Day One

Zack laid back on the bed.

“You know, Zack, I’m tired tonight, but tomorrow, we’re gonna steal some board games from the game room, and play them all night. Understand?” Ashley said as she emerged from the bathroom. Zack couldn’t help but stare.

The beautiful blond was wearing only one of Zack’s T-shirts, by all appearances. Yes, Zack knew she had on short shorts, but Ashley was a petite girl, shorter than Chloe, and the shirt was quite large on her, completely covering the shorts. She had really gorgeous legs, Zack noticed.

“Like what you see?” Ashley smirked, and Zack realized he was staring. He flushed a bit, and looked away.

“Hey, a girl never minds some attention.” Ashley winked, and sauntered towards the bed. She climbed in beside Zack, and he shifted a bit to make room for her.

The bed was cramped.

“Hey, fair warning, I’m a cuddled when I’m asleep.” Ashley said over her shoulder as she turned towards the wall with the door. Zack turned and faced the wall of windows, which was now obscured by drapes.

Zack, exhausted from today, didn’t take long to fall asleep. But he had no idea what was waiting for him in the morning.

———

When Zack woke up, he felt a tickling under his chin. He blinked awake to see the tickling was actually hair under his chin. Ashley’s hair. She was on his chest, sleeping peacefully. His arms had wrapped around her hips, and her arms were wrapped around his torso.

Zack already had painful morning wood pressed up against Ashley’s stomach, and now that he was conscious and able to feel her perky breasts smashed against his sternum, it was definitely not going away.

Zack and Ashley were too entangled for Zack to slip out, which left his only options as staying here until Ashley awoke, or waking up Ashley.

Zack laid his head flat against his pillow, and adjusted slightly so that Ashley lay a bit comfier on him.

Zack sighed, and hated how much he was enjoying having his friend’s body atop his. Ashley was stunningly beautiful, and Zack had spent a long time ignoring that for Brandon’s sake, but now... Zack couldn’t be bothered to try to ignore Ashley’s beauty. He’d ignored Chloe’s for far too long as well, and now he’d already developed feelings for her.

And now here was Ashley, another girl Zack was incredibly attracted to, but he had to feign ignorance. So that he didn’t hurt Brandon. But... then again, wasn’t Ashley his closer friend, not Brandon?

So why did he care about Brandon finding out he liked Ashley? Because Brandon would beat his ass? If Zack got the girl, did that even really matter?

Why was Zack such a coward? He was hopelessly attracted to Heather, Chloe, Victoria, and now Ashley, and he hadn’t done a damn thing to help him achieve a goal of dating one of them. He needed to grow a backbone and just ask one of them out.

Ashley began to stir on Zack’s chest, and Zack’s train of thought fell off the tracks as her pretty light blue eyes, so different from Heather’s royal blue or Victoria’s green, opened and looked sleepily at Zack. She gave him a small, sleepy smile.

“Is that your phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” Ashley murmured, and Zack gave a surprised, genuine laugh.

“Sorry.” he apologized. She laughed, too.

“It’s fine. Morning wood’s a thing, I get it. Really.” Ashley assured Zack. He nodded.

“Now, we should get ready and head downstairs for breakfast. I’m starving.” Ashley said.

———

Madison Cole rotated her right arm as she brushed her teeth. From the bedroom, she heard her roommate, Paris Bishop, give a loud snore, and Maddie laughed softly.

But thoughts of Paris sent her mind down a road where she was thinking of Paris’ cousin. Zack.

Madison had been crushing on him since she’d first seen him, four years ago, in freshman year.

She didn’t really know why. Maybe it was how genuinely nice he was, how sweet he was.

Madison was a klutz back in the day, and she’d tripped on her very first day, all of her things sliding across the floor. And then, a handsome dark haired boy had helped her gather her things, offering a genuinely nice smile towards her, while everyone else simply stepped around the fallen girl. Ignoring her.

If it Zack hadn’t helped, she’d have been mortified. Instead, she was merely embarrassed.

Zack and Madison were friends for about a month. Then, Zack showed up to school one day with a black eye, and he’d kept making excuses as to why he had to turn down any invitation she gave him.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened. Brandon, Madison’s dickish older brother, had beaten up the boy Madison was crushing on, and made him not want to hang out with her.

She was crushed after that, and had come home in tears. Vanessa, Madison’s mother, had been very sympathetic, while her father, Waldon, had laughed and given Brandon twenty bucks, telling him good job.

Madison had never been angrier, and in the years since, she lashed out at her father and her brother, and anyone else who pissed her off.

It’s given her a bit of a reputation around the school as a hothead. But really, Madison was just angry that her brother and her father had taken away from her the boy she liked.

It wasn’t fair. Brandon got a girlfriend and it was high fives all around. Madison was friends with a boy, admittedly a boy she was crushing on, and he got beat up and told never to spend time with Madison again.

She hated it. She hated Brandon. She hated Ashley. She definitely hated Waldon. She just wanted to be Zack’s girlfriend, and her brother had stolen that.

But Madison’s goal for this two week stay at the cabin was to be Zack’s girlfriend. She would do it. But first, they had to reconnect as friends. Let him know she didn’t hold anything against him.

And, she had to keep Brandon from noticing. Hm... maybe Heather could help distract Brandon.

———

Zack walked out of his bedroom with Ashley behind him. Zack was dressed in cargo shorts and a dark red T-shirt.

Ashley behind him looked beautiful, in ripped white jeans and a sky blue tank top. Her blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she was laughing at a joke Zack had told as they were walking out. She nudged his arm companionably, and Zack grinned at her.

Her blue eyes sparkled in the morning sun as they walked into the kitchen.

Zack saw that his older sister, Taylor, was sitting on one of the couches, chatting happily with Sarah Woodsen. Taylor wore a gray sports bra and tight gray leggings.

“Hey, Zacky.” Taylor smiled, and stood up to embrace her little brother in a hug. Zack hugged her back, and she gave him a warm smile. The two Bishop siblings had always been close, far closer than Hannah was with Ashley. Or Chloe was with her little sister, Holly.

Zack plopped down on the couch beside Taylor, and Ashley sat down on his other side.

“Sleep well?” Sarah asked her daughter.

“Yeah. Zack’s got a comfy chest.” Ashley laughed. Zack flushed lightly, and Taylor gave Zack a surprised look.

“Hey, Zack.” a friendly voice said. He turned to see Madison Cole walking towards him. She was in a gray shirt and blue jeans that weren’t quite as painted on as Ashley’s, but they were tight none the less.

Madison was a beautiful girl, with long dark brown waves, hazel eyes that Zack knew were always filled with happiness when he was with her, and she was also fairly hot as well. She had small but perky breasts and an ass that was gorgeously toned from her time as a cheerleader. She was also in the drama club, and Zack had really liked spending time with her for the month they’d been friends.

And then Brandon had come in, kicked Zack’s ass, and told him that if he ever went near Madison again, there’d be hell to pay.

That had ended his friendship with Madison, despite how much Zack liked hanging out with her. She meshed well with Chloe and Gavin. Leon, too.

“Hey, Di.” Zack nodded towards her. Madison smiled at the nickname. She’d told him that everyone always called her Maddie, and Zack had came up with Di as a unique nickname for her.

“Hary.” Madison nodded to him, a grin on her face. That was Madison’s unique nickname for him, off of the last part of Zachary rather than the front part where Zack came from.

“So, does anyone want to come on a hike today?” Sarah asked curiously.

“Sure.” Zack shrugged.

“Sounds good.” Ashley affirmed.

“I’m ok.” Taylor shook her head, dark locks bouncing.

“Yeah, I’m not big on hikes.” Madison shook her head.

“I love hikes.” Hannah Woodsen said, coming into the living room dressed in a lavender crop top and skintight jean shorts. The crop top had a neckline which showed off lots of cleavage. Zack swallowed quietly, but from the firm touch of Taylor’s fingers to his shoulder, he suspected his sister knew what he was thinking.

“Great! Zack, you don’t mind hanging out with us, do you?” Sarah asked Zack.

“No, no. It’ll be fun.” Zack grinned. Ashley smiled warmly at Zack.

“Yeah, it will.” she smiled, and touched his arm.