The Cork Party (The Next Episode)

“Pardon me, but what’s this about a new hometown hero in Honey Hollow?” a young man with a scar across his left cheek inquired politely.

Joyelle immediately forgot about pursuing Taube with the appearance of a ruggedly handsome newcomer. Screw a backup. I want a stud like this guy, the boyfriend-seeking junior thought. Assuming him to be from Guzzle Crossing, the heavy dose of blush on her cheeks couldn’t hide the natural reddening, as she gaped at the man’s clearly toned physique under his tight shirt.

“Well, hello,” the dyed blonde responded, closing the short distance between the two with an exaggerated saunter. “Are you from Guzzle Crossing?”

“Something like that.”

“Whitney’s mom is from there. Uh, I don’t remember her maiden name. Still, you’d totally know her family,” Joyelle rambled before catching the impatient expression. “Oh, right! I can tell you all about Sean Tarver. I’m a personal friend now.”

“Is that so? Who is this Sean Tarver?” the young man probed.

“He’s the only the most popular guy in town these days! He dove into an ice-covered lake to save Whitney Diamond’s life. Did you know that icy water is what killed all those people on the Titanic, like forty or fifty years ago?” Joyelle questioned. “Whitney’s not only the most desired girl in our school, but she’s rich and my cheer captain. Between you and me, I’m her clear favorite to succeed her next year, no matter what Margo thinks.”

“For such a popular boy, I’d assume he’s at this big party.”

“Boy?! Haha. Tarver’s a man! The word is that Whitney rewards him with not only epic, marathon fucks, but is bringing other hot girls to bed too. I heard Caterina Quill, another good friend of mine, jumped the line and is in Whitney’s doghouse. I know to be patient, so I’ll wait for my turn. It shouldn’t be much longer,” the lying junior declared. “Come to think of it, I never even heard of Sean until last month. I guess he’s a super nice guy, but I prefer bad boys.”

The scarred young man ignored the long, colorful nail that rang down his chest. Instead, he repeated his question.

“Oh, Tarver is totally here. You can’t miss him. He’s wearing one of those big boot thingies. Did you know he nearly died, too? The hero climbed down a whole cliff…well, until he fell part of the way,” Joyelle admitted. “He doesn’t seem big on giving out autographs, if that’s what you want, but you could always try. Like I said, he’s totally easy to find. The JV cheerleaders will be surrounding him. He’s like their boss or something now. Hey, do you wanna dance?”

“Maybe later. Thanks,” the scar-faced man said, taking his time to escape.

“Who was that?” a curious, nasally voice asked.

“Back off, Greta! I saw him first,” Joyelle warned her fellow cheerleader.

Suddenly, their phones and nearly everyone else’s in the house went off.

“Spotted: Princess Purity risking her soul to snitch on the happenings at Captain Cork Jr.’s party. You have been warned.”

Joyelle looked up from her phone at the same time as Greta. The clumsy brunette’s face showed alarm, as did many at the party.

“Oh, crap! Mom said I’m not allowed to drink anymore. I always end up at the emergency room!” Greta exclaimed, slamming her beer cup down on a bookshelf, spilling most of its contents.

Minor panic filled the Cork home. Anyone with parents against their high school-age children drinking, or even attending a party with ****, started to hide the evidence. It wasn’t unheard of for Prudence Goodley to present proof of their sinning to the school faculty or administration. The soul-preserving snitch had already caused suspensions, if not outright bans, for multiple club and sports team members. Hell, her mother, Hester, had done the same at school board meetings over the years.

“No, no, no! I can’t have pictures of me underage drinking!” Gennifer Greiner realized, sliding her red Solo cup onto the counter. “Think of the future scandal.”

“Lighten up, Genni,” Polly Gettinger replied, rolling her eyes. They immediately widened as the class treasurer slapped her nearly empty cup from her hand.

“I have political ambitions!”

“Nobody cares if you have a beer in high school. They care about juicier gossip,” Suzie Unser told her friend, who she entered a game of tug of war with over her splashing cup. “You must be drunk already, to be this paranoid.”

“Wow! Now, this party is heating up. I already had the makeup monster threaten to gut me, and now a major plot twist. This is just like episode six from the second season–” Nancy Weller began to compare before getting knocked into the wall.

“I gotta go! I’m already on parental probation!” Denny screamed, arms flailing as he rushed down the hallway.

“Good riddance,” London yelled, recalling the Denster’s fake nude photo scandal.

“Cool. More beer for us,” Niles Milner said, filling more cups from the keg for his football buddies.

“That’s a pro; the con is Goodley calling the cops,” Marcus pointed out, causing Xavier and Kessler to groan. Comments followed about finally getting away from the purity goody-goodies at college next year.

“Whoops!” Heidi squealed, falling off Louie’s lap with a loud hiccup.

“Stop being a sloppy drunk. If your mom sees you like this, I’m the one the family is going to blame,” Hazel said, watching her drunk cousin. “The usual crap about being a bad influence.”

“You are a bad influence.”

“That’s not breaking news, Kirby. Go report on Denny getting frostbite,” Hazel shot back, alerting Louie to his annoying, but close friend’s probable predicament.

“Damn, I need to go get him before he loses fingers or toes,” the basketball co-captain grumbled, attempting to stand up before his girlfriend shoved him back down. “Where’s Blick? The new kid can help.”

“Tyler’s the star of the game,” Jayden yelled over, downing another beer from a person leaving the party. “Send Pumphrey or one of the JV kids.”

“Ooh! Good call, Cappy!” Heidi shouted, climbing back onto her boyfriend’s lap.

Daisy left the room again, shaking her head at Heidi's ability to get plastered after a couple of beers. Still, the real news needed to be covered, which had shifted rapidly from the basketball team's winning streak to the potential trouble Prudence might cause.

Back over on the makeshift dance floor in the living room, Charlie Cork panicked for an entirely different reason. The threat of the Purity Club leader led the two juniors he’d been grinding between to flee the party. Watching nearly a dozen classmates file out through the front door, the self-described heartthrob of Honey Hollow High grew concerned.

“No, no, no. Shit! Claudia!” Charlie bellowed. “Where’s my cousin? Have you seen her? Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

"Nope.

“Nada.”

“Not lately.”

Racing out of the living room, Charlie ordered Kyler, his best friend, to help. “This party is about to turn into shit. I’m not getting upstaged by Wynwick’s disaster.”

“It wasn’t really Fletcher’s party. He threw it at Sienna’s house, while her parents were out of town for the night,” Rafael Osuna pointed out, as Charlie raced past a group of football and basketball players.

“And while Sienna went out on a date with Zarren Amming,” Kona chuckled.

“Fuuuck! The look on her face when she returned to find a party happening in her home,” Digg recalled. “I thought Fletch was done for when she grabbed that butcher knife.”

“Technically, the house belongs to their grandmother. Fletch and Sienna are set to jointly inherit it someday, so he had a minuscule right to throw the party. It’s just the brawl the sophomores started before the Ice Queen returned complicated his argument,” Billy said, partially defending his friend.

“Now don’t go making excuses, Clawfoot,” Elvis called over. “I heard from a little birdie that you’re the one who told Fletch that his condo wouldn’t work for a party.”

“Don’t go quoting Nosy Nectar on me, Sponder. Talon lied when she sent in that gossip,” Billy shot back, glancing over his shoulder. Although he didn’t expect the high and mighty Ice Queen to show up at Claudia’s party, he couldn’t risk it. Fletch’s friends often caught stray shots because of his craziness. “My kid sister loves to create trouble.”

Over near the den, Charlie halted his frantic search to confront one girl.

“You, class secretary, you’re friends with Prudence, where is she?”

“I’m most certainly not friends with her!” Gennifer screeched. “I’m the class treasurer.”

“Whatever. You virgins stick together. Somebody find Goodley! My party has to upstage the bastard’s debacle.”

“It’s not your party; it’s mine,” an attractive, athletic blonde with resting bitch face proclaimed. “And I’m looking for her.”

Short with a fiery temper and competitive personality, Claudia Cork, volleyball captain, had already barked out orders to find the spy. She dispatched her friends, teammates, and their friends to search the house for the Purity Club’s leader. Without time to spare, her blueish-green eyes barely stopped on the traitor in their midst. Aurora Rusk could be dealt with later. Prudence’s presence demanded the highest priority.

“I’ll find the bitch,” Yelena muttered to herself, briskly walking past the party hostess.

“Ah, fuck. I’d better lie low,” Saylor said. “Gotta protect the Waterhouse image and all. Mom’s been on that kick again. Dad can’t say much, since I know shit about him.”

“Dad!” Harley exclaimed.

“Relax. Your dad knows you're not your mom,” Kizzy responded, dismissing any concerns about Mr. Peel.

“Crap! Harls is right,” Roxanne realized, scanning the family room and nearby hallways. “Rory.”

“Rory!” the Beal sisters shouted in horror from both sides of the room.

“Her evil dad can’t know she was here,” YoYo pointed out.

Almost like one of their routines, the cheerleaders leaped to their feet and marshaled into a semi-circle. With Whitney off somewhere, the JV eyes fell on Beatrice, but the Babybee captain wasn’t the highest-ranking cheerleader in the room. The varsity co-captain took charge, as was her right.

“Find Rory and protect her. I’ll ferret out Princess Purity,” Caterina vowed, directing both cheer squads while she started to wonder where the snitch might be hiding.

Beyza managed to get out of the way, but Delilah found herself swarmed alongside Aurora when a pack of cheerleaders found the latter. Hustling the Rusk twin back into the family room, they kept on moving until they reached the kitchen, kicking Lucas Prescott out of a chair. The class president boasted about his position until Kaitlin threatened to go get Whitney.

“Protect Rory, protect Rory,” the cheerleaders chanted, pushing a dining table chair almost against the wall. Within seconds, Roxanne, Beatrice, Harley, Yolanda, Zara, and Kizzy blocked Rory from view. Needing to avoid any pictures, Saylor crouched behind the chair.

“Has Aurora ascended to deity status?” Dreama inquired, revealing her arrival. She found the “Protect Rory” chant to be both enlightening and confusing.

“Get over there,” Kaitlin ordered, gently pushing the kooky junior over to add another body until Prudence could be located.

Across the open-air floor plan, a worrying thought struck Sean.

“Hmm, I could be in a tough spot. Mom definitely wouldn’t care. Not with her party reputation in high school, but Dad has been looking for divorce fodder,” Sean told Delilah, who stood several feet in front of him.

“We need to protect Sean!” the dark-skinned dancer announced about her longtime family friend.

Gasps and a shout responded from the kitchen.

“Stay there!” Kaitlin ordered her little sister and friends. “Protecting Rory is priority number one. We’ll deal with Tarver.”

“It’s probably not a big deal. I just need to keep any beers away from—Whoa!” Sean reacted to a girl in a black uniform with gold trim straddling his right leg, while a girl in a gold uniform with black trim did the same on his right side.

“Don’t worry. We’re low on numbers, but we’ll hide your face,” Kaitlin promised, shoving her C-cups into his face while Delilah ran her hands through his blond hair.

As people searched the first floor room by room, Claudia dispatched Brennah, her best friend, Erica, and Annika to check out the basement. As one of the volleyball team’s sophomores, Robin Ridge got assigned the backyard. The young, buxom brunette quickly roped in a few JV basketball and baseball players to help conduct the search out in the cold.

“I found one!” Zoey announced, opening a broom closet. “Yep, it’s one of the purity acolytes.”

“Don’t offend them. Religious fanatics are dangerous,” Winnie warned softly, while peeking around the corner to watch Zoey.

“Judas!” Melisent Dossett spat, verbally and physically.

“Bitch, try that again, and I’ll teach you how we settle things around Boxwood Court,” Zoey warned, ready to throw hands.

“Your sister has been possessed by a demon!” Melisent screeched as Ariel arrived with Seth Francy and Sid Hollister to help drag her out of the closet.

“It’s called hormones, honey. Open a science book for once,” the younger Gibble sister replied, rolling her eyes.

“Sick burn, Zo,” Sid commented in awe.

“Alright, you’re out of here, Dossett,” Claudia announced, jerking her thumb toward the front door as she hurried over.

“We found Hilbrath down in the basement,” Brennah disclosed, dragging a sophomore down the hallway.

“Prudence brought two of them along?” Claudia questioned, ready to spike somebody’s head.

“Did you see Arpin? That pair are as thick as thieves,” Zoey pointed out about the two sophomore Purity Club die-hards that caused her and her friends problems at times.

“Lies! Scandalous lies!” the red-haired Hilbrath denied. “Gibble is a snake-tongued heathen. I would never steal!”

“It’s an idiom,” Winnie whispered.

“Idiot,” Zoey added.

“You’re all going to burn, Burn, sinners, burn!” Melisent screamed, spinning around to face everyone she possibly could.

“Get them out of here, and I don’t care if you freeze to ****,” Claudia responded, shaking her head. “I can’t wait for college.”

“I told all of you. This bitch is crazier than Goodley,” Seth reminded loudly to anyone in earshot, watching as several large football players gently escorted the two girls out of the house.

Silence settled in the house outside of people muttering and the music.

“What the…Holy shit!”

The shout from the living room brought Claudia back from the den.

“Now what?” the furious blonde demanded.

“Um, well, we just noticed that,” Liam Gibble explained, pointing at a bookshelf, while also appearing ready to run.

“Don’t look at me. Kip is the one who was being nosy,” Braxton Bascom denied, gesturing at the student manager for multiple sports teams.

“I was checking for more spilled beer to wipe up,” Kip Peavy insisted. “But found that.”

“Holy fuck! Is that a webcam?” London asked. “I can’t believe that little–”

“Oh, that churchy bitch is going to pay!” Claudia roared, clenching her fists. “No one puts a spy camera in my house. This means–”

“Oops, sorry about the confusion. That’s mine,” a voice said, as a hand reached past everyone to pick up the webcam.

“Ohmigawd! What are you up to now?” Marcie squealed.

“What? There’s nothing wrong with ****,” Odette stated.

Just around a corner, Daisy winced before entering the living room. The school newspaper’s de facto den mother quickly typed off a message to Norah about watching over Odie.

“It’s against the law,” Liam responded before throwing his hands up defensively.

“It is a crime,” London agreed.

“Dammit, Manske,” Claudia growled.

“You’re too boring to be the target, Cork,” the orange-haired junior assured the volleyball captain. “No worries. I can gather my dirt elsewhere.”

Marching away confidently, Odette’s pale face would’ve blanched if it could, upon staring directly into Daisy’s unamused glare. A simple finger point sent The Buzzy Bee’s tech support off to meet Norah.

“Can’t you keep her on a leash?” Claudia questioned, noticing Daisy, who shrugged. The party hostess wanted to say more, but the group of sophomores bickering behind her drew her attention.

“Way to rat out Peavy, Brax,” Ryne admonished his friend.

“Me? He shouldn’t be snooping into Claudia’s business,” Braxton shot back.

Pausing a moment, the blonde volley captain eyed up the bickering friends. As Kip occasionally helped with the volleyball team, she decided to throw him a bone. Stepping forward, she leaned forward to lightly kiss his forehead.

“You can snoop in my business anytime, Kippy.”

“Whoa!” several of the sophomores roared after their party hostess turned and walked away.

“Check upstairs,” Daisy whispered, not stopping as she passed Claudia.

“Oh, she better not be up there,” the blonde growled, swinging around to head for the stairs. It was the one part of the house that she hadn’t checked yet.

Light from the ceiling fan above flooded Claudia's bedroom. Next, a closet door whipped open, leading a bare leg to shoot forward to kick anything inside. Finally, swinging around in a half-twirl, the skirt-wearing blonde performed a version of the splits to check under the bed. Hopping back onto her feet, she stormed out the bedroom door.

“I know you’re up here, zealot. Time to pay the price,” Yelena announced.

A second bedroom followed before the dance squad’s sex kitten found a bathroom with its lights already turned on and an open cabinet door. Curious, she heard a sound from the next bedroom. An evil grin formed while she moved in that direction.

“Oh, Goodley, it’s time to come out and pay!” Yelena sang before kicking the door open. “You!”

“Jesus, cunt! Don’t give me a heart attack like that!” Caterina shrieked at her rival. “Stay out of this. Prudence is mine.”

“Get in line, dye job,” the natural blonde replied dismissively. “Second should ring a bell.”

“You really want to do this right now? I might be co-captain, but I’m still higher-ranked than you. At best, you’re third behind Bianca and Delilah. Shit, I'd put even Olivia before you,” Cat insulted about the Sugarbee hierarchy.

“Bitch, please,” Yelena responded, turning around. “That leaves only the master bedroom.”

“I hope you checked under the other beds,” Cat criticized, watching as the other girl bypassed the king-sized bed. “Fine. I’ll check the bathroom, as well.”

“Don’t bother. She’s in here. I know it,” Yelena declared, stopping before opening the walk-in closet’s double doors. Taking a few steps backward while continuing to watch the door, the blonde temptress grabbed a pillow.

“Planning to beat a few sins into her?”

“Hardly. I wouldn’t put it past the fanatic to carry pepper spray,” Yelena suggested. “Sorry, I mean holy water!”

“Good call,” Cat muttered, **** to say it any louder.

While rivals, the two seductresses nodded at one another, each grabbing a doorknob to open the closet. A long room, the rear encased in darkness, met them.

“Great. Do you see a light switch?” Cat asked.

“You check the sides; I’m going in,” Yelena revealed softly.

“You’re what? Damn showboat,” the cheer co-captain remarked, reaching in to feel for a light switch while her high school rival rushed forward, using the pillow as a shield.

The walk-in closet didn’t turn out to be quite the hiding place as the two blondes expected. Cat spotted Prudence almost simultaneously as Yelena, who nearly ran past her.

“Praying, bitch?” the Sugarbee challenged, readying her hand for a counterblow to any move.

“Oh, no, Lena. I’d say that Goodley’s waiting for some action to start. Gawd, her mother is going to be horrified to learn that her pure, chaste girl is a closeted Peeping Tom,” Caterina teased.

“How dare–”

“Shut the fuck up, Pru!” Claudia ordered, stomping across her parents’ room to face the brunette. “I caught two of your friends. There better not be any more, or it’s your hide that’s getting skinned.”

“I’m sure my squad can think of much worse,” Cat hinted. “You know those rumors about cheerleader hazing…”

“The Sugarbees get first crack. We’ve been labeled the devil’s devotees since her mom’s days,” Yelena recounted.

“I’ll add terroristic threats to the list when the police arrive,” Prudence mocked.

“If anyone calls the cops, it’s going to be me. You and your friends entered my home without permission. That’s trespassing,” the volleyball captain declared.

“I’m a concerned citizen drawing attention to underage **** consumption, fornication, and illegal **** use,” Prudence sassed back. “Punishment will fall with the **** of a mighty hammer.”

“If the cops are called, the rest of senior year is going to be pure hell for you. That’s a guarantee,” Claudia declared.

Caterina and Yelena swiftly agreed that their squads would support any vengeance the volleyball team meted out.

“A battle has been lost, but not the war,” Prudence proclaimed, exiting the closet, bedroom, and house with her head held high. Although she was met with a song that showcased her classmates’ feelings about her leaving.

(Because I'm happy)
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
(Because I'm happy)
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
(Because I'm happy)
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
(Because I'm happy)
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

"What the hell happened?" Whitney questioned, walking into the kitchen. Immediately, she spotted the Babybees celebrating and dancing. "No, no, don't embarrass the squad."

(Happy, happy, happy, happy) Bring me down, can't nothing
(Happy, happy, happy, happy) Bring me down, my level's too high
(Happy, happy, happy, happy) To bring me down, can't nothing
(Happy, happy) Bring me down, I said

“We defeated the power of purity,” Kizzy proclaimed.

“Fuck. That blast was real,” Whitney groaned before noticing Sean on the couch. “How the hell…”

“We had to protect Rory from being exposed,” Beatrice reported. “Kizzy lost out on Sean-Defense to her sister and Delilah.”

“I’ll say so,” the varsity captain said, nodding in approval at Katie’s uniform-covered breasts in her rescuer’s face. “Girls, go take over the music. Put something good on.”

“Aye-aye, El Capitán,” Saylor acknowledged with a salute.

“It’s La Capitana,” Yolanda corrected, scurrying off with Kizzy and the Waterhouse blonde.

“I’ll keep them out of trouble,” Harley announced, causing Roxie to sigh with relief.

Ooh, move your body, girl, makes the fellas go
The way you ride it, girl, makes the fellas go
Ooh, move your body, girl, makes the fellas go
The way you ride it, girl, makes the fellas go

Kaitlin backed off, letting the more experienced dancer start to move her body on Sean’s leg. Feeling someone’s eyes on her, the brunette realized Whitney had returned. And with her captain smirking, Katie decided not to give in, so she slid off the current It Boy.

“Katie,” Whitney said, folding her arms and sounding disappointed as her fellow cheerleader approached.

“Nope. I’m not doing your bidding. Let Lilah have fun. She’s still half a cheerleader.”

Whitney couldn’t argue. Besides, she knew Bridget and Shayla had been friends for years. And to be honest, she found it amazing to watch the lithe, athletic body of the dark-skinned dancer move like a well-oiled machine atop an awkward Sean.

“Roll up in the club, looking fly,” Delilah sang, spreading her leg over while she transferred from a single leg to straddle his entire waist. “Made your first approach, then caught his eye.”

Similar to Kaitlin, Sean felt eyes on him. Only it turned out much worse, as nearly a dozen classmates watched along with Whitney as Delilah gyrated her body onto his, sliding back and forth to bring Dr. Sean out for an appointment. She also continued to sing along to the lyrics, leaning in occasionally to breathe them hotly into his ears.

Take it slow, turn me on
Club gets warmer
Body moves closer
One with the rhythm
Don't stop moving, you're makin' me hot
From head to toe
I feel your flow
Vibes gets stronger
Party seems longer
Makes me really want ya
Don't stop movin', you're making me hot

To make things worse, the trapped, aroused teen looked behind Delilah to see one of his longtime tormentors approaching. Waiting until the song nearly ended, she tapped the Sugarbee’s shoulder.

“Sorry, Babybee, but I have first dibs. Seanie’s been my dance partner since we could stand,” Delilah said, not really looking over her shoulder fully.

“She’s not lying,” Sean admitted.

“Oh, I know,” the newcomer said, causing Delilah to know this tease wanted a turn. “Don’t worry. I made the Beebrats pick one more song for you, but then it’s my turn next.”

Hearing the next song’s music start, Delilah sent Sean the most sugary smile to muster, while placing her hands on his shoulders for better leverage. Behind her, Sean’s curse cackled before stepping back, sharing a nod with Whitney.

Baby boy, you stay on my mind, fulfill my fantasies
I think about you all the time, I see you in my dreams
Baby boy, not a day goes by without my fantasies
I think about you all the time, I see you in my dreams

Delilah took one hand off his shoulder to gesture at Sean to lower his hands. However, the embarrassed teen refused, leading the next girl in line to shoot forward, grab his hands, and slap them under the dancer’s skirt, onto her toned ass.

Ah, oh, my baby's fly, baby, oh
Yes, no, hurt me so good, baby,
I'm so wrapped up in your love, let me go
Let me breathe, stay out my fantasies

Performing a hair whip, Delilah immediately brought her brown eyes back to make direct contact with Sean's blues. Then, staring into his soul, she began grinding down onto him. Unlike most girls back at the New Year's Eve Ball, Delilah knew to move slowly, perfectly timing her body rolls and hip swivels. That her mom owned a dance studio wasn't lost on Sean.

“Picture us dancin' real close in a dark, dark corner of a basement party,” Delilah sang into his ear, tickling skin with her hot breath. “Every time I close my eyes, it's like everyone left, but you and me.”

“You, go, Lilah!” Whitney encouraged. “Get him into it.”

Despite how everything looked, Sean suspected that his old family friend might be taking it easy on him. A suspicion she confirmed seconds later.

“I’d make you explode, but our moms might cum at the thought of us getting horizontal,” the expert dancer speculated. “You’re on your own for the next song. Good luck.”