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"A toast...to...bellas before fellas."
Stacey, Jane, Layla, and Olivia all clinked their glasses of orange juice together. They all got together for brunch at Olivia's. They hadn't been able to get together all four of them for a while.
"I just realized I'm the only single one here," chuckled Stacey.
"Hey, that's not a bad thing," Layla reminded her. "Taking some time for yourself is a good thing, especially with everything going on."
Stacey knew she was referring to the recent pictures that surfaced to the internet of what appeared to be her and Hayden kissing. She reassured all of her friends (especially Jordan who she was dating at the time) that nothing like that happened. He kissed her cheek in a congratulatory manner and that was all.
"Yeah, I'm really sorry to hear about that," said Olivia.
Stacey gave her a smile, glad they could make up after their little argument the other day.
"I'm surprised you weren't holed up in the studio this weekend," continued Olivia, changing the subject.
"Yeah, I'm taking a break from the studio," answered Layla.
"How come?" asked Jane.
"Things got weird between Spencer and Coop last night. And now I'm worried that things are gonna get weird with me and Coop, so–"
"So, you're hiding?" clarified Olivia.
"Yes, absolutely," nodded Layla. "What about you? Any big plans?"
"Um...Asher has some surprise itinerary planned for this weekend, right down to the second," said Olivia.
"I think I heard him call some five star restaurant in Beverly," said Stacey. "Don't tell him I told you that, though."
Olivia chuckled. "My lips are sealed. It'll be nice though, we haven't had much alone time lately."
Layla raised her glass to her lips. "Amen to alone time."
"JJ and I have too much alone time," said Jane. "Like I love him, but I think he feels the need to be by my every second of the day."
"I'm Jane and I complain about how much my boyfriend loves me," Stacey mocked her.
Jane nudged her. "Oh hush."
"How's Spencer?" asked Olivia.
"He's...okay," stated Layla. "He left to his family cabin this morning to clear the last of the boxes and his head, I guess. I offered to go with him, but um, he said he wanted to be alone."
"Well, this is his first time he's been back since he lost his dad there," pointed out Olivia. "I mean, is it really a good idea for him to be all alone?"
Stacey raised her eyebrows. "Are you suggesting we all go to the cabin?"
Layla pondered on the idea for a moment. "Yes. Yes we are. Pack a few things and I'll make some calls to everyone else."
"A group of teenagers out in the middle of the woods, what could go wrong?" mumbled Jane.
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Two full cars arrived at the cabin just a couple of hours later. In Jordan's car was him, Stacey, Olivia, and Asher. In JJ's car was him, Jane, Layla, Vanessa, and Simone.
Stacey was afraid Spencer would ask them to leave once all of them got out of the car, but the smile on his face said differently. After placing their bags in the cabin, the boys went to help Spencer sort out the boxes in the cabin while the girls went on a hike.
"Oh my god! Ugh!" grumbled Simone as she sprayed bug repellant all over her.
Stacey smacked a mosquito on her arm. "Spray my whole body please."
As Simone sprayed Stacey, Olivia caught up to the rest of them.
"Where is Vanessa?" asked Simone. "I thought she was strolling with us."
"She's napping," answered Layla. "She doesn't like the wilderness."
"I don't either and I'm still out here," said Stacey.
"I don't like Vanessa," stated Jane nonchalantly. "She tried flirting with JJ the first day of school. And some on the way here!"
"She does have a reputation for going after taken men," pointed out Olivia.
Layla snapped at them. "Guys, we are not talking poorly about other girls. Okay?"
"Why do you guys not like Vanessa?" asked Simone.
Olivia shook her head. "No, she's fine."
Simone scoffed. "Yeah, okay. What's the deal?"
Olivia sighed. "Vanessa actually met Asher over the summer in Mexico."
"Oh," realized Simone.
"No no, nothing happened," clarified Olivia. "They just became, like...vacay bffs."
"Yeah, but Asher didn't mention anything until a couple weeks after Vanessa became the new Beverly transfer," pointed out Layla.
"I still give him crap for that," said Stacey.
"Damn," said Simone. "Well, I'm sorry I asked."
"I mean, no it's-it's not a big deal. We're cool," reassured Olivia. "You know she's here because of JJ–"
"Oh that bitch!" grumbled Jane.
"You'll be the one partying with him. Don't worry," Stacey told her.
"No partying for me," sighed Simone. "I still got to finish these college admissions essays."
Layla shook her head. "No no no. This is a homework free, college app free, scandalous free, stress free weekend."
"Yeah, easy for you to say. I'm pretty sure you finished all yours already," said Simone.
"And I'm pretty sure you don't have a scandal on the front page of TMZ right now," said Stacey.
"Guilty and guilty," shrugged Layla.
"Guilty for the first one," said Olivia.
Stacey and Jane both nodded their heads.
"Oh my god," stressed Simone. "Guys, I'm screwed. I don't even know what to write about."
"Just write about you and all the amazing things you have planned for the future," Layla helped.
Simone shook her head. "Yeah, sorry, but it's not that easy. Getting pregnant literally shocked me out of the parental-controlled life I was living, and now I look in the mirror, and I'm just second-guessing everything."
"Tibi ipsi esto fidelis," stated Layla. Everyone looked at her in confusion. "'To thine own self, be true.' You just have to be patient and listen to yourself, and you will find clarity. Why are you guys laughing?"
"Okay, Oprah, coming through with the wisdom," chuckled Olivia.
"What do you got for us next?" teased Stacey.
"I hate you guys."
They got back from their hike ten minutes later, but it was only to be met with streams of water to their faces. Jordan, Asher, and JJ all had water guns and were ambushing the girls. Stacey saw another water gun lying in some contraption JJ must've brought and ran to get one.
Before she could reach it, a pair of arms wrapped around her. She recognized Jordan's strong arms stopping her from retaliating.
"You're so dead!" she yelled at him.
Jordan shot water at her back, the ice cold water running down her shirt. "Yeah, I'm probably dead now."
She kicked his shin and he let her go. Reaching for one, she turned back around and shot at Jordan. She threw a water gun to Olivia and the rest of the girls got one as well. They outnumbered the boys, so they were getting pelted with water.
After a couple of more minutes of messing around, the boys surrendered. Stacey felt her clothes soaked to her skin and went into the cabin to change. She went into the room and rummaged through her bag. She decided on her oversized sweater and yoga pants since it would be getting cold out here later.
Taking off her shirt, she tossed it aside. She was about to undo her bra clasp, but the door opened behind her.
"Privacy!" she covered her chest and turned around to see Jordan standing at the doorway.
He laughed. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."
Stacey glared at him. "Jordan."
He put his hands up, walking over to his duffel bag and grabbing it. His arm brushed her waist as he stood back in front of her. "Sorry for not knocking."
She tried to ignore the goosebumps on her skin. "Remember that next time."
Jordan backed up to the door and eyed her up and down in one swift moment. "Maybe."
He closed the door behind him and Stacey let out a breath she didn't know she was holding
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After a delicious dinner that consisted of salads, burgers, and JJ's famous fettuccine alfredo, they all gathered around the fire for a night of games.
The first round of games were Heads Up and charades. Jordan and Stacey teamed up, but she regretted it as he was awful.
"How was that Harry Potter?" she asked him.
"I pointed to my hair!" exclaimed Jordan.
She just rolled her eyes at him.
Stacey felt the air shift when Vanessa and Asher shared some sort of moment in guessing a famous person. She said that Asher had a poster of this celebrity (Samuel L. Jackson) up in his room at ten years old. Even Stacey didn't remember that.
"It's time to turn up for real."
Vanessa brought out two bottles of tequila for everyone.
Spencer shook his head. "Oh, we not drinking this weekend."
"Oh, no, don't stay sober cause of me," said Olivia.
Vanessa sighed. "I'm so sorry Liv, I completely forgot you don't drink."
"It's all good," Olivia reassured her. "It's not something I'd expect you to know so..."
"No liquor," concluded Vanessa, setting down the bottles behind JJ. "How about a new game? Never have I ever?"
"Never have I ever not gotten into trouble playing that game," joked Asher.
"Besides, doesn't really work without shots," pointed out Jordan.
"Au contraire," smirked JJ. He got a bottle from his cooler. "Jalapeño infused pickle juice."
Stacey almost gagged at the name.
"A burn you'll never forget," JJ told them.
Jane looked at her boyfriend and shook her head.
Spencer chuckled. "What don't you have in that porta-party man?"
Everyone gave in and let JJ fill their shot glasses with jalapeño pickle juice.
Vanessa started off. "You know the rules. Drink if you've done it. Here we go, um...never have I ever said 'I love you' just to get someone to hook up with me."
Almost all the boys took a sip. Stacey rolled her eyes at Jordan.
"We were broken up don't worry," he winked at her.
She glanced around at everyone and noticed Layla not being very talkative. She tried to get her attention, but Jordan started the next one.
"Never have I ever walked in on my parents doing it."
Stacey and Asher both glanced at each other, bursting out in laughter. Both of them took a sip of the disgusting drink.
"Oh my god!"
"Ew, no way!"
"R.V trip. '08. I don't wanna talk about it," said Asher.
"You're going to talk about it!" laughed Spencer.
"You're foul for that one," Stacey told Jordan.
"Not the one up to Sonoma? How could you not tell me that part?" asked Vanessa.
Now, Olivia's demeanor changed a bit. Stacey didn't have a good feeling about this.
"Never have I ever run naked through a football field," JJ laughed as he pointed at Jordan.
Jordan smiled. "What was it freshmen year? The varsity players stole out clothes when we were in the shower, thanks to Ash acting like he owned the place during tryouts."
"Oh confidence, thank you very much," Asher defended.
"Confidence...okay! Whatever you want to call it. Your dumb ass stays getting us in trouble," joked Jordan.
"Wow," stated Vanessa. "Never have I ever crapped all over folks that were supposed to be my friends."
Everyone grew silent, looking at each other confused.
"It was just a joke," said JJ.
"Never have I ever spent the summer getting to know somebody's boyfriend a little too much," spoke up Olivia.
"Liv!" Asher warned her. "What the hell?"
"Yo, Ash. Lets relax and just play the game," said Jordan.
Asher glared through the fire at him. "You wanna play? Never have I ever cheated a concussion protocol to play a game."
Stacey looked over at him. "Are you serious?"
"Oh! Here's a great one. Never have I ever taken pictures of Stacey and Hayden Combs at her launch party and said pictures are now all over the internet."
Stacey clenched her fists together as she made eye contact with Jordan. She didn't know if she was feeling anger, betrayal, or sadness. Maybe a bit of all of them. Everyone was just as shocked as she was.
"How could you?" asked Stacey. She kept her voice firm, but everyone could tell she was hurt. Badly. "My whole life could be ruined because of you."
"No, Stacey–"
Stacey threw down her blanket and stormed off towards the cabin. She didn't dare let a tear slip from her face. She was too angry.
"Stacey!"
Jordan caught up with her and grabbed her arm, but she yanked it back with full force. "Please just let me explain."
"What's there to explain?" asked Stacey. "You were building a damn crib when I got home that night! How could you not even confront me about what you saw? Because nothing happened."
"I went there to surprise you and I was told you were in the back. When I went I saw you and Hayden and immediately jumped to conclusions. I-I was going to confront you, but I realized after it was dumb of me to think you'd kiss him. I thought I deleted the photos–"
"God, you invaded my privacy and now that I'm single and can't automatically be with you again you send out old photos out of spite? Really?" spat Stacey.
"I didn't send them!" yelled Jordan so she wouldn't talk over him. "Yes, I took the photos, but I didn't send them. You know I'd never do anything to jeopardize your career."
Stacey scoffed. "How am I supposed to believe that?"
"Because he didn't do it. I did."
Stacey looked behind Jordan and saw Olivia coming up to her. She already had tears in her eyes.
Stacey took a step back. "W-What?"
"Liv..." Jordan trailed off.
"Stacey, I'm so sorry. I was looking through Jordan's phone for old pictures and found them," she choked out through tears. "It was after our fight and I was so mad at you...I just airdropped the photos to me and sent them in. It was so wrong and nasty of me to do that. I wasn't in the right headspace and I wish I could take it back. You're my best friend and I love you–"
"Best friend?" chuckled Stacey, but there was no humor behind it. "You're joking, right? God, you're lucky Hayden is solving this because my life would've been ruined. Thanks to some selfish act to get back at me for being concerned about you."
"Stacey I'm sorry please–"
"I don't want to talk to you ever again."
Stacey walked away. Some part of her wish she hadn't said that, but she needed to. Maybe she didn't mean the forever part of it, but right now she couldn't stand to look at Olivia. She's never felt more betrayed than now.
Packing up her duffel bag, Jordan knocked on the door and entered with his bag as well. He held up his keys. "I'll drive you home."
Stacey didn't know if she was disappointed in him or not (well, for the concussion protocol, but that was a whole different conversation). She nodded and followed Jordan to his car.
She waved goodbye to the others and got in. They seemed concerned, but she didn't give them time to ask her as she told Jordan to drive off. It seemed this whole cabin trip was a total bust.
Halfway home, Stacey turned down the music and glanced over at Jordan.
He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about the concussion–"
"It's not that," she cut him off. "Although, I do hate that you did that. It wasn't right."
"I know," he mumbled.
"Anyways, I'll be willing to forgive you for your idiotic picture taking if you answer this one question."
Jordan gripped the steering wheel. "What is it?"
"What really happened in Vegas?"
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thoughts on this chapter??? A LOT happened
and we get vegas next episode. so much is going on oh my