They follow Dale (Alternate)

"Wanna go?" Brandon asked.

"Sure," Chloe replied. "You're right Dale, we can't make it back in time, and I'm hungry."

"Me too!" Brandon added cheerily.

"You always are." Chloe rolled her eyes.

Dale grinned and pointed up the hill. Brandon went first, while Dale hung back for Chloe to start. He walked next to her, giving her a shining smile.

"What are your names then?" he asked.

"Well, that's Brandon up there, and I'm Chloe." She returned his smile, though more tepidly.

"Chloe..." he repeated. "You two...?"

"Oh? Oh! Oh, no, we're not together."

Her answer delighted Dale to no end. "Then, enchanté , Chloe," he said, butchering the French, but he succeeded in making Chloe blush madly. She flashed him a nervous smile and scaled the hill faster.

Soon they approached the house, a large flat ranch home surrounded by a few acres of manicured grass. Off in the distance, a small herd of cattle roamed, casually munching on the grass. Chloe beamed at them.

"Aww, they look awesome!" she cheered.

"And better than a lawn mower, I'll tell you," Dale replied. He reached the house in a few paces, miles ahead of the teens, allowing him enough time to open the screen door and wait for them to arrive. Chloe came first, and Dale grinned broadly at her again. He followed her with his eyes even after Brandon strode through.

Brandon figured they came through the back door, as they emptied into the spacious kitchen. Dale ushered them into the impressive living room and guided them to a series of divans encompassing a coffee table by a bay window.

"I'll find somethin' in the kitchen for both of y'all. Want some soda?" Dale offered. Brandon and Chloe nodded, and their host moved toward the kitchen.

"CASSIDY" he hollered. "WE GOT GUESTS, COME ON OUT!"

"In a minute!" came the sweet reply.

Brandon marveled at the house. The living room had a high vaulted ceiling, reaching into the roof. Kitsch and knickknacks plastered the walls, from fake animal heads on mounts to cheap reproductions of water color paintings. An old TV sat nearby, amongst a bookcase full of yellowing tomes whose spines were illegible. A doorway by the kitchen lead to the dining room with its long table, and on the other side of the room, a hallway snaked off with a woman and her long legs. Brandon blinked a moment.

She was tall with the same smile as Dale. Her dark long hair hung in loose ringlets, framing her shining face. She met Brandon's gaze with dark, smoldering eyes. Her skin, sun-kissed and beaming, flowed into an unbuttoned flannel shirt over a white tank top and down into legs that seemed to begin past her armpits. She strutted over in low-waist cut-offs, and Brandon had to look down to avoid being caught staring.

Cassidy sat on the cushion right beside Brandon. He briefly wondered if she was going to sit in his lap instead.

"Hey, both of you!" Cassidy smiled with unnaturally white teeth. She regarded Chloe for a fraction of a second before fixing her attention entirely on the football player. "People from one of the cabins?"

"Yeah, the one owned by the Ravers," Chloe said and Cassidy still didn't look at her. "I'm Chloe and that's Brandon."

"Brandon..." Cassidy repeated sweetly. Chloe saw the increasing discomfort in Brandon's face, and didn't know weather to snicker or think of a way to excuse both of them.

Cassidy blinked then piped up, out of her thoughts. "Oh, you guys know Heather then! Oh that's sweet." Cassidy playful slapped Brandon's arm. He gulped. "That was funny when she came up behind Dale, ain't that right Bro?!"

"Funny for you, Sis. Thought I had a heart attack." Dale had returned with a tray of four simple sandwiches and glasses of darkened soft drink.

"You two are brother and sister?" Brandon asked the obvious, trying to keep the conversation flowing.

"Couldn't you tell?" Dale grinned. "Same hair, same eyes."

"Same attitude," Cassidy intoned. Dale rolled his eyes. "We keep the farm going when Mom and Daddy are in town for the market." Cassidy sipped her beverage. "They won't be back 'til mid next week."

"So we got some room if either of you would want to stay a spell." Dale slipped into the space by Chloe with a smile, and she suddenly felt as uncomfortable as Brandon. She exchanged a worried glance with Brandon, and they mentally made a decision.