Would You Like A Condiment With That?

“My parents said Rattle Ridge is also completely shut down because of the ice and fallen branches,” Jamie-Lynn revealed about her hometown.

“I talked to Sadie too. It sounds terrible around the resort,” Merritt relayed. “She said Neve’s family is scrambling to clear the roads and driveway around the Snowbird. A large tree came down entirely across their main road, so no one can leave or arrive.”

Although a native of Honey Hollow, Sadie Hollister had chosen to celebrate the holiday at the ski resort owned by the family of her closest friend, Neve Wynwick. Although the former Bumble Girl leader had been rivals with Priscilla in high school, Sadie now got along pretty well with Prissy and Merry. In fact, Sadie and Neve lived across the street from Prissy, Merry, AJ, and Harper in Arbor Corners. The shifting friendship tide felt odd to their older friends as Lana, in particular, didn’t fully trust Sadie.

Peyton was neutral about the issue. However, old rivalries were the furthest thought in her mind at the moment. She suddenly recalled that Juliana Lockett’s new part-time job was at the Snowbird Lodge and that she’d heard Jules was celebrating New Year’s with friends at the resort. She made a mental note to ask Gabriela about Jules when she saw her next.

“I’m sorry, what?” Peyton asked, snapping out thoughts.

All around the ten-seat table, Peyton's friends glanced at each other with various expressions of concern or I-told-you-so. Thanks to the influence of Sage Pierce, the college crew had managed to land the coveted rectangular table in the Witzler's dining room. Counting Peyton, seven seats were currently occupied by Merritt Moxey, AJ Stoke, Harper Hemming, Jamie-Lynn Masterson, Zaylie Dunday, and Kiki Heeter. The young women had already privately shared their plans to help Peyton deal with the shocking news from last night about her parents' pending divorce. Based on Peyton's mood since arriving downstairs, they felt their work was cut out for them.

“We said that with Wasp Lake sort of in the middle of Rattle Ridge and Honey Hollow, you might not be able to drive back today,” Merry repeated, continuing to take the lead.

“Maybe you should try calling your mom again,” Jamie-Lynn suggested, laying a sympathetic hand on Peyton’s arm.

“Based on what Grandma heard from Brandy, it does sound fairly bad at the lake. And if they’re dealing with the power being out, I don’t want to bother them yet. Brandy said Sean and Whitney sounded in good spirits,” Peyton relayed again, totally missing what Brandy really thought or Pepper’s suspicions. “I guess it’s a wait-and-see situation about driving back today.”

“Well, I think I’m stuck here for another night,” Jamie-Lynn stated.

“It doesn’t sound as if the storm hit south of here. So we should be able to head back once the ice melts,” AJ declared, nodding at her fellow Muskie Harbor native, Harper.

“I need to get back by early morning tomorrow at the latest. I gotta work the morning shift at the club,” Kiki added.

“Is breakfast at the strip club that busy?” Harper inquired, sounding surprised that there was a morning shift as she’d never heard of Kiki working one in the past.

“A decent number of third-shift workers stop in after work for titties and the breakfast buffet. I think the food is more the draw at that time of day,” Kiki joked. “I do need to take advantage of winter break and do a few double shifts the next few weeks.”

“When does your flight leave? I take it you’re driving down with AJ and Harper,” Peyton asked Zaylie. She sought to change the conversation as she often felt guilty for not having to work in college, thanks to her parents’ jobs. So the daughter of doctors never wanted to trivialize Kiki’s situation.

“Oh, I’m not escaping this ice prison yet. I’ll be staying in Honey Hollow through next weekend. Mrs. Toone wanted me to spend some time with the Days. Sugar doesn’t know it yet, but I’m also bunking at his grandparents’ house,” Zaylie revealed with a sinister giggle.

“Good. Nate deserves it,” Peyton laughed, hoping she’d be around when he learned the news.

All the girls felt relief at hearing Peyton laugh. Taking advantage of the mood, Kiki made a suggestion.

“If Zay is going to be around, maybe we can go out in AC later this week. Sadie, Neve, and anyone else who wasn’t around last night can meet us out for a second New Year’s party. It can even be a lowkey affair at one of our houses. Hell, Pey, you can even bring Sean up if you want to distract him.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m going to have to pass,” Peyton responded immediately. “I prefer to stay in town for these three weeks to be there for my mom and Sean.”

Understanding fully, Kiki nodded sympathetically.

“Hey, how about we do the same thing in Honey Hollow? Maybe next Saturday. Uh, sorry, girl,” Merry said, looking at Kiki as she knew she’d have to work. However, keeping Peyton from becoming depressed was more important. “And if you want, we could get Sean involved. He’s probably going to feel helpless with his leg. We could hit Luigi’s or Pinheads.”

“The bowling alley?” AJ questioned, gesturing to her leg.

"Obviously, Sean can't bowl, but they have an arcade. I can even bring Max along so he won't feel out of place with us older girls. Heck, Lacey could come, too."

“I don’t know what’s going to happen this week,” Peyton admitted, suddenly looking downcast again. “But I like the idea. Perhaps we could plan it for the following weekend.”

“I have an idea that you won’t be allowed to turn down: Dinner at the Days,” Zaylie said. “I bet Grandma Ginny will love it, especially if we include your mom and grandparents.”

“You know, that sounds nice. Mom could use some time with them,” Peyton replied, brightening up again. “And with Brandy around for a couple of weeks, I think she’ll likely be stopping over there for food anyway.”

Suddenly, Peyton sensed a presence at her side.

“Yes?”

“Pardon me, Miss Tarver. We just wanted to check in to see if you needed anything at the moment,” Kizzy inquired. While she said the word we, the brunette was the only Babybee standing there.

“No, no, I’m fine right now,” Peyton politely replied. Then, noticing the girl hadn’t left, she asked if Kizzy wanted anything else.

“Um, so the word is that Whitney’s cabin had some issues with the storm. We’re just worr–I mean curious about Sean’s well-being.”

“No, it sounds like he’s fine. They just lost power but have a generator.”

“Okay,” the cheerleader nodded, already aware of that part.

Peyton watched with a frown as Kizzy began to leave the dining room, only to be called over to a table by Pepper Fallon. The way her grandma had taken to the younger girl meant Peyton would deal with being called Miss Tarver for the foreseeable future, which caused her to sigh.

“It looks like somebody has a crush on your brother, Miss Tarver,” AJ teased.

"And Pey is now an honorary cheerleader. But that's unsurprising as she's cheer royalty," Merry piled on.

“I am not cheer royalty,” the failed junior high cheerleader growled.

“Yep, Peyton was a terrible cheerleader,” Lana confirmed, announcing her arrival. Sitting down at a free chair at the opposite end of the table from her best friend, she startled everyone by slamming her palm down. “Why the hell didn’t anyone tell me that Lacey and Austin broke up?!”

Peyton rolled her eyes at Lana’s ignorance. She didn’t need to reply as everyone else did.

“How do you not know that?”

“It’s what everyone was talking about last night!”

“Don’t you check your phone?”

“We all sent you messages.”

“It’s all over Nosy Nectar.”

“Oh, my phone died sometime last night. So I just threw it back on the charger. Besides, I was busy getting busy last night. And with whom? That’s nobody’s business,” Lana laughed.

The laugh didn’t sit well with Peyton, and her expression showed it. Merritt and Harper noticed the nose twitch and the face scrunch.

At that moment, the waitress arrived with the first round of food ordered by the younger girls. Merry, Harper, and AJ each raised their hands when their items were called off. The others acknowledged the server’s estimated time for the second round. None of the older girls complained as they’d ordered a bit later and knew it was busy. Well, none of the college juniors except the newest arrival.

“Wow, thanks for waiting for me,” Lana groused.

Kiki noticed Peyton’s head tilt and nudged Zaylie’s elbow.

“Wait, where are the others?” the redhead questioned, glancing around the dining room. “Why’s Prissy sitting way over there?”

“She’s having an awkward breakfast with the Ridges,” Merry revealed about her BFF.

“I assume a very awkward one after last night,” AJ agreed, using her fork to cut off a piece of pancake.

“What about Poppy and Steph? Wait, what happened last night?” Lana switched topics once their comments registered in her brain.

“No idea about those two,” Harper mumbled about the pair of party girls through her mouthful of food.

“Like we can keep track of them,” Jamie-Lynn scoffed.

“No, what happened with Prissy last night?” Lana insisted on knowing.

“Oh, right. You disappeared before she snuck off with RJ,” AJ realized.

“She what?!”

“Come on, Lan. We all knew there was a chance of it happening,” Merry pointed out.

"Gawd, what's with people running back to their ex-boyfriends? You know, I made it perfectly clear to Finn the other day that I was letting him go. It had to been done before last night precisely for what Prissy went and did," Lana stated, looking quite pleased with herself.

Jamie-Lynn, Merry, and Zaylie noticed Peyton take a deep breath. It was Zaylie’s turn to nudge Kiki, allowing her to witness Peyton spreading her fingers before clenching them into fists.

“So you haven’t seen your sister today?” Kiki asked, seeking to change the subject for Peyton’s sake.

“I just said that I didn’t know about her breakup. Are you still drunk?” Lana teased, chuckling. “I only found out because I, um, ran into Skye, and she told me. That little punk might need one of my patented kicks in the balls if he made my little sister cry. And I bet he did.”

“I don’t think Lacey–” Merritt began to reply before getting cut off.

“I know my little sister. She’s too sweet to do the right thing. Austin probably dumped her to go upstairs with Bianca. Those fucking Zuccaros are–”

“Lacey broke up Austin!” Peyton yelled. “He didn’t do anything different than usual. Your sister just finally had it with his selfishness. And if you hadn’t run off, you’d know that Bianca rejected Austin afterward. It was done publicly and very brutally.”

“She did?” Lana gasped. “What the hell else did I miss last night?”

“Let’s see…you missed Peyton gaining the Babybees as her assistants,” Merry began.

"You missed being around for your interview with Cleo about Aunt Cassie," Peyton said, staring at her best friend with a hard expression.

“I missed being on TV?!”

“You also missed the big dance-off in Peyton’s—” Zaylie started to reveal.

“Are you even going to ask about Finn?” Peyton questioned coldly.

Of all the people at the table, she noticed Lana's eyes looking down briefly before rising back up. And despite knowing that Lana's behavior was all an act to mask her concerns about Finn, Peyton still fumed over it. All their friends noticed was Peyton leaning forward on the table with narrowing eyes.

“I assume that Finn wisened up to Farah and fled the shrew’s clutches,” the redhead laughed off her fears from the previous night. “I bet he came back down right after I left.”

“Uh, that’s not what happened,” Jamie-Lynn responded.

“Hey, did you know that Pey’s aunt came up with a plan to get her laid last night?” Kiki asked, jumping in to quickly change the topic. She nudged Zaylie with her knee.

“Oh, yeah, sugar put on quite a show with her dance moves,” the beach blonde added.

“Uh-oh,” Merry sounded, and she didn’t mean the staredown happening between the two best friends.

No, Merritt referred to the terrible timing of Lana’s approaching archrival.

Multiple pairs of eyes widened as they studied Teresa, who walked up to stand behind Lana. The dark-haired dancer looked rough this morning. Suffering from an apparent hangover, Teresa appeared somewhat sore, with a few scratches across her cheek and neck.

“First off, I did it for Finn. Second, I’m holding you to your promise last night to owe me for life. Thirdly, you’re welcome, and I hate you,” Teresa listed, raising a finger for each point.

“And what do I owe you for life?” Lana asked, acting nonchalant, but her eye twitches gave away her true feelings.

Merry suddenly wished even more that she wasn’t the only other Honey Hollow native at the table. Priscilla would hear about abandoning her for this moment. Hell, she’d even take Poppy or Steph’s presence to help her out.

“Well, I had to ruin my New Year’s Eve by searching for this Farah’s room number. Then, I had to bribe a very greedy hotel clerk for a room key. After that, I had to take part in what I know will be the most fucked up threesome in my life. That Southern whore wouldn’t just leave. No, I had to constantly knock the bitch around to keep her off of Finn. Definitely not the way I ever envisioned having sex with the poor guy,” Teresa recounted.

“You slept with Finn?!” Jamie-Lynn gasped.

“I wouldn’t call it sleeping with him. He was gone at some point in the night,” Teresa revealed.

“I guess you weren’t all that good in bed if he snuck out,” Lana remarked. “Or else you’re lying.”

“When you see that black eye on the bitch’s face, you’ll know I’m not lying.”

“A black eye?!” Harper exclaimed.

“Thank you, Teresa. Lana will indeed owe you for life,” Peyton said, causing everyone’s heads to snap over to face her.

“I fucking do not owe her a damn thing!” Lana screamed.

“You be quiet,” Peyton growled in a low voice. “Ask your mom, dad, sister, or me how Finn felt last night. He was devastated about what we’d all think about him sleeping with the enemy and the devil. No offense, Teresa.”

“None taken. I can see that Farah is the devil. Tell Finn I’m sorry he was upset if I don’t see him first.”

"You and Lana can discuss her lifetime of payments or favors later," Peyton continued, leaving a flabbergasted Lana unable to speak.

“Whatever. I’m out of here,” the former dancer announced.

With Teresa gone, everyone's attention shifted back to Lana. While the redhead's face slowly matched her hair, Merritt typed a rapid message for Priscilla to get over to their table. Reluctantly, she also sent messages to Poppy and Stephanie.

“H-How dare you tell that slut that I owe her for life? The fuck, Pey!” Lana finally screeched.

“I dare because I spent all last night dealing with the fallout from your selfish choices.”

“She fucked Finn. Teresa fucked Finn, Pey. I’m going to strangle the bitch!” Lana exclaimed, rising from her chair.

“Sit down and do as you’re told,” Peyton hissed.

The venom in her voice caused Lana to automatically follow her order.

"Teresa did as you asked. She screwed Finn because you messed things up so badly that you couldn't fix them. You owe her, and I'm going to make sure you keep paying her back until she decides it's been enough," Peyton declared.

“I am not!” Lana vowed, crossing her arms to sulk like a child.

“You will. I’m going to make sure. Lacey will make sure, and your mom will do the same. Not to mention, you and Finn will finally settle this shit.”

Lana’s eyes appeared to tear up before she blinked them away. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, while Lana regained her composure, the redhead reverted to her usual way of dealing with her mistakes. She made a smartass comment.

“Clearly, Brandy’s plan to get you laid failed last night,” Lana joked.

“Uh, Pey…” Merritt reacted first upon Peyton standing up.

“Sugar?” Zaylie questioned.

“You better run, Lan,” Kiki suggested as Peyton moved toward Lana.

“Should I be scared?” Lana quipped, challenging her best friend.

“You’re too much of a bimbo to be scared,” Peyton stated calmly.

With everyone watching the blonde's face, they missed Peyton reaching down to pick up the decanter the waitress brought with AJ's breakfast. Only as she raised it while pushing her thumb down on the lever did a few of them gasp in realization.

Lana never figured it out until the maple syrup began to pour down onto her head.

“Oh, right. We forgot to mention that Pey snapped and went off on her Aunt Beverly,” Merritt recalled. “We probably should’ve mentioned that—”

Lana's bloodcurdling scream cut off the rest of Merry’s comment.

"You sure you don't want me to bring Peyton over here?" Fawn inquired. "This would be a great opportunity to tell her what you did last night. Odds are that she'd either forget what you did or cram that stick of butter down your throat."

Chaos erupted after Peyton poured the syrup onto her best friend’s head. Lana attempted to attack the blonde but slipped on a puddle of syrup that had dripped onto the floor at her feet. Rachel immediately rushed over, demanding to know what Lana did. That led to more screams about being blamed for Peyton’s actions.

The ear-piercing shrieks hit the hungover Wrenn and Darla particularly hard. The former placed her head on the table while covering her ears, and the latter began to chant, “I won’t get sick,” repeatedly.

Guilt over what she’d done caused Peyton to rush away with tears streaming down her cheeks. Brandy had started to stand up to help her niece but stopped when Pepper took charge. Now, the younger Fallon sister’s table watched as Pepper held her granddaughter in a firm hug.

“Sometimes I hate you, Fawnie,” Brandy grumbled.

“Oh, gawd. What did you do now? Wait, I do already know? Forget it, I don’t care,” Wrenn moaned.

“Shit, it would be nice if that ice melted faster. We gotta get out of here,” Brandy remarked. “This place feels like powderkeg ready to blow.”

“Oh, so you’re not interested in what I learned?” Fawn queried, shaking her phone slightly. Next to her, Keeley grinned at what she’d already seen.

“Is it about me?” Brandy responded, starting to feel paranoid.

“Nope. Here, read it,’ Fawn directed, holding her phone out.

“Holy shit,” the blonde sounded upon seeing the message.

“What is it?” Darla questioned, no longer feeling sick as she had something else on her mind.

“I don’t care,” Wrenn waved off without looking up.

“Sooo, would you like Nosy Nectar to care of this, or do you want to?” Fawn inquired, already knowing the answer.

“What do you think?” Brandy responded, shooting out of her seat. “Sometimes I do love my bestie. No offense, Wrenn.”

“Like I care about the hierarchy of our friendship.”

“You want in?” Fawn asked.

“No!” Wrenn exclaimed before wincing at her action.

“Fine. Darla and Key can keep an eye on you.”

“I have a husband for that!”

“And you boss him around too much for our liking,” Brandy shot back. Pondering the plan already developing in her head, she added, “We need to pick up another person on the way.”

“Who?” Fawn asked, wondering the identity and reason.

“Trust me. You’re gonna love it.”