Caught in the crosshairs

Beth felt a hand on her back all of a sudden, prompting her to take a step forward and spin around. Ivy felt something similar, following suit just as quickly, almost jumping a foot in the air and yelping. Both of them were face to face with the two people they hoped to avoid: Dean and Mark.

"You hadn't come over to say hi, Beth, so I thought I'd take the liberty," Dean said, a disarming smile on his face that hid his real intentions. Beth knew better, and felt strangely naked at the way Dean's eyes ran over her body. Mark, a fellow baseball player, kept his eyes on Ivy. "Amy was saying you were maybe interested in something, perhaps? Or, am I just going to have to make you interested all by myself?"

Beth took a step back, as Dean turned to Mark. "What do you think, pal? Me and Beth?" He laughed, as Mark grinned.

"All yours," Mark said. "She's not my type anyway."

"What type is that, blonde?"

"No--in a relationship." Heartbreaker Mark, everyone called him that. He enjoyed winning over girls who already had boyfriends, and then forgetting about them later, leaving a wake of shattered couples wherever he went. Ivy stepped closer to Beth, frowning briefly at her. Too bad the Ascend didn't give them super powers... wait! It kind of did. The Ascend could connect to other devices, and possibly control them. How to use that to their advantage was the question. Ivy stayed quiet as she thought.

Beth, however, was fired up at Mark's implication. "You're not going to pry Ivy away from James, you goon." Turning to Dean next, she decided to hit him where it hurt. "And you... Didn't you go 0-for-3 in that game against Tinton High yesterday? Knock it off because you're about to strike out again."

An unamused Dean stepped forward and grabbed one of Beth's breasts through the swimsuit, causing her to squeal in shock as she was assaulted. It was frightening, this precursor to whatever else this very big guy might do. "I get what I want, Beth, and I'm not taking no for an answer right now. You'll be thanking me by the end of the day." Mark made his move at roughly the same time, pulling Ivy close as he gripped at her ass in those green bikini shorts. No doubt he would make the excuse that she was 'asking for it' despite any indication of that being the truth.

Both Ivy and Beth almost froze like deer in headlights as they felt those big hands on their bodies, not sure what to do in that moment. With James and Lucas in mostly the driver's seat, they were unprepared to have people touching them, realizing it could get way worse in a bit with nobody else at the party coming to their aid. But then they saw each other out of the corner of their eyes. Beth saw Mark's hands on Ivy. Ivy saw Dean's hands on Beth.

In an instant, rage burst forth from both of them, as they twisted out of the grasp of both guys and punched the guy opposite them for what they were doing to their friend-slash-girlfriend-slash-boyfriend-slash-it's-complicated! That it was a total surprise gave them the best leverage, as Beth struck Mark square in the jaw, sending him hurtling back into the pool, while Ivy's strike gave Dean a black eye!

Dean reeled, clutching his face. Mark hadn't gone down without at least a reflexive strike back, slapping Beth across the face before tumbling back. The slap had enough **** behind it to break the electrostatic cling and yank the Ascend from her face!

"What the hell, you bitch Ivy!" Dean said, looking over at the Ascend receiver on the ground. Quite a few people seemed perplexed by it. Had Mark slapped Beth's face clean off? When it hit the ground, it seemed to lose its facial definition though, returning to a blank screen as it tumbled slightly away. "...what the hell is that?" Dean said, pointing.

Beth stood upright again, feeling the sting on her face that had fortunately been lessened by the receiver. With James now out of commission for the moment, Beth had to go into acting mode. "It's just a high tech rejuvenation mask, that's all," Beth said, trying to cover up the truth. She normally would've been frightened out of her mind in that moment, but she still had the rage James had provided her with upon seeing Ivy touched by someone else. "We're done here. I don't want anything to do with garbage like you. You just made a clear case for me to give Lucas a try again, because he at least will respect my choices!"

A crowd had gathered around the group, curious of the happenings. Most were on Dean and Mark's side, naturally. Who were these girls who thought they could push around the dream guys of just about anyone at their high school? Other guys and girls gathered around, forming a loose ring of bodies that boxed Ivy and Beth in. Beth wanted to get to the Ascend headset, but Dean was right in the way...

Instead, Amy picked it up, looking at it. "I didn't even know you were wearing something like this." Ivy quickly brushed some of her hair, which had air dried slightly, to frame around her face so nobody started to ask any questions about if she was wearing one either. All eyes were on Beth and Amy though.

"Amy, can I have it back? We're leaving once I get my stuff."

"Like hell you are," Dean growled, as he began to march forward toward Beth again. He looked like he was going to drag her inside the house and get what she wanted. If Amy would just hand that mask over so she could go..! Though it seemed like she should forget about it and bail. The guys around Dean whistled and cheered as he advanced, wanting to stake his claim with Beth and continue his streak of no rejections, whether earned or ****... Beth braced herself and Ivy looked like she was ready to fight, although both of the girls probably busted some bones in their hands with the last punch, and only didn't feel pain due to the adrenaline running through them right now. Now seemed like a time to run...

Amy turned the Ascend headset over in her hands, curiously. She was more focused on this strange tech over whatever was about to happen to Beth.