Who's Dealing with the Boy?

“I said I’m fine,” Sean insisted, holding his left hand up to emphasize his point.

“Well, I don’t want you to break your neck,” Lacey shot back, huffing and puffing in annoyance. “But if you want to, it’s your fault.”

“I appreciate your concern, Lace, but I don’t need mothering,” Sean repeated, having made the same point as they left the cabin.

Now, with the boathouse in sight, the frustrated teen felt embarrassed that Finn’s hand hovered around his arm in case he started to fall. Sean didn’t mind the older guy's assistance during slippery sections of the walkway, but Lacey’s frequent arm clutches made him more self-conscious of Finn’s help. Lacey seemed to think nearly every move Sean made foreshadowed a fall.

“Aww, but mothering us is Lacey’s best quality,” Finn cracked, causing the petite redhead to glare in his direction. “Her success rate is far higher with it than her matchmaking.”

Even in his poor mood, Sean couldn’t help but laugh as Lacey stuck out her tongue at Finn. She added an extra head shake with her tongue still out toward Sean before darting down the slight incline to the boathouse. Yanking the door open, she placed her hands on her hips while she watched Sean gingerly descend the hill. An impatient hand motion followed.

“You did it now,” Sean muttered, glancing at his surrogate older brother.

“Me? Lace just wants to play nurse for you. Deep down, I bet she’s pissed that she couldn’t be at the hospital to take care of you. Even if you supposedly met her future version,” Finn teased.

“Huh?” Sean questioned, frowning.

“Don’t worry about it,” Finn grinned, knowing somebody would break the news about his comments comparing Lacey and Nurse Libby.

“It is cold out here,” Lacey grumbled, swinging the open door back and forth while stomping snow off her boots.

“Stop sounding like your sister,” Finn ordered, causing the petite redhead’s mouth to open in astonishment. The distraction allowed him to lead Sean into the tiny entrance area before Lacey could start fussing again. “Uh-oh.”

Immediately, Sean recalled the narrow stairs. Descending the stairs had been problematic when he helped Lacey earlier in the week with her sprained ankle. She’d slipped and almost fallen twice. Even helping the tiniest person at the cabin, the stairs proved too narrow for them to walk down side-by-side. Factor in Sean’s more significant injuries and cumbersome walking boot, and he already regretted offering to get Newt’s things.

“Crap. Maybe I should just wait down here,” Sean said with a defeated attitude.

“Look, I can probably go up sideways a little in front of you. That way, I can help you up if needed,” Finn suggested, stepping on the first step. “Lace can help from behind.”

“Yeah, get your butt moving!” the perky cheerleader ordered, clapping her hands twice.

As the stairs were also slightly steeper than those inside the cabin, the trip up to the second floor of the boathouse ended up going slowly. Finn practically needed to lift Sean by the upper right arm for each stair. Reaching the landing, halfway up the U-shaped stairs, they took a moment to catch their breath.

Resuming, Sean swiftly lost his composure by the third step.

“You don’t need to yank my arm and push my butt, Finn!”

“What? How can I push your…Lacey?”

“Don’t what me! You two are taking forever. Let’s move!” Lacey commanded, using both hands to push and lift Sean’s ass. “Lunch will be cooked and eaten at this rate.”

Suddenly, the injured teen saw his forthcoming future. Only it wasn’t Finn helping him up the stairs, nor was it Lacey with her hands all over his butt. No, they’d been replaced by Kizzy, YoYo, Beatrice, Harley, Zara, and the other sophomore cheerleaders. The thought of asking his mom if he could be homeschooled entered his mind.

Distracted by his new worries, the rest of the stairs flew by for Sean. The next thing he knew, they entered the cozy bunkroom. Although Lacey knew which bunk had been her ex-boyfriend’s, Sean still politely motioned toward the one on the lower east side. Finn hovered his hand by Sean’s arm until they reached the center bunks directly across from the window.

“I’ll grab my stuff first,” Finn said, referring to helping Sean get Newt’s things from the top bunk.

With Sean sitting down on his bunk before opening the dresser under it, Finn turned to find Lacey watching him with a conspiratorial expression. They shared a quick, heated, and unspoken conversation. Lacey waved off Finn’s point.

“So, how are you doing?”

“Uh, are you asking me?” Sean queried, glancing over at Finn. The college student’s back was to both teens as he quickly emptied his drawer.

“Yeah,” Lacey replied, holding back a comeback.

“I guess okay. I might be sore after the return trip. I probably should’ve taken another pill before you guys arrived, but I wanted to wait longer just in…well, I don’t know.”

“Still having side effects?” Finn inquired, turning around to face the injured teen.

“Finn!” Lacey admonished before waving him off. “I wasn’t asking about your leg and foot. We want to know how you’re feeling after the big changes.”

“Oh, shit! I’m sorry. I meant to ask when I first saw you, but then the fight happened, and well, I want you to be happy, no matter what, Lace. I wasn’t a fan of Austin, but if he made–”

“Not that!”

Finn couldn’t hold back a grin as Lacey grew highly frustrated with Sean’s response. At this rate, it might turn into an interrogation if Sean didn’t get a clue fast.

“I’m talking about the divorce!” the petite redhead screamed, failing to bring up the subject in a mild manner as she’d insisted to Finn.

"Oh!" Sean exclaimed before shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know. I guess I'm okay. It's going to feel more real once we get home. It will probably be weird for a while as we adjust to the changes."

Lacey nodded at Sean’s response. I thought so. He’s in denial. I guess that’s something else to be worried about besides his injuries. I’ll need to grill Whitney about how he’s been acting. The same goes for when the girls start helping him around school. We need to watch for signs of depression. Hmm, maybe Katie’s mom can help identify any ways he might act out.

“How’s your mom handling it?” Finn inquired, satisfied for now with Sean’s answer. He figured Sean might open up more without Lacey around.

“Aunt Bridget seemed very emotional. Has she been like that since you got back here? Crying, screaming, being high-strung? Any abnormal behaviors?” Lacey rattled off.

“Uh, I don’t know. Maybe?” Sean hesitated. How the hell do I know?! Mom and I fucked right after we returned. Was it because she was upset about the divorce or just horny? She’s been going at like rabbits with Harvey ever since! Is that her old teen self returning or a sign of a problem? How do I know?

“She seems a little off. I don’t know if it was because of Kimberly, my mom, or your dad. Honestly, I can’t tell with your mom. I’m better at reading Pey,” Finn admitted.

“How’s Pey handling it?” Sean asked, suddenly focused on the conversation.

Lacey’s hand twitched as she grumbled at Finn. He gave Sean an out to do what he always does: Worry about others. Now, she’d need to wrangle the conversation back to Sean’s mood and feelings.

“Outside of pouring syrup over Lana’s head?” Finn chuckled. “I can’t say for sure. I didn’t see her until late yesterday morning. After that, I was more worried about getting the two of them to stop strangling each other.”

“Peyton will be fine. Besides Finn, she’s got Lan and the other girls to watch out for her. Maybe even a few special guys after what happened at the ball,” Lacey added, her nose twitching with the prospect of love in the air.

“Huh? Do you mean that dance thing?” Sean asked, recalling what his mom nearly fainted over.

“The dance thing? That’s no way to describe the legendary Peyton Tinsley Tarver Dance-Off! The PTT is already racking up tons of comments on Nosy Nectar! Wait until you see the videos,” Lacey responded.

Sean raised his eyebrows at Finn.

"I saw the videos. Let's just say I'm glad I wasn't there to be blamed for having any part in it. We're lucky Lana wasn't either. It might have turned into a fight, not a dance if she'd been around."

Still feeling as if he’d missed out on many things over the last several days, Sean wasn’t sure what he was supposed to know or not because of his painkillers. With that in mind, he started to ask where Finn had been during his sister’s crazy moment.

“You don’t need to worry about that right now,” Lacey interrupted, aware that Finn didn’t want to talk about Farah and Teresa today. “All that matters is that Peyton had fun and was the center of attention for several guys.”

“Nate and Eoin are already insufferable. At least Spencer got picked instead of Reece. Lan would’ve been madly jealous for months over his being part of it,” Finn muttered.

“Whoa! I don’t know if Operation Tarver Love is still going on, but you better not plan a dance contest for me when I get my cast off,” Sean warned.

Finn’s head swung over at the mention of an operation. However, he briefly dismissed the idea of asking a question. He knew better than to pry into Lacey’s matchmaking schemes. It was better to finish packing his bag.

“I think I prefer Operation Fallon Love. I like how it sounds like falling in love,” Lacey mentioned before shifting back to his other comment. “No, no, no! I had nothing to do with the PTT. Do I look crazy? I know better than to put Pey on the spot like that and at New Year’s Eve! The PTT was totally your aunt’s thing.”

“Oh, man,” Sean groaned.

“Wait! It was Brandy and the Babybees’ idea,” Lacey clarified.

It was a good thing that Sean was already seated. A chill ran down his spine, and he felt light-headed about the implications for himself. Still, another weird moment he missed came to his mind.

“Hold on. Was Pey really in charge of the Babybees the other night?”

Lacey nodded with a huge grin.

“How is that even possible?”

Lacey began to explain how the younger girls called his sister Miss Tarver until they heard footsteps on the stairs. Concerned it might be his older sister, the two younger siblings ceased their conversation. Instead, they waited for the newcomer’s identity to be revealed.

“Uh, hi,” JoJo greeted, catching their weird expressions.

“Whew!” Lacey sounded, wiping her brow in exaggeration. “We thought you might be Peyton.”

“What? Why?” JoJo questioned.

“Don’t mind them. They’re just gossiping,” Finn remarked, moving over to help grab Newt’s items.

“What? No!” Sean denied.

“We were talking about Peyton’s dancing beaus,” Lacey revealed, smiling.

“Wow, I can’t believe I missed that.”

“Wait, you missed it too? Where were you?” Sean questioned, ignoring Finn’s comment about him not wanting to know.

“With Jared,” the busty brunette squeaked, reverting to her former shy self. Recalling why she came to the bunkroom, JoJo headed for Jared’s bunk. “His stomach is getting worse, and he didn’t think he could walk over here.”

“Getting his stuff. That’s so sweet!” Lacey exclaimed with a mischievous grin.

“Look, long-distance relationships are extremely difficult, Jo. You’re going to have to work out some understandings–” Finn warned, worried about the shy brunette.

“What?! Jared and I are not dating! Why does everything keep thinking that?”

If this were a cartoon, Sean’s constantly swiveling head would’ve been wrapped around his neck a half-dozen times. What followed might have sent it spinning as it unraveled.

“I mean it. I’m already thinking of possible boyfriends at school,” JoJo announced.

Lacey’s squeal of joy hurt Sean and Finn’s ears.

---

“Maybe it wasn’t my breakfast at the diner,” Jeff speculated. “It could have been that steak I had last night at the Witzler. Yeah, I bet Dalton’s staff didn’t get enough sleep the night before and undercooked my food. That’s got to be it. I shouldn’t known a hotel run as a hobby by a businessman would have quality issues.”

Seated at the head of the twelve-person table, Harvey rolled his eyes at Jeff’s clear bullshit defense. On his right-hand side, Bridget bit back a grin while making eye contact with Rachel, seated directly across from her. The person on Rachel’s left wasn’t pulling any punches.

“Cut the bullshit,” Gabby ordered. “Jared didn’t have the steak last night. Do you know what he did have? Precisely the same greasy breakfast that you had!”

With Jared’s seat empty between them, JoJo agreed with her first lover’s mother. The guy everyone kept assuming to be her first boyfriend was currently in the walkout level’s bathroom. Still, she stared straight ahead at the pantry door, attempting to keep a straight face.

At the foot of the table to JoJo’s left, Sean didn’t help by tapping her leg's side with his big walking boot. JoJo brushed off his teasing several times with her left hand. Sitting across from JoJo, Lacey beamed at the blushing brunette. She waited for a lull in the conversation to continue pestering JoJo with questions.

“You know what’s bullshit? My sitting in a middle seat at my own table. That’s some bullshit!”

“Whitney!” Ramsey scolded, seated between her two best friends.

“Pumpkin, we already went over this,” Harvey sighed, pinching his nose. “Sean needs the extra room to stretch out his leg.”

“He could’ve sat at one of the end seats, not a prime one!” Whitney sulked.

With an open seat between them, Bridget turned toward the younger blonde.

“If it means that much, I can have Sean sit in my spot,” Bridget offered.

“No, that’s your place. You deserve it,” the cheerleader captain declared, causing some curious expressions.

Fortunately, Bridget and Harvey managed to have excellent poker faces in place. Not so much for Sean, who gawked at the comment. Luckily, nobody took him seriously still due to his strange prescription-based behavior over the last several days.

“You know…Harvey would be a sexy stepdad to have,” Lana whispered, nudging Peyton. She didn’t realize how right she could possibly be.

“Stop it,” the blonde hissed in reply.

Seated in the kitchen island's middle seats, Skye joined the two BFFs on Lana’s other side and Finn on Peyton’s. They’d already agreed earlier in the conversation that they’d made the right call on sitting separately.

“Soooo, what criteria are you looking for in your first boyfriend?” Lacey asked.

“What the hell is that?” Whitney exclaimed, her head jerking up to stare over at JoJo.

“None of your business, Whit,” Lacey shot back, causing a sharp breath intake.

“Cleary, Lace is playing matchmaker,” Ramsey told her other BFF.

“No shit! But she can’t do that. I have other plans for her!”

“Sorry, I’m busy. You’ll have to get other minions to do your bidding,” Lacey stated. “I have to find JoJo her first boyfriend, then find Ramsey her second one.”

“What?!” Whitney screeched, glaring at Rammy as if she’d betrayed her too.

“I never agreed to this idea!” the strawberry blonde denied. “Lace announced it back in her bedroom, and I said no.”

“Crap,” Lacey swore to herself before leaning over and whispering to Sean. “Are you okay with that? You know, my helping Ramm.”

“Yeah, I’m fine with it. Really. Help her out,” Sean insisted. He meant it, too. Even if he still held some feelings for his old crush, he knew Whitney and his mom had other ideas for now.

“Hey, no secrets down there!” Whitney yelled, jabbing her finger mainly at Sean.

“Katie is likely next in line, but I really need to seal the deal for Yumi and Winkie. Wouldn’t it be sweet if they dated by Valentine’s Day?” Lacey clapped with delight.

“Athletic. An athlete with muscles and stamina,” Gabby said out of nowhere. “Those are JoJo’s criteria.”

“Ooh, I can work with that!” Lacey schemed, rubbing her hands together.

“Sounds like a Jared clone,” Whitney grumbled.

“Yes! Good call, Whit!”

“I bet little Miss Porn Star would love several Jared clones all at once,” Lana chirped.

“Quiet!” Peyton and Finn hissed.

Skye shrugged when Lana turned to her for support.

“Hmm, okay, let’s see,” Lacey said to herself, pulling out her phone to take notes. “Marcus doesn’t seem ready to settle down with a girlfriend yet. Same for Kessler, even if he’s the closest to a Jared clone that we got. Xavier could be an option. Kona doesn’t have the stamina that Jo is looking for.”

“Um, maybe not a football player. I already had one of those,” JoJo said, bringing an uproar to the dining room.

“Jo!” Peyton shrieked in shock while her mom did the same but in laughter.

“Wow, look at her go,” Lana remarked, sounding impressed. “Damn, right, JoJo. Try out all the sports teams!”

“Jared better swing back your way late in college. You’re perfect for our family,” Gabby declared, leaning over to grab JoJo’s arm affectionately while grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Rachel rolled her eyes at Bridget.

“Um, alright,” Lacey mumbled while blushing. “How about we look at the basketball roster?”

“No! JoJo can wait,” Whitney interrupted before looking at the brunette. “No offense, girl, but you don’t need Lacey’s help. Newt does, and I promised to find him a girlfriend. Do him first! Wait, I didn’t mean it like that!”

While the dining room and kitchen filled with laughter at Whitney’s poor word choice, Sean cradled his head in his hands. JoJo and Newt want to date people?! What is the world coming to?

“Newt’s already working on his list. Or that’s what he told me he planned to do last night,” JoJo revealed, leaving out the surprising message she’d gotten on the way up from Elvis. “Perhaps you can hold off on any ideas until you talk to him.”

“Aren’t you forgetting someone, hun?” Gabby challenged, winking.

“Am I?” Lacey responded in confusion.

“Yourself.”

“Hold on. Lacey needs to finish her last semester with better grades. She doesn’t need looking for a new boyfriend as her top distraction,” Rachel declared. “Lord knows I can’t stop her from matchmaking others at this point.”

Bridget and Gabby shared a grin.

“If your daughter has a special talent, you should encourage it, Rach,” Bridget teased.

“Damn right! Bee is so rusty on the dating scene; she’s going to need all the help she can get,” Gabby cracked.

“Aunt Gabby!” Peyton exclaimed.

“Oh, you, bitch!” Bridget squealed. “Just for that, I’m siccing Tinny on you.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll think of something,” Bridget vowed, causing Harvey to crack up.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I already promised I won’t find myself a new boyfriend until after Valentine’s Day,” Lacey announced.

Lacey words were met with almost universal shock in the cabin. Rachel, Lana, Bridget, Peyton, and Whitney all whipped their heads in her direction. Finn and Gabby did so more slowly with suspicion. Sean shrugged as he assumed Lacey wanted a break from the dating scene. Only Ramsey knew the real reason, and she kept her mouth shut.

“Wait, seriously?” Whitney questioned.

“Yes, I’m serious,” Lacey replied, slightly defensive.

“Why?” Rachel asked.

“Yeah, why?” Lana chimed in.

“I promised Amberly that she could help me,” Lacey revealed.

“What? No!” Lana wailed overdramatically while throwing her arms in the air.

“Oh, fuck no! I am not dealing with Strattington again. Never again!” Whitney proclaimed.

“You do remember that Amberly plans to go to Zurbrugg with us next year, right?” Lacey reminded.

“Gawd, no!”

“Knock it off, pumpkin. You were upset when Amberly moved to Blackbridge last summer,” Harvey pointed out.

“Because she was a kickass co-captain! She and Lacey are matchmaking monsters!”

“She was quite a talented cheerleader,” Bridget agreed.

“Her new squad voted her co-captain based on her reputation. And if Amberly does help lessen Lacey’s workload, she’s welcome to stay at our house,” Rachel admitted.

“Wait, she’s staying at our house?!” Lana squealed.

“I’d assume she’s staying for a weekend,” Rachel speculated, looking at her youngest daughter.

“Just for Valentine’s, right? Okay, I’m good,” Lana declared, knowing she’d return to school by then.

“Valentine’s and probably at least another weekend. I might visit her in Blackbridge, but I think she’ll come up here in two weeks,” Lacey revealed.

“Two weeks?! Pey, we need to go back to AC by then!”

“We’re not going back for good until school starts,” Peyton reminded. “We did talk about a trip back for a weekend, but that’s likely next weekend.”

“No, it has to be in two weeks!”

“Would you stop crying?! Amberly is a good friend. She’s not annoying like you!” Lacey screamed, finally fed up with her older sister’s dramatics.

“You two are the worst together! Everything is about matchmaking,” Lana complained.

“They aren’t worse than you and Poppy.”

“Pey!” Lana yelled, whipping around to face her backstabber.

“Do you have to scream? She’s sitting right beside you,” Finn pointed out, rubbing his ears.

“Okay, I have a solution,” Whitney announced. “I won’t complain about whatever you have planned with Amberly–”

“We’re going to have a dating mixer on Valentine’s!” Lacey revealed, thrilled with the plan.

“Oh, fuck,” Whitney mumbled before taking a deep breath. “I won’t complain if you’ll help organize and monitor the Babybees’ caregiving duties for Sean.”

“Can’t we just call that off? Please!” Sean begged.

“Shouldn’t that be the co-captain’s responsibility?” Lacey challenged for show.

“Cat isn’t going anywhere near Sean. She’s in the doghouse, on my shit list, or whatever right now,” Whitney proclaimed.

“Do I want to know why? I probably don’t,” Lacey asked before dropping the question. “Of course, I’ll help out with Sean. But I’m also going to be busy with all my matchmaking plans. Can’t one of the other girls do it?”

“Who? Rory is out, as the Sean/Austin stuff makes it impossible. Roxie could be a possibility, but she doesn’t feel right for the job. Yumi thinks she’s one of the Babybees! Kaitlin is the other option. Yet, she’s also pretty tough on the kids.”

“You could give it to Margo,” Lacey said, deadpan.

However, she and Whitney couldn’t hold back their laughter at the idea for long.

“Katie needs a distraction from her breakup,” Lacey added, wiping the tears from her eyes. “You should give her a chance.”

“Maybe,” Whitney said, hesitating. “If I do, then you and her are jointly in charge.”

“Wasn’t that enlightening? Watching out successors working together to solve a problem,” Bridget praised, looking at Rachel. Leaning over to patted Whitney’s arm. “I like the idea of Lacey and Kaitlin in charge. I don’t want Sean taking up the time of one girl too much.”

“I don’t need the help!” Sean protested again. “Jo will be around.”

“I’m not dealing with Zoey’s cheerleader friends!” JoJo squawked.

“Jo!” Sean whined, feeling almost as betrayed as Whitney felt previously.

“If you don’t want the girls’ help, honey, your grandmother offered to drive you to and from school,” Bridget reminded.

“Brandy also said he’d help,” Lana added before double-checking with Peyton. “She did say that, right?”

“I think Brandy said pickups only. Mornings are too early for her. So she offered Fawn as the to-school driver,” Peyton recalled.

“If driving Sean to school is a problem, I can have Bud help out. Maybe even Frida could handle a day,” Harvey suggested.

“Dad!” Whitney whined. “Bud is my driver!”

“He’s the driver for the Diamond and Pierce families. He’s not your personal chauffeur.”

“Exactly! And I need Bud the most, but Frida helps when he’s busy. I have a life!”

“You wouldn’t have a life without Sean,” Harvey pointed out.

“Aargh!” Whitney roared, shooting Sean a glare.

“I can handle taking Sean to school for the next few weeks,” Peyton declared. “I prefer to relax on my break, but I’ll do it.”

“Thank you, dear. We’ll figure something out,” Bridget said.

“I can drive Sean’s car some days,” JoJo added, feeling guilty.

“Well, let’s move one for now—” Harvey suggested before another interruption.

DING DONG

“Expecting more guests, Harv?” Gabby teased, meaning a lady friend or two.

“Kind of an odd day for a drop-by,” Rachel remarked.

“It could be a ranger. Ranger Young stop—” Harvey guessed, wiping his hands while standing up.

“Yeah, Tori stopped by last night to check on us,” Whitney recounted, cutting off her father.

“That was nice of her,” Rachel commented, knowing how much Whitney looked up to the park ranger.

“Hopefully, nothing happened to the road,” Gabby added, worried about getting home.

“If so, Jules will have to survive on her own for a night,” Jeff joked.

DING DONG