Split into pairs

When the rest of the group finished their meal, they all decided how they were going to spend their morning. Ashley and Brandon were going to take a walk around the lake front. Kurt and Heather planned on seeing what exactly was in the storage area. Chloe decided to go back down to the lake and asked Zack to come with her. Victoria didn’t want to be a third wheel and decided to stay at the cabin with Gavin. As Heather and Zack walked out onto the deck, she shot each one a nasty look before they went their separate ways.

As the three groups wandered off to do whatever they were going to do, Gavin played his game as Victoria returned with her charger.

“Okay Gavin, here it is,” she said as she held out her hand to the boy. He took it and attached it to his phone.

He let out a “WOOT! WOOT!” when he saw the charging symbol flash in the corner of the screen.

“Thanks a TON, Victoria! I don’t know what I’d have done if my phone died out here,” Gavin responded to the girl.

“You’re welcome,” was her reply, “Want to watch a movie while it charges? You pick.”

“You don't want to extend me that courtesy. You’ll just watch ‘Lord of the Rings’ all day,” he said.

Victoria looked at him and responded with “Sméagol, why does it cry?” Her Gollum impression was near perfect and it brought a huge smile to Gavin’s face.

“WOW, I didn’t take you for the fantasy-type,” he admitted as he popped in the first movie.

“Seriously, dude? I named my dachshunds Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippen, and my cat Smaug the Defiler,” she explained as she put a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

As the history of the Ring of Power flashed across the screen, Brandon and Ashley walked by the lake. Most people at school knew that these two would be married before they finished college.

“Heather didn’t do this place justice when she told us how beautiful it is out here,” Brandon chirped as he squeezed his girlfriend’s hand.

“Yup. I hope we can get a place out here one day,” Ashley hummed, “Bring the kids out here to teach them to swim, camp, hike, and all that fun stuff kids don’t do anymore.”

Brandon looked at her and smiled. In the distance they could hear Chloe screaming.

“Sounds like Chloe is ripping into Zack,” Ashley informed her boyfriend.

“What for?” Brandon worried.

“For flirting with Heather WAY TOO MUCH and not paying any attention to Victoria,” she stated.

“Why should she care who Zack flirts with?” Brandon asked.

“Because for the last two years, we’ve heard nothing but ‘Victoria this; and I’m gonna take Victoria there’ out of that boy’s mouth, and now he balks at the best chance he’s ever had? Face it, Brandon, your friend is a coward,” the blonde exclaimed.

“He didn’t seem like a coward when he gave Heather a run for her money,” Brandon stated.

“Oh PLEASE! He only responded like that because she wrapped her legs around his head and shoved her ass in his face. Any man with a pulse would jump on that kind of gravy train. Even you,” Ashley stated furiously.

“Alright, let’s not talk about anyone else but us. Won’t do any good if we get mad at each other because our friends are fooling around with each other,” Brandon smiled as he pulled her closer.

“Okay, baby. You’re right,” she admitted as Brandon kissed her on the top of her head.

As the two best friends walked onto the dock, they picked out a table and placed their things on it. They could see their friends walking along the beach hand in hand. Zack was about to call out to them when two hands shoved him from behind into the water.

“What the Hell, Chloe?” Zack splashed at her.

“NO. WHAT THE HELL, ZACK?” she screamed back at him. “Why are you flirting with Heather, when you said you were going to dedicate this week to asking Victoria out?”

“She started it. If I didn’t respond, she’d just get worse as time went on,” he told her.

“Yeah, but you fell right into her trap. She completely monopolized you yesterday and if Victoria hadn’t gotten mad, she’d have done the same today. That’s how she works: A guy shows her he’s interested and she’s all over him with the teasing,” Chloe summarized the brunette’s past actions.

“But, it was…” he began to say before Chloe cut him off.

“Wait, did you say that SHE started it?” she demanded to know.

“Yeah. Why?” Zack was perplexed.

“OH MY GOD!” Chloe shouted as she put her hand to her mouth, “She likes you!”

“Of course she does, we’re friends, remember? Wait. WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

“She LIKES you, Zack. She never starts flirting and teasing unless SHE likes the guy. If a guy talks to her and she’s not interested, she’ll tease the shit out of him until he starts thinking he can’t handle her and bails. She’s only been in three relationships. All three times, she approached the guy first and started teasing him. Okay, this changes things. Maybe,” Chloe finished.

Meanwhile, Heather and Kurt entered the storage shed. It took them a few minutes to find the right key as the lock had been replaced several times over the years and her dad never got rid of the old ones. When they entered, Heather immediately reached for the light switch and Kurt bumped his head.

“FUCKIN’ SONUVABITCH!” he shouted as the light came on.

“You okay, cousin?” Heather asked.

“Yup. Just wrapped my head into the same damned hunting trophy that grandma used to beg grandpa to move for the same reason,” Kurt chuckled.

“Okay well that’s still here,” she replied, “Looks like one of the canoes is gone, though.”

“No, it isn’t. It’s down by the water. Zack was using it as a hockey goal yesterday,” Kurt informed his cousin.

“How’d it get down there?” she asked.

“Dad and I left it there the last time we were duck hunting up here. The weather turned nasty, and we were too wet and too cold to put it away. We dumped it in the brush by the waterfront,” he replied as they moved into the shed.

For about ten minutes or so, they wandered through the shed, dusting out corners and taking inventory on all the items that the group could use over the next two weeks.

“So, your friends seem kind of cool. That Zack is great. You should go for it, cousin,” Kurt smiled.

“WHAT?” Heather paused.

“Please, I can tell when you like a guy, Heather. And YOU like HIM! That teasing game you play, who do you think you learned it from?” Kurt informed her as he pointed to himself.

“Speaking of you, how come you’re behaving yourself so far?” she asked her older cousin.

“That’s easy. I know I’m a pig. You know I’m a pig. And I’m sure THEY know I’m a pig, but even if they didn’t, I’d still behave. It took me all of ten minutes to figure out that I’m not the alpha male of this pack. The three of them are. I pull some shit, they all kick my ass. Hell, each one of them can take me by themselves. Brandon plays football and looks like he can bench press a small house. Zack plays a sport where one of the objectives is to knock your opponent’s teeth out with your fists, and Gavin probably knows Kung Foo or some shit like that. The girls are hot but they ain’t worth an ass-whopping. Besides, your friends said their sisters are coming out to the lake with their friends, and they’re all in college, right? I can have my fun with them,” Kurt stated.