The Calm Before the Storm

The Calm Before the Storm

*****

Zack watched the girls exit the stairwell and immediately knew something was wrong. He saw the worried expression on Chloe's face, the distraught look on Madison, and the way Meagan seemed to be trying to cheer them up.

He stopped Brandon from from going over to badger Madison by telling him that Madison's problem were 'girl stuff' and he was surprised that that was all it took for him to calm down. He watched Brandon go back to talking with Trent and Kurt and managed to glimpse the look of relief on Trent's face.

As Chloe led Madison to the kitchen Meagan came over and quickly let him in on the secret. "Looks like Trent and Madison had something going on yesterday," Meagan whispered to Zack. She was oblivious to his previous encounters with Madison and only knew what Chloe had blurted out the other day, basically that Madison had a thing for Zack.

"Yeah, I noticed," Zack whispered back. He felt guilty about that. He had been 'this close' to having something with Madison before everything in his life turned inside out again and he ended up opening his eyes to Chloe. He knew he would never go back on his decision to be with Chloe. But, at the same time, he felt bad about not being able to talk to Madison. He felt like he had let her down by not talking to her and explaining himself.

"Well," Meagan started, her eyes darting to Madison and Trent for a moment, "Trent ended up fucking Hannah instead and-" Zack's eyes almost bulged out of his head. The news caught him by surprise. He felt a little uneasy hearing about it, at some level, he had come to accept that nothing serious was going to happen with Hannah. Like she had said, they were 'friends-with-benefits' and that was the most Zack could expect from her. He couldn't deny that it had been a disappointment. Yet another crush shattered by reality. At least with Chloe it felt really real.

What hurt him more was the disappointment that Madison must be feeling. He had disappointed her and now Trent had done the same. No wonder she was distraught. Chloe was going to kill him.

"-so can you help keep Brandon distracted?" Meagan asked and Zack realized that he had zoned out. Still, he managed to get the gist of it, keep Brandon distracted from Madison.

"Sure, I'll keep Brandon away," Zack assured her 'and Trent' he promised himself. He wished he could do more for Madison. He wished he could make it up to Madison.

*****

Taylor corralled the girls in the kitchen. The chaos in the kitchen seemed to mirror the emotional undertones among the teens but especially among the girls. Most were in high spirits even as some struggled to work through their emotions.

Vicky was riding on a wave of euphoria even as the reality of last night and this morning started to sink in and she wondered what her place was with Ashley and Brandon, if there was one. Meagan managed to show the same upbeat attitude she used on the soccer field when she was trying to keep the team spirits high. Madison did the same, using her experience with the Drama Club to pretend everything was alright, only Chloe and Meagan knew it wasn't.

Taylor raised an eyebrow as she watched Hannah be more helpful than she usually was. Sure, her best friend usually sat on the counter making a nuance of herself and only helping when they dragged her off it and ordered her to help. Now she was actively helping without the usual threats of ****. She didn't even mind today's t-shirt.

"How were things here last night," Hannah asked almost innocently, but the mischievous hit of a smile easily showed Taylor that the question wasn't that innocent.

Taylor squinted her eyes as she gave Hannah a sideways glance. It was a trap, she knew it was. She just didn't know what kind of trap. "Things were great!" Taylor answered nonchalantly, "Except... we were worried about you guys."

"We were fine, once Gavin got himself sorted out," Hannah said stacking plates and napkins to take to the table. "The kid's tougher than he looks. He really took care of us." Hannah teased her friend.

"What did you do to him!" Taylor hissed angrily. The surprised look Hannah gave her only made her angrier, "Didn't you learn anything."

"Jeez Tay! Will you calm your tits down," Hannah said exasperated, "You're not due for at least another week," she paused and counted on her fingers before adding, "10 days!"

"This has nothing to do with my cycle!" Taylor hissed, "What's wrong with you!"

"FYI, Like I said before, I didn't do anything to Gavin, " Hannah whispered and tilted her head towards Gavin who had the tired but sheepish grin, of someone who got really lucky last night, "Go ask Meagan and Heather what they did to him."

"Meagan is a lesbian and Gavin's not Heather's type and you know it!" Taylor glared at Hannah convinced she had caught her in a lie.

"I know! It's crazy! Can you believe it!" Hannah said raising her eyebrows, she had been truly amazed by what she had found out on the way back, "I didn't believe it either when Heather told me! I never thought he had it in him."

"You're serious?" Taylor asked realizing that Hannah wasn't trying to pull a fast one on her, "You're really serious?" Taylor watched Hannah nod as she tried to keep from grinning, "Heather and Gavin?"

"And Meagan," Hannah said opening her eyes wide open as she nodded, "Don't forget about the lesbian part."

"I can't believe it," Taylor said flabbergasted by the revelation. For a moment Taylor paused as she took in the information. Never in a million years would she have guessed that Gavin would ever have something with Heather, and least of all with Meagan. 'Guess danger really is an aphrodisiac,' Taylor mused as she worked through Hannah's revelation. "You really didn't do anything last night?" Taylor asked after a few moments.

"Oh, of course I did!" Hannah assured her with her usual smirk, "I got my butt fucked just like you did."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Taylor said with the best deadpan expression she could muster as she tried to escape the upcoming Hannah Inquisition.

Hannah leaned close enough to squish her tits into Her best friend's back. She playfully smacked Taylor's butt making it jiggle and whispered into her ear, "This butt says it got a nice reaming from Peter last night,"

"Jealous," Taylor shot back with a triumphant smirk as she gathered the pitcher and glasses to take to the table. She knew, that at least with this one thing, it was something Hannah hadn't done with Peter. It was silly and she hated to admit it, but it did give her a sense of pride to one-up Hannah on her own turf.

Hannah shrugged, trying to dismiss it as unimportant but Taylor knew her friend well enough to know that she was feeling a little jealous, "Nah, just wish I had been there for your first time, you know, give you some pointers and such." Hannah said trying to downplay her curiosity about how anal sex was with Peter.

"It wasn't," Taylor said smugly as she turned away and for a moment, left Hannah speechless.

"Wait? It wasn't? What do you mean by that!!' Hannah sputtered as she chased after Taylor "You never told me about that! Tay! Tay! Don't walk away from me! I'm talking to you! Tay! Come back here!"

At the other end of the cabin, Zack sat at the head of the dinner table with Peter next to him, "Looks like things are working out." Peter told Zack as he watched the antics between the two girls.

"How do you put up with it?" Zack asked curiously. He always wondered how Peter dealt with Taylor and Hannah when their antics flared up.

"Mostly I just let them work it out," Peter shrugged, "The hard part is knowing when to stop them before it starts to go too far."

*****

It was almost mid-afternoon when the teens started to gather around the dinner table, none of them noticed how the storm clouds had once again started to darken the sky outside. Inside most of the teens were in good spirits, most of them.

"Come on. Sit with us," Chloe whispered to Madison and she led her towards the end where Zack had taken his usual seat.

"But-," Madison tried to protest but she really didn't have the will to do so. She let Chloe lead her over, where else could she sit. At least it was the farthest place from Brandon and probably Trent also.

Madison sat down, one seat away from Zack, leaving the empty spot in the middle for Chloe, and briefly wondered where everyone else would sit. As she sat there she noticed Trent glancing at her and saw him moving towards her. She felt her nerves stiffen. She wanted to lash out at him for picking Hannah over her last night, but she was just too tired to fight anymore. She had practically handed herself on a platter for him and... 'Who am I kidding,' she thought sadly to herself, 'Might as well go off to a convent or let Dad pick some old fat slob to be my husband.'

Zack saw Trent angle towards the seat next to Madison and he quickly shifted to sit next to her. Has Trent approached them Zack pointed out, "That's Chloe's seat?"

Trent looked confused for a moment. Still, he decided to ignore Zack's comment and focus on Madison. "Hey Maddie, Can I sit here?" He asked pulling the chair back.

"Hey! That's my spot!" Chloe called out as she slipped between Trent and Madison to sit next to her. "And that's Meagan's spot," she added pointing to the chair next to her as she shooed him away.

Trent frowned and looked at the empty chairs across the table but Peter quickly picked up on the mood and pointed out the two seats next to him and simply said, "Taylor and Hannah."

He looked around at the group as Meagan pushed her way to her seat, Chloe and Zack both seemed to wave him off with a smug smile while Madison just glared at him. Confusion was written all over his face at the turn of events. He thought he was making progress with Maddie but the sudden cold shoulder caught him off guard. He quickly glanced over at Brandon and was relieved that he was busy talking with Ashley with Vicky hovering nearby them and decided to go over and sit with Brandon. Behind him, he heard the distinct sound of the girls giggling behind his back.

*****

Kurt stood looking around for a place to sit. It was quickly becoming apparent that the best spot he could get would be next to Heather or Hannah. Watching Trent get shooed off made him decide to make his move towards Hannah first and try his luck.

"Hey babe," He said trying to be nonchalant as he leaned in to talk to Hannah. He kept glancing down at her t-shirt. She had tied off her t-shirt to show off her firm, flat abs, and her full breast stretched out the words written on. "My Sexual Preference is Often."

Hannah glanced at Kurt with distain and said, "I only fuck guys who are good."

"I'm pretty good," Kurt winked and smiled.

"You had three chances and you blew it. Every single time." Hannah looked at him as if he were the most repulsive thing there was, "Mpff!" Hannah snorted, pointing at Heather and Meagan with her chin, "Even Heather would rather be with a girl than with you."

"Hey!" Kurt shot back. He was completely unprepared for the older girl's venomous tongue. "That's not true! They all liked it!"

"Sure they did!" Hannah said sarcastically, she gestured towards Vicky, "The Orc made Vicky happier than you did! The Orc! Shit, even Gavin's better than you!" Hannah assured him. The surprise she saw in his eyes She turned to Heather and waved her over, "Heather?" she asked, "Whose better Gavin or Kurt!"

"Gavin all the way!" Heather shot back with a smile, "He can make a girl cum just using that long wet tongue he has," She smiled, enjoying her cousin's discomfort. She closed her eyes and bit her lip for effect and hummed, "If I'd known how good he was with that tongue I'd have made him the team mascot long before the season started." She nodded as she glanced over at where Meagan was sitting next to Chloe. They caught Meagan glancing over at Gavin who was taking his seat at the head of the table between Zack and Peter. For a brief moment, they caught Gavin and Meagan exchanging glances before Meagan hurried to look away, Gavin looked down to his plate with downcast eyes. "He even has Meagan thinking about going straight, but not if I can help it." She added before turning around and heading off to sit next to Meagan.

Kurt was left speechless as he saw his cousin pat Meagan's butt before they both shooed Trent off. He even caught her whispering something to the petite girl and rubbing her thigh before picking up her fork and knife to start eating.

Kurt ended up sitting between Hannah and Trent and across from Meagan. He tried playing footsie with Heather but ended up getting kicked in the shin by at least one of the girls while they both glared at him. With a sigh, he settled down to eat in silence.

*****

Chloe draped her arm over Madison's shoulder as she leaned in to talk to Zack and Madison, "Did you see the look on his face!?" Chloe giggled as she grinned from ear to ear.

"Priceless," Zack chuckled as he rested one hand on Madison's bare thigh giving it a light, comforting squeeze that surprised Madison.

"How did you get Brandon to back off? Chloe asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, What did you tell him?" Madison asked. She had seen the stern and worried look Brandon typically had when it came to Madison's social life. And she knew he had been chomping at the bit to ask her about what had happened at the ranger station. But when Zack had spoken to him his face had suddenly changed into one of surprise and embarrassment before he turned away.

"You won't believe this," Zack grinned as he leaned in, his arm draping over Madison's shoulder while his finger drew a lazy circle on her bare leg. She stiffened for a moment and cast a fearful glance at Brandon and felt relief when she saw him distracted while he talked to Ashley.

The three seemed to be in a huddle as they whispered to each other. Madison noticed Chloe's hand also resting on her leg as the two pressed in from either side, just like they did the other day. She noticed their faces close together and for a moment wondered if they were going to kiss right in front of her again. The thought send a warm feeling through her and also a sinking regret that she didn't have someone like they did.

"I didn't know what to say so I told him that it was about 'Girl Stuff' and he suddenly stopped," Zack retold, "Like someone pulled a string on him."

"And he believed you? That's it!?" Madison said incredulously, she even forgot how close they all were. "That's all it took?" She couldn't believe Brandon would back off just by saying something like that.

Zack nodded as his hand rubbed Madison's thigh, "Yep. He asked how I knew and I told him Chloe usually gave me a sign when something like that happened and he fell for it. Turned around and left like a zombie." The three of them giggled together before pulling back and eating.

As they ate Madison stole some glances at Trent. She saw him glancing over at Hannah once or twice, but mostly it seemed that Heather and Victoria's bosoms kept garnering his attention. It seemed that Trent liked bigger tits, 'like most guys' she thought ruefully. She also caught him glancing at her a few times with a confused expression which got her wondering 'What did he expect!?' she thought, 'That I'd stick with him after gloating about Hannah instead of me?'

"You okay?" Chloe asked Madison when she noticed the troubled look on her face. Chloe absent-mindedly rubbed her shoulder and gave a comforting pat on her knee.

"Yea," Madison mumbled. This situation had caught her unbalanced and it confused her. If she hadn't known better she would have thought that either Zack, Chloe, or both, were trying to seduce her, or at least flirting with her. It felt nice that they were openly showing some real affection for her. And Zack didn't seem to be the least bit afraid of Brandon. She only wished he was with her instead of with Chloe. Madison immediately chased those thoughts away, They genuinely seemed to care for her and she didn't have the heart to poison their intentions with her fears.

She felt Zack rub her leg and whisper to her, "Hey, things will get better."

She felt Chloe do the same as she leaned close, "Don't give up hope," Chloe whispered before impulsively giving Madison a chaste kiss on her cheeks.

"Hey!" Zack faked his outrage, "Are you cheating on me?!"

"Never honey," Chloe purred as she leaned forward and kissed Zack right in front of Madison again while they both leaned into Madison.

Madison pulled back, her hands gripped their legs to keep her balance. She held her breath as she watched their tongues slip across each other for an instant, their hands gently caressing her bare legs while they seemed to hold hands behind her back. and she felt a thrill run through her at the sensation as she bit her lips. She felt her face flush hot red at being in the middle of their open display of affection. She suddenly remembered that Brandon was just a few feet away. She quickly glanced over and him and saw something that seemed a mix of confusion and anger roll across his face before Ashley pulled him towards her and said something.

"You guys are SOOO going to get kicked out of school when you get back!" Hannah laughed from across the table. "But I know a few places the teachers don't go looking if you need to slip away." Zack and Chloe blushed and laughed as they drew back but so did Madison at getting caught up in their antics as the two lovers gave her legs another gentle squeeze before letting go.

*****

Heather sat between Victoria and Meagan and she watched with curiosity the shift in everyone present. It was such a change from when they had arrived just a few days ago. Of course, she ignored Kurt as she looked over at her friends sitting around the table.

Hannah and Taylor seemed to be on the mend, at least they had started to talk to each other. Still, it was clear that everything wasn't perfect, there was tension between the three friends and it seemed that Hannah was trying not to push Taylor's limits too far, at least for now. On the other hand, Taylor and Peter were like two lovebirds while they talked and ate, their love clearly on display for everyone. Hannah seemed a bit more subdued in her flirting with Peter and the others but it looked like that friendship was going to mend itself eventually.

'Well, I guess it helps that Zack and Chloe are doing great together,' Heather thought as she watched the long-anticipated couple finally open their eyes to each other. Zack's bounce back after being slapped by Victoria was really fast, no doubt Hannah helped cheer him up, but Chloe definitely had more to do with it.

What surprised her the most was seeing Madison sitting between them. Heather had expected to see the new couple acting like Taylor and Peter. After yesterday and last night, she had expected to see Madison with Trent together today and get to watch Brandon blow a fuse. 'That would have been a sight!' she thought. Instead, she watched the two lovebirds shoo Trent away and sit Madison between them. She watched how Chloe would wrap her arm around Madison's shoulder every time she leaned over to say something to Zack. And Zack seemed to do the same thing. Heather caught the nervous look on Madison's face. Anyone would think she was a virgin about to give up her cherry to a dare.

Thinking about a cherry she looked back at her best friends, each one sitting next to Brandon. Vicky seemed to look at him with doe eyes that made her wonder what exactly had happened. 'They didn't... or did they?' she wondered. The way Vicky was glowing and hanging on Brandon's words made her think something had happened. 'Well at least she seems to be over with Kurt,' she thought. Ashley sat across from Vicky between Brandon and Trent and seemed in high spirits as she talked with everyone, but especially with Vicky and Brandon.

Closer to herself she caught a few nervous glances from Gavin. She didn't know if he was looking at her or Meagan or both. From what they had talked about early this morning she knew he was still confused and hadn't yet learned to separate love, from a fling, and just plain horniness. But she knew he was smart, he'd figure it out, eventually, someday, hopefully.

Meagan face still held a hint of confusion from earlier. Having Heather sit next to her did cheer her up a bit since Chloe, her best friend, was totally in love with Zack and was ignoring her. Her only other close friends at the cabin were Zack, and Gavin, the current source of her confusion.

Heather and Meagan shared a few comments as they ate with Heather throwing a few baiting questions that Meagan failed to bite. Heather finally decided to straight to the bone.

"So, Gavin's got you thinking?" Heather asked. Meagan glared at her sideways but didn't answer. Heather chuckled at the soccer player's attitude. "You know he's not going to do anything? Right?"

"Yet," Meagan said dryly.

"OH come on," Heather said nudging her with her elbow. "He's harmless, Like a love-sick puppy that follows you around everywhere you go."

"That's just it." Meagan groaned, "And you know what's going to happen sooner or later."

"Yeah, I know. I already dealt with him this morning," Heather said as if thinking it over, "So what's the problem?"

"What's the problem?" Meagan said looking at Heather like she suddenly grew a second head, "You serious!?" Meagan saw Heather looking back at her as if she had just missed the most obvious thing in the world. "Heather!" she whispered in a hiss, "He's gonna do some strange romantic shit like send flowers, or ask me out or... oh shit! He'll says he loves me or some stupid shit like that! And then..."

"AH! I get it." Heather said suddenly understanding. She realized that Meagan, being openly a lesbian since... forever, she hadn't had to deal with guys having a crush on her or sincerely asking her out, "It's your first time with this." She grinned and almost started to laugh.

"It's not funny," Meagan hissed.

"Yes, it is!" Heather screwed her eyes shut and **** herself not to laugh at Meagan's plight. Heather put her hand on the other girl's arm to stop her from reacting. "Don't worry this happens to us girls all the time. Most of the time just saying no is enough. Or "Fuck Off" if they're creepy."

'As if!' Meagan thought as she rolled her eyes in exasperation. Didn't Heather realize that it wasn't that easy. Gavin would be heartbroken by a rejection and....

"But Gavin's got an easy solution," Heather continued. "You just have to distract him with something else."

"What do you mean?" Meagan asked in confusion.

"Girl," Heather said looking at her like she was teaching her what 1+1 was, "You got what, 15 girls on the Varsity team and at least another 15-20 on the JV team? There's got to be at least one who will fall for Gavin."

Meagan's eyes lit up as she realized the answer was right in front of her, "You're Right!"

"Course I am," Heather said smugly with a twinkle in her eyes. "And if you play your cards right I bet you can get first dibs on his girlfriend." Heather winked at her and whispered, "Maybe even get some yummy creampie."

For a moment Meagan's eyes lit up before she realized what she was thinking, "EEWW! Gross!" she said.

Heather grinned as she shook her head and whispered again, "You know, just because you like the taste, that doesn't make you straight."

"What do you mean?" Meagan said hesitantly. She was **** to admit what had really been haunting her all morning. Really ever since Hannah had tricked her into eating her pussy full of some guy's cum. But last night she found out that she loved the taste of cum. She couldn't deny it anymore. But she was also afraid of what it might mean about her.

Heather grinned and shook her head again. She had already realized that Meagan was just as lost with boys as Gavin was with girls. "Look, girls are the best kissers out there. Right?" She asked and saw Meagan's tiny nod, "We got fresh breath, and those soft, tasty lips, right?" she said wistfully as she remember her first kiss with a girl, "but I still prefer to fuck with a guy. So remember, just because you like the taste... that doesn't mean you're straight."

Heather watched Meagan spin those words around in her head, trying to make sense of it. "You could also just think of last night as you and me teaching Gavin another lesson. Like you've been doing all week," Heather smirked, "With a tasty bonus for you."

'Yeah, that could work,' Meagan thought about it as she chewed her food. She wondered if she could have it made sense in some weird way.

"Course," Heather added with a mischievous grin as she teased Meagan, "You could also be bi?"

"Aww, Fuck you!" Meagan groaned in frustration.

"Maybe later," Heather teased her and giggled as she watched Meagan roll her eyes and shake her head.

*****

While the girls cleaned up after lunch the boys headed out to to check the cars and their internet connection.

Brandon, Trent, and Kurt went to check the cars again while Gavin tried to fix their internet connection with Zack and Peter's help. It didn't look good either way.

With daylight Brandon and Trent thought they could see some burn marks on the battery terminal and suspected they had been short-circuited. The good news was that while the tires were flat at least they didn't appear to have been slashed or punctured. If they could get just one of the cars going they could jump-start the rest with the cables in Brandon's truck and use the portable tire inflator he had.

After unsuccessfully trying to reset and fix the router Gavin asked Zack to climb on the roof to check the satellite dish and found it knocked over. But even after resetting and aligning it again, it wouldn't work.

"I don't like this," Zack said as they all huddled outside the cabin, "Something doesn't feel right."

"Dude, it's just a dead battery," Kurt scoffed, "we probably left the alarms on. That'll kill the battery after a few days."

"Maybe," Brandon mussed for a moment, "But what about the flat tires?" Brandon reminded them.

"And the dish?" Gavin added.

"That's because you didn't set it up right." Kurt said, "Bet you left all the screws loose."

"We set it up," Brandon said, "And we made sure the screws were all tight."

"Then it's a piece of shit!" Kurt shot back.

"No, it's not! Gav wouldn't ever get something that didn't work!" Zack defended his friend

"Fighting won't solve the problem," Peter said trying to calm things down, "Question is, what do we do now?"

"Like I said! We walk back to another cabin and ask for help!" Kurt insisted.

"We could go back to the Ranger station," Gavin offered, "It's closer and the radio works."

"Not that again!" Kurt scoffed.

"It's the best idea," Zack said, the rest seemed to agree with him.

"What do we tell the girls?" Trent asked.

"Nothing for now." Peter said, "No reason to scare them off. Let's just tell them we're taking another hike back to the station, a BBQ under the stars, something romantic. They'll love it." he added with a knowing grin on his face and the other instantly agreed with the idea.

*****

Note: For Hannah's new t-shirt see updated "Appendix: Hannah's T-shirts" chapter 65. Here. https://chyoa.com/chapter/Appendix%3A-Hannah%27s-T-shirts.1393085