Something Fun

Meanwhile, on the floor above, Kenny finished unpacking his two bags, stuffing his clothes away, and putting his few sundries on the dresser top. Despite his little incident with Nicole throwing him for one hell of a loop, he was already moving past it, wondering what things he and his friends could get up to on the mountaintop. The lodge itself surely had plenty of things to do inside; he already remembered Brian talking about a massive rec room and a hot tub for starters. Then, of course, there was what they could do outside: skiing, snowboarding, hiking, exploring; everything sounded great and as relaxing as the next.

Kenny moved out of his bedroom with a smile stuck on his face as he found himself unconsciously admiring the building. Thick, heavy wood and stone made up the walls and ceiling, giving it an old rustic feel, while the interior had a cleaner, modern feel with finished hardwood floors and plank walls. As Kenny made it a few more steps towards the stairs, his ears perked to the sound of a door opening ahead of him. With a trail of giggles, Brian and Anna popped out of their room. "I'm serious. Rachel was so mad, and my dad was fuming," Brian chuckled to the blonde girl, "So, hot chocolate?" Anna nodded back sweetly and moved towards the stairs.

Brian glanced over his shoulder, noticed Kenny, and gave his friend a quick, flashing wink. Kenny let out a mixture of a scoff and laugh and slightly shook his head. He wasn't surprised that Brian was making moves on Anna; it wasn't a secret to him that Brian had a thing for the innocent blonde, especially when he learned she was back on the market. What surprised Kenny was Anna seemingly falling right into it; he half expected Brian to crash and burn immediately. Anna wasn't the type of girl who would fall for something cheap. However, Kenny was basing that thought on the expectation that Brian was being his former player self. On the other hand, If the teen was genuine with Anna, Kenny couldn't be upset...perhaps a little envious. Regardless, Kenny gave Brian a half smile and returned with a thumbs up.

Then, just as Brian turned back around, the three heard what sounded like a shout; moments later, Nicole came all but skipping up the stairs. "Nikki, was that you yelling down there? Everything okay?" Anna swiftly asked in complete concern,

"Everything is perfect, Anna," Nicole smiled back, sounding as chipper as ever, "Nothing to worry about," Anna tilted her head and watched as Nicole instantly made a line right to Kenny, "Clark! Come on, let's go do something! This lodge is big as fuck; gotta be something we can get into!" Nicole urged, grabbing Kenny's arm and playfully yanking him back toward their room.

"Uh...okay, Nikki, sure..." Kenny reluctantly replied as he followed along with the girl while Brian led Anna downstairs. Entering back into their bedroom, Kenny watched Nicole take a big gulp of her coffee and set it down on the table. She hoisted up one of her bags and plopped it on the bed, tearing into it. "Nicole?" Kenny tentatively asked, "You sure you're alright?"

"Never better, Kenny," Nicole replied, the joyous tone of her voice sounding more **** than before,

"You sure?" Kenny pressed, taking a half step forward,

Nicole's head snapped over her shoulder, and she glared at the teen, "I'm fine! Why does everyone keep asking me if I'm okay?! I say I'm fine, so I'm fine! Okay, Kenny, Christ!" Nicole exclaimed,

"Alright, alright, no need to yell," Kenny calmly replied while raising a hand, "I was just worried; I mean, you were just crying while I hugged you like ten minutes ago, and now you're bouncing around without a care, it just threw me for a loop, sorry,"

Nicole exhaled softly, "No...no, I'm sorry, Kenny, I'm...I don't handle shit like this well...I don't like to handle it at all," Nicole admitted with a long exhale, and she yanked out a shirt from her bag,

Kenny gave a small understanding nod, "I can't and won't ever tell you how to handle things. I don't think there is a right way anyone should do it. Just remember you got people who care and have your back,"

Nicole gave a soft, warm smile and nodded again, "Thanks, and as one of the people who has my back, I need your help then," The redhead said as she walked over to Kenny with the shirt draped over her shoulder, "You up for something fun? You got my back, Clark?" She asked expectantly,

"Uh, yeah, Nikki, of course. What did you have in mind?" Kenny asked back with a tilt of his head,

Nicole grinned and held up the shirt, letting Kenny see the graphic on the front. He felt a small drop of sympathy in his stomach as he realized it was a design of Devin's band, "Got this made for that asshole...was going to surprise him with it..." Nicole said, slightly dropping for a moment before she cleared her throat, "Anyway! You and me, we go outside, get a kick-ass fire going and light this fucker up!"

"Oh...You sure you want to --" Kenny attempted to ask, only for Nicole to cut him off abruptly,

"Yes, I want this gone, I want every fucking thing he got me gone too. Come on, don't back out on me now, Ken, not after all the corny shit you just said. Please? It'll make me feel better," Nicole lightly begged, catching Kenny all the more by surprise,

Kenny looked back at Nicole, her begging eyes almost immediately breaking him within a few seconds. Letting out a profound sigh, Kenny nodded, "Okay, if it makes you feel better, sure, I'll help you get a fire started,"

"Awesome! Then we can make some S'mores or some shit," Nicole laughed, "I knew I could count on you, Clark; you're alright," She playfully added while giving him a light sock on the shoulder,

"Heh, yeah...want me to uh...ask anyone else to come out with us?" Kenny asked with an uncertain look,

Nicole rolled her head and hummed as she thought it over, "Hmmm...I guess so; as long as I get to see this shit turn to ashes, I'm good," She finished giving Kenny a short once over, "So, let's get the fire going first, do this, and then we can bring the others. Cool?"

Kenny felt his heart skip as he noticed Nicole's eyes looking him over, "Y-Yeah, okay, no problem. I'll...see you out there," He quickly added with a cough while snatching his coat and tossing it on,

"Sounds good; I got a few other things to grab first anyway," Nicole happily finished while turning back and returning to her bag.