Sideline Spectators

Lacey sat on one of the sleds with the laces of an ice skate untied. Leaning forward, she rubbed her ankle to help relieve the soreness she still felt after twisting it two days prior. Seeing her by herself, Austin moved over to her.

"How's the ankle holding up?" he asked.

"It stings, but I'll make it," his girlfriend answered with a grimace. "Bigger question will be how it feels a few hours from now."

"I'll take care of it, babe. I do have experience icing down body parts after a game."

"Nah, I'll just stick it in a snowbank for an hour or two," Lacey joked sarcastically.

Ignoring her joke, Austin glanced around. "Say, how about we use that ankle as an excuse and sneak away for a bit?"

"Why?"

"I got something that's stiff and stings," Austin winked while grabbing his crotch. "We've never done it out in the woods with snow all around. What you think?"

"Nooo, Austin. I have important stuff to do here," Lacey replied, flashing that annoyed look she seemed to have perfected for times like this with him.

"Like what? Your ankle hurts. You could use a few minutes on your back or bent over," he added with a chuckle. However, his girlfriend didn't respond. Instead, she squinted while staring intently out onto the ice.

"What the hell is she doing?"

"Who? Lana?" Austin asked, seeing Lacey's older sister standing awfully close to Sean. No fucking way! Is she caressing his face? This better be another one of Lana's games. If Tarver scores with that prime piece of tits and ass, I'm totally going to murder him. Austin shifted his attention back to his girlfriend, in time to see her lacing her skate back up while she mumbled to herself.

"No way is she doing this. Not to him. No way!"

"Hey, where are you going?" Austin questioned his girlfriend's back as she already started toward the ice.

"To deal with my damn sister!"

"You still planning on heading back into town after we're done here?" Clive asked Harvey. The two men stood next to the sled with the refreshments while Clive watched his two daughters. As usual, they appeared to bicker over some issue once again.

"Yes, I think it would be for the best. The filing date to run in the election might be Wednesday, but even a few days notice might help Dunkley. If Orrin Rusk is behind this smear campaign, I would rather tell him today and not on New Year's Eve."

"True. Dwight and his aides could use even four days to get ready for Rusk," Clive noted as a veteran of several of his own campaigns for district attorney.

"What about you; you want to come with me? If Fred's right, you might have a mystery opponent as part of this group," Harvey thought to offer as he watched Whitney move back onto the ice.

"Honestly, I don't have any campaign staff outside of the basic stuff," Clive admitted, causing Harvey to raise an eyebrow. "I didn't think I would need any. Last time Rachel and a few friends were all we needed as I ran unopposed. This isn't like the first run almost eight years ago. Back then, I was the longshot."

"Maybe you should talk to Clarence and see if he's heard anything," Harvey suggested, referring to Clive's older brother.

"We try not to talk about campaigns with the whole conflict of interest issue. It can be awkward enough having one brother as district attorney and another brother as managing partner of the largest law firm in town," Clive explained. "That's one area an opponent could make trouble since it's been the family firm for almost a century."

"How about I make a few inquiries on your behalf? I don't have any conflicts in asking," Harvey offered, watching as Whitney came back toward the shoreline. She appeared to be cajoling her friends to get back onto the ice with her.

"If you want. Thanks for the offer," Clive said, nodding. "You planning on meeting anyone else besides the mayor?"

"I'll stop and give Graham a heads up on the issue. I don't want to bother Dalton on his rare vacation. Maybe see if I can meet Fiona without all of Honey Hollow freaking out," Harvey mentioned with a shake of the head.

"Good luck with that. A Diamond and a Wynwick meeting over anything will cause the rumor mill to spin out of control." Clive watched as Lana skated past Lacey. His eldest daughter made some comment to her younger sister, getting a menacing glare back.

"That's the tricky part. We would have to meet somewhere that people wouldn't see us," Harvey agreed, mulling over the issue. "That meeting might need to wait until the charity ball. That's one event we can slip out and talk in private around the hotel."

"You seem to have a lot on your plate today. You going to be able to do it all and still come back out here tonight?"

"I should be able to, but I guess it depends on managing a meeting with Fiona." Harvey watched as his daughter seemed to be demanding that nerdy kid, Newt, join her on the ice.

"Well, if you can't, I'm sure we'll be fine without you. I'll make sure no one burns this cabin down for you," Clive joked.

"Low blow, Stratton, low blow." Whitney now stood with crossed arms, never a good sign. "Still, I might need you to help keep an eye on Fred in case I don't get back."

"You that worried about him?"

"I'm worried enough that I might call Larry about him too," Harvey admitted. "He's always been better at keeping Fred in check. I tend to get him all wound up."

"Denton! Now!"

Harvey watched as his daughter got her way and her schoolmate joined her out on the frozen pond. "And you guys might want to keep an eye on Whitney too. She seems wound up herself."

"You look upset, Rusk. What's up?"

Austin plopped down onto the ground next to Owen. He wasn't all that thrilled to be sitting on the snow, but the couple of blankets they brought with them were all already in use.

"I wanted to slip away with Lacey, but she's having far too much fun to leave."

"I'll say," Owen said with a nod out to the ice. There Lacey patted Sean's face. "That Sean guy messing with your relationship?"

Austin held back the pissed-off comment he wanted to make. Instead, a different idea began to percolate in his head.

"Naw, I'm not worried about Lace and Tarver. They got that whole family connection thing going on," Austin downplayed his feelings. "It would be almost incestuous if they developed an attraction."

"If you say so," Owen remarked as he watched the two teenagers laugh at a comment one of them made.

"If anyone should be worried, it's you."

"Me?" Owen repeated. "No, I talked to Whitney about him, and she swore nothing is going on between the two of them."

"She said that? Really?" Austin questioned as he prepared to push the needle in for the start of what he hoped would be trouble for Sean. "Difference between Lace and Whitney is that Lace's sister and mom are friends with Tarver's sister and mom. Whitney doesn't have that connection with him. In fact, they aren't even friends. Yet, they sure seem chummy all of a sudden."

"Whoa, let's not transfer your anxiety to my relationship, Rusk," Owen sternly replied. "I told you, Whitney and I talked about the matter. It's closed."

"Hey, I'm not trying to start any trouble. I'm just stating the facts. Tarver didn't slap my girl's ass when we first got here; it must have been some other guy's girlfriend."

"They were just horsing around. Not everything is about hooking up," Owen defended Whitney, but Austin noticed his eyes narrowing as they followed Tarver.

Perfect timing, Austin congratulated himself as he watched his rival race past Whitney with a mocking comment. That goaded the buxom blonde into taking off after him.

"What exactly happened at the hot springs? From what I heard, it sounded like the horsing around got a little out of control. A ranger had to stop them?" Austin pressed the pedal to the floor to push Owen.

"What did you hear?!" Owen challenged, but the teenager merely shrugged. "They were only taking pictures. Besides, that Skye woman was with them."

"You mean the stripper?"

"She's some wannabe model, not a stripper. You're the only person that thinks she's one," Owen pointed out.

"Social media model. Stripper. Aren't they the same thing under different names?" When Owen didn't respond, Austin threw one last question at him. "Say, why did Whitney ask him and not you to take the pictures."

Owen opened his mouth to reply but couldn't provide an answer for a question that he still wanted an explanation for himself.

"You talk to Jules?"

"Last night," Gabby replied. "She's working this morning."

"How's she like her first job?" Rachel inquired.

"It's not as fun as she expected," Gabby laughed. "I don't think she realized that the jobs where she has time to talk to her friends aren't given to new hires."

"Oh, the poor thing. And she was so excited about starting too."

"You didn't hear any of this; you got it? I'm supposed to exaggerate about how awesome the job is and how much she loves it so that Jared is jealous."

"And there's the little troublemaker that reminds me of you at that age," Rachel remarked with a roll of her eyes. She watched as Lacey pulled Jared onto the ice.

"Her spirits certainly perked up when I told her about Jared's fight and grounding when he gets home," Gabby revealed.

"Definitely a mini version of you, Gabs."

"Me? But I was an innocent, little schoolgirl."

"More like you liked to play one to tease the boys," Rachel said with a shake of her head. Her eyes focused on Jared looking at Lacey in disbelief over whatever she told him. "Let's not wonder for one second why your brother is so strict with his girls. He remembers all the trouble you caused."

"I have no clue about what you're talking about," Gabby flashed a grin at her best friend. "And I felt bad for Jules. I sent over some pictures from this week, and I could tell she regretted not coming with us."

"I hope at least a few of those photos didn't include Sean."

Now, even Gabriela watched as her son shook his head violently at whatever instructions Lacey gave him. Then, fuming, the petite redhead stood with her hands on her hips, giving the much larger teen the evil eye.

"Hey, I'm hoping at least one pair of our kids will eventually marry." Waving her hand towards the pond, Gabby continued. "And we know those two will never happen."

"No, they won't," Rachel chuckled. "We knew that at what; five-years-old?"

"Three. The time Lacey shoved Jared to the ground, and he called her a mean witch."

"I'm still shocked that he only called her a witch. With you as his mother, I fully expected him to drop a bitch line by that age," giggled the redhead.

"Honey, should we be worried?" Clive asked as he walked over to the two women.

"About what?"

"About that!" Clive said in alarm, pointing to their youngest daughter. Lacey stood mere millimeters from Jared's body, her finger wagging in anger at his face.

"Nope, Lacey's just working on one of her matchmaking schemes," Rachel responded matter-of-factly.

"Oh, gawd, not another one!" Clive groaned, his mood flipping from concern to annoyance in about two seconds. "Can't she stop playing Cupid for at least one trip away from home?"

"I think it's adorable," Gabby chimed in. "Lana's always worried about finding guys for herself, but Lacey's thinking about helping others."

"What I wish is that she would spend more time studying for school and less as a fixer for lonely hearts," Clive stated, over a much-discussed issue in the Stratton home. "At least with Lana's antics, she still earned good grades."

"Lacey's grades are fine, hun." Rachel shot him her patented Mom glare.

"With a little more effort, her Bs could be As. That's all I'm saying," Clive insisted.

"And Bs will be fine for Lacey. She's not planning to apply to law school someday like you," Rachel reminded her husband, who spent his high school years fighting to be class valedictorian. "Her learning to get people together can be useful for dealing with kids in her classroom someday."

"Alright, then you can deal with any fallout this time," Clive told her as he started to walk away. "If this turns out like that one time with your cousin's son, I've got nothing to do with it."

"Ooh, yeah, that time was a bad one," Gabby recalled, looking at Rachel with wide eyes.

"Yes, that's an off-limits subject on the McCracken side of the family."

"Gawd, I don't know which of these teenage hunks I want to jump more," Kimberly drawled, earning a gasp from Skye, who was seated next to her.

"Jared's so muscular and fit. He's got the stamina to go for hours," Kimberly carried on. "And he's got a fat cock. I could barely get it into my mouth the other night."

"You did what?"

"Oh, yeah, I snuck out into the rec room the other night when he was sleeping on the couch. Gave him a handjob for a bit until I decided to get me a taste of Lil' Jared."

"In the rec room? His parents would've been sleeping in the next room!" Skye exclaimed in shock.

"Yep, and we could hear them going at it," the platinum blonde admitted. "I think it turned Jared on, hearing his mom moan like a banshee." She then paused as a new thought hit her. "Speaking of moaning: where were you that night? We heard some shrieks from upstairs, and then voila, here comes Skye downstairs. And don't tell me with Fred as I know he was in his room."

"I-I went upstairs for some milk," Skye said, blushing. "And to use my phone without waking up Fred."

"Uh-huh. It's too bad that I didn't say anything. You could have joined us. I bet Jared would've loved that."

"I don't cheat on boyfriends, Kimberly."

"Well, it looks like you're single now. Got anyone in mind?"

"They're teenagers, and I'm not looking for any more immature boyfriends."

"Well, I got my eyes on Sean next," the older woman admitted. "That kid's got a nice, long cock. I bet you could tell in the cave, even from across the other side of the cavern. Was it poking you while you two were ice skating?"

"Jesus, Kimberly, Are there any of the kids you haven't messed around with?" Skye asked, growing very uncomfortable with the woman and the conversation.

"Besides blowing Sean and fucking Jared? Well, I thought to make a move on Austin last night, but he went off to play poker. Owen seems like far too much trouble with Harvey's daughter being a perceptive brat," Kimberly rattled off. "Oh, and that nerdy kid, whatever his name."

"Newt. His name is Newt."

"Whatever. Virgins don't interest me. Too much pawing and not enough knowing how to fuck."

"Haven't you thought about finding someone your own age?" Skye questioned.

"Shit, too much baggage. I don't need a wife or kid screwing up my fun with a guy. Not to mention younger men have that neverending sex drive that feels so good."

Entirely creeped out by Kimberly, Skye stood up. "I think I'll join Chastity and work on my skating."

"I think I'll stay here and enjoy the view," the soon-to-be-divorcee commented. "Oh, and Skye, I wouldn't dismiss the teens. With that body and face of yours, you could be the goddess of fucking for them."

"Wait, so who exactly is Lacey working on matching up?" Gabby questioned, the thought suddenly hitting her as she watched Sean and JoJo skate together.

"I'm assuming she took over your plan and it's for Sean," Rachel guessed.

"But with whom?"

"Knowing Lacey's and her complicated plans, this could all be a test or dry run for someone at the charity ball. But it could be one of the girls here," Rachel noted, her eyes scanning the potential girlfriends for Sean. "Ramsey would top the list of prospects here, but she seems to have her eye on your boy."

"Jared? Sure, there was that fight the other day, but she's not his type." Noticing Rachel's questioning face, she listed the reasons. "Too much of a good girl. Not that Jared doesn't like to seduce that kind, but not in this short of a timeframe. And while's she's got a nice pair, he seems to almost always go for bigger boobs."

"Maybe not Jared's type, but I think Rammy's a good choice for Sean. I don't think JoJo's an option. Best friends like their kind are hard to get together."

"Yeah, I think a big no on JoJo and Sean too," Gabby agreed, wondering about the chances for her son and JoJo. "What about Whitney?"

"Whitney?! Oh, come on, Gabs," Rachel dismissed with a laugh.

"I'm serious. They seem to have some connection, or have you not noticed their bantering and teasing?" Whitney chose that moment to repay Sean for his earlier slap to her ass by responding in kind.

"That doesn't mean it's flirting. And Whitney has a boyfriend."

"So? I might not live here, but I know enough to know that her boyfriends don't last long," Gabby reminded her BFF. "Maybe Lacey wants to fix that and set up her best friend with a good guy like Sean."

"I guess anything is possible, but I doubt it. It's most likely Ramsey, or she's preparing Sean for a girl at the ball."

"Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"Who? Polly? She's a sweet girl but seems scared of her own shadow at times."

"Not her. Think harder!" Noting her bestie's blank face, Gabby continued. "There's a new young woman on the market today."

"Skye? Isn't she a little old for a high schooler, Gabs? What was that? No, that sound you just made."

"I just think you're wrong not to consider that Sean might prefer older women."

"I doubt Skye is interested in a kid in high school," Rachel added.

"Well, whoever ends up with Sean will be a lucky woman," Gabby remarked with a big grin.

"Yeah, he's a great kid. It's a shame he's hasn't dated anyone besides Annette's daughter," Rachel stated with a shake of her head. "Sean would be the perfect high school boyfriend for many girls. He's kind, thoughtful, polite--what's that look for?"

"Nothing, I don't know what you mean."

"No, you have that look that screams you know something."

"I just think that Sean has other great qualities or body parts that will make a girl very, very happy."

"Yes, I know, you felt him pressing into you the other--wait, no, you didn't..." Rachel's voice trailed off as she recognized the look on her best friend's face.

"I totally fucked Sean last night!" Gabby gleefully admitted, finally thrilled to tell someone else.

"Y-You...I...can't." A stunned Rachel tried to find the words but struggled.

"And it was good, no fucking great, Rach. Definitely, top ten, maybe top five. I can't wait for--"

"Gabriela Maria Ariza-Lockett! How could you?!" scolded her best friend of more than three decades.

"Easy. I dragged him into the bathroom, stripped, bent over the counter, and told him to shove his cock into me."

"Ohmigawd!"

"Whoa, keep it down," Gabby responded, motioning with her hands to lower her voice. "How about some discretion?"

"Some discretion?! You had sex with the son of one of your best friends, Gabriela! He's only eighteen!"

"You know what they say about teenage boys," smirked the mischievous MILF.

"Bridget's your little cheersister! Th-that's plain wrong."

"And you know what they say about forbidden fruit."

"I-I can't believe you...of all the stupid shit you've done," Rachel said, her eyes finding Sean as he picked up Lacey and threw her into a snowbank. "Does Jeff know?"

"Yeah, about that," Gabriela hesitated, showing her first sign of regret or concern. "He's forgiven me for now, but, boy, was he pissed."

"I would think rightly so."

"I'm going to have to work on being a good girl for a while. Plus, I'm going to have to find him some hot, quality women for him to bang as a makeup. I'm thinking about getting--"

"Stop. I don't want to know who you plan to pimp out to your husband."

"Aw, you make it sound so dirty."

"Dammit, Gabs, what if Jared or Jules finds out?"

"Hey, someone had to take Sean out for a test drive," Gabby joked, earning another sharp look from her friend. "I'm serious. If he doesn't end up with Jules, then maybe it's Lana, Lacey, or one of the twins. Somebody needed to know that our girls will be happy for life if they marry Sean. And I can verify they will be delighted and fortunate."

"You're incorrigible; you know that," Rachel stated.

"Aw! That's why I love you." Gabby cheerfully threw her arm around Rachel's shoulder for a side hug. Noticing the confusion on Rachel's face, she explained. "Anyone else would call me a dirty slut, but not you!"

Sighing, Rachel contemplated all the ways this could blow up in Gabby's face. Her impulsive friend rarely considered the consequences of her actions on others when it came to sex. And poor Sean! He must be so confused right now. Dammit, someone will need to talk to him about this, and I damn well know it won't be Gabby. I can't believe that I'm going to have to have this kind of talk with him.

"Gabriela, do you--"

"Shhh! Here comes Bridget."