An Endless List of Options

“I can teach you, but I have to charge.”

Those mouthed words barely registered as the dirty blonde's seductive blue eyes disappeared as she rotated her front away from Fletcher. Instead, the usually confident and flirtatious high school playboy found himself tongue-tied as his hungry eyes sized up the magnificently slender body of Number Four on his College list. With arms raised high in the air, the coed standing just outside of his personal space thrust her incredibly toned ass out as she danced to the beat. The combination of her loose, transparent dress and the sharp, quick movements of her hips had Fletch fantasizing that his stepsister's friend was a belly dancer. Or his personal concubine.

“I know you want it,” Kirsten “Kiki” Heeter mouthed over her shoulder at the enchanted teen.

Suddenly, Fletch felt a large pair of breasts rub against his back. However, before he could turn his head to discern the woman’s identity, Zaylie Dunday slid her body around until she stood directly in front of him. The move caused her pair of barely contained D-cups, along with their hard nipples, to drag across his back, his arm, and finally his chest until the voluptuous beach blonde stood pressed against his body.

Then, as Number Five on his College list threw her hands around his neck, Fletch noticed Number Four turn back around to push her body up against Zaylie. A hitch in the teen’s breathing occurred as Zaylie glanced over her shoulder with a sultry grin at Kiki. No imagination was needed as Fletch could clearly tell that the part-time stripper rubbed her perky C-cups against her friend’s back. Suddenly, straight out of his fantasies, Kiki leaned forward to plant a soft, sensual kiss on Zaylie’s lips. Immediately, the teen’s heartbeat rocketed off to the clouds as the buxom blonde sandwiched before him turned to pull Fletcher’s face down into the valley of her cleavage.

“Warm it up,” Zaylie breathed teasily.

“The girls are waiting,” Kiki added, playfully changing the song’s lyrics.

And with visions of a dream threesome racing through Fletcher’s mind, it came to a crashing stop as a pair of hands shoved each hottie enough to nudge them away from him. With a painful erection already in place, Fletcher shot an annoyed glare at the rainbow that didn’t bring him a pot of gold. Instead, the pixie bore more of her usual cockblocking.

“Stop teasing my little brother,” Poppy admonished her friends, whirling into the picture in her rainbow-sequined minidress. “He’s nowhere near ready to handle just one of you.”

“Stepbrother,” Fletcher corrected angrily with a hiss.

“Yeah, it’s our turn with Fletch,” said a pair of perky tits poking through their powder blue knit dress. She immediately swung around a hip to rub against the teen.

“Eww, no! He’s your cousin, Steph!” Poppy reminded her closest friend with a horrified expression. Then, turning to face her stepbrother while mumbling about Step drinking too much, Poppy commanded, “Go dance with somebody your own age.”

“Distant cousin!” Fletcher clarified as Poppy dragged Stephanie away while also herding Kiki and Zaylie toward the rest of their friends.

Left alone, Fletcher began to turn as he scanned the dance floor around him.

La la, la la, la
Warm it up
La la, la la, la
The boys are waiting
La la, la la, la
Warm it up
La la, la la, la
The boys are waiting

The first batch of women he found dancing wasn’t around his age. No, they were somewhat older than Poppy and her college-age friends. Even more enticingly, several of the women were his teachers.

Tuesday Brass, Fletcher’s French teacher, sure wasn’t acting like a teacher right now. The cherry-haired ex-cheer captain appeared to have lost all inhibitions as her body shook to the beat. Hands roamed up and down her curves, usually touching skin as the teacher’s barely-there slip of a blue dress left a lot exposed. And Fletch’s desire for the second-ranked woman on his Teacher list inflamed as Tuesday grabbed the ends of her short, loose dress, lifting the garment up as she danced to reveal her upper thighs, spectacular ass, and matching blue thong.

It didn't come as any surprise to see Lupita Cerrito, Tuesday's cheer captain successor, not only egging her friend on but also attempting to match her. Matching, if not outclassing, the redhead proved difficult for the sexy Latina as her skin-tight minidress didn't allow for much movement. Still, Fletcher's mouth watered a bit at watching Lupita's attempts.

Damn! Sure, Destiny was a great cheerleader to have my first time with, but maybe I should’ve been more ambitious and gone up a grade level. I mean…fuck!

Spotting Simone Savoy, the school secretary and assistant dance coach, and Wanda Zee, the school nurse and head dance coach, mimicking the moves of two ex-cheerleaders wasn't also a shock. The two women remained active with their coaching, and as former Sugarbees, they weren't about to be shown up by present or past cheerleaders.

Fletcher's gaze lingered on Miss Zee for a moment. As Number Three on his Teacher list, the auburn-haired beauty felt like the second most likely option for sexual success after Tuesday. Simone hadn't made the top five yet. Fletcher's Teacher list was pretty stacked, and Simone also didn't feel like a teacher as the secretary was still only twenty-three. Tuesday might be the same age, but she rocketed up his list last year partly due to her mother sitting at the top spot in Fletch's mind.

In fact, the woman bumped off his Teacher list last year to the sixth spot was the one that surprised him the most right now. Fawn Graff, the cute school librarian, had handfuls of the red skirt portion of her dress and lifted it up as she bent forward to shake her ass. Although he'd yet to see her panties or ass, the show was getting pretty close. Enough that Fawn's behavior might cause Fletch to reevaluate his Teacher list after tonight. Of course, the best way to **** a reordering would be to check a teacher off the list after sleeping with her.

It appeared that the leggy blonde in the skimpy LBD was the one encouraging Miss Graff to let loose. Recalling that the woman was Sean Tarver’s aunt, Fletcher marveled at the genetics in that family. Now, she looks like fun. As he did so, Fletch’s gray eyes traveled down the line to the other blonde that Brandy Fallon encouraged to let loose.

"Damn, I should've made a move when the other guys did. I got dance skills and my special brand of charm," Fletcher grumbled as his gaze ran up the high slit in Peyton Tarver's dress. The younger leggy blonde had always been one of Poppy's more aloof friends but in a friendlier way than, say, Sloane or even Lana. Recalling the days when Peyton's tight ass bounced up and down regularly on the volleyball court, Fletch wondered if he could pull a rabbit out of a hat and ring in the new year with the current town hero's older sister. "That would be…"

With the attention span of a dog, Fletcher’s thoughts about spiking Peyton into his bed vanished as he turned his head enough to see a trio of girls dancing together. All three were dressed to the nines for the charity ball. Appearances mattered greatly to the trio and to their families. That’s why Cheyenne, Quilla, and Lux occupied the third to fifth spots on his Hate Fuck list.

As members of prominent Bumble families, the girls had long been an annoyance, if not a thorn in Fletcher's side. Ever since childhood, the trio had been rude, if not insulting, to the blacklisted bastard of the Wynwicks. Only in the moments when nobody else watched did their clique drop the opinionated act when dealing with Fletcher.

Still, Fletcher wasn’t one to ignore the hotness level of a girl. Nor would he ignore how awesome it would be to make one of the stuck-up bitches scream his name over and over. So Cheyenne, Quilla, and Lux had been added to the Hate Fuck list. Although Fletch rated the girls equally, he didn’t want a three-way tie, so he’d ended up slotting them in their spots from most to least busty.

The word is that Quilla has her family's penthouse suite all to herself tonight. Wouldn't the new year be something if I put a scare into the Bumble parents by seducing a few of their daughters? And I bet if word gets out, I could knock down a few of the Bumble Girls that I don't mind.

A mischievous grin formed on Fletcher's face as an idea sparked to life. If he spread the word about an afterparty in Quilla's suite, she couldn't refuse entry to the life of any school party, could she? Hmm, should I go after one, two, or all three? A foursome? Never had one of those. Fletcher ignored the fact that his past efforts to even set up a threesome had never succeeded yet.

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard
And they're like, it's better than yours
Damn right, it's better than yours
I can teach you, but I have to charge
My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard
And they're like, it's better than yours
Damn right, it's better than yours
I can teach you, but I have to charge

Suddenly, Fletcher’s gaze shifted again as he found a pair of delicious-looking milkshakers doing their thing. They jiggled with an occasional bounce while clad in a stretchy velvet, off-the-shoulder minidress. Extremely low-cut at this point in the night, and with padded cups working similarly to a pushup bra, Bianca’s large breasts increasingly threatened to escape the dress’s confines with each bounce. And Bianca danced energetically, causing many bounces, as she sought to compete for the attention of every man in the ballroom.

Under normal circumstances, a tight, skimpy dress clinging to Bianca's big tits and toned ass would draw the lustful attention of all the boys over any of the other girls at her school. Usually, Bianca's main competition came from fellow Sugarbees or their hated cheer rivals. Delilah would win as the more talented dancer, with Whitney likely outdueling Bianca in the sexiness category. However, for this song's dance opponent, Bianca recalled those old battery commercials with the bunny that kept on going and going.

For no one could outmatch Iona for sheer hyperactivity or endurance. The soccer star player was known as Honey Hollow High's Energizer Bunny as she never seemed to tire. And she currently had a burst of energy unlike any ever seen by many ballgoers. Outfitted in a strapless, sequined brown minidress, Iona kept tugging the garment up in a constant battle as her high hopping to the beat threatened to slip it to the floor.

Well aware that years of soccer had toned her legs and ass in works of art, the brunette put them on display as she bent over several times between her hopping. Once Iona had assumed the proper position, she unleashed rounds of twerking that left many of her classmates speechless.

Fletcher definitely fell into that category. A failed baseball player, Fletch often teased his close friend Billy Clawfoot about his choice to play soccer besides baseball. In the teen's mind, soccer was boring as fuck as all you did was chase around a ball on a field that you never caught. Yet, the same description could be applied to Fletcher's pursuit of Iona. He'd pursued the nimble brunette for years. Steady failure left her parked in the third spot on his original Classmates list.

Now, with Iona stealing the moment’s spotlight from a stewing Bianca, Fletcher vowed to mesmerize his classmate with a dazzling performance that would leave her waking up at his side in the morning. Of course, Fletch’s latest plan needed more than a conclusion. I guess I better hurry up and think of a song to bribe the DJ to play. And I probably need a few awesome dance moves to impress Iona with.

Although Fletcher didn't have a list of the greatest buzzkills in his life, one person definitely outranked his stepsister. That person delivered a move that spotlighted the teen when Sienna stormed over to shove her cousin to the ground. A number of dancers, including Iona, paused their movements to check out the cause of the commotion before rolling their eyes or shrugging their shoulders. The sight of Fletcher and Sienna bickering wasn't anything new or unique, so they all resumed dancing.

“The hell!” Fletcher complained, looking up from his spot on the floor.

“You know what you did!” Sienna screeched with hands on her hips as she bent over to glare at her cousin.

“I didn’t do anything!”

“You **** Rylee to dance. How could you?!” Sienna challenged, removing one hand from her hip to wag a finger down at his face.

“You know, it wouldn’t kill you to pick a dress that showed off more cleavage for once. I’m down here in the perfect spot and nada,” Fletcher complained as his grin and composure returned.

“How dare you?! This isn’t a joke. Rylee is a delicate—”

“She’s not fragile.”

“Nor is she a prop for you–”

'Oh, shut up, princess. Rylee is fine, and you know it," Fletcher stated, removing himself from the floor.

“You don’t know that! Where is she?”

“Perhaps if you weren’t busy trying to lure Hansel and Gretel into your gingerbread house, you would’ve noticed that Rylee is dancing with her brother right now,” Fletcher remarked, referencing his cousin’s sleeveless, floor-length emerald green gown with its matching floor-length, transparent cape. “And if you must know, Reece even thanked me for getting Rylee to have a little fun.”

Fletcher took momentary pleasure as the revelation of Rylee’s whereabouts left Sienna speechless. Of course, the school’s ice queen wasn’t flummoxed for long.

“I’m warning you–”

“Oh, no, what are you going to do to me now?” Fletcher inquired sarcastically while acting frightened. “Wait! I got an idea! How about letting Dorothy follow the yellow brick road to the Wizard so that you can use the extra time to pick a better guy than Charlie Cork?”

“So that’s it! You used Rylee to get back at me for dancing with your ‘archrival,’ didn’t you? You are so dead!”

Fletcher managed to dodge the 4-inch heel that Sienna thrust downward to stab his foot. Assuming a slight crouch, the dark-haired teen motioned several times to his left and right in fakeouts before darting around the blonde and her deadly feet to his right side. Resorting to their younger days, Fletcher reached down from behind to grab the full-length emerald cape. After tossing it over Sienna's head, Fletcher stood in front of his cousin while he watched her struggle to free herself while not ruining her styled hair.

“I should be thanked, not attacked. Not only did I help Ryls loosen up for a few minutes, but I also stopped Denny from escaping your mob of angry ladies. If it wasn’t for me, who knows where that fiend might have spread those nudes?”

“Fake! They were fake!” Sienna exclaimed, her face reappearing as her cape fell back into its proper position. “And you merely ran into Denny. I’m not as gullible as the rest of those twits. You did nothing but get in the way as always.”

"Fibber! Fibber! Si-Si tells fibs!" Fletcher yelled, pointing wildly at his cousin while calling her one of the countless nicknames he'd used over the years. He took a little pleasure in noticing how his current antics and the cape maneuver had drawn moderate attention to them.

“I’m not the one that lies. I’m the one that dealt with Denny,” Sienna stated coldly before adding a sinister smirk.

“Huh?” Fletcher sounded, feeling thrown off a bit by that smirk. “What does that even mean–”

“Can’t you two get along for once in your lives?”

Fiona Wynwick wore an annoyed and weary expression as she stopped beside her son and niece. Fletcher had been needling Sienna since they could crawl, and her niece had been ordering around her son once they started talking. Sometimes, they reminded Fiona of her own sibling relationship with Sela. However, she was six years younger than her older sister. Fletcher and Sienna only had a few months difference between them.

“Mom! Si-Si is attempting to maim me!”

“He **** Rylee to dance with him, Aunt Fiona!”

“Is that why you’re causing another scene?” Fiona questioned. She fought the urge to place her head in her palms as the two bickered like siblings.

“She doesn’t appreciate that I stopped a kid from passing her nude pictures around. I’m a goddamn hero, Mom.”

“Sienna!” Fiona gasped.

“Fake! They were fakes! And they weren’t just of me. Denny had lots of girls in our class, even teachers,” Sienna insisted.

“Would you two act your age?! I saw Rylee dancing, Sienna. She looked fine. So stop attacking your cousin,” Fiona ordered before turning to face her now grinning son. “And stop acting like a five-year-old with your cousin’s cape. You’re still in trouble with those stories you told during the ceremony.”

“I was buying time after Whitney freaked out. Nobody wanted to listen to Olena, and that’s what I stopped,” Fletcher argued.

“Just stop!” This time, Fiona found Sienna with the satisfied smile. “That goes for you too.”

“I didn’t do anything,” the younger blonde declared, crossing her arms.

“Tonight is about honoring Cassie and raising money for the new foundation. It’s not for our extended family to act like fools. The only thing so far keeping you at number two for tonight is Stephanie’s obsession with pulling down dresses,” Fiona remarked, gesturing at her son.

“Which we missed because Her Worshipfulness here thought she had to dress up to poison Snow White. Wait, you better not be after the dwarfs. No cousin of mine is going to be bigoted against little people. Got that?”

“That’s enough, Fletcher,” Fiona growled.

“This is what I deal with daily,” Sienna pointed out.

“Me? It wouldn’t kill you to dress like a normal girl for a party. Show a little skin or something,” Fletcher countered.

“Stop it! Gawd, how can Kermit’s children be the normal ones here for our family?”

“Ooh! I saved a damsel in distress from Chance!”

“What?” Fiona and Sienna questioned.

"Yep, I helped Finn–the man of the hour, you know–and sweet, sweet Lacey save a girl. What was her name? Brynn! That's right, it was Brynn Tarver. No…her name wasn't Tarver, but I think she is Sean's cousin. Whatever. But Chance had her in his arms, which freaked Finn and Lacey out. Wait, something about her mother possibly freaking out. Not that–"

“Yes, I know who you’re talking about,” Fiona revealed, interrupting her son before he droned on.

“Have you reconsidered my ADHD medication recommendation, Aunt Fiona?”

“Don’t start, Sienna, or I’ll go find your mother,” Fiona snapped. “Now, the party is nearly over, so can you two please behave until then? Let another family ruin the charity ball.”

A high-pitched scream pierced the music.

“Ah, Mother, you’re clairvoyant,” Fletcher said, already moving his neck to peer around for the cause of the ruckus.

---

“Palmer!”

“Same shit, different day, huh, Wink?” Kessler commented.

The linebacker stood beside the cheerleader table as the Babybees pampered the kicker. Each of the girls had split up their duties with barely any conversation. Zara had gone for the glass of ice water at Yumi's insistence on proper hydration. Additionally, Kizzy made Harley help her fetch some hors d'oeuvres as she proclaimed that Winkie needed fuel to recover. YoYo handled the neck massage as she felt Will needed to loosen up. Finally, Beatrice rushed over while glancing behind her to place several new bandages on the table so that they could replace Winkie's current one.

“Did you steal those?” Kizzy asked, somewhat in awe.

“Shhh!” Beatrice shushed her cheermate. “Yo’s the one that told me where to find them.”

"Don't look at me," Yolanda said moments before the scream. "Zoey saw them earlier in the supply closet when they stole stuff for that prank."

"Quiet!" Zoey hissed as she returned with a guest who caused all the Babybees to hush.

“She’s so pretty, and those boobs,” Kizzy muttered in despair as Dr. Summer Mayfield unwrapped Will’s bloody bandage.

“Eww!” YoYo squealed at the sight of the blood.

“I don’t understand. The wound looks to be healing properly. There are no signs of infection. Do you see any puss that I missed, young lady? No, then please do not distract me with your squeamish behavior,” Summer responded, studying the wound further after she wiped away the minor amount of blood. “Yes, I see they used a staple rather than a stitch for your injury. It appears fractionally loose.”

“Should we go find a stapler?” Kizzy inquired.

"Perhaps you should find a jar of leaches as well," Summer replied. Then, she scanned the teens as they gasped in horror. Somewhere nearby, a girl could be heard sniffling. "My apologies. I have attempted to work on my bedside manner according to Dr. Tarver's wishes. That was a joke. No, we do not need a common office stapler. I shall just apply some pressure while re-bandaging the wound. The staple appears stable enough to get through the night, if not until it fully heals."

Winkie’s sharp shriek of pain as Summer pushed down on his palm was overshadowed by the much louder scream from nearby. All at once, the younger teens lifted their heads at the name yelled and the voice behind that bellow.

“Katie!”

“Who else screams her boyfriend’s name like that?” YoYo replied, rolling her eyes at Kizzy.

“Shit! We promised,” Beatrice blurted out.

“Language. That is no way for a minor to–” Summer scolded before her voice was drowned out.

“Miss Tarver’s going to kill us! No more drama. That’s what she ordered!” Kizzy squeaked as the Babybees jumped to their feet.

“We have to stop your sister!” Beatrice stated the obvious as they raced off.

“I swear it’s just a dance, Katie,” Brennah Karpinski said. The volleyball player had already started backing away from Palmer Malloy. “I thought you two broke up.”

“Oh, we’re over,” Kaitlin stated in a clear, emotionless voice. “And we’re good, Brennah.”

“C’mon, Kate. What’s wrong now? Can’t I dance with–”

“Geez, lighten up, Beal,” Bobby Hooper interrupted, sticking up for his best friend.

“Stay out of this, Half-a-Minute Hopper!” Caterina commanded.

“What?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Should I conjure up a better nickname that describes how Bobby blows his load in thirty seconds?” Cat challenged as snickers and chuckles rang out around them.

“What’s wrong is that you once again no-showed until the last second,” Kaitlin continued, shooting a glare at Cat for interrupting. “Then, I find you again dancing with a girl that’s not me. I’m sick of your games and disrespect, Palmer. Honestly, I can’t believe I put up with it for the last two years.”

“Has it been two years? All the girls blend together. I can’t keep them straight,” Palmer said.

Gasps sounded.

"You son of a bitch!" Caterina shrieked. She started to move forward, but Kaitlin blocked her calmly with an arm.

“Stay calm. Stay calm,” Roxanne reminded in a soothing tone.

“Yumi, hand me your ice water,” Kaitlin directed.

"I really shouldn't. You're going to pour the water on him, aren't you?" Yumi asked, recalling what Cat had recently done to Oscar.

“Give it to her,” Cat ordered.

"I promise that I won't pour the water on him," Kaitlin said, never taking her eyes off Palmer's smug face. "Thank you."

The Babybees arrived behind the older cheerleaders at this moment. Most were pleasantly surprised that Kaitlin appeared to be acting calmly. But Kizzy knew her sister too well.

“No drama, Katie. Remember–”

“This is for saying that Lacey is a slut!” the older Beal sister bellowed as she whipped the glass at her ex-boyfriend.

“Oww!” Palmer cried as the glass bounced off his cheek with a thud before crashing to the floor and shattering.

“Motherfucker!” Kaitlin roared, rushing forward to punch Palmer squarely in the eye.

Chaos erupted.

Unknown to the current cheer squads, several past cheerleaders had walked over to monitor the situation. Former co-captain and current grade school teacher Margaret McSweeney quickly motioned for her sister, Molly, to grab one of Cat's arms. Yanet Fuentes, YoYo's older sister, grabbed the other arm while Becky Horton stepped before Caterina to block any momentum.

Roxanne and Yumi darted forward to stop Kaitlin.

“No drama, Katie, no drama!” Kizzy shrieked, jumping onto her sister’s back.

“Get off me, brat!” Kaitlin commanded. The older Beal sister attempted to dislodge the younger sibling by spinning around. However, her move only served to knock Roxie to the floor. Yumi managed to avoid the swinging leg.

“Think happy thoughts, Katie. Think happy thoughts!” the sweet cheerleader chanted as her eyes teared up.

"We promised Peyton! No more drama," Kizzy yelled, finally covering Kaitlin's eyes with her hands. "Harley, find some rope!"

“I saw twine before!” YoYo recalled.

“No rope! No twine!” Beatrice countermanded. She’d already swatted a phone out of someone’s hands as she dreaded what Whitney would say if she saw the footage.

“What the fuck?!” Petyon roared.

The Babybees, as a whole, gulped as they saw Sir Sean's older sister march over with a furious expression. Behind her came several of her friends, both from childhood and college. Only Nate Toone wore a bemused expression.

“I have it under control, Miss Tarver!” Kizzy insisted as Kaitlin swung them around in a slow circle. The older sibling's eyes were still covered.

“Right! No more drama,” YoYo joined in to sell the lie.

Forcing a smile, Harley nodded.

“Don’t come crawling back to me, Kate. You bitches are as crazy as your mom,” Palmer said, unable to avoid a parting insult.

“Fuck you, Palmface!” Kizzy yelled.

The younger cheerleader waited for her sister to swing her around one more time. On this pass, she lunged her leg out in a strong kick, connecting with Palmer's face. The strength of the blow sent the asshole ex-boyfriend flying to the floor.

“I’m sorry, Peyton,” Kizzy said, dropping to the floor as she also discarded the Miss Tarver title.

"Don't be," Peyton said, marching toward the fallen Palmer. Placing a foot on his chest, she glared down at him. "You weren't invited tonight. You're not welcome here. So get the fuck out!"

Palmer tried to save face and a bit of his reputation by hopping to his feet after Peyton turned away. Any intentions of getting in another last word vanished as a hand firmly clutched his shoulder.

“I wouldn’t try that,” Nate stated.

Bobby moved to free his friend, but an unlikely ally stepped forward to block him.

“You heard Peyton. Both of you need to leave,” Reece Kittle said.

“But it’s a crazy ice storm out–”

“And nobody cares if you slip and break your neck,” Poppy responded.

"I-I-I'm s-so-sorry," Kaitlin sobbed. " I sh-should've con-controlled myself."

“Hey, don’t cry. It wasn’t your fault. I've never liked Palmer. He’s always been an egotistical asshole,” Peyton reassured the upset teen.

“I failed you, Miss Tarver. I’m sorry,” Kizzy apologized with a glum expression. “I’ll notify Whitney that I’m not responsible enough to care for Sir Sean.”

"Don't think that, Miss Beal. When I return to school, I need my number two to care for my brother. Besides, I know Harley will always be at your side as backup," Peyton remarked, smiling at the redhead. "Now, I think it's time for you girls to call it night. You all must be exhausted."

“By the stars! I finally found the right party,” a new voice announced.

Everybody turned to find an eccentric, quirky girl holding her palms together in front of her face in joy.

"Dreama!" several cheerleaders exclaimed upon seeing the junior cheerleader.

“Where have you been, young lady?” Zara questioned, reversing roles with her big cheersister.

“Wait, am I at the correct party? Those two were at the first wrong party,” Dreama noted, pointing at Palmer and Bobby.

“Just how many wrong parties did you go to?” Roxanne inquired.

"Three? Four? There was Milner's, and then I ran into Saylor and Mercedes. Boy, Mercedes wasn't happy to see me."

“You went to the Bumble party?” Beatrice asked in shock.

“Is that why I felt such negative energy? It’s so much more positive here,” Dreama stated, looking up at the ceiling.

“Seriously? You just walked in on a fight,” Roxie pointed out.

“Of course, it’s happy here. Dreama is reunited with us!” Yumi cheered.

“But we’re going upstairs,” Zara reminded her friends.

“I could use a comfortable bed. The elements are unhappy outside,” Dreama continued.

“Ooh, we can have a sleepover to cheer Katie up!” Yumi exclaimed, gesturing to both squads. “Sleepover! Sleepover!”

“Great idea! Ariel, you can join us. The same for Zoey and her friends,” Beatrice suggested, deciding to take charge of the idea.

After a half-hug from Peyton, Roxanne and Yumi led Kaitlin toward the lobby. YoYo and Beatrice were dispatched to gather any items the older cheerleaders left behind. Zara stayed by her big cheersister's side to ensure Dreama wouldn't get lost. And Zoey checked in with Winnie and Robin to see if they wanted to join the cheerleaders.

“C’mon, Cat!” Yumi yelled back.

“Dammit, now my night is ruined. Fuck that Palmer and his bullshit. Now I won't get laid tonight,” Caterina complained loudly.

Only when she turned around to make sure that plenty of people heard her complaint did Cat catch Harley giving her a knowing stare. Glancing around, Cat leaned in to whisper at her little cheersister.

“You saw nothing and no nothing. Understand?”

“Sure. For all we know, you attempted to **** Sean in the storeroom. At least that’s what Kizz was worried about,” Harley mumbled before Cat grabbed her by the elbow.

---

Fletcher observed Aurora and Kieran part reluctantly with a soft kiss. As Rory raced to catch up to her cheerleader friends, Kieran shook his head as he scanned the ballroom for his cousin. No doubt, he’d have to clean up another mess for Palmer. And while Kieran didn’t spot his cousin, Fletcher knew where to find him and Bobby.

So, with the recent images of a crying Kaitlin getting led away fresh in his mind, Fletcher mulled over a course of action. Not only was Katie on his Classmates list at Number Two, but he also liked her as a person. Fletcher also couldn’t stand Palmer.

A punch and a kick in the face don't feel like enough punishment. Palmer deserves more. And since Sienna claims I'm not a hero for knocking down Denny, maybe I can do the right thing for Katie.

Scanning the ballroom for support, Fletcher dismissed his best friend immediately. Paige had never liked adventures of this type. Neither did Wesley, but he’d often manage to pull his other bookworm friend along. However, Wesley and Billy weren’t at the ball. So that left either his next tier of friends or family. And when committing a possible crime, it was better to drag in a family member.

So, as he walked over to one hulking cousin, Fletcher sent off a message to Seth.

“Yo, Bert, did you see what Palmer just did? Poor Kaitlin. She’s too nice a girl to treat that way. Wanna help me get a bit of justice for her?”

“Sure, Fletch! I don’t like seeing pretty girls cry.”

“Neither do I. So let’s put a smile on Katie’s face.”