The Junior Squad Strikes

“Aieeeeeeee!!!”

The blood-curdling scream pierced the music inside the ballroom. Every single ballgoer turned their attention to the room’s rear. Already accustomed to outbursts tonight, some partygoers grumbled at another interruption. Others eagerly stood up or craned their necks, hoping for a repeat of Lana and Teresa’s tops coming off.

As the screamer entered the historic ballroom, a shocked gasp began past the bar. Almost wave-like, it spread as the apparent victim marched with a purpose across the floor. At least two concerned individuals stepped forward to offer assistance. One wilted under a murderous glare. The other persisted, earning a sharp verbal rebuke.

“Is that…Crystal?” Fawn asked once she picked her jaw up off the floor.

Nate immediately pulled out his phone to start recording. His mom would never forgive him if he didn’t.

“What the hell…happened to her?” Teddy asked, staring in shock at his ex-girlfriend.

“Brandy?” Pepper growled.

"Don't look at me, Mom," Brandy responded. "I was off doing something else entirely dangerous and foolhardy. Remember? Well, I can't be in two places at once!"

The youngest Fallon sister's last comment came about as nearly everyone around her alternated their gaze between Brandy and Crystal.

Not too far away, another group watched the commotion intently. The Zurbrugg students who witnessed Peyton and Sean learn about the upcoming divorce now filled in the friends who remained in the dark. Lana and Kiki also split time by interrogating Zaylie about her vanishing for the last ninety minutes or so.

“What on Earth is that?” Jamie-Lynn queried.

“That is Honey Hollow,” Lana declared, gaining nods of agreement.

“Shit, Beakburg is pretty nuts with the prison and poverty, but you guys take the cake,” Kiki admitted. “Must be something in the water.”

"We prefer to think it's in the honey," Eoin cracked.

"Oh, I hope this isn't going to upset Finn," Auggie worried.

"Where is Finny? He's missing the fun," Lana said, pulling out her phone. "I'd better tell Pey to get her butt down here, too."

“Who is that woman?” Jamie-Lynn asked. “And what’s all over her?”

Zaylie's eyes narrowed, then shifted from side to side as she recognized the woman by her dress. It was the same person Peyton's aunt had assigned her to tail. Suddenly, the beach blonde wondered where Finn and Nate's cousins had gone.

"Can't tell. Somebody go ask Nate. He's over there with his family," Lana suggested, glancing over at the Days and Fallons. Their group appeared more animated, so the redhead guessed they knew the woman, even in her current state.

“Oh, dear. I’m so relieved the twins aren’t here,” Virginia remarked, sighing.

“Dee, did you set this up?” Teddy questioned.

At her husband's question, Olympia shot a horrified look at Brandy as the color drained from her face. Of course, she'd heard many tales about the various antics of Tinsley, Brandy, and their respective cliques. However, Olympia had never witnessed one first-hand. The closest she'd seen came from the twins' pranks.

“Sure, I sent Ramsey to get trapped at The Penalty Pub to create an alibi for myself,” Brandy responded sarcastically. “Listen to yourself.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Wrenn commented, garnering nods in agreement.

Her husband, Tim, had just walked over to stand next to his seated wife. His shocked expression, along with his usually uptight wife’s nonchalant reaction, had him wondering about the extent of Wrenn’s childhood that he didn’t know.

“Shut up, Worrywart!” Brandy hissed.

Seamus glanced around while mulling over how his youngest daughter pulled off this bit of ****. He couldn’t imagine anyone else present had the mindset to accomplish such a feat. The three likeliest suspects were currently on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Still, this bout of **** doesn’t appear to be multiple felonies like the last one.

“Uh, is she headed this way?” Fawn asked. “'Cause I think she is.”

“Nathan! Put that away,” Virginia ordered. Her grandson responded with an incredulous expression, which caused Tinsley’s mother to rethink her command. “Then, at least be a bit more discreet.”

“Y-You bitch!” Crystal screamed from a distance of approximately twenty-five feet. In her fury, she could barely speak.

“Don’t even think about accusing me of shit, slut,” Brandy shot back.

“Fuck off, bratty! I wasn’t talking to you,” Crystal yelled, surprising everyone.

That feeling turned to utter shock as she continued marching forward, but toward Sandy and Cherry Bank instead of Brandy and Teddy.

“So this was all a setup, huh? All those business run-ins and lunches were to get me to drop my guard, weren’t they?” Crystal challenged.

“Wha–What? I don’t understand,” Cherry stammered.

“I don’t know what happened to you, but we had nothing to do with it, Crystal,” Sandy stated, stepping forward.

“Sure, you didn’t. I’m not that gullible. Look at me! You’re the one who invited me here, Sander!” Crystal screamed, pointing at herself.

“No, no, we’d never do anything like this. You have to believe us, Crys,” Cherry pleaded. “We’re not like them.”

When Cherry pointed her finger at her, Brandy couldn't help but raise her arms in a "What the hell?" gesture.

“You’re not?! Fucking look at me! This is what your kids did to me!” Crystal shrieked, turning around in a circle to showcase herself more.

“Our ki–No! Serinda and Sanna would never,” Cherry insisted.

“You must be mistaken,” Sander speculated.

“No, I fucking know what they look like. It was them,” Crystal swung around to point at Teddy and Olympia. “And theirs!”

Olympia gasped before shaking her head vehemently. Teddy started to defend his two children until he spotted Brandy bite her lip. He knew that gesture well after all these years.

“My children are too young to have done that!” Olympia argued.

“They did it, and I’m going straight to the police. Let’s see what you say once they’re behind bars,” Crystal vowed before cackling madly.

A Short Time Earlier

“This is a bad idea, so bad,” Zara moaned.

“I told all of you that. But none of you would listen,” Beatrice reminded.

The two Babybees stood in a small hallway about thirty feet down from the restrooms. Joining them were Tenille, Trey, and Winnie Wirch. While Tenille agreed with the two older teens, she kept her mouth shut to avoid provoking her cousins again. Without speaking, Winnie showed her agreement by repeatedly bringing her nails to her mouth to chew nervously before catching herself. Only Trey appeared unconcerned. The eight-year-old, already past his bedtime, showed no signs of fatigue as he bounced giddily in anticipation.

Zoey Gibble and Robin Ridge stood right around the corner. The two girls appeared to be chatting while looking down at their phones. But, in reality, they stood lookout for the moment their target entered the trap.

“We could get in a lot of trouble,” Zara continued. “Like getting arrested type of trouble.”

“Would you stop your bellyaching? It’s giving us headaches over here,” Natalie reported from Tennile’s phone.

"Everything is going to be fine," Noelle reassured. However, she did leave out that part of the fun with these pranks came from adapting when everything didn't go according to plan. The twins and their best friend, Eden, all shared a look, acknowledging that aspect.

“Easy for you to say. You’re all safe in Hawaii!” Zara exclaimed. “I’m the one who had to go into the kitchen. Well, Winnie and I, but we’ve been spotted by the kitchen staff.”

“Hey, who pulled the strings to get you access to the kitchen? Us!” Natalie proclaimed.

“Would you guys keep it down?” Zoey hissed, barely looking over her shoulder. “And you had to do it, Zara. Nobody else could’ve gotten it right.”

“Oh, please. The mixture isn’t rocket science,” Zara replied.

“You rookies are the best we had to work with,” Eden shot back over the phone.

“Drop the attitude, or we’re going to have a problem,” Beatrice stated, looking down at Tenille’s phone. “My girls are not helpless rubes. We have excellent organizational skills.”

“Cheerleaders,” Natalie remarked in a mocking tone.

“Excuse me. I’m well-acquainted with Honey Hollow High’s past cheer squads enough to know that your mother was once co-captain,” Bea pointed out.

“Don’t mind the twins. They got banned from even trying out for their cheer squad,” Juliana Lockett revealed from Zoey’s phone. “Hell, I think Eden was, too.”

“Jules!” Natalie and Noelle hissed.

“Quiet!” Robin hissed.

“She’s coming,” Zoey reported to the girls around the corner and on the phones.

“I told you that paying the wait staff to offer her complimentary drinks would work,” Eppie Etter, Jules’ best friend, bragged over the phone.

"Well, I made it so we didn't have to pay," Jules shot back.

“Quiet!” Zoey hissed.

“Send the alert to the Banks,” Noelle ordered.

Crystal Fetty hummed along to the song as she pushed open the door to the women's restroom. She felt a little loose from the unexpected round of complimentary drinks. That had been a surprise but not a shock, as Dalton Pierce had a reputation for treating people well.

Stopping briefly by the mirror, Crystal checked her appearance. Adjusting a few stray hairs, she felt pride in how she looked. Looking great was perfect **** on her old classmates who spent her senior year gossiping about her. It felt even better to show off her successful husband. I’m not just able to land my boyfriend’s star quarterback friend.

Moving toward the row of stalls, Crystal vaguely noted that several appeared occupied. Then, closing the door, she sat down on the toilet while pulling her phone out of her purse. This seemed a good time to update several old friends who chose not to attend the charity ball. They'd warned her to stay away, and she wanted to point out how wrong they'd been.

And to think that I almost skipped tonight. I would’ve if Tinsley were coming. She’s the crazy one in the Day family. Of course, she should understand why it happened. Teddy’s a nice guy. But who wants to date a boring school reporter when the star quarterback is so much better? Gawd, sneaking around on him was so hot back then. And I don’t know why Edie, Pansy, and the others kept on warning me about Brandy. The little tag-along brat hasn’t even said a word tonight. She’s probably feeling inferior over my great life and her shitty one.

Lost in her thoughts, Crystal never noticed the restroom door opening, shutting, or the lock turning. And she couldn’t see the group of teenage girls stationing themselves outside the door in the hallway. Nor did she pay attention to the sounds of two girls raising themselves up from the top of the toilet seats.

However, Crystal did notice the groaning sound from her right. Still, the woman turned up her nose at what she thought was a person not showing proper manners while using a public bathroom. Instead, the thirty-four-year-old focused on typing her message.

If Crystal had paid attention, she would’ve heard more of the struggles of Sanna. For the shorter girl could barely lift the heavy bucket up to the necessary spot. Once she matched Serinda on the other side, they gave the signal.

“Oh, Crystal, time to come out and play.” The sound of clinking glasses echoed around the room.

“It’s time for Crystal Fetty to pay for the sins of Crystal Soversby,” a slightly similar voice declared.

Suddenly, Sanna and Serinda tipped over the buckets of honey. Sanna's poured down on Crystal’s head while Serinda’s hit the front of the woman’s body and legs. Finding the right consistency for this moment had been Zara and Winnie’s role. They’d heated up the gift shop honey and added water to thin it out.

The initial feeling of the sticky substance pouring down on her caused Crystal to gasp in shock. Her second move had been to look up to see two familiar redheads giggling. Her third reaction was to shriek as a final glob landed on her face.

Attempting to wipe away the gooey honey from her face with her hands didn't work well. So, Crystal, in her shock, made an even worse decision by attempting to use toilet paper to wipe her face clean. Unfortunately, that only left bits and pieces of the paper stuck to her skin.

Freaking out further, the **** target attempted to open the door to run to the sink. Unfortunately, she’d forgotten to pull up her underwear, causing her to nearly trip after whipping the stall door open. Frantically, using one hand to pull up the garment, Crystal paused at the strangest sight.

A young girl stood before her, holding up two phones. One was recording while the other showed a screen filled with two startling, familiar faces. They looked like young versions of Teddy’s sister, Tinsley. She didn’t notice a somewhat busty brunette standing in front of the restroom door while holding another phone.

"Hiya, whore! We're Natalie and Noelle Toone, and the girl in front of you is Tenille Day. They say **** is best served cold; we prefer ours to be messy."

“Wh-Why, you little shits!” Crystal roared, stepping forward.

That’s when a little boy darted forward with another bucket.

“This is for Daddy!” Trey yelled, tossing the bucket’s contents at Crystal. Not satisfied, Trey picked up a second bucket and repeated the maneuver.

“You’ve been honey and feathered,” Tenille declared.

Acquiring the feathers had been Zoey, Robin, and Beatrice's jobs. They slashed open the purloined pillows, emptying their contents into two buckets for use. Fortunately, they didn't need to use their own room's pillows as they found enough in a supply closet.

“Great call, Eden,” Natalie could be heard praising their BFF’s suggestion. The local take on the tar-and-feather treatment had worked brilliantly.

“Now!” Zoey yelled, turning to unlock the door.

She and the girls outside the bathroom immediately raced into the ballroom. Tenille and Trey scampered out the restroom door. They dashed into the men's restroom before Crystal could exit the women's one. Meanwhile, Sanna and Serinda crossed their fingers, hoping Crystal didn't try to get into their locked stalls for ****. Fortunately, she didn't.

Olympia shrieked at Crystal’s police threat. Cherry appeared on the verge of tears, while Sander’s face had turned ashen. Virginia hadn’t even been able to muster an “Oh, dear” in her initial shock. However, having dealt with the consequences of Tinsley and Brandy’s antics, she swiftly came to her senses as the laughter started.

"You want to sic the cops on a bunch of little kids? Bitch, that ain't happening," Brandy stated while still chuckling.

“Oh, I intend to. Age doesn’t matter in an ****,” Crystal shot back.

"Stay out of–" Olympia began ordering Brandy until Virginia cut her off with a sharp hand motion.

“Teddy’s kids are eight and ten. Clearly, someone told them about how you slutted behind their dad’s back in high school, so they played a prank on you. Do you really think the cops are going to press charges against them?” Brandy challenged, shaking her head while continuing to chuckle.

While Pepper allowed her youngest daughter to talk the kids out of this problem, she did share a knowing look with Seamus. They both had a good idea about the identity of the "someone" who told Teddy's children about Crystal.

"W-Well, I-I…Serinda and Sanna are older. They should've known better. They can be charged," Crystal countered as her husband raced over.

Cherry nearly started sobbing at the thought of her good girls in such a predicament.

“Honey, what happen–”

“Don’t say that word!” Crystal ordered in a shrill voice.

"Sure, like they're going to charge the kids that live halfway across the country and toss them into juvie," Brandy continued to mock Crystal's threats.

That last comment caused Crystal to lunge forward at Brandy. Suddenly faced with a honey-covered woman coming too close for comfort, the spry blonde hopped backward. Then, in an automatic reaction based on decades of confrontations, Brandy whipped her tiny purse in the air, connecting with Crystal's face.

“Whoops,” she sounded, bringing her hand up to cover a grin.

"How dare you!" Crystal's husband roared, stepping toward Brandy with a furious and menacing expression.

He barely made it two steps before a fist landed on his cheek. Without even thinking, Teddy had reverted to his age-old role as Brandy’s surrogate big brother and protector.

“Oh, dear, Teddy,” Virginia muttered.

"About fucking time!" Nate cheered after teasing his uncle for not getting his hands dirty at The Penalty Pub.

"Charges! We're pressing charges against all of you," Crystal declared, pointing her finger at nearly every person. Her husband, the successful businessman she loved to brag about, held his face, appearing ready to cry.

"Wait, this is the hussy that cheated on your uncle for months?" Lana asked Nate after rushing over. Seeing several nods, the fiery redhead stepped forward, "There will most certainly not be any charges. My dad is the district attorney, and he'd never press charges against our friends for–"

“Quiet, Lana!” Pepper barked, stepping forward to do damage control.

“Wha-?”

“That’s the worst way to help your father tonight,” Seamus told his granddaughter’s best friend as hotel security finally arrived.