The small island of Newport, Florida was home to a variety of species. Alligators, manatees, pelicans -- and North Siders and South Siders. An invisible border divided the battling sides of the marshy island, resulting in animosity and distaste of each other on both sides. The North Siders were rich, extravagant and privileged. Where as the South Siders were struggling to get by, living in older shacks of homes and getting into all sorts of trouble -- well, the only ones being caught, that is. Now that summer has finally hit the island and the snowbirds and tourists have finally left, it is now just the locals on this small slice of paradise. And the busy season has done nothing but divide the two territories even further.
Inspiration Photos:
A few ground rules:
Try and post at least a few paragraphs, no one liners here!
This rp will probably have some mature themes, proceed with caution.
Two characters per person, please. (Preferably one from each side as well)
Have fun :-)
The Montgomery Sunday Brunch was as it always was—elegant, tasteful, and very white. From the tent to the table cloths to the dress code. White linen as far as the eye could see. But Wren barely batted an eye at the extravagant set up, he’d been to more of these events than he could count over the years.
It had been several weeks since Elle’s birthday party, which had been a turning point in Wren’s summer.
He and Aria had finally stopped pretending and gave into the pull they’d felt toward one another for years now. Wren realized that he’d been tamping it down. His feelings for Eloise had been allowed to manifest throughout the years as both his family and the Montgomery’s had encouraged a union between the two—whereas his feelings for Aria had always been dismissed as the way one is supposed to feel for a best friend. But he had quickly realized that was not the case. There was nothing platonic about the way he felt toward her.
Wren’s hand drifted to Aria’s lower back as they approached the gathering of Montgomerys. It had become second nature over the last few weeks. Touching her. It was a simple pleasure he was sure he would never get tired of.
Wren had continued working at the shelter, had continued living in his tiny place on the Southside—had scarcely heard a word from either of his parents but, in truth, he was the happiest he had ever remembered being. He saw Aria nearly every day, her volunteer hours had increased since he started his job—but he was certainly not complaining. Working together brought him back to old times when they’d spent nearly every waking moment together before they’d gone their separate ways for college. And behind closed doors, he could barely keep his hands off of her.
Wren no longer minded when he saw Elle’s car at Beck’s house across the street—didn’t flinch when he saw their relationship blossoming as well. He didn’t care because he had Aria—he had his friends back. He wasn’t under his father’s thumb any longer, he worked for what he made and was damn proud of the work he did, and he finally felt the noose of self-loathing starting to loosen its grip.
The two of them had decided to keep whatever their relationship was turning into, just between them for the time being. After everything that happened the last time they were together, they thought it best to try and minimize any damage their actions might cause. Not that Wren thought Elle would be particularly upset by the development now that she had her own little Southside boyfriend. And besides, everything with Aria was so new—Wren wasn’t ready to share her just yet.
He and Aria had arrived early to the brunch, because Wren never showed up late to a function like this. He hadn’t been surprised to be invited to the family brunch. Wren had always been welcomed by their family, but especially after he stood up to his own father in Elle’s defense that night, he’d been nearly officially inducted into the clan. Plus it was an excuse to be near Aria, outside of the shelter and his tiny one bedroom. And seeing her in that white linen dress made him all too excited for after brunch when he could slide the thing from her shoulders.
Wren greeted the patriarchs of the Montgomery family with a firm handshake and polite small talk. It was an art form he had perfected over his many years of dinner parties and business meetings with his father. He greeted the women with a kiss on the cheek and a compliment about their dress, their jewelry, their new hairstyle. That was a skill he’d learned from his mother. However sour his feelings towards his parents were, they had taught him a few things that were worthwhile.
After he’d made his rounds, Wren snagged the seat next to Aria. He brushed her hair behind her shoulder, the tips of his fingers lingering a beat too long against her skin, before resting it on the back of her chair.
“Just how you wanted to spend your Sunday, right?” He teased knowing that Aria had never been a fan of these types of Montgomery gatherings. Wren’s gaze caught on the scene behind Aria—on the couple approaching the tent. “Fortunately for us, this Sunday is about to get a lot more interesting.” He nodded toward Eloise and Beckett as they entered.
Wren could feel the tension in the other members of the family as all eyes turned toward them. Beck looked about as uncomfortable under the weight of every Montgomery’s stare as they seemed to feel by his presence. But to the southsider’s credit, he had cleaned up well—though Wren was sure that was courtesy of Eloise. And Wren was almost certain that seeing Beckett Greene in khakis was a sign of the impending apocalypse.
After the couple sat down at the table, the rest of the crowd started to lull back into their various conversations. He greeted the two of them with an easy smile. It was much less challenging to be cordial when Aria was next to him.
“Welcome to the family,” he joked with Beck from across the table.
The brunch continued uneventfully as the food was served and the champagne was poured. Wren ate with one hand while his other rested on Aria’s knee under the tablecloth. His thumb brushing slow strokes over her bare skin. It was a dangerous game, but he hoped to be just distracting enough to keep the look of utter boredom off her face.
His thumb stopped in its tracks when he heard Aria and Elle’s uncle call out to Beck from down the table. Wren winced when they started launching a barrage of questions surrounding Beck’s job and income. Most of the folks here didn’t understand what it meant to earn an honest wage. Wren certainly hadn’t before everything had gone down with his father. Beck held his own though, and Wren was pleasantly surprised when Warren—Elle’s father—had even offered the boy a job. Wren respected the hell out of Warren Montgomery. He was one of the few Newport elite who gave people the benefit of the doubt despite where they came from.
Wren perked up at the sound of his name. He shot Elle’s mother one of his practiced, charming smiles at her dinner invitation. “I would love to, Mrs. Montgomery. Thank you for the invitation.” He passed a knowing but apologetic smile to Eloise—and to Beck. Her mother and his own had tried to push the two friends together at every available opportunity nearly their entire lives. And her lack of invitation to Beck was not lost on him, even before Warren suggested it. Wren squeezed Aria’s knee.
This was definitely the most exciting Montgomery brunch he’d been to in years.
It had been several weeks since Eloise’s twenty-first birthday party, and the small blonde and her south side counterpart had been living the most blissful dream ever since. Elle had spent nearly every evening with her feet propped in Beckett’s lap, sprawled on his couch with a movie on the television, or laying out on the dock of Beck’s boat with an old book from his collection while he worked on finishing the project in his spare time, and had even taken to sleeping over in his too-small bed on the rare occasion. During the time that Beck was away at work Eloise would visit Wren and Aria at the animal shelter, lay out by the pool with Ar, or catch up on errands that she’d been pushing off to spend more time with her people.
It was very quickly becoming the best summer she’d ever had.
The previous night had been no exception to their summer fun - Beck had taken her out to dinner, they’d gone back to his house and worked on The Patience until the sun had set, and the pair finished the night snuggling in bed with Callie while watching an episode of their favorite show. They’d had to be up early for Sunday brunch with the Montgomery family - Beck’s first appearance at one - so it’d just made sense for Elle to stay over.
“We’re going to be late.” Eloise breathed against the south sider’s lips, hands remaining tangled in his hair despite her statement. They’d gotten up, showered, gotten ready, and almost made it out the door before their resolve had crumbled. The two had ended up on the couch, Eloise straddling Beck’s lap with the skirt of her white dress hiked up around her waist and Beckett’s hand’s keeping her firmly planted against him, locked in a heated embrace. They had been like ravenous teenagers in heat ever since Elle’s party, and it didn’t look like that was going to be stopping any time soon.
They hadn’t had sex the night of her party despite popular belief, and they’d both been glad for it. Beckett had worshipped Elle’s body until she was seeing stars, and once she was able to feel her legs again she’d sunken to her knees and repaid the favor, but afterward they’d simply showered together and went to bed. It was far from the first time for either of them, but it would be their first time together, and Beck had insisted that he wanted it to be more special than a drunken hook-up, that he’d wanted her to cherish the memory. Yet even now, so many weeks after that memorable night, the two still hadn’t managed to be together in that way.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying, to their credit. Any time they would even get close to reaching that point something would interrupt their time together - Elle’s little sister bursting into the room, Griff coming over uninvited and quite literally crawling in-between them in bed, a panicked phone call from Aria, her parents coming home early - hell, they’d even desperately resorted to the back seat of Beck’s ratty jeep after a night on the beach with their friends when a cop shined a flashlight through the windows and ordered them to get out of there. It was almost like life was playing some sick joke on them.
“No, really,” Eloise insisted, chest heaving with heavy pants as she finally pulled back from him. “You think my parent’s are strict..” She couldn’t help herself from dipping back into him, savoring a few more long kisses and strokes of Beck’s calloused hands against her skin. “You should see my grandparents when people are late for brunch.” She warned with a goofy grin.
Sunday brunch was a bit of a tradition for the Montgomery line, which typically followed the morning church service though Elle had stopped attending that portion years ago, and was taken quite seriously by the members of her family. Each week the members of her extended family would meet and share a meal together, everyone dressed in their finest whites and on their best behavior. This was the first time Eloise had ever bothered to bring a date to the event, but Beck was special, and her father had insisted that it was time for him to be properly introduced after all of the time they’d spent together.
Beck looked more north side than ever in his khaki slacks and white linen shirt, both articles of clothing that Eloise had bought and bribed him to wear, and Elle was beaming with pride as the two approached the long table on the lawn that held all of her family, a white tent placed to offer a reprieve from the unrelenting Newport sun. “Nice of you to join us, Eloise.” The oldest man at the table, her grandfather, greeted with a glance at his watch. “Who’s your friend?”
While Beck and Elle had never officially discussed the labels of whatever this relationship was, Eloise considered it safe to say, “This is Beckett Greene, my boyfriend.” As she lead them to their seats. She passed the copper haired boy an encouraging smile, giving his knee a small squeeze of reassurance under the table before greeting Aria and Wren who sat across from them and leaping into conversation with the other ladies at the table. Over the years Wren had become somewhat of a regular at Montgomery brunches thanks to the number of times Elle and Aria’s parents had found the boy sleeping in their daughters’ rooms on Sunday mornings, the two cousins constantly sneaking him in at night so the three of them could share a movie marathon or a bottle of cheap liquor. He had essentially become part of the family, especially after the incident with his father the last time all of Newport’s elite had shared dinner.
“Mr. Greene,” Called a mustached man from down the table, his deep southern accent drawling out the boy’s name. “What is it that you do for work, boy?” Eloise shot her uncle a sharp look, but didn’t speak up as the table turned their attention to hear Beck’s answer. “And what does a job like that bring home, if you don’t mind me asking?” Asked a cousin, the man’s adult son inquiring about Beckett’s wage.
To her credit, Eloise’s had attempted to intercede on the south sider’s behalf, but not before he’d given his answer and a beat of shocked silence from the Montgomerys followed after. “Beckett is really quite skilled, he’s building his own boat from scratch right now! We're almost finished with it, actually.” She covered quickly, which lead to another side conversation discussing all of the yachts and boats the family owned. “Well while we’re speaking of work,” Began Warren Montgomery, Eloise’s father, “I could really use a hand here who knows his way around the inside of a boat. You looking for some more work, Beckett? I lost a few guys over the summer and am really hurting for some extra labor around the estate - you’d be doing me a favor.”
Warren Montgomery had been born into money, but the man could still see the value in hard work, and had to admit that he respected the boy for coming here and openly pursuing his daughter despite the fact that it was obvious he was out of his league here. While he didn’t love the idea of his oldest daughter dating a boy from the south side and well bellow her means, Beck hadn’t given him a reason to be ran off yet, so he’d give the kid a break from all of the assessing stares he’d been receiving.
Eloise did not miss the sharp look that her mother shot her father at the offer of employment, nor did she miss the quick change of subject. “Lawrence, dear,” The woman began, flashing him a smile, “We haven’t seen you around here as much lately, why don’t you join us for dinner sometime this week?” That one earned an eye roll from Elle. Her mother had doted on Wren since they were in diapers, and pretty much already had their wedding mapped out.
“And Beckett, of course, is welcome to join us as well.” Interjected Warren.
Earlier that night had felt like days ago – when Beckett Greene saw that look in her eye, her truth plastered across her face shamelessly. She remembered the panic rising in her chest, the guilt starting to make its presence known right next to the honesty. Aria had to live in secrecy all of these years, with her feelings her biggest downfall. And also the very thing that made her feel so, so alive.
And he felt that way too. Wren McCoy kissed her.
So, were her feelings really a bad thing?
Elle had Beck – her face was glowing when she stared at the Southside boy. And, as much as he got under Aria Montgomery’s skin, she couldn’t deny how he looked at her, as well. The exact same way she looked at Wren. They were all finding their sun, their source of happiness that made the confusion of it all worth it.
Aria might as well run with it.
She felt Wren’s arms around her even as they sped through her house, slipping on the water that dribbled down from their tan bodies. Still, everytime her bare feet slipped on those impeccable floors, he always caught her without fail.
Bursting into her bedroom, Aria let a light laugh escape from her chest, practically leaning into his arms as they snaked their way down her own. His touch, no matter how innocent it was, was addictive. It was uncanny how his fingertips calmed every bit of her beating heart, and yet were also the exact things that sent her over the edge. Wren was a generous lover, from what she recalled of that night in the wine cellar those months ago. She felt worshipped, felt every bit of the rebel she tried to become, as well as the royalty that came with her legacy. It was why she felt her stomach warm as he stood before her, as those fingers tucked a stray lock of gold behind her ear. Everywhere his touch traveled, she became more and more undone.
He leaned. Thank God, he leaned in.
She closed her eyes, ready to pick up exactly where things had left off, but instead of the warmth that followed Wren, she was left with nothing but the chill of the air. Fluttering her eyes open, she gazed at him as he made his way towards her bathroom, as the steam of the hot water from her shower began to cloak his sculpted form.
Aria arched a brow, but slowly stepped towards the bathroom, giving him a single nod. “Wine and snacks would be good,” she answered, pulling in her lips to keep herself from giggling at his clearly disgruntled self. Wren McCoy was nervous. He was acting exactly how she had been all of these years – tiptoeing over the obvious, too scared of the repercussion to take flight. Their feelings were already out in the air, what they had done will never be stolen from them.
Maybe all he needed was a little nudge. A gentle reminder that he was everything she wanted. And more. That he was more than just a hook up in a wine cellar. That they both deserved to be happy.
She kicked off her underwear after he fled the room. Her lacy bra followed until it was nothing but a puddle on the bathroom floor. Exhaling a deep sigh to calm her nerves, Aria let the confidence the wine brought and trekked back towards her bed before she sat herself on the edge, her arms extending behind her. She crossed a long, tanned leg and rested her chin on the top of her shoulder, eyeing the door with an intensity she could feel all the way to her toes. If anyone besides Wren McCoy walked through those doors, Aria was sure she would toss them off her balcony.
Thankfully, the man of the hour returned, bag of chips dangling between perfect white teeth. Bottles of water, wine, and a couple glasses hung from his fingers. Her face lit up as he set them to the side almost instantly. Smart boy. Unfortunately, the bag of chips wasn’t so lucky, because as soon as his eyes landed on her, they went tumbling to the ground. Enjoying his flustered state and hungry eyes, Aria relished the butterflies going rampant in her stomach, offering him a gentle, “hi,” in response.
This was it. All or nothing.
Standing up gracefully, slowly, from the edge of her bed, she started to make her way towards him – her steps definite, her eyes locked on his.
“Wren McCoy, you’re my best friend,” she started, eyes glistening and heart soaring. “Everything in my entire life was starting to belong to someone else's vision, not my own. I had to try unbelievably hard to force myself into a mold that wasn’t made for me.” She was closer now, barely an arm’s length away. "But, the only thing that never felt forced was you.” Aria swallowed a tightness in her throat, but continued on. “Kissing you was the easiest choice I ever made, and I loved it even more because it was ours to make.”
Lightly she leaned in and brushed her lips against his, her breath hitching at the contact. “There is something far more between us than rooftop kisses and fucks in a wine cellar.” Pulling away, she wrapped her fingers around his and began walking backwards, leading him towards the steaming bathroom with a look on her face that read nothing but mischief. “Why don’t you come show me what I’ve been missing?”
Wren wasted no time.
His hand wrapped around her neck fiercely, pulling her to him without any restraint. She moaned into his mouth as his lips crashed against hers and his touches traveled to her waist. He kissed her every place she laid bare for him. Her neck, her jaw, her soul. She sighed wistfully and wrapped her own arms around him, draping against his broad shoulders. As his grip traveled to her ass, hoisting her up and allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist, Aria let out a soft laugh. The steam from the bathroom enveloped them, as well as the gentle miss from the spray of the shower, right above. With her back against the tile wall of the shower, she watched Wren dispose of his boxers, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as her eyes took him in. All of him.
It was safe to say, he wasn’t lacking in any department.
He also decided it was the perfect time to take in her, as well. Usually being more submissive and shy in bed, the change of pace, the confidence she felt when with him, was riveting. Aria could be herself. Has always been able to be herself with him. As he complimented her, her cheeks warmed and stars continued to dance behind her eyes as she looked at Wren as if he were the whole damn universe. “Come here,” she whispered to him. And he obliged.
Wren kissed her, pushing them back into the stream of water, which caused her to gasp into his mouth. He swallowed the sound with his tongue. His teeth. As his hands roamed, covering every inch of her, she pressed against his form, gliding her slick center against his hardened state and letting him hear the moan she elicited freely. “Fuck, Wren. Please,” she breathed as his lips moved from her mouth and down towards her raised nipples. He ravished them, bit by bit, until her core was flooded with warmth and she was grinding her hips against any piece of him she could find. He was molding her and Aria was putty in his damn hands. The only person she would relent to.
As his hand moved from her breast to her throat, Aria’s eyes fluttered open slightly, just enough to meet his gaze and crack a pleased smile. Enjoying the pressure, she leaned her head back, baring more of herself to him. His mouth moved to her neck, sucking and biting and kissing. His name left her lips like a gentle caress, urging him, craving him. She felt a finger graze past her nipple and she whimpered at the loss.
Until it traveled lower. And lower.
Her eyes flashed to his, savoring the cool, rich baritone of his voice that was so familiar, and yet felt entirely new. At his admission, Aria let her eyes fall halfway shut, leaning in towards his ear and letting her teeth graze his skin. “Then by all means Wren McCoy, touch me.”
He obeyed. And she nearly shattered.
His fingers entered her and she swore she was floating. Their first time had been quick, barely enough time for foreplay before he was pressing himself inside her. Now, Wren seemed to want to savor his time. And with every move he made, with every added finger, Aria cursed herself for being so impatient before. For not truly realizing that Wren knew what the fuck he was doing.
After nearly coming close to the edge multiple times but never fully reaching her peak, thanks to Wren’s teasing, Aria was practically begging for him to be inside of her. Fully. She made soft, tender pleas against his mouth as her legs wrapped around his waist, him positioned right at her entrance. “Please, Wren,” she whispered against his mouth, kissing him. “Please, I want it so bad.”
He sheathed himself inside of her with one punishing thrust. Aria silenced her moan by biting into his shoulder, her hands digging into his back as pure ecstasy filled her. There was pressure for a moment, due to his size, but it quickly became replaced with everything she could have ever hoped for.
She was no longer pretending.
SMUT AHEAD Y'ALL, PROCEED WITH CAUTION
The door latching shut sealed his fate and Beckett Greene did not even attempt to contain the wicked, sly smirk that took over his face. Her hands left prickles of goosebumps in their wake as they drifted across his heated chest and as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lithe frame against his. The groan that escaped him was nothing short of unguarded.
His lips crashed into hers, far more powerful than he had done so earlier. She tasted sweet, like candy. And he wanted to devour her wholly. In order to do so, Beck’s hands traveled from her waist to even lower, bending but still keeping his mouth on hers as he scooped up Elle’s small frame deftly. Slowly, he turned and made his way towards the bed, attempting to keep some part of him grounded to reality before he got too lost in the euphoria that kissing Elle inflicted. Their lips moved together in an earnest, hungry rhythm, and all he wanted was more, more, more.
It seemed that Elloise had felt the same. Her hands twisted into the wayward brown locks that rested against the back of his neck and he smirked against her mouth. Needy, little thing. “You taste so damn good,” he whispered into her mouth.
The back of his knees hit the edge of the bed, and swiftly, he brought them both toppling across the mattress, all the while keeping her against him. Too terrified that if he let this moment go, she would never return. Maybe that was his own subconscious warning him of the deadly game he was playing. But, as she moved against him, pressing him deeper into the mattress with that devious little glint she always wore in her eye, he knew that playing her game was far more desirable.
As she straddled him, his hands immediately went to those suppulent hips of hers, fingers grazing lightly across her ass before moving forward and onto her stomach. Despite his exploring hands, his eyes were solely latched onto hers. That perfect blue. The color that sheathed his boat. The color that had slowly become his favorite in the entire world. With a sly grin, as her fingers fiddled with the clasp of her bra, he lifted his hips, letting her feel exactly what her slow, tortuous movements were doing to him. Still, his hands remained palming her, fully enjoying the process.
She disposed of her freshly removed bra, tossing it on the side of the bed, and Beck exhaled a sigh of relief as his hands wasted no time in sliding up her stomach and towards her chest. His lips parted, eyes filled with awe, lust, and a sense of yearning he had never felt before. “So fucking beautiful.” The admittance was nothing more than a gentle caress of breath. He palmed her breasts, calloused hands roaming over the soft, tender skin that sat there. He pinched her peaked nipples lightly, eyes flicking towards hers for only a moment, searching for any sign of regret lingering in her gaze.
The fact that he found none made another groan emit from his lips.
His grip on her breasts grew more ravenously, fondling and molding them as they sat perfectly within his hands. Even as she leaned forward, he still kept up the maneuver. Though, as her lips began to suck on the tender part of his neck, right underneath his jaw, his hips instinctively ground into her warmth. Thankfully, she also met him halfway. Their moans of pleasure filled the room as Beck’s hands moved from her tits to Elle’s full ass, pulling her even harder against him. Rocking her back and forth against his rock hard cock. He leaned back for a moment, watching the way she ground into him rutting against him, and his jaw went slack.
And, God, the sound she made…
Beck was incandescent with yearning. Needing to feel every bit of movement from her against him. Every breath that left her lips he wanted to claim. Every moan that drifted in the air he wanted to taste. He wanted every piece of Elloise Montgomery across his skin, for he feared that when morning came and the sun washed away their night, that it would also dissolve the flames that erupted across him everywhere she traveled. He had always known that she was a force to be reckoned with, and now he was simply letting himself be nothing but her collateral damage.
As she tugged him closer, pressing his hardened state into the warm, soft space between her thighs, Beckett could not help the sharp curse that escaped him. Cutting into the air. “My God, Elle.” His grip on her small frame tightened, his movements became harsher, less relenting. Her thighs opened even more, allowing him to settle himself ever deeper into her. The movement sent a shiver down his spine, causing goosebumps to rise against his flesh despite the heat that coursed through him.
He cradled her head in one of his large, calloused hands. His fingers wove their way into the soft, honey strands of her hair and his grip tightened, tugging her head back gently and baring her throat to him. Beck’s tongue then traveled down the smooth slope, kissing the bare skin, before baring his teeth lightly. His mouth rested at the small, tender crook of her shoulder right next to her neck and he bit down once. Sucking and nibbling before replacing the hurt with a gentle, soothing kiss.
More words, coming from that perfect fucking mouth of hers, caused a groan to erupt from his lips. Succumbing every little thing that Eloise Montgomery was. In this position, one may think that she was entirely at his mercy.
And yet, he knew that he was entirely at her's.
With one hand still gripping the back of her head, the other left her chest and moved south, tracing a delicate finger all the way across her tanned curves until it rested at the thin strap that belonged to her underwear. With his mouth resting against hers, he grinned before giving the fabric a tug. “This okay?” he said softly before taking her lips once more. With her agreeance, he gave the underwear another pull before it slid down her thighs, past her calves, and landed on the floor silently.
This was Elle in her most pure, raw state.
And he felt like the luckiest Son of a Bitch in the entire world.
His face softened for a moment, into a look of pure adoration as he reared away from her slightly, taking in everything that she was. His hand behind her head became softer, his fingers tucking loose strands of golden hair behind her ear before running a thumb across her cheek. “Still good?”
She smiled and something within him broke – not wounding him, but allowing something more to flourish.
Quickly, keeping that grin, he swiftly flipped them around with a wholesome laugh, allowing Elle's head to rest on the pillows and for his body to travel lower. And lower. Hands following suit. That signature Beckett Greene mischief lingered in his eyes as he began to press tender kisses down her chest, her stomach, stopping right before her sex. He gazed at her, mouth watering, and his lips grew closer, his warm breath hitting the exposed area between her thighs.
Fuck, he could see that she was already glistening.
“You are so fucking wet, Birthday Girl,” he breathed with a smile, his lips nearly grazing her as he flicked his eyes upwards. God, he was so hard, his dick pressed furiously against the confinement of his boxers – but this was all about her. He placed a demanding hand against her stomach, planting her into the mattress, before closing the distance and kissing her wet center softly. After gauging her reaction, he went for another, light and feathery. A taunt.
Until he licked Elle’s center once, slow, but with far more pressure than his lips.
It was short work after that. All it took was one taste of her before Beckett dove in headfirst. His tongue would go back and forth between circling her swollen bud before sinking back into her. His arms left her stomach, wrapping around her thighs and pulling her closer to his mouth while he savored every single piece of her he could while her legs rested on his shoulders. His thumb traveled to her clit, circling it generously, while his tongue continued to prod and swivel inside of her.
After a few generous minutes, and him able to feel her legs trembling around him, practically announcing her nearby release, Beck leaned back an inch, his mouth shining with her. His gaze flicked to her dripping center and then back to her vulnerable, fathomless eyes. He smirked – the act entirely male and proud. "You want more?" he asked.
Right before he inserted two fingers fully into her, groaning as her soaked warmth enveloped him.
Lena was certain Beck and Elle were going to disappear behind a door before she and Griff had a chance to catch up with them, but apparently the universe owed them one after being interrupted earlier. Griffin managed to wretch Beck out of the door frame and it was almost comical seeing Beck beg them to fuck off. Lena tried and failed to hold back a laugh when Beck told her that he’s never asked her for anything.
“Oh what the fuck ever,” she told him, shaking her head. He brought this on himself when he decided to be a cockblock at the worst possible moment. But then, he offered a proposition that made her hesitate. To pick up where she and Griff left off. Lena considered, and looked to Griff for his reaction. His response made her heart start to race. They would leave Beck and Elle alone for the night, if she and Griff were left alone for the week. The week. That was definitely a deal she’d be interested in.
As the boys bowed their heads together to talk through the details of their arrangement, Lena caught Elle’s eye and mouthed sorry. Her friend was obviously disappointed by their sudden appearance—Lena knew the feeling. The boys finally separated and Beck wasted no time retreating back into the room with Elle, and promptly locking the door. At least he’d learned from their mistakes.
Lena smiled as Griffin finally turned his attention to her. “Alone at last,” she said, squealing softly as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her up into his arms. “So the rest of the week, huh? I’ll have to see if I can pencil you into my schedule,” she teased. Lena felt the muscles in her stomach tighten at his next words—that he intended to keep his promise of picking up where they left off. “Lead the way,” she told him, already a little breathless at the thought.
He carried her through the doorway of an empty room, dropping her back on to her feet as soon as he had locked the door behind them. Barely a breath passed before his mouth was on hers. Lena parted her lips for him and wrapped her arms around his neck as he made quick work of her bra, tossing it to the side. The sound he made when he saw her without it made her spine tingle. Lena had never felt her ego boosted like that without so much as a word.
Lena let her eyes flutter closed as Griffin’s kisses worked their way up her body. She felt like she was being worshiped, savored, devoured. A gasp left her lips as he caught her nipple in between his fingers, the pinch causing a flicker of pain washed away by the tingle of pleasure. But it was the way he asked if she liked what he was doing, the way he looked up at her, that caused her to shudder and nod.
Lena bit down on her bottom lip to quiet the moan that was building in the back of her throat. But it didn’t stay quieted for long as Griffin leaned down and sucked her breast into his mouth. Her head dropped back and her fingers twined through his hair, nearly holding him in place. “Fuck, Griff,” she murmured, otherwise unable to express how he was making her feel.
She inhaled sharply as Griff pulled her even closer to him, her back bowing slightly to give him easier access to her chest. Her breath hitched once again as he began a slow descent from her breasts to lower…and lower. Lena admired his muscled shoulders and the wide panes of his back as he kissed back down her body. How she had never noticed him in this way before a few weeks ago was beyond her. She’d always known he was attractive, but the thought of him like this—bowed between her thighs like a man giving penance—had never crossed her mind. Now, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to (or want to) forget the image. She’d have broken the ‘friends don’t fuck friends’ rule years ago if she’d known it would feel like this.
Lena felt her heart stop and then start again at twice the speed when she felt his finger in between her legs. She bit down on her lip again as he discovered just how much he was affecting her body. Lena felt like every muscle in her body was wound so tight they might snap as Griff pressed slow, tantalizing kisses to her inner thighs, kissing everywhere except where she wanted him to until he finally, finally, gave her what she wanted.
The feeling of his tongue made her feel like she was slowly being set of fire. He took his time with it, something most of the guys she had been with hadn’t done, and he was good. There was no holding back moans as he brought her to the edge again and again only to continually deny her. Every time she’d try and move her hips for any extra bit of friction, his hands would keep them pinned in place. She fisted the sheets of the bed, frustrated. She was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and she felt the muscles in her legs trembling as she ached for release. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a tease, Novak?” she joked, looking down at him, though she was truthfully close to begging. The mere sight of him between her legs, his mouth closed around her, nearly sent her over the edge on it’s own.
Her lips parted and she nearly forgot to breath as she watched him work. His gaze flicked up to hers and as if finally obeying her pleas, Griff slipped one finger into her. The sudden feel of it after what felt like hours of him teasing—torturing—her had Lena’s entire body tensing around him. As soon as Griff closed his mouth around her once again she felt herself quickly approaching her peak, damn near praying that he would allow her to reach it.
But he didn’t move away. His mouth stayed fixed on her clit and he kept a steady pace with his fingers. Lena felt the wave approaching and finally felt is crash over her. She was almost afraid she’d wake the dead with how loud she was being as Griff continued to pump his fingers into her until her legs were left shaking and she felt like her bones had been turned to jelly.
“God,” was all her brain seemed capable of producing. She wasn’t sure if it was a curse, a prayer, or if she was actually seeing him but it seemed a reasonable response to what just happened to her. When the ebbs of pleasure subsided, she was left breathless and a little awestruck. No one had ever made her come that hard.
The fact that she could taste herself on his lips when Griffin kissed her again almost made the whole thing even hotter. Lena’s hands drifted over his chest, down his stomach, and she wrapped her hand around his cock. She reveled in the way he reacted to her touch as she kissed down the side of his neck, nibbling at the sensitive skin there as she stroked him. He had made her feel so good, she merely wanted to return the favor.
She’d barely had time to recover when Griff dragged his head up her still sensitive center. But the feel of him left her aching in the pit of her belly. Lena grabbed his shoulder as he eased into her, a moan escaping her lips in tandem with his own. Even though they’d slept together once before, the size of him still caught her off guard. It took her body a moment to adjust around him before he pulled all the way out and buried himself in her again.
A soft moan escaped her lips and she wasn’t sure if it was the feeling of him inside her or of his admission. That he’d craved this as much as she had since the last time they’d been together. Lena clawed at his back as his speed increased, his voice a low rumble in her ear. She felt herself approaching that edge, and as soon as his finger circled her clit her muscles tensed and she felt pleasure crash over her yet again.
Lena pulled him up to kiss her, her teeth skimming his bottom lip as she shifted their weight until he was on his back and she was straddling him. She sank back down on to him oh so slowly, her hands pinning his chest to the mattress. Griffin had teased her for long enough, she figured she could return the favor.
“And what would you do if I told you I touch myself every night thinking about you inside me?” She asked, rolling her hips. “But fuck, it comes no where near the real thing,” Lena murmured, dipping down and brushing a hint of a kiss on his lips. She nearly lifted herself completely off of him only to sink down again, even slower this time. She wanted him to beg for it.
Wren’s shoulders sagged with relief when Aria laughed and told him to just shut up. That was a much better reaction to him kissing her than anticipated. And he felt like a weight had been lifted when she said that she had missed him too. The several weeks they weren’t on good terms were some of the worst of his life. So it was a relief to know that he hadn’t fucked it up, yet again. Despite his best efforts, apparently.
He sat back as Aria started telling him something, but her words were quickly drowned out by their rowdy group of friends below them when Elle called up to them, demanding that they get their asses in the pool. “You called it, she did end up in the pool,” Wren laughed. Aria stood swiftly and her dress was off in between one blink and the next. Wren swallowed hard and tried his best not to stare as he stripped down as well. He smiled at her as she grabbed his hand and winked before taking a running start.
He and Aria launched themselves into the pool with no hesitation. It was definitely not the first time they had done this. The cool blue water nearly shocked Wren sober. Compared to the heat of the party and the humidity of the night, the water had been a welcome change. Once he emerged and flung the water from his eyes, he swam to where Aria’s head had popped up and where the rest of their friends were gathered.
Nearly as soon as he and Aria jumped in, there was a chain reaction of guests who decided to follow suit. The giant pool was now nearly shoulder to shoulder, almost as bad as the dance floor had been. Wren snaked an arm around Aria’s waist as to not lose her in the crowd, and she then wrapped her arms around his neck.
He chuckled as she gave him permission to shut her up if she started thinking about the morning. “Deal, only if you promise me the same,” Wren did not want to think about the killer hangover or the almost definitely guilt he would feel about kissing her. But she had kissed him back. And she hadn’t seemed mad that he’d done it in the first place, which had honestly surprised him. He’d been half expecting her to slap him once he had the wherewithal to even realize what he was doing. But she hadn’t, she’d just told him that she had missed him too. Had been about to tell him something else before they’d been interrupted.
Beck and Elle were the first to slip away, but to be honest, Wren didn’t even know they had gone until Griff and Lena followed behind them. It didn’t take an over-active imagination to guess what they would be up to. Aria’s chattering teeth brought his attention back to her, just as she asked if he wanted to get out of the pool, of the crowd. “Then let’s get you out of here,” he agreed, standing and wading out of the pool, his arms still wrapped around her. He didn’t let go until they’d stepped out of the water, and reached the edge of the crowd.
The night breeze nipped at Wren’s skin as they made their escape from the pool back into the house. Their clothes were upstairs, and they had no towels so they dripped water all the way back up to Aria’s bedroom. The clean up was going to be a pain in the morning, but he and Aria had promised not to think about tomorrow, so he would leave that problem until then.
Aria’s old bedroom was mercifully empty, and the blonde’s teeth were still chattering when they walked through the door. “You look like you’re about to turn into an ice cube,” he joked, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm her up. Her face was flushed from the wine, and the cold, and Wren became acutely aware of the fact that she was only in her underwear. He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and his gaze dipped. He was getting dangerously close to kissing her again, or worse, so he took a step back—hoping that putting space between them would get his traitorous mind out of the gutter. He couldn’t mess things up again, no matter how bad he wanted to.
“How about a hot shower? To warm you up?” He asked, stepping into the bathroom and turning the water on before even waiting for a response. “I can go get us more wine, and, uh snacks, while you, you know,” he gestured behind him to the shower. Wren didn’t remember the last time he’d been this flustered.
Wren made his escape down the hallway, but shut himself in a bathroom before going downstairs. He splashed his face with cold water, hoping that would be enough for him to cool his ass down. “Get your shit together, McCoy,” he muttered under his breath. He did not need to be this hot and bothered by one of his best friends, especially when sleeping with her had been what landed him in so much trouble in the first place.
Downstairs, there were still people milling around the makeshift bar, but Wren found an unopened bottle of wine and grabbed a couple of glasses from the cabinet. He also managed to swipe a few bottles of water—because, while he was trying not to think about tomorrow’s hangover, he did have a little foresight—and a bag of chips. He carefully made his way back up the stairs, the bag of chips dangling from his teeth.
Wren opened the door to Aria’s bedroom with his elbow, but as soon as he walked in and saw what was waiting for him, his jaw went slack and the chips fell to the ground. Aria was sitting on her bed. The underwear she’d had on when he left was no where to be seen. Wren almost turned around and walked out, until it was obvious that she had intended for him to walk in on her like this. He tried his very best to keep his eyes on her face, but was failing miserably. “Uh, hi,” he said, there wasn’t enough blood going to his brain to come up with anything else.
He kicked the door closed behind him, and set the wine and waters down on the dresser as she stood and walked over to him. Wren listened very intently as Aria explained that there was obviously something between them, that the kiss on the roof had really just solidified that for her—something he wholeheartedly agreed with. She definitely knew how to keep a man’s attention. And then she invited him to shower with her.
It was the invitation that seemed to snap him out of place. “Thank fuck,” he groaned, grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her mouth to his. His other hand gravitated to her waist, closing any distance they had between them. Wren dipped his head as he pressed kisses first to the spot just below her ear, then her neck, her collarbone, her breast, and back up again.
Wren’s hands wandered down her waist, past her hips and cupped her ass as he picked her up and had Aria wrap her legs around him. He walked them both back into the bathroom, setting her down only to discard his own underwear. While he did, he took the opportunity to get a real look at her—her tanned skin, her full breasts, the curve of her hips. “Fuck, you are…perfect,” he murmured, kissing her again and carefully backing her into the warm stream of water.
He pressed her against the cool tile, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth as she gasped from the sudden cold of it. Wren squeezed her hips before he bent down again, this time, sucking her nipple into his mouth and letting his tongue swirl around the tip of it as his other hand squeezed her other breast. He bit at the sensitive skin, quickly licking over the small hurt before kissing his way back up to her throat.
Wren wrapped his hand around her neck, lightly at first, and moved her head to the side to grant him fuller access as he licked and kissed and nipped up the column of her throat. He traced one finger lazily down the length of her body, letting it linger and circle around her nipple before descending further. His touch was feather-light, while he slowly began adding pressure with the hand he still held around her throat. “The thought of going the rest of the night without touching you was driving me crazy,” he breathed in her ear as his hand finally dipped between her thighs.
Griffin shared an absolutely diabolical smirk with Lena before they launched themselves out of the pool, following after Beckett and Elle. Griffin was a man of his word and took his promises seriously, and that included stopping Beck before he got a chance to put his dick in the little blonde. There was no way he would be letting his friend get that kind of satisfaction after he had so carelessly interrupted him only a few hours ago at such a pivotal moment.
And boy, was he going to regret it.
He couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped him at the distraught look on Beck’s face as the two of them interrupted his and Elle’s kiss in the kitchen. “Actually, I hope I am interrupting something.” He declared, glancing at Lena with a grin. “Remember earlier, my old friend? This is payback.”
It was at those words that Beckett grabbed Eloise and took off at break-neck pace, Griffin and Lena following closely behind. With their head start, Griffin almost feared they would beat them into a room before he could stop them - but thank god for horny young adults and booze, because most of the rooms were locked.
Griff reached the pair just as they tried to slip into a room, snatching Beck from around the chest and hauling him out of the doorway. “Ah, ah, ah!” He chided with a devilish smile, shaking his head. “Not on my watch, friend. Consider this retribution for earlier.” It was amusing watching his wild haired friend try to bargain his way out of this one, even trying to appeal to Lena in order to score a few hours alone with their blonde friend.
Finally, Beck offered up a proposition that peaked Griff’s interest. “Fine.” He bartered, raising his eyebrows. “We leave you alone when you’re with Elle for the rest of the night, but you leave us alone for the rest of the week.” With their heads bowed close, the two boys whispered fervently back and forth until they’d found terms that they both agreed with. It was almost comical watching them barter as if they were about to strike the deal of the century.
“You owe me this time, Greene.” He finished, backing away from the door with a small laugh at the look of relief on his friend’s face, turning just in time to hear the door click closed.
“Now as for you…” He murmured devilishly, snatching Lena up by the waist and curling her into his arms as if she were as light as a feather - maybe all of that manual labor over the years was paying off after all. “We have the whole night waiting for us, and I distinctly remember promising that we would pick up where we left off…”
Griffin found an empty room relatively quickly, only across the haul from their friends. As soon as he secured the lock on their newfound oasis, Griffin dropped Lena back to her feet, catching her cheeks in his calloused hands and crushing his lips to hers. His tongue skimmed across her lips, seeking entrance as he backed her slowly across the room. His hands slid back into her hair as he kissed her, down to the nape of her neck where he tucked her bikini string undone.
Griffin couldn’t help but groan at the sight, hoisting her up and back onto the bed as he made quick work of her remaining bottoms, followed by his own. He kissed up her newly naked body - starting at her ankle, her thighs, navel, neck, and finally back to her lips as he eased over her.
He cupped her full breasts in his palms and pinched her nipples just so as soon her breasts were exposed. His breath broke at the surge that shot through him, and he gazed down at her chest as they both panted for more. With his tanned, scarred hands on her milky skin and her decadent nipples captured between his fingers… it was an erotic sight. He couldn’t help pinching her again and enjoying her sharp intake of breath. He stayed there for awhile, working each one into a tight bud.
“You like that?” He murmured, looking up at the brunette through hooded eyes as he rolled one of buds between his finger tips. The look on her face was almost sexier than her tits. With a wicked grin, Griffin ducked back down, running his mouth from the underside of her breast up to the place where her pale skin faded into a darker pink. He covered her nipple with his mouth and sucked hard.
Again, Griffin soaked in the feeling of her body bowing up to meet his mouth, a satisfied smirk moving onto his lips despite their current vocation. Griffin had never been one to waste too much time with foreplay, preferring to jump right into the main act - but something about Lena was different. The feeling that coursed through him while he pleasured her, at each little mew or soft moan that left her lips was euphoric, and he wanted to draw it out for as long as he could.
The sound of his name leaving those pretty pink lips was as unexpected as it was hot, and he couldn’t hold back his own small moan from around her breast. Griffin hooked one around around her back, dragging her closer so he could feast on her. He felt like he was losing his mind the more time he spent in this bed with her, like he was going absolutely feral with desire. No man could stay sane with tits like her’s in their face, in their mouth, rolling across his tongue. Relinquishing one, Griffin licked his way to the other.
Before he was totally aware of what he was doing, Griffin dragged his lips down her torso, stopping to kiss as her naval before continuing south. He pressed a single, delicate little his just above her sex before pausing, dipping a finger between her folds and sliding it all the way to the peak. “God, you’re soaked.” He ground out, feeling his cock twitch in response. He swore he didn’t think it were possible for him to get any harder - aroused to the point it was nearly painful. Still, he reasoned, his gratification would come soon enough.
Griffin could feel the muscles of her thighs twitching just beneath her skin as he dotted slow kisses along the inside of each one, already wound so tight. Good - that was exactly how he wanted her. Knowing Lena was close to her orgasm before he really gotten I work was a bit of an ego boost, and so finally, he made good on the request that Beckett had interrupted hours ago.
Just like every other chapter of their time together, Griffin took his time tasting her, feeling her creeping closer and closer to her peak but refusing to let it arrive so soon. His tongue traced lazy circled around her clit while his hands kneaded her hips in their grip, forcing this against the mattress so she couldn’t buck against his face. Each time he’d feel her start to writhe, start to get too close to her end, he would move away, sliding back to her entrance or kissing her thighs. He edged her closer and closer without letting her orgasm take hold until he had her a writhing, panting, mess.
Finally, Griffin decided, she’d had enough torture. Releasing her hip with one hand, Griffin plunged a finger into her without warning, working it slowly at first and then quicker. His lips made their way back to his clit, giving it a few flat laps as if warming her up before closing his mouth around the sensitive bud, sucking hard as his tongue flicked in time with his pumping arm. A second finger joined the first, pumping into her as he devoured her cunt until he finally felt - tasted - her orgasm wash over her.
Griffin had never been a religious person - but he reckoned this was pretty close to what being God felt like.
Rising from her sex with a newfound feeling of accomplishment, Griffin didn’t waste any time crawling back up her body, planting a kiss squarely on her lips. He fisted his cock, shivering at the unexpected feeling after waiting so long for his own relief. Griffin angled it downwards, dragging it up her slit and across the most sensitive part of her. He waited a beat before stroking her again, circling the blunt end of his member around her clit just like his fingers had done just moments ago.
He wet himself with her desire before finally, finally, sinking into her. A groan escaped his lips as her warmth enveloped him, brown eyes fluttering shut as he filled her, burying himself to the hilt. “I have been so desperate for you since last time.” He admitted, pulling himself nearly all the way out before gliding into her once more, giving Lena’s body a chance to adjust to his size before he lost all control.
Just as he’d suspected, the will power to draw this out had begun to slip away, and his thrusts came harder and faster with each one.
“I have thought of you, of this, every single night since.”
Another thrust, another groan.
“And I want you to think of me like that.”
Thrust.
“So I am going to fuck you until I replace every single memory of every single man you have ever been with.”
This time has hand dipped between her legs, his thumb swirling around her clit as he drove into her.
“Until I am the only thing left in your head”
Eloise couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun. If there were a feeling she could bottle up and keep forever, to pull out when things got bad, it would be this one - because right now it felt like everything was right in the world. Surrounded by her closest friends (not to mention half of newport), the cozy warmth of alcohol settled in her chest, and wrapped in the arms of Beckett Greene… this must have been what heaven felt like. Even with the chilled water of Aria’s pool splashing around them, the blonde had never felt more warm than when Beck had pulled her against his chest, subtly reaching down and hooking her legs behind the knee and hoisting them up and around his waist.
Beckett also wasn’t nearly as subtle as he thought he was as those work roughened hands slowly skimmed up her thighs and around to her ass, holding her hips squarely against his as she whispered her question against his ear. Eloise could have sworn she felt a palpable shiver run down the boy’s spine at her words, and she couldn’t help the coy little smile that slipped onto her lips in response. She dipped back into him once more, hands on his cheeks to guide his mouth back to her’s despite the party raging behind them. The blonde could hear the banter between the south siders in the pool and her friends up on the roof, followed by the splashed entrance of Aria and Wren as they departed the roof. She could feel the previously still water go choppy as more and more people entered the pool in response, the sound of their combined chatter and shouts raising to a roar - but Elle couldn’t even be bothered to glance back at the scene behind her. Not now, not with Beck’s hands tightening their grip on her, dragging her closer against his chest until there wasn’t any room left between them, not while he kissed her as if she were the only air left in a burning room. And then, then, his sultry response breathed against her lips…
She could have melted right then and there.
“Good.” The Birthday Girl whispered right back “Because I want you… I want you now.” She turned, a devilish look slipping onto her face as she paused their heated embrace to put a little space between them. Eloise took one glance back into the heat of the party raging in the pool to ensure that they weren’t being watched, though she wasn’t really sure if she’d care if they were, before turning back to her hazel eyed boy. “Let’s go.” She urged with smile, using Beckett’s sturdy shoulders as a support to hoist herself up and out of the water.
Eloise didn’t waste any time making her way into the house, one hand reached back for Beck as he collected their clothes with one sweep, blue eyes locked onto the grand staircase across the room. It was almost surreal, how strongly her feelings had developed for a south side boy who’d gotten her arrested only a handful of weeks ago. And even after her hatred for the boy had worn away, the pair had been left with weeks of tantalizing flirting, stolen glances and skirting around the fact that they both were quickly developing feelings for one another. They had spent all this time pretending that they were just friends, refusing to acknowledge that there was something more growing there, that now it felt like they were making up for lost time.
That kiss at the beginning of the night hadn’t just broken the ice… it had melted the whole dame antarctic. After so long of avoiding touching one another for fear of sparking a flame they wouldn’t be able to contain… now they couldn’t keep their hands off of each other.
Elle’s bee line to the stairs was interrupted by Beckett’s tug on her hand, stopping her in her tracks and pulling her back against his chest and bring her mouth back to his. This time was different though, his kisses came slower, gentle and unrushed unlike the ones they had shared before… as if they had all of the time in the world at their disposal now that they’d finally unlocked this chapter of their relationship. Eloise didn’t think she would ever get tired of this - of kissing him, feeling his body pressed against her own.
Eloise nearly audibly groaned in disappointment as their south side friends entered the house, clearly intent on spoiling their night together as they interrupted their kiss to recommend another game of pong when herself and Beck were so obviously - ahem - busy. The blonde may have been drunk, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew what this was. “Sorry guys, we’ve got a very busy night ahead of us. Booked solid. No time for pong, I’m afraid.” She flashed the two of them a smile. “Towels are in almost every hall closet or in any of the bathrooms, take as many as you need!” She called back to Lena with a laugh as Beck rushed her up the stairs.
Her head swam with the lingering effects of intoxication mixed with their fast pace, rushing from door to door as they attempted to find one that wasn’t already occupied. A small sigh of relief slipped from her as thankfully one of the knobs finally turned and revealed an empty guest bedroom ready for the taking. Elle shared a single devious look with Beck before slipping inside. But before they could get the door shut, a pair of arms circled Beck’s chest and yanked him back.
Eloise was barely able to see around Beck to the other side of the doorway, but she managed to catch a glimpse of Griffin and Lena across from the tall male. She couldn’t quite make out what was being said, but the two men had their heads bowed close, whispering fervently back and forth to one another as if negotiating some deal. She approached slowly, fingertips brushing against Beckett’s spine as she slid into place at his side just in time to hear a hushed “Fine, but you owe me this time Greene.” leaving Griff’s mouth as he turned to guide Lena back down the hall.
“Finally.” The word came out with an exasperated breath as she pulled the door shut, turning the lock before facing Beck once again. “Now,” She grinned, small hands gliding up his chiseled chest and around the boy’s neck. “Where did we leave off?” She mused, rising onto her tip toes as she met him in another heated kiss.
A small delighted squeal of surprise slipped from her lips as she felt her legs being lifted around Beck’s waist for the second time that night, her ankles locking around his broad hips in response. Their trek to the bed was slow and steady, no more rushing or sneaking around necessary now that they had the whole night ahead of them and a locked door separating them from the rest of the world. And that was exactly what it felt like in that moment - that they were in their own little world made just for the two of them, far, far away from anyone else. There were no more distractions or interruptions, no reservations left between them… just the two of them exploring each other in a way they never had before.
She couldn’t get enough of him, enough of this bliss as her hands slid from the back of Beckett’s tanned neck and up into his hair, gripping the messy strands harder than she had intended as Beck finally eased back onto the bed. Elle’s entire body went aflame as she moved over him, gently pushing his shoulders back into the mattress until he complied and laid back. She straddled his waist, taking in the sight of him laid before her as she reached behind her to unsnap her bra, sliding the straps down her arms tantalizingly slow before dropping the red piece of fabric off the side of the bed. Eloise took a moment just to appreciate the sight of him, tanned muscles, small scars from fights and plain old mischief littering his skin, hazel eyes bright with fever and his mouth bracketed with so much lust he looked as if he might combust. He was easily one of the most gorgeous men she had ever seen, and right now he was all her’s.
Elle leant forward to kiss him briefly, moving her lips to suck against the pulse in his neck. She could feel him hardening beneath her as his hands explored her exposed skin, her hips rocking against his instinctually. A small moan of pleasure slipped from her mouth and vibrated against the sensitive skin of his neck at the friction, and she couldn’t stop herself from doing it again. “Oh my god,” She panted, feeling moisture already beginning to pool between her legs and repeating the action as she eagerly moved her lips back to his.
Maybe Eloise had been fucking the wrong men all of this time, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this hot and bothered before she’d even gotten the man’s boxers off.
She needed to lay off, that much was clear. Despite her feelings towards Wren and despite Elle’s relationship blooming with Beckett, Aria determined that Wren was completely and solely off limits. It was the only way that steered clear of everyone else getting hurt. Well, except herself. Things were wading back into normalcy, she could just find another rebellious south side boy to piss her parents off and that could be that. Elle was happy, Wren was happy… Things grew far too complicated when she was added into the mix of things, so maybe she should just steer clear of them, once and for all. Her thoughts would continue to be thoughts and nothing more. She knew that she couldn’t force her feelings to disappear, but they would forever remain her best kept secret going forth.
However, the boy she had just told herself she was going to avoid, now happened to be hanging outside of her bedroom window. Bottles of wine in hand and his beaming, crooked smile shining just as bright as the moon. Aria blinked wildly at Wren before she allowed a small smile to grace her lips. “Yeah, yeah, come join me. You have wine, so I can’t exactly say no.” She took a bottle from him and scooched over slightly, even though the patch of the roof was small and their knees ended up bumping together regardless. As he expressed his disinterest in the party, she couldn’t help but to laugh and shake her head, blonde waves dusting her shoulders as she did so. “I’m surprised you remembered to come up here. But, I don’t exactly blame you.”
After uncorking the wine and taking a long, much needed sip, Aria leaned back on the roof, propping herself up on her elbows. A comfortable silence sat between them, until Wren’s voice once again shot out in the dark. Was she being that obvious? Aria had been hoping to slip away somewhat undetected, but apparently nothing was able to get past Wren McCoy. “I’m fine,” she lied, gripping the neck of the bottle and watching the party continue to thrive. “Just needed to get away from it all for a moment, you know?” The party wasn’t exactly her problem, her relentless thoughts and guilt were. But, she couldn’t dare tell him that.
He continued to speak, going on about their past, the many nights spent on this exact roof and laughing until the sun rose. She remembered Wren demanding he sleep on the floor instead of the other guestrooms in the house when they were smaller and had sleepovers with Elle. When they would climb out to this exact spot and watch the sunrise, when the world wasn’t full of money and divide and expectations. They were simply allowed to be kids -- and that was what Aria was craving at the moment. “Things were a lot easier back then,” was all she could say and it was barely a whisper above the roar of the party, which Wren then on went to compliment, causing a bright smile to break out across her face and dragging her out of her reverie and trying to ignore Samuel Arnston throwing up in her mother’s flowers.
“You know what? You’re right, this is a kick ass party, even if I had to deal with Beckett Greene’s annoying ass. I swear, that man is worse than my mother.” She raised her bottle and clinked it against Wren’s before taking another drink.
She then sat up from the roof and leaned her weight against Wren’s shoulder as the night continued to beat on. They relived more stories from their childhood -- Wren taking her and Elle to his family’s house in the Bahama’s, them both taking care of Elle when she had the flu for a week, which then resulted in all of them getting sick together and being miserable in Elle’s bedroom. They talked about early mornings on the beach and her and Elle teaching Wren how to surf. School dances where he and Elle looked poised and perfect every time while Aria snagged any south side boy that would upset her mother and caring more about the after party than getting dressed up. Eventually, their wine ran out and their conversation slowed. Aria’s head was resting against his shoulder and the bottle dangled carelessly between her fingertips. She was content. And drunk. It was nice how easily they fell back into old habits -- she craved that normalcy after their summer had started out so, so strange.
“I wanted to thank you...” Wren had started after a bout of silence. Cheek still against his shoulder, Aria glanced up at him as he continued. Having Wren working at the shelter had been nothing short of amazing. He had a kind, tender soul despite the sometimes haughty aura he put off. He was a hard worker and she was grateful to be able to see him outside of the restrictions the north side always entailed. She could tell that he enjoyed it, once he got past the slobber, and it meant the world to her.
Still, she hadn’t expected the words tumbling out of her mouth to hit her so deeply.
“You are the best person I know, Aria Montgomery.”
She froze at that, her eyes drifting away from his and locking onto the stars above. If he knew her true feelings, how she had adored and loved him ever since they were small even when she was aware of Elle’s feelings towards him as well, he wouldn’t be saying these things. She sat up, removing her cheek from Wren’s shoulder and turned to face him. Half of his handsome, tanned face was illuminated by the moonlight, but there was no question on what sat in his eyes.
For the same look sat in her own.
He wanted to kiss her. She wanted to kiss him. And it was as simple as that.
Wren leaned towards her, oh so slowly. His gentle grip cupped her face and Aria’s breath hitched just before his lips brushed against her own. He was kissing her… This was no dare or game. He was kissing her. Tenderly. Softly.
Aria needed more.
She gripped the collar of his shirt and pulled him to her, deepening the kiss and needing to feel more of his body against her. He was so warm and comfortable and she had never felt so much like herself when she was with him. Yes, her mind was buzzing from the alcohol, yes she knew that there was a party raging on beneath them. But, all she felt was pure, raw bliss kissing Wren McCoy, and Aria needed this peace to last just a little while longer, before reality came and tore it to shreds once again.
With his hand cradling the back of her neck and gripping her fiercely, Aria followed his movements. She allowed him to pull her hips to his, his hand gripping her waist and holding her as she was about to rise and sit on his lap.
Until reality eventually came.
Wren pulled away first and her eyes immediately shifted down. She bit her bottom lip nervously and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, looking anywhere except for his eyes and trying to ignore her racing heart. He began to apologize and Aria’s heart sank even lower. He regretted it.
“No, no,” she started, out of breath. She cleared her throat as Wren continued, half expecting him to dismiss the act, blaming it on the wine and brushing it off like it was nothing to him.
But, he didn’t.
"I missed you." That hit home and caused Aria’s head to snap towards him, hope sparkling behind her eyes. “Wren, stop apologizing,” she told him, still attempting to rein in her own racing pulse but also needing Wren’s babbling mouth to shut up before he really said something stupid. “Just, shut up.” She then laughed, snagging his empty bottle of wine and passing a knowing glance to the boy. “You’re not a dick, you’re not an idiot.” Her face softened, preparing to say these next words and knowing that she needed to voice things while she had to confidence to do so, or else she never would even think about it again.
“Wren, I missed you too. I actually have been meaning to talk to you, for a long, long time…” Her eyes drifted from him, the words she desperately needed to say sitting at the tip of her tongue. “Listen, since we kids I have been hopelessly in l--”
“Aria! Wren! You have three seconds to get your asses in the pool, or I’m coming up there and shoving you in myself!”
Elle’s voice ricocheted through her words, cutting Aria off. Good, maybe it was for the best. Her mouth hung open and she attempted to regain some control over herself -- tucking her hair behind her ears and fixing her dress. Wren’s laughter and teasing tone eased the tension in her body, just slightly, and Aria passed him a wry glance as the rest of their group beckoned them from down below. A mischievous smirk then pulled at her lips, followed by a devious glint sparking in her eyes.
Her dress was off in one, swift motion.
She stood on the roof, only in her blue bra and underwear, and took a glance at her friend, a soft blush creeping across her cheeks. Griff’s deep voice reached the top of the roof and Aria couldn’t help but to flip him off with a smile. “The little blonde has a name, asshole.” Beck’s retort then caused a laugh to erupt from her chest. It was true. The wayward southsider had nearly driven her mad while trying to plan this party for Elle.
Taking Wren’s hand, giving him one last smile, Aria then ran forward before flinging herself off of the roof with a sharp squeal. They collided with the water quickly, the sharp and chilled pool shocking her and causing a gasp from Aria. She eventually rose to the surface, pushing hair out of her eyes and wiping the water from her face. Next to her, Wren’s smile was as clear as day. Beside her, she heard Lena and Aria turned towards the girl, throwing her hands up in surrender. “Don’t worry, I finished a whole bottle of wine to myself -- I was still participating in birthday activities.”
It seemed that she and Wren were the tip of the iceberg as more and more partygoers flung themselves into the pool, soaking their clothes (if they decided to wear any). As the pool grew more crowded, she found herself drifting closer to Wren, her fingers lacing into his until she was able to wrap her hands around his neck so she wouldn’t drift away. Giggling, she leaned in and whispered to him, “If at any chance tonight I start worrying about tomorrow, you have full permission to shut me up. I don’t care how.”
Eventually, Elle and Beck snuck away from the pool, as well as Lena and Griff. Both couples were so sure about their feelings, about what they wanted, and for a brief moment Aria’s face was one of longing as she watched them leave. She wanted that -- whatever sat in between those couples. That was all she had ever needed. Realizing that she was staring, she quickly snapped her head back to Wren, her arms still wrapped around his neck as people still continued to swarm the pool. “You wanna get out of here? I think my alcohol blanket is wearing off.” It was true, her teeth began to chatter and she swore that her lips were turning blue.
If Beck could bottle up a memory and stuff it in a bottle, it would have been the look on Elle’s face as she spotted him from across the room -- how her eyes lit up like the sun kissing the ocean, how her smile widened and how his own followed suit. He watched her push herself away from her friends, her tiny little body weaving through the throng of the crowd with expert precision, just to meet him in the middle of the dance floor. Hues of neon blue and pink flashed around her frame, haloing her blonde hair as his hands snaked their way right into it. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but Beck had beat her to it.
“No,” he started, leaning in, his lips barely brushing hers. “It’s my turn.”
And then he kissed her.
And she tasted like the man he wished he could be. The man he wanted to be. For her.
While he held her face gingerly, the passion behind his grip did not falter. He pulled her against him as if she were the very air he breathed -- like she had taken a breath right out of his lungs and he desperately tried to claim it back. While their kiss before was tender and warm, the way they kissed now was filled with nothing but raging wildfire. He thought that Eloise Montgomery was a tame, innocent mold of what the northsiders trained her to be. However, in reality, the girl had more rebel inside of her than he thought. And he couldn’t get enough of it.
His grip on her hair tightened and his tongue swiped across her bottom lip, begging for entrance. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, Elle opened up for him and he smirked at the admittance. Beck had no idea how long they had been kissing for. Seconds. Minutes. Hours? It didn’t matter. All he knew was that he didn’t want to stop -- that he never wanted to stop.
She was the one to pull away first, leaving the boy nearly breathless. His hazel eyes were still dark and locked on her mouth as she spoke, full desire twisting inside of his stomach and craving more. He leaned in, not ready to give that slice of ecstasy up just yet, but her hand against his chest halted his movements. Elle whispered against his mouth, and the sensation nearly drove him up a damned wall. But, it was when she was grabbing his bottom lip with her teeth that sent Beck into unfiltered bliss. His eyes fluttered shut at that, using every ounce of self control he had to not groan at the contact.
“I think I quite like you, Eloise Montgomery,” he eventually whispered to her, eyes still ignited by that fire.
Her fingers weaved through his and before he knew it, Beck was tugged into the mass of dancing bodies. Elle effortlessly dodged the chaotic arms and swivel of hips as they made their way through, finding an open spot right in the middle of the chaos. The buzz from the copious amounts of alcohol he had already drank flowed through his veins, only heightening every curve of Elle’s body pressed against his own. A full fledged smile grew with every song as he watched Newport’s Golden Girl finally let her hair down, losing herself to the party. He let her have her moment, only dancing with her when she beckoned him and pulled his hips flush against hers before turning and pressing her ass to him. The feeling was nothing short of euphoric, especially when she turned to dust more of those passionate kisses against his lips.
It was easily one of the best nights of his life.
So, of course, his shithead friends had to ruin it.
Griff and Lena’s arrival felt like a straight kick to the chest, even if he might have deserved the interruption after interfering with their ‘affairs’ upstairs. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he was a cockblock earlier. But, to be fair, they already fucked before. At least once. He tried not to think if there were any other times, or else his mood would surely turn sour. He hadn’t even gotten close to that with Elle and, with the way things were headed tonight, things surely were in his favor.
Beck passed the pair a tight lipped, strained smile as they dragged Elle away from him, Griff’s wink settling in his mind while Lena’s hand sunk into his skin like a brand. This was payback, he knew it. He wasn’t even able to stop Griff from pouring a shot into Elle’s awaiting mouth -- the girl weighed as much as a fun-size candy bar and yet she was drinking more than him. By a long shot. Beck had already played dad to her before, and he didn’t mind doing it, but even he was a bit worried about the birthday girl. “I hope she pukes on your shoes,” Beck murmured to Griff with a chuckle before roughing up the boy’s hair.
It was safe to say that after Beck had taken a few more shots, his mood turned back around. The girls climbing on top of Aria Montgomery’s countertop definitely contributed to that, as well. It was just a shame that the host wasn’t there to partake in the festivities.
Especially when Elle started taking shots. From Lena’s tits. Beck looked respectfully and then passed his best friend the same wide-eyed, awestruck expression, only to find it on Griff, as well.
Maybe they did severely underestimate the girls and the power their hold had over them. Beck was usually mingling with different women every five minutes at parties and he had never seen Griff so… unbalanced. His cool and collected friend was thrown off kilter. It was refreshing to see, even if it was with a member of their squad.
However, Beck decided that his absolute favorite part of the night was taking a tequila shot off of Eloise Montgomery’s stomach. He even gave her navel a small lick as he relished the flavor of her skin mixed in with the tequila -- that really didn’t taste like tequila at all. Elle’s giggles had ricocheted through the party all night, confirming to him that her birthday party had been a success and that the wicked hangover they both would have in the morning would surely be worth it. Anything would be if she kept smiling at him like the way she had throughout the night.
As the birthday girl announced she was hot (followed by a snide comment from Griff, which Beck lovingly smacked the back of the boy’s head after) Beck’s eyes grew wide as she mentioned taking a dip in the pool. At Lena’s comment, he passed the girl a knowing smirk, “Will you be helping me with that?” he joked, right as Eloise had snagged both of their hands and started dragging them to the pool outside, that was no doubt the size of his house. The cool kiss of a summer night graced his sweaty form as they entered the backyard, which was still full of rowdy, drunk locals and the heavy thrum of bass from the music.
The girls started stripping down into their underwear and Beck once again locked eyes with Griffin, not believing their damn luck for the night. Maybe north side parties weren’t so bad after all… Still, he only was able to take a glance at Lena’s curvy form before he looked away, feeling odd for staring at one of his best friends that way -- even though he knew the girl could surely kick his ass if she caught him. Beck’s eyes then drifted to Eloise as she shimmied out of her dress and into a striking bra and underwear combo of scarlet. His breath hitched and a lump was caught in his throat at the sight of her tan body as she flung herself into the pool. Beck was the last one in after he quickly shucked off his clothes and jumped into the pool in his underwear, but he hoped that his friends had forgotten about the shot, too distracted with dunking each other and playing chicken.
He laughed as he and Griff wrestled in the water and held on gingerly to Elle’s thighs as she climbed onto his shoulders to play another round of chicken until the girl of the hour’s voice sang through their game, causing Beck’s attention to snap towards the roof where Aria and Wren sat. Although his body tensed as Eloise called for Wren, he kept his mouth shut, only running gentle, smooth circles with his fingers across Elle’s thighs instead as she remained on his shoulders. As Griff went off about Aria having bigger balls than McCoy, Beck had to agree. “Oh, I wouldn’t be surprised about that. Goldilocks nearly chopped my dick off once or twice while planning this party, I’m lucky to be alive,” he laughed, squeezing Elle’s thigh and looking up at her while he did so.
As the pair jumped into the pool, from the second story, as well, Beck laughed and playfully dunked Elle back into the water right after. More and more partygoers began to join them and the pool quickly became the new hot spot, growing more and more crowded by the second. His little blonde made her way back into his arms and Beck grabbed her legs to wrap around his waist in the water. He held her there by gripping lightly onto her thighs, a charming yet cunning smirk on his face. As she leaned in to kiss him, he met her halfway, kissing her lightly and then pouting as she pulled away after only a few moments. Her lips brushed his ear and, despite the warm water, a chill ransacked his form and he pulled Elle closer.
“You want to go upstairs?”
Beck stilled as a wave of heat crashed through his chest. He pulled back so he could find the blue of her eyes, searching for any hint of hesitation, only to find none. She kissed him once again and he couldn’t control his eyes as they fluttered shut once more, losing himself into her as he had done the entire night. Around her lips, he gently whispered, “I’ll do whatever you want, Birthday Girl.” That seemed to ignite something inside of her, for Elle didn’t waste any time in pulling him out of the pool, barely leaving Beck with enough time to snag their clothes as they raced back inside of the house.
This was what he wanted, he knew that for sure. Elle had weaved her way into his life and now he couldn’t imagine it without her. She was a firecracker and a lionhearted girl and he didn’t know how he had come to this realization, of him finding solace by her side, but he definitely no longer minded. The wall of money and status and reputation was nothing but a crumbling pile of dust between them. She was his. He was hers.
Not even a bet could break the bond he felt with her. It hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“Come here,” he hissed to her with a grin, pulling her back to his chest as she tugged him through the house. He placed a hand on her cheek and brought his lips to hers, kissing her slowly, no longer hurrying as they had done throughout the party. At the moment, she was the only thing that existed in his world. And he sure as hell acted like it.
He eventually pulled away and started towards the grand staircase, his hand gripping hers, ready to take this next step with her.
And then his shithead friends entered the house.
Beck stopped in his tracks at Lena’s words, peering over his shoulder to glance at her and Griff, dripping wet, and with smug smirks across their face. Ah, he knew what this was. Payback. He rolled his eyes and started towards the stairs once more. “Sorry, no more pong for us. I’ve suddenly gone blind and it wouldn’t be a fair game.” He glanced at Elle, a sarcastic grin on his face. “And I’m sure Griff could help you find a towel, odds are you’re gonna need one later anyway, right?!” Beck held back a snicker as he and Elle quickly ascended the stairs, him now behind her and giving her gentle nudges as they reached the first floor.
They started down the long hallway, but their pace quickened as another set of footsteps echoed across the stairs. “Shit,” Beck whispered, trying every door he saw. All of them, of course, were locked. At this point, he was about to go find a damn closet. He could work with that. Desire coursed through his body, especially as Elle kept glancing at him with lowered eyes and biting that damned lip as she did so. The boy was practically about to start praying to God if he didn’t find an open room soon. God, please do me this one solid and let me have sex with the girl of my dreams and I promise to never swear for the next five minutes. Yeah. That should work.
His prayers were answered and a shiny, gold doorknob finally turned, revealing a guest bedroom. Beck’s eyes were the size of saucers and he glanced towards the ceiling and whispered a ‘thank you’ before letting Elle inside of the room first.
Just as he was about to enter, a pair of arms wrapped around his chest and pulled him backward.
Griff.
Beck scrambled against the other boy’s hold and attempted to push him off. “I swear to God I’m going to pop the fucking tires on your bike if you don’t give me this one solid, Griff,” he protested, finally finagling his way out of the hold and running towards the door, only for Lena to be blocking the entrance with a snide, little smile. Panting, Beck tried to peer around Lena, only to see an exasperated and confused Eloise in the room behind her. “What are you doing?” he asked her, eyes still on Elle. “Please, Lanes. I never ask you for anything.” He lied. Without Lanes teaching him how to be a damn adult, Beck wouldn’t have survived two weeks on his own. She was the Mom of the group and this felt like a sick sort of punishment. “Why don’t you and Griff go pick up where you left off, huh?” The desperation in his voice was nearly palpable.
When Eloise leaned her cheek into the palm of his hand and looked up at him with those blue eyes, Wren felt like his heart would jump out of his chest. The moment was sufficiently ruined, though, when she called him Laurie. He’d hated when she’d called him that growing up. And that hatred seemed to only encourage the nickname to stick.
“You’re the worst,” he laughed and shook his head as Elle pressed a quick a kiss to his cheek. It was kind of nice though. Even though he hated the name, and always would, it at least signified a return to normalcy. And what she’d said sure as hell wasn’t true, it was her that was too good for him—she and Aria both.
Wren was grateful when the latter finally joined them; he’d barely seen her since the party started. He’d assumed that had been because Aria had been running around playing hostess, but something about her seemed off—nervous. Maybe she’d been avoiding him. Wren couldn’t blame her, of course, he’d royally fucked up and he would work his ass off to try and earn their friendship back. But even still, with all of them hanging out in Aria’s house, throwing a party her parents surely didn’t know about, and well on their way to drunk—things felt like they were starting to go back to normal. That in itself was something worth celebrating.
So he started pouring shots.
It was hard to hear over the bass of the music and the dozens of others crowding the bar, but when he’d turned around the girls had been giggling about something and it wasn’t hard to guess who their furtive conversation had been about. The southside asshat had yet to come back downstairs and Wren could almost picture him ruining his best friends’ night.
At least Wren had a shot to wash away the bad taste in his mouth.
“Deal,” He laughed as Elle announced that if she were going to end up naked in the pool by the end of the night, he and Aria would be right there with her. Wren let himself be pulled into Eloise’s drunken hug along with Aria and passed his friend a knowing smirk. Yeah, Elle would definitely be hugging a toilet by the end of the night if she kept going at this rate. Wren wondered who would be holding her hair back: Aria, him, or Beckett Greene. He couldn’t see the southsider caring enough, but then again he’d supposedly helped Aria plan this whole thing. Had been there when Wren hadn’t. “We love you too, Elle. Happy birthday.”
Aria excused herself nearly as soon as they set the shot glasses down, claiming she had to get some air. But she passed him a look that drew Wren’s attention to a figure cutting through the crowd, bee-lining toward them—a man on a mission. And Beck’s eyes were set solely on Eloise. Wren turned back to Aria, about to suggest that he join her, but the girl was already lost in the crowd. And when he turned to Elle again, Beck’s tongue was already halfway down her throat.
“Cool, cool, cool,” Wren muttered to himself, finding anywhere else to look. God, he wanted to bleach his eyes after that. Wren grabbed two bottles of wine and pushed through the crowd toward the stairs. He had a pretty good idea of where Aria had gone, and he sure as hell wasn’t sticking around to watch those two get to second base.
Lena and Novak were making their ways down the stairs as Wren was going up. Neither of them looked too pleased. Beck had apparently succeeded at being their self-appointed cock-block for the night. Wren glanced back at Beck and Elle who were now dancing on one another in the middle of the dance floor. “Give him hell,” he told them, and clapped Griffin on the shoulder as he passed by.
Wren was relieved to see that Aria’s old bedroom was vacant of party-goers, that was the last thing he wanted to see at the moment. Her bedroom window was open and Wren could feel the sea breeze coming through it. Walking into her bedroom was like stepping into the past. It was almost exactly the same as she’d had it in high school. He couldn’t even count the hours he, Aria, and Elle had spent up here in their childhood. Aria still had photos plastered everywhere and Wren felt himself drawn to them. A lot of them were the three of them at various ages, growing up together. He traced the edge of one photo with his finger. He missed those days. Everything now felt so off-kilter. So many things had changed.
He tore himself away from the wall of photos, of memories, and approached the window. Wren stuck his head outside and knocked on the frame. He’d spent countless evenings out here as well. It had a great view of the water and felt just detached enough from the house that it almost felt like a true getaway when they were teenagers.
The sun had set some time ago but Wren could see the moon reflecting on Aria’s face, her hair, her eyes. Her knees were pulled to her chest and she looked deep in thought—he almost felt bad for intruding. “Thought you could use another drink,” he waved a bottle in front of him. “Can I come out?” He passed the bottle to her as he climbed on to the roof as well. “If I’m being honest, I didn’t really want to be alone with,” he paused, looking for the right words. “All that going on downstairs.” He joked, taking a swig directly from the wine bottle.
“You okay? You seemed…anxious, earlier,” he didn’t want to push her, because honestly he had no right to know how she was feeling, even if he wanted to.
“Being back out here feels weird,” he paused. “Like we’re kids again.” Wren had been at both Montgomery houses more than his own growing up—for obvious reasons. “I actually don’t even think I’ve been in your old room since you moved into the guest house,” he was mostly trying to fill the silence. And he was suddenly afraid that maybe he was the reason she snuck away from the party. Maybe he was the last person she wanted to see right now.
“The party seems like a success,” Wren said, nodding his head toward some guy throwing up in the bushes on the side of the house. “I think we went to high school with him.” He laughed. “Cheers to you throwing a kick ass party.” He clicked his bottle against hers and drank deeply.
They sat on the roof and talked until Wren ran out of wine. And somehow, they ended up sitting shoulder to shoulder, and Wren’s arm was draped over Aria’s knee. It felt good to talk to her again after weeks of barely seeing one another, after almost losing her friendship. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed her.
“I wanted to thank you,” Wren said quickly. “For getting me the job at the shelter. It’s actually been…kind of amazing.” He smiled sideways at her. “I always wondered why you spent so much time there—you know, obviously besides you just being a good person,” he knocked his shoulder into hers. “But I think I get it now. Like, when I’d work at my dad’s office over the summers, I always felt like I was scamming someone. Like every choice I made was hurting someone down the line—I hated living that way. And now, thanks to you,” he light-heartedly tugged on a strand of her hair. “I get to go to work and I just have to worry about being the best person I can be that day, it’s nice.”
Yep, he was drunk. And way oversharing. But he felt like he should tell her, felt like she deserved to know, just how much she’d really helped him. Even when she had every right to hate his guts. “You are the best person I know, Aria Montgomery.” And he meant it. And Wren wasn’t sure if it was the wine or the way the moon made her green eyes look like they were glowing, but he really wanted to kiss her. So he did.
Wren cupped her face in his hand and scanned her eyes before dipping his head and brushing his lips against her own. He couldn't help but pull her closer and kiss her deeply. His hand moved to the back of her neck, his other drifted down to her hips wanting—needing—to pull her even closer. His lips moving against her own felt like the only thing he had done right in weeks, even though this was incredibly, monumentally stupid.
Just as he was about to pull her on to his lap, the door to the house flung open and the rest of their, very drunk, friend group came stumbling out. Finally, he realized his mistake and pulled away.
“I’m sorry,” he confessed, still breathless. “Fuck, I’m sorry.” Wren sat back and ran a hand through his hair. “We were just getting back to normal and I fucked it up. I am such an idiot. I wouldn’t blame you if you told me to leave, but I just missed you and, I don’t know, that was obviously not the right way to go about it. I’m such a dick, I’m sorry,” he couldn’t stop the words from coming out of his mouth.
Elle’s voice sounded from the pool below. Wren hadn’t even realized they had completely stripped down to their underwear until Elle had spotted him and Aria on the roof and demanded they join them in the pool. “You called the skinny dipping,” Wren joked, trying to defuse the tension. “What do you think?” He asked Aria, glancing over the edge and gauging the drop into the pool. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d jumped off the roof and into the pool.
Wren followed Aria’s lead and started pulling off his clothes, and his eyes may have lingered a second too long as Aria did the same. He rolled his eyes at Griffin’s comment about being a pussy and how Aria had more balls then him—the latter was definitely true, but still. “Fuck off, Novak,” he yelled back, flipping the other boy off. He lifted his eyebrows at the blonde to his side and shrugged before taking a running start and jumping into the water below.
Lena was not at all disappointed with how her night was going.
She hadn’t expected to slip away with Griff—especially this soon into the party—but that kiss downstairs had shattered whatever restraint she had concerning her attraction to him. And thankfully, that feeling had been mutual because he had wasted no time in leading her to an empty bedroom upstairs.
Her head fell back onto the sheets as she felt his lips brush over every bare inch of her skin, and couldn’t help the small noise she made as he kissed his way down her body and back up again. Griff’s mouth found hers again and Lena’s muscles tightened as she felt his hand in between her thighs. But it was the words he whispered into her ear afterward that made her toes curl and her breath catch in her throat.
“Please,”
But just as he began to make his way back down her body, Beck slammed the door open. Griff was still on top of her when she threw a pillow at the other boy’s face, praying that would be enough for Beck to get the hell out and leave them alone—but he just shut the door behind him and stumbled further into the room. Drunk bastard.
“This conversation couldn’t wait for another, like…twenty minutes?” Lena asked. She had never been more frustrated in her entire life—sexually or otherwise.
Lena groaned as Griff rolled off of her and Beck rambled on about the fact that Elle kissed him. He had interrupted Griff going down on her for this. She was going to kill him. And it was even worse to hear Beck bragging about Elle and how everything was going according to plan. It was just further proof that this entire party was nothing but a ruse—a means to winning the bet. Lena didn’t know why she’d even briefly entertained the thought that he’d done it in earnest—the boy didn’t have a romantic bone in his body, at least not one she had ever seen. But that look on Elle’s face had been real. So was the pang of guilt Lena felt in the pit of her stomach. She honestly hoped that Elle was just stringing Beck along. It would make this whole situation a lot less complicated.
Lena shimmied her dress back down to a more appropriate length before propping herself up onto her elbows. “Besides,” she chimed in. “How is she supposed to react when a guy throws her a big ass birthday party? You kind of put her on the spot,” Lena pointed out—though that was absolutely not the vibe she got from Elle’s reaction.
The bed groaned as Beck wormed his way in between her and Griff. Lena begrudgingly moved over so the boy could fit, grumbling to herself as she did so. “You’re also ruining my chance and getting some and the pong game wasn’t even my idea—get back at Griff for it later,” she tried to reason with her friend, but he just settled deeper into the mattress and snaked his arms behind both of their necks. She huffed a sigh and laid back down, knowing that even if he did decide to leave, the mood was sufficiently ruined.
Nearly as soon as he had laid down, Beck jumped right back up declaring that he was going back downstairs to kiss Eloise. “You are so going to regret this,” She chimed in sweetly after Griffin promised to be a cock-block next time he so much as tried to touch Elle, and Lena would be right there helping him. She scrunched her nose as Beck drunkenly kissed her head and flipped him off as he launched himself back down the stairs toward Elle.
She leaned back again, her eyes trailing appreciatively over Griffin’s body but frowned when he pulled his shirt over his head. “Fine,” she conceded, leaning into his consolatory kiss. “But I fully expect us to pick up exactly where we left off,” Lena murmured into his ear, nipping gently at his earlobe before accepting his hand and pulling herself off the bed.
The house was even more crowded as they descended the staircase than it had been when they’d left. The makeshift dance floor was packed with bodies dancing with and against one another and the music basically rattled the walls of the Montgomery mansion. She had to admit, the north siders knew how to party. Lena felt Griff nudge her side and she followed his line of sight to where Beck and Elle were a little too close for comfort. “Is it bad that I genuinely can’t wait to ruin his night?” Lena joked as Griff pushed through the crowd and toward their friends.
The two finally came up behind the oblivious couple and Griff grabbed Eloise’s hand, spun her around, and lead her back over to the bar claiming that she needed another drink. Lena patted Beck’s shoulder as she passed him, a sweet smile on her face. Oh yeah, he was going to hate them by the end of the night. She followed the other two to the bar, taking one of the shots Griff had made while watching him basically pour one into Elle’s mouth. He had a point, it was her 21st, and on the south side at least, that meant binge drinking and bad decisions.
It was like that shot flipped a switch in Eloise. She had gone from relatively in control to sorority girl on a bender in the span of one drink—at least the blonde was really enjoying her birthday. And because Elle had several drinks on her, Lena pounded two more shots to even the playing field. Even if she wasn’t getting any, she planned to at least enjoy herself.
It had been a long time since Lena had this much fun. Of course, when Pour Some Sugar On Me blared over the speakers Lena and Elle hoisted themselves up onto the bar, along with every other girl on the north side, and danced to the music. And that wasn’t the only time they danced on the bar that night. What really surprised her though, was that Griff pulled her against him to dance. Lena vaguely remembered making some slurred comment about how the world must be ending because he was actually dancing at a party, but she didn’t push her luck. She liked dancing with him.
The night got progressively blurrier as the four of them kept drinking but some moments were more memorable than others. Such as when Lena placed a shot glass in between her boobs and Elle managed to take it without using her hands. Lena hadn’t been able to stop laughing when she looked up and saw Griff and Beck’s faces. Then Lena became the shot girl and poured liquor straight into Elle’s mouth as she laid flat on the pong table while Beck did body shots off of her. Lena was almost definitely going to regret all this in the morning when she had a pounding headache and had to go back and watch their night get increasingly sloppier through Griff’s dutiful documentation on his Snapchat stories, but dammit she was having fun.
Lena nodded in agreement as Elle stated that she was hot. The house was still packed full of bodies and after drinking and dancing all night, Lena felt red-faced and sweaty. She rolled her eyes and swatted Griff’s arm playfully at his retort, some things never changed. “Beck is gonna kick your ass one of these days,” she joked. Before she even registered what Elle had suggested, the blonde had grabbed her hand and was dragging her toward the backyard. The group walked out onto the patio and revealed the largest pool Lena had ever seen. She didn’t know they even made them this big outside of resorts. But the girl wasted no time in kicking off her shoes and pulling her dress over her head as Eloise insisted that the last one in had to take another shot—nothing got her moving like a bit of competition.
She and Elle made it to the water just before the boys did and Lena felt the splash from them diving in as she broke above the surface. The cool water felt incredible after the heat of the party and Lena dunked her head back under the water, running her fingers through her hair when Griff grabbed her by the waist and threw her across the pool. From there it devolved into the four of them drunkenly splashing, shoving, and dunking one another before Lena found herself on Griff’s shoulders squared against Elle who was perched on Beck’s. Honestly, she would have paid for a video of the four of them trying to drunkenly topple one another. After a few rounds of that, Elle spotted Aria and Wren sitting on the roof just above the pool, a seemingly empty wine bottle between them.
Aria and Wren had wasted no time in stripping and jumping from the roof into the water below, and Lena braced herself for the splash when they both hit the water. “I was wondering where you snuck off to,” she said to Aria as the girl resurfaced. And Lena certainly hadn’t expected to find her alone with Wren after everything that had happened. Lena knew the north side group was just starting to get back to normal after the shit that McCoy had pulled, but he was still a douche in her book.
Soon after Aria and Wren’s grand entrance, everyone else at the party seemed to catch on to the idea and started stripping and jumping in as well. The pool quickly became just as crowded and chaotic as it was inside, but Lena barely cared as Griff looped his arm around her waist. Lena quickly turned around as Griffin pointed out the two figures sneaking back inside. “Assholes,” she laughed as she pushed herself through the crowd and out of the pool. “He is so going to regret fucking with us,” Lena agreed as she and Griff slipped into the house behind them, still dripping wet.
Beck and Elle were hand in hand, obviously heading for the stairs when she and Griff walked back into the house. “Damn, it got crowded out there fast,” Lena said loudly, obviously addressing the other couple. “What next? Another round of pong? And Elle, could you help me find a towel? Oh,” she paused. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” She asked innocently.
Griffin hadn’t planned on taking Lena to his bed again tonight, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain about her ending up there. It was as if as soon as the boy started drinking, his brain went to his balls and his dick did all of his thinking. And by the end of that game of pong - god help him - he couldn’t get the image of her out of his mind.
Griff was convinced that the two of them had been able to slip away unnoticed, blissfully unaware that they hadn’t been nearly as sneaky as he thought they’d been - unaware that nearly everyone had been chuckling at their not-so-secret escape, and a drunk menace would be behind them shortly.
Finally finding an open room, the dark haired boy didn’t waste any time in backing Lena to the bed. They both wanted this, that much was obvious by their shared moans and eagerness to strip one another out of their clothes. Griffin’s head swam with intoxication and a whole lot of lust as he laved kisses across any open skin his mouth could find - her neck, her chest, and eventually he’d ducked down even further, his face planted between the brunette’s legs as he kissed up her thigh, shoving the girl’s dress up around her hips as he went.
He’d raised back up to press a kiss squarely across Lena’s lips for just a moment, his hand replacing where his mouth had just been and making slow, tantalizing circles against the lace of her underwear. Kissing along her jaw and eventually making his way to her ear, “I want to taste you.” the boy murmured, voice thick with desire.
Just as Griffin had began his descent back south, Beckett fucking Greene was throwing the bedroom door open in a fit of drunken exuberance. The damned audacity of that kid. “Not now, Beck.” The dark haired boy growled, hovering over Lena for just a moment in hopes that their friend would get the hint and leave, before ultimately rolling to his back beside her.
Annoyed was an understatement.
Although, the competitive side of Griff understood where Greene was coming from. He had just tried to get Eloise to kiss her ex and Beck’s mortal enemy just to spite him, so he supposed this payback was fair, albeit incredibly frustrating. The tent in his pants that he subtly tried to hide under the covers was proof enough of that.
Griffin couldn’t help but roll his eyes as dramatically as possible as he listened to his friend brag about scoring a kiss from one of Newport’s elite blondes in front of such a crowd, crooning on about how well the bet was going, and just how he had Elle eating out of the palm of his hands. The worst part? It hardly even seemed like he was exaggerating. Still, Griff couldn’t let that shit head know that he was winning. “Okay, she kissed you, but you gotta remember the bet was to make Elle fall in love with you.” He explained in a mocking tone, as if having to explain this to a child. “Elle isn’t stupid, she’s going to use you for exactly what she wants out of you, and leave you in the dust. The Princess of Newport surely isn’t going to fall for a ratty south sider with a rap-sheet longer than her law school essays.”
Novak let out a grumpy huff as Beckett settled between him and Lena, making himself far too comfortable in their shared bed. But, even the grump-master himself couldn’t help but crack a smile as the drunken boy launched himself out of bed, exclaiming his intentions of kissing Elle again. “You know what? You do that, Greene. But I want you to remember this moment-“ Griff laughed, pointing an accusatory finger in his direction. “Because right when you finally think you’re going to get it in with that girl, I will be there, and I will cock-block you so hard.”
And you’d better believe Griff had full intentions on following up with that threat.
Thats why no matter how much Griffin wanted to pick right back up where himself and Lena had left off, he snagged his discarded shirt from the foot of the bed and pulled it back over his head. “Rain check?” The boy asked with a small laugh, dipping forward to press another lingering kiss against Lanes’ lips. “We should get down there.” He sighed, pressing a second kiss to the girl’s forehead before crawling out of bed and offering her his hand.
The pair begrudgingly left the bedroom untainted and door wide open for next drunk couple to find - hopefully they’d have better luck than the two of them did. Together, the slipped back down the steps and into the raging crowd of drunken young adults, dancing and screaming the lyrics to each song that played. While Griffin had seen his fair share of wild parties on the south side, he couldn’t deny the fact that he’d never seen a rager go quite as hard as this one.
Finally spotting a familiar puff of brown hair pressed against the back of his little blonde counterpart, Griffin nudged lanes, quirking an eyebrow in their direction. Oh yeah. That had to stop.
Griffin weaved his way through the throng of gyrating bodies, eventually coming up behind Eloise and snagging her hand. “It looks like the birthday girl needs another drink!” He shouted over the music, passing his friend a wink from over the petite girl’s head. Despite her protests as he lead her into the kitchen, Griff still poured another shot, pressing it against Elle’s lips and tipping it back into her mouth before she could stop him. “It’s your 21st!” He excused, “You have to!”
After that final bit of liquid courage, it was clear that any inhibitions Eloise still had were long gone. The last party he’d seen the girl at she had been mourning a relationship and had just watched the boy she’d been developing feelings for slip away with her cousin for a one night stand - so she was understandably drinking the pain away. But tonight? No, tonight it was clear that the little blonde could party much harder than any of them had ever expected.
The rest of the night seemed to move in a blur as the four friends drank more and more. He remembered helping the girl’s up onto the bar and ogling as they’d danced together, another time he’d pulled Lena against himself, insisting that they dance together - that in itself could’ve been considered a small miracle. Griffin didn’t dance at parties, no, he preferred to hang around and smoke a blunt or sip a beer while everyone else lost their minds. But there was just something about the good vibes of the night, and the overwhelming urge to be near his long time friend and short-term hookup that made him want to pull her close and let loose like everyone else.
And then there was his favorite parts - watching the always perfect and poised Eloise Montgomery lay across a pong table, Beck sipping tequila from her exposed navel and Lena pouring straight from the bottle into the other girl’s mouth. Oh, and we can’t forget about the part where Eloise had not-so-innocently taken a shot glass out of Lena’s breasts with her mouth, tipping it back with no hands before the two shared a laugh. The whole time Griff had been dutifully documenting these encounters via snapchat, because there was no way he was ever going to their pristine and proper friend live this night down - but at that last one, Griffin couldn’t help but share a wide eyed look with Beck, a wicked grin on his face as they observed the two drunk girls.
He didn’t know what was happening - but damn he liked it.
“I’m hot.” The birthday girl announced, causing a mischievous “Yeah you are.” To slip from his lips, although it was clear that wasn’t what she had meant. Still - Griffin couldn’t help but be a little bit of a flirt - it was in his nature. Especially after watching the show that she and Lanes had just put on. But, the idea of stripping down and diving into a cool pool did sound rather tempting. The amount of people in the room and all of that body heat had made the room a little steamy, and Griffin was ready to cool off - especially if it meant seeing pretty girls undressed and soaking wet.
I mean, who could blame him? He was literally living like every guy’s dream.
Following his friends out onto the back patio, the boy’s jaw dropped at the sight of such a massive pool. He shouldn’t have been so surprised - Aria Montgomery came from one of the wealthiest families on the entire island - of course she’d life in a place like this. But still, he couldn’t help but be a little envious seeing all of this luxury for one small family, while him and his family all had to squeeze into a two bedroom double wide that was half-caving in. It didn’t seem fair, but hey, that was life he supposed.
Luckily, Griffin was quickly lifted back out of his sorrows as the girls began to strip, everyone racing to see who could get in the pool first. He took a moment to share another devilish look with his partner in crime before following suit, diving in close behind them. In true Griffin fashion, he hadn’t wasted any time in going after the girl, snatching them around the waist and tossing them across the pool, dunking them under the water, and even climbing onto Beck’s back at one point in an attempt to get enough leverage to push him under. The two boys had grappled and shoved almost as much as Lena and Elle during round after round of chicken, and eventually just went at each other in a full-on wrestling match.
Truthfully, Griffin couldn’t remember a time that he’d had this much fun with all of his friends in one place.
Griff spun around to face the roof as Eloise pointed out the missing party-goers, shouting up to them that they’d better get their asses in the pool asap. “Yeah McCoy, don’t be a pussy and jump!” Griff taunted, a grin on his lips. “I’m starting to think the little blonde has got bigger balls than you do!” He laughed, referencing the other Montgomery beside him. Okay sure, maybe him and Beck constantly picking at the kid wasn’t exactly nice - but the kid was a pompous ass, and to be honest it was just too fun to stop.
It hadn’t taken long for the two to agree, stripping out of their clothes and diving into the water below. This apparently had caused a domino effect, because shortly after their entrance came tons of others, each stripping down to their undies - or completely naked, in some cases - before jumping into the pull. In no time at all the pool had become almost as crowded as the dance floor had been.
With the distraction at hand and his arms looped around Lanes, Griffin almost hadn’t noticed a pair of plaid boxers and a little red bra slipping back inside. “Oh my god! Those little shits think they're going to get away with it!” Griffin gasped, pointing the two out to Lena just as they slipped out of view. “Go, go, go!” He urged, although laughing through the words as they tried to push themselves to the edge of the pool.
“Time for some payback.”
Eloise had not planned to get this drunk this early in the night - but damn it, hear she was. Hell, she hadn’t even planned to get drunk at all tonight. Beckett had promised dinner and a movie, and that was sufficient for the blonde. And god damn it, the more she thought about it the more Elle realized that this was that assholes fault. She hadn’t ate all day, he brought her to a eager, and then his best friend had challenged her to a game of beer pong - and what was she supposed to do? Let him win? Of course not, so here she was. Drunk off her ass at her own birthday party.
Still, that didn’t stop her from tipping back the rest of her cup as she hoisted herself up onto the counter. The blonde was thankful that if nothing else, she had Wren by her side, and at least he seemed relatively steady on his feet. That was for damn sure more than she could say for herself.
Eloise knew that she was probably pushing her luck by bringing up Beck to her faithful friend - things were still a little tense between them, and the south sider was definitely a sore subject between the two, but she couldn’t have been more pleased as the taller boy reached over to brush a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ear, staring down at her with those soft golden eyes. “Mmm.” She hummed contently as he made a peace offering, insisting that even Wren couldn’t hate the south side bad boy as long as he made her happy. Eloise leaned her cheek into his palm as it lingered near her face, a soft smile on her lips as she looked up at him through her lashes once more. “You’re too good to me, Laurie.” She cooed affectionately, following the pet name up with a quick kiss to Wren’s cheek before he could yell at her for it. He’d used to hit her when they were small children and she’d called him Laurie, but nonetheless it had stuck, and was reserved for occasions when the blonde was in a particularly affectionate mood.
Elle spotted her fellow blonde approaching from across the room and wasted no time in jumping off the counter to greet her, thanking her cousin for all the work she’d done to throw her a twenty first birthday party for the books. Much to her true fashion, Aria waved away the praise, but that didn’t stop Elle from giving it. She nodded her head enthusiastically as Wren piped in, insisting that this would likely go down as party of the year. “Seriously! I mean, how could it not?”
Again, in true Aria fashion, the blonde turned the attention away from herself and onto something else, bringing up Beck again moments after Wren has announced that Elle would be blacking tonight or he would consider himself a failure of a friend. “Well, lucky for you my friend, I am already half-way there.” She assured him with a laugh.
Okay… maybe a tish more than half.
While Wren was distracted with pouring their shots, Eloise turned back to her cousin with the giddiest grin on her lips. "He's so cute, right?!" She gushed, only swooning a little bit. In all honestly, Beck was much more Aria’s type than her own. It was Aria that fell head over heels for the bad boys, Elle had always preferred a more - refined - type of man. Yet here she was, googly eyed and blushing over Beckett Greene.
Eloise offered her cousin a devious smile as she insisted beck was wrapped around her finger, a devilish look in her eyes as she spoke. “I would rather be wrapped around his-“ But she cut herself off at the sound of Wren’s voice, cutting just short of the expletive that was about to leave her mouth.
Aria would get the point.
The blonde took the shoot glass from the boy, clinking it against both of her friend’s before tossing it back. The scariest part was that it hadn’t even burned this time around… oh yes, she was in dangerous territory now. “If my ass is naked in the pool, then you guys will be too.” She laughed, tossing an arm around each of her friends. “I love you guys.” Eloise announced, pressing a sloppy kiss against each of their cheeks before they could leave.
Whipping back around, Elle was pleased to see a puff of messy brown hair weaving his way through the throng of bodies, a determination in those hazel eyes as he pressed towards her. “Beck!” She called, eyes lighting up as she pushed off from the counter, weaving her way towards him as well. They met in the middle of the dance floor, a grin that was probably a little too big caught on her lips as she reached for his hand. Much to her surprise, Beck didn’t waste any time once they’d made it to each other, grabbing her face in his calloused hands and crushing his lips against her own with an intensity that she hadn’t expected.
Kissing drunk Beckett was a very different experience from kissing sober Beckett. It was clear by the predator-like ferocity behind his kiss that any and all inhibitions were gone, and lucky for him, so were Elle’s. The blonde’s arms moved to snake around the taller boy’s neck of their own accord, fingers tangling in that mop of hair and dragging his body closer, until there was virtually no space between the two.
Maybe it was the booze swimming through her brain, but Eloise felt exactly like that little mouse from that movie about the cooking rats. What was it called? Ratatouille? Yes, yes that was it. When the little chef bites into the cheese and grape at the same time, and his little mind exploded at the euphoria of all of the different tastes and senses - that was exactly what it felt like to kiss Beckett Greene - an overwhelming combination of emotions and sensations, and intoxicating buzz that left her craving more.
By the time the blonde pulled away she was breathless, lips reddened by the kiss she’d shared with Newport’s most notorious bad boy. “Kiss me like that more often.” She breathed, lips still brushing his own as she spoke. In a moment of boldness, Eloise nipped at the boy’s bottom lip, giving it a light tug before stepping just out of his arms, a devilish smile on her lips.
Oh yes - Eloise was drunk, and that made her daring. Whether or not that was a good thing was still up for debate.
“Dance with me?” She asked innocently, catching the boy’s fingers with her own and giving him a little tug closer. It hadn’t taken much convincing to get Beck to loosen up and dance with her, their bodies a little too close as they moved to the beat of each song, singing along to the words no matter how inappropriate they were and sneaking kisses in when they could. Between the pounding bass, the flashing lights, and the amount of alcohol Eloise had consumed in such a short amount of time, Elle lost herself to the party. She could no longer be held accountable for her own actions, she decided. So that meant she could make all the bad decisions she wanted to.
Just as she was about to duck back into Beck and insist they slip away to somewhere a little more private, Griffin snagged her hand, spinning her around in a quick twirl and sending her mind whirling. “It looks like the birthday girl needs another drink!” He shouted over the music, passing Elle a goofy grin and smirking at Beck from over her head, almost as if he had gotten something over on the other boy. Much to Elle’s protests, Griffin lead them back to the makeshift bar and poured another round of shots for the four of them. “Really-“ She laughed, waving it away. “I think I’ve had enough for the night” But before she could even react, Griffin was pressing the shot glass to her lips and tipping it back into her mouth, excusing it with “It’s your 21st! You have to!”
Elle was officially in the danger zone, and the rest of the night seemed to moved in a sort of blur. She vaguely remembered dancing on the bar way too much, and taking a shot glass out of Lena’s tits with her mouth. And, oh god, Beck taking a shot from her navel as she laid across the pong table, Lena pouring another shot directly from the bottle into her mouth from the other end all while Griff captured it on snapchat. While the blonde knew she would probably be mortified in the morning, for now she was having the time of her life. And damn it, they were right. This was her 21st - she was allowed to make a fool of herself. If anything, this was the one time in her life that it was perfectly acceptable for her to get drunk off her ass and do questionable things. She had the rest of her life to be responsible, but tonight was solely for bad decisions.
“I’m hot.” Eloise announced, glossy eyes looking amongst her friends. “Oh my god-“ she gasped, a lightbulb clearly having gone off in her head. She was a genius, and no one could convince her otherwise. “Let’s go swimming!” The girl cheered, not giving the rest of them much of a choice as she snatched Beck and Lena’s hands, hauling ass back through the party and out to the back deck. Eloise had clearly lost track of time sometime during the party, because the evening had far escaped them and it was obviously well into the night. That was okay though Elle figured, because the moon was full and bright and gave them plenty of light to see by - not to mention the still flashing lights of the party escaping out onto the patio.
“Last one in has to take another shot!” The blonde called with a laugh, hurriedly kicking out of her shoes and shimmying out of her dress. The discarded clothes were left scattered behind her as she made a dash for the pool, making it in just moments before Griff splashed behind her. In hindsight, the tiny red bra and undie combo probably hadn’t been her best decision for swimwear, but drunk Elle couldn’t have cared less as she bobbed back the surface, pushing the hair from her eyes. Eloise was having way too much fun splashing around in the pool, playing rounds of chicken and dodging Griffin’s onslaught of dunks and launches across the pool. The blonde found herself up on Beck’s shoulders once again, laughing as she squared off with Lena for another round of chicken when she spotted the two missing from their little group up on the roof. “Aria! Wren!” She called, trying to maintain a stern voice although she was combusting in giggles. “You have three seconds to get your asses in the pool, or I’m coming up there and shoving you in myself!” She threatened vaguely, though was sure she sounded far from intimidating.
Clearly Eloise hadn’t planned on making good on Aria’s plan to be naked in the pool by the end of the night - yet here she was - and she insisted everyone else be too.
She was the birthday girl, and that meant no one could tell her no.
Dropping back into the water, Elle cheered, throwing her arms in the air as Aria and Wren stripped down to their underwear as well, leaving their clothes on the roof as the two took a leap from the second story, plunging down into the cool water below. With the splash of Aria and Wren’s entrance came the attention of other party goers, many of them stripping off their own clothes and joining them in the pool. Pleased with her accomplishment of getting all of her closest friends in their underwear and in the pool, and with the distraction of everyone stripping and diving into the pool, Eloise slyly slipped back into Beckett’s arms. The grin on her lips was anything but innocent as she dipped back in to kiss him, lingering for only a few moments before moving her lips to his ear. “You want to go upstairs?” She murmured, nibbling at the boy’s lobe for a brief moment before moving her lips back to his own.
There was no sense in being coy, Elle figured. At this point they both new what they wanted, and there was no sense in denying it anymore.
She had never taken well to compliments, even from her best friend. Embarrassed always flooded through her like the tide at night and just as unrelenting. She shoved it back inside her mind, taking the compliments with a smile and trying to get them over as quickly as possible. She didn’t deserve Eloise’s praise. Despite the party she had thrown for her cousin, she hadn’t been a model friend. A model human being. Guilt still lingered in her green eyes, especially as she turned to Wren, sitting next to the fellow blonde. She shouldn’t have these feelings for him, her stomach shouldn’t be twisting and turning and fluttering in every direction whenever she laid eyes on him. It was wrong, entirely wrong. But, throughout all of the confusion, it had also felt so right.
It was why she was thankful as hell that Elle also shoved another drink in her hands.
“You give me too much credit, Elle,” Aria laughed, taking a long and generous sip from the plastic cup, ignoring the burn down her throat. She glanced at Wren, how the flashing lights reflected across his frame, how his tanned skin made those captivating eyes pop as he smiled at her. He spoke to her, she saw his lips move and his eyes brighten, but Aria had no idea what he said. His voice got lost in the party and the fumbling mess inside her head. So, she just passed him a weak smile, clinking her cup against his.
As Wren turned to line up three shot glasses, Aria faced Eloise once more, draining the remaining contents of her drink before setting the cup on the counter. “You and Greene seem to be getting pretty close,” she smirked, wriggling her brows and bumping her shoulder playfully. “I’d never thought I would say this, but the idiot isn’t that bad. Annoying as hell, yes, but more tolerable than I had anticipated. It’s safe to say you have Newport’s bad boy wrapped around your finger.” She passed her a quick wink before Wren turned back around with three very full shot glasses.
This time she heard Wren’s voice and nodded in agreement, taking one of the shots. “Yes, if your ass isn’t swimming naked in the pool by 3 am then I have failed as host, too.” Aria made eye contact with Wren and the Elle before tossing back the shot, the burn less prominent than before. Yes, she was drunk. Drunk as all get out. And that is why she needed to leave before she said something stupid -- before one of her guilty thoughts voiced themselves aloud to Eloise. This was her party, she wouldn’t ruin it for her.
Holding back a cough, her voice strained, Aria said, “Fuck, okay. I’ll be back.” Those sea green eyes traveled across the party, a familiar mop of brown hair making its way down the stairs and towards Elle. Beck’s steps were wavering, but the determination in his eyes made his intentions very clear. She passed Wren a knowing look, clicking her tongue before stepping back into the mess of people. “I’m going to get some air,” she said to him quickly before finally immersing herself in the crowd.
All of this was too much. Way too much.
Her small frame was being bumped and pushed inside the chaotic mess of people. Sweaty bodies grinding to the rumbling bass of the music, drinks splashing and spilling across her feet, leaving sticky residue to which she crinkled her nose. “Excuse me,” she tried to say throughout her trek, but her voice was trampled by the noise and eventually her tactics on getting through her own house grew less polite, especially to the creep breathing down her neck while she tried to escape the mess. With one final shove, Aria finally made it to her staircase and let out an exasperated breath. She ran a tired hand through her long hair and quickly started up the stairs, eventually reaching the door to her old room.
Aria preferred to sleep in her family’s guest house, just to get some much needed distance from the constant nagging and judgmental ways of her mother. The woman wasn’t exactly fond of it, but Aria nonetheless had used her stubborn nature and had been inside the guest house for a couple of years now.
But, seeing her old room, the old piles of sea glass and shells dusting her shelves. The dozens of polaroid pictures of her and her friends plastered against the walls… It sent her into a welcomed wave of nostalgia, and a small, tender smile graced her lips. However, the tiny little knick-knacks weren’t her favorite part of the room -- not even close. Reaching the large window past her bed, Aria unlocked it and pushed the pane open, unleashing the cool night air into the room. With a small landing just outside of her window, it granted the perfect opportunity to sneak onto her roof, giving her the air and privacy she so desperately needed at the moment. With swift movements and familiar maneuvers, Aria gracefully pulled herself onto the roof, climbing to the highest point before sitting down, pulling her knees to her chest.
She could see where the mouth of the ocean pulled into the river that snaked over towards the south side. She could see the marina and its glowing lights, the beach down a little further. This view offered a whole view at the north side of the island, the picturesque sight immediately calming her, allowing Aria to let out a heavy sigh.
Stupid. She was a stupid, stupid girl. And an even worse friend.
Maybe it was the liquor, maybe it was the beer that he had just shotgunned. Hell, maybe it was the fact that he simply could not stand the thought of Griff and Lena stealing kisses right under his nose. Friends don’t fuck friends -- that was the sole rule set in place for their little entourage. It had been that way since he had met the two south siders in high school. He and Griff were inseparable, the closest thing to a brother Beck had ever had. And Lena, she was the glue that held them together, sometimes taking on the Mom-Friend role and sometimes being the one to have more balls than he and Novak combined.
They were his family. He loved them. He loved them with everything he had.
But he was pissed the fuck off at them.
With his balance wavering slightly, Beck kicked a Converse-Clad foot at the door he saw Griff and Lena slip into. The door flew back easily and the sight that he walked into made Beckett Greene crave yet another drink. He rolled his eyes and strolled into the bedroom, parting Griff and Lena apart like the damned Red Sea, despite the pillow that landed on his head, thanks to Lanes. “Ow,” he deadpanned, giving her an annoyed looked.
“The bet is going splendidly, as planned,” Beck started, fully submerging himself into the room and shutting the door behind him. “I mean, did you see that?” His eyes grew wide and a proud, male smirk unfolded across his lips. “She kissed me. She fucking kissed…” His voice floated off, leaving the trio in complete silence for a moment. His golden eyes danced back and forth from Griff to Lena, his throat tightening as he did so and his patience dwindling as he took in the sight before him.
“Oh, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” His eyes swam over to Griff, who was shirtless, and then to Lena, whose dress was hiked up far enough that he could see her underwear. He groaned and immediately pulled his gaze onto anything else. The ceiling seemed to do nicely. “Jesus fuck,” he grumbled. Thankfully, Lanes had quickly shimmied the fabric back down to a more… appropriate length. “Well, I guess if I am, I don’t care. Shoo,” he waved his fingers to Griff, demanding he make more room on the bed for Beck’s tall and lanky frame.
He plopped down in between them, his arms automatically snaking behind their necks and settling against Griff and Lena’s shoulders. His mind was slightly fuzzy, now. The ceiling spun and a crooked grin seemed to be permanently plastered across his face. “Shiiiiit,” he groaned trying to shake off the unruly dizziness that started to take over. Thankfully, there was nothing better to bring someone down from their drunk than realizing your best friends were, in fact, idiots. Eyes hardening, Beck said to Griff, “Look, you tried to sabotage me and my chance at winning the bet. I have every right to try and sabotage your chance,” he looked at Lena momentarily before flicking his glare back to Griff, “at getting some.”
Despite his pissed off state, Beck couldn’t deny the fact that, while he was drunk off his ass, his best friends couldn’t have picked a better bed to fuck in. It was soft as hell and the pillows sunk in perfectly to form around his body. He settled deeper into the mattress, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment and Beck sighed heavily, bringing his arms out from behind Griff and Lena to drag his calloused hands down his face. “I’m in deep shit,” he muttered, plopping his hands dramatically against his stomach. Of course, one could think that he was talking about his drunken state. That he wobbled whenever he took a step or that he had the spins that made his mind blurry. His words were slightly slurred and his hair was more unruly than usual. Beck was drunk, that was for certain, but his intoxication wasn’t the reason he was upset.
He wanted to kiss Eloise again. And not for the bet. Not for his own selfish gain against his friends. He wanted to kiss her because, together, Beck’s mind forgot about the bet. There was no deadline, no sly attempts at wrapping the poor girl around his finger. The only time Beck thought about the bet was when he was by himself -- left with his own demons, the regret and guilt drowning him more than the ocean ever could. He liked her. He liked her so damn much.
And he hated himself for it.
“I wanna kiss her again,” he said aloud, although his voice was barely above a whisper. Being with Eloise Montgomery brought him a whole new type of euphoria that no drug or copious amount of alcohol could give him. She didn’t seem to be afraid of his flaws — she challenged them. He wasn’t turned away by her stubborn and resilient nature. He craved that soothing soul, that genuine happiness he felt when in her presence. That kind of fire and passion he had been yearning for his entire life. She made his grey, dying world filled with color. With light.
God, he was so wrong about her.
Suddenly, he shot himself up from the mattress with a determination one did not often see in Beckett Greene. He dragged himself off the edge of the bed and threw his hands in the air dramatically. “Fuck it, I’m gonna. If you’ll excuse me,” he drawled, turning around on one heel. He flayed his arms out to regain his balance and then snatched Lena’s head with his hands, giving his friend a quick kiss on the forehead before doing the same to Griff. “I love you guys. Novak? Don’t get her pregnant. Lanes? There is still time to run. And for the love of God, please lock the damn door."
Wren damn near choked on his drink when Griffin suggested how they could raise the stakes of their ‘friendly’ game of pong. He glanced over at Eloise who looked even more uncomfortable by the suggestion as her gaze kept shifting over to where Beck was behind the make-shift bar. It was obvious that Griff was just trying to stir the pot and cause drama—but if Wren got to kiss Elle again he wasn’t sure he cared what the south sider’s motivation behind it was.
And he was positive that made him a bad person.
Things still weren’t back to normal between him and his friends, he wasn’t sure they would ever be, but this certainly wouldn’t help. Hell, he’d been shocked when Aria had invited him to this party in the first place. While things between him and his other friend had been steadily getting better—thanks to Aria getting him a job at the shelter—Wren had barely had time around Eloise to try and make amends. So he’d seen this party as an opportunity for the three of them to finally put the past behind them.
At least, that had been his plan before he watched Elle kiss Beck in front of the entire party. Wren had known she’d been spending most of her time with the south siders the last couple of weeks but he hadn’t know just how close she and Beckett Greene had gotten. Seeing them kiss had definitely been a shock to the senses. Then his plan had been to get rip-roaring drunk and try to forget that he’d seen that little spectacle in the first place, but before he could even down another shot, Griff and Lena had suggested they play a game.
Wren had never been able to say no to Eloise, especially on her birthday, so he had no choice but to agree. Plus it was an opportunity to hang out with her sans Beck which is something he would not pass up. He couldn’t help but smile when she knocked her shoulders into his. “Since when have you ever whooped ass at pong?” He teased. Wren tried not to think about the last time they’d played together, since that had been the shitstorm that started it all, but it felt nice to be by Elle’s side again. That was until Griff decided to make the game a bit more interesting.
The last thing he wanted was to ruin the progress they’d made since their fight at the ball, especially now that things were starting to feel normal again. But he wouldn’t turn down a kiss from Elle either. He looked over at his partner, waiting for her to make the call whether she wanted to play or not, it was her party after all. And Wren was more than a little relieved when his partner continued with her smack talk, obviously still intending to play.
He laughed as both Lena and Eloise took cracks at Griff for his motives behind the game. Wren wasn’t so sure that kissing the brunette across the table had been the boy’s sole reasoning for suggesting they play—but he wasn’t sure that he cared either way.
Eloise took the ball and lined up her first shot. There was no hiding the shock on Wren’s face as he watched her sink it. “I thought you were supposed to get better at this game the drunker you are?” Wren laughed as Elle tried to explain how her skills had gotten leagues better than they were the last time they’d played. But damn, if she played like that the entire game he was going to have to actually try in order to make sure they lost. So when it came time to line up his shot, he aimed slightly off so that the ball hit the rim of the cup before bouncing off the table.
Wren felt bad almost immediately after he missed the shot. Elle was happier than he’d seen her in a while and here he was trying to fuck it all up just for the opportunity to kiss her one more time. While Eloise was either having too much fun—or was too drunk—to notice that he was purposefully missing shots, his opponents seemed to be on to him. Wren shrugged his shoulders at Lena’s comment. “I guess so,” he conceded. “Good thing Elle has enough skill for the two of us,” he tried to laugh it off.
By the time they got down to the final cups, Wren was a smidge beyond tipsy, and Eloise had basically cleared the table all on her own. And even though he had been trying to lose, the game had been fun. It almost felt like things between he and Elle had gone back to how they used to be—or at least as close as he thought they were ever going to get.
Elle sunk the final shot and Wren was surprised again when she threw her arms around his neck. Seeing her so giggly and happy and excited was nearly enough to make his heart stop in his chest. He instinctually wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her briefly off her feet as she celebrated. “Good job, Montgomery,” he laughed before setting her down as she told Griffin to kiss her ass. Maybe winning wasn’t so bad after all. Wren glanced over his shoulder to see how their opponents were taking their defeat only to find them already sucking each other’s faces.
“Well, I can’t say no to the birthday girl,” he laughed as Eloise took his hand and led him back to the bar to get another drink. Wren briefly caught a glimpse of Aria and Beck talking and he wondered what those two were talking about that looked so serious. But his attention shifted back to Elle as she pressed a drink into his hand. He took a sip as he looked over to the couple she was referring to. Lena and Griffin were already making a not-so-subtle escape up the stairs. “Damn, you’re right. They wasted no time,” he laughed.
He watched as Beck then made his way up the stairs after the other south siders. When Wren turned back to Elle his heart dropped a bit at the smile on her face as she watched him from across the room. He took a long drink from his cup, trying to dull the ache in his chest when Elle rested her head on his shoulder. Wren tensed a little when Eloise started talked about how, in another world, he and Beck would be friends. He seriously doubted that, the south sider was able to get under his skin better than anyone and the fucker knew it—but Beck was obviously important to her.
And for half a second, Wren wanted to be selfish. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for everything he’d put her through. He wanted to ask her for a second chance. Wren knew he didn’t deserve one but if she decided to give it to him he wouldn’t risk fucking it up again. He would do everything in his power to make her happy for however long she wanted to keep him around. But she looked up at him through those lashes and he couldn’t do it.
Wren pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear and smiled softly down at her. “As long as he makes you happy, I couldn’t hate him if I tried.” And that was the truth. Wren might not ever be friends with the guy, but as long as he made Eloise smile like this every day there was no way he could hate him.
Thankfully, that conversation was cut short as Aria made her way toward them. Wren drained the remainder of his cup as Elle perked up and jumped off the counter to give Aria a drink. He couldn’t help but smile now that the three of them were together again. It had always been them against the world growing up and those short couple of weeks without them had nearly killed him. He would do anything to never have to live through that again.
“You really did, Aria.” He agreed, pouring himself another drink. “I think this might be the best party of the year,” He raised an eyebrow at the girl and clinked his cup against hers before taking another sip. “Okay, Elle,” Wren turned around toward the bar again and lined up three shot glasses. “It’s your 21st, which means that if you don’t black out then we’ve failed you as friends.” He stated matter-of-factly, smiling at them over his shoulder before turning to hand a shot to both girls. “So, bottoms up.”
Griff’s plan was the work of an evil, shit-stirring, genius.
And it was no surprise that both of their opponents seemed more than a little caught off guard by the stakes of the game being raised, nor did it take a rocket scientist to venture a guess as to why Beck was behind the bar pounding shots after they agreed. Griff had definitely struck a nerve, and Lena might have felt bad about that if it weren’t for this stupid bet. Beck needed to get brought down a peg before someone actually got hurt, so she was more than willing to play along.
Plus the possibility of kissing Griffin again wasn’t a terrible motivator.
Lena did feel bad that Eloise was getting caught in the crossfires—of the game, of the bet. And from the glances she was stealing of both Wren and Beck across the room, it seemed that the girl was a little more uncomfortable with the added stakes than she let on. “Don’t worry Elle, he doesn’t always like to be on top,” Lena joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit more.
Though Lena couldn’t help but roll her eyes as Griff slung an arm over her shoulder and resumed being his normal, cocky self. “Well, it would lead to faster results.” But she had to admit the chase was half the fun. She leaned into him as Elle threw, and sunk, her first shot.
“Jesus, I have a feeling this is going to be a short game,” Lena laughed. “And I blame the generations of frat boys that are no doubt in the Montgomery family for the insane pong skills,” she added as Griff lined up his shot, and missed. “I thought you were supposed to be good at this game?” She teased.
Speaking of frat boys, Lena noticed—even in her increasingly intoxicated state—that Wren missed damn near every shot he took. “Having an off night, McCoy?” She lifted an eyebrow at him. Lena still didn’t like the kid, but she guessed he wasn’t being completely insufferable tonight. At least there had been no fights so far.
Despite Wren’s attempts to throw the game, Elle managed to sweep the table all on her own. The blonde sunk the final shot of the game with a squeal and Griff tossed back the last cup on their side of the table. She couldn’t help but laugh as the birthday girl boasted her win.
Lena typically hated to lose, but she was far from disappointed. And Griff seemed to share that sentiment. Especially as he wasted no time in closing the space between their lips and pulling her closer to him. It felt like the rest of the party fell away as her lips moved against his. Lena swore he was the only guy she’d ever been with that was able to make her mind go blissful blank. She wasn’t thinking about the consequences, she wasn’t thinking about what other people thought, and she definitely wasn’t thinking about the damned bet.
Her breath hitched slightly as she felt Griff’s hands travel down to her hips and pull her even closer to him. Lena smiled as she felt his kisses growing hungrier, more heated. Her teeth grazed his bottom lip as she forced herself to pull away and take a half step back—which tested her willpower more than she cared to admit. Lena felt the heat rising to her cheeks and she was still a little breathless as Griff reached his hand out and idly played with her fingers.
“It was alright,” she tried to sound nonchalant, though she was not at all convincing. A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth when he told her that maybe he wasn’t just trying to irritate Beck. “Wow, I’m flattered,” she teased.
Lena raised an eyebrow at him when he suggested that they cut the shit. “And what shit is that exactly?” Her gaze flitted briefly to his lips as he leaned in closer to her. Goosebumps rose on her skin as he spoke into her ear, so close that she felt his breath on her neck. Her heart beat a little faster when she heard his suggestion—it was definitely tempting.
She bit down on her bottom lip, considering the offer. Lena felt like it would probably only further complicate their situation. But at least now she knew where he stood, where they stood—just friends. Nothing more. She wouldn’t go into it with the same naive notions she’d had last time. This was just how Griffin was, and she would have to be okay with that. Not to mention he’d been the best lay of her life, although she’d never tell him that. He had a big enough ego as it was.
Lena looked around the room to find that their friends had all dispersed—Elle and Wren had made their way back to the bar, probably due to the fact that she and Griff just had their tongues down each other’s throats. And she noticed that Beck was, at least for the moment, distracted by Aria. If they slipped away now, no one would be the wiser.
“Fuck it,” she breathed. “Let’s go.”
She laced her fingers through Griffin’s as they made their way through the crowd of people and up the stairs. The first several doors they tried were locked before they finally stumbled into an empty one. They’d barely crossed the threshold before his lips were on her’s again, the door shutting behind them.
“Mm, no, tell me,” she responded, trailing kisses across his jaw and down the side of his neck as he backed her across the room toward the bed. She ran her hands over the muscles in his chest and down his stomach as they fell back onto the bed. Lena felt like she’d lost the ability to think—to breath—as Griffin brushed kisses along her neck and chest. Everywhere his mouth or hands touched felt like it had been set aflame. She curled her fingers into his hair and tugged at it, guiding his mouth back to hers.
She let out a breathless laugh when he told her that he was more interested in what was underneath her clothes. “You first,” she mumbled into his lips. Her hands skimmed the hem of his shirt and tugged on it until he pulled it over his head and tossed it to the side.
Then the door burst open.
She nearly jumped out of her skin at the noise and looked around Griffin to see what the hell was going on. As soon as Lena saw who stood in the doorway, she reached behind her, grabbed the corner of a pillow, and threw it as hard as she could at the figure. “Get the fuck out of here, Beck!”
Griff rolled onto his back beside her, looking as annoyed as she was by the interruption. But their friend—who seemed well past intoxicated at this point—evidently didn’t care that he had just become a colossal cock-block.
Lena’s dress had been pushed up her thighs, the fabric gathering around her hips. She tugged it back down as Beck walked further into the room, obviously planning on staying for a while—or at the very least, ruining the mood. Lena groaned and rested her forehead on Griff’s shoulder. “We really need to start locking the damn door.”
Was Beck going to kick his ass? Definitely. Was it going to be worth it? He sure as hell hoped so.
Griffin knew that daring Eloise to kiss Wren just minutes after she’d been lip-locked with Beck was all but a death wish, but he could only help it would be worth it. Their little blonde friend seemed like she was falling for their resident bad boy much quicker than intended, and that meant nothing but bad news for himself and Lena. Hell, no one had even expected Newport’s Princess to give Beckett the time of day, let alone kiss him in front of a whole room of influential north siders. Plus, Griff was almost always a hit it and quit it type of guy, so the fact that he kept coming back for more of Lanes was definitely a statement, and that wasn’t something he was willing to give up just yet. His only hope was that if Wren and Elle had to share another kiss, that it might stir up more old feelings, and put a hold on whatever was going on between her and Beck.
Not to mention, he was fairly confident that his undeniable pong skills would land them the win, despite the little blonde’s smack talk. “But where’s the fun in just asking?” Griffin teased, slinging an arm across his partner’s shoulders as Eloise and Wren lined up their first shot.
His jaw dropped when she sunk it.
“Holy hell, since when does she know how to shoot?” Griffin asked with a laugh, shaking his head as he lined up his own shot. “I swear, it’s in their genetics or something.” He joked, shooting and missing.
The game went anything but the way he had planned it, and was mostly filled with vague threats and lots of cursing on his end, and more taunts and giggles coming from the other end of the table. Although everything was in good fun, Griffin couldn’t help but notice that McCoy seemed a little off his game. And upon closer inspection, Grif figured out that the kid was doing it on purpose. That sneaky bastard. From the puppy-love looks he was stealing at his blonde counterpart, coupled with the fact that all of his shots were just slightly off, it was obvious that Wren was trying to throw the game in order to win a kiss from Elle.
It didn’t take long for the game to come to a close with Eloise sinking the final cup, letting out a holler and celebrating with her partner. “Well shit.” Griff huffed, tossing back the contents of the cup with one deep swallow. He was a little drunker than he intended to be by this points - but to be fair, he hadn’t intended to lose.
“Hmm.” He murmured as Lena feigned disappoint, returning her look with his own smirk. “What a shame.” He agreed, not wasting another second as he dropped his lips to hers. No matter how many times he did it, kissing her never seemed to get old - in fact, it was intoxicating. Even now he swore his head began to swim with lust, his hands reaching out of their own accord and yanking her hips to him. But damn her, the girl pulled away with a half-assed ‘good game.’
“Yeah, it was good, wasn’t it?” He mumbled, although not totally referring to the game. “Maybe I wasn’t just trying to irritate Beck?” Griffin returned with a cheeky grin, reaching out to toy with her fingers. Eloise and Wren had excused themselves, Beck was occupied with the other Montgomery girl across the room, and Lena and himself were left to themselves. “Let’s cut the shit,” He began, dipping his head in close to her so he wouldn’t have to yell over the pounding music. “Let’s go upstairs.”
It had only taken a couple of moments consideration for her to agree - thank god.
Griffin took Lena’s hand in his, quietly excusing themselves from the room as another group of rowdy partygoers took their places at the pong table for next game. It hadn’t taken long to weave their way through the party and make it up the stairs, trying a few already locked doors before he found a vacant guest bedroom.
“Have I told you how good you look tonight?” He mumbled, wasting no time in kicking the door shut and catching her lips in another kiss, backing her across the room until they fell against the bed. “Because you look so good in that dress.” He continued breathlessly, lips moving kisses down the side of her neck. “But I’m interested in what’s underneath.” He said with a wicked grin before moving his lips across her chest.
Fuck Beckett Greene.
Lucky for all of them, Griffin had just tossed his shirt aside when the jackass kicked open the door, leaving the rest of their clothing - and modesty - intact. “What the fuuuuccccckkkkkkk Greene!” The groaned, dropping onto his back beside Lena and throwing an arm across his face. “Can we do this literally any other time? Like, not now?”
Eloise couldn’t imagine anything that could beat this high, the absolute euphoria of her reality in this moment. Standing here in a room full of all of her closest friends, nearly half the town here to celebrate her, and her lips still caught up in Beckett Greene’s - now that was heaven.
As their lips continued to move against each other and her arms looped around his neck, Eloise could have sworn that the entire world was their’s for the taking. There was no north and south side feud, no right and wrong to whatever this relationship was between them.. it was just Beck and Elle, and they were happy. Sure, Elle making the first move in front of an audience of nearly 100 people wasn’t exactly how she had imagined their first kiss, but she decided that she wouldn’t have it any other way.
This kiss was a statement. Not only to finally make the way she felt clear to Beck, but to the entire party. They were a thing - whatever that was she wasn’t sure, but it was a thing. And when Newport’s Princess kisses the most deviant south sider right in front of everyone, it was impossible not to pay attention.
Unfortunately for them, their time together was cut much too short as Griffin appeared, sweeping Eloise up and tossing her over his shoulder as if she were as light as air and carrying her away. She cast Beck an apologetic smile as she was carted off, laughing the entire way to the kitchen. “I like the way you think, Ar.” Elle chimed once she was back on her own feet, watching as her cousin lined up a questionable amount of shot glasses and began passing them out. She couldn’t help a soft smile as Griffin raised a toast, raising her own to clink against her friend’s. “And to great friends, I love you guys.” She added, tapping the base of her shot glass against the counter before tossing it back.
Before she’d even had time to follow the shot of tequila with a chaser, Griffin and Lena was calling her out for a game of pong. Sharing a quick glance with her trusty pong partner, Eloise couldn’t help the grin that spread across her lips. “You know I’d never turn down an opportunity to whoop some ass.” She returned, knocking her shoulder against Wren’s affectionately as they moved towards the pong table. Despite the awkwardness between them as of late, Elle was thankful that things were finally beginning to fall back into place. Wren McCoy had been Elle’s oldest and best friend - aside from her cousin - since they were in diapers, and it pained her that there was a rift between them. It still seemed so crazy to her that after all of these years of friendship, it was jealousy on both of their parts that was what caused the biggest fight they’d ever had.
Eloise shifted uncomfortably as Griffin added a little something extra to the pot, sneaking a quick glance at Wren and then another at Beck who was still across the room mingling with other partygoers. She wouldn’t risk messing anything up or hurting Wren’s feelings again, so she was glad when Lena tossed Griffin a steamy look and a snarky comment. “Yeah Griff, you could just say that you wanted to kiss Lanes, because there’s no way you’re coming out of this on top.” She piggybacked, deciding to leave the bet at that.
Taking the ball from Wren, Elle took a half step back, aiming with squinted eyes before making her shot. Much to everyone’s surprise, she sunk it. Eloise let out a shocked laugh and knocked her elbow jovially into Wren’s ribs. “I was much drunker last time we played.” She reminded him, as Griffin took his shot, and missed.
The game seemed to go by in a flash, though she was sure that it had taken much longer than she realized, because she was also getting drunker and drunker by the minute. By the end of the game Eloise was thoroughly wobbly on her feet, and hadn’t even noticed her partner’s minimal effort to make any of his shots. Not to worry though, Eloise was especially on her game tonight.
Sinking the final shot, Elle threw her arms in the air and let out an excited squeal, laughing as she threw her arms around Wren’s neck as they celebrated their victory. “Kiss my ass, Griffin!” She shot, giggling as she finally released her partner. “We always have.” She agreed when he mentioned that they made a good team.
“Come on, let’s go get another drink!” The blonde insisted, snagging Wren’s hand and pulling him towards the makeshift bar as their south side friends explored each other’s tonsils with their tongues. A glance towards the stairs as she poured their next round of drinks revealed a very steamy Griffin and Lena escaping to one of the up stairs bedrooms. “Didn’t take them very long, did it?” She laughed, handing Wren his cup before hoisting her up onto the counter.
Only a few moments later she couldn’t help but notice a puff of brown hair slinking up the same stairs their other friends had just slipped up, and a soft smile took place on her lips. A glance to the side revealed that Wren had also noticed Beck headed up the stairs. Letting out a happy sigh, Eloise leaned her head Wren’s shoulder, sipping her drink for a moment. “I know you don’t like him..” She began, glancing through thick black lashes to try and gauge his reaction. “But I think in another world, you guys would be friends.”
Lucky enough for all of them, they wouldn’t be able to linger on the elephant in the room for too long, because another blonde was headed right their way.
“Aria!” Elle cheered, hopping down from her seat on the counter and pushing another cup into the girl’s hand. “I can’t thank you enough, Ar, this whole party is better than I ever could have imagined. Seriously, you’ve outdone yourself this time.” She grinned.
B E C K E T T & A R I A
He was drunk. Very drunk.
With the help of Lucy Baker, Beck had downed a significant amount of all sorts of alcohol and it took him four shots to realize that he had royally fucked up. While his mind grew slightly fuzzy and his vision hazy, Beck still remained somewhat of his composure. He was pretty good at hiding his drunk, hell, most of Newport thought the kid was constantly intoxicated by the way he acted so it didn’t take that much effort.
Lucy had drifted off deeper into the party, same with that new kid Jasper that Aria was talking to earlier. The poor thing seemed to grow attached to any boy that her parents would absolutely despise just out of spite. Whether the blonde actually grew attached to them, he wasn’t certain. Aria was a fun, genuine girl -- another north sider that surprised the hell out of him. Besides, he considered her his faithful pong partner. Beck knew a hustler when he saw one. He didn't understand why none of her little flings never worked out.
With a cup filled with beer, Beck eyed Aria as she stared wistfully towards Wren and Eloise. She gnawed on her bottom lip and wrang her hands, almost as if she were nervous. He watched her gaze at them for a moment until he gave in to his instincts and strode towards her, crossing his arms and leaning his back against the countertop next to her.
“This is a party, Montgomery. Not a funeral.” Beck playfully nudged her and handed her his drink. “You need this more than I do.”
With her head whipping towards him, Aria looked at Beck wide-eyed. “I’m having a great time.” Still, the little blonde snatched his cup anyways and took a large drink, nearly finishing the entire thing. “I love parties,” she said, slightly out of breath, no longer meeting Beck’s eyes, returning them to Wren.
It then clicked for him.
With a slow smile, Beck glanced back and forth from Aria to Wren before letting out an authentic laugh. “No shit…” he started, shaking his head. “No fucking way! You’re in love with Hot Shot over there.” He smirked as Aria glared furiously at him, her lips thinning.
“I am not --”
“Unbelievable. Does he know?” Beck grinned.
She paused for a moment. Her lips parted and her mind racing. Was she really that obvious? Was her whole charade of throwing herself at any guy that defied the law that easy to see through? Aria knew that she would never have her chance with Wren McCoy, the boy that had been basically engaged to Eloise since they were six years old. Their families talked about their future wedding almost as often as the weather. Throughout their entire life it had been “Eloise and Wren.” Sure, Aria had her special inside jokes with him and they got into too many illegal adventures to speak of. As selfish as it may sound, she enjoyed those nights when it was just her and Wren sneaking out and defying their parents. In the midst of doing far too many wrong things, it felt so damn right.
Voicing her feelings for him would only result in heartbreak on more than one account. Acting upon her feelings earlier in the summer had nearly destroyed their friendship and she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Aria valued Eloise much more than a silly schoolgirl crush, no matter how long it had been prevalent in her life.
But, a part of her still didn't regret that night with Wren McCoy. She knew that it probably made her a bad person and an even shittier friend. But that night it wasn’t “Eloise and Wren”, and she would be lying if she said she didn’t mind it. Enjoyed it, even.
She needed another drink.
“No, neither of them know. You’re the only one, in fact,” she spat to him, a little more venom in her words than she had anticipated. She finished the last of her drink and tossed it into the overflowing trashcan nearby. God, she didn’t even want to think about the cleanup process right now. “Are you going to tell them?” Aria knew that Beckett Greene loved to stir the pot, it wouldn’t be a Newport party if that boy didn’t cause some sort of trouble.
“No,” he stated and Aria could have sworn something in his eyes softened as he spoke to her. “Your secret is safe with me.”
The sincerity in his voice eased her rampant heartbeat and she blinked at him, wondering if the shock she felt was as prevalent on her face as it felt in her stomach. She didn’t say anything, just stared at him for a few heartbeats before she nodded, eyes then slowly drifting back towards the pong game. Griff and Lena had won and another regretful pang of relief swept through her.
Aria cleared her throat once, pulling herself back together and tossing a thick strand of blonde hair over her shoulder. She jutted her chin out slightly, plastering a calm and collected expression on her face. “Thank you, Greene. You know, you can be pretty nice, sometimes.”
Beck shot her a wink and one of those infamous sly grins. “Only when I want to be.” His attention drifted to Griff and Lena for a moment as they kissed. A muscle in beck’s jaw quivered and as the two seemed to sloppily make their way upstairs Beck’s eyes widened. “Please tell me the guest bedrooms are locked…”
Aria only smirked as she reached over to snatch a can of beer, shoving it against Beck’s chest. “Here,” she said with a grin, “you need this more than I do.” And with that, she started to slowly back away deeper into the party -- neon lights flashing across her bright hair and illuminating that daredevil smile the Montgomery girls seemed to hold.
As if trying to handle one Montgomery girl wasn’t enough, it seemed like he had now won over the trust of two. Beck was in utter, relenting, deep, shit.
“Great party,” he called to her as she dissolved between the dancing bodies and flashing lights, heading towards Eloise and Wren. He cracked the beer open and drank a significant amount before sliding out of the kitchen and following after Griff and Lena.
Beck was born with the gift of a loudmouth and smirk that could rile up even the most poised north siders. And he was going to make it everyone else’s problem -- starting with his idiot friends.
“I wouldn’t miss it.” That was the honest truth. Wren hadn’t missed a birthday party of Elle’s since they were in diapers, and he wasn’t going to start now — even if things were still a little awkward between them. She’d been there for him at his lowest point, and he’d be there for her whenever she needed him, that much, he hoped she knew. Even if it felt like a blow to the gut to see her — especially in that dress — and not get to be the one on her arm. But Elle did look happy, and Beck was standing there looking at her like she was the sun. Wren didn’t know if he was glad, at least, that Elle had someone that cared for her enough to pull this whole thing off — or if it made him want to kick the kid’s ass. Feelings were complicated.
Wren was relieved when Elle pulled him into a hug and shocked when she kissed his cheek. For the first time in a while, his smile wasn’t forced. “You’re on,” He agreed, a giddy sort of smile still stretched across his lips. He’d been afraid, for so long, that he and Elle might never go back to normal. That they might continue on with their lives still friendly, but no longer friends and that thought terrified him. But things were finally starting to feel normal again.
Once he entered the kitchen, Wren saw that Aria was already lining up enough shot glasses for a small army and laughed. “Are all those for you, Ar?” He joked as he moved passed her in the kitchen. “I know you’ve been stressed, but that seems excessive,” Wren laughed. “But seriously, you did a great job — Elle is lucky to have you.” He gave the girl a squeeze on the shoulder as he made his way to the keg.
After Wren had gotten himself a drink, and approached Lucy and Jasper, Wren had to suppress a laugh as Lucy got visibly flustered by his remark on her bringing around more rocks. “Okay, okay, I believe you, no search necessary” He laughed as the girl spun in a slow circle to verify that she hadn’t brought any with her tonight. “I’m Wren, by the way, in case you keep a log of your victims,” He joked again, taking a swig of his beer. “I haven’t seen you around before though, are you friends with—“ Wren looked up to motion to the other south siders in attendance but instead, saw Elle step up to Beckett Greene and kiss him. He felt like the air had been knocked out of him, and his throat began to tighten. Wren cleared his throat and took a deep pull of his beer. “With them?” He nodded his head in their general direction just as Griffin picked up a laughing Elle and threw her over his shoulder.
It was obviously none of his business, he’d made sure of that with how’d acted at the last party. But still, he couldn’t deny that he still had feelings for Elle, and seeing that didn’t make those feelings any easier. Wren knew that she deserved to be happy, and that’s all he wanted from her — even if it wasn’t with him. And despite Wren’s disdain for the guy, Beck did seem to make her happy. Maybe this was exactly what he needed to see in order for him to stop pining over the blonde and just try to be a good friend again. Even still, all Wren really wanted at that moment was to get really, really drunk, and attempt to burn the image of them out of his brain. Then Aria started handing out shot glasses and Wren didn’t hesitate to grab one.
Wren raised his glass to Griffin’s toast and clinked it against the others before tipping it back. He scrunched his nose a little as the drink burned its way down his throat, but chased the feeling away with the remaining beer in his cup. Wren had made a deal with himself to enjoy the night. He would drink, party, flirt, whatever — but he wouldn’t let himself mope. Eloise was his friend. Nothing more. He’d burnt that bridge weeks ago, and now he had to live with it. So when Griff had suggested a game of pong, Wren was all for it.
“Let’s do it,” He agreed, smiling over at Elle and raising an eyebrow. “What do you say, birthday girl?” Wren tried to ignore the way his breath caught in his throat when he looked at her. He was like two minutes into his whole ‘stop pining after Elle’ thing and he was already blowing it.
On the way out of the kitchen, Wren grabbed another drink and followed the others to the pong table, taking his place beside Elle. He’d made the mistake of taking a sip as Griff suggested something that would make the game more ‘interesting’ and it had made Wren nearly choke on his drink. He took a quick glance over at Elle to gauge her reaction to all of this but stayed silent. He definitely had no issue with losing now. Griff bounced the ping pong ball on to their side of the table, stating that they’d get first shot, and Wren caught it easily, handing it over to Elle.
“Ladies first,” He offered, taking a step back and watching as Elle lined up her shot. Wren’s jaw nearly dropped when she sunk the first cup. “Where were these skills the last time we played?” He asked her, chuckling in disbelief. Wren took the ball next and took a deep breath. He’d been something of a pong champion when he was in school, but he wasn’t so sure he wanted to actually win this game.
Wren threw the ball just off enough for it to bounce off the rim of a cup and off the table. As soon as he’d thrown the shot he felt a little guilty. Did purposefully losing the game just to kiss Elle make him a bad person? He had a feeling the answer to that was probably yes.
He would sink a few just to make it seem like he was actually trying, but he made sure that a majority of his shots missed. Though Elle was nearly single-handedly wiping the cups off the table. “Have you been practicing?” He asked Elle with a lop-sided grin as he swallowed the contents of a cup that one of the south siders had sunk.
The game had come down to two remaining cups, one on either side of the board. Wren had missed his shot and handed the ball over to Elle. There was a sense of calm and determination on her face as he watched her make, and sink, the shot. The smile on her face though was enough to make him temporarily forget that he hadn’t even wanted to win in the first place. Though he was briefly distracted by their two south side opponents who were now in a rather heated embrace. Wren looked back at Elle trying not to laugh. “I think we make a pretty good team, Montgomery.”
When she felt an arm slide around her shoulder, Lena tensed and turned toward the person, ready to throw hands at whatever north side brat had decided to invade her personal space, but relaxed when she saw Griff standing there instead. “Aw, are you jealous?” She asked, a fake frown on her face before it was replaced by a teasing smile. “Besides, I didn’t think surprise parties were your thing, and you didn’t seem upset by the case of beer at the time,” She laughed.
No sooner than Griff had asked when Beck and the birthday girl would arrive, did Lucy shout to the party-goers that they were walking up. “Well, that answers that,” Lena muttered, quickly ducking behind a table and pulling Griff down with her. Everyone around them quieted almost instantly and tried to hide behind every piece of furniture in the house. Lena didn’t even know this many people, let alone have a crowd of this size wanting to show up for her birthday. She guessed that was just a testament to who Eloise was as a person — and it possibly had something to do with the free alcohol.
Once the pair had made their grand entrance, and Elle had been sufficiently surprised, all of her closest friends began to rush forward and wish her a happy birthday, Beck standing beside her beaming like an idiot and looking immensely proud of himself. Lena had pushed her way through the crowd and hugged the girl after Aria, and once she had let go Griff had swooped in and gave Eloise a twirl to showcase her little red dress. Though Lena arched a brow at his next comment and rolled her eyes, she did make a mental note to ask Elle and Aria to help her pick an outfit for the next party.
Lena followed Aria into the kitchen, the girl was already lining up shot glasses and beginning to pass them out when she felt Griff disappear back into the foyer and Lena glanced over her shoulder to see Elle step into Beck and plant one on him. She almost dropped her damn shot glass. That was definitely a twist she had not seen coming, and honestly, her heart sank a little — for more reasons than one.
The obvious issue was that she and Griff might have been wrong about Beck’s ability to make Elle fall for him, and the idea that they might lose the bet made Lena’s stomach uneasy. One, she hated to lose anything, and two, she wanted to see how this Griff thing played out. But even bigger than that, it seemed like Elle actually was falling for him. She would have fully expected Beck to make a move like that, but Elle had kissed him in front of an entire house filled with Newport locals, and that left her feeling rather conflicted.
Beck was one of Lena’s best friends in the world. They’d grown up together, and there was no denying that she would do anything for her friends. But that included Elle now too. Was getting to continue things with Griff worth letting Elle get her heart broken? Was Lena a bad friend for not telling the girl before she got in too deep? Because Lena knew Beck. She knew how he was with women, and she knew that all of this was simply an act he was putting on. He’d never done anything romantic in his life, let alone nearly single-handedly plan a party this extravagant for a girl if he didn’t have an ulterior motive.
She really needed that shot now.
The girl was thankful, at least, when Griff broke the two up and tossed Elle over his shoulder, making his way back into the kitchen. She wondered if he was on the same page as she was in trying to keep the two apart, but tried to shake all thoughts of Beck and Elle and the bet from her mind. This was a party, after all. Lena smiled at Griff’s toast and clinked her shot glass against her friends’, tapped it on the counter, and tossed it back. A small shiver slid down Lena’s spine at the taste, but she fought the urge to wince as she set the glass back down on the counter. She was about to turn and pour herself another when she heard Griff challenge Elle and Wren and then declare her as his partner.
Before she could say anything, the boy had grabbed her hand and started hauling her off toward the already-set-up pong table. “Yes Griff, I’d love to play — thank you so much for asking,” She told him in a deadpan tone. Lena didn’t mind playing, she was actually kind of excited that Griff had picked her to be his partner, but there was a reason he and Beck were always the ones sweeping the tables at south side parties as Lena cheered from the sidelines — she wasn’t very good. Sure, she talked a big game, but when it came down to it, her aim was shit. Then she heard the stakes of the game and it made a lot more sense. “If you wanted to kiss me you could’ve just asked, Novak,” She leaned in and told him under her breath as the two across the table were lining up their shots.
She had to admit that the plan was kind of genius though. It wasn’t like she would mind if she and Griff lost, not at all actually — and if they ended up winning then seeing Elle kiss McCoy would surely get under Beck’s skin. Though she could still barely stand the sight of Wren for what he’d done to both Elle and Aria — and for the fight, he’d gotten into with Beck, but that had been partially Beck’s fault. However, the north siders seemed to have made up enough for him to be invited to this shindig in the first place.
Elle had the first shot, and to everyone’s surprise, sunk it with ease. The north side boy across the table seemed particularly shocked. The game continued and Lena was just as bad as she remembered, but once she’d downed a few cups she didn’t particularly care — she was having fun, plus Griffin was picking up the slack. Though it was obvious that the McCoy kid was either having a really off game, or he was purposefully missing, Elle, on the other hand, was sinking shot after shot. “Okay, question, so is the ability to play pong like some skill every Montgomery is born with or?” She joked.
Eventually, there were only two cups left on the table — one belonging to each team. Lena lined up her shot and tossed the ball only for it to hit the table nowhere near the cup opposite to them. She shot Griff a ‘my bad’ look as Elle sank the final shot. “I think we just got hustled,” She joked as her partner attempted a redemption shot and narrowly missed. “Oh no, we lost,” Lena said sarcastically, sounding not at all devastated by their defeat.
“No pussy shit, right?” She smirked, taking a step toward him. She looked up at him and then down at his lips before she pressed her mouth to his, hesitantly at first before she allowed herself to actually enjoy it. Lena wasn’t a shy person — not in the slightest, but it was weird to kiss him in public. This was supposed to be a fling, something they were supposed to keep behind closed doors, not flaunt it in front of half of Newport. She didn’t want to have to explain that they were, in fact, just friends. But the way he kissed her back didn’t feel like they were.
Lena pulled him closer to her, and for half a moment she forgot about everything other than the feeling of his mouth on hers. The bet, the crowd — none of it mattered. She leaned into it a little deeper before pulling away and looking up at him again, unable to help the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Good game,” Lena cleared her throat and stepped back out of his arms.
“You probably should’ve picked a better partner if you were just trying to irritate Beck,” She muttered to him, still a little breathless. “But I can’t say I’m complaining.”
Aria’s mind was running a mile a minute. She was no stranger to throwing parties when her parents were away and she always enjoyed a good weekend of drinking, dancing, and singing way too loud to songs she barely knew the words to. However, this week had been exhausting and she was more than ready to take a shot or two to loosen up her ongoing nerves about throwing Elle the greatest party of her life. Her friend deserved nothing less than the best. Aria would put up with Beck’s constant nagging every day of the week for her.
Still, Aria poured two shots just for herself.
Hearing the rest of the crew rifle in, she greeted each of them happily and began to pass out the array of tequila shots. She noticed Jasper near her and none other than Lucy, whom she had briefly been reintroduced to the day Beckett Greene decided to bless the Montgomery household with his ass. The two were talking, however, Jasper looked less than pleased and Aria found herself inching closer to the two. How could someone look so annoyed at a party? Nonetheless, a party that had just started.
After stepping closer to Jasper, Aria furrowed her brows at the words that had come out of Lucy’s mouth. Of course, she had only just re-met the kid and they were fresh into their friendship, considering she knew nearly next to nothing about the boy -- other than the fact that his family life seemed a little wayward and he had a nicotine addiction. But still, Aria didn’t ping him to be a liar and as he turned to offer her a drink, obviously trying to weasel his way out of the conversation with Lucy, Aria narrowed her eyes slightly and simply held up the two tequila shots in her hand. “I think I’m all set.”
As they toasted and cheered once Griff came back with a squealing Eloise across his shoulders, Aria instantly felt less stressed and her shoulders relaxed. She grimaced only slightly at the burn of the tequila, and quickly collected the glasses from the others and setting them in the sink. Catching Eloise helping her, Aria beamed to her friend and wrapped her arms around the blonde once again, giving her one last birthday hug. “I really hope you like this, Elle. it’s not too much?” Aria gestured to the party with a hand and sighed wistfully. “That Beckett Greene honestly insisted that we do something. I swear, that boy has taken quite a liking to you. He would not leave me alone this entire week, I almost shoved him off the marina dock,” Aria laughed, glancing back at Beck who seemed to be talking vividly about something with Griff. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so determined.”
Noticing Griff call out to Elle and Wren about a game of pong, Aria gave her friend a little shove back into the party, passing her a quick wink. “Make me proud, channel your inner Aria Montgomery and her hustling pong skills.”
Now left alone with Beck, Lucy, and Jasper, Aria turned to her old pong partner. But, Beckett already seemed to be conversing with Lucy, his eyes taking generous glances back over to Elle and the pong table. Damn, that boy was whipped. So, chewing on her bottom lip, Aria faced Jasper and eyed the drink he was clutching in his hands. “Actually, I think I’ll take that drink now,” she muttered, snatching the cup out of his grip and bringing it to her lips. Already she could feel the tequila and its effects taking a toll on her body and her words sounded far less menacing than she had tried to imply. Glancing up from her cup, she eyed Jasper once. “So, is Jasper even your name or are you lying about that too?" While a hint of a smirk fiddled on her lips as she echoed Lucy’s questions, she couldn’t deny that she was curious about Jasper and his secretive ways. Aria had no problem with secrets and, hell, she was a liar herself from time to time -- although only to her parents. Never to friends, or whatever she and Jasper were. It seemed that he also knew Lucy Baker more than he was putting on. “Listen, if your name is something weird, like Alfred or Edmund, that’s okay. I’m not one to judge.” She took another sip of her drink, nearly downing its components. It was whiskey and coke, her favorite and Aria was thankful that if Jasper was a liar, he at least could make a damn good drink.
The party raged on behind them, the kitchen was now nearly dark and the soft glow of neon lights flickered throughout her estate. Heavy bass-filled music thrummed throughout the home and Aria managed to climb up onto the kitchen counter and sit, legs dangling next to Jasper as she stared at him -- trying to figure out the north side boy who clearly had a knack for the south sideways.
That makes two of them.
"Okay, I tell you a secret and then you tell me one, deal?" She cocked a thin brow and gave the boy next to no time to object before she started again. "For example, I cry like a baby every time I watch Finding Nemo. Like, every time. It's pathetic, really. I think it's the little fin." Yes, Aria was definitely tipsy, especially if she was talking about Finding Nemo. She offered Jasper a soft smile and a quick flash of teeth before she urged him to give her a secret. "Okay, now your turn, and don't give me some weak shit."
All of the planning had been worth it: the constant nagging he had to give Aria at the marina while she laid out on her absent parent's yacht, the calls and the texts he had to make to the south siders that had grown close to Eloise within these short few weeks. Beck had even tried to hand Aria money countless of times -- the spare cash he always saved after paying his bothersome bills. But, the determined blonde would never take his offers and Beck had to practically bully the girl into allowing him to at least buy some of the alcohol for the party -- like the kegs, for instance. God knows that little thing would never be able to lift those into that stupid BMW she drove. He didn’t even want to know how she managed to grab all the rest of the booze and lug the drinks into her large estate. Beck had stopped by the night prior to drop off the kegs and climbing up all of those damned stairs left him winded and arms aching.
But, Beck would do it all over again if it meant seeing that smile on Eloise’s face.
He hadn’t even been paying attention to the swarm of people that had thrown themselves towards her. His golden eyes remained locked on the birthday girl the whole time as she grinned and hugged and kissed her friends -- even Wren. For once, Beck didn’t groan at the sight of the boy because his presence made Elle happy. He would suck up his own distaste for the north sider for her. Beckett would do just about anything for Eloise, he had begun to realize.
Hell, he had even spent the past weekend watching a Twilight marathon with her. Of course, Beck had thoroughly enjoyed himself and he was a sucker for a good chick flick, but God knows he would never admit to that. Same with their choices in movie snacks -- Beck was confident in the fact that sour gummy worms were the only appropriate snack for a film, but a bat of Elle’s long eyelashes and a quick pout of her lips made him rethink his choices and they always ended up getting the giant bag of M&M’s that she desperately needed.
It warmed his heart that Eloise enjoyed the simplicity of their hangouts -- of his lifestyle. They never ate at fancy restaurants or took shopping trips to the north side. He couldn’t shower her in lavish gifts, although he did try and surprise her with flowers here and there and pay for her meals at the diner. Beck had never had a girlfriend. Surely, he had flings and summer flirtations, some that even lasted for more than a few months. But nothing quite like Eloise -- where they hung out nearly every day, where he brought her along to Sunday breakfast and family dinners. He hadn’t even allowed a girl to rummage through his personal belongings before. When the curious blonde had first riffled through his bookcase a part of him tensed. Those were the only gifts that his father had given him and while Beck’s hatred for the man was still prevalent, it felt odd letting someone see that side of his life -- even if Eloise had no knowledge of what those books meant to him.
But still, he let her look, anyways.
“As if she’d stoop that low, Novak.” Beck said to Griff as he threatened to steal Elle all for himself. He passed his faithful friend a smile and playfully shoved his shoulder right back. Of course, Beck knew that Griff was just trying to get a rise out of him, like always, but his stomach still squirmed at the thought of his best friend and Elle together. Maintaining the smug and aloof aura that was a Beckett Greene trademark, he also passed Griff and Lena a wink -- showing them that the bet was going according to plan, at least for Beck, anyways.
If only they knew he wasn’t acting anymore.
After Lena and Griff had wished Elle a happy birthday he then faced Eloise as she slowly turned to him. His eyes wandered on that damned dress for a moment, his throat tightening at the sight before he met her eyes once again. Becks mind flashed to their first morning together -- where he had surprised her by ‘romantically’ tossing rocks at her window, flashing a smile and coercing the girl to come and join him on the south side for breakfast where she handled her own against his ragtag group of friends. Chucks on her feet, an old cropped tee, and those glasses that he adored.
As she grew closer and closer -- Beck knew he was in deep shit. “Paying me a compliment, are we? You’re in a good mood.”
His eyes darkened as she leaned into him and he proudly met his lips with her own, kissing her softly at first. His heart hammered in his chest and Beck had to control himself to not deepen the kiss and pull her closer to him. This kiss wasn’t from a dare or bet. No part of their relationship seemed to be a game at this point in time. It was just Beckett, a buzzing party that felt miles away, and the north side girl that continued to surprise him every day.
Just as his hand gently cupped the side of her face, thumb skimming her jaw, Eloise pulled away. His eyes remained closed for a second until he finally was confident enough in opening them, eyelashes fluttering up hesitantly, as if he couldn’t believe what had just occurred. She kissed him. Beck didn’t ask, Beck didn’t tease her for it. The girl genuinely kissed him and it had Beckett questioning everything.
“Careful, Princess. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you might actually like me.” He whispered against her lips. His words from that first morning with Elle, her chucks kicked up on his dashboard with the morning sun hitting her blue eyes, echoing once again. Beck grinned against her lips and leaned in for another kiss. However, Novak seemed to have other plans.
As Griff threw Eloise over his shoulder, Beck rolled his eyes and thossed his arms up in frustration. He chuckled and shook his head at his best friend, but he definitely wanted to do nothing more than to kick the sorry bastard right in the ass. “Griff you have a damn death wish, I swear,” Beck called over the roaring music and following the two, giving Eloise an apologetic shrug.
Once in the kitchen, Beck grabbed a shot glass and cheersed with the group, taking the shot easily and wincing only slightly as the burning liquor slid down his throat. He was more or less a pro at parties and Aria had thankfully gotten the good shit -- not that that was surprising. That girl’s drinking habits could give Beck a run for his money. Setting the glass aside and trading it for a cup full of beer, Beck started to sip the drink gingerly. Last time he was at a north side party Beck had to play babysitter for Eloise -- not that he minded -- but he was expecting to take on the role once again. It was her twenty-first birthday, after all. His own twenty-first birthday party ended up with he and Griff swimming in the alligator infested river in his backyard with nothing but Coors Lite boxes on their heads. While Eloise definitely had more common sense than himself, he still was determined on not letting the birthday girl dive off into the ocean completely out of her wits.
Making an utter fool out of oneself was a position only Beckett Greene could handle.
Hearing Griff call out McCoy and Elle for a game of pong, Becks brows furrowed once and he passed Lena a questioning look. He smirked at Eloise and gave her a soft and mocking twidle of his fingers as she left with the group for the game, giving her a quick wink as she left. He leaned against the counter and noticed Lucy was also left out of the loop. “Okay Baker, spill. How was Cali?” Beck took a long sip of his drink until Griff’s voice sounded from the pong table and Beck’s head snapped to the fellow south sider.
“Let’s make this game interesting. Losers have to kiss - and no pussy shit, either.”
“Jesus fuck,” Beck grumbled, his hand clenching harder onto his solo cup as his eyes darted between Elle and Wren. Beck knew he was being pathetic and he had only hoped that Lucy hadn’t heard his complaint. Quickly needing to take his mind elsewhere instead of the thought of Eloise laying one of Wren McCoy after she had just kissed him only minutes ago, Beck readied more shots. “Luce, I need your help,” he said to her, filling two more glasses with tequila. Handing one to her and claiming the other for himself, Beck lifted the shot to her and said, “I need you to get me drunk.”
The past couple of weeks had been quite out of the ordinary, and Griff wasn’t quite sure if he liked it. Whereas his evening were normally filled with hanging around Beck’s place and heckling Lena for free burgers from the diner, he’d been spending a lot more of his time alone lately. He’d been picking up extra shifts at the garage as often as he could, squirreling away any spare money he could get his hands on in order to hopefully eventually have enough to move out of the tiny trailer he shared with his mother and sisters - but that was hard when you paid most of the bills on said trailer. But even when Griff did find a spare few minutes in which he’d normally shanghai Beck for an evening of mischief, the kid was always with his newest play thing - Elle - and didn’t want any extra company to interrupt their time together. Occasionally Griff would join them for a trip to the diner, but that was about it.
Griffin tried his best to be indifferent to their new situation, but is he were being completely honest, he was a little butthurt that his best friend was choosing a bootycall over him.
He’d gotten word of Eloise’s birthday party from none other than the simp himself. Beckett was really going all out for this girl, and while even he himself had grown pretty fond of Elle in the few weeks she’d been hanging around their little gang, he didn’t quite understand why Beck was putting in so much effort just to get it in with the girl. She must’ve had one hell of a gorilla grip to keep that boy coming around for this long.
Regardless, Griffin had never been one to turn down a good party and free alcohol, so he’d shown up at the instructed time, only to find that apparently half of Newport had already beat him there. It’d taken him at least ten minutes of shoving through people to find someone he knew, and another five to hunt down Lena after Aria had pointed him in her direction. “All these years of being that bastard’s best mate, and you know what I got for my birthday this year? A case of beer.” Griff scoffed, slinging an arm across the brunette’s shoulders as he approached her from behind.
Although, if he were being honest, there probably wasn’t anything else he would’ve preferred. A good night, a case of beer, and his friends was all Griffin really needed to properly celebrate his birthday.
“Anywho, how much longer do you think we got until we can really get this thing going?” He asked, only for Lucy to squeal out that the birthday girl and bitch-ass-Beck had just arrived. “Speak of the devil.” He muttered, following Lena’s lead and tucking himself behind a piece of furniture, watching as Beck lead the Montgomery girl into a pitch-black foyer. Griff played his part, jumping out and hollering along with the rest of the crowd as the lights flicked on. And even if he were being a tad bitter today, he couldn’t deny that the genuine joy on Eloise’s face was kind of endearing.
“Happy birthday blondie.” Griff laughed, pulling Eloise into a hug shortly after Lena had released her from her own grip. “Or maybe I should say hottie? I see you, girl.” He teased, snagging Elle’s hand and giving her a quick tour. “Who knows, maybe Beck will have some competition if you keep wearing little dresses like that.” He joked, passing the girl a playful wink and shoving at Beck’s shoulder jovially. Sure, he was only joking, but it was kind of fun to watch Beckett squirm.
“You’ve got like, thirty seconds to get your ass in there before I come back and drag you in there myself.” Griff threatened as Eloise insisted she’d meet the rest of the crew in the enormous kitchen. He excused himself right behind Lena, following her in there to meet the other blonde Montgomery as she poured a line of shots for everyone. “Count me in, Ar.” He hollered before shoving his way back through the crowd and to the foyer, where he found Beck and his little companion locked in what looked like a heated embrace “Alright, alright, enough of that!” Griffin interrupted shorty after they broke apart. “We’ve got shots to do, let’s get this party started!” He insisted, snatching up a squealing Eloise and tossing her over his shoulder, clearing a path back to the kitchen.
Sure, the kiss was sweet, but Griffin has a bet to win. And the closer those two got, the closer he came to losing.
“To the birthday girl!” He toasted, raising his glass in the air to clink with all of the others before smacking it against the counter and throwing it back. Shaking off the burn of the alcohol as it slid down his throat, Griffin turned his eyes to Wren. “McCoy! Elle! Did I hear something about a game of pong?” He taunted, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Me and Lanes have got first game.”
Griffin didn’t give Lena a chance to argue, simply snagging her hand and dragging her to the pong table that’d been set up near by. “In an ode to our last party, and the game of pong that started this darling friendship of ours-“ Griffin began, smirking just slightly as he eyed his competition across the table. “Let’s make this game interesting. Losers have to kiss - and no pussy shit, either.”
For Grif, it was a win/win. If he and Lena lost the game, then they’d get a quick mack session, which would hopefully lead to exactly what it did last time. If Eloise and Wren lost, then he’d get to watch Beck’s skin crawl.
“I’ll even give you guys first shot.”
"Are you sure it's not too much?" Eloise fussed, tugging at the hem of the little red dress she'd chosen for her birthday. It definitely wasn't her usual style, and the thin fabric hugged her skin enough to leave very little to the imagination, but Beck had requested she 'dress nice' and her cousin had assured her that it was appropriate for the occasion - and been the one to pick it out... there was no question that Aria was the bombshell of the Montgomery clan.
Elle had a hard time imagining a date put together by Beckett Greene that would require much more than a t-shirt and a pair of chucks, but he'd asked so sweetly that she'd had a hard time denying him this one simple pleasure. And while the girl would've been perfectly content with another night spent inhaling french fries and slurping milkshakes at the diner, a part of her was thrilled that Beck had put in the effort to plan something a little more special for her birthday. Sure, it was more than likely just a corner booth at the diner that Lena or Lucy had thrown a couple candles on, but it was still enough the warm Elle's heart towards the boy.
She'd arrived at his house that evening just like every other day - letting herself in the front door, stopping to greet Callie, and wandering his tiny home until she found Beck milling about somewhere. The pair had fallen into a bit of a routine the past couple of weeks, in which they spent nearly every free minute with one another, and had actually made incredible progress on the Patience. Well - Beck had made amazing progress on the boat, Elle usually laid out on the bow after rifling through the boy's bookcase and choosing a story to pass the time with while he worked. That is, when she wasn't stealing glances at the working boy.
Tonight however, had been a little different. She'd walked into his house to find him already waiting on her, dressed nicer than she'd ever seen him and flowers in hand. Regardless, she hadn't been able to get much past her initial greeting before bursting into laughter at the awestruck expression on his face. "Careful, you're going to get drool on the rug." The blonde teased, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she laughed. Once he'd managed to pick his jaw up from the floor and gather his wits, Beck had lead Eloise out to his car, even stopping to open her door for her before she got in.
Who was this kid - being polite, getting flowers, dressing up, opening doors for her, hell, he'd even busted out the white chucks - and what had he done with Beckett Greene.
Eloise crossed and uncrossed her legs over and over again, fidgeting in her seat and anxiously adjusting the hem of her dress as Beck's jeep rumbled down the road. For the first time since they'd started spending time together, Elle was absolutely wracked with nerves. They'd never been on a real date, especially not one where she needed to wear a pretty dress and had pushed Beck to the extent at which she'd found him today. So, as one does, she sought his reassurance once more that the dress was appropriate for wherever he was taking her.
His smack to her fidgeting hands caused the blonde to gasp in shock for a split second before combusting in giggles, shaking her head at how outrageous she was being. Beck's witty comment had been enough to knock her back into their easy repertoire of flirting and making jabs at one another. "Don't tempt me with a good time." She fired back, a devilish look in her eyes but a goofy grin hanging on her lips as she settled back into her seat, relaxing into the quiet music and letting her fingers absently dance across the tanned skin of Beckett's arm as he drove.
Eloise returned a coy smile as Becket turned those golden eyes her way, prodding as to if she had any guesses on where he was shanghaiing her for the evening. "Not a clue." She returned, meeting his gaze with her own ocean eyes.
"Hey!" The blonde interjected. "Don't knock the diner, you know I would've been perfect happy grabbing a milkshake and going back to your place." She argued, scootching across the bench seat of his old jeep to lean against the larger boy. "It's not too late for that, is it?" She prompted, looking up at the south sider through thick black lashes as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Maybe if she were lucky, Elle could convince him to turn the car around, hit a drive thru, and escape back to his little home for a Twilight marathon.
No matter how much he denied it, it wouldn't have been the first time.
Although, even if she'd rather curl up on a couch with her favorite boy and a good movie with some junk food, she couldn't deny that her curiosity had been peaked as they turned into her cousin's driveway. Elle quirked an inquisitive eyebrow up at Beck as he parked the car, and although he rushed to assure her that this was only a pitstop on the adventure of their evening, she couldn't help but be a little suspicious of his intentions.
Despite all of the curiously and nerves flitting around in her head, Eloise's stomach exploded with butterflies as Beck snagged her hand, lacing his fingers around her own. Elle tried to hide the giddy smile that pushed it's way onto her lips, but ultimately failed. She hadn't been this worked up over a boy in years, and she felt very much like a high school girl with their first real boyfriend. "Hm, I saw Aria this morning and she didn't mention anything." The girl mused, curious as to why her cousin would wait to give her a gift until she was on her way to a date, and why she'd told Beckett Greene about it.
However, it'd all become abundantly clear as moments after they walked into the large estate, the lights flicked on and Eloise was greeted with the shouts and screams of nearly a hundred young adults, all wishing her a happy birthday. Within seconds the entire house was filled with pounding music and flashing lights, leaving Elle in awe as she took in the scene around her. All of her closest friends, her name spelled out in giant pink balloons, and Beck standing next to her with the most excited grin she'd ever seen - it was almost enough to bring tears to her eyes.
Before she'd had time to adequately react, the blonde was being bumrushed by her friends, each taking their turn to wish her a happy birthday and give her their love. Aria'd come first, wrapping her in a hug that nearly squeezed all of their air out of her and left her combusting in giggles. "I love you, Ar." She laughed, giving the girl another quick embrace before she insisted they do shots and scurried away to the kitchen to make good on her promise.
Next was Wren, who seemed remarkably less excited to see her than was usual - not that she exactly blamed him. Things between them had been... rough. Every since the debacle that sent their entire friendship into a downward spiral, Wren and Elle had been unable to fall back into their normal dynamic. While they'd definitely made strides in the right direction, and Elle was devoting the mornings before Beck got off work to spending time with him and Aria in hoped of rekindling their longtime friendship, things were still inevitably weird between them. "Thanks for coming, Wren." Elle offered, passing him a similar smile and pulling him into a quick hug with a peck to the cheek - more out of habit than anything. "You owe me a redemption round of pong, okay?" She challenged lightheartedly, giving him a playful nudge before he departed to the kitchen.
Then came Lena and Griff right behind him, and Elle couldn't help but nearly bust at the seams with happiness as Lena wrapped her in a hug of her own. "Thank you!" She chimed, laughing as Griffin snagged her hand and made her do a quick twirl to show off her red ensemble for the night. "I'll meet you guys in there!" She vowed in response to birthday shots, grinning as Griffin insisted he'd give her two minutes to get her ass in there before he drug her in there himself.
Finally, Eloise turned to Beckett beside her. "You, Beckett Greene-" She began, stepping towards him. "Are amazing." Elle emphasized, rising to her tip toes and catching his jaw in her delicate hand, guiding his lips to meet her own. Eloise was too happy in this moment to worry about doing anything other than what she wanted to, and couldn't have cared less about what repercussions that would bring. For a few long seconds, she could've sworn that they were the only two in that house, in the whole world for that matter. The music softened and the lights dimmed, and everything besides the feeling of his lips against her's seemed to fade away to nothing other than background noise to the movie that was their lives.
"We should probably get in there." She murmured, lips still brushing his as she spoke. "Or Griff might make good on that threat."
Lucy hadn't had her 21st birthday yet, but she knew it would never be this spectacular. For starters, her birthday was near the holidays, so she always celebrated with Christmas wrapping paper and suger cookies with candles. It wasn't much but she had never minded the familiarity of it. But this, this was so much different. The Montgomery's were so much different. Over the week Lucy had gotten to know Aria and Eloise and she had to admit she liked them. Plus it was so obvious how head over hills Beck was for Eloise. In all the years she had spent around him and she had never seen him this dedicated to doing something so nice. It was a great feeling to even be involved.
Lucy wasn't sure how long she had spent gazing out the curtains before she spotted the pair. "They're here!" She exclaimed, tucking herself down behind the nearest piece of furniture. From the shadows she could see familiar limbs and faces and she found safety to stare in the darkness. She could see Jasper behind the couch, which struck a range of strange feelings. On the other side she could see the dark hair of Wren and the small scab on his forehead from the rock last weekend. Lucy blushed and quickly glanced away. It had been an idiotic move that had kept her awake several nights since, drowning herself in embarrassment and humiliation.
As the front door open Lucy shook her head and quickly jumped up with everyone else. "Suprise!" She yelled, a wide grin covering her face as she saw the other girl's eyes light up. It was priceless and so fucking heart warming.
As people began to crowd Beck and Elle, Lucy slipped away at the sound of shots and drinks. She hadn't been drunk since she'd left California and she was way over due for a hangover. Plus she had seen Jasper head that way and she wasn't through with him. She was angry; for herself and for her family. She wasted no time marching up to him with her arms folded and her chin tilted up so she could look into his dark eyes.
"So is Jasper even your real name or are you lying about that too?" She asked a bit bitterly.
She couldn't deny the fact she felt hurt and although she knew starting an argument at an important party probably wasn't the most respectful thing to do, this was the first time she'd seen him again. With a cocky look Jasper pushed a cup into her hand, flat out acting as if he had never meet her a day in his life. She was just about to open her mouth and suggest otherwise when Wren popped up beside her. A deep crimson washed over her face at his words and she found herself laughing involuntarily. "I'm so sorry." She blurted out, trying hard to stop the shaking of her ribs. It was a nervous tendency she had, to laugh when she felt vulnerable.
"I promise, I don't carry rocks on me. You can check my pockets if you want." She suggested, lifting her arms up and slowly twirling in a circle so he could see there was nothing stuffed into the pockets of her turquoise shorts.
The simple fact that Beckett Greene hadn’t been a complete and utter prick to Wren was enough to shock him into silence. He was so used to a smart ass comment from the other man any time he spoke that it felt…weird when he wasn’t being a dick. So, Wren just gave him a small nod of recognition.
He also felt like he was going to be sick sitting here watching Elle and Beck flirt so he started to make his way to his car when he saw the glint of something coming hurtling towards his face. He winced when he touched his hand to it and it came away with a small trace of blood. “Seriously?” He asked in the general direction of the south siders still lounging on Beck’s sorry excuse for a car. “Yeah no shit,” He muttered when Beck told Eloise that his friend, Lucy, apparently wasn’t so harmless.
Wren rolled his eyes at Beck’s comment about his shitlist only being reserved for him. Phil McCoy definitely earned the number one spot on Wren’s ‘shitlist’ but Beck was a solid second. Wren didn’t bother to respond, only gave him a rather vulgar gesture as the south sider sauntered back to his Jeep and his friends. Wren couldn’t help but clench his fists a little when Beck said he’d see Elle tomorrow.
His life was a fucking joke.
“Night,” Was all he managed to say to his friends before he headed back to his car. He was tired, physically injured, and felt his throat tightening a bit after seeing Elle with Beck. But on the way out he caught a glimpse of the side of his father’s red sports car. He couldn’t help but bark out a laugh and grin at Aria across the lawn. God, he didn’t deserve a friend like her.
Wren parked his car a little farther down the street and waited until Phil McCoy finally left the Montgomery house. He wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the look on his father’s face when he saw that little bit of karma come full circle. Thankfully, he was able to get it all on tape.
After seeing that, going back to his little shit hole on the south side wasn’t so bad.
————
Wren had started his new job at the animal shelter that week and had honestly never been more exhausted in his life. He, at least, had gotten to see Aria and show her the catastrophic meltdown his father had when he saw the damage to his car. Seeing that had probably been the highlight of his entire life, and every time he watched it he couldn’t help but laugh. He hadn’t heard from either of his parents since the dinner party, not that he really cared to.
When Aria told him that she and Beck were planning a surprise party for Elle’s birthday, Wren couldn’t really help but feel a little hurt. He’d known Elle for how long, and Beckett Greene gets to swoop in a plan her party? It was probably for the best, he knew that. Wren had a lot on his plate already with the new job and the new place — and he was honestly lucky to even have been invited since things between him and Elle weren’t exactly great. He wanted to say that the fact that Elle and Beck were hanging out nearly every day didn’t bother him, but he would be lying.
That night Wren had gotten off of work, gone home to get ready, and pregamed in his house with a few beers before he headed toward the north side. This was not the event to be sober at. He didn’t think he would make it the entire night if he was.
Wren parked his car at the beach, per Aria’s instructions, though it took him a minute to find a parking spot. It seemed like they had invited the entire damn island to this thing. When he got inside he was honestly impressed with the dedication and planning that must have taken to pull this thing off without Elle finding out. Wren spotted Aria basically running around the house trying to get everything in order before Eloise showed up. “Anything I can do to help?” He asked -- it looked like the girl needed a break.
Aria asked him to man the lights for when Elle showed up and he waited until everyone was in place and turned them off as she and Beck walked up to the house. When Beck opened the door Wren flicked them back on and shouted along with the rest of them. He felt like his heart skipped a beat when he saw her in that dress. Wren raked a hand through his hair and made his way towards the birthday girl. “Happy birthday, Elle,” He gave her a tight smile before making his way to the kitchen — he needed another drink.
He pumped himself a beer from the keg and saw Jasper talking with that south side girl from the other night, who kinda looked pissed. “Hey man,” He greeted Jasper, and his gaze flicked over to Lucy. “Hope you didn’t bring any rocks tonight,” He joked taking a sip of his drink.
Lena had taken the day off of work to help Aria set up at the Montgomery estate for the party, and by the time people started showing up Lena was ready for a damn nap. Despite the craziness of the day, it was still fun to get to hang out with Aria — especially considering the fact that she’d barely gotten to see her other friends all week. Beck had been too busy with his ‘not dates’ with Elle, and Griff was…she didn’t really know. Things with Griff were different, uncharted — Lena still didn’t really know what to make of it.
She had also been surprised to hear from Aria just how much work Beck had actually put into planning this night for Elle. This was more effort than she’d ever seen the boy put into anything besides that damned boat of his, and for a girl, no less — even if that girl was Eloise Montgomery. He was taking a very different approach to the bet than Lena originally thought he would have. This was a version of Beck she’d never seen before.
By the time people started showing up, Aria was still running around trying to finish some last-minute details and Lena managed to slip away to get ready in one of the dozens of rooms in this place. Lena pulled on a pair of ripped black jeans and a tight white top, yet she was sure that she would look under-dressed next to the north siders here. She ran a brush through her hair and managed to apply some makeup before she heard even more people filtering in downstairs.
The foyer of the Montgomery house was filled with balloons, food, booze, and tons of people. The sight of it was so starkly different than how Lena had spent her 21st birthday that it was almost comical. She’d gotten shitfaced with the boys on Beck’s dock, and she’d spent most of the night, and next morning, sick — she didn’t remember much beyond that, but from the pictures and videos she had of it, it looked like she had a great time.
As she came down the stairs, Lena saw a familiar face in the growing crowd and pushed her way through people until she reached him. “Hey,” She said, nudging Griff in greeting. “You clean up nice,” Lena smiled, looking him over while trying to ignore the fact that her heartbeat quickened a little.
She heard Aria call out to them about how much time they had until Beck arrived with the birthday girl, and Lena pulled her phone out of her back pocket and checked her most recent messages. “Like fifteen minutes, I think,” Lena told her. “Go make yourself a drink and chill the hell out,” She joked, watching the girl flitting from one side of the house to the other trying to ensure that everything was perfect before Elle got there. “Everything looks great.” It really did. It was a party fit for Newport royalty, that much was certain.
Lena picked at the food on a side table, just now realizing that she had been so busy all day that she’d forgotten to eat. “What have you been up to?” She asked Griff, grabbing a handful of chips from a brightly colored bowl. “I cannot believe Beck helped plan all of this,” She said in between mouthfuls. “Where are these party planning skills on our birthdays?” She joked.
Aria’s voice called out to the partygoers saying that Elle had arrived. “Shit,” Lena muttered before dusting off the crumbs on her hands and ducking behind the snack table with Griff as the lights went out and everyone in the room quieted down and hid as well. The front door creaked open and Beck’s voice rang out only to be met with dozens and dozens of people screaming, Surprise!
The lights flickered on as the crowd jumped out to see Elle looking absolutely stunned and Beck beside her looking…honestly, he looked in love. And if Lena hadn’t known any better, she would have thought he really was.
She pushed through the crowd and hugged Elle right after Aria. “Happy birthday!” She pulled away and looked down at the girl’s red dress. “Okay, also you look hot, I love that dress.” Lena watched as Aria made a beeline for the kitchen to get Elle a shot. “Oh, wait, shots? I want one!” She exclaimed before following Aria into the kitchen.
The walk home from the Montgomery's had been an easy one. Jasper's parents beach house wasn't anything very extrodary, but Jas had always loved it. It was older, with a wrap around porch that had overgrown with sandy grass and shrubs. It was technically one story, but the attic had been refurbished for a bedroom and the house held large windows that had been knocked out a few times over the years due to hurricanes. Growing up his parents had mostly used it for a guest house for visiting relatives or to hold family picnics. As a teenager he had pretty much claimed it has his own and now he guessed in a way it was. His parents expected him to come live there once his phase in New York ended, but he knew he wouldn't. The island in all its beauty and horror was no place he wanted to grow old.
Jasper's head pounded and once inside he had copied Aria's number down before drinking a glass of water and debating on whether or not he needed to do any explaining to the Baker boys. It was a thought that made his migraine worse and he found himself rummaging through every draw in the kitchen for a Motrin while silently cursing himself for being so careless. It wasn't that Jasper was embarrassed about who he was, but he knew it would change everything about the illusion he had created for himself. Being around the South Siders was really the only thing Jasper enjoyed about being home. He wasn't ready to lose it.
With a defeated yawn he gave up the search for prescription relief and instead grabbed a bottle of Spiced Rum from the top of his refrigerator and made his way up the stairs and his room. If he couldn't change it, he might as well act like his mother's son and drink it away.
-----
Jasper's week had been boring. Other than the occasional text from Aria he had mostly hung around home, swimming and relaxing. His father hadn't returned to town and quiet conventionally his mother had also dipped out on some cruise. Jasper took the lack of being needed and having to run from house to house with a lot of stride. It wasn't until Aria invited him to a birthday party that Jasper actually got fully dressed for the first time in days.
Suprise parties were weird. Jasper had never actually had a birthday party so maybe that was why he never understood the point of one, but he went anyways. He wasn't going to lie to himself; he wanted to see Aria. He had thought about her blonde hair and fiery attitude far too much to admit to anyone; it was nice having a friend. So maybe that was why when he found himself stuffed behind a couch dressed in dark jeans and a loose shirt he was genuinely happy about it. Even yelling suprise hadn't been that bad.
"Well, now that all of that's done with, I'm getting a drink." Jasper sighed, a grin hanging around the corner of his lips. He wasn't sure anyone heard him over the noise filled room but he poured a few cups full of coke and Whiskey just in case. Behind him Aria entered on a mission of getting her cousin drunk. Beside him Lucy had seem to pop out of nowhere and her hovering form made him slightly unnerved. Jasper found himself mostly avoiding her gaze. He had been ignoring her since he had arrived and to be fair, she didn't deserve it. She hadn't told anyone about seeing him, not even her brothers.
The truth of the matter was that he just didn't really know what to say to her that wouldn't cause chaos for himself. "Want a drink?" He finally offered, pushing a mostly filled cup into her hand before glancing around at Aria who was at the opposite side of the island counter pouring shots out. "Is Jasper even your name or are you lying about that too?" Lucy asked, a question that led to Jas almost dumping his entire freshly made booze on his own two feet. Rock throwing and being so blunt? What had happened to the sweet innocent girl he'd known in the past. Jasper cocked his eyebrow and shook his head slightly. "I don't think I understand what you mean," He muttered, glancing back to see if Aria had overheard. "Want a drink to go with the birthday shots?" He called, wiggling the cup in his hand. He needed out of this conversation, the quicker the better.
“Yes, that is indeed a rock,” Aria said, her eyes watching the pebble soar through the air. Clearly, it had been meant for Jasper. The dark haired girl at the end of the driveway had been flailing her arms just long enough for Aria to glance at her. She looked somewhat familiar -- then again there were so many south siders that hung around that chaotic group that they sometimes had all blurred together.
As the rocked crashed into Wren’s forehead, Aria gasped. “Oh shit,” she whispered as her hand covered her mouth. However, noticing that the object didn’t do any terrible damage, her racing heart slowed and glanced back to Jasper and tried to hide a smile. “Now why on earth would a south sider try and throw a rock at you?” This boy was raising more questions every moment she seemed to spend with him. He was mysterious, cunning, and something about Jasper Hudson annoyed the absolute hell out of her mother.
So obviously she had to see him again.
Taking a pen out of her purse, Aria snatched Jasper’s arm and began to scribble her number onto the back of his hand. “If you ever want to leave the north side,” she started, popping the cap back on her pen and giving him a flirtatious wink, “be sure to let me tag along.”
With the setting sun pouring across her face, Aria smirked and started to head down the driveway, kicking off her sneakers and hanging onto them with a couple of fingers. She passed her family’s car and wrinkled her nose at the vehicle. There was no way in hell she would be riding home with her parents after that cluster fuck. She also would no doubt be slammed with a thousand questions from her mother. As much as she hated to leave her father to deal with the raging monster that was Mrs. Montgomery, that was a battle she needed to leave for him. Besides, her house was only a short walk away. The island was small, but the north side was even smaller.
Aria turned and walked backwards down the driveway as she neared the road. She gave Jasper one of those devious smirks from earlier and offered the boy a small wave of her fingers in departure. She called up to Wren and Elle, giving them a goodbye and ordering Wren to ice his eyebrow with a giggle. Passing the south siders, Aria only raised her brows at the crew, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Without their little interruption, Aria wasn’t sure she would have been able to make it through the rest of the dinner. “Next time, come before the second course!” Giving Lena and Griff and the new girl a wave as well, she made her way down the street, swinging her shoes in her hand and letting the golden rays sink into her skin.
----------------------
The oncoming week had been some of the most stressful days of her entire life.
Aria wasn’t a planner. She had never planned a damn thing in her twenty-something years of existence. She was the girl who snuck out randomly on weeknights, the girl who faced a challenge with a smile, and the girl who absolutely adored surprises.
However, planning a surprise, she was not good at.
With her parents being out of town for the next two weeks, he mother claiming that the horrific dinner party on Sunday had, and she quote, “shattered her soul and destroyed her willingness to spend another minute in Newport”, they had flown to their home in the Dominican Republic. Currently, Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery were sipping cocktails on the beach and doing what they did best -- run away from their problems. It was too perfect of an opportunity to pass up.
Good riddance.
Beck, surprisingly, was the one who reached out to Aria and wanted to plan something for Eloise. While the act was shocking and she thought the guy was just playing another sick joke on them, the kid was indeed serious about throwing a party for their favorite blonde. Aria noticed that Beck was indeed a planner, at least when it came to Eloise. All week he had bombarded her with texts and calls to make sure that the surprise was still a go. By Thursday, she had to stop responding to his texts, or else she would completely lose it. But, that act only resulted in the asshole disrupting her time relaxing at the marina pool or laying out on her family’s boat that was docked there.
He wanted everything to be perfect, and while the declarations were sweet and Aria liked the sense of comradery between the two, the kid really needed to chill the fuck out.
It didn’t take a genius to notice he liked Eloise Montgomery. A lot.
She had also texted Jasper here and there a few times. The two hadn’t seen each other since that exhilarating greeting where they found friendship over vandalizing Phil McCoy’s car. Wren had even shown her the video he was able to sneakily record of his shit stain of a father finding out his car had been keyed by not one, but two kids who craved rebellion like the salt craved the sea. Revenge was so, so sweet.
Of course, Aria had to invite Jasper to the party. The stunt he pulled at dinner instantly earned him the respect of Aria and Eloise. Even Wren seemed to like him, which was good because the poor guy needed a male presence to hang out with. While their relationship had always been easy going, there was still some awkward tension between all of them when they hung out during the week. Maybe it was Aria still being slightly heartbroken over the whole ordeal, or maybe it was the fact that Wren was noticing how much time Elle was spending with Beckett.
Things were good, but they weren’t great. Hopefully, tonight would be able to fix that.
“Lena, Griff!” Aria called through her estate as she rushed around like a lunatic trying to finish setting up the decorations. “How much time we got?” Large, pink balloons that spelled out “Happy Birthday Elle” hung from the wall right across the entryway. Large vases filled with pink and white flowers sat in the corners of the room while bowls filled with candy, chips, and countless of other unnecessary snacks littered every table in the house. If there was a surface, food and drinks were on it. Aria had purchased two kegs and had spent enough money at the liquor store to put even a college frat house to shame. That was definitely a sight to see -- a tiny, five foot nothing blonde walking out of the liquor store with cases and cases of alcohol. Apart from the slew of bottles that lined the countertop in the kitchen, making a makeshift bar, she had also borrowed speakers from Jack, who had fled the island and was now spending his summer in Mexico -- the damn coward. Flashing lights were strung inside her living room and she had even acquired a DJ for the entirety of the night.
She may have gone a little overboard.
Elle was worth it.
Slowly, everyone else entered Aria’s home and she was thankful that they had taken her advice and parked at the beach. It wouldn’t exactly be nonchalant if she had dozens of cars parked outside of her estate when Eloise arrived. North siders and south siders alike swarmed into the party and as the time neared closer for Elle’s and Beck’s arrival, Aria grew more and more antsy. She hadn’t even had time to ready herself for the party -- dressed in a strappy yellow dress that was a lot shorter than she had remembered. Her hair was untamed and large beach waves ruffled through her golden locks. Thankfully, she was able to grab five minutes of downtime to slap a small layer of mascara on and a quick glide of lip gloss. The night wasn’t about her -- it was about Elle.
“She’s here!” Aria called through her home, quickly trying to gather everyone into the entryway and hiding in the darkened shadows of the estate. While night was slowly approaching, she had to draw all the curtains and turn the blinds to darken the room. She had assigned Wren to turn the lights on as Eloise entered and Lucy, the one who had nailed Wren with the rock, was on lookout.
Taking her place and crouching down excitedly while the double doors opened, they waited for Beck’s echoed “Hello” until the lights flashed on and everyone jumped to shout “Surprise!” for the lucky birthday girl.
And damnit, Eloise’s face was priceless.
Aria wasted no time in rushing towards her cousin and wrapping her in the largest hug imaginable. “Happy Birthday, Elle!” She squealed, giving her one more squeeze before stepped back to gauge her reaction. “I know it’s not the bar, but in my opinion, this is so much better. And, I’m making you take a tequila shot with me.” She gave Eloise a quick wink before she flitted away to the kitchen to grab the newly twenty-one year old a celebratory shot.
“Yeah, maybe even a cuter couple than you and him!” Beck hollered down to Lena as she offered that he and none other than Novak would be a power couple.
What could he say, he and Griff had a bromance that no one could match.
It took a moment for Beck to realize that while seeing Wren McCoy sport the black eye he had given him only a few days ago was hilarious, it didn't take a genius to realize that there was more damage done to that boy than Beckett had taken part in. More bruises and cuts were visible across the north side boy's form and Beck slightly furrowed his brows at the sight. The kid looked rough, there was no denying that. Griff's voice rang out behind him and Beck turned to face him once, smiling and waving him off. While toying and taunting the rich prick was entertaining and an extreme sport in itself, seeing the slight vacancy in Wren's eyes and noticing that he didn't give much of an effort in his retort, Beck surprisingly backed off.
Beck was an asshole, a liar, and way too chaotic for most people. But, even he wasn't going to kick someone when they were already down. “I'd hate to see the other guy,” was all he offered the boy, no malice laced in his words, just the usual Beckett Greene charm.
His eyes lingered on Wren's disgruntled frame before quickly shooting his gaze over to the one and only Eloise. A full smile immediately appeared as he held his shirt in his hands, not bothering to put it back on. “Eloise Montgomery!” He mocked back, laughing wholeheartedly. He took in her stance: hands on hips, eyebrow cocked, and trying her best to muffle her laughter that was euphoric to Beck's ears. He noticed her stares as he dressed, and all he offered the girl was a suggestive wink and a devious smirk that she would know all too well. As Elle mentioned the cops, Beck rolled his eyes dramatically and stepped forward to her, closing the distance between them. “Wouldn't be the first time, Princess. I think I quite miss officer Shirley and her mullet.”
Beck then pouted, jutting out his bottom lip for dramatic effect as Elle stated that she would not be joining him on his streaking endeavors. He didn't take her prissy tone and petty jabs to heart. That playful smile and those enticing blue eyes that still held the same Eloise fire and he knew that, despite his absurd interruption, it had made her smile.
So, he smiled back.
As she began to shoo him away, Beck grabbed her arm for a moment, a daring shimmer forming across the boy's hazel eyes and right before he was about to pull his signature move and toss the girl over his shoulder, an object whizzed past his head. Without hesitation, Beck ducked and dragged Eloise down with him. “Jesus fuck,” he muttered, glancing back only to see a guilty looking Lucy trying to hide behind Griff. Beck instantly burst into laughter and shook his head as he stood, pulling Eloise up with him. “Allow me to introduce you to Lucy,” he told Eloise, trying to control his laughter as he gestured with an arm towards the cowering girl. “I would say she's harmless, but I guess that's now not the case.”
Transferring his eyes to Wren again Beck eyed where the rock hit home and the small cut that now sat above his eyebrow. Not wanting to get Lucy into any hot water, Beck quickly spoke up. “Easy, hotshot. Her aim is just crap. Don't put her on your shitlist just yet.” He eyed Wren's cut once more before he started to turn back towards his friends and his jeep. “Besides,” Beck called over his shoulder to Wren, smirking, “that is reserved for me and me only, right McCoy?” Giving that same smirk to Elle along with a wave, Beck descended down the lawn and back into the small group that awaited him. “I'll see you tomorrow, your cute little ass better not be late!” He called to Elle before hopping into the car.
“Elle is coming over tomorrow after my shift at the marina,” he told Griff and Lena as they situated themselves. “So, no unannounced visits, you two.” He shot them a warning look. As everyone piled in, Beck turned in the driver's seat to flaunt Lucy a proud smile and he reached over to ruffle her hair. “It's good to have you back, Baker.” Putting the car out of park and wasting no time in hauling ass out of the northside, Beck blasted his car radio once more and soaked in this moment with his crew as the Newport sun set once again on another reckless and memorable day.
__________________
“Eloise, if you ask for my opinion one more damn time about your dress I'm going to tear it right off of you,” Beck chided to a fussing Elle that sat in his passenger seat. While laughter laced through his words, he pushed her hands away that kept fiddling with the little red dress she had come to his house in. Seeing her stroll into his ramshackle of a home wearing a dress that left next to nothing to the imagination, Beck kicked himself mentally for having even an inkling of self-control. However, it didn't stop his jaw from nearly dropping to the floor and his heart race to quicken so much that he could feel the beats raging inside his chest.
Torture. All of this was pure torture.
For once, Beck was left speechless and it took Elle laughing at his dumbstruck state to snap him out of his trance. He fumbled over his words for a moment until he had finally given up and raked a defeated hand through his hair before dragging her out of his house and into his jeep.
The past week had flown by for Beck. He and Elle's daytime hangouts had become a routine. She would come over after his shift at the marina, they would work on his boat for a while until Eloise grew hungry. From there, they would attempt at making something for dinner, however, that mostly resulted in Elle scolding Beck for his lack of culinary knowledge and she would either take over or they would head over to the diner to visit Lena and Lucy. Sometimes Beck would call for Griff to join, sometimes Beck wanted his time with Eloise all to himself.
It was easy, he decided. It was easy to like her.
Throughout their time hangout out together Beck had realized that Eloise liked her coffee way too sweet, that whenever she wore her glasses Beckett had a hard time concentrating on his boat, her nose wrinkled when she laughed too hard, and that he was in deep, deep shit for noticing those things. Noticing meant caring. Caring meant nothing but trouble.
During his week with her, Beck had forgotten about the bet.
Throughout the week, he and Aria Montgomery had also been planning an elaborate birthday party for Elle. Aria's parents would be out of town for the weekend, leaving the girl alone inside one of the largest estates in Newport. The opportunity had practically fallen into their laps and, despite the fact that Aria was a north sider, Beck had a hell of a time planning the perfect party for his newfound friend -- or, whatever they were. Even Beck didn't know, anymore. Their flirtation and sneaking glances of each other had only amplified during the week. Beck's advances became more venturous, crossing a line in their relationship little by little every day. Hell, he was surprised they hadn't kissed yet. Beck certainly wanted to and, by the way she handed his devious and suggestive retorts right back to him, Beck had a good guess that Elle wanted to as well.
He just had to grow the balls to actually do it.
As they headed into northside territory, Beck glanced down at his own outfit. It was the nicest pair of jeans he owned. A light wash with a busted knee along with the only shirt he could find that would hopefully impress Eloise. A blue and white striped and loose fitting short sleeved button up with almost half of the shirt unbuttoned due to the perpetual Newport heat. He had even worn his white chucks, shoes that he only busted out for special occasions. He was simping hard for this girl, and, damnit, part of him didn't even care that he was anymore.
“So, any idea where I'm taking you, Princess?” He asked, a smile toying along the edges of his lips. Beck had to, for once, concentrate extremely hard on the road, or else the next time he snuck a glance at Elle he wouldn't be able to tear his eyes away. The setting sun left golden rays through his jeep and Beck's knuckles tightened on the steering wheel as the light hit her eyes. Shit, shit, shit. Focus, Beck. “I promise, it's a better date than the diner. While the burgers are good, I think you deserve something a little more… surprising for your birthday.” He gave Elle a warm smile before he turned down a familiar road and slowed his jeep to a park right outside of Aria's house where a hundred of Eloise's closest friends sat waiting for their arrival.
He had to give it to Aria, she did a damn good job of planning. Nearly no cars were parked outside of her estate as she had all of them park at the beach only a short walk away. He had texted her when they had left Beck's home and he made sure to actually drive the speed limit, believe it or not. Giving the girl as much wiggle room with time as he could.
He wanted this to be perfect.
Once she had escaped his car, Beck reached over and grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through her own. Yesterday Beck had snatched Eloise's hand for the first time when they were leaving the diner after inhaling chocolate milkshakes and a plate of fries nearly as big as the table. She didn't pull away and Beck practically beamed the whole drive home.
Seeing Elle looking confused as to why they were at her cousin's home, Beck smirked and only tightened his grip on her hand as he led her up the large stairs and onto the front porch. “Relax, Elle. We are just making a pitstop. Aria wanted to give you her present before I stole you for the night.” He lied and chuckled down at her. His hazel eyes lingered on her blue hues for a moment, before they traveled to her lips, and then to the large double doors. “It will only take a second.”
Not being able to handle the nerve-wracking anticipation, Beck passed Eloise a quick and signature wink as he pushed open the double doors quickly and lead her into the shadowed foyer. The lights were off and the curtains had been drawn closed, leaving them encased in darkness. Beck let out a confident, “Hello?” before the lights flashed on, revealing a slew of familiar faces of north and south siders alike. Everyone grinned widely at Elle and a loud roar of, “Surprise!” Filled the entirety of Aria's home.
Laughing and staring at a gaping Eloise, Beck's face was pure and unfiltered joy. He leaned in and whispered in her ear as the stampede of party-goers started to rush towards them.
“Happy Birthday, Eloise Montgomery.”
Wren was basically seeing red as Elle pulled on his hand, away from his father. He turned to survey the room and found that everyone had jumped from their seats at his father’s outburst and Wren’s retaliation. Though his eyes slid over to Elle again, making sure that she really was okay. He knew she could take care of herself — that much was evident from how she didn’t back down from his father, but he also knew the extent to which Phil McCoy’s temper could go.
The scene they left at the dinner table was a clusterfuck as the Montgomery’s were still standing around, unsure of how to proceed, and Phil McCoy was drenched in red wine, sporting a swollen jaw, and still basically had steam blowing out of his ears. For a moment, Wren was terrified about what he’d just done, but he realized he didn’t have to see his father again. He was out of the house — out of that side of the island, and if he had never been more glad for it. Then he felt immensely grateful to have friends willing to fight for him like Elle and Aria had, despite everything that had happened between them. He was floating on that feeling when he saw Beckett Greene streaking across the lawn, and suddenly that simmering rage that he’d just felt sitting across from his father returned with a vengeance.
This kid had to insert himself at the least opportune times and was possibly the most self-absorbed, intolerable man he’d ever had the displeasure of meeting. Wren thought that their fight from the other night would have been enough to get the urge to punch the kid out of his system, but seeing him standing there in Elle’s yard with nothing on but those nasty ass chucks, made him ready for another brawl. What made it worse was the fact that Elle didn’t seem all that put off by the show Beck had just put on for them. In fact, she even said that she’d see him tomorrow. Which just made him want to punch the kid even more.
He knew it was none of his business what Elle and the south sider were doing. He tried to tell himself he was just grateful she was still speaking to him, her and Aria both. He also tried to remind himself that this little feud between him and Beck was what had gotten Wren into this position in the first place. So, he tried to take a deep breath and chill the fuck out. It only helped a little. He wished he didn’t care as much as he did — it would make everything so much easier if he didn’t.
He would not get into another fight. For Elle’s sake, he would not fight Beckett Greene right here, right now. No matter how much he wanted to. He repeated it to himself in his head like a mantra until he felt collected enough to respond to the boy’s comment about not wanting to see Wren naked. “I’ll try not to be too disappointed,” Wren tried to sound bored and unbothered, though there was an edge to his voice.
Wren looked over at the little group of Beck’s friends all piled on the front of his Jeep watching this all transpire and he rolled his eyes. Where Beck went, they all went apparently, and he was getting really damn tired of seeing that entourage. Though there was a face there he didn’t know. He hadn’t even noticed she was there at first until she started yelling and flailing her arms about, apparently trying to catch Jasper’s attention. Wren looked over to Aria and Jasper a few feet away who seemed to either not hear the girl, or be ignoring her completely.
“As fun as this is,” Wren growled, turning his attention back to Beck. “I’m really not in the mood, Beck. So if you and you’re little posse could get the hell out of here—“ He was cut off mid-sentence when something hard came hurtling at his face. “Fucking ow.” Wren’s hand immediately went to his forehead and felt a little gash above his eyebrow. He bent down and picked up a small rock that had been thrown from the direction of Beck’s friends. “What the actual fuck?” He asked in their direction, seeing that girl who had been desperately trying to get Jasper’s attention, now hiding behind that Griffin kid.
Lena drained the rest of her drink before she slid into the backseat of Beck’s Jeep. She needed to be decently drunk if she was going to have to watch Beck’s white ass running around the Montgomery’s perfectly maintained lawn.
She felt the Jeep rattle and sputter to life before Beck peeled out of the driveway, and Lena took a deep breath as she felt the wind jostle through her hair. Nights like these were her favorite. In this death-trap on wheels with her friends, the music playing way too loud, and them usually on the way to do something stupid. She leaned forward and rested her head on the shoulder of the passenger seat as Beck tore through their neighborhood.
“Okay, so I’m predicting a couple of possible outcomes,” She tells them, shouting slightly over the music. “One, Elle slaps you. Two, Elle’s dad kicks your ass. Three, we have to bail you out of a public nudity charge.” She held up a finger for each. “Honestly, all three are seeming pretty likely.” Lena flicked Griff’s ear. “How much do I have to pay you to do it with him?” She asked with a laugh.
The shitty little houses of the south side soon gave way to larger and larger houses until the Jeep was cruising amongst monstrously large mansions. Beck slowed to a stop and threw the car in park before jumping out and heading straight for the front door. Lena jumped out of the car and perched herself on the hood of the Jeep, settling in for the shitshow that was about to occur — and maybe she was tipsy, but watching Beck run from one end of the house to the other, losing articles of clothing along the way, had her laughing so hard her stomach ached. The sheer absurdity of seeing Beck’s stark white ass in the yard of the Montgomery’s, who was the closest thing Newport had to royalty, was honestly hysterical. She kicked herself for not recording it.
Lena snorted at Beck’s joke about Griff just wanting to see him naked. “You guys would make such a cute couple,” She teased. Then she watched as Elle and Wren came through the front door first, followed by Aria and some guy she’d never seen before. Though he was impeccably dressed, which she could appreciate. Lena stifled a laugh as she waited for Elle’s reaction, and was slightly disappointed that the girl wasn’t as annoyed as they anticipated her to be. It would have been even funnier to see her knock Beck down a few pegs. She turned her head to Lucy and shook her head. “Nah, Elle won’t call the cops. Wren on the other hand…” Lena eyed the boy who looked shittier than Beck did after their fight from the other night, and looked 110% done with everyone’s bullshit.
“That’s an understatement,” Lena retorted to Lucy’s comment about how everything had changed. Not just their relationship with the north siders, but all the shit that had gone on within their friend group too, all of the stuff that had happened with her and Griff. Thinking about it honestly made her head spin, though that also could have been from the alcohol. She eyed the easy exchange between Beck and Elle, even with Wren simmering with anger in the background, and nudged Griff with her elbow.
“That does not bode well for us,” She motioned to Beck and Elle’s little sideways glances and subtle flirtation. She wasn’t entirely sure Beck was acting anymore. Something like anxiety spread across her chest and she leaned farther back against the hood of the Jeep. Lena felt like her and Griff’s…situation had barely been explored yet, and it was definitely not something she was quite ready to be done with because of this stupid bet. Lena knew better than to expect anything more than whatever was already going on between them, but it was fun nonetheless, and she didn’t want it to end prematurely.
As she told him that, she heard Lucy yelling to one of the north siders, the one she didn’t recognize, and she strained her neck to get a look. The boy either didn’t hear her — though that seemed unlikely — or he was pointedly ignoring her. Prick. Though Lena was slow to realize what Lucy planned as she dipped down and picked a rock from the ground and chucked it at the little group of north siders. Lena couldn’t help but gasp as the rock connected with Wren’s face and then cover her mouth to keep from cackling once she fully realized what had just happened. “Oh my god,” She managed to say in between breaths. “You’re my fucking hero.”
Beck could talk a big game as much as he wanted, Griffin knew better, and could see right through his friend's lies. Beckett Greene was a renowned lady killer and known on the south side of the island for his ability to win girl's hearts... and then crush them. If he had the blonde Montgomery girl right where he wanted her like he claimed, she'd surely already be in his bed. But no, there was something off about the way the two interacted. She was much too comfortable around a south sider for her status, and he seemed a little too... gentle.
Griffin knew that his friend was faltering in his quest to win over the princess of Newport, he wasn't sure how and he didn't particularly care, because any hiccup in Beck's plan meant he was a step farther from winning the bet, which placed Griffin at an advantage to keep his relationship going with Lena. Well, maybe relationship wasn't the correct word - Griffin didn't do relationships - but he sure as hell wanted to keep whatever they had going.
A part of him had expected Beck to turn down the dare purely for the fact that it could put him in hot water with Eloise. And frankly, that'd been Griffin's entire purpose in daring him to do it in the first place. The bigger wedge he could drive between the two budding lovers, the better for him. However, Griff was pleasantly surprised when Beck accepted without a second thought, and insisted they all pile into the jeep. The boy almost declined, because surely his friend had to have been drunk to agree to get himself into some deep shit with his newest little pet.
The drive to the Montgomery estate was amusing in itself, with Beck tearing through the mansion lined roads and causing the biggest scene that he could. It'd be a wonder if the cops weren't already waiting for them by the time they pulled up.
As soon as Beck threw the car in park at the edge of Eloise's driveway, Griffin leapt from his seat, leaving the passenger door wide open so he could take in the monstrosity that was about to take place. "You better make it a good show!" He called, watched as his friend made his first lap across the large windows at the front of the home, losing more and more clothing with each pass he made until he was left in nothing other than his old dirty chucks and a bandana.
Admittedly, the look on Eloise's face was not nearly as satisfactory as he had hoped. It was clear that she was trying to put on a front of anger, but was nothing but amused under the scowl she wore. The north side boy that was always stuck up her ass though, was a very different story. The poor kid already looked like he had been having a bad day, and the sight of a naked Beckett Greene dashing past the girl he was limping over's window surely hadn't helped. "Awh, give the kid a break, Beck! Look at him!" Griffin called as Beck taunted the boy, though he was fighting off laughter as he did so.
Griffin had been so distracted by Beck's display that he'd hardly noticed Lucy calling out to one of the other boys. But he didn't miss the rock that she launched towards him, which landed far from it's mark. "Oh shit!" He laughed, losing himself in hysterics as the already seething boy not only had to deal with a naked Beck testing his patience, but had a rock thrown at him by one of their friends. Griffin doubled over, clutching his stomach as his belly ached from the nonstop laughs, trying desperately to regain his composure as Lucy scurried to hide behind him. "Nice shot, Luce." He chuckled, swinging an arm across the girl's shoulders affectionately.
Here she was, only back with the gang for a couple hours and already taunting their favorite north sider to target.
Eloise didn't typically consider herself a confrontational person or someone prone to violence, but she didn't hesitate for even a moment to square up with Phil McCoy when he stood from his chair. He towered over her petite frame, fists balled at his sides, face beat-red and nearly foaming at the mouth with anger. She definitely should have been intimidated... she wasn't. Elle knew that here, sitting in this room surrounded by her closest friends and family, Phil was horribly outnumbered and would be an even bigger fool than they already knew to strike her. Her father, while normally a pacifist, was not a small man and wouldn't hesitate to wipe the floor with that man if he threatened his daughter. Not to mention his own son only a few seats away, who despite their current disrupted state of friendship, Elle was sure would jump to her defense. She even guessed that their new friend the Hudson boy would stand to her side if needed, based upon his hostility towards the man earlier in the evening.
However, it didn't come to any of that. As soon as the hostile man turned to face her with those insulting words, nearly the entire table stood to their feet. Wren was there in a flash, and from that moment it seemed like a million things happened at once. Wren was punching his father, her mother gave a shocked cry and clutched at the string of pearls around her neck, Aria and Jasper started moving towards them, and her father stood, slamming his hands onto the table and causing all of the dishes to rattle. "That's enough!" He bellowed, angry eyes surveying the scene before him.
"Wren." Elle spoke gently but insistent, wanting to make their escape before things turned any uglier. The boy was still seething towards his father, leaving Eloise to slip her hand into his and give it a tug in the direction of the door. "Come on, it's fine, I'm fine, really." She insisted, pulling at the boy's arm once more until he reluctantly turned to follow herself and their peers towards the door.
"Phil, I trust you can see yourself out without causing any more damage." Her father spoke from his place at the table, his voice stiffer than she'd heard it in a long time. "And Eloise-" Oh shit. The girl hesitated just before the doorway, so close to her escape, but turned to face her father instead. "I'll speak to you in my study." Suddenly, Eloise felt very much like she was in high school again, getting in trouble for going to parties or sneaking boys into her room late at night. With a single nod of acknowledgement, the blonde slipped out of the room, friends in tow.
"I'm okay, promise." Elle assured her cousin, offering the girl a satisfied smile despite all of the shit she would surely be in by the end of the night with her family. "But Phil isn't, that's for damn sure." If nothing else, the look of utter embarrassment and rage on Mr. McCoy's face when she'd dumped that wine on him would be more than enough vengeance to fuel her for a few days. Sure, it would never in a million years make up for everything he'd done to Wren, but it was a start. And baby, revenge sure was sweet.
Her attention had been diverted by Wren's confused stare towards the large windows at the front of her home, followed by Aria's shocked laugh. "Wait, what did-" But she was cut off by the sight of a puff of messy hair and toned bare cheeks flying in the wind across her front lawn. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." She laughed, dropping Wren's hand to jog out the front door.
"Beckett Greene!" She scolded, though the humor in her voice bled through. She did her best to seem like he was angry, hands sassily placed on her hips and doing her best to bite back a smile as she stared at the slowly re-dressing boy. The blonde tried not to let her eyes linger for too long, but you'd have to be blind to not appreciate the sight of a naked Beckett Greene. "You're just begging to get the cops called, aren't you?" She smirked, starting down the steps towards him.
"In your dreams." Eloise countered quickly after Beck had insisted it was her turn to strip down and run around the house. "Some of us hold ourselves to a higher standard." Though her words were snotty, her tone was anything but, and it was clear that she was only joking with the boy. I mean, at this point it wasn't likely that she could get in much more trouble with her parents, so what was the worst that could happen if they found a naked south sider on their lawn?
"But really-" She insisted, a smile on her lips but her ocean eyes still held a little disappoint at not being able to keep the south side boy around longer. "Now is really not a good time. I'll see you tomorrow." A coy smile sat on her lips as she shooed him towards his car, only for a rock to soar over both of their heads, chucked by a girl she didn't recognize and landing right on Wren's face. "Wren!" She gasped, though her shock was interlaced with a small laugh.
The poor boy really couldn't catch a break.
Jasper would have continued to sit there until daylight if he hadn't been for Aria. Her small hand was warm in his and he held onto her as she practically dragged him up out of his chair. "Well, this has been charming," he murmured, casting everyone a pleased smile as he was led back the way they had come less than ten minutes before. It was only when he felt Aria stiffen beside him did he too decide to glance back at the scene they had left behind. It happened in almost slow motion, the girl and the waiter, and Jasper raised his eyebrows in delight as he watched the wine that tumbled down over Phill. Aria's voice and giggle traveled upwards towards him and he looked down to meet her waiting gaze with a large grin that deflated instantly at the word bitch.
Anger clouded his eyes briefly. There were a lot of ways you treated a female and that was not one of them. Jasper took a step towards the situation only to find the other McCoy had beat him to the man. Jasper knew little of Wren other than he was Phil's only son; information he'd picked up from eavesdropping on his father's conversations in the past. It would have been a lie to say he didn't enjoy the show.
As Wren, Aira, and the other girl Elle made their way past him and out the front doors Jasper followed, only to come to a complete halt. "What in the..." His voice trailed off at the sight of white skin and then an entire full moon running wildly across the lawn. Like his night couldn't have gotten any stranger. There was the keying of the car, the lovely dinner party, the wine, the fist fight, and now this? Why hadn't he showed up for these parties sooner, he had clearly been missing out. Tearing his eyes from the streaking male, Jasper allowed his fingers to intertwine with Aria's as the two began walking the driveway.
"I've been in deeper," Jasper replied, returning her wink and trying his very best to ignore the southsider boy who had now apparently covered himself and was insistent on picking a fight by the stairs. As Aria continued, Jasper heard a voice he knew, and his heart actually dropped for a moment. Far behind him at the top of the driveway his name floated down yet again and even with Aria now staring at him with a questionable look, he didn't turn around. It had occurred to him that if he didn't turn to look, maybe the girl, Lucy, would think she had confused him with a different person; she had always been rather insecure like that, a second guesser of herself.
Jasper knew the Baker's for all the wrong reasons. He had never been a friend of Lucy's, but she had always been around when he crashed with the guys after long nights of being up to no good. She had even cooked him breakfast before and given him glasses of water for those sandpaper throat mornings. He really did feel bad for ignoring her now, but the ideal of his Northern identity floating all over the south side was nerve wracking.
Just as he thought she had given up on his attention Jasper saw the glint of something falling through the air. "Is that a....rock?" He asked Aria, turning his head slightly to get a better view. He was sure that whatever it had been was meant for him, but it was very left field. In fact, it was heading straight for Wren McCoy, and Jasper felt his mouth open as he watched the rock hit Wren squarely in the face.
He did turn now, all the way around, to stare towards the group at the top of the road. Lucy was looking more shocked than Wren and he could see the bottoms of her tennis shoes as she ran, squeezing herself behind someone. Remember how he said his night couldn't have gotten any stranger? He had been wrong. Very, very, wrong.
As much as Lucy had enjoyed drinking a beer at Beck's and watching Griff's daredevil ramp tricks, it was nothing compared to what she was currently seeing. She was actually laughing so hard she was positive she was going to piss herself. "I've missed being home so much," she choked out while trying very hard to catch her breath. It wasn't the first time she had seen an ass, it probably wouldn't be the last either, but this was most certainly one she'd never forget. As she watched the elite piling out the front door of the Montgomery's estate she turned towards Lena and Griff with an amused questionable look. "Do you think they're going to call the police?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. It was quite obvious that Beck and the blonde girl he was engaging with knew each other and she had a bit more than a nudge that there was something deeper going on between the two than friendship. Why else would he have been there giving them all a strip tease? "Things have changed a lot, huh?" Lucy asked the others, more of a statement than an actual question. God, maybe she had stayed gone too long.
Leaning up off the hood of Beck's jeep Lucy ran a hand through her long brunette hair and smiled, her eyes traveling across all the faces she could make out from where she was. She didn't recognize many of them, although she could pick out a figure or two that held familiarity. She had briefly met the angry male who looked as if he'd had a very bad night, the one Beck was currently taunting, once. It had been years and Lucy couldn't remember much about the experience. What was his name again? Warren? Ryan? Twisting a bit of her hair around her finger Lucy shrugged the thought away. It didn't really matter, the encounter hadn't been one of importance and to be frank all she did remember from the run in had been the fact he didn't like South Siders much. It really was too bad; he was a very good looking guy.
Just as Lucy was about to turn her gaze away, something else caught her attention. The tall, lean, and very dark haired sight of someone she knew way too well. Lucy scrunched her eyebrows and glanced towards the gang to see if any of them knew him, before taking a few steps down the drive. "Jas!" She yelled, waving her arms around to catch his attention. "Jas over here!" She called again, bending down to scoop up a rock. What was he doing there? Lucy had met Jas more than just a several times throughout her last couple years of high school before she'd left for college. Hell he had even stayed the night on her couch drunk on more than one occasion. He was a good friend to her brothers, always getting into trouble with them. She had always just assumed his family came to visit the island but from where she was standing she was starting to think something completely different.
Without hesitation Lucy turned the rock in her hand a few times before she threw it as hard as she could. She had been aiming for the center of Jas's back, but the moment she let go of the solid mass she knew she had royally fucked up. With a feeling of sick horror and sheer helplessness Lucy watched the rock fly wildly through the air straight towards Beck, only for it to go over the top of his messy hair and to wack no one other than the guy she'd been staring at only moments before. Oh shit.
Lucy had never been good at sports. She was mildly athletic but still clumsy. On her behalf it really was quite dark and everyone was kind of scrunched together. She really hadn't meant to. "Oh god oh god oh god." Was all she could manage as she turned and bolted back down the driveway. "Oh my fuck." She half breathed half choked, diving behind Griff to hide herself while knowing that it was pointless. Someone would have had to be completely blind to have missed it and to be fair, she wasn't even sure then they wouldn't have known it was her, with all that yelling and arm flailing she'd been doing.
For someone who was from the north side, this tall, dark, and handsome stranger sure did have a slight edge to him. His sly mouth, those enchanting eyes that held not only danger but sorrow as well. While he dressed to the nines, there was still something rugged about her last-minute date to the Montgomery dinner party. It made her night more bearable.
Her mother definitely seemed to notice. Jasper matched her cool and calculating gaze with one of his own and threw out a terrifying smile that, for once, put her mothers to shame. A north sider that seemed to have a backbone, a rare sight and one Aria was grateful for. As Jasper’s hand clenched over hers for a moment, she passed him a thankful glance and offered a sheepish smile.
However, once he introduced himself as a Hudson, that shy smile turned into one more feral. One that held the kind of fire and dare that always sent her mother screaming. A smile that seethed rebellion, curiosity, and a hell of a lot of balls. “No shit,” she whispered, arching a brow to him as the corner of her lip turned upwards into a smirk. Of course, he was a Hudson. It all made sense to her, now. The swagger in his walk and the velvet voice that sent chills up and down her spine. Dark eyes that almost forced you to stare back and a confidence that could only be inherited. The Hudson’s were not well-liked on this side of town, especially with the families at this specific dinner table. Either this boy had a death wish or he was just as crazy as she was.
That sneaky little bastard.
As Jasper tore into the Montgomery’s that sat no more than a few feet away, Aria couldn’t take her eyes off of him. While her father looked slightly bored and only a little unnerved, her mother on the other hand was beat red and her thin lips were set into a hard line. The woman was death gripping her wine glass in her hand and Aria was surprised the crystal didn’t shatter. Aria dipped her head once and snickered as Jasper continued to tear into her mother nonchalantly. Hey, she couldn’t say that the woman didn’t deserve it.
Seeing Jasper turn towards Wren’s father made Aria’s eyes narrow and her blood boil. After what he did to Wren for years, right under their noses, seeing that monster made Aria sick to her stomach and she pushed away her dinner plate instinctively. Her hand curled into a fist under the table, gripping a part of her light green dress and she stared down Mr. McCoy. It seemed as if the man had attacks coming from every single north side child at the table -- even the newest addition. Oh yes, Jasper Hudson could definitely hang with their crew. He fit right in. As Jasper went on, leaving no room for Phil to even think about interrupting, Aria offered the old man a feline grin and set her chin on her propped fist that sat on the table. She was fully invested in Phil McCoy’s destruction and Aria took a lazy sip of her red wine as she watched the man crumble by Jasper’s words.
“Always a pleasure, Mr. Hudson. It’s absolutely astounding as to why we stopped your little playdates with our children. I can’t imagine why we would do such a thing, hm?” Aria’s mother said through gritted teeth across the table to Jasper. “Especially after you and your family could have used some assistance after that horrible accident involving your sister. My deepest condolence’s for your loss.”
Aria wasn’t exactly sure what her mother’s words meant. A faint memory of news articles and the town marina being closed for some time resurfaced from the back of her mind, but only now did Aria put the pieces together. She had been young, but she remembered the utter chaos that had erupted across Newport after the death of a little girl at the marina. A boating accident, they called it.
Aria’s knees knocked against the table, shaking it slightly as she held back her composure on leaping over the dinner and showing her mother exactly how a proper north side lady would handle a situation like this. With a tongue sharp as nails and with cat-like green eyes that held little to no forgiveness. Turning her head to Jasper, she noticed his attempt to act unbothered. However, there was no missing the slight flush that rose to his cheeks and the tightening grip he had on that water glass. Her mother had struck a nerve, a still healing one.
“That was low, even for you.” Aria snapped to the older blonde across from her. Her mother simply gave her a look that said, “you will explain this later” which Aria only reacted with a roll of her eyes and a huff back in her chair. Taking Jasper’s hand, Aria began to drag him up and out of his chair, starting to leave the dinner in their wake. “Come on, let’s just go,” she spoke.
Hearing Elle’s voice sound from the dinner table, Aria glanced back at her cousin -- meeting her mischievous gaze. Aria knew that look all too well and, despite her recent words, she stopped in her tracks to watch Eloise travel around the large dining table. Watching intently, Aria had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep her laughter from escaping as she saw Eloise purposefully bump into the waiter -- the contents of the tray falling right over and onto none other than the man of the hour himself. “Oh dear,” she sarcastically said, glancing upwards to Jasper as a burst of giggles erupted out of her mouth. “Red wine is a bitch to get out.” But, those giggles quickly dissipated as Phil stood and faced off her tiny cousin. Aria couldn’t help but to sneer at the man and as Phil McCoy called Elle a bitch, Aria’s face turned as red as the cabernet. Without hesitation, she began to stomp over to Phil to assist her fellow blonde. “You piece of shit,” Aria snarled to the man before a hustling Wren shot past her and faced his father head-on.
Seeing the two together struck a whole new meaning for Aria now, and her hands shook at the sight. As she watched Wren pull back his fist and hit his father square in the jaw, she gasped and her hands shot to her mouth. The air was silent and no one moved, not even as Phil rolled his head back to glare at his only son.
She quickly followed Elle and Wren out of the dining room, passing only her father an apologetic look. While the man had privilege that one could only dream of and money that most would kill for, he wasn’t cruel. Maybe slightly dismissive and aloof, yes, but he never held such hostility as Phil McCoy. Whereas Aria’s mother ridiculed her for her destructive and rebellious tendencies, a part of Aria knew that her father slightly approved. Even if he didn’t show it.
“Elle, are you okay?” Aria asked as they finally were away from the hotmess that was family dinner. Her green hues then shot to Wren who seemed slightly distracted by movement out on the front lawn. “Wren, how about you? That was--” Her voice was cut off by Wren’s as her friend glanced back to the group, a look of confusion and shocked riddled across his face. Aria shrugged her shoulders and squinted her eyes to see none other than a shirtless Beckett Greene running across the yard.
“As if tonight couldn’t get any more fucked up,” Aria mumbled, sending an apologetic look up to Jasper. When her gaze returned to Beck, Aria laughed wholeheartedly as she noticed the boy was in nothing but his dirtied converse and his bandana. “Eloise, please go save his dumbass before he ends up on the front page of the paper.” Lacing her fingers through Jasper’s easily, Aria began to drag the boy out towards the driveway, following after Elle and Wren. “You, my friend, just dug yourself into a very, very deep hole.” Her eyes wandered up to Jasper’s and she passed him a wink before heading down the driveway, tracing a lone finger across Phil’s freshly keyed car. “If you plan on trying to go any deeper,” Aria jutted her chin down the street to where her estate sat on the other side, “I think you know where to find me. Unfortunately, I don’t have anymore car detailing jobs lined up,” she turned to walk backward, facing the boy and grinning widely, “but I’m sure we could figure something else out.”
“I’m sorry Griff, I can’t hear you over the sound of me winning this damn bet,” Beck chided to his friend, smiling around a french fry as he finished his food. As Griff and Lena started making more comments about the bet and his antics, Beck opened his mouth to spew out more cheap shots. But, thankfully for his ragtag pair of friends, Beck’s witty and assholey retorts were quickly silenced by a knock on his door. “What the hell?” He muttered, furrowing his brows and following Griff to the door. “Since when do people fucking knock when they come to my house?”
Hearing Novak’s exclamations and seeing the boy pick up a familiar form, Beck’s eyes grew wide and he smiled crookedly as he snatched Lucy from Griff once he had released her. “My turn!” He chuckled, scooping her up and spinning her before eventually setting her down after she had protested enough for his liking. Beck had always taken it easy on his witty and slightly inappropriate comments to his dark-haired friend. While she still had enough balls to hang with their crew, she had what he and Novak lacked: A little bit of common fucking sense. “Still have that stick up your ass, I see,” Beck playfully teased the girl, ruffling her hair once as he beamed down at her. “It’s good to see you, Lou. Are you sticking around for good this time? And yeah, go eat and meet my blonde roommate.” Beck flashed Lucy a wink as he nodded towards the house. “She has a drooling problem and might have you beat in the cuteness factor, unfortunately.”
After Griff had shooed Lucy away and into the house, Beck’s attention turned back towards his makeshift course of death and he grinned wickedly at Lena and her hatred of his backyard shenanigans. “It’s like you seriously don’t know us at all, Lanes. Would it be a south side dinner without someone almost dying? Besides,” Beck glanced over to his creation once more, looking at his makeshift course with a proud grin, “I think I did a damn good job if you ask me.”
As he and Griff made a deal, Beck simply laughed as Griff bartered to shave off two weeks of his time for the bet. Like he would need it, anyways. “Let’s be real, Novak. I could win this bet by the end of the month if I wanted to. I’m enjoying myself, I have her right where I want her.”
He needed to down the rest of his drink after saying that. A burning sensation thrived in his throat, and it wasn’t from the whiskey, either. It had only been one weekend with Eloise and Beck knew he was in shit. Deep, utter shit. While he covered up his broken pieces and his true feelings bout himself with witty jokes and sly smiles, Beck knew that he could try and fool himself for only so long. While he was a decent actor, he was a horrible liar.
He pushed back the feeling of disgust and self-hatred as he heard Griff’s antique bike rumble to life. Lena’s voice also sounded from the porch and he turned to face her as she started recording. “You forgot sexy. Local sexy dumbasses, Lanes. Come on.” He felt the purr of Griff’s bike in his chest and as Griffin made a beeline for the jump, Beck watched his friend intently, his body stilling as he maneuvered him and his bike blindly over the jump. As Griff landed, Beck shot out a laugh and threw his head back, clapping his hands together in the process. “You’re fucking crazy, dude!” Giving Lena a thumbs up right into the view of the camera before she shut off her phone, Beck was readying himself to go jump on his own set of wheels to take the course. But, his daring friend seemed to have another task for Beckett Greene to take on.
“Streaking?!” Beck chuckled and shook his head. “God, are we twelve? That shit’s easy.” Hearing Lena take a jab at his confidence, Beck merely waved her off and shoved her shoulder lightly. “Lanes, don’t even try that. I’ll have her crawling back for seconds, thirds, desert, you name it.” He swallowed a lump in his throat and his face slightly shifted from arrogant to something else entirely. Beck’s smiled faltered and before he allowed his friends to see his altered state, he started jogging towards his jeep. “You guys are lucky I’m not a lightweight. Get in.”
Once the entire crew had piled into Beck’s car, the tousled haired boy jetted out of his driveway and took off down the dirt road surrounded by willow trees. “We can’t be gone long, Cals doesn’t like being home alone at night,” he told his friends as the wind breezed through the jeep. Beck turned up the radio, classic rock blaring through the car and he thrummed his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat. “Lucy, I hope this is the welcome home party you dreamed of. Shitty shenanigans and a whole lot of ass!” Beck smirked and tore through the south side until large houses and paved roads rolled into view.
The sight just made him turn his music up even louder.
Eventually, they pulled up to the Montgomery estate. This was now the third time Beck had been to Elle’s home today. He really was turning into someone he no longer knew. Quietly shutting his rickety door as much as he could, Beck began to creep up towards the house, trying to avoid the large windows at all costs. Standing at the side of the house while his friends sat back by the car, Beck turned to give them a quick wink before he started to jog across the neatly manicured lawn. He peered into the large window, seeing a slew of finely dressed north siders, Elle being one of them and looking as stunning as ever. Unfortunately, that prick of a douche Wren was sitting next to her, and Beck made quite the show of discarding his shirt as he darted across the lawn again. He passed the group an excited and mocking wave -- showing no remorse for what he was about to do. He met Eloise’s eyes through the window and passed her a flirtatious and questionable wink before he disappeared to the side of the house again.
Beck did not hesitate to drop his shorts, tossing them to the side, and stood in the Montgomery’s front yard in nothing but his underwear. “I hope you enjoy the view!” He called down to his entourage of friends as they watched from the street. Chucking deviously Beck quickly discarded his underwear and covered his goods with his hands. He then wasted no time again in sprinting through the front yard, a shit-eating grin plastered all over his tanned face and Beck continued to laugh as he ran butt ass naked right across the window. His hand only covering his front and everything else was out for the world to see. “You know, Griff, if you wanted to see me naked you could have just asked, bro!” Beck yelled down to his friend as he returned to his shorts and boxers, hastily pulling them on so his bottom half was covered.
His attention was then pulled towards the front door, which was thrown open rather quickly and Beck stared at a seething Wren and a gaping Elle. While seeing his girl with that shit stain of a north sider again was infuriating, it seemed to please Beck somewhat that she wasn’t as upset as he had expected. If anything, the little blonde looked very amused and even entertained by his Rated R act.
“Now it’s your turn, Princess.” Beck kept that same wicked grin on his face as he eyed down Eloise in that sundress that made his heartbeat quicken ever so slightly. “Sorry,” he turned to Wren, his smile now turning more feral and daunting, “unfortunately for you, I’m not exactly inclined to see your ass run around naked. Did you enjoy the show, at least?”
It was bad enough that Wren had to sit across from his father all night after what had happened, but to make matters worse he also had to listen as Elle’s parents gushed about him like he was a good guy. He’d proven just how shitty of a person he could be in the last few days and even though Elle had been protecting him by not telling them the real reason he had gotten in that fight, he still could barely stand to sit there and let her family thank him. He’d gotten into a fistfight, almost lost his two best friends in the world, and gotten kicked out of his house in the span of a few hours — it was a night he’d much rather stop thinking about entirely.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to for very long when Aria and some new guy walked through the front door. His eyebrows knitted together as he took the couple in. The boy was someone Wren had seen around town, but he’d never really interacted with him before. He shot Aria a questioning glance as she settled into her usual seat next to him. It was kind of weird to see the last person he’d slept with walk in with a new guy, but it almost left Wren feeling relieved. He felt her grab his hand under the table and give it a squeeze and he smiled a bit, glad that she was there.
He was glad to have the topic of conversation off of himself and the shitshow that had been the gala, but he couldn’t help but eye the guy Aria had brought again when he introduced himself at last. Jasper Hudson. The name was at least one he knew well. The Hudson’s were north siders, that much was true, but they weren’t exactly known for being the most by-the-books in terms of their business ventures. He’d heard that much from his father at least, though Wren didn’t exactly trust what that man had to say anymore.
The Hudson boy lived up to his family name as he wasted no time in disrupting the light conversation and status quo meal Wren had come to expect from attending years of dinners exactly like this one. They ate, they made polite conversation, and once the adults had gone off to discuss business or the next social event of the season, Wren, Aria, and Elle would sneak off and steal something from the liquor cabinet. That’s how they had spent many Sunday nights growing up. But he had to admit, this was a lot more entertaining.
Wren’s eyes slid over to his father’s seat as Jasper talked about him meeting frequently at the Hudson’s house this summer. What the hell was that about? He’d thought, for a moment that Jasper had made a mistake, but after looking at the way the boy was affecting Phil McCoy, Wren knew he’d struck a nerve. He’d never seen his father turn that particular shade of red, and it made him wonder what shady shit he was getting himself into. Wren had known his father was a sleazeball in his personal life, but good to know he was just as bad in the office. He also couldn’t help but smirk when Jasper said his father was probably going to lose millions. Now he wasn’t sure if that was actually a true statement, but if Wren had lost everything in one night it would only be poetic for his father to lose some too.
He felt Elle’s hand squeeze his thigh and he could have sworn the air had gotten knocked out of him. She was being a friend, he knew that — and he was beyond glad that she was here with him, helping him through this shit going on with his dad, but having her so close, thinking about what they could have been...
He cleared his throat and nodded as she pushed away from the table and excused herself. Though he couldn’t help but notice the little look she and Aria had shared before Elle had gotten up. And before Wren could even register what had happened, his father was standing from the table, his white button-down now drenched with dark, red wine.
It didn’t take a genius to see what had happened, that Elle had purposefully bumped into the waiter and sent that tray of wine directly into Phil McCoy’s lap — and it took everything in Wren to keep from laughing.
That is until his father called Elle a bitch.
Wren shot up from the table and pushed the man away from the girl. Phil had been towering over her, his face beat red and his hands fisted at his sides — a sight Wren had grown all to accustomed to. He tried to let his anger overshadow the fear. Unlike the fight with Beck at the gala, Wren felt conscious of every move he was making. Which made it feel so much better when he cocked his arm back and hit his father square in the jaw.
He’d never fought back before. Never even tried to stop his father when he’d been the target of his attacks, but seeing his friend on the other side of those glaring eyes made something inside him snap. Wren shook out his now throbbing hand. “Don’t you ever speak to her like that again,” He spat in the man’s direction. Phil McCoy dabbed at his bleeding lip with his tongue and eyed Wren like he was sizing up an opponent. “You’re going to regret that, son.” But Wren shook his head, eyeing his father carefully. “I really don’t think I will.” He heard his mother say his name at the blatant, and very public, disrespect but he didn’t even look in her direction.
“Are you okay?” He asked Elle gently before clearing his throat as he turned back to her and Aria’s parents. “I’m sorry you all had to see that.” He looked back over at his father who was seething with anger. “I would really consider whether or not you want a man who would disrespect your daughter that way as a business partner,” He told the other two older men sitting at the table. Wren turned back to his friends. “Can we get the hell out of here, please?” He asked under his breath.
As Wren started to walk towards the front doors of the mansion, he saw a flash of someone running past the large front windows. “What the hell was that?” He asked, looking back over his shoulders to see if either Elle, Aria, or Jasper had seen it as well. Then the body ran back across the window, this time without a shirt on. It took half a second for Wren to realize who was outside, and it was the last person he really wanted to deal with right now. Beck ran back across the front yard, this time in nothing but his chucks and his bandana. “Oh, for fucks sake.” Beckett Greene’s bare ass was something that would forever haunt Wren’s nightmares.
Lena walked in with dinner just in time to hear Griff say that someone, though she could probably guess who he was talking about, wasn’t nearly as good looking at he was — then asked Lena to confirm that statement. She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. “My favorite thing about you, Griff, is how humble you are,” She joked passing him a grin as she set down the bags of food. The girl felt Beck kiss the top of her head and she pushed him away from her at his comment about stealing her for himself. “Stealing me from him suggests he had me in the first place,” She quipped, taking a sip of her drink and sitting down with her plate piled high.
She took a big bite of her burger as Beck told her that she and Griff were sure to lose the best. She swallowed and took another sip of her drink. “Mhmm, I feel like you’re acting too cocky at this point. Overcompensating?” She asked with a smirk but scoffed at Griff’s alternative to what Beck suggested she do with Corban. Lena elbowed him when he winked at her. “You’d like that,” She rolled her eyes, and she took another drink when she felt her cheeks flush a little.
It felt good to have just a night alone with her friends without any north side drama, even if that drama was a pretty large conversation point. Lena sat back in her chair as she dipped her last French fry in the pool of ketchup on her plate and tossed it in her mouth. She was two and a half drinks in and feeling it when Beck mentioned that more would be joining them. Lena stood from the table and followed her friends outside to see Griff and Beck greeting a girl she hadn’t seen in years. “No way,” She exclaimed and pulled the girl into a brief hug. “Lucy! How have you been?” She asked, genuinely.
The girl had hung around with their friend group when they’d all been in high school, though that felt like a lifetime ago. Lena remembered that Lucy had been on the quieter side, but had been surprisingly willing to put up with their dumb asses and all the trouble they used to get into. “What brings you back to the island? Weren’t you out in California?” She asked, listening to the girl until she heard Beck say something about setting the bikes up. Lena looked back behind the house to see Beck’s ramp had been set up.
“Jesus Christ, again with the fucking ramps? As much as I love watching you guys bust ass, does the prospect of death not scare you at all or?” She watched as they hauled the bikes on to the lawn and prepared themselves to do whatever stupid shit they were planning on doing. She needed another drink. She skipped the coke this time and poured herself a stiff glass of whiskey before reluctantly returning to the backyard and the redneck death trap they had set up.
She knew she was the mom of the group because this stuff always made her nervous, but also…it was still pretty entertaining to watch. So she took a seat on Beck’s porch to watch the show. Though she almost choked on her drink when Beck suggested Griff make the jump with his eyes closed. “Griff, do not — oh my God,” She was about to say more when Beck cut her off, telling her to either record or to not watch at all. She flipped him off when he called her a mother hen, but she pulled her phone out to record the stunt anyways.
“I feel like I’m recording an episode of Jackass,” She told them hitting the record button. “Or one of those videos of accidents on the news,” Lena started imitating the voice of a newscaster. “Local dumbasses, Griffin Novak and Beckett Greene, died Sunday night in a fiery four-wheeler accident after their shitty homemade ramp collapsed…” She joked. Though she had trouble keeping the phone steady as Griff climbed on, closed his eyes, and took off toward the ramp. She wished she had elected to close her eyes.
Lena let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding when the four-wheeler connected with the ground again, Griff still on top of it — though he had barely hung on there towards the end. Griff approached their group again, looking triumphant. “You’re an idiot,” She mused, shutting off the recording. But she couldn’t help but bark out a laugh when Griff dared Beck to go streaking on the Montgomery estate. “Or are you a genius?” She chuckled. “But that would put Beck at a disadvantage in the bet. Once Elle sees him naked I really doubt she’s going to want to come back for seconds,” She joked.
Griffin couldn't help but laugh as Beck immediately tried to deny each and every piece of Griff's statement. "Dude. That was such a date." He argued, still shouting from the living room floor as he rolled around with the little ball of fluff that was Cali. "And I think if it had went 'perfectly according to plan' then you'd already have her panties in a trophy case somewhere, you freak." He laughed, finally pushing himself up from the floor and joining his friend in the kitchen. "You act like I haven't known you for like ever, it's not like you to play the long game, Beck."
The boy barked out a gruff laugh as Beckett warned him to start preparing a break up letter for his latest conquest, Lena. "I wouldn't be so confident if I were you." Griffin challenged, jumping up to sit on the edge of the counter. "Just because you're the princess of Newport's newest play-thing doesn't mean she's going to keep you around to seal the deal. We're just cheap entertainment for girls like her, you know that." Sure, maybe Griffin was being a little harsh on his best friend, but a confident Beck was a dangerous Beck. At the end of the day, Griff was still banking on the fact that his friend wouldn't be able to score with the blonde north sider, because he sure as hell wasn't ready to give up this new thing he'd found with Lena.
Plus, bringing up Loafers had pissed him off a little.
"He may have the money, and the cool car, and the rich guy swagger - but Lena's better than that." He bartered, although he wasn't sure how much he believed his own words. "It'll take more than that for her to fall for that douche bag. Plus, he isn't nearly as good looking as I am." Griffin accentuated the last half of his statement just in time for Lena to roll in with armfuls of food and booze. "Aint that right, sweetheart." The boy teased, passing her a flirtatious smirk as she shuffled past her to start creating his burger.
Griffin made himself a fat burger and snagged a beer from the fridge before taking his seat back on the counter, digging into the food without a moment's hesitation. He gagged as Beck insisted she not let her new boy-toy stray too far, making quite a show of coughing and rolling his eyes. "Or-" He countered around a mouth full of food, quickly chewwing and swallowing the bite that'd filled his mouth. "You can let him stray. Far. Really, really far." He offered with a cheeky grin, passing the girl a wink as he bit back into his burger.
After the three of them had successfully finished their food and at least a couple rounds of drinks, Griffin followed Beck out the door as he mentioned the potential for company. What he hadn't been expecting, however, was the small brunette that'd greeted him as he kicked the door open. It took him a moment to fully realize who was standing in front of him, and had only pieced the puzzle together once he recognized the family resemblance of the Baker genes. "Lucy fucking Baker, long time no see." He grinned, scooping the girl up in a tight hug, lifting her feet off the ground for a brief moment before he placed her back down. She'd hung around them in high school, mostly a fly on the wall but always ready for a good time, and Griffin had ran with her older brothers for the last couple of years. "God, it's been years, girl." He laughed, slinging an arm over her shoulder affectionately. Who knew if the kid was just tipsy, or in a particularly good mood. "There's food and drinks in the house, go make a plate and meet us back out here." He insisted, shooing the girl into the house once she'd greeted the rest of their little gang of friends.
It didn't take long for their rag tag group to get into mischief, and next thing he knew he was being dared to jump a ramp with his eyes closed. "You're on, Greene - but if I make it, I'm shaving two weeks of your deadline for the dare." He bartered, slinging a leg over his bike and kicking it into gear. The old engine roared to life, puttering for a few moments as if it were about to give out on them before finally finding a steady rhythm. Griffin took a moment to steady himself and line the bike up with the ramp before passing his friends an overly confident grin, squeezing his eyes shut and cranking back the accelerator.
To be completely honest, Griff wasn't really sure if he'd actually landed the jump or not until he felt the tires of the bike slam into the ground, nearly sending him over the handle bars before he was able to even it out. He slowed the bike to a stop as he jumped off, turning to throw his fists in the air in success towards his friends as he approached them once more. "Okay, your turn for a dare." He began, brown eyes sparkling with mischief as he eyes his friend and fellow trouble maker. "I want you to go streaking." He began, pausing to smile deviously. "Around the Montgomery estate."
Eloise listened as her mother and father gushed over how sweet of a boy Wren was and what a good pair they made with mild interest, trying desperately to keep the eye rolls to a minimum and a pleasantly passive look on her face. It was nothing she hadn't heard before. Elle was convinced that her mother and Wren's had been planning their wedding since the long time friends had been in diapers, playing together in their parent's offices during business meetings.
Wren and herself had never really thought anything of it, aside from the occasional teasing joke or jab... that is, until recently. The two young adults had been the best of friends for nearly their entire lives, and had accompanied one another to nearly every formal occasion from their senior proms all the way to official charity galas and the like. They'd even shared their first kiss together as middle schoolers, hidden away in the tack room of one of their yachts. Even then, they'd only done it just to say that they'd kissed someone before, not because either could even imagine having romantic feelings towards the other. It was only recently that the two had began exploring a budding romance, sharing flirtatious glances and cheeky innuendos.
But that was gone now. That was over.
Despite the sting in her gut when the blonde thought about her best friend and what could've been between them, Eloise was content with keeping Wren as a friend. So even though he'd hurt her, here she was, about to make a fool of his father in front of all of his business associates for the boy's sake.
However, just as she was about to make her move she was interrupted by none other than her cousin on the arm of a stranger. The boy Aria had brought was immaculately dressed, incredibly handsome, and carried himself with a peacock like confidence. He was definitely one of them.
The boy was vaguely familiar, but Elle was sure she didn't know their new guest any deeper than the occasional passing by in town or at business events. He was, however, someone she was very interested in getting to know. Eloise passed her cousin a received smile as she took her seat on the other side of Wren, pleased to have her partner in crime back with her, and for the distraction she'd provided from their parent's still gushing over the potential for joining the McCoy and Montgomery families in the future.
Eloise quirked an eyebrow in the new boy's direction as he took over for Aria, introducing himself as Jasper Hudson - and suddenly, it clicked. That was how she knew him. He was a Hudson, and the Hudson family was incredibly well known around the north side of Newport. They were north siders, but they weren't known for following the north side rules - and that made Elle like him all the more.
Damn, her cousin really knew how to pick them.
Eloise was even more pleased as the Hudson boy dove right into the table of elites, ripping them apart with a smooth confidence that made her chest tingle with excitement. It was exhilarating to watch, and the blonde commended him for taking them all head-on without a moment's hesitation. But it was when Jasper tore into Phil without an ounce of relent that fully convinced Elle that he would fit right in with their little group.
The girl silently ate her meal, sipping a glass of red wine to wash it down as she watched the shit show unfold before her. Normally these dinners were filled with surface level small talk and the intense struggle not to fall asleep - at least this one provided a meal and a show.
Elle watched with hidden pleasure as Phil's face reddened to the shade of a tomato, the veins in his neck straining against his collared shirt as he angrily chewed his steak. If he were a cartoon character, he'd surely have steam blowing out of every orifice in his face. Elle reached a hand under the table, placing her hand on Wren's thigh and giving it a reassuring squeeze. She'd expected that this encounter with his father would be difficult for him, especially after what'd happened only a night ago between them. To say that their relationship was strained was an understatement.
"If you all would excuse me." The blonde murmured politely, locking eyes with her cousin for a brief moment of shared mischief between them before sliding out of her seat. The final course along with a desert wine was in the process of being served, and Elle excused herself towards the restroom. She bit the insides of her cheeks to suppress a smile as she passed a server carrying a tray of wine glasses, knocking into their elbow slyly as she moved past them, sending the whole tray over Phil McCoy's shoulder.
"Oh!" Elle feigned shock, covering her mouth with a dainty hand. "I'm such a klutz, Mr. McCoy." This time her voice held a little less warmth, and a lot more ice. "What a shame, I hear that Cabernet is exquisite." The blonde rolled her bottom lip out in a pout, her eyes holding an edge she didn't normally possess as the man drenched in red turned to face her, outraged as Eloise made it clear that this was no accident. The man shot from his seat, standing toe to toe with the petite blonde as his entire body shook with anger, fists clenched at his sides. "You little bitch." He seethed, already on edge after the Hudson boy's display and the Montgomery girl's attack the last straw to his patience. Elle didn't flinch, staring the man down as if she were 6'5" with a glock in her hand instead of a little girl in a dress.
Jasper had walked into a hive. He had realized it the moment the Little Wasp had gave him the look, you know, the one that held "I dare you", "You love this kind of shit, don't you?", "Come and play.” It was an invitation he couldn’t have declined, not to mention there was no way anyone could say no to those eyes or that mischievous smile anyways. Chaos was a place Jasper knew all too well and a game he could play better than most. At least when he burnt a bridge, or two, he knew how to torch the entire damn town with it before any form of apologizing took place. It was a gift or a curse, depending on the day. Tonight, was no expectation. Plus, Jasper hadn't walked down that long driveway by any accident. He had been sent to the Montgomery's dinner party for a purpose, the keying of the car had only been an unseen bonus.
Jasper took his sit slowly. Under the table he felt his knee accidentally bump into the stranger on his opposite side and he offered an apologetic smile; If he met his eyes, he wasn’t sure. Before he could offer a verbal apology, he was interrupted by a rather beautiful older woman. Jasper took an automatic note of the fact she sat with a lot of authority in her posture and ice in her stare. He recognized her immediately from some old photos thrown around his family’s estate. She was a Montgomery. “Aria, darling, who must this be?” All heads turned to stare at Aria and then of course him. He stared back, the warm apologetic smile he had been holding only moments before beginning to turn into something much cooler. Next to him Aria began to introduce him only to trail to a stop. Jasper jumped quickly to her rescue even placing a hand over her own above the table. “It’s okay Aria,” He began as he removed his hand and crossed them neatly across his chest. “I can introduce myself. I’m Jasper Hudson, I believe everyone here knows my parents, Walt and Ellenor Hudson.”
Around him the table had gone rather quiet. Of course, Jasper didn’t blame anyone. The Hudson’s did have a rather distasteful reputation and rarely made appearances around the Island. In front of him Mrs. Montgomery’s eyes squinted a bit. It reminded him of a cat spotting its prey and preparing for an attack. Her lips parted slightly, obviously to respond to his intrusion of their dinner party, but Jasper began again cutting her off before she’d even had a chance to start. “Sorry they couldn’t make it. My mother actually sent me here on a bit of an errand. Let’s see, I want to get this as accurate as possible, to avoid miscommunication.” Jasper clicked his tongue pretending to think very hard before casting everyone a grin. “She wanted me to say she apologizes for not attending. She figured her invite must have been lost in the mail, you know how terrible those south sider workers can be, probably figured it was a check, but that is besides the matter.” Jasper gave a quick wave of his hand before continuing. “By the time she heard of the event she had other plans. She is having a milk bath and then lounging in her parole naked with a glass of wine from my faker's reserve. He is out of town.” Somewhere in the room he heard what could only have been someone choking on their own wine but Jasper continued as if it hadn’t happened. “And speaking of that Mr. McCoy, or should I call you Phil? I think I’ll call you Phil.” Turning in his chair so he had a better look of the man, he gave him the most shocked of expressions. “I am rather surprised to see you here. My father heard from the grape vine that several stocks were set to crash, I believe you have shares in those also, Phil. He flew out last night to pull his money and invest it elsewhere. I cannot believe he wouldn’t call. As many times as I’ve seen you over at our house since I come home from New York City, I would have thought you two the best of friends. Anyways, I’m sure it’s going to cost you millions.” Finally, taking a calm breath and shutting his mouth, Jasper sat even more relaxed in his chair. The last part, the bits to Phil had been total bullshit, but he could tell by the red glow creeping all over his face he believed him. That had been done strictly to please the girl, Aria. She had been, after all, destroying the man's personal property outside. He had almost forgotten she was even there. Somewhere across the table he picked up bits and pieces of what Mrs. Montgomery was saying. Something about how nice it was to finally see the ligament heir of Mr. Hudson and she couldn’t imagine why she had put an end to the play dates fifteen years ago, especially after that horrific accident on the marina. A hotness creeped along his neck and he quickly tried to push it away. There was no way he could allow himself to lose his temper. The last thing he needed was to leave early and get blamed for the car outside. Instead he casually picked up the water glass in front of him and took a sip, pretending not to hear any of it.
As the boy took the key from her, Aria cocked a brow and she crossed her arms over her chest. Either he was going to toss her house key right into the trees that surrounded the Montgomery Estate, or he was about as stupid as she was. She was hoping for the latter.
Aria watched the boy put out his cigarette and she wrinkled her nose at the sight. The crisp scent stung her nostrils. She also took note of the way he looked at her outfit for the night and there was no missing the slightly disgusted look in his eyes as his gaze ran over the god awful dress her mother had put her in. “Yeah, I hate it too,” she muttered, mostly to herself.
Hearing the boy speak and lower himself to hide behind the car, a satisfied smile appeared, and Aria watch as he drove the key right into the red paint. He used a little more force than she had even applied and Aria didn’t know whether to be impressed or curious as to how he managed to drill the key that far into the car. She giggled at his words and kept taking quick glances back at the house to make sure they still hadn’t been spotted. “I like the way you think, stranger.” She hastily snatched the ket back from him once his masterpiece was completed and stuffed it back inside her purse -- disposing of all evidence.
“Either you’re a pro at this or you must know the shit stain that is Phil McCoy,” Aria nodded her head towards the words on the car. Before he was able to answer, screeching tires sounded down the street and thankfully her partner in crime had the same idea of hauling ass up and out of the driveway. “Shit,” she hissed as he grabbed her hand and led her up to the front door. Panting lightly, Aria scanned his features once more. Designer clothes, clean shoes, good hair -- yes, he would impress her parents for the evening. He looked like the picture-perfect boy from the north side, but his attitude said otherwise. Thank God.
Aria Montgomery may have found someone just like her.
The front door opened with a small creek and Aria stared at the entryway with wide eyes for a moment. “You know if you step in, there’s no damn way out.” While her words were true, a hint of playfulness tinged her voice and Aria took one step in before turning back to the boy and extending a hand. “How about we ruin Phil’s night even more, shall we?" A daunting smirk and a narrow of her eyes was all the boy seemed to need before he followed her into the depths of Hell, meeting her mother shocked gaze as she strolled into the dining room.
“Sorry, we got held up!” She sang through the room. They seemed to have walked in on a conversation and Aria took her seat next to Wren and gestured for her new companion to take her opposite side. Catching Wren’s statement on how he would always be there for his friends, Aria sank into her chair and gave her long time friend a warm smile. She grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed it once before returning it back to her lap. “We both are lucky to have someone like your son, Phil.” She accentuated Wren’s Father’s name ever so slightly, forcing a tight smile with sharp white teeth towards the asshole.
“Aria, darling, who may this be?” Her mother asked from across the large table. Her harsh eyes stalked the new dark-haired boy and Aria glanced at him to see how he was handling the cold as ice glare. Thankfully, he seemed to be managing his own very well. Aria quite liked this curious boy.
“This is…” Aria started cheerfully until her voice slowly dissipated. Shit, she had dragged this poor guy into a lion’s den and she hadn’t even known his name. Her large green eyes glanced at him and she urged him to save her.
How unusually for a North sider, Jasper thought, instantly taking the shiny key from the tiny blonde's hand. He had noticed her from the start of the driveway and not just because she looked like a dwarf from all the way back there. It was the color of her dress that his eyes couldn’t unseen even if he had begged them to. It was absolutely awful; the color of a nursing home where grandparents went to die. It wasn’t until he was almost on top of her that he had realized what the little wasp was actually doing.
This was the kind of thing he always expected out of kids who grew up in the South side streets, but not at a dinner party amongst the wealthiest of the town. Who would even dare? With a silent smirk, Jasper put his cigarette out and gazed down at the shiny red paint. It belonged to the McCoy’s, a fact he only knew because his father did a lot of business with the man; probably some form of embezzlement or laundering of money. Although Jasper stayed the hell out of his parent’s way, he had sat through a few dreadful cocktail parties in which Phil had attended. He was someone Jasper had never been very fond of.
“I think,” Jasper began while lowering himself so he could see what he was doing better. “That ‘small dick energy’ might be more efficient. It will crush his pride.” He didn’t bother to wait for approval before pressing the key in deep. He wasn’t just going for the paint chip effect, he wanted Phil to have to completely replace the doors if he ever wanted to shed the embarrassment. It was over quicker than he had wanted it to be. As soon as he’d carved the last letter into energy, he straightened himself, brushed the paint and metal shavings from the front of his clothes, and politely handed the key back. “Well, that was fun. I needed that.” He mumbled, actually taking a minute to observe his new partner in crime. She had a very innocent, life sized doll, kind of look. Although there was the slightest hint of familiarity in her features Jasper decided he probably didn’t actually know her. Maybe he’d seen her at a fundraiser or something. He was just about to ask when the sound of tires interrupted him. A car was turning into the driveway and he definitely did not want to get caught at the scene, red handed. He gently grabbed the hand of the girl, whose name he still did not know, and quickly walked them away and up the stairs of the beautiful house in front of them. Once at the top he let go of her hand, politely opened the front door, and waited for her to enter first.
Hugging her friend made a small part of Aria Montgomery whole once more. While it was unexpected and Aria stilled slightly as he pulled her in for another embrace, she melted into his arms and wrapped her tanned arms around him and gave the boy a tight squeeze. Before pulling away, Aria rubbed Wren’s back for a moment, hearing the uneasiness inside his voice as he spoke about the dinner. “I can be bad again, don’t worry,” she teased, pulling away with a wink and a smile. While she wasn’t sure if their friendship would ever go back to normal, and Aria would certainly try her best, it was kind of nice to harmlessly flirt with him. Just like old times.
As Wren initiated that she should key both sides of the priceless car, Aria only shrugged lazily. “It’s like you don’t know me at all, Wren McCoy.” Backing up inside the shelter, she returned Wren’s raised eyebrows with her own. “Guess you’ll just have to wait and see what shit I can get into when I’m left unsupervised. It seemed to work out somewhat well in your favor last time.” Aria giggled and left him with those suggestive words and playful glances.
Her day went by relatively quickly, she tried to spend as long as possible at the shelter before returning to her boasting mother and wayward father. Aria’s mom had already laid out a ghastly seafoam green sundress and had only given Aria two seconds after walking through the door before she started tending to her beach hair and sun-kissed face. Despite Aria’s protests, her mother had left her daughter looking like a barbie doll. Scrunching her nose at the getup, Aria slid on her white sneakers instead of the heels laid out for her and did her best to ignore her mother’s exclamations about etiquette and elite style. Her father, bless his heart, did the same.
Rolling up to her cousin's familiar estate, Aria gulped once. While she and Elle were no longer fighting and things had gotten cleared up for the most part, Aria still feared to see her fellow blonde again. They hadn’t exactly spoken since last night, which was unusual for the pair. Wherever Elle went, Aria was sure to follow. Her day had felt off not having a text from her best friend and she still felt too guilty to send one out.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” Aria called to her parents as they parked next to Wren’s father’s shiny Ferrari. The red glimmering in the setting sunlight. Clutching her purse tightly, Aria’s hands rumbled through its contents until her fingers grasped the small and golden house key with a sly smirk on her face. Snapping her head to scan the surrounding area for any possible witnesses, Aria then crouched next to the expensive car to hide from the large windows that lined Elle’s home. Without hesitation, Aria raised the key and positioned it right about the back wheel, claiming a spot and dug it into the exterior. She scooted down the length of the car, her key still making its home against Phil McCoy’s most prized possession. She couldn’t help the shit-eating grin that spread across her face as she drove the key right to the headlight. “Oops,” she giggled to herself.
Standing up slowly, casually brushing her golden waves over her shoulder, Aria rounded the front of the car and readied the key for the other side. Just as she was about to drag the key some movement down the driveway captured her attention and Aria quickly stepped away from the car, placing her hands behind her back and plastering an innocent look on her face. She faced a man about her age and she quirked up a brow at the cigarette that sat between his lips. Shit, she had been caught. “I promise, the dick hole had it coming,” Aria babbled, less than ladylike as she examined the slightly familiar stranger. Definitely a north sider by the way he dressed, but the way he carried himself screamed otherwise. His tall form and dark eyes caused her to purse her lips slightly. She knew him. But from where?
As he neared her, Aria removed her hands from behind her back, seeing that he didn’t exactly look shocked at her destroying someone’s property. If anything, she may have seen a glimmer of approval in those chocolate eyes. She inhaled the smoke from his cigarette that wafted in between them as he now stood in front of her. While she wasn’t a fan of cigs, she wasn’t opposed to them either and she breathed the thick fog in. Anyone who smoked had a reason for it -- she wondered what his was. A north sider smoking, and looking damn sad while doing it was a rare sight. Almost as rare as an elite golden girl keying a Ferrari in a dress and beat-up sneakers.
The poor girl had to crane her head back to stare up at him and Aria squinted her green eyes from the sun. She adjusted her stance to where he stood in front of the rays, providing the tiny girl with some shade. Chewing on her bottom lip and shifting her weight, Aria held out the key to the boy. “You want in? I was going to write ‘fuck you’ on the side, but maybe you have something more creative?”
Lucy was nervous. She had spent the majority of her first morning home walking the local beach near her parent’s store. She had missed the simplicity of the white sand, much different than California’s rocky coast. The night before was a blur of colors and faces. Her plane had delayed twice and by the time she had got her rental car and made it home, it was beyond late. Still, her whole family: parents, brothers, and cousins were all there waiting. There was a lot of hugs and eating and “I can’t believe how much you’ve changed,” talk. By the end of it Lucy had practically ripped herself away and hid inside her old bedroom. Which, matter of fact, happened to be so cluttered with boxes and old merchandise from the gift cove she almost never made it into the safety of her bed. It was an understatement to say she had been overwhelmed by it all. And of course, she knew she’d changed. It had been two fucking years.
So there she was, all morning, aimlessly walking. She had loathed the idea of going home out of fear of being smothered to death by everyone wanting her attention at once so instead she opted to do something, anything, else. She ate lunch at the Café. She swam briefly near the Hidden rock, a place she used to go to back in high school. She wandered through the center of town eying the old shops and taking note of the new ones. It wasn’t until the sun was beginning to creep in the sky that she realized she could go visit someone. Lucy had friends. She had grown up here, went to school with everyone on the South Side since kindergarten. She had known everyone in her neighborhood. The only problem was the fact she didn’t exactly keep in touch with anyone after she left. She had never had a “best friend” or anything. Just a lot of acquaintances and friends, most of them males. She had always blamed that faulty issue on the fact she had four brothers and all male cousins.
With a heavy sigh she found herself waving in and out the pot hole filled asphalt. What was the worse that happened? She knocked on the door and no one answered? At least even then she’d passed more time. Cutting through a very trashed backyard Lucy stopped in front of a house she knew pretty well. It looked like all the other South Side homes, but warmer in a way. I mean, she’d hung out there before with other people. There was always horse playing and cutting up, even a time where she had considered long boarding for all of five seconds before she watched someone fall and bust their chin open. Even from where she was standing, she could hear the fact there were people over. Laughter chimed through the air and Lucy smiled a little. Without another thought she made her way to the door and banged rather loudly.
Jasper Walton Hudson
21, North Side.
Having grown up on the North Side, Jasper was sent inland throughout his childhood to attend boarding school and was rarely seen by the other local kids. He has spent the last three years in New York City for college, trying to put as much space between himself and his overwhelmingly dark past. Now he is home, staying in his family's guest house on the beach, and counting the days in which he can finally leave this place and never return.
The Hudson’s have always been criminals. Wealthy with tainted money, all of it earned and ripped from the hands of the people who deserved it most. A lot of them from the South Side, most of them from the midland. Their property has high security, gifted by nature itself; it’s surrounded by marshland with only one way in or out. Jasper has grown up in a lavished life-style, one if which he has never had to experience what it’s like to go hungry. He has never worried about new clothes, college tuition, paying bills, or any of the alternative. He has had everything money could buy and yet he is far from happy. He withers in a deep self-loathing that no one around him seems to understand. Picture-perfect family, picture-perfect life, and picture-perfect appearances. Too bad it is as fake as his family’s “businesses.” Who would ever guess his mother was a raging alcoholic, his father has a mistress on the island plus a major uncontrollable anger problem, and his older sister Leah died from a boating accident when he was only a child? To top it all off, he’d switched his major from Law to Fine arts and Education. A career path that would definitely leave him expunged from the family tree.
Standing a little over 6’4, Jasper has always towered over people. He has hair such a dark chocolate it seems black and eyes the color of fresh acorns. Ever since he was eighteen, he has had a huge cigarette addiction, smoking sometimes over a pack a day. Regardless he is still very athletic and spends most of his time swimming or surfing. He knows almost no one from the North Side because of his family's reclusiveness, but has been known to get in trouble with the kids from the South Side. Jasper never misses an occasion of misfit, although he keeps who he is as secretive as possible.
Lucy, 20, South Side
Witty, outspoken, independent, and at times a bit of a pushover, Lucy Baker has always been the third wheel. If it was with her cousins, her four older siblings, or simply hanging out with people from school. She has always found herself having to be the one to clean up every party, to play cupid for all of her friends, and number one designated driver. Not that she really minds. She’s always liked to keep busy. She also has always enjoyed solitude often taking her father's small fishing boat out alone and staying gone for hours, watching fish and snorkeling.
Unlike almost everyone else, Lucy doesn’t want to leave the island. Her family has been here since its founding and although she knows she lives on the wrong side of the “tracks” she has never once envied the Northerner's. Could you imagine having nothing better to do besides lounge around in your swim suit on your daddy’s million-dollar yacht drinking wine brought to you by the help? To never know how satisfying making a dollar felt?
Even though Lucy doesn’t have a desire to leave the island permanently, she did decide to attend college all the way in California on a full scholarship for Oceanology. She is currently back home on summer break for the first time in two years with that her older brothers have been calling, “The Ugly Duck Syndrome.” Apparently, she has really bloomed since she left.
For work she has picked up a cleaning job at a few of the plantation houses on the north side and is a part time waitress at her family's small cafe and gift cove on
the South Side; which is pretty empty due to the off season.
Standing average height of 5’5, Lucy has natural tan skin and dark eyes. She has a slightly muscular build and long legs. The California sun has been good to her. She barely resembles the wirily, thin, clumsy girl she left behind.
The car ride back to Elle’s home had ended far too soon. While Beck had tried to keep his secret glances at Eloise to a minimum, it has grown even more difficult once he realized the blonde was taking her chance at glancing at him as well. Even as the battle raged on in his head — the constant reminder that what he was doing with the Montgomery girl was strictly for twisted entertainment purposes — Beck found himself somewhat at peace with her in his passenger seat. Chin propped on her knee and those blue eyes looking at him when she thought he wouldn’t notice. It seemed as if they were both doing their best to control whatever urge that was pulling between them. And failing. Something warm stirred inside him, and it wasn’t from the Newport sun, either.
As Elle commented about his grouchy aura and his lack of attending a regular barber, Beck grinned widely. “Don’t lie to yourself, Princess. I know you like my hair.” As she ruffled his hair Beck playfully shoved her arm away and leaned over to watch her exit his death trap. He was just about to offer another sly retort, one that included more hair pulling and less than respectable acts, in usual Beck fashion, when she brought up hanging out tomorrow. He eyed her, a slow smirk turning up in the corner of his mouth and he shook his head for a moment. She really knew how to keep a man on his toes, something Beckett Greene was not in the slightest bit used to. “Be over at two, then. I gotta work at the marina for a bit in the morning. You north siders are a pretty needy bunch.” He passed her a wink before easing the Jeep out of park. “And I think the question should be can you handle any more of me and my driving? I’m just warming up, sweets.”
Watching her jog into her home, Beck slowly started to slink away in his rumbling car. “Try not to miss me too much!” He shouted out the window before offering Elle a quick wave and a mocking air kiss as he picked up speed and booked it down her long road. Once again, being anything but subtle. That word was unknown to the troublesome boy.
Beck ignored the strange looks and rude glares he and his loud ass Jeep received on the way out of the north side. He usually thrived off the attention, whether positive or negative, he didn’t care. Beck just liked to relish in the fact that people, north siders especially, were thinking about him. As he passed the annoying pricks, Beck gave them a taunting twiddle of his fingers and a smug smile. No doubt some of them had seen Eloise stroll out of his vehicle, and boy did they look pissed. His careless demeanor quickly took hold again and he tried his best to push back whatever he was starting to feel for Elle. Surely it would ruin more than one person in the process. Hanging out with her was nothing. It meant nothing. That blonde-headed and lion-hearted girl was nothing to him.
At least those were the lies he was trying to feed himself.
For the rest of the day, Beck busied himself with setting up makeshift wooden ramps in his backyard and dragging the old and beaten up four-wheeler out of his garage. The thing barely ran half the time and had way too much dirt and mud caked in between the wheels. After setting up a wayward course in the yard, Beck rolled his bandana and tied it around his forehead — hair sticking out on top like always.
He was sprawled across the living room floor, wrestling with Callie when Griff’s loud voice echoed through his home. Callie deserted him to greet the cocky boy and Beck rolled his eyes. “Cals, you traitor,” he called to the pup, lifting himself from his living room floor and sauntering into the kitchen. Beck reached a hand out to clap Griff on the back and leaned against his kitchen counter, arms crossed, and looking annoyed as all get out. “First off, it wasn’t a damn date you idiot. Second, it went perfectly according to plan. In fact, it went so well that she’s coming back over tomorrow.” Looking proud, Beck passed Griff a tight-lipped grin and an arrogant arched brow. “I would start getting your break up speech ready for Lanes, although she seemed to be a little distracted today. I mean, the guy had a nice ass car. You can’t compete with that, hotshot.”
Beck lazily headed towards the fridge when another familiar voice erupted through his home and Lena’s mischievous smile burst through the door. “Speak of the little devil!” Beck said into the open fridge, grumbling at his dwindling beer stash. However, his mood quickly changed when Lena announced that she had brought not only food but alcohol as well. “Jesus Fucking Christ I might steal you from Griff myself,” he said to her in greeting, stepping over and taking her head in his hands and planting a kiss on top of her hair. His embrace was quickly ceased by the smell of burgers wafting through the kitchen and Beck rushed to the bag and started making himself a burger. Taking a large bite and moaning, Beck grabbed a handful of fries and poured himself a few fingers worth of the whiskey in a glass. He took a seat next to Griff and then rolled his eyes as Lena mentioned Eloise again. “I seriously can’t enjoy a damn meal without you two bringing up my latest conquests.” His eyes flashed to Lena feeding Callie a fry and Beck shot his friend a look. “You’re making my dog fucking fat, Lanes.” He started to nudge Callie away with his foot and out from underneath the table. But, the act only made the pup whine and Beck eventually rolled his eyes and let his pet return to Lena’s side, waiting not so patiently. “Let’s just say, Lanes, that I wouldn’t let your new boy toy stray too far. This shit is too easy I swear and you will lose the bet in no time.”
His stomach rolled at the own words spilling out of his mouth and Beck had to keep eating and talking out of his ass to hide the disgust he felt deep down. But, Beckett Greene doesn’t catch feelings. For anyone. And, if he miraculously did so, he surely didn’t announce it to his friends. However, he didn’t meet their eyes and he was already drinking far too much to keep up his casual demeanor when talking about Eloise. He could feel himself tumbling down a steep slope and, if he were bound to crash, he may as well be drunk. “Also, I invited that Cam guy earlier. You know, the dude who stole a north sider’s car at that shit excuse for a party. Anyone who has the balls big enough to pull some shit like that is a friend in my book. Besides, his ass seemed to be chasing the other Montgomery girl. Figured we should stick together.” Finishing his burger, Beck leaned back in his chair and sighed, stretching his hands behind his head.
Suddenly, a notification went off on Beck’s phone and he quickly snatched it up and read the text from Cam. “He’s here. Come on let’s go get the bikes set up, Griff.” Scooting the chair back, Beck grabbed his drink and headed out into his backyard. The sun was slowly starting to set over his small slice of paradise and his yard was covered in an orange glow.
Seeing Cam make his way into Beck’s yard, he jutted out a hand and clapped it with the other south side boy. “Hey glad you could make it, man. I hope you like whiskey and dangerous situations. There are burgers and booze inside, help yourself.” Beck then passed Cam a daring smile before he started to head over to the four-wheeler that sat near the dock. “Okay, Novak. Make that damn jump with your eyes closed.” He pointed to a wooden ramp with a makeshift jump that sat farther out. “Lena, either record or shut your eyes. No mother hen’s here tonight.”
Lena flipped Griff off as he gagged when she re-entered the garage, but she smiled and looked over her shoulder as Corban pulled out of the parking lot. “Thankfully, you don’t get to pick who I’m into,” She chimed, walking back up to her two friends and rolled her eyes as Griffin said she was out of Corban's league and winked at her. He was such a flirt. But she could be one too. “I guess you and him have that in common,” She muttered in his ear and patted him gently on the chest.
Though when she asked if she could drive his bike she had been expecting a hard no — not Griff pissing himself laughing. She pushed his shoulder hard, although couldn’t help but laugh a little too. “It’s not that funny, dick,” Lena snatched the helmet from him. “And I’m an excellent driver you know.” She swung her leg over his bike and sat back, pulling the helmet over her head. Once her mother had seen Griff pull up to their house with the bike for the first time, Lena had gotten one of the biggest lectures of her life about how dangerous motorcycles were, blah blah blah. They’d come to an agreement that at least she had to wear a helmet whenever she rode with Griff, which was more than alright with her after experiencing how he drove.
Lena was in the process of telling Kat goodbye when the bike shot forward and she couldn’t help but give a surprised yelp as she leaned forward to wrap her arms around Griff’s waist. She held on tight as dirt and gravel kicked up behind them, though she felt her heart beating a little faster — not from the speed but just from being this close to him. She didn’t risk loosening her grip for fear that he would take a tight turn and she would go flying. It was always a surreal feeling watching as their little neighborhood went whizzing by.
With the way that Griff drove, it only took them a few minutes to pull into the driveway of her house. Lena took maybe a little too long unwrapping herself from him and swinging down from the bike.
She pulled the helmet off, trying to comb her hair back into place with her fingers. Lena flashed him a smile and then made a pouty face at his comment on her not showing up with any more surprises. “And here I was thinking you loved my surprises, Griff.” She told him leaning in and pressing the helmet into his hands. “You didn’t seem too bothered by it all after our little chat this morning,” She raised her eyebrow at him. “And I mean, I wouldn’t mind chatting again sometime — if you’re game,” Lena told him slowly before walking up to her front porch. “See you tonight,” She yelled over her shoulder.
Lena changed quickly into her work clothes and made her way across town to the diner to work her shift. Summer was their busiest time of year, and she’d been able to make some decent tips. At the end of the night, she convinced the cooks to make her and her friends some dinner, though that wasn’t too hard. All she had to do was flash them a smile and they gave her anything she wanted. Lena made her way back to the south side with a rather large to-go bag of burgers, buns, and fries, stopping briefly at her house to change and grab a handle of whiskey. It wasn’t a real family dinner without at least one of them getting a little too drunk.
She showed up to Beck’s and pushed the door open to find Griffin in the entryway playing with Callie, who looked like she was in heaven from the attention he was giving her. “I come bearing food and booze,” She raised both of them up before stepping over him and walking into the kitchen. Lena pulled out the food from the bag and made herself a burger before grabbing a coke from Beck’s fridge and falling into her designated seat around the kitchen table. She took a bite and poured herself a drink.
“Ah, yes. Status report please?” Lena asked Beck after taking a swig. “I don’t know they looked pretty friendly this morning…” She challenged Griff’s assumption. Lena took a handful of french fries from the bag and piled them on to a plate, slipping one of them to Callie under the table. The dog was starting to look like a bowling ball from all the extra food Beck’s friends snuck to her. Lena poured each of her friends a drink. “But I can’t imagine making her work on the boat with you in the heat all day was the way into her panties, how’d that go?”
Wren let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in when Aria told him that he wouldn’t lose her — or Elle. He’d known their friendship was strong, but he’d also come to realize that he had colossally fucked up, and for a while there he thought that was it. Years and years of growth, of trust, of childhood memories and teenage rebellion, turned to dust with the decisions of one night. Decisions he made because he’d been drunk and angry and egotistical. Wren still wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to forgive himself for what he’d done. Aria’s joke about raiding Jack’s wine cellar brought him out of his own devolving thoughts and he laughed at her — though he a pang of guilt from what else had happened in that wine cellar.
“I’m just as guilty of theft as you are,” He told her. “Though I would call you the instigator. You’re quite the bad influence, Aria Montgomery.” He joked trying to push past the guilt, trying to just be Aria's friend. “Too bad we didn’t see Jack’s face when he realized what all was missing,” Wren would have paid to see just how pissed the boy would have gotten.
When Aria returned with the news that he’d been hired on her word alone, and apparently due to his good looks — he couldn’t keep from grinning. “Whiskey and breakfast, I can do. Maybe even at the same time if we’re in the mood to be passed out before noon,” He joked again. Being around Aria, joking with her, it was as easy as breathing. He was glad the tension between them was settling. Though Wren heaved a sigh at the mention of the dinner on the north side that evening.
“Shit. I forgot about that.” Wren rubbed the back of his neck, weighing his options. While he would love nothing more than to never see his prick of a father again, he had promised his mother weeks ago that he'd be there. “Yeah, I’ll be there.” He told the girl reluctantly. He knew he was going to have to see his father eventually, it was a small island after all, but he had hoped it wouldn’t be this soon. Still, Wren didn’t want to be the one to back down — he wasn’t a kid anymore. He had to show his father that he couldn’t be pushed around.
Wren couldn’t help himself but pull the girl back into another hug when she said that she would have his back tonight. His entire life, that’s all he’d ever wanted to hear. “Thank you, Aria.” He chuckled as she insinuated she would key his father’s car. “That’s his favorite car,” Wren told her pulling away from the hug. “Do both sides.” He raised his eyebrows mischievously as he watched her retreat back into the shelter, giving her a small wave before heading back in the direction of his little house.
Unsurprisingly, the house was in the same state of disarray it had been when he left but he couldn’t bring himself to care about it now. He pulled another beer from the fridge and sat on the counter in his new kitchen. Even if it was a dump, Wren felt some level of satisfaction in knowing that it was his. In knowing that he was more independent now than he’d ever been.
After he finished his beer, Wren spent the rest of the day cleaning and tidying. By the time he was done the house, while devoid of furniture, was at least in much better shape than it had been when he started. Wren had done more manual labor today than he had done throughout his entire life. He hopped in the shower, soaking up the warmth but wincing as the water ran over the more battered parts of his body. Wren tried to mentally prepare himself for the evening that lay ahead. He could do it. He would get through it and then he hopefully wouldn’t have to see the prick for a long while. At least he’d have Aria and Elle with him.
He’d pulled on a pair of charcoal slacks and a white button-down, the sleeves of which he rolled up to his elbows. His entire outfit was wrinkled due to the fact that it had been crumpled in the bottom of a duffle bag since the night before, but he thought it at least would get under his parents’ skin a little.
Wren arrived at the Montgomery house right on time, his father’s red Ferrari already glittering in the driveway. His stomach dropped when he walked in and saw his father talking to Elle’s, and had to take a deep breath when he realized neither of his friends were there yet. Wren approached the men, forcing an easy smile on to his face as he greeted them — though it faltered a bit when he felt his father clap him on the shoulder. He cleared his throat and stepped out of his father’s grasp, trying to keep his composure.
The sight of Elle walking through the door made Wren sigh in relief, though he raised a brow at the fact that she was making an entrance with some new guy he’d never seen before. He knew he wasn’t exactly in a position to ask her about it though, not after the position he’d put them in — not after the kindness she’d showed him the night before.
His chest tightened a bit at the thought. He’d never been so vulnerable with someone else as he had been with her last night. There had been nothing but the broken shell of a boy who just needed someone to be there for him, and she’d given him that. Despite everything he’d done, she’d been there for him. He’d never be able to repay her for that.
Newport’s elite took a seat around the table, filling into their usual places — Elle on one side of him, Aria on the other. He knew he wouldn’t have been able to get through that dinner without them, especially when the fight with Beck had been brought up. Wren almost choked on his food as Elle spoke for him and placed her hand on his arm. He gave her a shocked, but grateful look. He could feel his father’s hardened gaze on him, Wren looked up at him. The man looked a little sheepish like he hadn’t thought to ask what had actually happened at the ball, only that it had made the McCoy’s look bad in the moment.
A pang of guilt spread across his chest when Elle’s mother said they were indebted to him — it was a feeling he’d grown all too familiar with over the last few days. Though he wanted to laugh too at their comments about Elle being sweet and seemingly incapable of protecting herself — like she hadn’t nearly ripped him to shreds the night before as well. “Well, no need to worry I’ll always be there for Elle,” He looked over to her, his breath catching a little in his throat. He’d been an idiot to throw away whatever they’d almost had. “Aria too,” He smiled over at his friend who had fought tooth and nail for him their entire lives, who he’d hurt just as much.
Never again.
"You know me, generosity is my middle name." Griff chirped as Lena teased him, watching as the south side girl escorted the foreign northerner back to his car. Thank god. Lena had never much been one to listen to Griffin's advice - not that he commonly gave good advice, he supposed - but he couldn't have been happier that she was finally getting rid of that sleeve ball. Okay sure, maybe the guy wasn't a sleeze ball but he sure as hell wasn't Griffin's cup of tea.
He rolled his eyes so hard that he almost feared they'd detach and just roll back into his head at the sight of the two of them murmuring what he could only imagine was sweet goodbyes in each others ears, followed by Lena reaching up to press a kiss against the guy's cheek. Yuck. Barf. Disgusting. Griffin contemplated making himself throw up just for the theatrics of it all, but settled on gagging as Lena made her way back into the garage instead.
"You can't actually be into that guy." Griffin laughed, shaking his head in amusement as he tossed Kat back her keys to the car that'd finally been repaired. Well - mostly repaired, that rolling pile of shit would never be completely fixed again. "He's like, the literal worst Lanes. And he's definitely shooting out of his league if you know what I mean." Another flirtatious wink, an arched brow for emphasis.
The sound of his friends cheery voice asking if she'd get to drive his bike was enough to cause Griffin to completely double over laughing. He hooted and hollered until his stomach ached and his lungs burned, tears filling his eyes and his cheeks turning red from laughing so hard at the thought. "Oh fuck, that was good." He finished, wiping the moisture from his eyes as he tried to regain his composure. "Of course not, Lanes. Good try though." The boy grinned, ruffling the girl's hair as he walked past her to swing a leg over the bike and kick it into gear. This bike had been his baby ever since he had been, illegally, driving it from the time he'd been fourteen. Funnily enough, he'd tried to steal the old bike from the very garage they stood in, only to be caught by the old man who owned the place. Instead of calling the police, the man had insisted Griffin work off his debt, and together they fixed the bike up to running condition, and it had been gifted to Griffin along with a full time job by his employer. So sure, the old thing had a bit of sentimental value.
Not that Griff was sentimental, or anything.
Griffin tossed Lena a spare helmet from one of the shelves in the garage, trying to knock the cobwebs off it as he did so - helmets didn't get worn much, around here. Once the girl had joined him on the back of the bike, he'd shouted a goodbye to Kat before pealing out of there, throwing dirt behind them on the old gravel roads as he tore through the town. The ride to Lena's little house hadn't taken long, and he bid her goodbye with a simple wave and a vaugue threat. "There better not be any more surprises at dinner tonight." He wasn't sure if he'd be able to hold himself off if Loafers showed up to oggle her again.
Meanwhile, his own time at home had been spent playing another round of candy land with his sisters, and helping his mother finish dinner for the rest of the family. It was never anything fancy around the Novak household, but even if it was just hotdogs and boxed macaroni, it was always made with love. "I'll see you later, Ma. Love you." He murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of his mother's head before jogging back out the door and to his bike, headed towards his own kind of family dinner.
Griffin didn't waste any time kicking Beck's door in once he'd arrived, falling to the floor to play with a yipping Callie. "So-" He shouted through the house, knowing Beck was milling around there somewhere if Callie was home. "How was your date with blondie?" He teased, not forgetting about the bet they had in place. "Still looking pretty platonic to me, bud." He taunted. "Maybe the old Beckett charm is wearing off, it normally doesn't take you this long, huh."
Eloise could feel just as much tension radiating off of Beckett as it was herself, the chemistry between them absolutely undeniable. It was almost as if there was some imaginary string between them, tethering them to one another and slowly winding closer and closer. But Elle had to snip that string, and with a quickness. The blonde reminded herself that sometimes plain old chemistry wasn't enough to warrant anything other than a reaction - it was basic science. And while her gut instinct told her to run into that boys arms and kiss him like there was no tomorrow, her head demanded that she get the hell out of there before something went wrong. Lucky for her, her head won that battle.
Thus, she didn't didn't much encouragement to get out of that garage as soon as Beck mentioned the idea. Their day had been fun and filled with laughs and flirty smiles, but now it was time for her to return to her roots. She'd go home, put on a dress, and go on a date with a proper boy - a boy her parents would approve of - which was certainly not Beckett Greene.
Oh no, a boy like Beckett with their sweet innocent daughter would be the Montgomery's worst nightmare.
Elle hopped up into the passenger side of the ratty old jeep without a second thought, ready to forget about their shared moment of intensity in the garage and to fall back into their routine of pestering jabs and taunts. The wind whipped through her hair, one leg sat folded in the seat infant of her, the other stretched close to the center console. With her chin propped on her knee, she snuck a glance at the boy beside her. This was the Beck that she found herself genuinely enjoying being around - the carefree boy driving his car way too damn fast for these back roads, the sun on his face and wind in his hair.
She tried not to let herself get too drawn to her, and she was almost ready to give up on it and just break down and invite him in to hang out for a few more hours when he reached over to pull at her hair and tease her. And just like that, it had been enough to knock some sense back into the blonde and cause her to settle down. This was their relationship, their friendly dynamic of gently bullying each other. And that was perfectly enough for Eloise. "And you look like a perpetual grouch who desperately needs a haircut, but you don't hear me over here slinging insults now do you." She quipped in return, reaching to ruffle the boy's hair with a singular hand as he pulled into her driveway.
"Same time tomorrow?" She smirked, tossing a glance in Beck's direction as she kicked open the door to his car. She'd purposefully brushed off his question of her return earlier, leaving him to stew over the possibility of her not coming back to help. But in all honesty, she'd had far too much fun today not to return. "And tomorrow we can take my car - I'm not sure this death trap can handle much more out of you."
Eloise shut the door and jogged up the stairs to her home without another word, casting one final glance over her shoulder at the south side boy as she slipped through the wide double door.
It hadn't taken Corban long to arrive at her house, and Eloise had already changed into a fun little sundress that fell just above her knees. While these dinners with Newport's elites weren't necessarily considered a formal occasion, she was sure that her short shorts and messily cropped tee definitely wouldn't fit the attire guide. "Corban! Thanks for picking me up, I figured it'd be silly to take two cars, ya know?" She greeted cheerily, ducking into the little sports car and settling into the second man's passenger seat of the night.
The pair had spent a couple of hours touring Newport, Eloise taking the time to stop and point out some her her favorite spots in town: the diner that Lena worked at, a little pond that she'd skinny dipped in as a teenager, corporate row - where her father's and most of the other big business's corporate offices sat, and finally taking a pleasant stroll down the town's Main Street which was filled with cute little locally owned shops and parlors. "This place has homemade hard scoop ice cream - I swear to god it's the best thing you'll ever put in your mouth." The girl laughed, going as far as to make the poor boy wait in the forever long line out front just so Elle could get herself a sherbet cone to go. Their time together had been filled with lots of genuine smiles and light flirting - though Elle seriously doubted it would lead to anything. Anyone could tell that Loafers was head over heels for Lena.
Eloise and Corban had been the last to arrive to their dinner with everyone's parents, Elle's poor mother seeming very confused albeit pleased to see her daughter strolling in on a new man's arm. The Montgomerys had all but been planning her marriage to Wren since they were toddlers.
Elle took her usual seat at these things beside Wren, offering him a quick glance but nothing else. They hadn't spoken since the night before when the beaten and broken boy had showed up on her balcony, and he'd already been gone by the time she'd woken. Things between the two friends were clearly still tense, and it would be a long time before she forgave him for toying with her heart as he had, but tonight with his father across the table from them, they were allies.
"Lawrence, that bar-back really did a number on you huh? What caused that little scuffle anyways?" Elle's father asked, glancing between the boy and his father. The man knew it had something to do with his daughter, but he hadn't wanted to pry while everyone was still so obviously worked up. He figured making small talk about it over dinner would be his best bet at any answers. "That guy said some pretty crude comments to say towards me, Wren stuck up for me." Eloise quickly covered, placing a hand on her friend's arm as she stared icy blue daggers into his father across the table. "I was so lucky he was there, I don't know what I would've done without him." While feigning the damsel in distress wasn't typically Elle's style, she'd play the part to help Wren's case.
"Well!" Her father gasped, taking another glance between the McCoys. "Well I don't know how we could ever repay you. We're so glad you were there to defend our sweet Eloise, son." The man boasted, turning back to the other boy's father. "You've got yourself a fine boy, Phil." He applauded. "We're always so happy to see Lawrence hanging around with Elle." Her mother continued, swooning at the young man. "They make such a fine pair - we're just so grateful she had someone around to look out for her. We're indebted to the McCoys for his heroism."
Eloise was visibly uncomfortable with the topic, and was more than thankful when her father finally turned the conversation away from her and Wren, and onto Corban and his family. "And let's not forget to welcome Newport's newest additions, the Wilson's! And they've got a mighty fine boy of their own. Son, what's you name? What do you do?"
Wren’s dismissive attitude about what his father had done to him only made Aria's heart sink deeper and had more words becoming lost in her throat. What does she say to someone who has gone through that? Right under her nose for all of these years they had been friends? Her stomach flipped and nausea rolled across her body. She was angry and frustrated and so, so upset for her friend. As much as she tried not to stare too long at his wounds, Aria’s eyes deceived her and she often found herself catching glances of the purpling bruises in the morning sun along with the cuts and other various marks that riddled Wren’s body.
Hearing Wren shoot down her offer of reporting his father, Aria sucked in her bottom lip and nodded swiftly. Of course, that was a shitty idea, it registered to her now. Aria was known to speak her mind first and she tended to babble on and on without clearly hearing what was coming out of her mouth. But, Wren was right, he was out of the house and away from his piece of shit father. It seemed that living next to his mortal enemy, Beckett Greene, was thankfully only his new problem.
“Okay, only if you’re sure,” Aria said as Wren claimed that he would be okay in his new home. Thankfully, she made visits to the south side very often so she would most definitely be checking in on him, whether he approved or not.
Wren’s laugh was something she so badly needed to hear and Aria let out a small giggle with him, the corners of her eyes crinkling upwards and her freckled nose scrunching. The fact that Wren was playing with her, teasing her about seeing each other on the weekends was something she didn’t know she needed. He was still him -- despite everything that had happened this past weekend. Despite whatever animosity she may still hold over him and whatever fear she now felt for her long time friend, Wren was still in there. “Oh please, I know you could do it. You already have seemed to make a decent impression on these two.” Aria smirked and nodded towards the drooling dogs pulling them.
As their walk continued and Aria could practically feel the unspoken words between them, she let her shoulder slump as Wren began to speak after her. Knowing how she had treated him, what she had said to him when he had so much else going on was eating away at her slowly. Piece by piece. His strained voice caused her own throat to tighten as well and she looked over at him with watery eyes. Swallowing back her tears as they neared the shelter. “Well, I am apologizing, because I can, so you better deal with it.” She tried to joke with him, forcing a small smile. His apology lifted something from her chest. Her breathing became lighter but her face fell. “Thank you…” she whispered lightly, not even sure if he could hear her. While looking at Wren still was hard at times, feelings don’t disappear overnight, it was a relief to hear those words.
Tossing her hair over her shoulder and straightening up, Aria spoke louder this time. “You won’t lose us. I promise. Our friendship is stronger than that. Besides,” she passed him a playful glance, “you saw me raid Jack’s wine collection. That could be blackmail material down the road.”
After working her charm on the shelter owners and passing out a few “Please’s” and “Thank you’s” Aria was holding her chin high as she strutted out of the small building, handing over the packets of papers to Wren. Without warning, he had managed to scoop her up and into his strong arms, spinning her around and causing her legs to get tangled into the leashes. She hugged him back tightly, breathing in his familiar scent and wrapping her arms around his neck as he spoke into her golden hair. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she chuckled. “I’ll take payments in the form of whiskey or breakfast dates.” Aria pulled back and managed to untangle her legs from the leashes. She glanced up at Wren with wide eyes and a beaming smile. “You’re welcome,” she told him, glancing back at the coworkers in the window who suddenly found someplace better to be once they saw Wren eyeing them.
Aria took the leashes out of Wren’s hands and began to slowly retreat towards the shelter. “I need to get these monsters fed before they chew my arm off. Are you still going to be at dinner tonight?” The question came out with a small bit of hesitation and Aria found herself biting her bottom lip again. Hearing his confirmation, Aria nodded once and opened the side door and let the dogs rush in without her aid. “Well, Wren McCoy, you’ll have at least one friend there who's got your back. I hope your dad drives the Ferrari, my keys might slip and find their way scrapping along the side of his car.” She passed Wren a daunting wink, knowing that if she needed to Aria would have no regrets keying his father’s most prized possession. Giving the boy a twiddle of her fingers, she slipped inside the shelter and faced the rest of the hot day on the south side of the island.
“But you’ll be back? Like tomorrow, for instance?” Beck turned to her as she stated she was the driving force behind his progress on Patience. He didn’t argue on that matter, because the north side girl was definitely correct. Panting ever so slightly from the hot sun and the small jog he had taken into his crowded garage, he grinned and his eyes trailed across her face. The bet had slipped his mind for a moment and genuine happiness twinkled in his gaze. Beckett had surprised himself – he enjoyed his time with Eloise today and she seemed to enjoy his rugged presence as well. While he wasn’t anything like the men he supposed she usually dabbled with – he didn’t go to college, he didn’t own his own company, and he wasn’t swimming in money – Beck seemed to offer something that the north side boys didn’t, and he prided himself in that. Sure, most of his clothes had holes or stains in them, he didn’t own a pair of shoes that weren’t covered in dirt, and his perpetual constant state of bedhead never seemed to take a break. Beckett Greene talked too much with his head and not with his heart and he had a terrible habit of never saying what was really on his mind. He was a shit cook and his home was filled with more old and personal items than an antique shop. He cursed way too damn much and he never seemed to let anyone uncover the hidden layers beneath his carefree and smug exterior.
And yet she still wanted to hang around.
Beck had to rake a hand through his hair to snap his mind out of thinking about Eloise. He knew he had stared for far too long to play it off as anything but him admiring her. So, he wouldn’t. A smirk tried to make itself known across his mouth and he directed his attention towards the dozen paint cans sitting on the shelves in front of them. He also took note of the effect he had on her. Her stiffed posture as his lips barely brushed her ear, how her skin seemed to prickle where his breath touched her neck. It fueled something inside of him and he had to force himself to pull away. Her murmured words of not getting his hopes up only caused him to chuckle darkly. “One can only dream, Eloise Montgomery,” he sighed, his voice slightly husky. Beck didn’t fail to notice Eloise stepping away from him as well, as if they both knew they were stepping into dangerous and uncharted territory between them. Good thing that’s where he thrived.
As she turned her attention back to the paint, Beck still watched her as she examined the cans. Once her eyes finally landed on a winner and she pointed to it he finally averted his gaze to see what color she had chosen. He stilled seeing her choice and something flickered inside him. That damn blue he had already chosen so long ago. The color of the ocean on a rocky shore and, which he had discovered recently, the color that rested inside Eloise’s eyes that had captivated him more than he would have liked to admit.
Swallowing, Beck stepped forward and grabbed the can of paint and set it on the wooden table away from the shelf – keeping it safe until they were ready to use it. “Interesting choice,” he muttered, for once not wanting to meet her eyes. Hearing her question on his preferred choice and seeing her body shift more towards him, Beck shoved his hands in his pockets and smirked. “What do you think?” He teased, looking down at her small form. He really did tower over the petite girl. Beckett nodded towards the paint can sitting on the table and shifted his weight. “I had that one picked out for a year. The color of the ocean during a storm and…” he cleared his throat, “other things.” He reached over to the table and snatched his keys, tossing them once before catching them with a hand, twirling them around his finger. “Now we should get going, you have a date with the President.” Beck smiled crookedly and began leading them out and back towards his Jeep. He had to get out of that damn garage, he had to shove out that image of her picking out that exact paint color out of his head. Lately, there seemed to be a lot of things on his mind about Eloise that Beck was trying to hide.
Crossing the yard, he examined the work they were able to complete on Patience today and a sense of gratification washed over him. Sliding into the driver's seat and waiting until Elle buckled herself in to take off, Beck sped out of his dirt driveway and his Jeep found it’s way back on the road and heading towards the north side. The windows were still cranked all the way down and Beck accelerated slightly, letting more wind ripple through the car. Beck opened the sunroof on top with one hand and pulled that window open as well, letting his hand linger in the breeze for a moment. He snuck a glance at Eloise – taking in everything that north sider girl was. Golden hair flowing, freckles dotting her nose, glasses perched on her tanned face as she welcomed the warm Newport breeze on her face. And those damn shoes – as silly as it was, part of his heart skipped a beat seeing them matching. “You look like a damn golden retriever, Elle.” Beck chuckled, tugging on a piece of her hair.
As quickly as it started, Beck forced those new and strange thoughts of Eloise Montgomery out of his head. This was nothing – it had to be nothing. Whatever he was feeling, he needed it to end. Now. His eyes sat on her for a moment before a muscle in his jaw quivered and his grip tightened on the steering wheel. Needing something, anything, to distract him, Beck cranked the music up in his car and thrummed his fingertips to the beat on the steering wheel. As hard as it was, he tried his best not to sneak looks at the girl next to him. No matter how much he wanted to.
Racing under the mossy willow trees and creeping their way back into her side of town, the houses becoming larger and more extravagant and Beck’s car looking more and more out of place, he turned and sped down Elle’s street. “I’ll let you take on Loafer’s alone, Princess.” He smirked to her, slowing down as they neared her estate. “Even though I guarantee you won’t have nearly as much fun.” Beck put the Jeep in park and turned in his seat to stare at her, his face a mask of the lazy and smug expression that had become a trademark for the south side boy. “Everyone is coming back to my place tonight for dinner and fun… activities.” Beck suppressed a daunting grin and he reached over and across Elle to open the door for her. “Run along now. I wouldn’t want your family to catch you with me. I am, after all, a bad influence.” He cracked a smile, his healing split lip illuminated by the afternoon sun, reminding him just how much he “did not care” for the Montgomery girl.
Once he had told Aria about what really happened after the ball, she had stopped walking beside him. Wren became suddenly very conscious of all of the marks and bruises, and he felt her eyes scanning over his body taking in this new-found information about her friend. He didn’t want to be looked at any differently. His father’s temper had always been an aspect of the life he had to endure, but it had made him into the man he was today. For better or for worse. He didn’t want to be pitied, but looking at Aria he felt that her pity was better than facing her anger again. He shrugged at Aria telling him that she was sorry, and tried not to look at her face.
“No,” He said a little too quickly. “No, I think that would make it worse. And besides, I’m out of the house now. At least I don’t have to be around him anymore.” Wren couldn’t really fathom a world in which he reported his father and it didn’t come back to bite him in the ass. He smiled warmly at Aria talking about letting him stay with her until she, very quickly, realized that was a bad idea. “I’ll be okay, I promise.” He had to admit it felt good to be talking with Aria like they were semi-normal again. He’d missed her bubbly personality and her tendency to ramble. It had been hell when he thought they’d never hang out anymore. That was a worse fate than moving to the south side.
“I’d be walking fast too if breakfast was on the line,” He laughed. Wren thought about her proposition at working for the shelter. Wren had never worked a real job. Hell, he had never even really considered what he wanted to do for a career, even when he was in college. He just figured he’d go work for his father and that would be it. Now that wasn’t really an option. Wren hadn’t thought about the long-term ramifications of his exile and it was making him a little panicky. Then he heard her comment about having to see her every weekend and he perked up a little.
“Oof, that might be a dealbreaker Aria,” He smiled. “But I think I’d be able to work through it.” Working at the shelter wasn’t actually a bad idea. He liked animals, it was close to his house, and he’d get to see his friend on a semi-regular basis. Plus he’d be getting paid. Something he desperately needed now. “If you think I could do it, then I think that’s a great idea.”
They continued their walk in silence, the air between them going from tense to light to tense again. He desperately wanted things to go back to normal. Wren wished they could forget the party, forget the ball. He could barely fathom the fact that the last two days had so drastically changed his life. Even if everything was different now, he just wanted his friendships to return. He realized that those were the only things that should have mattered to him in the first place.
“Don’t apologize, Aria,” He looked at her and felt his throat growing tighter. “I deserved all of it. I don’t expect you, or Elle, to forgive me but I don’t want to lose either of you. I don’t know what I would do, and I hate myself for putting us all in a situation where I would have to find out. I’m sorry, I really am.” He’d blurted out all of it in one breath, and was glad at least that he said it. By the time he had, they’d arrived back to the shelter.
Wren was surprised when Aria shoved yet another leash in his hand and dashed inside. He squatted down and scratched the dogs behind the ears as he waited for her to come back. Their soft fur and smiling faces made his chest feel a little lighter. When Aria walked back out the doors he noticed her little ‘victory’ smirk and a handful of papers before she even spoke to him. As he heard the words he wrapped her up in his arms and spun her around, getting them slightly tangled up in leashes but he didn’t care.
“You just saved my ass, Montgomery.” He murmured into her hair. “Thank you.” He felt immensely grateful for her at that moment. Despite everything he’d put her through she still helped him. Wren barked out a laugh at her last comment and when he saw the girls in the window. “Hey, I mean, if it got me a job then I’m not complaining,” He joked, rifling through the papers. Wren knew that having to work a real job was going to be a bit of a culture shock, but he was just glad that he was starting to pick up the pieces that had shattered the night before. Even if things looked different, they were at least looking better.
Lena narrowed her eyes at Griffin’s comment. God, she wanted to hit him. She also wanted to kiss him again. Lena wasn’t sure how such a dichotomy could exist at once but here she was. The fact that Griff was purposefully trying to get under Corban’s skin made her even angrier. “Really?” She asked with a disapproving glare. Lena was relieved when everyone started wrapping things up, putting away food and dishes. The little glances between her and Griff were enough to drive her insane. The feel of his gaze on her made her cheeks flush and she mentally cursed herself for it. It had taken everything she had to not say here, now when he told her to name the time and place. Even if it meant evoking the wrath of Beckett Greene.
Looking at Corban’s cool demeanor made Lena’s chest tighten with guilt. She knew they weren’t really anything to each other, but he was trying and here she was sneaking off into the backroom to make out with another guy. Not that she had intended for that little spat to end with her being pushed up against a wall. Not that she was sorry it had. Corban still deserved better than what she was giving him.
She looked up as Corban whispered in her ear and gave him a cautious smile. “That sounds ominous,” She joked. Lena turned towards Elle and Beck. “Have fun you two,” and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “And thanks for breakfast.” She nudged Beck with her elbow on her way out of the kitchen. “Don’t wait up,” Lena muttered as she passed Kat and Griff on Beck’s lawn before sliding into the passenger’s seat of Corban’s car.
“So do I get to know where we’re going orrr?” She asked as they pulled out of the driveway. She’d grown up on the island and knew this side of it like the back of her hand. Every street and side road on the south side was familiar to her. However, as Corban started driving a little farther off the beaten path Lena had to admit that even she was lost. How he had managed to find this place was beyond her, especially when she’d been living there her whole life and didn’t even know these roads existed. She hesitated as his car slowed to a stop and he told her they had to walk from there. “Is this the part where you lure me into the woods and murder me? Because I swear I will haunt your ass.” Lena wasn’t exactly a hiker, which is more than likely why she didn’t even know these trails existed.
However, when the pair came upon the swimming hole her breath caught a little in her throat. Yes, it was beautiful, but it was also very high up. Lena was not a hiker, and she was not a fan of heights. Corban was taking her out of her comfort zone already. “Wow,” The surprise was genuine. “Yeah, it’s beautiful.” She intentionally stayed a little farther away from the edge and had to swallow hard when she saw Corban start to shuck out of his clothes. Lena didn’t hide the fact that she was staring. Lena was a lot of things, but she wasn’t shy either. Although, while she didn’t mind the view, she did not like what he was implying. Lena scoffed at his comment about hoping she can swim. “I was born on the island, I could swim before I could walk.” But as she said that Corban took a running start and flung himself over the side. She couldn’t help but gasp.
“You’re certifiably insane, especially if you think I’m doing that.” But he continued to tease her. “It’s not so much the water as the potential for plummeting to my death.” She felt her heart racing in her chest. The very idea of jumping off of this made her throat and chest tighten, but what she hated more than heights was backing down from a challenge. Lena cursed under her breath as she stripped down to her underwear, looking sheepishly over the edge of the cliff and seeing Corban below with a lopsided grin. She shook her head and took a running start as he had, but she couldn’t keep herself from letting out a little scream as she dropped.
Lena’s head popped back above the surface of the water and her heart felt like it was going a million miles an hour. That was one of the craziest things she’d ever done, but she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She was still trying to catch her breath when Corban swam up to her, so close she could have leaned forward and kissed him. But she didn’t. She raised her eyebrows and smiled at his compliment. “You’re not too bad yourself, Loafers.” She teased, but as soon as she had she felt a splash of water in her face. “Hey!” She exclaimed splashing him back. Once they had gotten their little water fight out of their systems, Corban said that they better go and Lena nodded in agreement.
The walk back up to the top wasn’t nearly as exhilarating as the fall down. Especially not soaking wet in your underwear with no shoes. But she didn’t care too much, she’d had fun anyways. Lena rung out the water from her hair, pulled back on her tank top and shorts, and slipped her feet back into her shoes. “You’re more fun than I expected, for a north sider.” She nudged Corban and smiled at him as they walked back to the car.
They pulled up to the garage that Griffin worked at and Lena could already see Griff working on the car as Kat lounged on top of it. The sight was so familiar it made her smile. When Kat noticed they had pulled up she jumped down and came towards them. Lena stepped out of the car only to hear Kat’s crude comment on if they’d had sex in it. “Ha. Ha.” She said drily, letting the girl wrap her arms around her. Lena squeezed the girl. God, she had missed her. “Glad to have you back, Kit Kat.” She followed up that sappy sentiment by promptly jumping on the girl’s back, practically forcing Kat to piggyback her into the garage, laughing the whole way. Lena dropped to her feet and nudged Griff in greeting as she passed him, rolling her eyes at his comment. “Told you not to wait up,” She told him with a shrug before jumping on the hood of the car and running a hand through her still-damp hair.
She’d almost forgotten that she was supposed to be mad at him. The swimming hole had put her in too good of a mood, but seeing Corban approach Griff like that made her tense up again. Lena eyed the two and braced herself for the inevitable blow-up that was about to happen but was surprised when Griff reeled it back in. She looked him over and realized that she’d never seen someone get under the boy’s skin in quite the same way Corban had. Lena tried to refocus her attention on Kat.
“Things have been…different lately.” Lena told the girl and glanced back up at Griff. “Give her a chance. Eloise is more south side than she seems.” She bumped her shoulder against Kat’s. “Still, Beck was maybe a little harsh,” Lena confessed. Kat and Beck had both in the wrong. Elle hadn’t deserved what Kat had thrown at her, but Beck had decided to snap back. Lena wasn’t sure that sat well with her. Even if he was trying to win the bet. “But Griff’s right, you’ll both be fine — just give it a minute.”
Lena narrowed her eyes at Griff’s backhanded comment towards Corban and his offer to take her home. Her house was out of Corban’s way back to the north side but Griff’s offer seemed planned and pointed. Hell, she wouldn’t complain as long as she didn’t have to walk. “So generous,” She teased Griff as she jumped down from the car.
She grabbed Corban’s hand without another word and led him back over his car, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the other piles of junk at the garage. “I had fun today,” She smiled at him over her shoulder. Lena thought seriously about kissing him but she wasn’t sure if that was the part of her that wanted to make Griffin jealous, or the part of her that felt her heart flutter at the thought of jumping off a cliff and seeing Corban waiting for her below. Either way, she decided against it — now was a bad time. Instead, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “See you around?” She asked genuinely before retreating back to the garage.
Lena wasn’t really wanting to deal with her friend’s judgmental comments so she spoke before they could. “Anyways, dinner tonight? I’ll get take out from the diner. Just family. No north siders, cross my heart.” She drew a little ‘X’ across her chest. She did miss being around only her friends. They did the dumbest shit when they were together, but it always made for a fun night. She swiped a spare helmet from the back of Griff’s bike. “Do I get to drive?” She jabbed, raising her eyebrows at him playfully. He never let anyone drive his bike, but that never stopped her from asking.
Griffin cocked an eyebrow in the north side boy’s direction as he tipped his can of beer towards him, as if he were accepting an unspoken challenge. That was fine with him, he could play this game. He knew Lena better than most, and he was confident that she’d never be shallow enough to fall for a spoiled north sider who defaulted on his money as a personality trait. Pushing himself from his seat, Griffin nodded his head towards the boy before dismissing himself to the garage.
Fixing all of his friends cars wasn’t a new concept for Griff - hell, if he didn’t spend so much time doing the people he loved favors then he might actually be able to stick to a fort hour work week. But alas, that would never be in the cards for him. He was lucky enough that the old man who owned the shop was fond of him, and let him use the spare garage space to work on his odd jobs without having to pay for the space.
The dirty blonde was already under Kat’s car when he heard the door open, followed by her nimble fingers tickling at his sides. “Fuck off, Kitty!” He shouted, jerking away from her grip and slamming his head directly into the wheel well. With a huff of annoyance, he rolled himself back out from under the car and sat up on his roller-board, rolling his eyes dramatically as Kat attempted to rattle off what she thought was wrong with the car. “Oh shut up, Kat, you know you don’t know what you’re talking about.” He teased, wiping grease covered hands against the hips of his jeans. “You need a new set of rotors and breaks, and it doesn’t look like you’ve gotten your oil changed since the last time I did it. Four years ago.” He scolded, passing the caramel skinned girl a very disapproving look.
Griffin quirked his brows in her direction as she reminisced over the smell of grease and stolen car parts. To be fair, he felt similarly. If he could capture the scent of this place and put it in a candle, he’d probably burn it 24/7. Despite the overall stress and constant exhaustion from working so much, the garage was truly his happy place, and his mind was at peace when he was under the hood of a car. “It’s not really stolen if no one is missing it, right?” Griff shrugged, throwing a wadded up grease towel at Kat. “Now get off the damn car, I know you can’t afford to fix it when you inevitably break something.”
Griffin rolled back under the car and went to work, but he wasn’t able to ignore Kat’s constant jabbering. Still, he was glad to have a companion in the shop with him - normally it was just him and the old man who was dumb enough to hire a kid like Griff. He perked up as she girl brought up Beck and Elle, despite her stance on the issue. As much as he loved Beck, Griffin hadn’t forgotten the terms of the bet. He needed Beck to lose if he wanted to continue things with Lena - which he definitely did. “Nah.” He disagreed, shaking his head despite the fact that Katniss couldn’t see him under the car. “Beck wants to win this bet, and he’s smart. She’s Newport’s little north side princess, she isn’t going to just sleep with some south side dog. He’s going to play every angle he’s got to get in that girl’s panties, which means he’s going to act like he’s into her.” Griff explained, even if he didn’t completely believe his own words.
Her next question, regarding himself and Lena, was what had really caught the boy off guard. “Ah, don’t think too much into these things, Kat.” Griffin said in an attempt to shrug off the accusation. “We’re friends, just like we’ve always been. Only difference is now we’re friends with benefits.” But were friends with benefits supposed to feel so angry when he saw her with someone else?
Probably not.
Still, he tried not to be annoyed as Katniss settled into her role as the family therapist, explaining how Corban would whoo their friend off her feet and leave Griffin in the dust if he didn’t step his game up. “Thanks Kat, but please fuck off.” His tone was joking, but there was a little bit of seriousness to his words. Griffin wasn’t in the mood to discuss Lena’s potential other lovers.
Speak of the fucking devil.
He could hear the sound of Lena and Corbin entering the garage after a suspiciously long time, and had to fight back the urge to make a scene of rolling his eyes as he slid back out from underneath the car. “Took long enough.” He sighed, brushing his hands against his jeans, passing Lena a suspicious look.
The sports car that the north side prick drove probably cost more than the entire trailer that his family staid in, which made him annoyingly jealous. It wasn’t typical for Griff to feel so hostile towards north siders - he’d grown up knowing that he’d never have what they did, but something about this boy just really rubbed him the wrong way. He could have the fancy cars and the mcmansions, but he couldn’t have Lena.
Griffin had been ready to just head home without another word when the idiotic boy opened his mouth, rambling about what he thought was wrong with the car. “Listen, prick-“ Griffin began, pausing for a moment to compose himself. He didn’t want to let on that Corban was this deep under his skin, and cooled his tone to an even pitch of boredom. “I get paid to do this, all day every day. I don’t need a hobbyist to tell me how to do my job. Thanks.” Could this kid get any more annoying? Griffin didn’t think so.
Thankfully Kat was there to interrupt the tension once again, drawing his attention back to his curly headed friend as she ranged about Beck once more. “Harsh is an understated, Kitty.” Griffin laughed, perching on the hood of her car. “But you were gone a long time, Kat, we’ve all grown up a little, of course things are different now.” Another glance around Lena that was quickly diverted back to Kat. “Things’ll even out between you two, they always do.” He assured her, reaching out to ruffle her curls affectionately. Both of his friends had very strong personalities, and they clashed occasionally. This really wasn’t anything new.
Turning his eyes back to Corban, he tried not to look annoyed even though he very much was. He’d been around the boy far too much for one day. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be, buddy? I can take Lena home, she’s on my way.”
Eloise had never expected to have this much fun with someone like Beckett Greene, but throughout the morning she continually caught herself holding back soft smiles and stifling giggles at his sad attempts at jokes. The boat was coming along swimmingly, and even though she really hadn’t been able to help much, she still enjoyed seeing the progress that was made each time she’d visit from her spot on the bow.
The blonde couldn’t help but roll her eyes just a little as Beck insisted he’d join her and Corban for their tour later. Go figure. “That’s fine.” She sighed, a little reluctance in her tone despite his promise to be on his best behavior. Good behavior wasn’t a quality that Elle thought the south side boy even possessed. “But we have a dinner this evening, and I’m afraid you’ll have to sit that one out.” She explained, passing the boy an amused look. “You didn’t make a very good impression at your last appearance on the north side.” She teased, referencing the scuffle at the ball only a night before. Somehow, it already felt like that’d happened weeks ago.
Thinking of the disaster of a ball they’d attended the night before only made her mind drift to Wren. She’d be haunted by those bruises and bloody words for the rest of her life, and it made her sick to think that someone she cared so deeply about - even if she was angry at him - had been suffering right under her nose for all these years, and she’d never noticed. Her stomach clenched at the thought of having to face not only him, but his father later tonight. Elle wasn’t sure if she’d be able to contain herself.
However, her thoughts were interrupted as Beck drew her attention back to the project at hand. “I warned you!” She laughed as he chided her for her inability to wield a hammer. Eloise had always known the rugged south side boy was a flirt, but he’d been especially on his game today, and her lips turned up into a little smirk once again as he joked about her attempts to nail him. “Not even in your dreams, Greene.” She disagreed, hoisting herself back up into the bow of the boat as he dismissed her.
This was exactly how she’d spent the majority of their time together on the boat - laid out on the bow, sleeves rolled up, collecting a tan. She wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.
It was hard not to notice the charm Beckett emitted as he worked at the boat. She caught the goofy smiles he’d cast her, followed every little flirty comment, and hadn’t missed the fact that at some point or another he’d discarded his shirt and tossed it up to hang on the railing beside her. Eloise has always been attracted to well educated men in suits, closing a deal, or shaking hands with important people - just the type of man her parents had always imagined for their picture perfect daughter. The last thing she’d ever expected was to catch herself swooning over a rugged south sider covered in sweat from the unrelenting Newport sun while he worked with tools on an old unfinished boat.
Not that she’d ever admit that.
It was obvious that there was chemistry between the south side boy and north side girl. The two shared quiet glances and flirtatious banter for what felt like hours. Elle could feel his eyes drifting up to her while she laid on the bow, and she’d steal glances of her own as he hammered away and wiped the sweat off his brow. It was a quiet kind of attraction, neither of them ready to admit it to themselves or each other, but it definitely there all the same.
Eloise dropped onto the ground beside Beck once again, checking his progress and totally ready to start chiding him for his lack of work - however, she was surprised to find that he’d accomplished a fair amount since her last visit. Elle hadn’t meant to let the ‘we’ part of her proposition slip out, but it was too late to take back and Beck had clearly already caught onto it. Rolling her eyes at his teasing words, Eloise pushed herself up after him, following the boy towards the garage. “Well I think it’s clear that I’m really the driving force behind this little project.” She joked “But you can always just take another year to finish it by yourself I guess.” The blonde shrugged as if she were apathetic, but grinned at the shelves of paint none the less.
The shelves held an array of blues and greens, even a few almost-white colors, but her attention was ripped away from the paint at the feel of Beck’s hot breath sliding across her neck. Goose bumps dotted her skin wherever his breath touched, causing the girl to stiffen until he’d removed his lips from such close proximity to her ear. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up.” She murmured in reply to his whispered words, shrugging the off night he sudden onslaught of his allure and taking a step to put distance between them once again.
“But,” she continued, eyes scanning the paints once again. “I think I like this one.” A slim finger pointed to a can the color of the ocean, a deep blue that seemed to shift colors depending on the way the light hit it. “Which is your favorite?” She asked softly, turning to face him once more.
Aria was thankful that the beginning of the walk was filled with the panting of Duke and Frank and the soft buzz of insects and birds chirping throughout the large willow trees that struck home on the south side. Aria was known to make rash and impromptu decisions, but this had to have been one of the most dangerous ones. Her chest still felt tight whenever she looked at Wren – especially now, seeing him covered in an array of cuts and bruises on his face that definitely did not all come from Beck.
As Wren mentioned his horrific night, Aria stopped walking and stared at him. Her green eyes widened and she took in the disheveled boy next to her. She knew that Wren’s father was a tough and strict man, but she didn’t expect him to be like this. To hit his only son and to kick him out onto the streets. Aria knew that she should hate him, that she shouldn’t care for him. However, after finding out this information, how could she not be worried about one of her longest friends? Struggling to find the right words to say, Aria muttered out a small, “I’m so sorry, Wren.” Her brows furrowed together and she had to suppress a small wave of tears that stung her eyes. He didn’t deserve what his father had done – no one did. “Do you want to, I don’t know, report it?” She wasn’t sure what to do, if she could even do anything. But she couldn’t let Wren deal with this by himself, no matter how frustrated he had made her. “If you need to, you could always crash at my place… I could try and sneak you in or maybe we can figure out something with our guest house…” Her voice trailed off as she realized the stupidity of her words. Those weren’t permanent solutions and would probably only get Wren into more trouble.
Hearing his half-hearted laugh, Aria managed to smile softly back at him. “They know that the sooner the walk is over, the sooner they get breakfast,” she giggled, trying to keep up with Duke’s pulling. Suddenly, and idea sprouted and she glanced over at Wren and him walking Frank. “You know, if you need a job the shelter is always hiring.” They continued to walk down the street and past Beckett’s house. She saw a large group of south siders heading out of the home and Aria quickened her pace, not because she didn’t want to talk to them, but because of Wren. She wasn’t looking for another fight to break out between the two rivals. “Plus, then you get to see these two goofballs every day.” Aria glanced down at the two large creatures pulling them towards the shelter that sat at the end of the street. “Unfortunately, you’ll also have to see me on the weekends,” she passed him a soft smirk.
The tension still radiated between them and it was Aria’s undoing. She sighed heavily before she spoke to Wren again, her eyes still drifting back to those ungodly bruises that riddled his face. It made her stomach drop every time she looked at him. “I’m sorry… for what I said…” she started, passing short glances at him ever so often as they neared the shelter. “I don’t forgive you… not yet. But I’m still sorry and I’ll try and help you any way I can.” Aria stopped at the front door of the shelter and glanced over her shoulder at the building. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before suddenly shoving Duke’s leash into Wren’s hand and calling to him as she slipped through the door. “Wait right here.”
Aria returned shortly with folder of papers and a proud smirk on her face. She took both leashes and traded the dogs for the papers Wren. “Congratulations Wren McCoy, you are now an employee at Newport Animal Shelter. Don’t worry, I worked my magic. You start Monday at 7am.” Aria turned back to roll her eyes at the women who stared out the window at Wren, waving at him with giddy smiles on their faces. “Plus, they think you’re cute.”
Eloise was full of surprises today. First off, the little thing had actually agreed to come over to his side of the island – that was a damn miracle in itself. But the way she handled herself at breakfast, Beck didn’t think he had ever been more shocked and attracted to something, to someone. She was not fragile like how the other north side men treated her. Elle could handle her own and she proved that with her retorts back to Kat that left Beck slightly speechless and had his mouth hanging open. Not to mention the dirty banter between them in the kitchen that made him have to focus extremely hard on cooking breakfast. He was always used to flirting, especially with Elle, and it used to only be an annoyance to the girl. However, he wasn’t expecting her to flirt back. Beckett had severely underestimated Eloise, and he had never been so happy to be wrong, for once.
They made a good team, he and Eloise. They didn’t set the house on fire cooking breakfast, they cleaned up the kitchen within minutes, and the work they were putting on his boat was the most work Beckett had gotten done in weeks. As Elle mentioned that she made a promise to Mr. President to show him the town, Beckett arched a brow at her. “Okay perfect, I’ll join.” He flashed her a devilish smile. “I’ll behave, for the most part. Scouts honor.” Beck placed a mocking hand over his heart and went back to work before she could object any further.
It was easy to work with her around – Beck had decided. While she seemed a little hesitant to actually use any of his tools, her presence and little questions had kept him fueled for the remainder of the morning. “My dad loved sailing and he taught me when I was young.” Bringing up his past with his father caused Beck to stiffen and his focus to become slightly wavered. He covered up his uncomfortable expression with more talk, like always. “I’ve been working on her for a little over a year and, given her name is Patience, it’s very fitting.” He had finished the keel and the hull had finally been completed, a task that had Beck in a workers slump for months now. Even though she probably did not know it, her pestering about the boat was all the encouragement Beck needed. Sure, his other friends were supportive, but only on rare occasions did they want to come over and help. Beck didn’t blame them, Beck worked on the boat on the weekends only and his hard-working crew was usually exhausted from their own jobs by then. But, just having someone take interest in something that was so precious and personal to him – it meant the God Damn world and he found that he constantly had to suppress as smile as he worked.
Eloise trying to nail the wood onto the boat was his worst nightmare. “Jesus Christ, you really weren’t lying when you said you said you’ve never touched a hammer.” Beck groaned as she, yet again, slammed the hammer down on his fingers. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you were trying to nail me,” he smirked and he snatched the hammer from her small hands. “In more ways than one.” His eyes glanced to her lips for a moment before he turned and shooed her away. “Just go sit and look pretty on the bow, Princess. And remind me to never let you get near any hard objects again. For yours and mines sake.” He also had not expected to smile and laugh as much as he did with Eloise Montgomery. Beckett had determined that they were more alike than he had thought. He could dish out jabs and taunts to her and she could surprisingly dish it right back. And damnit those blue eyes that twinkled at him deviously was something that he wouldn’t think he would ever get used to.
A bet. This was just a bet.
He had to keep reminding himself on what role he played and what he was supposed to do. Sure, he had turned on the Beckett Greene charm and passed her crooked smiles, playful winks, and even managed to discard his shirt and throw it on the top of the boat, but he wasn’t expecting the charm Elle was able to throw against him. It was a very dangerous game and Beck wasn’t sure if he would win this time around.
As Eloise had jumped down from the bow once again and perched next to him in the grass, Beck pulled himself away from the boat and gave her a curious smirk, surprise dancing in his hazel eyes. Leaning back against his hands Beck eyed her up and down. “We?” His eyebrows shot up. “I’m going to have to deal with your attitude on a regular basis?” Beckett chuckled and sat up from the ground, brushing his hands off on his shorts before pulling Elle up with him. “I have a few colors picked out – since your hammering was absolutely outstanding and the view of you on my boat was... entertaining -- you can do the honors of picking out the color.” He turned and began jogging back to his garage, calling over his shoulder. “Come on, Princess!” Kicking open the door, Beck headed to the side where a slew of paint cans sat on a shelf mounted to the wall. Tools, car parts, boat parts, and even some fishing supplies littered the garage enough to where Beckett couldn’t even pull his old jeep into the space. An old four-wheeler also sat in the middle of the room. Jutting out his hands to the paint, Beck glanced at her as she examined the array of colors. He had a specific one in mind that he wanted to use and that he bought specifically to paint Patience, but curiosity got the best of him and he wanted to see what color stuck out to her the most. “Pick the one that screams Beckett Greene,” he leaned down and whispered to her. “Even better if it screams ‘Beckett Greene is the sexiest man on the damn planet’, which I wouldn't mind hearing out of your pretty little mouth.”
"Well damn, Mr. President,"
Corban smirked as Lena nudged him and he went back to sipping his beer. Just as he thought the heat was off of him, Griffin spoke up and not to Corban's surprise, Griffin wasn't impressed. "I'll impress you soon enough, just not in the way you'll be expecting," Corban shot across the table at Griffin, his competitive spirit showing its rear end. Corban played football for a living and if it's one thing he knows how to do, it's play a game. He didn't see Lena as a game but he saw wiping the smug face off Griffin's face as a game. Corban watched as Lena ordered Griffin to another room and Corban shifted in his chair uncomfortably. He was definitely sure now that there was something happening between Griffin and Lena, he wasn't an idiot. But that just provided fuel and ammunition instead of discouragement.
Corban kept calm and finished his beer as Lena and Griffin came outside the bedroom. Quick glance at both of them and from Beck's comment, Corban knew something had transpired. Looking across the table at Griffin, he saw the smug smirk on his face had only grew wider and his comment not this time, made Corban raise an eyebrow. Corban let a smirk cover his face as he raised his beer can to Griffin mockingly as if to say 'you've won the battle but not the war'.
Breakfast wrapped up pretty quickly and it was announced that everyone beside Beck and Elle were heading to Griffin's garage. As much Corban hated the idea of spending another minute with that dickhead, he knew that showing Lena he could hang with her friends was a part of her opening to him. Corban leaned over the seat and whispered in Lena's ear, "I want to show you something before we go. It'll only be a sec," he said. He cleared his throat as he stood up from his seat and glanced across the table at Griffin. "We're going to be make a quick stop. We'll see you there," he said with a devious smirk of his own.
Once Lena and Corban loaded up in his car, he took multiple side roads to get to his destination without revealing where they were going. Corban had only been in town a little while and was already expertly navigating the streets. He made the final turn and stopped his car, putting it in park. He got out of the car, opening Lena's door for her. "Just a ten minute walk from here," he said gesturing to the north. As the two began to walk in silence, he could hear the stream of water getting closer. Suddenly, they both stepped out onto a small cliff and below them was a hidden spring with a waterfall trickling down into it. Corban smiled and glanced over at Lena. "I found it while I was bike riding the other day. Isn't it amazing?" he asked. The sun shone off of the clear reflection of the water and the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of rushing water, the wild animals, and Corban's soft breathing. "I was going to take a swim but I figured I'd wait until I found someone I wanted to share it with," he shrugged.
He stepped back from the clearing and began to strip off his notorious loafers, his t-shirt and his khaki pants, leaving him in only a pair of boxers and a look of uncertainty. "I hope you can swim," he said with a sly smile. Without another word, he took off in a full sprint toward the edge of the cliff and jumped into the spring, hollering at the top of his lungs. He hit the water with a splash and submerged to take a deep breath. He looked up at the edge of the cliff and motioned for Lena to join him. "Don't tell me Lena Campbell is afraid of a little water. Don't worry, I'll catch you," he teased loudly so she could hear him.
Before long, he heard her splash and scream as she jumped into the water. He laughed and swam toward her. He observed her natural state with wet hair and a gleeful smile and his own smile mirrored hers. She was perfect in every way. Corban knew then that the fight for her attention with that southsider Griffin was worth it. He swam closer to her until her lips were only a inch away from his. He wanted to kiss her but knew this wasn't the right time. Instead, he used his fingers to move the hair from her eyes with a lopsided grin. "You are so beautiful Lena Campbell," he said softly. He looked at her for another intense moment before splashing her with water playfully. The splash began a thirty minute long water fight before Corban remembered they had to meet her friends. "We better go," he said.
The drive back to the southside garage was quiet but Corban exchanged a few secret smiles and glances with Lena as they drove. Pulling up to the garage, Corban saw Kat and Griffin already working on the car...well Griffin was. He watched the curly-haired girl come up and compliment his car and insinuate that the two had been having sex in it. Corban chuckled and shook his head. "Thank you. She's my baby," he said, patting the hood of the car affectionally. "Fixed her up myself when she went out on me," he commented.
As the girls conversed, Corban walked deeper into the garage, his hair still damp from the midday swim. He leaned against the car Griffin was working on and observed. "Looks like an uneven rotor surface. Be careful because the tiniest difference in the disc could fuck the whole thing up," he said with a smirk, definitely using his play on words to apply to the love triangle they have going on.
Kat's wasn't one for feelings. She had spent her entire life at war with something or someone, so it was crucial she grew thick skin because it was her armor. But as her best friend stood up for the Malibu Barbie, Kat felt a knot grow in her stomach. She had never seen Beck stand up for anyone, especially a northisider. Was this really all for the bet or was it...more? She raised an eyebrow at his response, her smirk slowly disappearing. "Look at the trash calling the kettle trash or however that saying goes," she spoke, a bit more roughly than she intended. To say Beck had hurt her feelings would have been an overstatement because she takes everything he says with a grain of salt. They've both been irrationally angry and rude for a majority of their friendship, it was how they loved each other. But to say she was jealous was a low blow and it bothered Kat more than she wanted it to. She would talk to him later and not in the company of strangers. On top of her best friend's tough love, she heard the Malibu barbie speak and she audibly sighed, dragging her eyes lazily to Elle. "Ahhhh, she speaks, unfortunately," Kat mumbled under her breath.
Elle's response was actually a genuinely funny response to Kat. Kat laughed and nodded her head, as if impressed the barbie had something sassy to say back. But, for the sake of not further ruining breakfast, Kat kept her mouth shut. As the heat went from Elle to Corban, it was Kat's turn to be a witness to the turmoil. She watched as her best friends stalked into the backroom and could vaguely hear the sound of their lips smacking together. Kat damn near had to hold in a gag. Her eyes looked up to Corban who seemed perfectly chilled now and was chugging down a beer. Her lips lifted into a half smirk and despite Griffin's earlier speech, she could see him fitting in around here. As the two reemerged from Beck's room, Kat made a stank face and finished her beer. "God, I think all that food is about to come back up," she chuckled, shoving Griffin a bit as he sat back down.
As the plans for the day were announced, Kat fist pumped the air but nearly fell out of her chair when Griffin playfully pushed her. "Geesh, ass wipe, I'm still a girl. And if you fixed all of my problems, would I still be single?" she chuckled and stood from the seat. Usually, she'd say goodbye to Beck with a obnoxious hug or secret handshake or simply by jumping on his back or a middle finger, but Kat didn't even glance at him and Malibu as she exited his house. But she was sure to cuddle on Callie and whispered in her ear loud enough for Beck to hear, "Your Dad's a dick."
Kat called a tow truck to tow her dad's car to Griffin's garage and she rode her motorcycle over as well. Jumping off her bike, she saw Griffin was already observing the damage and she was the first one there. She walked behind him and tickled her fingers on his sides, earning her a yelp from her dark-haired best friend. Kat laughed and clapped her hands, jumping up on another car beside her and grabbing a wrench and swinging it playfully. "Gosh, I missed the smell of grease and stolen car parts from this place," she teased. Kat managed to flip onto her stomach on the trunk of a car and she let her legs kick up behind her as she watched her best friend work.
"I think it's the back breaks or maybe the front breaks sprung a leak into the radiator tube on the windshield...or maybe it was the right breaks or the left breaks," Kat said seriously, trying to sound like she knew what she was talking about. A moment of silence encompassed the friends as she let him work but Kat had some questions she wanted answered before Lena and Corban showed up. "He really likes her doesn't he?" Kat asked with a bit of sadness laced in her voice, knowing automatically Griffin would know she was talking about Beck. Kat couldn't deny the deep feeling in her gut that she was right. And if she was right, then this bet would ruin everything for Beck. One part of her wished that she hadn't even mentioned the word bet and another part is glad because the northsiders and southsiders don't mesh. Beck was setting himself up to get heartbroken with a northsider as high-strung as Eloise Montgomery. Plus, the blonde haired bimbo would completely ruin the dynamic the four of them had going.
Kat switched sides and turned onto her back with her legs in the air now. "And you really like Lena, don't you?" she asked, glancing upside down at Griffin, knowing even if he lied that his eyes wouldn't lie. She listened to his response and her eyebrows burrowed. "Well, if you do really like Lena, just know that the sex will only get you guys so far. I know Lena and I know she loves the thrill and the lust but she behind all of that, she wants someone to love her and romance her like that Corban guy. Just some food for thought," she said, offering her best friend a small smile of encouragement. Just in the nick of time, Corban and Lena pulled up in Corban's sports car.
Kat jumped down from the car she was assaulting with her weight and walked over to Corban's car, running her fingers over the exterior. "The sinful things I would do in this car and to this car," she said with a smirk as Lena and Corban got out. "Mr. President, Campbell Soup, how many times have you made sweet love in this car?" Kat teased, making face kissy faces as she walked to Lena playfully. She wrapped an arm around Lena and laughed as they walked into the garage. As if they didn't get enough drama this morning, Kat was curious how this little quality time between all three of Lena's suitors was going to end up.
"Guys, serious question before I cut off all of Beck's fingers and sew them on a dress, was I that harsh to Malibu Barbie? I feel like I left and things were one way and now they're totally different and Becky just expected me to just adapt," she said, irritation rising in her voice and she accidentally dropped the wrench that was in her hands, making a loud bang against the ground. She looked at Griffin with an apologetic smile. "Ooops."
Wren never thought he would spend a full day on the south side of Newport, let alone be renting a house there. He’d driven through this part of town a few times but never so much as stopped his car here for fear of getting mugged. He found it unruly and as gruff as its inhabitants. Still, it was the only part of town with a place he could afford, so here he was.
Once he’d left Eloise’s, Wren had spent the entire morning looking at places for rent. Obviously he’d prefer to stay on the north side, it was the only part of the island he’d ever really known but that wasn’t feasible for a twenty-one year-old with no job and nothing to his name. So he expanded his search and found a place on an overgrown lot next to a red house that looked straight out of a white trash home and garden’s magazine. But Wren wasn’t really in a place to be picky since he was currently living out of his car. Apparently the place had been on the market long enough that once he expressed interest it was like they were begging him to sign a lease. He had spent the rest of his morning dragging out broken furniture and trying to clean the place up as best he could, though it needed more work than he thought he could give.
It wasn’t until after Wren had already signed the lease when he saw a familiar ratty Jeep pull into the driveway of the house next door. “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” Wren groaned under his breath. It had to be his luck that the place he rents is next-door to the guy who just ruined his life. For a moment he thought very seriously about driving his car off the pier with him in it, but he decided to just go get something to drink instead. At the store he realized his credit cards hadn’t been cut off yet, so he stocked up on food, beer, cleaning supplies, and a sleeping bag. He figured if he made a big purchase, like buying furniture, it would alert his parents that he was still using the cards and he’d like to milk that for a little longer if he could. Especially since he was still without a job.
He returned to his little shack, put away his groceries, and cracked open a beer. It was before noon, but at this point, he’d resigned himself to becoming an alcoholic and living out the rest of his days in a perpetual state of self-loathing — until he heard a knock on the door. Wren heaved a sigh and set his beer on the counter. He wasn’t sure who he expected to be standing on his doorstep but Aria Montgomery, with two dogs sitting not-so-patiently at her heels, would not have been his first guess.
“Aria,” was all he managed to choke out. After the events of the night before, Aria and Elle kind of scared the hell out of him. He knew he was still on their shit list, even if he had spent the night at Elle’s, and he did not want to be on the receiving side of their rage ever again. “What are you doing here?” He asked. Wren was less confused about why she was on the south side, as he knew that she volunteered on the weekends at the shelter, and more confused as to how she managed to figure out where he was staying. Then he realized his car in the driveway probably wasn’t the most inconspicuous thing. He figured that he was going to have to sell it soon. He needed the cash, and a car that expensive on the south side was bound to get its windows smashed sooner rather than later. He was dreading it, he loved that car.
Then Aria was shoving a leash in his hand and asked him to walk with her. Wren didn’t think Aria wanted anything to do with him, let alone wanted to spend the morning walking dogs with him. But he didn’t deny her. If he wanted things to ever go back to how they were between him and his friends he was going to have to put in the effort. He nodded. “Yeah, of course.” Wren looked behind him into the house and shut the door as he left, not bothering to lock it. He didn’t have anything worth stealing anyway.
The first little bit of the walk was awkward and tense. He didn’t know what to say. He knew he couldn’t make up for what he’d done to her or to Elle, there wasn’t anything he could say that would make up for it anyway. So, he didn’t say anything. He ran his hand through his hair when Aria asked him about the new place. Wren nodded. “Yeah, actually. Um, after, you know — last night,” He sighed heavily. “My dad wasn’t exactly thrilled with me, hence —“ Wren motioned to his face. It was badly bruised and swollen in some places. It was yet another nonchalant confession on his part, telling another one of his closest friends about the darkest secret his family had. But he didn’t care about protecting that family anymore. “He kicked me out.” He just wanted to repair the friendships he’d broken. He looked over at Aria and smiled at the sight of her with a dog almost half her size. “I think that dog is more walking you than the other way around, Montgomery.” He laughed.
Griff hadn’t meant to start world war three by mentioning the fact that he liked Elle, but apparently that’s what had happened. Moments later the room had erupted into a heated argument over who belonged where, who was trying to impress who, and weather or not the north siders deserved to get nicknames apparently. His original statement about inducting Elle into their group had been based off of her ability to save Beck’s wack ass cooking alone, but after hearing her take on Kat without a second of hesitation, he didn’t doubt that the little blonde would be able to hang with them. If you could deal with Kat’s harshness and Beck’s attitude, then you could deal with any of the rest of them.
He appreciated the fact that Corban had tried to stick up for himself, and Griff even recognized that it had to have taken some level of balls to speak to them like that knowing he was outnumbered and not on his own turf, but that still hadn’t been enough to convince Griffin to give the kid another shot. He didn’t take well to disrespect, and he especially didn’t take well the the fact that he’d basically told everyone else that he couldn’t have cared less about them - he was only there for Lena. Now that rubbed him the wrong way.
“It was a nice act, Loafers, but I’m not buying it.” Griff yawned, his expression conveying that he couldn’t have cared less about what the boy had to say. “You can try to fit in with us, you can try to impress us, hell you can even try to get in with Lena - but I’m warning you right now, you’re wasting your time. It’s not happening.” His tone was bored as he fiddled on his phone, leaning his chair back on two legs as he pretended not to have any interest.
Lena’s demanding voice snapped him out of his faux boredom, drawing his eyes to her as she demanded they have a private moment to speak. He didn’t bother to answer, just wordlessly stood to follow her to Beck’s bedroom at the back of the house. He knew where this was going, and he knew that it wouldn’t be good.
Griffin listened to her rant, and tried to act like he cared even a little bit about everything she had to say. He didn’t though. He didn’t care who she brought around or how she felt about Griffin’s coldness towards him. Corban and his feelings weren’t Griffin’s concern - Lena, his longtime friend, shorttime lover, was. “God, Lena, for a smart girl you’re awfully dense sometimes.” He snapped, taking careful steps towards her as he spoke. “I’m not jealous of him, Lanes,” another step closer, the hunger in his eyes growing to a roar. “I just think you could do better.” Another step towards her and Griffin had her backed against Beck’s bedroom wall. Standing over her like this, seeing her so worked up, the energy between them was undeniable and he couldn’t help himself for a moment longer.
He caught her jaw in his hand, holding the delicate thing in his rough grasp as he guided her mouth to his. He kissed her like he was suffocating and she were his only source of air, like a caged animal finally breaking free. Sometimes, he thought, that’s what it was like to be around Lena - the two of them had so much raw sexual chemistry that they fought to subdue for the sake of the friendship, it was nice to let it out every now and again. Once Griffin realized that Lena was kissing him with just as much force as he was her - not smacking him, as he’d suspected would be the case - he pressed further into her. There wasn’t even the smallest gap left between their bodies as he pressed her into the wall with his weight, claiming her mouth over and over again until he feared he wouldn’t be able to stop.
Beck would literally murder them if they fucked in his room.
So instead, Griffin pulled away, stepping back to give the breathless Lena space to regain her composure before the ventured back out to the kitchen. He couldn’t help the grin on his face as he saw the girl so frazzled, raking a hand through his hair in an attempt to smooth it back into place. “See?” He breathed, running a thumb along his bottom lip, already reminiscing on the feeling of her lips there instead. “Wasn’t that better?”
Her response had caused a deep chuckle to rumble from his chest, shaking his head in amusement. “Just name the time and place, sweetheart.” He murmured in her ear before before brushing past her, returning to the kitchen where they were immediately reprimanded by Beck. “Nope.” He said easily, popping the p at the end of the word as he settled back into his seat, his gaze settling on Corban with a satisfied smirk. “Not this time.” Lena was definitely going to beat his ass.
Maybe he was being an ass, but the satisfaction he felt was enough to fuel him for a lifetime. He’d had something to prove when he walked into that bedroom with Lena, and judging by the way she walked back out, he’d proved it.
With a sigh, Griff turned his attention back to Lena as she recommended they go fix Kat’s car. He tried to keep the mischief from his eyes as he looked at her, although it was very badly veiled. “Meet me at the garage I guess.” He said with a shrug, standing to his feet and stretching his arms above his head. “Always fixing your shit.” He teased, reaching over to shove the caramel skinned girl affectionately before seeing himself out.
Elle flashed Beck a daring look as she swatted his leg with her hand. She knew that Corban likely didn’t need her help in defending himself, but as the two oddballs of the south side breakfast she figured they might as well stick together. However, Beck’s comment nearly made her drop the plate of pancakes she’d been handing him. “That makes two of us.” She said under her breath, lips caught in a snarky smirk. He wanted to play that game? Cool. So could she.
Eloise heaved a heavy sigh at Lena’s question shrugging her shoulders as she worked on helping Beck set the table. It had been an innocent enough statement - how had her night gone? But frankly? It had been an even bigger shit show after she’d gotten home. Memories of a beaten and bloodied Wren floated through her mind like a fever dream, turning her stomach sour and giving her the urge to vomit. The sound of his tear drenched words whispered through the back of her mind once again, telling off the atrocities that’d been occurring in his home but gone unspoken for years. Remembering gave her goose bumps. “Eventful.” She finally decided, sliding into her seat between Beck and Griff as everyone began to dig in. “Feels like it was crazier than the ball, actually.” She joked, though clearly uncomfortable with the subject. It’s been part of the reason she had been so grumpy when Beck had come to wake her up that morning, she’d spent half the night awake with Wren.
She hated him, she hated him with every fiber of her being, but that didn’t stop her heart from hurting for Wren McCoy.
But for now, she wouldn’t think about the broken boy who’d knocked on her window. Today was about experiencing the south side, and even though Beck may not have been the most hospitable person, she couldn’t deny the fact that she was having a good time.
In an attempt at friendliness, she’d taken it upon herself to introduce herself to the only south sider she hadn’t formally met yet. And for a moment, she’d agreed with Beck that this morning seemed like it’s been a success. But of course, that seemed to blow up in her face too. Elle was not in the mood. She bit the insides of her cheeks hard enough that she tasted blood, trying desperately to keep her tongue in check and now say anything she would end up regretting later. She’d been raised to be the picture of elegance and poise, which she typically followed when in front of the right audience, but that didn’t stop the blonde from having a fiery temper. Lucky for her, she couldn’t have cared less about this audience.
“Oh really?” She feigned shock, her voice raised an octave to resemble the fake tone Kat had used with her. Elle slammed her elbows into the table, rattling dishes as she propped her chin in her hands, mocking the same position the girl had used as well. “What a shame I missed out all these years, because you’re clearly such a fucking pleasure, huh?” She mused innocently, pursing her lips as sat back in her seat. Beck was quick to jump to her defense, which she appreciated but rolled her eyes at nonetheless. She could handle herself, and the last thing she wanted was to give the girl any more ammo to use against her.
Thankfully, the awkward silence surrounding the table and attention soon shifted to the other north sider getting torn apart. Corban had picked up where she had left off, and was unrelenting as he called the south siders out on their shit. Elle was proud of the typically polite and perfectly mannered boy for handling his own business without a second thought, not allowing his hosts to treat him with any more disrespect. She passed him an encouraging smile before continuing to push the food around her plate.
Once again, Kat’s voice broke the silence amongst them, filled with more sarcasm as she demanded their real names were good enough. Elle set her fork down, turning to stare back at the caramel skinned girl with a moment of hesitation. “Nicknames huh? Don’t worry, you all have already given me plenty of those.” She snapped, a ferocity behind her ocean gaze that normally wasn’t known. “Let’s start with some of your favorites - the Princess of Newport, the Montgomery Bitch, Malibu Barbie, oh, and don’t forget my personal favorite: ‘that stuck up bitch you think you’re better than’” She paused for emphasis, her gaze unwavering. “So yeah, I think I prefer Elle.”
She hadn’t meant to sit back in her chair with so much force, knocking into Beck’s arm and causing the chair to rattle against the hard wood floor. This time when Beck offered her a beer, she didn’t hesitate to take it and crack it open. Her parents would have an aneurysm if they saw her sipping cheap beer before it was even ten in the morning, at a table full of south siders none the less, but she supposed that was kind of thrilling in it’s own right. Hearing Beck’s murmured words in her ear, she passed him a bored look, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t run that easily.”
Eloise was happy to have the attention removed from her when Lena and Griffin returned from their private conversation, Lena looking incredibly disgruntled, Griff having a cheshire like smirk on his face. The blonde quirked an eyebrow in Lena’s direction, but decided it was probably best not to push her. Not now, at least.
Instead, she followed Beck’s lead and rose to help gathering dishes. Eloise huffed in annoyance as he tried to shoo her away, telling her not to worry about it, which only resulted in even more frustration. “Let me help, Beckett. Despite what your friends think, I’m not above doing dishes.” She snapped, nudging him out of her way with her hip as she moved in front of the sink. The duo was actually incredibly efficient with Elle washing and Beck drying and putting away, and they’d managed to finish the entire table worth’s of dishes in only a handful of minutes.
Before she knew it, Eloise was being lead away by the dark haired south sider, insistent that he had her for the hostage for the rest of the day and that she had better be good with a hammer. “Quite frankly, I don’t think I’ve ever touched one.” She admitted with a laugh. “But I promised Loafers that I would take him on a tour of Newport later today, so I’m all your’s until then.” She promised, giddily following him to the boat he loved so much.
The two had been working at Beck’s sailboat for what felt like hours - most of which consisted of Elle climbing onto the unfinished bow and rolling her sleeves up, laying out and soaking up the sun while Beck actually worked on nailing things into place. Every now and then, Eloise would swing down from the railing and drop to the dirt beside him, checking on the progress he’d made since the last time she’d visited from the bow. On even rarer occasions, she would take the hammer and let Beck place a piece of wood to nail in, but she’d smashed his fingers enough times that that didn’t happen very often any more. Their time had been filled with laughter and jokes and jabs at one another, and Eloise almost didn’t want to admit that she’d been having fun out here with him and his ratty boat. So instead, she settled in pestering him with questions about it every few minutes.
“When do we get to paint it?” She asked excitedly, eager to have a portion in the project she could actually participate in. Elle wasn’t sure when Beck’s boat had turned into a ‘we’ project in her head, but she didn’t mind the idea.
Last night seemed like a blur. Although she was sober as all get out – it hadn’t felt like it. Being whisked away by a stranger, stealing a car, and feeling like she was on top of the whole damn world was buzz like any other. When she woke this morning, Aria had figured her daunting and daring acts with the handsome stranger was just a dream – however, seeing his number scribbled on a piece of paper by her night stand gave her all the clarification she needed.
It was one of the best nights of her life.
Of course, her parents had tore into her when she returned from the party. Aria’s night was also filled with screaming and scolding about acting like a proper north side lady. It seemed as if everyone had left the Summer Solstice ball fairly quickly that night, due to an apparent fist fight between Beckett Greene and none other than Wren McCoy. Aria noticed his black eye when she confronted him last night, but she was too furious and hurt that she had honestly forgotten to mention it. Of course, they had to have been fighting over none other than Eloise. While she and her cousin seemed to have made up, it didn’t mask the hurt she still felt. Guilt still slightly overwhelmed her knowing that she had a part in the destruction of Elle’s and Wren’s relationship. While it was done unknowingly, Aria had wished she had never gone into that stupid wine cellar with Wren.
Because here she now stood – without him. One of her lifelong friends. Even if their relationship didn’t develop romantically, the friendship they had formed was one for the books. And she felt like an idiot for missing it.
Deciding that she did not want to socialize with any human beings for the rest of her weekend, Aria went to the one spot where she could get away from the north side and their insufferable rules. The south side – the animal shelter, to be specific. Animals were so much easier than people, especially boys.
She had two large dogs leashed up while making her walk around the south side. One, a chocolate lab by the name of Frank, and the other was some sort of mixed breed. He was black and white and always had his tongue rolled out of side of his mouth. He wasn’t the brightest color in the crayon box, but Duke was Aria’s favorite. Plus, he was exceptionally lazy, and he only needed a short walk until he basically dragged her back to the shelter.
Aria was making her way down the last street. Passing Beckett Greene’s house wasn’t exactly her favorite part of the journey. That boy was always outside doing some stupid shit. However, she did seem to notice his interest in that large boat in the backyard and all the work he had put into it. Passing by the house every weekend, it was entertaining to watch the boat grow closer to completion with every day. Another part was also relieved that the kid actually spent some of his time not terrorizing her north side friends – although she didn’t blame him for that, either.
Noticing plenty of more cars than usual pulled into Beckett’s driveway, Aria almost didn’t notice another familiar car in the driveway of the house that neighbored his. Wren’s car. Stopping in her tracks and furrowing her brows, she stared at the lone home for a moment. For a few months now this home had been up for rent, but, realizing that the neighbor of the home was a loud and unruly twenty something who cursed more than a sailor, it had sat vacant for a while. Until now, it seemed. While the houses still had a decent amount of space in between, Aria could still clearly see the colorful array of vehicles stored near the red home and she wondered why the hell Wren McCoy would step in a 100 foot radius of Beckett Greene right now.
So, she knocked on the door. Duke and Frank were tugging at her arms, basically pulling her small form towards the door anyways. Waiting patiently, Aria chewed on her bottom lip. She hated Wren – she hated him with all her five-foot body could allow, or that’s what she told herself. But, seeing that familiar shaggy blonde hair and those kind hazel eyes opening the front door, Aria found a small part of herself not hating him, no matter how hard she tried to. Instead, she glanced over his disgruntled form. He had a nasty black eye, which she noticed him sporting last night at the party, but a few new marks and bruises also covered him and Aria’s brows furrowed and her mouth parted slightly as she tightened her grip on the dogs sniffing his hands.
“Wren?” She said to him, taking everything in. Aria knew she wasn’t exactly being sly with her wandering gaze across him and across the home he was standing in, either. Why the hell was he here? And why did he look far worse this morning than last night? She had so many questions, but judging Wren’s exhausted state, she knew she shouldn’t push him. Not today, at least. Chewing on the inside of her cheek for a moment, Aria sighed and handed the boy Frank’s leash. “Walk with me?” As the boy slowly took the leash, Aria eyed him once before turning and walking back towards the gravel road. She didn’t know exactly what to say, the space between them was tense and heavy and, despite the raging heat, cold. She didn’t want to talk about them or Elle or anything of that sorts. “Is that your place?” Aria finally asked, not looking at him as they passed the home.
Lena pushed around the eggs on her plate as she listened to Kat go off on Eloise. She pursed her lips and eyed her friends around the table. The four of them knew the Montgomery’s when they were younger, and everyone assumed that they were princesses of the north side. Well, that much hasn’t changed — but now they know that the princesses can at least hang on the south side. Lena looked over at Beck who, as Griff had so eloquently put it the night before, was simping hard over Elle, bet or no bet. And he was getting more and more irritated with Kat calling her out like that.
When Beck called Kat out, Lena almost dropped her fork. Their little group was pretty savage with one another when it came to jabs and insults. It was all out of love, of course, but they just liked to give each other a hard time. But when Beck called out Kat, it wasn’t a friendly jab. He was serious. And he was defending a north sider — that was the more unbelievable part. Even if it was just for a bet. Lena raised her eyebrows at Elle’s response too. Turns out that the girl can take care of herself, but they’d found that out the night before with McCoy.
Then she sat back, basically in awe, as Corban stood up for himself amongst her friends’ slew of insults and snarky comments. She was kind of proud of him. Her friends were assholes, she knew that better than anyone, but she really thought Corban was going to just sit there and take it for the entire meal. So when he spoke up it had caught her off guard, especially when he said that he was only there to impress her friends because they were important to her. Lena knew that was why he had come, but hearing him say it made it feel a lot more real. She was not surprised to hear Kat speak up first about Corban’s little outburst, and Lena couldn’t help but laugh a little. She nudged Corban, a little smirk on her face. "Well damn, Mr. President," She joke, exchanging one nickname for the other. Maybe these north siders would fit in after all.
The brief moment of understanding between all of them soon dissipated as Griff had to shoot off yet another one of his smartass comments. Everyone else was willing to let the north sider’s presence slide, especially after he’d effectively just told them all to fuck off. But not Griff. Lena pushed her chair back and stood up. “Can I talk to you for a second?” Her tone was curt and it was clear that she was done joking around. Before Griff could even give a response she stalked off toward Beck’s bedroom in the back of the house. She tried to take a deep breath before Griff appeared in the doorway.
“What the fuck, Novak?” Lena shut the door behind both of them and turned to face Griff. “What is your deal today? Literally not twelve hours ago you were telling me that we were ‘just friends’ yet here you are acting like a jealous girlfriend,” She felt herself getting worked up. “You don’t get to tell me that and act like this when I bring someone new around. That’s not fair, Griff.” She took another step closer to him. “You don’t get a say in who I flirt with, who I date, or who I fuck. You don’t get to be jealous.” Lena was seeing red. She didn’t know if she was mad at Griff for the way he was acting, or mad at herself for breaking the damned ‘friends don’t fuck friends’ rule in the first place. She was just angry.
Then Griff was kissing her. One moment they were arguing with each other and the next they were all over one another. It had all happened so fast that Lena’s mind was still racing to connect the dots. His kisses were hungrier than they had been at the party, it was like he had something to prove. But she didn’t mind. She matched his voracity at every step. This time felt even more wrong than the last. First of all, they were in Beck’s bedroom, and if he found out they for sure were getting their asses beat. But also, they couldn’t blame it on the liquor this time. They were stone-cold sober and that terrified her. She gripped the back of his neck to pull him closer into her but he broke away. Lena swallowed hard and looked up at him.
She didn’t know what she was doing. She had a perfectly nice guy waiting out in the kitchen for her. A guy who’d just stood up to her rather intimidating friend group for her. She thought she wanted someone nice. Now she wasn’t so sure.
“Fuck you, Novak.” She told him. Lena wasn’t sure if that’s because she really wanted to, or because this hot and cold thing going on with him was really pissing her off. Regardless, she pushed past him and out of Beck’s room. She rolled her eyes at Beck’s comment and flipped him off, not that the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. Lena also didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of a response.
“So are we fixing Kat’s car today or what?” She asked the group, ready to get the hell out of that kitchen. Lena cast a glance over to Griff who looked overly pleased with himself, which just pissed her off even more. He got under her skin worse than anyone she’d ever met — in more ways than one.
Beckett thought he would never see the day where Eloise Montgomery would be by his side, in his kitchen, helping him cook south side family breakfast. The tradition had been one for years throughout their rough-cut crew. At least once a month they would gather on a weekend and cook a large-scale breakfast and dig into each other. Tossing insults and jabs to one another was also a south side tradition and no where was safe, not even the dining table.
As Beck cooked, he found it slightly difficult to keep his gaze on the pancakes with Elle besides him. She fit right in and had no problem playing her part in the morning. Especially since Griff’s lazy ass looked like he was suffering a slow and painful death at his spot on the table. He made sure to meet Griffin’s suggestive gaze – no doubt referring to the bet and how quickly Beck had made his first move. The thought made his stomach tighten and Beck shook it off. It helped that he was able to shoo Lena away as yet another hand snatched some of his bacon. “Don’t touch my damn bacon.”
As everyone else started sifting into his small home, including the prissy north side bloke, Beck found it insanely difficult to keep his mouth shut – like always. As Eloise slapped the back of his leg Beck arched a curious brow and a wicked grin formed. “Ooh, I like it rough,” he smirked before setting the food on the table, knowing that Eloise might actually surpass him in cooking skills.
Watching the beer leave his grasp Beck shot Eloise a hurt look. “You are playing a dangerous game, Princess,” he warned her playfully before opening the fridge and snatching another one. He made sure to crack the can open obnoxiously, giving the blonde a smug smile as he did so. “What the fuck is a mimosa anyways,” he muttered, sitting at the table next to Elle. Hearing Griffin’s comment about the edible food, Beck passed the boy a middle finger as he tore a bite off the bacon and leaned back in his chair. He casually slipped an arm on top of Elle’s chair as he did so. He kept his mouth surprisingly shut as the others bantered over the table at their newfound north sider friend -- and not the cute blonde one. It was amusing and Beck smirked as his eyes darted back and forth across the table, soaking in the loving and distasteful comments being thrown about. “No one has thrown a drink in someone’s face, so I am deeming this morning a success,” he muttered to Elle.
That was, until Kat opened her mouth again.
His eyes grew hard as his curly headed friend mocked Eloise and Beck finished chewing before he shoved his plate away little too forcefully, it bumping into Kats across from him. “Jesus Fucking Christ Katniss you act like you’re worth the introduction.” Sure, it was a little harsh and he knew Kat would tear into him for that later. As the tense silence spread over the room, Beck flashed a look to the other north sider Corban, who looked absolutely scared shitless. The view was comical and it brought a slight smile to his face before Kat once again ruined it. “Why the hell are you so ticked about her being here, Kat? Are you that butthurt that I’m not giving you all the attention? Either shut it and drink the fuck up or get out.” While his tone of voice was slightly more menacing and Beck was indeed pissed off at his friend, his eyes glimmered with that south side tough love and his voice softened slightly as Kitty pet his dog. “Her name’s Callie, not Kitty. Don’t flatter yourself too much.” He was thankful that her attention then drifted away from Eloise and went onto the poor north side prick who seemed to be pushing more food around his plate than actually eating it.
As Corban went off on the group, Beck stared wide eyed at the kid, exchanging smirks and glances with Griff from across the table as he did so, just to make sure that he was also hearing this shit. Beck had to give it to him, he sure had balls to come up into their own territory – into his damn house – and give it to them straight. Even if he did dress like a sissy and seemed to care way too much about his hair, Beck was slightly impressed. It also helped that the guy seemed to take a deep interest in Lena and the thought of Griff getting jealous was absolutely entertaining.
So, he would let the kid come around. For now.
A moment of silence once again blanketed the table and Beck was the one to break it. He started clapping slowly and chuckled once. “I have to say, the delivery was amazing. Honestly.” He stood up from the table, finishing his beer before chucking it into the sink. “However, word of advice Romeo, trying to impress us, doesn’t impress us.” Waltzing over to the fridge after Kat, Beck snaked behind her and grabbed a beer and tossed it from across the small kitchen to Corban. “What, no more mimosas?” Beck toyed with him before grabbing two more beers and setting one in front of Eloise. “You look like you need this.”
Once Kat began rattling off the nicknames, Beck couldn’t hide the low groan as she spoke his terrible name she had given him years ago. “Mr. President or Loafers, I might switch it up if I’m feeling nice.” Beck chuckled and took a sip of beer, shrugging at Corban. “And this one,” he resumed his position of leaning back in his chair – an arm now draped over Elle's shoulders instead of her own chair, “is Princess, but only I can call her that. You sons of bitches can get creative.”
Suddenly, Lena’s clipped voice sounded over the table and Beck’s eyes glanced at her target – Griffin. Shooting his eyebrows up, Beck gave his friend a farewell nod before the two snaked off down the hall. God help the man that pisses off Lena Campbell and, unfortunately, it was looking like it was Novak. Beck was growing annoyed at the silence across the table and he took it upon himself to mask the awkward tension. He turned to Eloise, “You’re not running yet so I’m taking that as a good sign.”
Eventually the two had come back from their lover’s quarrel. Lena’s hair sticking out in a disarray and Griffin looking as satisfied and as guilty as ever. Beck’s eyes darted between the two before he shot up from his chair and raked a hand through his hair. “If you two fucked in my bed I will literally feed you to the gators,” he groaned, snatching up his plate and Eloise’s as well. “Breakfast is over,” he chided and began working on getting the dishes cleaned.
Once the table was cleared and Callie was given her fair share of leftovers, Beck leaned against the kitchen counter and stared at Eloise finishing up the dishes. The little thing demanded she helped clean up and Beck knew not to argue – at least not now, anyways. Everyone began filtering out of his house – it seemed like a majority of them were headed to Griff’s shop to go help out with Kat’s car. He was thankful for the peace and quiet, Lord knows his idiot friends were giving him a headache. “Come on,” Beck said to Eloise, jutting his chin towards the door. “You’re not getting off that easy, I still have the rest of the day with you as my hostage.” He tossed her a rag to dry her hands and Beck then led them both out into the back yard and right towards the large unfinished sailboat. “I hope you’re good with a hammer,” he turned over his shoulder to pass her a crooked grin.
Corban knew he wasn't exactly going to get a warm welcome. In fact, he was pretty damned sure they were going to react the way that they did but he would be lying if he said it didn't make him hella self-conscious and insecure--though he'd never admit that. He shifted in seat at the unwelcome attention as Lena's friends cracked joke after joke on him. To be honest, most of them were funny and he couldn't help but smirk but some were starting to get under his skin. Corban knew he wasn't the type to anger quickly but he was starting to get annoyed. These people acted like they knew him simply because of his outside appearance and they truly knew nothing about him.
What annoyed Corban more was that every time he opened his mouth to defend himself Lena or Eloise would speak up like he was some fragile piece of glass. He appreciated their efforts but Corban was learning, if he was going to gain any respect from these guys, he would have to open his own mouth. As the breakfast began and he started to eat his, Corban enjoyed the silence that encompassed the room. It seemed every time he opened his mouth, he said the wrong thing and every time somebody else spoke, they were bashing him or Eloise. Corban's head picked up as he heard the curly-headed firecracker lay one on Eloise and all that self pity, he felt for himself went to her. Fuck, do these guys ever lay off?
Corban was halfway through his breakfast, moving most of the bacon and sausages to the side when Kat spoke, dissing him once again. His fork clanked against his plate as he set it down less than gently and looked up at the group, his shoulders square and eyes purposeful. "Alright, let's cut the shit. I know you see a prick walking in here with loafers on and a thousand dollar champagne bottle and a sports car and you think I'm some sort of asshole. I've been proving myself my whole life to people and this is the only way I know how. Yeah, I'm trying to impress you guys because you seem important to Lena," he started off. He was pissed it took him this long to realize that the nice guy personality wasn't going to work with these guys. He had to have a show of dominance and confidence about himself. He had to bring something else to the table because it was obvious these guys weren't impressed with money. "But, fuck that. None of you are going to scare me away. And frankly, I'm not here to kiss anybody's ass. But I am here. And I'm here until Lena gets sick of me so you might as well get used to it," he finished, taking a deep sigh afterwards.
He went back to eating his meal as the silence filled the room again. Corban was waiting for them to kick him out for good because, quite frankly, he's never spoken to anyone like that before. He's never so much as said more than one curse word in a sentence before. He reached up and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt, suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the dress shirt he was wearing. He unbuttoned the entire shirt and stripped it off, showing his more casual white t-shirt underneath.
Kat's voice was the first he heard and he looked up at her. Her retort was still sassy but it held some admiration in it so he accepted it. He chuckled and shook his head, glancing at Lena, hoping his outburst hadn't completely turned her off from him. He offered her a friendly smile and a shrug, suggesting he didn't know what the hell had come over him but he was kind of glad it did. He went back to his previous position, with one arm on Lena's chair and one picking up eggs as Kat started again. Corban shrugged and took a sip of his mimosa. "Kitty, huh? More like lion," he laughed. He glanced over at Beck and nodded toward the fridge. "Mind if I get a beer dude?" he asked, despite his outburst, manners still in place.
His attention came back to Kat's question at hand. "I don't know. I've been called C.W. my whole life." Kat seemed to be pondering long and hard on the other side of the table and she snapped as if remember something. "Fuck, Beck said it already, Mr. President," she laughed. Corban couldn't lie, the nickname was hideous but it made him feel a bit more welcome knowing he was worthy enough to be considered for one.
The air was so thick around the table that it could've been cut with a knife. This was not the welcome home breakfast Kat had envisioned but it was entertaining nonetheless, especially considering she was the one excluded from the drama. Kat graciously took her mimosa in a plastic cup and downed it in one gulp, which she quickly refilled before any of her friends could see with a small smirk on her face. She listened as her friends relentlessly went in on the new boy and she couldn't help feeling a small pinch of guilt. He seemed like he had a stick stuck in his ass but he wasn't the worst guy she's met on the Northside. Sure he wore loafers, drove a sports car, and represented everything Katniss hated, but was he really that bad? Another question popped into Kat's head, why weren't these guys giving Elle any shit? It's like, while Kat was gone, they forgot how much they despised the Montgomery clan and their families.
As Beck blessed the food in his own vulgar way and told everyone to dig in, she did. Not missing a beat, the southsiders maneuvered around each other's hungry hands, knowing which entree each person liked to eat first. Kat immediately dug into the eggs, secretly loving Beck's scrambled and slightly crunchy eggs. For a moment, there was peace at the table as everyone dug in then suddenly, Elle's voice caused Kat to raise her head. She raised an eyebrow at the girl's friendly smile and plastered on a fake one of her own. "Is it Elle, you say?" she teased mockingly. Kat sat up at the table and placed her elbows on the table as if Elle completely captured her attention.
"Well, I'm the love the child of Beck's aggression and violent tendencies and Griffin's grumpiness and undeniable sex appeal. Nice to meet you," she said with a half smirk. She eased back into eating her breakfast and avoided eye contact with the northsider. "But, I mean, if that's a mouthful--you can call me Kat. Which I'm surprised you don't remember considering I worked your parent's gag-worthy Christmas parties for three years in a row instead of spending Christmas at home like a normal kid," Kat's fork started to aggressively press into the eggs until she got enough to fill her mouth. "I was practically your indentured servant, Barbie and you never took the time to introduce yourself to me."
As she chewed, she looked up at the blonde northsider and gave her the same friendly smile. The room got quiet again, but this time it wasn't peaceful, it was back tense and Kat was to blame. Kat could tell she was being bitchy but if they weren't going to take it easy on Corban, why should she take it easy on Eloise especially when they had a history?
As she finished chewing her food, she washed it down with more champagne. "Alright, Griff is right. This food was halfway decent and I'm not going to lie, being served for once is nice. As far as her being inducted into the family, not so sure," she teased, putting an accent on 'the family'. With Griffin's arm still around her, she leaned back into her seat and placed her head on his shoulder, glancing at the northsiders on the other side of the table. Was this what it was going to be like now? Kat was used to burnt pancakes, dirty sneakers and combat boots, endless insults and jokes, and laughter. The room was now filled with perfectly cooked pancakes, loafers, friends fucking friends, fake niceness and silence. Kat suddenly felt as if she lost her appetite. Kat had a black hole for a stomach and could eat a hearty breakfast and come back for seconds and still have room for a dessert. But not today.
Kat sat up from Griffin's shoulder as she felt Beck's dog lapping at her legs. She smiled, the first genuine smile since she got there and lifted the dog onto her lap. She playfully pet the dog and glanced up at Beck. "What's her name? Did you name her after her auntie Katniss?" she asked with a chuckle as the blonde dog lapped at her nose. She glanced across the table as Corban ate, seeming to avoid all the meat on his plate. "Fuck, don't tell me you're a vegetarian too? Could it get any worse? What's next, you're going to tell me you're a politician?" she teased.
Corban's voice suddenly caught her attention and she glanced up. "Alright, let's cut the shit..." Kat raised an eyebrow as he continued on his mini rant and a smile slowly appeared on her face. When he was done, she actually chuckled and sat the dog down while she clapped her hands. "Well, shit. Who would've thought Corban had balls in those tight ass khakis?"
Kat stood up and went to the fridge and got herself a beer, despite Elle's scolding of Beck. Hell, she had no one telling her what she could drink this early in the morning. She grabbed one for Griffin too and sat back at the table, placing one in front of him. "Look, if you losers are going to eat with us, we need to give you guys a hideous nickname. I refuse to call you Eloise and Corban. Let me reintroduce you to my friends; this is Becky, Campbell Soup, and this..," she listed with a laugh, pointing out her friends. She turned to Griffin and playfully grabbed his chin. "This here is Gryffindor." She then popped open her beer and took a sip while mumbling under her breath, "And some people call me Kitty."
Lena was just about to get out of Corban’s car before he reached into the back and produced flowers and a bottle of champagne. She smiled at him. It was a sweet gesture, really. “Thank you.” She’d never had a guy get her flowers before. “I am gonna leave these in the car though because my friends will roast the absolute shit out of me if I walk in with them,” She laughed like it was a joke — it was not. "But they are appreciated." She also was a little flustered at his opening the door for her, it was not something she was used to. “My friends are a little surly by the way, especially in the mornings. Just warning you.”
Walking into the kitchen she felt her throat tighten up a little bit as everyone turned towards them, she wasn’t sure why she’d thought this would be a good idea last night. While Lena was surprised to see Eloise looking strangely at home in Beck’s tiny kitchen, she was a little relieved that she was here. If she hadn’t been, Lena wasn’t sure Corban would’ve gotten out of here alive.
Besides the presence of the north siders, the scene looked pretty much the same as it always did. Griff was seemingly asleep at the table, and Beck was already burning the pancakes. Lena caught Beck’s glare and, if looks could kill, she’d be dead. She tried so hard not to laugh at Beck’s loafers comment. She thought Corban looked nice, but he was definitely the odd man out. Even Eloise was more dressed down than usual.
“Well good morning to you too Beck,” She told him sliding over and stealing a bit of bacon and lightly punching his shoulder. Bacon was the only thing that Beck could cook well. As she was taking a bite, Eloise pulled her into a hug and Lena stiffened. She just hadn’t been expecting physical affection this early in the morning — her friends weren’t exactly morning people if that hadn’t been glaringly obvious already. “Good morning, Elle,“ She told the girl. “How are you feeling after the, um — eventful night we all had?” She wasn’t trying to stir shit, but she was genuinely curious.
Lena rolled her eyes at Griff’s comment about the south siders hosting just anyone. “That’s the only reason you’re here, Griff,” She told the boy ruffling his hair a bit as she walked around him. Lena squeezed Kat’s shoulder as a greeting and sat down on the other side of the table. Her normal seat beside Griff wouldn’t have left room for Corban so she switched seats. As the north sider sat down beside her she felt his arm go to the back of her chair. Even more interesting was the way Griff visibly stiffened when he did it. It gave her a little bit of a thrill to see him annoyed by Corban’s presence.
She threw the remainder of her bacon piece at Griff when he said that Corban should have just stayed home. “Play nice,” She warned him. “You too,” She pointed at Beck. Lena poured herself a rather large glass of Champagne with the smallest splash of orange juice. She didn’t remember the last time she’d had the stuff, but it would maybe make her friends' smart-ass comments a little more enjoyable.
“And he’s here because I invited him, just like Beck invited Elle. So everyone needs to take a chill pill,” She responded to Kat’s question. Lena knew when she invited the boy the night before that it was going to cause a little conflict between her and her friends. Maybe last night she liked Corban enough to brave the barrage of snarky comments and side-ways glares. Maybe she wanted to get under Griff’s skin a little. If he wanted to be friends with benefits then she’d show him what the just friends part was really like. Maybe it was a little bit of both.
Lena leaned forward and tried to pick at the least burnt pieces of food, those were probably the ones Eloise had cooked. She piled her plate and, like Beck instructed, dug in. It surprisingly didn’t all taste like char, which was a vast improvement on any other breakfast that they’d had together. The fact that Elle fit in so well with their little crew unnerved Lena a bit. And the fact that Beck has jumped so quickly into the bet made her a little nervous about the outcome, but she smiled anyways. She liked Elle a hell of a lot more than any other girl Beck had ever brought around.
“I second,” She said in response to Griff's group vote on keeping the north sider. “That was surprisingly not terrible,” She laughed, leaning farther back into her chair and pulling her knees up to her chest.
Griffin rolled around in the floor with Callie yipping and jumping around him for probably longer than was considered appropriate, his hands covered in little bite marks from her razor sharp puppy teeth by the time he finally climbed back to his feet. Not that he minded, if Griffin’s heart of stone belonged to any female, it was surely Callie.
Hearing Beck call to him from the kitchen, Griff only released a loud, long groan in response, shuffling into the room with his eyes still half closed. It took him a moment to realize that the feminine figure in the room wasn’t just the familiar face of Lena, but the north side blonde instead. He shot his friend a shocked look, smirking deviously as he gave Elle a friendly shove as he walked past, his normal greeting for friends. He hadn’t expected Beck to take this bet so seriously, not so quickly at least. A part of him feared he’d made a mistake by making that bet after seeing how quickly he’d managed to get Newport’s Princess back to his place, but he remained hopeful that the priss would still be too snobby to ever consider sleeping with Beck. Her friendly nature this morning didn’t help his confidence - she fit in with their scraggly little gang of friends far better than he ever would have expected.
“Elle is the new girl ‘round here, she should have to do the eggs!” Griffin argued, greatly resembling a toddler having a temper tantrum. He was still partially asleep, and he’d drug his ass out of bed this early for free food, not to work. He released a triumphant humph, raising a victorious middle finger in Beck’s direction when the little blonde agreed to take over his cooking responsibilities, leaving Griffin to take a seat at the table and lay his head against his folded arms, hoping to catch an extra few minutes of sleep while they waited for the others.
He was still astounded that he’d been the first to arrive, considering he was normally the token late one of their little group.
Griffin’s short snooze was interrupted by the sound of Beckett insulting someone on their taste of shoes - not that he could blame him, who in their right mind wore loafers on a Saturday morning? He rose his head to find Lena standing in the doorway looking annoyed, and was even more flabbergasted to find prince ducking charming from the previous night right there along with her. He was almost disappointed when Elle shushed Beck’s roll of insults, and decided to take over for his friend. After all, there was no one there to stop him, right? “Didn’t realize we were hosting for just anyone, but whatever Lanes.” He snapped grumpily, leaning back in his seat.
Griff was thankful for Katniss’s quick arrival, relieved to have another ally at the table who wasn’t obsessed with north siders. To be fair, Beck was just trying to win a bet - Lena didn’t have an excuse for her disgraceful act. The brunette simply shrugged his shoulders at Kat’s outrage, shaking his head in solidarity with her. “Yeah, me too.” He grumbled, making room at the table as the others began to filter their way over and take their seats.
He stiffened considerably as the oaf of a boy took a seat beside Lena, his arm resting on the back of her chair - he was even more offended that Lena hadn’t sat beside him. That was normally his reserved spot, but all these north siders were fucking with their seating arrangement. Griffin passed Kat an annoyed expression, rolling his eyes as the boy explained that he just needed to get out of the house. “Sorry to disappoint, but you probably should’ve just stayed home.”
Griffin’s only saving grace was the food being placed at the center of the table by Elle and Beck, his hunger proving to be higher priority than the enemy at the table. He gave himself a generous helping of each dish, not hesitating to dig in once he’d sat his plate down. “Wow.” He laughed, flashing Beck a grin. “It’s edible.” He spoke around a mouth full of food, eyes drifting between his friend and the blonde that sat beside him.
“Well-“ he announced, already in a slightly better mood now that he had some food in his stomach, stretching his arms out to either side of him to drape across Kat and Elle’s shoulders, who he was wedged between. “If she can save Beck’s sorry excuse for a pancake and turn it into something halfway edible, then I vote we keep her.” He said, eyes drifting between the other south siders at the table. Sure, he was mostly joking, but also a little serious. Guests normally didn’t last very long with their group of friends unless they’d been welcomed in by all parties.
Too bad for Lena, he had a feeling that they’d never accept her newest boy toy as one of their own.
Eloise could feel the weight of Beckett’s stare burning down her as she slid into the passenger seat of his car, rolling her eyes dramatically at his immediate comment on her glasses. She prepared herself for the slew of insults he surely had ready to throw at her, but was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t follow his comment up with a jab. “I normally wear contacts,” she shrugged, passing him an accusatory look. “But since I was being rushed this morning, glasses were quicker.”
Folding her knees against her chest as she pulled her feet up into the seat, Elle reached down to finally lace of the high tops she’d slid on her feet as she ran out the door that morning. Despite her general morning grumpiness, she couldn’t help the smallest begrudging smile on her lips as Beck noted their matching shoes, glancing over to find his own ratty pair of chucks mashed against the accelerator. “Not likely.” She countered quickly, not willing to fess up to liking Beckett Greene just yet.
The blonde’s head tilted back in a laugh as rusty old jeep tore through her neighborhood, the engine sounding as if it were only moments away from exploding through the hood. A part of her wished she could hide her face so none of her neighbors would recognize that it was her with the south side boy who was waking them all up on a Saturday morning - the other part of her couldn’t have cared less. “Maybe we can take my car next time!” She laughed, shouting the words over the wind as it rattled through the car. The old jeep was nothing more than a rickety old dreary trap on wheels, and she feared that if Beck took one more sharp corner that it would just fall to pieces with them in it. But that posed the question, would there be a next time? She didn’t think she would mind if there was.
Eloise wasn’t attracted to Beck like she traditionally was to the pretty north side boys. His pull was more magnetic, like a slow urge to be near him becoming stronger and stronger. The boy’s energy was chaotic and made her feel alive, he pushed her out of her comfort zone and encouraged her to unapologetically be no one other than herself, he opened up a carefree side of her that she didn’t get to express very often. Eloise thought she could find a great friend in Beckett Greene.
Her breath hitched in her throat as she suddenly found his face very close to her’s, his arm reached across her to pull the car’s buckle across her lap. Elle wasn’t confident that even the seatbelt would save her from Beck’s horrific driving.
Blue eyes silently watched out the window as the south side boy tore across the island. It was easy to see the transition from north to south as well manicured lawns and flashy storefronts quickly turned to overgrown foliage and caving in buildings, smooth pavement turning to dirt or gravel on the nicer streets. The south side was beautiful in it’s own type of way, a messy chaos that showed the true strength of nature’s ability to overgrow anything if left to it’s own. Elle kind of preferred it.
Pulling into the long dirt driveway, Eloise took a moment to scan the property as Beck parked the car. “I didn’t take you as a sailboat kind of guy.” She mused, sliding out of the jeep and eyeing the boat. It was in tatters, and was clearly in the midst of being rebuilt, a task that seemed very daunting for one man to tackle on his own. But that was non of her business, so instead she wordlessly trudged behind the south sider as he lead the way towards his shack of a home.
A shocked gasp sounded from her mouth as upon her first step into the home a tiny ball of blonde fluff charged right towards her. “Oh my god! hi!!” She squealed, stopping to her knees to love on the dog for a few moments. Elle was grateful she hadn’t bothered putting on makeup this morning, because there was no way it would have lasted with the amount of kisses she was getting this morning.
Once the sweet pup had diverted her attention elsewhere, Elle rose back to her feet and took a slow lap around the place Beck called home. It was messy and cluttered and looked as if it had probably never been cleaned, but every ounce of it in unequivocally screamed Beckett. The whole house was probably the equivalent to just her bedroom at the Montgomery Manor, but it was a cozy little place that felt like home.
“I’m starving.” She called back to Beck from the other room, slowly drifting into the kitchen to find him attempting to make pancake mix. Her eyes widened as Griffin strolled into the kitchen shortly behind her, giving her shoulder a gentle shove as he greeted her. Eloise wasn’t used to the rough and tumble way of the south siders, but she’d seen Griffin do the same to his friends, so she could assume that it wasn’t meant as a harmful gesture. The boy’s groan in response to Beck’s demand made her giggle, and apparently also made her the target of Griffin’s laziness. “Elle is the new girl ‘round here, she should have to do the eggs!” He protested sleepily, causing another smile to rise to her lips. “I’ve got it, no worries.” She volunteered, messily pulling her hair back out of her face and taking her place beside Beck at the stove.
Eloise was nearly finished with the eggs when a familiar voice rang out from across the room, turning to see the handsome north sider from last night giving her a quizzical look from across the kitchen. Now what the hell was he doing here? This morning couldn’t have gotten any weirder. “Corban? Hi!” She greeted, passing him a smile as she wrapped an arm around him in a hug. “Good to see you too, I didn’t expect to see you over here.” It soon became incredibly clear that no one else had expected him either, based off the crude comments and angry glares he was receiving from the majority of the room. To be fair, Eloise hadn’t expected herself to end up here today, she’d been hijacked. “Hey Lena.” She greeted with a warm smile, pulling the gruff girl into a friendly hug weather she wanted it or not.
“Beck.” She scolded quietly, swatting his leg with the back of her hand as he ripped into the north side boy, despite his attempts at politeness. “You’re burning the pancakes.” She reprimanded, smelling the poor excuse for food he was flipping into a plate. “Here, just go set the table.” She huffed, ushering him over to take her spot and stepping into his instead. After another few minutes she had managed to produce a handful of well-cooked pancakes to replace the monstrosities Beck had tried to pass off as edible.
Elle passed the plate of pancakes to the table before plucking the already half finished can of beer from Beck’s fingers, tossing it in the sink to drain it’s contents. “It’s barely 9 a.m.” Another eye roll at Beck’s rudeness towards Corban who again, was only trying to be nice. “Mimosas are great C.W, thank you.” She countered To Beck’s harsh comment, passing Beck a loaded look before going to search his fridge. It took a few moments of shuffling around empty pizza boxes and molded takeout containers, but she eventually emerged with a half drank jug of O.j, raising it in success as she gathered an assortment of random plastic cups as well. It was a couple of days past the expiration date, but that couldn’t really hurt, right?
Eloise squeezes into a spot between Beck and Griffin, and across from Lena. The table was small and definitely not made to hold this many people, leaving them all squished together, but Elle didn’t mind the feeling. It’d been a long time since she’d felt this at home with a group of people, even if the jury was still out on a few of them.
Elle waited until everyone else had been served before making her own plate, happily munching on a piece of bacon and discreetly tossing Callie bites of pancake from under the table. Turning her eyes to the tall woman with caramel skin and kinky curls for hair, Eloise offered a friendly smile. The girl was beautiful, and definitely could have passed as a model on any part of the island - north or south. “I don’t think we’ve officially met yet, I’m Elle.”
This life of comfortable ease was definitely one she could get used to.
It was hard to stifle a laugh seeing a disgruntled and bedhead ridden Eloise. He could practically feel the annoyance seeping off her and it only fueled him more. He shoved his hands in his pockets and has she told him to screw off, Beck merely shrugged, “Maybe we can later, but right now I’m kidnapping you for the day. No exceptions.” His eyes traveled to the small pajama shorts and the tank top she had slept in. His gaze wasn’t able to linger for long as she huffed and slammed the door. A grin formed and Beckett knew that he had won this round.
Waiting in his jeep, Beck ogled her as she ran towards the car. Long hair swaying in the morning wind, that tee showing a little bit of her tanned stomach. And glasses. As she slid into his car Beck stared at her for a moment before taking off. He liked this side of her, he realized that very quickly. “I didn’t know you had glasses.” He said casually, his gaze slipping from her face to her outfit to her legs and to those untied high tops that that matched his own. Beck chuckled once, “Looks like I’m rubbing off of you. Watch out, Princess. Next thing you know you might actually like me.”
Reaching over to her, Beck grabbed the passenger side seat belt, his face becoming a little to close and his chest brushing against hers. He took a little longer than necessary to grab the belt and enjoyed every damn minute of it. He glanced sideways at her, a shit eating grin across his face. “Safety first,” he whispered, taking the seat belt and buckling her in. “And trust me, you’re gonna need it with my driving.” Beck passed her a daring wink before he floored the gas and high tailed it down the open neighborhood road. His jeep wasn’t exactly the quietest thing around and he knew that he was giving these north siders a nasty wake up call. The thought made him grin even wider.
Beck then thought back to Eloise’s question and while the wind ran through the car, ruffling his hair as well as hers, he drummed a few fingers against the steering wheel. “We’re going to breakfast.” He stated, taking a turning a little too sharply and throwing out a hand to steady her in the seat. “That is, if you survive the drive there.” His laugh echoed through the car as they left the north side behind them and the island became thicker with foliage and trees. The roads grew smaller and most of them were made from dirt and gravel. Those signature island willow trees cascaded above them and Beck jutted a hand out the window – embracing the breeze through his fingertips. If he could spend his whole day driving around the island, he would.
He also took a moment to glance over at his company for the day. Beck’s eyes glazed over at her throughout the short drive back to his place. The slightly awestruck look in her eye as she stared at the trees above, the devious glint as Beck drove the south sider way down the now gravel road.
Just a bet. This was just a bet.
Pulling into a familiar dirt driveway, Beck parked his Jeep far into the property, near Patience and under the large willow that covered it. Unbuckling, Beck wriggled his brows playfully as he hopped out of the car. “Welcome to my humble abode.” He wasn’t embarrassed bringing her here. His small red shack of a home was everything he needed. Sure, the paint was chipping and the roof looked less than satisfactory. The home was small and it was obvious that Beck hadn’t mowed the lawn in years. However, this was his home and it was one of his most favorite places on earth. It screamed Beckett Greene. A little rough around the edges, but beautiful if you took the opportunity to look long enough.
Nodding his head towards the back door, Beck passed Elle a lazy grin. It was, in fact, still early after all. “Come on Princess, there’s another south sider you haven’t met yet. And she happens to be the love of my life.” He turned on one heel and jogged the to screen door and held it open for the tiny blonde as she snaked by. Beck heard the familiar sound of nails clacking on his kitchen floor and Callie came sprinting into view and tackled Eloise before she had even stepped her other foot in the door. “Cals, down!” Beck laughed shaking his head as the pup licked his new company. He squeezed past the two blondes and headed into the kitchen, grabbing every pan he owned and tossing an array of food onto the counter top. “Elle, meet Callie. Surprisingly, she’s a bigger pain in my ass than you are.” He called from the kitchen.
The house was littered with knick knacks and pictures. The fridge was barely visible through all the polaroids of he and the crew and drawings from Griffin’s sisters. Shell picture frames, driftwood tables, and even beach glass wind chimes littered the home. It was messy, but it was an organized chaos that Beck knew how to navigate. The furniture didn’t match and small piles of sand seemed to hide in some of the corners of the room, but it was his little slice of paradise – the one place where he wasn’t gawked at and gossiped about. He wouldn’t apologize for it.
Getting started on the pancake mix, Beck’s eyes shot over to Elle and Callie. “I hope your tiny ass is hungry and I hope you’re ready for a whole bunch of bullshit because Griff is here.” And, like clockwork, Griffin strode into the home, Callie immediately going to the familiar boy. Beck was thankful that the guy’s bike was louder than all hell. He could hear him driving to his house from ten miles away. “Hey Novak, get your ass started on the eggs. You don’t eat for free,” he passed his friend a challenging grin as he poured the pancake mix into the pan. As he stood near the stove, Beck saw an unfamiliar sports car pull into his driveway and his body immediately tensed. He stared at the vehicle and he didn’t realize he was burning the pancakes until the charred smell danced across his nose. "Shit," he muttered, flipping the pancake and then peered back at the door as Lena and a very unwelcome guest strolled in.
Beck’s jaw locked and he passed Lena a ‘what-the-actual-hell’ look. Fire burning behind his hazel eyes, Beck glared at Corban. “Are those fucking loafers?” His eyes traveled up and down the north sider and his taste in breakfast attire. “Jesus fuck it’s not even 9am and I need a damn drink.” Suddenly, another presence stepped inside Beck’s tiny home and he glanced over at Kat and rolled his eyes at the cig in her mouth. He didn’t realize he was burning yet another pancake and Beck groaned to himself. Hearing Kat come up behind him and steal the only thing he wasn’t burning, the bacon, Beck playfully shoved her out of the kitchen. “This is family. Elle already proved that her north sider ass can hang with the south side although,” his eyes flashed the Lena, “I’m not so sure about Mr. President over there.”
Hearing Corban address Eloise, Beck’s head shot from the food and he eyed the two as they hugged. He squinted his eyes at the sight for a moment before he covered the annoyed expression with a casually bored one. As Corban pulled out of bottle of champagne, Beck rolled his eyes and reached into the fridge, pulling out a beer can and cracking it open with a little more force than necessary. “This is breakfast on the south side, not Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” He took a swig of the beer and as the prick opened his mouth again Beck had to tell himself that throwing a full beer can at a guy's face before 10am was not a great way to make friends. Even if the guy was complimenting his food. “You can thank the chef by leaving,” Beck grumbled as he began to set the table with the food.
Beck had been so distracted by the shit show that was now family breakfast he had almost forgotten that he had invited a certain blonde with an attitude problem. Glancing over at her he took in the sight. Surprisingly, she fit in well. She didn’t deal with Griffin’s shit, she didn’t run from Lena’s grit, hell, even Kat seemed to like her.
Curious. It was all very curious.
“Alright everyone shut up and dig in, I’m sober and hungry and I need to cross off one of those before I deal with all of you.” Beck’s laughed echoed through the small home as he took a seat at the table and started digging into the food.
As soon as Eloise Montgomery opened her mouth to respond, he knew her looks deceived her. At first glance, she would seem like a stuck-up princess, looking down her nose at everyone around her. But, when she spoke, she was nothing but kind. And the blush that overtook her face was pretty damned cute. Corban could quickly identity why the men around Newport were fawning over the blonde haired woman. As she fished for her phone, Corban took it graciously and added his phone number before handing it back to Elle, his fingertips slightly brushing against hers. His smile overtook his face once more as she announced her departure and he waved one of his hands goodbye. "Until later, Eloise," he spoke smoothly. As she walked away, Corban couldn't help but watch for a moment. She was perfect, in every sense. Gorgeous, kind, manners impeccable. Corban couldn't help feeling a bit curious about getting to know her on a deeper level.
But that thought was silenced as the woman who truly peeked his interest walked over to him. His hands rested in his pockets and he raised an eyebrow as she walked up to him. Her greeting made him give a half smirk and he glanced back to where Eloise once was. "Princess of Newport, huh?" Corban shrugged as if unimpressed. "I guess she seemed nice enough. Royalty's overrated," he spoke. As Lena spoke more with him about a breakfast happening tomorrow, he couldn't help as his lip twitched at the nickname she gave him. He knew it would stick and wasn't surprised when she said it. As she went on and described how her friends didn't like him and how she was unsure, he weirdly enough felt nerves in the pit of his stomach. Corban was unfamiliar with the feeling of not being accepted and someone not easily falling for his charm so for the first time in his life, he felt challenged. And for Lena, he was definitely up for the challenge. In fact, he spoke "I love a good challenge. And you, Ms. Lena, seem like you aren't gonna make it easy for me," he said with an easy-going smile.
He gently took the piece of paper from her hands and read the address, it being a street in Newport he wasn't familiar with, meaning it was on the other side of town. As Lena walked to her car, he followed silently behind and opened the drivers door for her. He waited until she slid inside to grab her hand, for the second time that night, and kissed the back of it. "Until tomorrow, Lena."
Tomorrow came quickly and Corban was up before the sun was. He finished his 2 hour long morning workout earlier than usual so he could get ready for the breakfast with Lena. He took his time getting ready, examining his closet alone for thirty minutes trying to find an outfit that didn't scream "preppy" and was appropriate for breakfast. He settled on a pair of khakis, a short sleeved dress shirt, and a pair of his most casual dress shoes. Corban felt self-conscious that he'd be too dressed up but it wasn't like his parents allowed him to go out the house wearing jeans.
As Corban finished getting ready, he headed downstairs and could hear his mother's breathless coughing from a mile away. He ran to the living room and could see she was hacking into a tissue. He went to her, gently consoling her and rubbing her back until the cough attack died down. "You alright, Ma?" he asked softly. As always, she waved him off and nodded her head until she could catch her breath. "I'm fine, Corban. Just got something caught in my throat," she lied. Corban shook his head but didn't say anything as he grabbed her water and handed it to her. He turned his head to look for his father and saw him reading the paper at the island in the kitchen. It's a rarity that Corban lost his cool, but his father always seemed to Bring the worst out of him. "So you're just going to fucking sit there while she's choking?" he snapped.
"Corban, please. I'm fine," his mother insisted. His father shrugged, as if to say 'you-heard-her'. "She said she was fine," his father said. Corban hands balled into fist and he knew if he didn't leave soon, it was going to be a problem. "You look nice, baby. Going on a date?" she asked. "Something like that." He stood up, kissed his mother on the head and walked out the door into the garage, to his sleek, silver, newest edition Porsche and hopped inside, letting the sunroof down. The drive to Lena's house was longer than anticipated but he was still on time. He waited patiently until she came outside and rushed out of his seat to open her door. He offered a smile, though the one she gave back was reluctant. "Mornin'," he said back with a lot more enthusiasm than her.
The drive to Beck's place was short but awkward. Corban was beginning to think that Lena was regretting this decision but he was going to do his best to make sure she didn't. As the pulled up into the driveway, he parked the car. Suddenly, he reached into the backseat and grabbed a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne. "This is for you," he said handing her the flowers. "And this is for your friends," he said holding up the bottle. Again, he rushed out of his seat to open the door for Lena and he let her lead the way inside. As they entered the house, they were immediately greeted by a dog. Corban couldn't help but smile watching Lena interact with the puppy, it was the most relaxed she had been all morning.
As they walked side by side into the kitchen, Corban heard himself audibly gulp as they closer to everyone inside. He saw all those familiar faces from the ball last night and they had the same scold on their faces, except for one. "Eloise?" he asked with genuine surprise. For some reason he didn't imagine seeing her on this side of town. He didn't take her as the type to stray far from the Northside. Happy to see a friendly face, he walked over and offered her a friendly hug before turning to the group. "Good to see you. Hey everybody."
The room was intense and all were on him and Eloise. Corban cleared his throat and sat at the table, across from Kat and next to Lena. He produced a bottle of champagne and set it on the table. "I hope everybody here likes mimosas," he said with a smirk. As Lena sat beside him, he let his arm rest on the back of her chair, not thinking anything of it. He glanced across the table at the curly-headed girl from last night and knew she was going to be a tough friend to make, as well as the dark haired male friend that was obviously protective over Lena. "Had to get out the house. Plus, I figured, why not get some free food and get drunk with strangers," he smirked.
As he glanced at the food on the stove, Corban pointed to it. "Food looks delicious. Who made it? I'd love to thank the chef," he said. Kat chuckled and leaned forward, opening the champagne bottle. "Awww, don't lie to him Corban. And thanks for the drink. I'm gonna need to be drunk to get through this shit show," Kat teased, mumbling the last part under her breath. Corban smiled back nervously, at least grateful she had remembered his name.
Kat's laughter filled the parking lot from Beck's comment about her being a bar rat and nicotine addict. "Boy, you sure know how to get a girl's panties wet, Becky," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. From the comment Kat made about Elle and Beck, the entire conversation took a drastic turn. Kat had not realized the shit she just started with her bet joke. She listened as all of her friends agreed that Beck could or couldn't nail the blonde haired barbie from the northside. Kat was on board with the bet until all the terms began being laid out on the table. As she grabbed the bottle and took a swig, she choked slightly on the whiskey as Beck said that if he lost, Lena and Griffin would have free reign over their relationship without their interference. Only problem being that, that was the exact opposite of what Kat wanted.
She helplessly watched as her friends agreed to the terms and took an even bigger swig from the whiskey in her hands. This was not going to be a fun experience for Kat. While she started off on Beck's side of the bet, now she was switching sides and knew if she wanted to ever open up to Lena, she'd have to do it without Griffin getting in the way. Which meant, she was going to have to sabotage Beck's chances of sleeping with Elle. Groaning inwardly, she mentally decided she needed to get laid...and soon to get over this now redundant crush on one of her best friends.
For the second time, Kat slid off the car as Beck practically kicked them all off. She raised her hands in defense as Beck singled her out. "Hey! I'm always on time...the time that I set," she said defensively. As Beck accelerated away, she gave the backend of the truck a solid kick and a loving middle finger before turning back to Griffin and Lena. Kat was in the middle of taking another swig of her bottle when she was pulled into an embrace with Lena and Griffin. Though, it was a bit awkward considering the thought of them sleeping together was in the back of her mind, they were still two of her three best friends in the entire world and she was beyond elated to be reunited. Kat wrapped an arm around Griffin's shoulder and one around Lena's shoulder and made a big circle hug and chuckled. "Missed you too Gryffindor," she said. As they pulled back, she smirked and ruffled a hand playfully through Griffin's hair and gave Lena a final squeeze. "See you losers tomorrow. Try not to suck each other's face off before morning," she said and jogged over to her father's car before any retorts could be made back.
Morning came way faster than Kat anticipated and she groaned as the sound of her alarm clock filled her entire room. Not only did she finish that half bottle of whiskey but she had cracked another bottle and shared half of it with her alcoholic father. So, to say she was grumpy and hungover was a severe understatement. Regardless, she knew that Beck would have her ass if she was too late so she quite literally rolled out of bed and onto the floor.
The process of getting ready was a long one. She showered, brushed her teeth, washed her hair and put a few products in it so her natural curls had a shine and smelled like lavender instead of the cigarette smoke she had become accustomed to. She dressed in a pair of ripped denim shorts, a Tupac crop top that showed off her curves and her notorious beat up combat boots. To pair off her hungover look, she placed a pair of oversized black shades over her eyes.
Once satisfied she looked decent, she ran out of her room and hoped to get out the front door without alerting her father but no such luck. There he was plastered on their beat up couch with three empty beer cans next to him already. Kat rolled her eyes behind her shades and walked up to him, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "Heading out big man." Her dad seemed to be in a trance and finally looked up to his daughter. "Where ya going this early in the morning?" he asked. Kat sighed and checked her phone, knowing this game of twenty-one questions was going to make her later then she already was. "Beck's house."
This caused her father to sit up and he smirked, wagging a finger at her. "I always liked that boy and that other friends of yours, Greggory," her father slurred. Kat rubbed her face impatiently. "Griffin, Dad. Look, I'm going to take the bike because the brakes are messing up on the car. Probably going to make Griff look at it sometime this week," as Kat spoke quickly, she headed to the doorway and bolted out before her dad could object about her taking the motorcycle. "Don't crash my fucking bike Katniss!" he yelled after her.
Kat smirked to herself and rolled her eyes, placing an unlit cigarette between her lips as she jumped onto her father's fourth child, his motorcycle. She lit her cigarette as she listened to the engine come to life and it wasn't long before she was pulling up to Beck's house, especially considering she was riding 80 mph on the side streets and Beck lived like 10 minutes away.
As she pulled up to Beck's address, she could see that almost everyone was already here from their cars outside. She stalked toward the front door, the gravel crunching underneath her boots. Being that she and Beck were basically siblings, she didn't bother knocking, she just barged right in. She could hear all the voices coming from the kitchen and was heading that way when an animal ran toward her barking. Kat nearly shit her pants until she saw it was just a dog and she was busy sniffing Kat to see who she was. "No fucking way! Beck, you got a dog!?" she screamed from the doorway. She leaned down to pet the dog and ran a hand over its head affectionately.
Kat finished playing with the dog and realized she still had a cigarette in her mouth and not wanting another lecture from Beck, she put it out with her boot and threw the butt into a potted plant, smiling to herself knowing when Beck found it, he was going to kill her. As Kat finally enters the kitchen, she sees everyone she loves and adores and others that...she doesn't. Pulling her shades off her eyes, she raises her arms like 'what-the-fuck' to Griffin but he seemed just as confused as she was.
"What the hell? I thought this was just the family," Kat said with an over-dramatized, fake Italian accent. She walked further into the room and at the first sight of food, gave zero fucks about the newcomers. She waltzed over to the stove and hijacked a piece of bacon quickly before Beck could shoo her away like a child. She quickly found a seat at the table and crossed her legs, pointing a finger at Corban. "I know you. I saw you yesterday at the ball. What ya doing on this part of town with us hooligans?" she questioned, but her eyes bore into Lena because she was the person Kat was really asking. Beck's table looked odd being full of northsiders and southsiders. This was definitely going to be an interesting morning.
Kat’s exclamation at the fact she and Griff had slept together made her laugh. “Uh, yeah. Quite the unfortunate circumstance of everyone involved actually, especially Becky when he walked in on it,” She couldn’t help but poke fun at her friend despite the fact that he’d been raging mad at them about it all day. Lena rolled her eyes at Griff’s comment about being irresistible. “Oh please, get over yourself. You were practically throwing yourself at me all night Mr. I-know-something-more-fun-we-can-do,” Though she couldn’t help but smile at him. She was still pissed, but it felt good to laugh. At least until his next comment about her telling him how great he was in bed. “Shut up, dickweed.” Lena didn’t hesitate to chuck her shoe at his head, but she didn’t deny it.
She turned her attention back to Beck’s snarky comment on her and thinking Corban was nice. “I don’t know Beck, since now. Maybe I wanted to try something new — branch out if you will.” She leaned against his Jeep again. Beck wasn’t wrong. Lena had a history of going after the more rough and tumble guys on the south side, Griff was a prime example. But with that type of guy always came the ghosting, or the just a hookup conversation. She wanted someone nice. Someone who would be straight and honest with her. Even if it was less fun in the moment.
“Oh, absolutely not.” Lena shook her head. “Beck, she barely gives you the time of day, last night had been an exception,” She told him crossing her arms. Taking care of her while she had been drunk at a party and had just seen the guy she was with run off to fuck her cousin probably would have been Beck’s best bet at sleeping with the girl, and Lena seriously doubted those particular circumstances would present themselves a second time. Then again, Newport was a weird place.
But she perked up at Beck’s conditions for the bet. She had to say it was pretty tempting. Being able to explore whatever the fuck was going on between her and Griff without having to sneak behind their friends’ back would be an added benefit to the free rides and the bragging rights, something Lena and her friends didn’t get over Beck very often. She let her gaze slide over to Griff as he agreed to the deal and she raised an eyebrow at him.
Lena watched as Kat jumped off the Jeep and zagged around the various parked cars until she returned with a bottle of whiskey. That was precisely what had gotten Lena in trouble last night, but she was not one to turn down a free drink. “Kit Kat pulls through yet again,” She laughed she took the bottle from Griff and took a long drink. She then watched as Beck slid into the driver’s seat of the Jeep with a renewed sense of purpose. At that moment, Lena thought that she might have bet on the wrong horse. She tapped on the hood of his car and returned the middle finger as he drove off.
She sighed when Griff pulled her and Kat into a tight hug, and she didn’t hold back on returning it. Having everyone back together again didn’t even feel real. She loved them all so much her heart hurt. Lena gave one final tight squeeze and kissed the side of Kat’s head before pushing both of them off of her. “Okay, enough of that mushy shit,” She laughed. “I will see you both bright and early.” She waved at them before setting off across the parking lot. Though she didn’t go straight to her car.
Lena found Corban standing in the parking lot as Elle was walking back to her car — a little cheerier than she would have figured the girl to be after a blow-up that massive with McCoy. “Ah, I see you met the Princess of Newport?” She asked approaching him. “I have a proposition for you, bulldozer,” Lena was feeling particularly bold tonight. “My friends don’t really like you, and you know — the jury is still out on whether I do or not,” She smiled at him. “But, you’re new, and you’re nice, and I think they might change their minds,” Lena was pretty sure her friends would die if they heard her saying this to a north sider. “So, come to breakfast with us tomorrow?” Lena took an old receipt and a pen out of her bag and scribbled her address on it. “Meet me at my house and we’ll go together?”
She knew her friends were going to be pissed. She also knew that bringing a north sider to family breakfast might be the inciting incident to World War III, but she didn’t care. What was a family meal without a little drama?
The next morning Lena hopped out of bed way too early and got more ready that she normally would for a family breakfast, electing to wear shorts and a tank top instead of pajamas. She’d taken a shower and washed her face, and asked herself why she’d invited Corban probably twenty times because she went out to meet him.
“Good morning,” She told him, a little less confident in the daytime. The pair walked side-by-side the short way to Beck’s house and took a deep breath before walking through the door. Callie at her feet was the first thing she saw. Lena was head over heels in love with this dog. “Hi, baby!” Her voice went up several octaves whenever she saw the dog. She immediately sat on the ground and kissed Callie’s face approximately a hundred times before she picked herself up and walked into the kitchen to see everyone else. “Mornin,” She said nonchalantly like she hadn’t just walked into Beck’s kitchen with the enemy.
Wren didn’t remember the drive to Elle’s house. He didn’t even remember deciding to go there at all. He had pulled out of his own driveway, blinked, and pulled into hers. Everything in between had been a blur. Shit, maybe he had a concussion. Another moment slipped by and he found himself standing on Elle’s patio outside her window. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d been in that very spot growing up. Usually, with cheap beer and a bottle of whiskey he’d managed to swipe from his parent’s liquor cabinet — he didn’t have even that as a peace offering tonight.
He knew that the chances of Elle telling him to get the fuck out of there and leave her alone were probably pretty high, but he felt like he was barely holding it together, and in situations like that it had always been Elle and Aria to put him back together again. So he took a gamble and knocked on her window. He didn’t have anything left to lose.
“Hey, Elle,” He tried to smile but it hurt. She looked like she had when they were younger and the thought of those late nights made his chest hurt. Wren had to admit he was terrified she would yell at him again, and he didn’t think he could handle it. He instantly regretted coming until she looked him over and her face fell. “I’ve had a bit of a rough night.” Was all he gave in response to being asked what happened, and he was sure it was the understatement of the year.
Feeling her wrap her arms around him and hug him, despite everything he’d done to her, despite everything they said to each other tonight, was the most relieved Wren had ever been. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her and hold her there. After that, he couldn’t hold it together anymore. Wren didn’t make it a habit of crying in front of people, but he couldn’t help it. His entire life had changed in an evening. He was thankful that she didn’t pull away. He’d needed her more than he realized. They stayed there for a long while, but he wasn’t the one to pull away.
Wren let her slide his jacket off, trying not to wince at the pain in his shoulder, in his ribs, everywhere really. He settled on to the edge of her bed and took a deep breath trying to calm himself down as she went to get a rag. He cringed more at her question than when he put the rag to his face. “Not really okay, no,” He told her. After that cry he was beginning to feel numb — emotionally, not physically because whatever Elle was doing hurt like hell. Her hand was about as steady as a jackhammer. On any other night he would have cracked a joke about it, but tonight he stayed silent and took it. Wren swallowed hard.
“My dad throws a hell of a punch, I guess that’s where I get it from,” He tried to mask the confession with humor but he felt his eyes brimming with tears again. “Not the first time,” He’d never told anyone else this before. “My family brushed it off,” He continued. “Mom would say that he was stressed, that if I would just mind then maybe — maybe he wouldn’t feel the need,” Wren wanted to thank God himself when she took the rag away. His face was still stinging. The rag had more blood on it than he thought it would.
“It got better for a while when I was off at school. But tonight wasn’t — wasn’t exactly the best spotlight for his only son,” Wren told her, putting his head in his hands. Why did everything hurt? “They found out about school too. I guess that was the cherry on top of it all,” It was like an enormous pressure had been lifted from his chest. This secret, this terrible thing that he’d been hiding since he was a child was finally out beyond the walls of his house. It was an exhilarating and terrifying thing. One thought rang out above all the others, he was almost glad to be out of that house. Maybe Beckett Greene had done him a favor.
He watched as Elle crawled into her bed and pulled him to lay beside her. He put his head on her chest and closed his eyes at her comforting touches. Her hands in his hair, her fingers on his back. He wanted to end every day like this. He’d just hurt her and here she was comforting him instead. “I know,” Wren nodded. “I’m sorry that I hurt you.” His voice was smaller than he thought it would be. “You’re a good person, Elle, and I’m so sorry,” He told her. He wanted to cry again but fell asleep instead.
The sunlight filtering in through the curtains in Eloise’s room is what woke him up. That and the fact that he was sore everywhere. The night before had felt like a fever dream. But he had to admit waking up with Elle beside him in bed was already making this day leaps and bounds better than the one before it. Wren watched her for a moment and kissed her forehead before he quietly went around the room and gathered his things. Before he made his escape off the patio again, something he’d done countless times before, he left her a note on the now empty side of her bed. I’m sorry.
Wren climbed down, rather laboriously, from Elle’s bedroom to the lawn. How the hell had he done that last night? He slid into the front seat of his car and set his hands on the wheel trying to figure out what to do next. Two things were on the agenda for today. He had to get a job and he had to find a place to live. He put his key into the ignition and started the car.
Griffin silently observed Beck while their friends carried the conversation around them. Beck could play the tough guy act as much as he wanted, but Griffin had known the kid long enough to tell when he was bluffing. The locked jaw, the clenched fists, the anger in his eyes as he tried to look anywhere but her - Beck was definitely still pressed over the little blonde north sider. He could pretend that he wasn’t for everyone else, but Griffin knew better than that.
Griff’s attention was quickly pulled at Kat’s exclamation upon hearing that he and Lena had slept together. “What can I say, I’m irresistible.” He joked, flashing the girls a sheepish grin. Griff gasped dramatically as Lena refused to defend his honor in bed, instead pleading the fifth and letting their friends believe Beck’s accusations of him being bad. “Don’t let them fool you,” he assured Kat, nudging the girl with his elbow. “I am an exquisite lover, even if Lena won’t fess up right now, she sure as hell did the other night.” He teased, leaning back on his arms as he flashed the girl a cocky smile. Maybe it hadn’t exactly been his best idea to brag about their sex after he’d just told the girl she was just his friend, but it was all in good fun. They told brutal jokes at each other’s expense, and Lena was no exception.
Turning his eyes back to Beck, he quirked an eyebrow in the boy’s direction as he challenged him right back. “Nah, no fucking way.” He argued, shaking his head defiantly. Beck had his fair share of luck when it came to women, but Eloise Montgomery would surely not be one of them. “You tried that already, remember? You ended up with a busted lip and put in the friend zone.” He appreciated his friends comments chipping in, but no matter how much Kat hyped him up or how big Beck’s head got, the chances of him bagging that blonde were slim to none.
The terms of his bet were what intrigued Griffin the most. If Beck lost, then he and Lena could explore this little friends with benefits situation they’d gotten themselves into to the fullest extent - something he very badly wanted to do. The risk was definitely worth the benefit, and he was so confident in Beck’s inability to get past second base with the north side princess that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to rub this in his friend’s face later. “You’re on, Greene. But I don’t want to wait till the end of the summer - you’ve got two months.” He negotiated, a devious grin on his lips.
Griffin rose an eyebrow in question as Kat slid off the hood of the car, disappearing among the other parked vehicles for a few moments before returned with a half drank bottle of whiskey. “Ah, now you’re speaking my language, Kitty.” He cheered, reaches out to snag the bottle from Beck and taking his own deep swig.
The idea of a family breakfast sounded nice, and probably the most normal thing their friend group had experienced in weeks. No fighting, no north siders, just a handful of old friends eating Beck’s poorly cooked pancakes and catching up with eachother. Maybe he was dumb for assuming normality - of course that would never happen for them.
Watching Beck peel out of the lot, Griff threw his own middle finger up until he lost sight of the ratty old jeep. He turned back to face the girls with a heavy sigh, yanking them each to him, wrapping a single arm around each of them in a quick hug. “I missed you guys.” He mumbled. Griffin wasn’t the type of guy to even admit that he had feelings, let along the capability of missing someone, but having all of his old friend gathered in one place again had done a wonder of good for his heart.
The next morning had come much too soon, leaving Griff a little grumpy and very disheveled as he parked his bike in front of Beck little shack of a home, leaning it against the front porch. Unless he had work, Griff wouldn’t be caught dead out of bed before noon, yet here he was at what felt like the buttcrack of dawn for some shitty pancakes.
His tshirt was crumpled and had definitely never been folded in it’s lifetime, but he’d managed to pull on a pair of jeans and an old pair of sneakers that were barely holding themselves together. He still had sleep crusting the corners of his eyes, and the boy’s hair was a wild mess that he hadn’t bothered to brush. He’d brushed his teeth, and that seemed like enough for him.
Kicking open the door to Beck’s house, Griffin didn’t waste any time squatting to the floor and hollering for his favorite part of coming to Beck’s. “Callie girl!!” He whistled, laughing as the little ball of fluff bounded across the house, her legs skidding our from under her as she fought to get traction on the wood floors. “There’s my girl!” He laughed as the dog flew into his chest, knocking him into his back where he proceeded to roll around the floor with the little thing.
“Totally my fault, I should’ve been looking where I was going.” Elle covered quickly, waving away his apology for having ran into her. In all truth, she had definitely been the one to knock into him, but like a true gentleman here he was taking the blame just because he was bigger. She was relieved by his kindness, a wave of tension rolling away from her as she realized this boy wasn’t going to yell at her for being so careless or clumsy. Good, she didn’t think she could handle any more arguments tonight.
As she introduced herself, Eloise took a moment to let her eyes scan over the new boy. He was a very traditional sort of handsome - big as a house, muscular in all of the right places, a strong jaw and cute freckles that dotted his face - all of which definitely added to his overarching charm. Not that he needed it, he was so kind and his easy going personality was more than enough to make him attractive to most women, Elle included.
The blonde had been caught off guard by Corban’s shocked reaction to realizing who she was, her cheeks blushing at the sudden rush of attention. “I hadn’t realized I’d made such a reputation for myself.” She laughed, offering the boy an easy smile. “Nope, no myth, here in flesh.” She assured him, shaking her head in amusement. It made a part of her nervous to hear that their parents had obviously already filled this boy’s head with tidbits of information about her, and now she’d have to live up to the picture they’d painted for her. If she had stumbled into him on a normal day, it would’nt have been a problem. But after the week she’d had, she wasn’t sure if she could meet those expectations anymore.
Elle noticed as the boy’s eyes wandered past her to the scene of the fight she’d been a part of only moments ago. She couldn’t help the grin that over took her lips, dimples popping out of her cheeks at the corners of her smile, as the boy sweetly tried to reassure her that he didn’t expect perfection, especially after having witnessed the shitshow that had just went down. “Good, because you probably won’t find much of that around here.” She laughed. “But thank you, really, it’s a nice change of pace to meet someone so nice. Please, let me make this evening up to you.”
The proposition he’d offered seemed relatively simple, just a tour of the island. That was easy enough, they could make an evening of her showing him her favorite parts of the island and introducing him to a handful of friends to help ease his tradition into the Newport lifestyle. However, catching the tail end of his idea had shocked her. Another blush rose to the apples of her cheeks, painting her dainty face in a rosy glow as she fought back the devious smirk playing at her lips. “Actually Corban, that sounds great.” She agreed, fishing her phone from the little clutch she carried and handing it to him to put his number in to. “I’ll text you my number, you can pick me up tomorrow afternoon and I’ll show you all of Newport’s finest.”
The smile on her lips was hard to wipe away as she headed to her car after their brief exchange. The feelings between herself and Wren had snuck up on her, had came so naturally after years of friendship that she had never expected them. It was a nice change of pace to be flirted with and asked on dates, not just taken for granted. Corban Wilson had single handedly managed to save the night she’d wrote off as ruined, leaving her with a permanent blush on her cheeks and butterflies in her tummy.
Those butterflies quickly turned to pterodactyls clawing at her insides once she arrived home. While she’d managed to beat her parents back to the Montgomery Manor, she knew that she would have to face them in the morning, and they would undoubtedly be ready to strangle her. Instead of waiting up to face them tonight, Elle hurried to her room in an attempt to just pretend to be asleep before they got home.
She felt like a new person after a shower and wiping the makeup from her face, changing into a pit of cozy pjs and settling into bed for the night. It had been a couple of hours since she’d made her escape from the ball, and she was right on the verge of falling asleep when she heard a tiny knock coming from the patio doors across the room. Elle rubbed at her eyes, unsure if the sound had been real or if she’d started dreaming and not realized it. She hadn’t expected company tonight, and most guests used the front door, her private usually patio reserved solely for the purpose of her friends sneaking her out late at night.
“Wren?” She questioned softly, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she pulled the door open to find him standing before her. It took a moment for her eyes to focus without her contacts in, slowly realizing that the boy before her was in absolute tatters. “Oh my god, Wren, what happened.” She gasped, trying to keep her voice down so not to wake her family as she pulled him into the room, closing the door behind him. He was covered in a mixture of blood and tears, his suit was torn, and he looked far worse than how Beck had left him.
Of course Eloise was still angry with him, furious even, and he was anything but forgiven. But this was her closest friend since they were in diapers, and he was hurting, and he needed a friend. She couldn’t leave him there after he’s sought her out, needing comfort more than anything else. So she did just that.
Elle rose to her tip toes, curling her arms around the boy in the tightest hug she could manage. She wasn’t sure how long they stood there like that, long enough that she’d lost track of the time, but she hadn’t minded. It’s been several minutes when she finally pulled out of his grip, reaching up to gently slide the remnants of his suit jacket off of his shoulders and tossing it to the back of her desk chair. Nimble fingers loosened his tie, removing that as well and placing alongside his jacket.
Eloise guided him to sit at the edge of her bed before leaving him for a moment, returning with a wet wash rag in her hand. “Are you okay?” She whispered as she began dabbing at his face with the rag; she tried to be gentle, but she knew even then that her actions had to have hurt the tender skin. “You want to talk about it?”
Once his face was clean - which revealed even more horrifying bruises - Elle crawled back into her bed and positioned herself leaning back against the headboard, gently pulling Wren after her. She sat with his head on her chest, combing her fingers through his hair and running her nails gently along his back. Just holding him, trying er hardest to keep all of his broken pieces from falling apart. “This doesn’t mean that I forgive you.” She clarified, though her blue eyes were soft as she looked at the boy before her. Tonight would be the only exception to her anger, tonight she would be the friend, the comfort, that he needed.
She wasn’t sure when, but they’d fallen asleep just like that sometime in the night, and by the time she awoke Wren was already long gone. For a few long moments she tried to decipher if what she remembered was real life or just a dream, but little remnants of his presence still laid sprinkled around her room. She could smell his cologne on her pajamas, his tie still sat on her desk, and a bloody wash rag was thrown in the corner of her room. It hadn’t been a dream, it had absolutely been real. A part of her wished it hadn’t been.
It was the sound of a pebble smacking her window that had awoken her, and had the night before not happened she probably wouldn’t have even bothered to get out of bed. But just for safe measures, she groggily shuffled over to her window, sliding it open and leaking out. The last person she had expected to find was a very chipper sounding Beckett Greene. “What do you want, Beck?” She groaned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as he demanded her presence, and made fun of her current state of appearance. “Oh, screw off.” She sighed, suddenly very self conscious in her little rolled pajama shorts and tank top, reaching up to try and smooth down her sleep messied hair. She was just about to protest when he reminded her that she did in fact owe him - that much she couldn’t deny.
With an annoyed huff, Eloise slammed her window shut and rushed to get ready for her day. She was dressed and had her teeth and hair brushed in a record amount of time, opting for the ease of glasses today versus having to put in her contacts. She jogged past her parents as she made her way through the house, not wanting to stop and talk and surely receive a lecture for the previous night’s events. “Eloise, where are you-“ her mother began, only to be cut off by Elle’s rushed response. “I’ll be back later!”
Long blonde hair swished down her back as she jogged down her front steps, adjusting the cropped tee and loose fitting denim shorts she’d thrown on a that morning, her black high tops still untied as she jerked open the passenger door of Beck’s Jeep - having to use a lot more umph than she was used to to get the door open. “What is this about?” She sighed, sliding into the passenger seat and pulling the door back shut. Maybe she was grumpy because she hadn’t gotten enough sleep, or maybe it was just the fact that it involved Beck.
Anything involving Beckett Greene at this hour in the morning, in this good of a mood had to have been a recipe for disaster.
As much as Beck tried to pretend like Eloise’s words didn’t phase him, the slight flicker of lost hope shone in his hazel eyes. A hand clenched into another bloodied fist out of pure frustration hearing Elle talk about him. Friends don’t kiss like that. Even if it were a dare, Beck knew that both he and she had felt something within that kiss. Something that stirred up Beck so much he was willing to punch Wren in the face at the biggest event of the summer. And as Griffin’s voice taunted Beck, observing that the blonde had only called the wild-haired haired south sider a friend, all of the feelings he had managed to gather for Eloise Montgomery were pushed so far down that Beck wondered if they would ever arise again. If he ever wanted them to arise again. “Fuck off, Novak,” he muttered, jaw tense as he took one final look at Eloise in that blue dress before forcing himself to turn away.
Fine. Just friends they would be.
Seeing his Jeep become the new town jungle gym, Beck rolled his eyes at Kat’s and Griffin’s protests about having their sorry asses on his car. Flipping his annoying friends off, Beck groaned as the conversation drifted back to Lena and Griff’s late-night adventures in the sheets again. He regretted even bringing it up and Beck wasn’t sure why he did – he was still trying not to gag every time those two passed little glances to each other. “He seems nice?” Beck scoffed at Lena defending the north side prick. “Since when do you go for nice, Lena Campbell? And please, let’s just forget I brough that God awful situation up again. I’m still not trying to puke in my mouth every time I see you two.” Beck passed Lena and Griff a devious but loving smirk.
Kat definitely had not changed any aspect about herself as she tore into Beck. The comment about his and Eloise’s children had him disgusted, flustered, and also thoughtful at the same time. He pondered the idea of children and then immediately shivered. Beck could barely keep his own ass alive, to make him responsible for a kid who would no doubt have his sense of tom foolery would be chaos. Complete and utter chaos. “Permanent teenage angst – that’s a rich coming from a bar rat with a nicotine addiction,” he played back, chuckling as he watched the curly headed girl dive into her car. As she returned with a bottle of whiskey Beck quickly outstretched a hand a took a long swig of the burning amber liquid after Griffin. It was a miracle he had swallowed before the boy had told Kat that Beckett Greene – world renowned playboy and troublemaker – was simping for a north side blonde with a bad attitude and a foul mouth.
Of course, it was true. It was true as all hell. But, once again, Beck had a reputation to uphold.
His eyes darted between Griffin and Kat as they argued if Beck could actually sink his claws into the Montgomery girl. Amusement flashed across his eyes and a smug grin appeared. “You really don’t think I could do it, do you?” Beck retorted to Griff, handing him the bottle back with a little more force than necessary. “Kat, don’t schedule your amputation appointment just yet.” He crossed his arms and eyed his friend challengingly. “You know what? You have your sorry ass a bet. I bet that I can fuck Eloise Montgomery by the end of the summer. Hell, I bet I can make her north side ass fall in love with me while we’re at it.” He ran his tongue along his bottom lip, an evil an off-putting smirk radiating off of him. “If I win, you and Lanes have to stop fucking around with each other. But if I lose then by all means, carry the hell on. I’ll even give your ass rides for the rest of the year and I’ll even give you bragging rights, Novak.” Beck reached out a hand and shook Griffin’s, setting the bet in place. His eyes darted in between Lena and the boy as he spoke, “I’d start canceling the wedding if I were you.” He opened his car door with a creak and Beck slid inside the driver’s seat. “Now, you idiots get the fuck off my car, I’m out of here. Don’t be late for breakfast tomorrow – you too Kat. Celebratory family breakfast at my place.” And with that, Beck whipped out of the lot, dust accumulating behind his wheels. He reached his hand out of the open window, give his friends a mocking wave and a quick and loving middle finger before his vehicle disappeared into the sunset and looming willow trees.
Beck awoke in an extra cheery mood this morning, despite getting into a fight with Wren the night before. His lip was free of blood and only a small bit of bruising covered his left side of his mouth. However, other than that, Beck looked the same. Disheveled, slightly bored, and just as smug as ever. He had woken up before his alarm, surprisingly. Beck was known to sleep in and arrive late for practically everything, but the south side boy had a bet to win and a woman to swoon.
A wet tongue licked his fingers as Beck brushed his teeth. He peered down and scratched a soft and fluffy head. “Chill, Cals. I just fed you breakfast, you’re going to get fatter than officer Shirley if you keep eating,” he scolded the pup over his toothbrush. Beck had rescued the dog a few months ago. Someone had discarded the scruffy little thing near the marina dumpster. When he found her, she was covered in fleas and had a nasty case of worms. Now, she looked as healthy as ever. Long fur covered the golden dog’s ears, making it seem like she had a full head of hair just as askew as her owner's. Callie was a good dog and she read Beck very well. Needless to say, he wasn’t disappointed for taking her under his wing.
After he finished dressing himself in normal Beck attire, a cut off with dirty Chucks and a black bandana folded and tied around his head, Beck kissed Callie goodbye and left the dog on his couch. “If I come back and you pissed on the carpet again your ass will not be getting a milk bone tonight.” His slightly torn screen door rattled behind him as Beck strode outside in his backyard, towards the beat-up Jeep.
The morning sun was just beginning to arise, and the heat today was already going to be more bearable than the ones prior. Hell, he might actually be able to work on his boat today without dying of heat stroke. Beck eyed the half-built sailboat that had sat under his willow tree for far too long. His father had taught the scraggly young boy to sail – it was the only fond memories he had of the man. Beck’s dad was a strict military sergeant and often brought his work home with him. He was a cold and cruel human. His younger years were filled with constant screaming matches with his dad while his mother sat on the sidelines -- just observing. She did nothing to help him while his father took out his own personal and emotional pain on his only son. He no longer keeps in contact with them and hasn't for years. Not even after they left this stupid island. Thankfully, Beck was old enough to support himself and live on his own – even if it was a very minimal and simple life. He wasn’t mad.
The drive to her house was quick and painless. He had rolled all the windows down so the early morning summer air could waft throughout the vehicle. Rolling into the north side and eventually reaching Eloise’s Montgomery’s house, Beck eyed the large estate for a moment before he stepped out. There was no missing the manor. Beside from Jack Hall’s, the Montgomery houses were also one of the largest on the island. His beat-up jeep looked like nothing but a dumpster nest to the shiny sport cars and trucks that littered the north side road. Wanting to quickly leave the area before anyone noticed his car, Beck leaped out of the jeep and rushed across the lush green lawn before rounding to the side of the house. He and Griffin often would terrorize the Montgomery girl’s by egging their homes or tp-ing their trees. It was harmless south sider fun and it made Beck very familiar where their rooms were.
Reaching down into the rock bed that sat underneath her window, Beck chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, debating whether he should just leave and forget about the bet. But it was a good bet and Beck never liked to back down from anything – especially his best friend. So, with no more hesitation, Beck fiddled the small rock in his hand and tossed it onto the window. The glass wavered and it hit harder than he meant it too. God, this was so stupid. He felt as if he were in some damn cheesy 80’s movie. Give him a boom box playing a love ballad and a mullet and Beck would surely be unstoppable.
Beck tossed a couple more rocks before he saw a figure move behind the glass. As Eloise opened her window and shot him one of those famous icy glares, Beck retorted with a cunning grin. “Mornin’,” he called up to her. “You look absolutely ravishing.” His voice dripped with sarcasm as he took in the blonde’s bedhead and her pajamas. He had no doubt woken up the girl and the thought made him chuckle. “Get dressed and get your ass down here. I’m stealing you for the day.” Before she could object, Beck arched a brow and began to saunter back towards the car. “I saved your drunk ass. You owe me.”
He had to keep reminding himself that this was just a bet and nothing more.
The longer Corban stood with Lena's friends, the longer he felt the divide between himself and them. For the life of him, he couldn't put his finger on why that is. He was never the type to discriminate or hold someone's financial wealth, or lack thereof, over someone's head. In fact, usually when people meet Corban they love him, no matter their status. It bothered Corban that he was disliked more so than their rudeness. Regardless, Corban kept a polite smile on his face as he walked away. Truth is, he could give a flying fuck about being liked. It's just that those people seemed to be Lena's closest friends and if they didn't like him, she wouldn't either.
As he stalked toward a small group on the other side of the parking lot, he could hear whatever argument they were having amplify. He turned to allow them as much privacy as he could and when he heard the commotion die down, he began walking toward them again and walking smack into Eloise. He couldn't help the small laugh that left his mouth as he reached out to help yet another girl from falling as they bumped into his chest. "It seems like I've made a habit out of running into people tonight."
His eyes ran across her once and he was stunned. She was beautiful like Lena but she wasn't like Cinderella, she was someone who was already born into royalty. That much Corban could tell from her dress. As she began to introduce herself, his brows burrowed in confusion but then a realization came over him. "Thee Eloise Montgomery?" he said in a bit of shock.
So this was the woman his mother practically begged him to meet tonight. The woman that his mother was already picking out venues for their wedding. Again, Corban stifled a chuckle and shook his head at the irony. This was the type of woman Corban's mother wanted him to date. Not Lena. But, for some reason Lena didn't leave the back of his mind. "Hmmm, Eloise Montgomery. My mother spoke so highly of you, I thought you had to be a myth. But yes, I'm Corban or you can call me C.W." he said, a side smirk taking over his face.
He looked around at the other blonde beauty from before stalking off and the guy with the dark hair stalking off in another direction. It seemed like whatever friend group Eloise was referring to was no longer existent. "No worries, love. Seems like the guys around here need a good verbal scolding. They're unaware of how to treat a lady of your caliber," he said offering a friendly smile and a shrug. "No need to be apologetic, you don't have to be perfect around me. We do that enough for our parents," he assured her with a friendly smile, his dimple peeking through.
The vibes he got from Eloise were the polar opposite of the ones he got from Lena. Maybe it's because their parents together and they were in the same social class but he got the vibes that Eloise was genuinely being nice. With Lena, he felt like he had to work for her niceness and interest which intrigued him to no ends. He shifted his hands in his pocket and casually glanced back at Lena's group of friends and saw they were in a fit of laughter. He figured he'd let them enjoy their evening and he'd find a way to Lena sometime. He glanced back at Eloise with a raised eyebrow. "If you're not busy sometime, I'd love a small tour of the town and you seem like the perfect person for it. Maybe buy you a drink later that evening if you're into it," he suggested politely. His intentions were pure but he couldn't deny that she was beautiful. He knew though that she came with a lot of drama, especially seeing the spat between her and the dark haired boy. So, for now, Corban's intentions were purely platonic.
Kat raised an eyebrow as the northsider intimately touched Lena and whispered in her ear. A small twinge of jealousy went down her spine but she long ago taught herself to swallow her jealousy when it came to her best friend. It had honestly become a magic trick of hers. Making her feelings for Lena disappear. So when Griffin sat on the car beside Kat and Lena leaned against the car, Kat wrapped her arms around her best friend playfully.
To say Katniss missed a lot would have been the understatement of the year. As she was caught up briefly on weeks of drama and everyone fell into silly banter and jokes, Kat felt like she fit right back in. She couldn't deny that she was terrified her old friends wouldn't welcome her back with open arms. Kat chuckled at Beck's jealousy questions and started playfully listing things off on her fingers. "Been there, done that, never going back. And this car could use some ass on it. I'm sure you haven't been getting any," she said with a sly and playful smile. Regardless of his playful nature, Kat could read Beck like the back of her hand and knew he was exhausted. She was going to suggest moving this party to the southside but she started getting filled in on more information she had missed.
If Kat was drinking something, she for sure would've done a spit-take at the mention of Lena and Griffin brought up so casually. Her head whipped between the two of them. "No fucking way! I mean, it was inevitable that two of us slept together but Campbell and Griff?" while Kat was feeling a certain way about it, her main emotion right now was just shock.
Just as they get back into normal conversation another bomb was dropped and Katniss damn near passed out. "Don't tell me that Malibu Barbie gave Beck some ass?" Kat whispered to her friends. But when Griffin denied it, she sighed a dramatic sigh of relief. "Thank God. Can you imagine those two having Barbie doll babies that are plagued with permanent teenage angst their entire lives?" she laughed, hitting Beck's shoulder.
Kat jumped down from the Jeep and without warning, did a jog over to her car. She searched the backseat for what she was looking for and raised the half drunken whiskey bottle in victory above the car when she found it. She knew the evening was dying down soon and there were still some Northside people there regarding her with distaste as she excitedly grabbed the bottle from her car and flicked them off. She figured her and her friends could use a celebratory drink before they parted ways for the night. She ran back to Beck's car. She took off top of the whiskey and took a swig before handing the bottle to Griffin and jumping back onto the Jeep. "By the way, I think Beck could totally bag the Montgomery girls, especially Elle. In fact, I'd bet my left arm on it. She has a thing for bad boys," Kat joked while wiggling her eyebrows.
Kat leaned back against the Jeep, getting more comfortable. "Those northsiders have wet dreams about us all the time." Kat ran a hand through her hair and sat back up, regarding her friends with fake seriousness. "By the way, is there any other major events I missed? This town just sounds like a big boiling pot of STD's at this point."
Wren put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, there was no way this was his life now. This was, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst day of his life thus far. Then he heard Elle talk. Nothing had happened between them. He was such a fucking idiot.
“Elle, I — I’m an idiot, okay I’m sorry, please don’t go.” But as she was turning to walk away, Aria walked up. Having just heard the part about his motivations behind sleeping with her. His heart dropped. She really had to walk in on that part?
“Aria, please,” He started, but he didn’t have anything to finish that sentence with. He had no affirmations, no excuses, no justifications. What he’d done to her was wrong, and he knew it. Hell, he’d known it when he was doing it but apparently that hadn’t stop him. Maybe he was just a bad person. He’d never seen the Montgomery girls so worked up, and the fact that he was the cause of that made his chest hurt. He wasn’t sure if that was from guilt or from the fear of being on the receiving end of that rage.
Wren stayed silent as Aria yelled at him, he tried to stand there and take it but once it looked like she was about to cry he was hurt worse than hearing them hurl insults at him, hurt worse than when Beck had punched him.
“I’m sorry,” There wasn’t much to do that he could make up for it now. “I know I hurt both of you, and — I know I was a dick, am a dick, and there’s nothing I can do to make up for it. I made a mistake.” A pretty fucking monumental one. One that had cost him more than he would have ever thought it would. “Please, just know that I’m sorry.” Hearing both of them say that he’d thrown away their friendship was more than he thought could handle. He thought he’d feel numb by this point, but he felt his throat closing and like he had a ton of bricks on his chest. Aria told him that he was dead to her, and while it was harsh he knew he deserved it. He deserved everything they had thrown at him. They deserved better than him.
Wren watched both girls walk away from him and he was left there without a friend in the world. And he deserved that too.
He let himself lose it for a bit during his drive home. Because it wasn’t until then that the weight of the evening really came crashing down on him. He’d lost is two best friends in one fell swoop because he was too big of a dick to realize that their feelings mattered more than his. He’d gotten into a fight with a south sider who, while a dick, was still a better person than he was, and he’d done it at the fucking Summer Solstice ball.
His stomach knotted when he pulled into his driveway to see his father’s car already there. Wren had been on the receiving end of his father’s wrath multiple times while growing up. He hid bruises and blamed black eyes on football practice, but since he’d left for school he’d managed to avoid his father and those beatings altogether. But tonight he’d have to man up and get through it. If only he’d done that at the party the night before.
Wren emerged from his home looking much worse than he did when he’d left the ball. His suit was ripped, his face was bloodied, and he was sporting more than the black eye that Beck had given him. He also held a duffle bag full of clothes and some other personal items he’d managed to stuff into the bag before his father had dragged him out of the house. Wren wiped at the tears on his face and his hands came away with blood as well.
He threw his bag into the back of his car and started driving. He had no idea where the fuck he was going, but it had to be better than here. He had no family. He had no friends. He had no home. He possibly needed a hospital. What the fuck was he going to do now?
The good thing about living through the worst night of your life is that it’s all uphill from there, right?
Lena listened intently to Kat’s reasons for being back. While the explanation had not been as detailed as she would have liked, Lena noticed that her friend seemed rather upset by it. Whether she was upset about being back, or about whatever happened while she was gone, Lena didn’t know, but she knew her friend well enough not to push it. When Kat greeted Corban, less than congenially, Lena turned around to look at him. She was honestly surprised that he had agreed to come with her. He really was new enough in town to not have bought into the whole north vs. south feud, not yet anyway.
She wasn’t exactly surprised by her friends' rude responses to his being there, but for some reason, she did feel strangely embarrassed by it. She knew they were protective of her, and bringing an outsider to their little reunion might not have been the best move on her part but how was she supposed to know that Kat was back? Lena felt her face flush a little when Corban said that she’d taken him under her wing, what was with her today? She was over men literally ten minutes ago, and here she was bringing along this guy she just met to meet her friends. She needed to chill.
Lena rolled her eyes at Beck’s comments on the friendliness of the gators. They probably were friendlier than the south siders were being at the moment. “Ignore him,” She told Corban waving off Beck’s comment nonchalantly, though she couldn’t help but feel the weight of her friends' glares. God she was going to get shit for this later. She did feel a bit of a thrill though seeing Griff a little irritated, maybe now he knew how she felt when he’d ditched her to go flirt with that north side girl.
Her entire body tensed when she felt Corban’s hand on the small of her back and heard his voice so close to her ear. She had to stifle a laugh at his bulldozer joke. “Best of luck,” She told him as he left the group. She was slightly unnerved by his politeness, especially when Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum were the only two guys she consistently hung around and their manners were questionable. She shrugged at her friend’s comments about her hanging around with north siders.
“Coming from the guy who just got his ass beat over a north sider, and the guy who has been in more north sider’s panties than I can count — you both don’t have much room to talk,” She fired back at them. “Plus, he seems nice.” Lena crossed their little circle to lean against the Jeep next to Kat, but she couldn’t help but laugh at Beck’s question about Griff in bed. “If I answered that I’d be breaking the rules to our truce, so no comment,” She joked, smiling as she watched Griff shove Beck at the comment. At least they were being civil with each other again. She leaned her head on Kat’s shoulder but perked up when she heard the arguing get worse from across the parking lot.
“You might have started that fight, Beck, but it looks like they’re finishing it,” She was trying to keep it light, but it was really not looking good for that guy. Lena felt a little bit of pride for Elle and Aria for sticking up for themselves though, they deserved better than to be fighting over that prick. She chuckled at Griff’s explanation of the situation between Elle and Beck, but Lena wasn’t pretty sure that Beck’s desire to bag Elle is what caused the little spat between north siders. She was positive.
Griffin was still shell shocked after seeing a long lost friend return home and fall back into their normal routine of shenanigans as if she’d never left. She’d been gone for a handful of years, but he supposed thats what true friendship really was - it didn’t matter how long you were apart, as long as things fell back into place once you were reunited.
“Yeah well we aren’t teenagers anymore, Kat.” He joked in reference to her shock at his change in height. “And you are a vision, as always.” He teased, giving the girl one last hefty squeeze before releasing her from his grasp. Griffin had always been an existential flirt, but maybe that was just part of his charm.
Griffin couldn’t help the smile that rose to his lips as he saw Lena slip from between the cars as well, their little gang finally reunited after so many years as the two girls dove at each other in a fit of squeals and giggles. However, seeing the north side boy trailing close behaving caused him to roll his eyes hard enough that he feared they would completely detach and end up rolled back into his skull for the rest of eternity. He wanted to tell the boy to leave and let them all get reacquainted without an audience, but since everyone else was being somewhat polite, so would he. “Griffin.” He followed, shortly after Beck’s own single word utterance. He shared a look with his friend, taking relief in the fact that if nothing else, at least they were on the same page.
Seeing the north sider lean in and touch Lena so intimately made his cheeks flare red for a moment, biting the inside of his cheeks to keep from mouthing off and causing them even more trouble. “What is it with you and north siders lately?” He grumbled in unison with Beck’s own snarky comment. “Oh fuck off, Greene.” Griff huffed, shoving Beck away from him, although not without affection. The two boys bantered like brothers, and he was glad that it seemed like some of Beck’s hostility towards him was beginning to dwindle away.
Griffin glanced over his shoulder at the sound of Eloise tearing into Wren, the two locked into a heated argument and both seeming as if they were about to explode onto one another. It wasn’t typical for north siders to make such a scene in public, their reputations and images meaning far more to them than some petty argument most of the time, so it was nice to see someone other than his own ratty group of friends causing trouble for once. “Yikes.” He laughed, glancing at Beck as Eloise explained that nothing had happened between the two of them and that he was only a friend. “Ooohhh, she used the F word. Ouch.” He joked, offering his friend a cheeky grin as he went to sit beside Kat on the hood of his Jeep, despite the boy’s protests. “Oh shut up, Greene. Nothing can hurt this rolling dumpster.” He teased, smacking the rusty hood for emphasis.
Turning his attention to Kat as she spoke the obvious, that it was a Montgomery girl stuck in the argument, Griff had almost forgotten that she’d been gone and wasn’t up to date on the current happenings of the Island. “Oh yeah, I gave that up in high school. Montgomery girls don’t settle for guys like us.” He laughed, moving his eyes from Kat and back to Beck, a devilish glint in his brown gaze. “Your boy Beckett on the other hand has been simping over Eloise for days now, though.” He teased, unable to keep himself from giving his friend a hard time over the fact that he’d been chasing some north side tail - and had been unsuccessful. “Not that she’d ever actually let him hit.” Griff grinned, pointing towards Wren and the blonde once more. “Which I’m pretty sure is what caused all of this.”
Hearing Wren actually speak what had went through his mind the night before had caught Eloise off guard. She recoiled from the thought, stepping back from the boy as she processed his words. It was so much worse than she’d ever thought. He didn’t have feelings for Aria, he hadn’t used Elle to get to the other girl, he’d had sex with her strictly out of spite. “Wow.” Was all she offered, shaking her head as she stared at him. “So you did it to hurt me, because your ego took a hit? That’s sad.”
Another step back, putting more distance between her and the boy who’d broken her heart before he’d even had it. “Well congratulations, Wren. You hurt me. You hurt Aria. And you threw away years of friendship, for absolutely nothing.” The disgust was clear on her face as she looked into his hazel eyes, wanting him to feel the weight of what he’d done to them. “We didn’t sleep together. We didn’t even so much as kiss after the dare. He was a friend and kind to me, which is more than I can say for you.” Eloise couldn’t remember a time she’d ever felt so mentally exhausted, this fight surrounding two of her closest friends draining her of any ounce of energy she had left.
Elle was in the midst of turning to leave, done with this conversation and giving her long time friend any more chances, when she saw none other than her cousin approaching them. They had gathered a bit of a crowd around them by now, all the young adults eager to get a peak into the like of drama of some of Newport’s most influential heirs and heiresses, and Aria didn’t hesitate to put on a show of her own. The blonde listened as Aria shredded into Wren as well, both of them clearly fed up with the bullshit and unrelenting with their anger towards the poor boy. Between the two Montgomery girls, he’d be lucky if he even made it home alive at this point.
As Aria turned her apologetic gaze to Elle, the girl reached out to grip her cousin’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. While only a handful of minutes ago Eloise had been furious with Aria, she now felt a sense of solidarity with the girl. They’d both been roped into a nasty ploy by one of their closest friends, and she knew that Aria had to have been hurting just as much as she was.
Turning to leave once more, Elle nearly smacked into the brick-wall-boy once again, having not seen him approach their little group from behind. She mumbled a rushed “Excuse me.” As she glanced up at him, fully planning on just sliding by and making her escape. However, that’s when she realized that this boy was no stranger, not technically at least.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” She gasped, pressing a flustered hand to her forehead as she soaked in just how much of a moron she really was. Elle had seen this boy before, her father had shown her his picture before she’d left for the ball this evening. The boy was the son of an associate and new to the island, and Elle had been tasked with helping to introduce him to the other young elite of Newport. “You’re Corban, and I am an idiot.” She laughed apologetically, offering the boy her hand to shake. “Your mom works in finance, right? I’m Eloise Montgomery, our parents work together and asked me to introduce you to some friends.” She flashed him an embarrassed smile, a light blush rising on her cheeks. “I’m afraid you got to watch me make a fool of myself instead.”
She was mortified at having totally forgotten about her task after the fight, and that her first impression on the handsome boy was her having a blow out with Wren. However, she was even more horrified at the fact that she’d have to go home and face her father. The big cheeses of the business world were in a constant battle over power on the island, and their spawn were often used as pawns in their game - she was sure this had been no exception, and she’d absolutely ruined it.
Seeing the ocean waves tumble besides the road, feeling the summer night across her tanned skin, her blonde waves rippling away from her freckled face -- Aria was completely certain that she had never felt this kind of bliss. Taking Camden’s hand was one of the best decisions she had ever made. He was from the south side, there was no denying that. He had a little grit about him, his smile was a little too devious and a little too intoxicating. Nothing about him was poised and flawless, and damnit she had never felt more attracted to basically a stranger.
As his hand gripped her thigh while she was on top of the world, Aria glanced down at his grin, she giggled and passed him a wink. The touch ended too soon, and she debated on pulling his hand back to her leg, not ready to give up the tingle sensation his calloused hands gave her. Cam listening to her and picking up the pace drove her over the edge. Her heart soared and another laugh floated through the air. The sound got lost in the wind, but she could feel it in her chest.
Once back in the confinement of her seat, Aria smirked at Cam’s chuckle. “Well your other hostages need to get the stick out of their ass.” She mused, turning her head for a moment to stare at the beach gliding along next to them. It was a pretty calm night on the water, despite the roaring mess back at the Ball. She didn’t want to return, and Aria was thankful that her request to get behind the wheel was well received. Most guys were sticklers about girls driving and it annoyed the hell out of her. Granted, Aria had a led foot and her getting behind the wheel was seen more as a death wish than a blessing. However, she wanted to feel the purr of the engine under her fingertips.
The look Cam gave her was all the confirmation Aria needed that he would happily oblige her request. Watching the boy turn on the cruise control and then stand up, just like she had done, her green eyes widened and glistened with excitement. She bit her bottom lip as he eased the car away from the edge and she began to snake around him, turning her head to face his for a moment as she sneaked in front of him to the drivers side. “Get your ass in the passenger seat, Cam, and hold the hell on.” She smirked. Aria’s nose brushed his for a moment and her breath hitched slightly. His daring grin sunk into her and she passed him one of her own, accepting his challenge.
Sliding into the seat, Aria’s small hands clutched onto the steering wheel tightly and she began to slow the vehicle before turning into a random parking lot, repositioning the car to head back the way they came. His impatient drumming against the dashboard caused her to quirk up a brow to him, a sly smirk unfolding. “You asked for it,” she told him as her foot slammed down on the gas sending her back against the seat. The tires squealed out of the lot and back onto the open road and Aria did not let up on the gas. She sped across the road, taking the corners a little too sharply. She grinned as she took glances at Cam and then the freedom in front of her. Aria picked up the speed and positioned the car once again in the middle of the lane before lifting her hands up into the air, letting out an overjoyed yell into the sky.
It was a miracle this girl was granted a driver’s license.
Aria slowed the convertible down as the Summer Solstice Ball came back into view. She didn’t want her adventurous night with this mysterious boy to end, but she also needed to talk to her cousin and Wren McCoy as well. Reality began seeping back into her and as they positioned the car back in the gravel lot, Aria merely rolled her eyes as the other valets began scolding them. Stepping out of the car and slamming the door, she tossed the pricks the keys and wasted no time in getting Cam away from the scene. Unfortunately, north siders were immune to the law at times, and she would use her unfortunate privilege to try and save the boy that had saved her. “Come on, Romeo. Before they realize I burned out the tires.” Aria glanced over shoulder back at him. Even though she was back in the traps of the north side, her face still held that daring gaze.
Over the cars Aria spotted Eloise and Wren and her stomach clenched. Her grip tightened on Cam’s hand for a moment before she released it. “I’m sorry, I have to do something. I’ll be right back.” Aria’s throat grew small and she felt as if her chest weighed fifty pounds. She started to hastily step up to the brawl when Wren’s painful words stopped her in her tracks. I slept with Aria, because I knew you sure as hell were going to sleep with Beck. Her face fell and she met Wren’s eyes. "What?" She whispered softly. Her friend since they were practically in diapers used her to get back at one of the most important people in her life.
And Aria had been stupid enough to fall for it.
She chewed on the inside of her cheek and tried to regain her composure. Something stirred inside her, and before she knew it Aria Montgomery had stepped up to Wren and shoved his chest with all of her might. “Don’t talk to her like that you pathetic excuse for a man.” Aria gritted her teeth and those green eyes filled with fury and rage and destruction. “Just because you are fucking miserable with your own life doesn’t mean you get to drag others down with you.” Her chest heaved and Aria knew she should hold back – that she should think about her words before they spewed out of her mouth, but she couldn’t. “It’s nice to know I was just something to stick to dick into. You are a piece of shit, Wren McCoy. Because you don’t know how to handle not getting what you want you had to go and destroy years of friendship and trust. You knew how Elle felt about you and you used me to get back at her.” Aria’s eyes brimmed with warm tears, but she didn’t let them fall. Her head snapped back to Eloise and Aria pleaded with her eyes for her cousin to forgive her. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. He didn’t tell me anything about you two.” Snapping her head back to him, Aria shot the boy one last looked before she stalked off. “Go fuck a cactus, Wren. You’re dead to me.”
She needed a damn drink.
Beck was done with north siders and their outrageous crew. He was done with all of them – even Elle. He took multiple punches, one causing a damn split lip and leaving Kat to tend to his injuries like he was some sort of weakling. He started a fight at the most prestigious ball in all of Newport over a girl. Clearly Beckett Greene wasn’t acting like his normal playboy self. Beck, for one, did not fight over a girl let alone one from the other side of town. Eloise Montgomery had squeezed her way right under his skin and he was ready to dispose of her like he did with all the others. No matter how hypnotizing those blue eyes were and how they flickered with something so unknown as she looked at him.
Even though his long-lost friend had returned from the dead and Beck’s heart soared seeing her again, there was no dwindling the fire that still stirred inside him. Hell, he had even ignored Lena’s and Eloise’s calls to him as he left that poor excuse for a party. He swore if he heard someone call out his damn name one more time, he would lose it and would start swinging again. Everything happened so fast and only just now was he able to take a step back and think and reflect on the poor decisions he had been making. Most of them over a blonde who made his heart race. Out of anger or something else entirely, he wasn’t sure.
Beck scoffed at Lena’s retort about his nude shoot. “Kat, we both know that there are two lies in that sentence.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively and watched her light a cigarette. He narrowed his eyes as she puffed out smoke, the smell wafting across his nose while he wrinkled it. Beckett reached over and snatched the cig out of her mouth, tossing it on the ground and then distinguishing it with his sneaker. While he had definitely smoked cigs before, especially drunk off his ass at parties, Beck wasn’t exactly the one to advocate for the nasty habit. However, give the kid a juul and he’d be turning into Puff the Magic Dragon. If his friend wanted to smoke cigs then fine, but he wasn’t going to make it easy for her. “Oops.” He snapped to her with a shrug, passing her a knowing look.
Griffin’s voice parading through the throng of cars caused Beck to shoot a wary glance at Kat before the south side boy appeared. Even though Beck was undoubtedly pissed off, seeing his friend gape at Katniss was enough entertainment for a light laugh from Beck to sound off into the summer night. “Shut your mouth Novak, you look like a fucking idiot.” Beck teased his friend as he watched Griffin scoop Kat up in his arms. He shook his head as Griff bombarded her with question after question. As Griffin stated that Beck had already ruined the night for them, he could only smirk. “If you’d like I could offer some more free entertainment,” Beck gestured towards his split lip. “Griff, you’re next.” As much as he felt like he should banter wittily back and forth, Beckett was exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to leave this side of town and return home to his little shack of his house and crack open a beer on his dock. He rolled his eyes as Kat whined that she missed all the fun. “Kitty it’s like you don’t know me at all.”
A squeal rang out from the sea of cars and Beck winced at the sound. “Jesus Christ Lanes you sound like a damn hyena.” Beck dramatically rubbed his temple for a moment before grinning at the two girls catch up before Kat turned back to the whole group. He eyed the curls that feel down her face and smirked once. Beck was not immune to the sadness in her voice and his brows furrowed. He parted his lips to speak, but his attention was soon snagged by none of than the two people he had wanted to escape the night from. Beck groaned when he first saw Eloise and Wren have it out at each other. The tiny girls small voice echoed throughout the lot and she made it way too easy to eavesdrop. Beck couldn’t help but to listen. And as the other blonde Montgomery girl strode towards the pair having it off, with Cam by her side, Beck’s eyes widened. Oh, this was going to be good. "Uh oh, trouble in paradise." Beck then answered Kat’s question, still staring at the two arguing. “Yep.” He said, his jaw locking. Hearing his car creak, Beck’s eyes shot over to Kat jumping on his car like it was a damn jungle gym. “Get your ass down, Kat. If you break my car then you really owe me a nude shoot. But to answer your other question, no. Why, are you jealous, Kitty?” He flashed his friend a deceiving grin.
Seeing another north side douche was not on the top of Beck’s list tonight and his hand tightened into another fist as the asshole sauntered into their group as if he were one of them. It shocked him even more than this kid was with Lena. He shook his head as he introduced himself as Corban and Beck then rolled his hazel eyes. “Feel free to go introduce yourself somewhere else. I hear the gators are feeling exceptionally friendly tonight.” Beck threw a hand towards the marshy river behind him. God, he was sick of north siders. Always butting in where they don't belong -- needing the attention centered on them. As the cheese head continued to talk Beck stared at the kid, looking bored as ever. He blinked as Corban stated he wanted to meet some of Lena’s friends. Beck shot Lena a ‘what-the-actual-fuck-‘ look before sliding a pissy glare to Corban. “Beck.” He spat. His blood boiled slightly as the douche canoe placed a hand on Lena’s back and whispered in her ear. Oh, he would most definitely give her shit for that later.
Once the boy was out of earshot, Beck curled his lips in to surpass a laughter. “Since when do you befriend prissy north siders, Lanes? Was Griff really that bad that you had to switch sides?”
He was digging himself deeper and deeper. And he didn’t care.
The adrenaline high was like none other. As they flew down the street in the stolen car, Cam half-expected something to happen. For a cop car to whip out of a dark alley, or for Aria to realize the weight of what they were doing and demand to go back, or for something – literally anything – to pop this blissful bubble.
Cam could have kept driving forever. Honestly. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun, had felt so free. It wasn’t often that he had the chance to go out and do stupid shit, and even if he did there wasn’t really a whole lot of people to do stupid shit with. The south side boy was somewhat of a loner, tending to stick to himself because quite frankly it was easier that way, but he found that he genuinely enjoyed Aria’s company. As much as he shouldn’t, he really did. Stepping in as her escort was easily the best thing he’d done in a long time, and even when the night was over and the high wore off and they both went back to their respective sides of the island, he didn’t think this little tryst would soon be forgotten.
The request to not slow down pulled Cam from his thoughts, causing him to turn his head to glance at the girl as she began to rise out of her seat. When he realized what she was doing, Cam’s hand shot out and gripped her thigh. The touch was brief, fingertips falling when he saw that she didn’t need him to steady her – she could hold her own. And so he didn’t slow down; he pushed the pedal down until it was touching the ground and he fought to keep his eyes on the road and off of the blonde in the passenger seat. Speeding down the street couldn’t last forever, but god did he wish it could. As he slowed his speed down a little bit, Cam was brave enough to dare a quick glance in her direction, and he was struck by the realization that Aria Montgomery was absolutely breathtaking.
The corner was a buzzkill, but he had to slow down enough to take it at a more moderate speed. When Aria inquired about his other hostages, Cam chuckled and shook his head slowly. “Saved the royal treatment for you, sweetheart.” He assured her, casting a sideways glance towards his companion. “My other hostages are a lot less willing. Dunno why.” He shrugged his shoulders easily and trained his gaze on the road once more. The night had been fun, the rush was unlike anything he could put into words, but he knew that if he didn’t get this car back soon there was a very real chance that he was going to risk getting arrested, even if it wasn’t long lasting, and his little sidekick would be an accomplice. That probably wouldn’t go over very well. The joyride had been spontaneous and he had no regrets, but he figured that enough was enough and it was time to turn the car around.
Her sass at his change of heart brought a small smile to his lips, and Cam turned to look at her in fascination once again. Who the hell was this reckless North Side girl, and where had she been all his life? It was then that he reflected on the fact that he was having a really good stupid streak - so why stop there? Fuck it, if they were gonna do this thing, might as well go all out. He pushed the button to turn on the cruise control and stood up, a little shakily, one hand tight on the wheel as he eased the car into the middle of the lane. “Well, come on, Mouth,” he taunted, jerking his head towards the empty drivers seat. “Get your ass behind the wheel.” His darkened gaze flickered from the road to Aria, his wicked grin daring – no, urging – her to do it.
Sinking down into the passenger seat, Cam leaned forward and tapped his fingertips against the dashboard impatiently. “Come on, give 'er a little umph!” He told her with a grin, slapping his hand against the leather upholstery. If they were gonna do this shit, they were gonna do it right. And if their moment in the sun was about to come to an end, then their night and this temporary friendship they’d struck might as well go out with a bang.
Corban felt a bit foolish being so instantly infatuated with the first woman he comes across but he couldn't help it. She was beautiful. Even dressed in a wrinkled skirt and blouse with barefoot, she looked beautiful. She reminded him of a Cinderella story but she didn't seem like the type of woman that needed a man to scoop in and save her. Which is exactly why Corban was confused when a dark blonde haired guy scooped in and tried to "save her".
Corban knew all too well what it felt like for a guy to attempt to claim his territory in a smooth way. The protective hand on her shoulder, speaking for her, announcing his presence then leaving to prove he can pop up whenever he wants. Corban took note of all of this but simply offered a polite smile and nodded his head. "Good to know. I was having more fun out here anyway," he said, his eyes glancing back at Lena, though he was speaking to Griffin. Soon after, he felt relief when Griffin walked away. He had a bad feeling about the guy.
A small smile played on his lips as she ranted a bit. There seemed to be more to her than just beauty, but an awareness and intelligence. "You know us guys, we're always screwing up. That's why we need beautiful women like you to call us out on our shit," he said matter-of-factly. While he spoke, Lena seemed to be half listening and half paying attention to the commotion around her which was new to Corban. He usually had a woman's undivided attention when he spoke to them. Looked like Lena was going to make him work for that. He liked that.
As she spoke to him, some of her words blurring together because she was speaking so quickly, he realized that she was inviting him to chill with her friends. Though he would've preferred to speak with her privately a few more moments, he wouldn't mind sharing her attention as long as he got some of it. He laughed at her comment about knocking over her friends and scratched his head nervously. "I don't make promises I can't keep, Lena," he said, honestly loving how her name sounded on his tongue. "Lead the way," he said, extending his arm in the direction of Beck's truck,
As she lead the way, he walked behind her with his hands in his pockets and light on his feet. He was undeniably and naturally suave, a lot of women that he passed staring at the sight of him walking with Lena. As he looked up in the direction they were going in, he saw that the people they were approaching looked a lot like Lena. The help. Again, it didn't matter to him but the sight was odd with him being the only dressed up. His eyes scanned the group and he saw the protective guy from earlier, a guy with a bloody lip and another pretty girl with a cigarette between her lips. He definitely felt like he didn't belong.
As he got closer, he saw that it was obviously a reunion. The curly haired girl seemed to be hugging every and laughing with them. Corban watched as Lena ran toward her friend and they embraced tightly. He smirked to himself at the exchange and stayed a bit behind awkwardly so he didn't intrude on the moment. If it's one thing someone could say about Corban, it's that his mothers taught him manners. He wasn't the type to anger quickly or fight in front of women. He knew which fork belonged where on a dining table. He wore his shirts tucked and his hair was always neat. His mother made sure to groom him into a husband. So much so, he had no idea how to just let go and have fun sometimes. While he was groomed a certain way, his personality was goofy. Those two things conflicted in his personality everyday and it was hard to choose who to be sometimes.
After the excitement died down with the group of friends, he finally stepped forward. "Who the hell are you?" sounded from the curly headed girl's mouth and he froze. He's never been greeted like that by anyone but he tried to hide his surprise by clearing his throat. He extended a hand to her with one hand still in his pocket. "How are you? I'm Corban, I'm new here. Some people call me C.W." he said. The group seemed to be eyeing his a bit suspiciously but Corban knew it could've just been his own nerves. "I was just hoping to meet a few of Lena's friends since I'm new in town. She was nice enough to take me under her wing," he said with a shrug. The curly haired girl was staring at him with interest and a bit of distaste. "I'm Kat." That was all she said before she turned back to her friends and their conversations.
Looking across the parking lot at the women in ballgowns and men in tux, he knew those were the women and people his mother would want him associating with but curiosity and infatuation kept his feet glued in place. Maybe I should introduce myself to a few other people and socialize, he thought to himself. His eyes zeroed in on a dark haired guy across the parking lot that was in conversation with a gorgeous blonde woman and Corban figured he could start there. He placed his hand gently on the small of Lena's back politely and leaned in close to her ear. "I'll be back shortly, going to make my rounds and see who else I can bulldoze," he joked and smirked before walking in the direction of Elle and Wren.
Home.
Kat never knew what a home was. Due to getting evicted from numerous places when she was younger and traveling the world, she lost the feeling of home in Newport. But, for some reason, standing and talking shit with her best friend made her feel warm. The people from the southside made this place a home for her.
She raised an eyebrow as Beck mentioned a nude shoot. "I'd rather shoot myself in the eye than shoot your tiny penis," she joked. She didn't mean to skip over his question of why she had been gone but before she could answer, he spoked again. Digging in her pocket, she withdrew her pack of cigarettes and placed one between her lips. She lit it smoothly before taking a small drag. "Griff? Aww, man, is he working tonight too? I can't wait to see him and Lena."
And as sure as fate is real, Griffin's voice sounded in front of the Jeep. Kat broke into a wide smile and laughed wholeheartedly as he picked her up, making her drop her cigarette but she didn't care. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and ruffled his hair playfully. "Oh my God! Look at you Gryffindor! It looks like you grew a whole foot," she smiled. When he set her down, she observed Griff and Beck and felt her heartstrings pull.
These two guys were the same ones who protected her, who sat up and played videos games with her brothers all night, the same guys who she fought side by side with and stole with. Not to mention experiencing her first kiss with Griffin at a kissing party and spending plenty of nights over Beck's house, platonically of course. Kat wasn't a blind woman, she knew that both of her male best friends were hot but crossing that line with them was a terrifying thought especially Beck. He knew too much. He meant too much to her. They were too much alike. Same for Griffin. Plus, Kat was a natural beauty, a bit edgy but nonetheless gorgeous. She figured those two went for the Barbies.
She missed them more than she was willing to admit. "I see. Our boy Beck sure does know how to make an exit. I'm pissed, if I knew wasn't going to be making money tonight then I would've at least liked to start some shit with you guys," she joked nudging Beck.
Again came the question of why she left but Kat avoided it again as Lena was mentioned and like clockwork, she appeared with a mysterious, gorgeous man following a few steps tux behind her. "Motherfucking Campbell Soup!" Kat exclaimed as she embraced the only female friend she's had in her entire life. Many girls shied away from Kat's blunt, dangerous and provocative behavior but not Lena. The two were different but they accepted and loved each other. While Griffin and Beck were more sibling like, Kat's love for Lena was...a bit more complicated not that Lena would ever know. "I missed you guys so much."
For the third time, the question of her absence arose and she couldn't avoid it. Kat cleared her throat and reached up to undo the tight bun in her hair and let her curls fall naturally down her back. "Long story short, once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker," she shrugged. "You think life outside of this dump is better but not always. But good news, I got some dope shots I have to show you guys later," she said a bit sadly but she tried to mask her sadness with a small smirk.
Suddenly, a loud commotion could be heard across the parking lot and Kat saw one of Montgomery girls having a spat with a guy she's seen on the Northside. Kat laughed to herself, completely oblivious to the heightened drama in her hometown and the new rivalries and affairs between the south and north side. "Isn't that one of the girls from Montgomery clan? They're always in some shit," she said, shaking her head. She walked closer to Beck's car before jumping on top of the hood. "Hey, you two butt-heads still chasing after the Montgomery Barbies or have you given up that dream?" she laughed, referring to Beck and Griffin, knowing even though they despise the north side, they had a thing for the Montgomery girls at some point.
Her attention turned back to the handsomely dressed man that was now within her group's area and she tilted her head. "And who the hell are you?" she asked a bit rudely but her friends were used to her curtness.
Wren wanted desperately to punch Beck again, especially after his little comment about his place and Aria. It had been so satisfying the first time. The security officers hadn’t managed to catch him the first time when Beck spit on him, but they weren’t going to make that mistake again. Wren felt one of the catch his arms as he lunged forward again. He didn’t think he’d ever been this full of rage in his entire life. He’d never hated someone so much. Beck brought out a side of him that Wren didn’t even know he had.
Once Beck had stalked off and out of the ballroom, the guards let go of his arms, and Wren pulled down the sleeves of his suit. All eyes were on him, but one pair, in particular, bore holes through him. His father’s. Wren had been pretty pleased with himself at the thought of his father’s embarrassment but seeing him there, looking at him like that, he felt nothing but dread settle in his gut. He heard the security officer behind him tell him that he was going to have to leave. “Yeah, yeah,” He told them, starting towards the exit. Like he’d wanna stay after that anyways.
Wren tried not to make eye contact with his father when he walked past him, but he didn’t need to for his father to approach him. The older man gripped his son by the back of the neck. “We’ll discuss this little show you put on when we get home,” He told the boy before releasing him. Wren rubbed the back of his neck. “Can’t wait.” Wren feared that he might have crossed a line.
He shoved the doors open in front of him and stepped out into the warm, sticky air of the Newport summer night. Wren started to feel the adrenaline wear off and was hit with waves of pain and anxiety. What the fuck had he been thinking? Fighting with Beck had been one thing, the dick deserved it, but in front of basically the entire town? Wren had just dug his own grave.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he heard Elle’s voice from across the parking lot. And she looked pissed. “For fuck’s sake,” He muttered to himself running a hand over his face and wincing as he felt pain explode from his eye. Today was not his day. “Elle, I don’t wanna do this right now. Can you please save it?” He begged. The last few days had literally felt like some hellscape night terror and he just wanted it to end. He let her shove him. Hell, he probably deserved it. He definitely deserved it. It’s not like she could hurt him any worse than Beck did. Until she started talking anyway.
“I played you?” He yelled right back to her. “You’re the one who used me to get Beck into your pants,” He felt himself getting more ad more worked up. “I was just supposed to sit around and let you use me to make him jealous? Fuck that Eloise,” Wren made himself take a breath. “I care about you more than you know but you used me and that hurt. So yeah, I slept with Aria, because I knew you sure as hell were going to sleep with Beck,” He admitted. “But you started it, not me. So don’t give me that holier than thou bullshit.” He finished. Wren felt emotionally exhausted, sore, and like he was five minutes away from an anxiety attack. He also felt like he was losing his best friend, and that was worse.
Lena weaved through the crowd of stunned faces and could tell that this event was going to be the talk of the town for months to come. She couldn’t help but notice the mortified expressions from a couple of older gentlemen, one bore an uncanny resemblance to Wren, and the other to Eloise. She would hate to be going home to those two after everything that just went down. She could hear the party-goers behind her murmuring uneasily amongst themselves and watched as Beck blew past her and toward the front doors.
“Beck!” She called to him. “Are you good?” Lena may have been mad at him for starting that fight but she also wanted to know he was going to be okay. Lena knew he was tough, but he really looked like shit. She also knew that Wren kind of deserved it. Wren had surprised them all by being able to get a few hits in. He hadn’t struck her as the type to get into fights often. Beck, on the other hand, she’d seen fight more times than she could count. He must not have heard her because he didn’t turn around. Instead, he stalked off into the parking lot.
Lena had lost sight of Eloise. The fact that the girl could move that fast in a ball gown and heels was astounding, Elle deserved a medal or something. Lena’s own feet were hurting just from her flats so she kicked them off, scooped down to pick them up, and ran out the door that she saw Eloise had gone through. She had been going a little too fast because she ran right into another guest. Lena had almost been completely knocked off balance but the man and managed to grab her arms and keep her on her feet.
“Oh shit, my bad,” She apologized looking up at him. Most of the faces in Newport, north or south sider, looked familiar even if she didn’t know their name — his didn’t though. He was tall, handsome, well-dressed. He looked like a north sider through and through. “You’ll fit in just fine, human bulldozer or not. Though you did just miss the event of the year, they’re sure to be talking about it for months,” She told him. Lena was a little caught off guard by his lingering gaze, guys did not typically look at her like that and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She was also a little fed up with men in general at the moment, so that might have something to do with it. She laughed at his comment on the dancing and the drinks.
Lena felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Griffin suddenly beside her. God, he really knew the best times to show up and be a thorn in her side today. She rolled her eyes when he spoke for her. Typical. “What he said,” She responded to the north sider with an apologetic smile. “He went that way, I’ll be out there in a few,” She nodded toward the direction of where Beck’s Jeep was parked at the back of the lot and turned her attention back to the other man. “But no, my leaving has more to do with the shocking amount of toxic masculinity in that room, and the fact that my friends are pissing me off,” Lena said the last part loud enough for Griff to hear as he walked away.
She was surprised by the north sider once again when he took her hand and kissed it as he introduced himself. She fought the urge to pull her hand away. Who the hell was this kid? Lena wondered if she’d somehow traveled back to a time when chivalry wasn’t dead, but after briefly assessing her surroundings she concluded that maybe he was just a nice guy. Probably the first one in Newport. “Lena,” She responded. “Oh! Have you seen a blonde run past here by any chance?” She had nearly forgotten about Elle, it really did not take a lot to distract her these days. Then she heard shouting and saw Elle approaching Wren looking…less than pleased. “Oof, never mind I found her.” She winced as she heard Elle start ripping into Wren. That kid might have deserved it but Jesus he couldn’t catch a break today.
“Party is pretty much over,” Lena glanced back over her shoulder. “But I’m just about to go check on my friend, you’re more than welcome to come with me if you want, as long as you promise not to bulldoze anyone else.” She laughed. “If you do have to go in, then it was nice to meet you.” She gave him a friendly smile. She walked past him and made her way through the maze of cars. She heard her name as she approached her friends.
“Lena is gonna what now?” She asked, but as soon as she spoke she saw who Beck and Griff were talking too. Lena couldn’t help but let out an excited squeal before running to the girl and wrapping her arms around her tightly. Kat had been Lena’s only girl friend on the south side, and it had been way too long since she last saw her. Kat’s return to the island couldn’t have come at a better time either. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming back?” She asked, pulling away and pushing the girl in playful annoyance. Lena was over the moon seeing her entire friend group together again. “We missed you.”
The south sider in Griffin was silently cheering on the fight, soaking in the chaos and reveling in the destruction of north side property. His eyes held the gleam of a child opening birthday presents as he watched it unfold, taking joy in knowing that even though he was absolutely getting fired after this stunt, that at least they’d managed to ruin the most asinine north side even of the year. If they were going out, they might as well go out with a bang, right? He was actually pretty bummed to have to break it up, knowing that although Wren put up an impressive fight, that Beck had the stamina to outlast him. It came with growing up on their side of the island, getting into scraps was basically in their blood. But alas, he didn’t have the desire nor money to bail his friend out of jail tonight.
Hearing the two sling insults at one another even as they were separated by uniformed men gave Griffin a rush, having to bite back the urge to encourage Beck to rip into him once more. Again, apparently old habits die hard, or something like that. Maybe Griffin just liked being part of the violence.
He offered Beck a nod of acknowledgement as he thanked him, watching as the kid made a grand exit in pissing off some bystanders as he was escorted out of the building by security. At least he knew how to put on a show. With sigh, Griff watched as Wren was also lead out of the building, and figured he had better step out and make sure their scuffle didn’t carry over into the parking lot.
The boy followed after the group of twenty somethings who’d left the room, superseded to find Lena stopped with another boy. What was it with her and north sider’s here lately, as if they hadn’t caused enough trouble amongst their friends the past few days. “Lanes, you seen Beck?” He interrupted, laying a hand on the girl’s shoulder as he inspected the suited man. Maybe he was being a tad possessive, but he’d been protective over the girl way before they had ever slept together, and he didn’t want to watch her get pushed around by some north side prick. Which judging by Jack Hall and Lawrence McCoy, they all were.
Maybe that was why friends didn’t sleep with friends. When you had sex with strangers, you never had to stick around and see who they moved on to flirt with next. Griffin knew he had no right to be jealous, but that surely didn’t stop him. “Drinks are ass and the dancing is even worse.” He answered for Lena, flashing the new boy a friendly grin before turning his attention back to his friend. “I’m going to make sure Beck is cooling off.” He muttered, passing the boy a final look before sliding past them and into the parking lot.
It hadn’t taken Griffin very long to find Beck’s ratty old Jeep, letting out an exaggerated sigh as he approached it between a handful of other cars. “Listen I’m not saying he didn’t deserve to get his ass kicked, but did you have to get us all fired?” He joked through the vehicles, long legs finally carrying him out from around the final one. The last thing he had expected to see was a long lost friend tending to Beck’s wounds, leaving his jaw on the floor as he gaped at the girl like a complete moron. “No fucking way!” He cheered, dashing forward to scoop her up into a hug. He’d silently been following Katniss’s life via Instagram and other social media since she had left, and she’d seemed to be doing amazing for herself. He couldn’t even guess as to why she had ever bothered to come back to the dirty old south side of Newport. “Kat! You look amazing. How are you? Where have you been? Why are you here? Oh my god, Lena is going to shit her pants.” He rattled, just excited to see his friend again. In all of his excitement, it had taken him a moment to notice that Kat was also wearing a catering uniform. He offered the girl a goofy grin “You’re a little late Kitty, Beck already blew that one for us.”