This Plan, That Plan

JoJo hoped to find Sean so she could reveal what she told Jared. However, just as she moved over to ask Mrs. Tarver if she knew where her son might be, Peyton asked first. Seeing that Peyton headed upstairs to talk to her brother left JoJo unsure what to do with her time. Without any other options, the brunette moved downstairs to the empty rec room to watch a little tv for a few minutes.

Only when she reached the bottom of the stairs, JoJo heard the television already turned on. Stopping, she listened for a moment, realized ESPN was playing, which could mean one of the younger guys had turned it on. With the odds pretty strong that Jared could be the hidden viewer, she paused for a moment to decide if she should retreat upstairs. JoJo cursed herself for the delay when the bathroom door opened, and out walked Jared. She prayed he didn't see her, and he almost didn't until his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of brown hair.

JoJo and Jared both turned at the same time. Seeing his old friend about to flee upstairs, Jared pleaded with her. "Jo, wait! I need to talk to you and give you something. Please?"

Despite how upset she felt towards Jared, JoJo always made the polite decisions in life. So she stopped and turned back around. The stocky teenager held both his hands out in front of him in a placating manner.

"Just stay right there, please. I'll be right back, so don't go anywhere." Jared rushed over behind the bar to grab something.

When he returned, he almost sprinted back over to her. JoJo's eyes widened as she took in the bouquet of flowers in his hand. Jared awkwardly held them out to her. JoJo looked down at the flowers and back up at his face but didn't move to accept them.

"Please, Jo. I know I screwed up. I hurt and embarrassed you just to find out a secret that you didn't want to reveal. I know flowers aren't enough to make it right, but it's the first step," Jared explained with a sorrowful look. "And I made sure to get you your favorite."

"You knew lilies are my favorite flower?" asked JoJo in surprise.

"Of course, I couldn't forget that."

JoJo felt touched that he remembered, and by the gesture. However, it wasn't enough to forgive what he made her do.

"They're lovely. But that doesn't mean I forgive you," JoJo responded, causing Jared's shoulders to slump at the rejection of his attempt. "Still, as you said, it's the first step." Reaching out, JoJo took the bouquet of lilies from him but looked down, unsure what to do with them.

Noticing her dilemma, Jared threw his hands out again. "Wait, let me get it." Racing away from JoJo for a second time, Jared returned, holding a clear vase. "Mr. Diamond found this for me. Said I was lucky it didn't break in the fight yesterday, as it was on the hall table we destroyed."

"Um, thank you. I guess I can bring it upstairs to spruce up my room."

"Water! Shit, I forgot to put water in that vase. Here, let me have it back, and I'll take care of it." Jared practically tore the bouquet and vase from JoJo's hands.

The brunette didn't know how long it would take her to forgive Jared. A lot depended on how Sean took the news, but she found it cute watching such a muscular, confident teenager run around in a panic over her. Maybe I can have some fun with this...as part of his penance, of course.

"Look, Jo, let me talk to Sean," Jared started up as soon as he returned from his task. "I'll explain that it was all my fault, and if he should be pissed at anyone, it's me."

"No. Thanks for the offer, but no, this is something I need to do."

"At least let me go with you. That way, if he lashes out, it can be at me," Jared offered again.

"No, I need to do this, and I need to do it alone," JoJo insisted.

Whoa! If Mr. Stratton said this is the tamer novel, then I wonder what the hell happens in the other one? Sean thought as he read the torrid threesome scene between Jack Steed, his cute, perky assistant, Pixie Wings, and his client, Mona Mouser. The Compulsive Lying Client certainly turned into the sex-filled thriller that he expected **** at Lusty Lake to be based on Clive's comment and the title.

Hearing soft footsteps coming up the stairs, Sean regretted not having his own room on this trip. It would be nice to read in peace and to take care of the hard-on that the book's sex scenes gave him. He repositioned himself back into the same spot he had been in when Peyton stopped by to talk. Better be safe than sorry if it's Mom or Mrs. Stratton.

A cute, perky redhead from real-life peeked over the railing at Sean. Hesitating, she bit her lip before finishing her ascent to the top floor. Still, she didn't walk right over to the teenage boy. Instead, she stood right at the top of the stairs, shuffling her feet and looking down in embarrassment.

"Uh, Sean, I'm sorry for avoiding you earlier," Lacey apologized. "If it's okay, I would like to talk now."

Sean quickly placed the open novel over his groin. "Sure, Lace. I would be happy to talk."

The petite cheerleader walked over, sitting down on the footrest in front of him, the same spot Peyton occupied not too long ago. She paused to find the right words to express her feelings to the other teen.

Noticing her indecision, Sean attempted to prod the conversation into starting. "Is everything okay now? Have you calmed down?"

Sean had expected Lacey to start talking, possibly some tears, maybe even running away, but he hadn't seen the lunge from the redhead coming. Practically launching herself onto him, Lacey gave him a firm hug to the side of his body that face her.

"I'm sorry for what I put you through. No, let me finish," she told him when Sean started to say she had nothing to apologize for. "I freaked out, felt guilty over what we did, and possibly screwed up your reputation with a lot of people."

"I'm sorry too for not pulling you away from watching your parents last night. You were in shock over what you saw. Instead of helping you that way, I helped you, uh, in other ways," Sean admitted.

"Helped me in other ways, now that's a way to put it," Lacey giggled.

Shocked by how her demeanor had changed in the last few hours, Sean squinted as he studied her face. "You sure are a lot more cheerful. I hope you haven't been drinking anymore."

"Nope. Not since we last saw each other," the petite redhead denied while still holding him in a warm, affectionate hug. "I just had a great talk with JoJo about everything; that's all."

"You and JoJo talked about everything? Even...ya know?" Sean questioned in shock at the thought Lacey told his best friend everything.

"Yep, everything. I think she was a little freaked out that I watched, well, you know, but you did a great job in picking a best friend, Sean. JoJo's amazing!"

"I didn't pick her; she just showed up next door not long after I was born. But, yep, JoJo is amazing," Sean agreed with a joke.

"Well, however you lucked into her as a best friend, she helped me come up with an idea. Every good lie contains an element of truth." Sean nodded along with the statement he had heard in the past. "So, I want to tell Austin part of the truth."

"Like what?" Sean inquired with a little worry in his voice.

"I'm going to tell him we walked in on my parents doing it last night."

"What? Are you serious? I thought you didn't want anyone to know we watched." The whole turn of events certainly bewildered Sean.

"Not that! I'm going to tell Austin that we walked up, saw them, and hurried away. I'll tell Auss that I was mortified that you saw them too. That's how I'll explain screaming when I saw you this morning. That should fix everything with Austin," Lacey proudly stated about her plan.

"I don't know, Lace. It could work somewhat. Austin feels pretty certain I made a move on you. Uh, and our fight isn't going to help anything," Sean pointed out. "I get the feeling he's going to be watching me like a hawk when I'm around you."

"That's why I have a plan for us. I'm going to tell him that I'm trying to fix you up with Rammy," she informed him brightly.

"What? You can't do that!"

"Why not? It's a perfect idea. It explains...well, I don't know what it explains, but it will work," Lacey hesitated to describe the second part of her plan.

"I'm not at all reassured about that, Lace. Okay, I'll go along with your first part of the plan, but I'm not good with you telling Austin that. He'll just find a way to sabotage Ramsey and me." Sean knew Austin would exactly do that. It would be **** for their years of tension.

"Oh, Auss wouldn't do that if I told him not to. I'll tell him if he wants to be a good boyfriend, then he needs to help get you two together."

A sinking feeling started in Sean's stomach. This is a terrible idea. "Lacey, I know you love and trust Austin. He's your boyfriend, so I get that. But I don't trust him one bit. He doesn't like me, and I don't like him."

"But we need Austin in on this plan, or it won't work," she insisted.

"How do we need him?"

"Because Rammy believes you tried something with me," Lacey reluctantly admitted. She braced for his upset reaction. "I'm so sorry; it's all my fault."

"Yeah, I noticed before when she gave me the cold shoulder," Sean shrugged while he spoke. "But it's not your fault. Austin's the one that put those ideas into her head."

"That's why we need Austin to talk to her. He can tell her he was wrong."

"Um, why don't you just tell her the same story you're telling Austin," Sean suggested.

"Oh!" Lacey bounced up in surprise at the idea.

Realizing he had been so distracted by Lacey's plan, Sean forgot she still lay partially on top of him. Now with her sudden move, Lacey straddled the side of his leg. If he rolled over at all, the cheerleader might notice the hard-on of his that hadn't gone down.

"You know that might work too. I guess I over complicated that part of the plan," Lacey admitted with a blush of embarrassment.

You think? Sean thought but didn't say out loud. "Uh, I hope your plans to get Ramsey and me together aren't as overly complicated."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I have some great plans for you two." She brushed off his concerns.

"You plan to share any of them with me," Sean asked. He had low hopes at this point of ever getting together with Ramsey, but most of those hopes rested on Lacey's grand plans.

"Nope. I want you in the dark too. If you know what's coming, then you might get nervous and screw it up. Now don't worry, I'll get you two together." Thrilled at the thought, she bounced on his leg even more.

"Aw, isn't this adorable," said a voice from behind them. Both teens turned to look at Lacey's mother and her beaming smile. "It's wonderful to see that you two worked out whatever issue you had. Hold that pose. I want to get a picture of you like this," Rachel remarked as she reached to pull her phone out of her pocket.

"Mom!" whined Lacey. "We're busy trying to find a girlfriend for Sean. So no pictures of this meeting!"

"Oh! Sean, you took my advice? Gabby is going to be thrilled at this development," Rachel excitedly announced. "Fine, no picture of this secret meeting, but I better get a few of you two together on this trip. You got that?"

Both teens nodded at Mrs. Stratton, and she left them to go downstairs.

"Whew, that was close. Imagine if Austin saw a picture of me sitting on you like this?" Lacey said with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, I'd probably be in the hospital after that," Sean dryly speculated.

Lacey moved to get off him but stopped. "We're also lucky my mom didn't see this, or she might think we were up to something naughty." Lacey reached over to pat Sean's iron rod that had been exposed when the novel fell off of his groin at some point. "You got your freebie last night, so you need to take care of that on your own."

Sean stared at the little minx as she stood up and giggled. Lacey seemed always to surprise him with her actions. Sashaying over to the stairs, she looked back over her shoulder. "Not that it isn't flattering, but I think we need to get Rammy to start taking care of that for you." Then with a titter, the perky redhead descended out of sight.

All the way down on the bottom level of the cabin, Jared pounded the top of the bar in frustration. Moments earlier, JoJo climbed the stairs, leaving the stocky linebacker feeling disappointed his apology didn't entirely work. He hoped the flowers and his sincere regret would make things better, but it looked like he needed to do more.

Guess it's time for Plan B. Fuck, the problem is that I need a room and no interruptions for that to work. Unless I can borrow a room or people leave later tonight, I might have to wait until tomorrow. I just hope her conversation with Sean goes well. The same when I talk to him.

Jared heard footsteps on the stairs and perked up at the thought of JoJo returning. Instead, Skye came around the bottom of the stairs. Usually, Jared would appreciate a chance to admire her sexiness, but at this moment, making JoJo feel better consumed his mind.

So he only gave Skye a brief wave as she said hello, and didn't notice the upset look on her face. Jared barely even acknowledged the sound of the glass door sliding open, nor the blast of cold air.

It wasn't until Owen asked if he could change the channel on the tv, did Jared look over at the newest arrival. "What? Oh, yeah, sure. I'm going outside for a walk, in case anyone wants to know."