Coffee Klatch

Gavin woke up, rolling over to check the time on his phone. Seeing it was just after 9 am he grimaced at the thought of a long day on little sleep. Sitting up he noticed Jared was already moving around, but Brandon and Owen were still sleeping.

"Sorry, I tried to be quiet," Jared softly apologized upon seeing Gavin stirring.

"It's okay. I probably should be up too." Gavin shrugged, climbing down carefully out of the top bunk as to not wake Zack. However, he was surprised to see his best friend's bunk was empty. "Zack's already up?"

"Guess so; the bathroom was empty. Maybe he's at the cabin having breakfast. Why, is there a problem?"

"No, just thought he would still be tired. I heard him having a bad dream last night," the smaller teen informed him as he gathered some clothes to change into.

After Gavin stopped off in the bathroom, they headed out into the cold and over to the cabin. Entering the sunroom, they found Zack chatting with Damon Woodsen, near the woodstove, a fire crackling inside.

"Ah, perfect timing guys. Time for me to take a shower and see what's on tap for the day," Mr. Woodsen announced getting to his feet. "I hope you enjoy those, Zack."

Once the older man exited the room, Jared inquired about his comment.

"Just a couple novels he thought I might enjoy," Zack explained showing the others two novels, The Compulsive Lying Client and **** at Lusty Lake.

"Anything good?" asked the football player without much interest.

"The first one is a legal thriller. A Perry Mason type of story. The second one is about a group of teens, vacationing at a lake cabin, who have to solve a ****. Mr. Woodsen said it's rather racy. I'm not supposed to tell Mrs. Woodsen, as she'll tease him non-stop about it."

"Ooh, racy? Maybe you'll have to let me borrow that first. What? I'm serious," Jared stated, seeing the surprised looks. "I might not read much but I think we're going to have a lot of time to kill up here, and if there's a lot of sex in it, then why not."

"I guess if you want to," Zack shrugged as they headed inside to the kitchen.

"Well, it looks like sleepyhead is up," laughed Gabriela Lockett to her husband. "And early for once too."

"Aw, cut it out. I get up early all time to work out," the younger Lockett replied. "Making breakfast?"

"Sure thing, honey. We decided to split up who makes the meals this week. Your father and I volunteered to handle it this morning. We have pancakes, eggs, and bacon. So pick your poison."

Zack looked around and noticed that all the adults were awake. Most of them were sitting on the couches in the main room talking, waiting for their turn to shower and get ready for the day. The girls seemed to be sleeping in still.

"I think I'm going to run and take a quick shower before the next wave of hungry teens shows up," Jeff Lockett informed his wife.

"Good idea. Jared, I'm going to hurry and grab something from my room too. If anyone else wanders in, let them know more food will be ready soon," Gabby told her son, relieving Zack. He felt quite guilty and confused over his dream last night, so it was best if he could avoid her for now.

With some temporary privacy, Jared turned to Zack, "So what happened with that girl you were dating? Man, she was a hot one."

"Lisa broke up with me, said I seemed more interested in another girl," he admitted.

"Was she right?"

"Uh, not really. I just didn't handle our relationship right, I guess," Zack lied to his old friend, hoping Gavin didn't give the lie away. No need to add a fourth person to the knowledge of his crush. Jared was confident around girls, he believed in taking a chance, and if it didn't work out, then no big deal, you just move onto the next one. If he found out, he could mess up Zack's chances by pressing him hard to make a move before the timing was right. "What about you? Anyone finally lock you down for more than a month?"

"Aw, you know me. Just having fun for my senior year. What's the point getting involved when you're almost certainly splitting up for college." Jared saw Zack's sad shake of his head. "Not everyone is a romantic like you."

"I know, I know. I should probably try and have more fun too. I just hope you aren't breaking a bunch of hearts up there in the Falls," he added, sincerely hoping his friend hadn't turned into one of those guys that treated women like disposable toys.

"With my charm, you know it," the dark-haired teen joked until he realized what the other teen meant. "Hey, I'm not like that. I'm completely up front with every girl. I tell them I'm not interested in anything long term, no matter what. Some are cool with that; others aren't. If they aren't that's fine, I'm not going to chase them down or trick them."

"Good to hear. I just didn't want you turning into an asshole," Zack admitted.

"Zacky boy, if I were like that, then this handsome face would be battered and bruised. Bethany would be the first to kick my ass since I can never keep a secret from her," he said in reference to his close friend. "Cooper, her brother, often thinks with his dick first and I've seen her slap the shit out him over it. That girl is a gossip queen; she knows all. My sister would probably sucker punch me next, and then my mom...I don't wanna imagine what she would do to me," he shuddered at the thought of a furious and disappointed Gabriela Lockett.

With Gavin joining him in laughter, Zack's mind quickly pictured the hot mom in a skimpy, leather dominatrix outfit, holding a whip. Stop it. Her son is sitting right next to you. What's wrong with you?

"What about you Gavin? Secretly having some torrid affair with the prom queen?" Jared teased.

"Hea-Heather...was prom queen last spring!" Gavin stammered out in shock at the suggestion.

"Whoa! Good for you buddy. I didn't think you had it in you." Jared peered around the cabin before whispering conspiratorially to him. "Probably shouldn't let Owen know. He looks like he can take you in a fight."

"Actually, Gavin did go out on some dates with a girl a few months back," Zack informed the other teen, knowing the squirming Gavin likely wouldn't want to talk about it.

"Really? Good for you. No, I'm serious. You need to get out and experience life away from that," the athletic teen said gesturing to his tablet. "So? What's she like? What happened? C'mon, spill some details."

"She's nice...Grace...her name...didn't work," he mumbled embarrassed. Jared looked at Zack spreading his hands out asking for more.

"Grace Smith. Brunette, fairly tiny but really cute. Friendly too, not like this one here. She's a nerd. But she can be pretty intense when it comes to school and her grades," Zack rattled off. He had had high hopes for her and Gavin, and still didn't quite know what happened. Zack guessed that maybe Grace moved a little fast for Gavin, not that he could imagine Grace Smith getting wild, and he freaked out. Gavin did go into one of his hermit periods around then, which is what he does when he gets overwhelmed.

"Sounds like exactly what you need, Gav. You still like her? If so, how about we come up with some plan for you this trip. I've had several girlfriends before I swore off relationships," he offered. Jared's offer confirmed Zack's opinion that the teen didn't need to know about his Victoria crush. Meanwhile, Gavin was not happy at his lack of a romantic life being openly discussed, and prayed for any interruption.

"Ooh, you boys talking about girls?" Gavin's prayers were momentarily answered by a returning Gabriela Lockett, much to Zack's sudden displeasure. "Is this about finding Zack a girlfriend?"

"Zack? No, Mom, we're talking about Gavin," her son explained, surprising her slightly.

"Oh, really! You have anyone special in mind, sweetie?" Mrs. Lockett asked, getting a quick recap of the situation from her son. However, unlike her son and Zack, she could see how terrified Gavin was having this conversation. She put her hand on his shoulder gently as she soothingly said, "It's okay, Gavin. I know girls can be mysterious and confusing for a guy your age. Just keep in mind for most girls your age it's the same. This girl might be just as scared as you are." Zack gave a soft laugh at the thought of any girl being as scared as Gavin. Gabriela's sharp glare shut him up immediately. "Sarah, do you know this Grace?" she asked her friend, surprising the three teens who hadn't noticed her standing in the entry to the kitchen.

"Grace Smith? Sure, she and Ashley have gone to school together since kindergarten. She's a doll. Can be a little hyper," Mrs. Woodsen added, before chuckling. "Back in the fourth grade, the girls' teacher was out with a serious illness, so they had a long term substitute. I remember there was kind of an issue where Grace practically took over teaching the class, as she felt the sub's teaching skills were inadequate. The PTA meeting over it was hilarious, and I'm saying this as a former teacher."

"Smart with a take-charge attitude sounds like a good match for you. However, I don't think you want to be taking any advice from my son--don't give me that look," she said to her son. "If Ashley knows this Grace well, maybe she could be of some help," she wondered looking over at Ashley's mother.

"That's a great idea. Ashley loves to play matchmaker, and I promise you she'll keep anything you tell her private. I'll remind of her of that too," Sarah said with a smile, feeling sympathy for the uncomfortable boy.

"Now that's just an idea, Gavin. Nobody is going to pressure you to do anything you aren't comfortable with. In fact, nobody here is going to bring it up again unless you want them to. So just think about Sarah's offer and if you like it then come to her or me, and we'll talk to Ashley," Gabby assured him, gently squeezing his shoulder. Her attention now swung over to Zack, who had disappointed her by laughing at his friend's discomfort. "Now Zack's situation I think will require a more hands-on approach from us, don't you agree, Sarah?" After nearly a lifetime of being friends the two women could communicate with each other with just looks and gestures, and Gabby conveyed to Sarah with this unspoken language that it was time to have some fun with Monica's son.

"I do, Gabs. Very much. I've been giving some thought over potential prospects for Zack."

"Oh, you have? Are there any frontrunners for the position of girlfriend?" Gabriela added as if the two women were talking about a competition.

"Now that's the issue. I don't quite know what qualities Zack here wants in a girlfriend. Does he want a sweet, innocent type? Demure or bossy? Smart or ditzy? Maybe a little wild, if not slutty?" Sarah Woodsen thought aloud with a smirk, causing Zack to marvel at how much she reminded him of her eldest daughter, Hannah.

"Of course, Sarah!" Gabby added with a clap of her hands. "We need to sit down with young Zachary and pick his brain over his wants and desires. This probably should be done in private. We're also going to need what physical traits you prefer. Blonde, brunette or redhead? Tall, short, or more in the Goldilocks zone? You a breast or ass man? Bigger the better or does firmness override size? Wow, we have a lot of material to cover. This might take quite a long time."

Zack was beyond uncomfortable at this point. The banter in itself would be enough, yet he was also dealing with more of those erotic images flashing in his mind. Talk about breasts, asses, and the two women spending a lot of time with him was also bringing up scenes from his wet dream. He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice Gavin taking advantage of Zack's time in the spotlight to excuse himself to go to the bathroom quietly, never returning.

"Honestly, I don't know if we can handle all this work by ourselves. Maybe we should bring in Ash once we get a detailed list of Zack's wants and needs. She would know better than us what prospects would match the criteria," suggested Sarah, nearly breaking character and cracking a grin.

"Excellent idea again! You're on fire this morning," complimented her best friend. "However, I think we should double our chances by bringing in Heather too. Victoria, of course, can't find out about any of this. I still think she's the top contender on the sweet, innocent side of the bracket. Not to mention Zack seemed interested when her name came up yesterday."

Up to this point, Jared had been sitting on his stool as if he was a spectator at a tennis match watching the ball speed back and forth, but now at the mention of Victoria, he looked over at Zack. Seeing the deep blush on his friend's face, he pondered, Wow, never seen Zack ever look that red, well unless it was sunburn. Maybe there's something to Mom's comment about Victoria. Still, I don't know what Zack did to piss off Mom and Mrs. Woodsen, but this is getting brutal.

"Absolutely. Plus if Victoria does come in high on the rankings, we'll be here to help him along this week. Even failure can be considered a learning experience to help us the next time," the older blonde piled on, but with a motion to her friend that it might be time to wrap up the teasing.

Zack could now be officially classified as mortified. Having Victoria's name and her potential debated openly and out loud was a living nightmare. He would love to flee from this merciless teasing, but the raging hard-on he had kept him in place. At least it can't get any worse.

"Hmm, maybe we need another perspective to make sure we get it right? I'm thinking we should bring Monica into this when she arrives," Gabby said, proving to Zack it could still get worse. "A mother usually knows her son better than anyone else. I for one know that my son prefers big boobs more than anything else in a girl."

"Jesus, mom!" her son exclaimed. "I think this has gone far enough."

"Oh, do you want us to help you next, honey?"

"No!" Jared practically shouted loud enough for the whole cabin to hear. "I'm just thinking Juliana would be pretty pissed to find out you're helping set up Zack with a different girl. Do you want to put up with a jealous tantrum when we get home?"

"Jules and I have an understanding when it comes to Zack. She can look, she can flirt, she can fantasize, but she can't jump until she turns eighteen," his mother explained. "Oh! That reminds me, I need to make sure I get Zack in as many of the pictures as I can. Your sister is going to want them for when she's up late at night."

"Are you fucking serious, Mom?" Jared screamed. Sarah finally broke down and started laughing uncontrollably. Zack just gulped and put his head down on the kitchen island.