your playlist?”

Rachel tilted her head to listen as Paula Abdul played. Then, nodding at the correct song in the proper order, she told her youngest those facts.

“Why?”

“I just wondered if Ariana requested it,” Lacey responded, gesturing to Addison’s stepdaughter.

Rachel chuckled as she saw the coed dancing arm’s length away from Nate. With her arm extended, Ariana wagged her finger while singing along to the lyrics. Nate must have had a grin plastered on his face at one point as its remnants remained, along with a confused expression.

Straight up now tell me
Do you really want to love me forever oh, oh, oh
Or am I caught in a hit-and-run?
Straight up now tell me
Is it gonna be you and me together oh, oh, oh
Or are you just having fun?

“Knowing Ariana, I’d guess she checked with the DJ for the upcoming songs and set Nate up for this moment,” Rachel speculated.

“Definitely,” Lacey agreed, giggling, which pleased her mother. “I wonder if the next song will further Nate’s lesson.”

Rachel took a moment to recall the next song and shrugged.

“I’d say no…However, I think Ariana could put on a suggestive performance without trying very hard.”

"Oh, I've already seen it," Lacey stated, thinking back to the lap dance Ariana gave Sean.

“Okay, I'd better head over to Gabby before she starts screaming my name,” Rachel said, meaning it. “Now, I set up a good mix of songs before the ball drops. That includes a special one for you. So, get over by your friends and have a good time.”

“Really?” Lacey perked up. “What song?”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told, would it?” Rachel replied while walking away.

Lacey smiled at her mom’s thoughtfulness in selecting a song just for her for the New Year’s Eve buildup. I wonder if Lan got one, too? As if every slutty song isn’t for her. No, I bet Mom picked one for Finn instead.

Rather than follow her mom's suggestion, Lacey stayed put for another minute or so to scan the other dancers. She rolled her eyes at seeing her cousin, Justin, dancing with his date, Elizabeth Buglehall. Recalling the stories she'd heard about the former Tri-Psi president, Lacey shuddered at the thought of Buffy the Bug marrying into the family. If I have to play matchmaker for Justin, I’ll damage my vocal cords from screaming.

Turning away from her family's potential problem, Lacey spotted one she hoped Cat wouldn't notice. Jaxon, her brother, danced with Teresa. And while it seemed like just two former classmates dancing together momentarily, Lacey knew Cat wouldn't let it slide, not with her hatred for the Sugarbees.

Moving her gaze to the nearest couple, Teresa’s dance partner made a little more sense as she saw Reece dancing with Cheyenne. Ah, Zuccaro’s keeping an eye on Reece. Probably a good call with Cheyenne.

Not wanting to give any excuse for Cat to walk over and see, Lacey started to move away but stopped to giggle again. Similar to Nate and Ariana, the redhead’s amusement came from both the two people and the song playing over the speakers.

Yo, I told you
You can't touch this
Why you standing there, man?
You can't touch this
Yo, sound the bell, school's in, sucker
You can't touch this

The way Kiki performed to MC Hammer had Lacey wondering if she'd perfected the performance on stage to keep handsy customers away. Not that Fletcher cared. He seemed enthralled by how Kiki turned her back toward him to shake her ass, only to spin away every time Fletcher moved to grind up on her. Lacey gave her classmate credit for going with the flow and not taking rejection hard. If anything, Fletch appeared smitten with the coed/stripper's sassy attitude.

Nope. Fletcher’s not taking a no from just one song. Hmm, I wonder what Poppy would think of his effort and choice.

“Hey, Fletch! I think you need parachute pants to land that one,” Seth Francy teased his distant cousin as he passed by. Without looking, Fletcher brushed Seth off with a wave of his hand.

Lacey’s wide grin vanished after roughly seven steps. That’s when she spotted the Barrow cousins attempting to get a few girls on the dance floor. Despite going with the eldest cousin, Dillion, to prom last May, Sienna didn’t seem interested in a repeat turn on the ballroom floor.

The air of entitlement around the Barrows rankled the petite redhead. And when her classmate, Jed, grabbed Rylee’s hand to pull her onto the dance floor, Lacey nearly rushed over to help the shy girl.

Her action wasn't necessary, as Lacey should've known. While Paige pulled out her phone to record the drama, the school's ice queen calmly walked over to a nearby table. Unspooling an unused set of silverware, Sienna selected a fork. Then, walking over, she brandished the utensil at Jed. His initial laughter died out as he realized what lower body part Sienna intended to stab. Saving his manhood meant more than forcing Rylee to dance.

Any further drama ended when Dillion lurched forward after a forearm blow from behind by Fletcher. Not only did Kiki join Fletch in defending his cousin and her friend, but Poppy raced over from the opposite direction, with Steph following.

Although pleased that another incident didn’t occur, Lacey sort of wished that this one had gotten a little worse. Not that she wanted Rylee or even Sienna to suffer. The redhead would've liked to see the Barrows finally get their badly needed comeuppance.

Resuming her walk, Lacey once again didn't get very far. Only this time, a confused expression crossed her face at seeing her mom standing still. Following Rachel's sightline, Lacey's grin burst back, especially after the older Stratton raised a single finger to indicate the number one. Then, Rachel immediately regretted distracting Barney as he tripped.

Fortunately, the first of the three girls her mom had required Barney to dance with was an exceptionally agile soccer star. Iona barely missed a beat as she hopped out of the way, allowing Barney to catch his balance as the brunette continued to dance with her brother's friend.

Iona’s stock rose in Lacey’s estimation as the athlete didn’t laugh or mock the clumsy photographer. Instead, she sang along to the current song.

Let the music play he won't get away,
Just keep the groove and then he'll come back to you again, let it play.
Let the music play he won't get away,
This groove he can't ignore, he won't leave you anymore, no, no, no.
He tried pretending a dance is just a dance, but I see
He's dancing his way back to me,
He's dancing his way back to me.

Surprisingly, Iona’s efforts to distract Barney with the music appeared to be working. Well, working at least somewhat.

With her mind constantly in motion, Lacey began compiling a list of athletic girls who could replicate Iona's work with Barney. Abby also plays soccer. Or a tennis player like London or Marcie. I can definitely find some current and former cheerleaders. Maybe even call in a favor and get a Sugarbee to help. Barney's earned enough goodwill with his love of taking a picture anytime, anywhere.

With a preliminary plan in place to exceed her mother’s request, Lacey felt a solid night of dancing could do wonders for Barney’s confidence. So brimming with positive energy, the matchmaker began to search for tonight’s projects.

First, Lacey found Austin and Rory's uncle, Tucker, half-dancing while laughing with Glory Blick. Then, balling her hand into a celebratory fist, the teen couldn't wait to pester her math teacher with questions on the first day back. Ms. Blick's reasoning for moving to Honey Hollow from Blackbridge this summer had caught Lacey's attention even before the first day of school. And with tonight as a starting point, the matchmaker hoped to book the teacher's Valentine's Day.

While pleased with her first sign of progress, Lacey admitted that Glory and Tucker had been the most likely pair to click. And while there were long-distance issues that could cause headaches, she still believed that Tyler Blick attending Zurbrugg in the fall could alleviate that complication.

Next up, Lacey moved to her most volatile combination. Yet, her smile didn't vanish as she spotted Cash Colcord and Ashlynn Nish looking hot and heavy together. The former star player-turned-new baseball coach/substitute teacher had a well-documented history of messy relationships. Love triangles had been expected for Cash, with even a love quadrangle happening during the winter break after graduation. In fact, Cash had been such a popular topic that Nosy Nectar managed to provide several updates while he played minor league baseball in small towns before abandoning his dream of making the big leagues. That Nosy Nectar managed to land any story from Bumfuck, USA, about Cash both delighted and terrified readers about the gossip site's reach.

And Lacey vowed to fix Ashlynn’s string of crappy boyfriends. Her mom’s school secretary deserved so much more. Admittedly, throwing Cash her way was a lottery ticket that likely wouldn’t pay off, but Lacey planned to leave no stone unturned regarding Ashlynn. No matter what, these two will ring in the new year by having fun.

Then, as Lacey searched for her third matchmaking project, she noticed the song playing. Huh? Was this the song Mom picked for me? Lacey pondered as Robert Palmer’s “Addicted To Love” rang out around the ballroom. No! Mom would choose something more fun for my song and not a dig at my matchmaking. Wait…Holy Shit! Did she pick this for Ashlynn?

With that idea bouncing around in her head, Lacey spotted Penn Wexler and Aubrey Dunford grinding together. Another longshot coupling, Lacey chose this more to keep Aubrey occupied, as she might feel lonely after Becky's engagement to Brian. And while Penn had a known cheerleader fetish, Shelly's son also dated blondes almost exclusively. So Aubrey's brown locks could be either a dealbreaker or a refreshing change of pace.

So far, three out of three with arrows from her quiver, the Honey Hollow High's cupid scanned the crowd for her fourth and final target. Okay, not final as she still needed to–Crap! I need to find Summer a boyfriend. Frantically searching for the ginger-haired doctor, Lacey breathed a sigh of relief at locating her. The socially awkward brainiac actually appeared to be having a little fun as Keira and Eva Marie taught her some dance moves. Ooh! Okay, okay, this might be a good thing. Summer can learn to chill with other women while getting comfortable on the dance floor. Perhaps I can push back finding her a guy while she makes progress in these areas.

Then, Lacey spotted Reilly, her mom’s cousin, and her perfect score ended. An easy-going, well-liked assistant district attorney from Rattle Ridge, Reilly McCracken could be considered quite a catch. Unfortunately, in Lacey’s mind, Reilly spent too much time working and not enough dating. The petite redhead also had high hopes that her dad would hire Reilly away someday soon. Sadly, that hope probably ended with the allegations against Clive tonight.

Realizing that only made Lacey's anxiety worse as she saw Reilly dancing with someone definitely not Hillary Swift. How will Ramsey become family if her mom won't follow my plans? Ugh! That woman can be insufferable at times–OH!

Lacey's eyes lit up when she recognized the blonde in the black cocktail dress. A whole wave of conflicting feelings washed over the teen. Wow! That could be quite a swerve…Wait, who am I kidding? Brandy is not at all ready to settle down. That’s why I’ve never played matchmaker for her. Well, that and Brandy can be a bit intimidating. Perhaps Fawn and Reilly…Now, that’s an idea!

A bit bummed over Ramsey’s mom not going along with the plan, Lacey trudged away. She failed to register Fawn shaking to the beat with Leif Thirlby. Despite his role as assistant curator at the Honey Hollow Public Museum, Leif had a reputation for bouncing from one woman to another. A lifestyle that didn’t fit with Fawn. Nor did Lacey realize the wrongness of her internal comment that Leif’s sister, Lotus, looked like a good couple with Ian Thirlby, her cousin.

In fact, Lacey failed to notice many pairings that should've delighted and appalled her as she made her way over to join her friends. How one unfulfilled matchmaking so far could depress Lacey spoke volumes about the troubles she attempted to bury.

Lacey should've watched with joy as two recently engaged couples spent the time wrapped in each other's arms and gazes. Brian/Becky and Gino/Jana represented everything Lacey loved to strive for in her hobby. Nor did she recall that she'd wanted to find happiness for Gino's sister, Brynn. Instead, seeing Sean's cousins only reminded her of her failure with him and Ramsey.

“Oh. My. Gawd!”

Lacey’s squeal didn’t wash away all her worries, but what caused it provided quite the distraction. Obviously, she’d seen the one-sided flirting during dinner and the ceremony. However, she thought Skye to be immune to Cormac’s charms.

Nope. Her cousin and her newest friend moved energetically to the song's beat. And despite Cormac's penchant for unintentionally leaving women heartbroken, Lacey sensed that Skye could be a match for him. She'd already come to view the waitress and wannabe model as a person with a great head on her shoulders.

Could Skye be the one who ropes Cory in? Oh, that’d be incredible!

With a spring back in her step, Lacey reverted to her usual way of seeing the world. She waved at the longtime couple of Heidi and Louis. Abby and Chet got a thumbs-up, while Annika and Mason's fledgling romance earned a coo.

And her step barely staggered at the odd sight of Polly dancing with Howie. That immediately brought to mind Polly’s potential pairing from Wasp Lake. I'd better pick up the slack for Whitney. She vowed to make Newt have fun. And he’s the one who should be with Polly.

The redheaded cupid also noted the remaining time until midnight. I need to organize the proper midnight kisses. Roxie, Rory, and Yumi all need great options. The same goes for the Babybees. And there is Ramsey! She’s not avoiding the special kiss tonight. Oh, and I guess I need to find Austin.

Having to deal with the boyfriend she sent to the doghouse didn't slow down Lacey's festive mood for long. Not with her mom's next selected song kicking in. Even she had to admit that Rachel had done a fine job mixing up regular party favorites to go with songs that might not seem popular to most, but meant everything to her friends growing up. "Tonite's Tha Night" from Kriss Kross happened to be one of those selections as the older generation sang along, while everyone else didn't see the big deal.

Of course, one person her age marveled at Lacey's crazily good knowledge and memory of old song lyrics. The petite redhead snorted a laugh as her fellow highflyer rapped along, raising her arm in the air with two fingers connected.

“See it ain't easy bein' a Mac but somebody gotta do it,” Yumi sang, bringing her hand down to emphasize her point. Then, Yumi tried to get her friends to join her as the chorus kicked in for another of the songs her mom loved to listen to.

Tonight's the night
Please, my whole crew makes g's
Tonight's the night, baby, so blow up on these
Tonight, tonight is the night

Caterina appeared ready to die from embarrassment, while Kaitlin partially covered her face to hide her identity. Roxy and Rory seemed more in the middle ground, with Harley and Beatrice joining Yumi, so she shouldn't be alone.

The combined varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders danced in a large group with guys hovering on the edges. While Lacey loved how her friends could have fun together, she also wished they'd start splitting off with their admirers. You can’t wait until just before midnight, girls!

Any hesitation about joining her cheersisters evaporated as the next song began. They all immediately began searching for Lacey.

“Lace! Get over here!” Katie screamed.

“It’s your song!” Yumi shrieked.

Suddenly, the petite redhead found herself getting dragged toward her cheer squad by members of last year's crop. Molly McSweeney and Yanet Fuentes had one of her arms while peppy (and tipsy) Kelly Nomura matched Yumi with a shout about it being Lacey's song.

Ball-goers unfamiliar with Lacey Stratton might find it odd how cheerleaders flocked over at the song selection, but not to those who knew Lacey's nickname.

Tuesday Brass, Margaret McSweeney, and Jacinda Booth raced over to handle the pre-chorus.

Baby, baby, try to find (Hey, hey, hey)
A little time and I'll make you happy (Hey, hey, hey)
I'll be home, I'll be beside the phone waiting for you
Ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh ooh

Lana, Poppy, Stephanie, and Priscilla made it over in the nick of time. Merritt stayed out of the cheer circle but clapped from its outer edge while singing. Then, the whole swarm of cheerleaders began jumping up and down around Lacey as they sang the chorus. That sent a beaming smile on Lacey's face as tears of joy streamed down her cheeks.

Why do you build me up (Build me up)
Buttercup, baby
Just to let me down? (Let me down)
And mess me around
And then, worst of all (Worst of all)
You never call, baby
When you say you will (Say you will)
But I love you still
I need you (I need you)
More than anyone, darling
You know that I have from the start
So build me up (Build me up)
Buttercup, don't break my heart