Chapter Text
"There's my little Tiger! Was your first day of school grrreat?" Dad puns from her doorway, standing just outside her room. One of the best things about him is that he treats her and her brothers like human beings and not like some parents do. Respecting her privacy being just one of the many, many pros.
Lynn rolls her eyes, "Daaaaaad! Just because you're my dad, doesn't mean you have to tell dad jokes."
"Uh, yes it does. It's in my contract."
"I'm not even sure if that was a joke or not...."
"So... What's on tap for tonight? Pizza and TV or TV and pizza?"
"Actually," Lynn smiles at him, "I'm headed to a party!"
"On a school night? I'm impressed! You're making new friends already!" Her dad crows. "Have you told your brothers? Or Angel?"
"And there's something else," she cuts him off, knowing he can ramble more than her. That's who she got it from after all. Mama rarely spoke and Mom was always calm and charming.
Dad's face falls at the look on his daughter's face. "What's wrong, sunshine? What's the matter?"
She clears her throat, working up the courage as her stomach flips, "I met two of my soulmates, and possibly two others."
His face darkens as he's reminded of the first 'soulmate' they found. She tries not to think about it often, but it all has still put her off on wanting to find her soulmates. He enters her room and pulls her into a tight, comforting hug that settles her nerves and erases her fears. "Are you sure? Were they the ones that said anything to you first? And what about the other two?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure none of them know they're my soulmate. I never gave them my full first and late name. And as for the other two, I only got their first names, not their last ones too."
He minutely relaxes, nodding, "That's good. Stay safe and get to know them better before you let them know, okay? Or ask Angel's soulmate, what was his name? You know, the good kid."
Lynn grins into Dad's chest. He's one of the only adults that calls Wes 'the good kid'. "You mean Wes?"
"Yep!" He pops the 'p'. "If he wants something, just tell him I'll make his favorite."
"You know if you make it for him, then you're gonna have to make some for everyone else too."
"Ah, looks like we'll just have everyone over then, won't we?" He grins, waggling his eyebrows, and she rolls her eyes with a grin. He loves cooking for people and everyone loves his cooking. Despite his best efforts, Wes has still yet to learn how to make Dad's famous chicken and dumplings.
"Sounds like it'll be fun," she agrees. "Now shoo! I need to figure out what I'm gonna wear!"
"Text Angel and Oliver! And don't stay out too late okay? Lemme know when you're leaving."
"Okay, love you!"
"Love you too, sunshine!"
She turns to her closet, looking through the several options. It needs to be something that will impress, but easy to take on and off since it's a pool party. It takes a couple minutes, but she eventually finds it and quickly changes. It's a champagne pink wrap dress, the skirt perfect for spinning and flaring out, with a sweetheart neckline and stretchy fabric that makes it easy to pull on and off. She quickly adds on a set of nude bangles and french braids her hair, thankful she had already conditioned and oiled it so that she wouldn't have to worry about the chemicals ruining her hair.
Her makeup is quick, simple, and completely waterproof: a bit of natural mascara, white eyeliner on her waterline, clear lipgloss, and a bit of Vaseline to her recently tinted eyebrows. The woman that did them said that it's one of the ways to protect them from any chlorine damage. Her soulmate tattoos are all already covered by special, heavy-duty waterproof foundation to ensure no one will be able to get even a glance at them.
She takes a quick picture and sends it to the family, which results in most of her brothers losing their damn minds over her not being allowed to go out, Dad telling them she is, and Auntie, Uncle, Oliver, and Angel all assuring her she looks amazing. She grins at the chaos that is her family and silences the notifications. Her brothers are threatening to come over and sit on her to keep her from going out.
Her phone buzzes and she checks it to see a text from Emma:
Em
Just pulled up in your driveway.
Lynn
Be just a sec
Lynn gives herself a once over in the mirror and grins at herself, confidence surging from her. She grabs her purse, double-checking she has the necessities: wallet, keys, fully-charged phone, and a can of pepper spray. Nodding, she hurries out and calls out a 'bye' to Dad, who returns it faintly. She's outside and grins at Emma's car, pulling open the door and sidling into the cool interior.
"Hey, Lynn! Did yo bring your swimsuit?"
"Yeah! I'm wearing it underneath actually."
"Me too! You look fantastic by the way!"
"Thanks. I figured if we're going to this party, we'd better do it in style. Ready to go?"
"Yeah, I think. I'm a little nervous is all."
"How come?"
"Caleb's probably going to be there...Not to mention I'm crashing this party!"
Lynn shakes her head, encouraging smile in place as she gently squeezes Emma's hand, "Trust me. You've got nothing to worry about! I'll be by your side if you need some back up."
"In that case, let's do this before I chicken out!"
"That's the spirit!"
"Guess this is the place," Lynn said, awestruck. She's seen nicer houses in upscale neighborhoods before, but...
"I always wondered why Brian was so popular. This house kinda explains it."
...this is just obnoxiously throwing money in the peoples' faces.
Two hundred of Brian's closest friends are packed the mansion around them, dancing, drinking, and hanging out by the backyard pool.
"Welcome to my--" Brian's eyes settle on Emma. "Wait a second, I know you weren't invited."
Lynn's eyes dart around the room, searching for help so that she wouldn't have to get into it Brian. Just as she is resigning herself to the task, she makes eye contact with Michael. He strides over, eyebrows raised at Brian, "Uh, hey. Everything okay over here?"
"Just trying to keep the rabble out," Brian says shortly.
"I think you're mistaken, friend. These two are with me." Michael's face turns dangerous, angry, "Unless you want something to happen to the sound system." He nods to the stereo and large speakers nearby, music pouring from them.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No need to do anything crazy," Brian holds up his hands in surrender. "My apologies. I didn't realize you all were. . .friends. Come on in."
"How nice of you," Lynn snipes. Arm linked with Emma's, she brushes past Brian and follows after Michael a little ways into the party. "Thanks. I owe you one."
"Whatever. I just like to keep our exalted quarterback on his toes."
Lynn grins at him, amused, "Or maybe you just hate to admit that you care about other people."
Michael snorts, rolling his eyes, "Don't make me regret getting you in. Now get out of my hair and go mingle." Michael makes a 'shoo'ing motion and turns to go back to his group from earlier, but not before Lynn catches his smirk.
The pair of friends walk a little further in, checking out the party. Lynn notices Hangry Girl hustling around the room, jotting down notes in a small notepad. "People seem to be reacting positively to these decorations, but how to incorporate that into homecoming?" Her eyes settled on the pair and she lites up, marching over with a determined gait. "Emma, Lynn, I need your first impressions of this party!"
"You know my name?" Lynn questions, pushing down the familiar inkling of fear trying to work its way in. This is a school where everyone knows everyone, don't let it bug you.
Hangry waves her hand dismissively, "As student body president, it's my job to know all of my classmates names. You are Lynn Lee. Now, tell me your impressions!"
Well, that's what she preferred to be called, at least. As long as Hangry doesn't go around spreading her full name, it's fine.
"Why?" Emma questions.
"For the good of homecoming, of course!"
"I only give strangers one freebie question, and you used that up for the homecoming question earlier. If you want more, I need to know your name," Lynn bargains with a charming smile.
The girl pauses, looking at her with rich brown eyes. "Maria Flores. Now tell me."
Another soulmate? This has to be some kind of record.
"Alright! So far, Maria, I'd say this party is better, now that you're here."
"I'm flattered, but this is serious research."
"I'm serious, too," Lynn insists with a smile. "You're better company than some I've met so far."
Maria's face lights up some, a small smile inching its way to life. "Thanks for your input. I'll be sure I'm at homecoming because of it."
"Then I'm sure I'll love every minute of it." Maria writes Lynn's feedback in her notebook before rushing off to the next group of people.
Lynn looks around the party, spotting Aiden, Ezra, and a couple other band members on the dance floor.
"So where should we go first?" Emma asks.
Lynn turns her eyes upon Aiden and his god awful dancing. "Dancing. Someone's gotta teach Mister Fancypants some moves."
Emma giggles her consent and they make their way over, Lynn moving between the dancing teens far easier than Emma.
"For a guy with impeccable rhythm, you sure can't dance!" Ezra comments loudly to be heard over the music. "I think you're even worse than Caleb!"
"Know the beat and moving your feet are two separate skills!" Aiden returns back.
"Thanks for joining us. Maybe you can teach Aiden here some moves!" Ezra shouts a greeting once he notices them.
"I have plenty of... moves," Aiden protests weakly.
Emma looks at him, a little doubtfully, "Like what?"
Aiden awkwardly shuffles his feet, stiff and tense the entire time.
Lynn laughs, barely managing to compose herself when Aiden shoots her a frown. "Here, let me show you some real moves," she grins at him, laughter lining her voice.
"And what 'moves' could you show me?" Indignant, arms crossed, Aiden questions her skills.
Ezra grins from beside his friend, wondering what moves Lynn would show off. Music and dancing ran through that family like blood in their veins--Lynn can beat him easily in the piano, but Angel can give him a run for his money in most everything. That girl is a natural at everything she does.
Lynn, with a spurt of spunky confidence, decides to be a little bold. She steps closer to him, getting in his personal space. He makes an abandoned move to step away, but with so many people spread out, he doesn't have the room to. Lynn smirks as she closes her eyes and lets the music encase her. It's loud and heavy, flowing through her body like a heartbeat. She drops low to the ground as the beat drops, swaying her hips back and forth with enviable skill. Her hands go to her bare legs, sliding up, up, up and attracting many eyes.
Soon enough, her hands are in her hair as she rises again, an almost sultry grin on her lips as she moves close to Aiden. Her smaller body almost brushes against his, resulting in his face turning a bright red.
"People consider this dancing?" Aiden squeaks out, hands pinned to his side, looking very much like he didn't know where to put his eyes.
"Yeah," Ezra confirms with a smirk of his own, "the kind when you really like someone."
Aiden's eyes dart from him to her and she winks at him. He lets out a squeak and tries to lean away.
"It's easy," Lynn assures him. She moves fluidly, unaware of just how many eyes were on her as she drops again, "You just gotta get low and feel the music."
His Adam's apple bobbles as he swallows heavily, watching as she rolls her hips to stand. "I-I may need to go f-freshen my drink." He flees, doing his best to put distance between the two of them.
"Heh. You're cruel for that, Lynn," Ezra nudges her, amused despite his words. "He's shy."
"Poor Aiden," Emma says, trying her best to hide her own shadow of a grin.
"He's like a baby deer. You have to approach him gently or he'll startle."
"I'll keep that in mind for the future," Lynn smirks.
They continue dancing for a little while. It didn't take too long before Aiden returned, no drink in hand and blush permanently staining his cheeks. Lynn laughed and took pity on him, taking the time to teach him some actual dance moves. His blush deepened at their proximity, but he was able to improve his dancing from abysmal to passable. Not long after, Lynn and Emma grew hungry from dancing and left for the snack table.
The cheerleaders reside there, chatting amongst themselves. Once there, Lynn observes the vast arrangements of hors d'oeuvres. "Who. Brian really went all out."
"I know, right?" Sydney, who Lynn shared homeroom with, smiled. "These lobster bites are to die for!"
"They're not nearly as good as the ones I've had at my parties," Mia criticizes. She turned to Lynn, looking her over critically with icy eyes. Then, a faint smile appears on her lips and she nods, "You've got style, Ly."
"Yeah," Payton agrees enthusiastically, "I love your outfit! Where'd you get it?"
Lynn shrugs with a smile, "Had this in the closet for a while. Thought it'd be nice to wear it out."
Mia smiles approvingly, "Keep up the good work. I can see you going far in this school."
"Hey, check this out!" Sydney calls. Once everyone's turned to watch, she tosses a cracker high into the air and performs a pirouette before catching it in her mouth. "Whoa! That was awesome!"
"It was okay at best," Mia dismisses.
"Let me give it a shot!" Lynn grins, picking up five stuffed mushrooms and starts juggling them. Sebastian taught her when he was going through his circus phase.
"Whoa. Watch Lynn go!"
"Who knew you were so talented?"
Lynn smiles as she sends them into the air, gasps erupting from her small audience. She catches the first one, wasting no time in chewing. The next three are caught in her hands, and Lynn swallows just in time to open her mouth and catch the last one. "Ta-da!" She muffledly cries, covering her mouth as she takes her time with this one. "Fun and tasty!"
There's a moment of clapping before Mia speaks over them.
"Hmph. You think that's awesome? Stand back and watch the master at work." Mia takes one of the crackers and tosses it almost to the ceiling. She attempts to perform two pirouettes as the hors d'oeuvre comes falling down. But before she can complete her second spin, the appetizer misses Mia's face and falls to the ground. Her face turns a bright, embarrassed red as she looks around at the crowd. "I could've had that."
"You were so close! You'll get it next time for sure," Sydney attempts to cheer her up, smiling.
Mia's somber face twists into a glower, "Nobody asked you, Little Miss Perfect. This is a waste of time anyway. Now excuse me, I've got better things to do." Mia storms off, but Sydney runs after her.
"Is everything okay with Mia?"
"Not really," Payton answers cheerlessly. "Mia just broke up with her ex, Katherine. She's been really hard on everyone ever since."
Emma nodded, "I heard it was a really messy breakup."
That was probably the day Angel had cut their video chat short when Mia appeared, looking really upset. Angel hadn't said much, except that Mia was going through something.
"It didn't help when Sydney joined cheer last winter. She's really good at cheerleading, but Mia has to work twice as hard to keep up."
"That'd explain it," Lynn sighs. "Em and I are gonna walk around some, Payton. See ya later." Lynn grabs a small plate of desserts to snack on, waving bye to Payton as the two friends wander. It doesn't take long before they happen across the football team playing at the poker table. She nudges Emma, who nods her acceptance, and the two go over.
"This is too rich for my blood," Julian admits as he folds.
"What about you, Caleb? Too chicken?" Brian mocks.
"I'm in," Caleb says, determined.
"Hellooooo, new kid! Haven't seen your face before," a broad, muscular football player calls out.
"The name's Lynn."
"Frank the Tank. Aka the best defensive end Cedar Cove's ever seen!" He crows, grinning at her.
Caleb grins, "Better keep it up against Statton in a few weeks."
"You got it, bro!"
Lynn smiles at their rapport, moving closer to peer at the table, "So what's the game?"
"Texas Hold 'Em. My brother Ezra and I played this a lot growing up," Caleb said. Lynn glances at the various players around the table. "Brian and I are the only ones left this round."
"Not for much longer," Brian grinned, incredibly smug.
"Damn straight. Because I'm gonna win."
Zoe, standing behind Brian and looking at his cards, rolls her eyes, "Whatever makes this go faster."
"Brian, you're first to bet."
"I bet twenty chips," Brian tosses in the chips, relaxing in his chair with confidence.
"Whoa. He must have a good hand."
"Or he's bluffing."
Caleb turns to Lynn, "What do you think, Lynn?"
She moves closer to him, looking at the cards on the table. She taps his shoulder and Caleb angles his cards, letting her peek at his hand: The Ace of Hearts and Queen of Diamonds. Hm. . .Caleb has a strong pair, which isn't bad, but the board looks dangerous. Brian could have a flush, a straight, or just about anything better than Caleb's hand. Brian lounges in his chair, smiling mischievously.
"Careful, Caleb," Zoe warns. "Brian might beat you." Brian looks pretty confident over there. . .
"I think you should call," Lynn leans down, lowering her voice just enough to not be heard by Brian. "You've got this."
"Yes ma'am," he returns, voice low and it sends a bit of a tingle down her spine. She fights the urge to blush, feeling like karma is coming back to bite her in the ass after messing with Aiden earlier.
"Come on," Brian snaps. "How much longer you gonna keep me waiting?"
"I'll call."
"Too scared to bet more?" Brian taunts.
Lynn puts her hand on her hip, cocking it, "He doesn't need to raise to win."
"Alright, my comrades," Frank says. "Flip your cards."
"Read 'em and weep. I've got five heart cards. Aka flush," Brian at them as he throws down his cards. . .the King and Ace of Hearts.
"What? That's impossible!" Lynn shouts, surprised. Caleb reveals his own hand, showing the matching Ace.
"There are two Aces of Hearts!" Emma says, speaking for the first time.
"And there's another one in the muck pile," Julian growls from where he's digging, pulling out the card.
"This isn't a normal deck!"
"Brian must've stacked the deck before we started playing."
"That's not cool, Brian," Frank frowns. "Sorry, man, but Caleb wins this round."
"Come on. Really? Caleb could've cheated, not me," Brian protests.
"It's your deck, Brian," Frank reminds.
Brian frowns at Caleb, looking at him expectantly. Caleb sighs softly, barely audible to Lynn's ears, before speaking up, "No, Frank. Brian won this one fair and square. He had the better hand."
"See, everything's fine." Brian's smirk as he adds the chips from the middle to his pile is infuriating. Lynn scoffs, crossing her arms at the utter bullshit. But hey, if Caleb's fine with letting his best friend get away with such utter bullshit and look pathetic for it, then that's fine by her.
A while later, Lynn walks outside, happening upon Zoe and Caleb.
"Are we done here yet?" Zoe asks from where she's snuggled into his lap. "The Hearst party at Kara's house is going to make this one look like a third grader's birthday."
"I'm having fun," Caleb frowns. "And we agreed that we'd stay for two hours, right?"
Zoe glared, "I made that deal assuming this party would be fun. Tell you what. Why don't you hang out poolside with your loser friends. You can find me and beg for my forgiveness later." With that said, Zoe stands from his lap and storms off. Caleb sighs, then notices Lynn nearby, standing awkwardly.
"Caleb, you must really like her," she says as she sits in the chair beside him.
"I... I do." He rubs his hand over his face, "I know Zoe can be demanding... impulsive... hot-headed. But she's also the first girl I've ever loved. And that means something to me. I know it makes me look stupid. Weak. But... I guess I just don't care. I love her."
Lynn hums, pulling her legs up to cross them. "What about your soulmate?"
Caleb jerks, startled by the question. "My soulmate? What about her?"
"Well," she shrugs off the slight guilt she felt, "do you think your soulmate is someone Zoe could accept? And is Zoe someone your soulmate could accept for you?"
He doesn't answer right away, taking a moment. "I don't know anything about my soulmate except her name and her handwriting, but I know Zoe. The Zoe that calls me up after a long day just to talk. Or the Zoe who pushed me to try out for the football team. Or my Zoe who falls asleep against my shoulder during our Walking Dead marathon. And maybe when I meet my soulmate one day, that's the Zoe she'll get to know."
She nods, accepting his answer. "Does that mean you're going to go run after her?"
"Heh," Caleb chuckles. "I may be in love, but I'm not crazy. She needs some time to cool off."
"Good to see that you've got some survival instincts."
"So," Caleb puts his chin in his hand, looking at her. "You, uh, liking the party? Honestly, I'm not great with big groups. I'm happiest when I get a chance to grab some one-on-one time with someone at these things..."
Lynn nods, "I know what you mean. How about some one-on-one time with me? You need to loosen up and have fun! I mean, it is a party!"
Caleb's face falls and he leans back, eyes going to the door Zoe stormed through earlier. "I know, but I'm worried about Zoe still..."
"I'm sure she'll cool off and be back in no time. C'mon, I just wanna get to know my desk neighbor better."
Caleb chuckles a little, amused despite himself. "You're right..." He takes a sip of his drink as he checks out her outfit. "I didn't notice before, but nice outfit."
"Thanks! I wanted to look extra special tonight."
"It's definitely working."
Lynn looks around to see an empty Twister mat spread across the ground. An idea sparks to life, turning to Caleb. He meets her eyes with a grin, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"A classic round of Twister!" She elbows Caleb playfully. "You sure you're not too tied up to play?"
His toffee eyes are bright and warm again, the shadow of sadness long gone. "Positive! Let make the most of this party together."
"Game on. Prepare to lose, Caleb!"
"We'll see about that..."
They head over to the empty Twister mat. Lynn takes off her heels, carefully stepping them to the side before taking her place across from Caleb, game between them.
"Rules are simple: Keep your elbows and knees from touched the mat and follow whatever the spinner say."
"All hail the spinner," Caleb mutters to himself, just loud enough for Lynn to hear. She snorts at that and Caleb stumbles a little, flustered, but quickly composes himself. A little louder, "Good luck...You'll need it."
Lynn grins and flicks to spinner as an answer. It goes round and round, slowing down after a couple spins to land on...
"Right foot, red," Lynn calls.
"Easy as pie."
"Next one's right hand, yellow!"
The pair reach down for the same yellow circle, their hands brushing against each other before Caleb moves to the adjacent space.
"My bad," Lynn apologizes. Him being her soulmate aside, he's in relationship and she isn't going to be the cause for a breakup.
"No worries," he smiles. "I'll let you have that one."
"Let me?" She bristles.
Caleb cracks a grin at her, and she stares at him with narrowed eyes. Attempting to read his mind to see what's so funny. Regardless, their game continues for several more rounds with idle chatter. They go back and forth, managing to keep a respectable distance from one another until they can't. They end up twisted together, Caleb's hand grazing her back as he goes for a green circle.
"Oh!" She yelps, a tingling sensation running through her. Less to do with it being him. "That tickles!"
"What does? This?" Her eyes widen in horror when his laughing eyes gain a mischievous sparkle. He brushes his hand softly down her back. She squirms beneath him, trying to shift away from his feather-light touch.
"You're distracting me!" She shrieks, trying to get him away as laughter starts escaping.
"Never!" He laughs denying even as his waggling fingers follow after her.
"It's getting hard to stay up!" She laughs out a protest, body shaking as she fights back the instinctive urge for her limbs to fly at Caleb.
She fights to remain steady, limbs trembling with the effort as Caleb continues to ruthlessly tickle her. Above her, he shakes with laughter at the look of focus and concentration on her face, losing his balance. He bumps into her, knocking her to the ground. Caleb manages to catch himself with his elbows at the last second. Lynn looks up to see his inches away.
"I win~" She sings, a wide and contagious grin in place as she looks up at him.
"Looks like it," he concedes with an equally contagious grin.
They remain like that for a couple heartbeats, Caleb hovering above her with their legs tangled. Before they can remain like this for much longer and possibly cause misunderstandings that would probably get back to Zoe, Lynn clears her throat. "Gettin' off any time soon?"
That seems enough to break Caleb from whatever daze he seemed to have gotten stuck in. He shakes his head, pulling away to stand up. "Sorry, it's just... You know there's Zoe and everything else." He apologizes as he holds out a hand to help her up.
Lynn takes his hand, nodding her thanks as she pulls her skirt back down. It had hiked itself up a little, and she's only thankful that she wore a pair of spandex shorts underneath.
"It's fine," she shrugs. "I'm just glad you didn't actually land on me. You're probably heavy."
"Hey!" Caleb protests. "It's all muscle!"
"Sure, sure," she says it in her best 'whatever you say' voice.
Caleb rolls his eyes, smiling again. "It's a nice night. Why don't we walk around the yard a little bit?"
"Sure," she agrees. They stroll away from the house to a more wooded area. The party is still easily heard, but it's not as overwhelming as it becomes white noise. "It's so quiet out here."
"Yeah, it's nice to get away and just think."
"Oh? 'Bout what?"
"School, Zoe, the party."
"And new friends like me, right?" She nudges him playfully.
"That too," he agrees with a chuckle. "Whenever I get overwhelmed, I try to sneak off to find a quiet moment like this."
"It's pretty out here, too," she says as she gazes up at the stars. They are bright and numerous, and she tilts her head as she tries to find a constellation she might remember. They continue walking for a minute in silence, just listening to the sound of nature and distant party-goers, before she speaks up. "You know, I bet I can guess what's on your mind."
"Oh really? After knowing me for a day?"
"I like to think of myself as half perceptive, half psychic."
"Guess away then."
"I bet you're thinking about how you left things with Zoe."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Just a little," she says, stretching her arms as far away as they could go. "But then again, I'm half psychic remember?"
He snorts, amused for just a moment. "Ah, yes. How could I compete with all-knowing Lynn?"
"I like the sound of that," she chuckles before becoming more serious, sympathetic as she offers a listening ear. "Do you wanna talk about Zoe? I'll listen if you want."
"Zoe and I just seem to be on different pages lately. I mean, you saw how she stormed off earlier."
"Give it time. I'm sure she'll come around."
"Yeah, that's been my motto in the past year we've been together. Well, almost a year. We don't hit our anniversary until a week from Thursday."
"Wow! Congrats!"
"Thanks...though I wonder what my life would be like if I never dated Zoe."
"Who knows?" Lynn idly comments. "Maybe-"
There's a loud snap, the sound of a twig being stepped on. The pair spin around to where the sound came from, Caleb putting an arm in front of Lynn as he steps forward. "Is someone there?" There's a pause before they hear footsteps grow louder as whoever-whatever approach.
"Hello?" Lynn calls out.
And, out from the shadows steps Michael. His eyes flicker between the two for a moment before settling on Lynn, that now trademark smirk in place.
"Michael! What are you doing out here?" Lynn questions as she moves around Caleb's arm, going up to Michael. "Why are you creeping around?"
"I could ask you the same thing," he comments lightly, mischief in his bright eyes.
Lynn rolls her eyes at him. "We were just talking. The party was getting a bit crowded for us."
"Mm," he hums, eyes on the silent Caleb that had yet to join them. His eyes go back to Lynn, smirk widening a little, "Same as me then. I was half-tempted to mess with Brian's speakers to get some quiet."
"That," Lynn chuckles, "would not have gone well. He would've gone for your head. Especially after you used it to get me and Emma in here."
"Please," Michael scoffs. "He might say something snarky, but I'm also the only one that could get it back up and running."
"I think I could," Caleb suddenly speaks up, bringing their attention to him.
Lynn blinks, a slight blush coloring her cheeks as she realizes she had forgotten about Caleb with Michael's appearance. It's just a bit hard when it's easy to get caught up snarking against him.
"Think so, Mitchell?" Michael challenges, a gleam in his eyes.
Caleb straightens, a stubborn look in his dark eyes. "I know it, Harrison."
Michael Harrison...
With the confirmation that Michael is her soulmate, she feels his tattoo heat up. His tattoo is pitch black, thick and angled writing, the largest one tattoo she has that wraps from her right hipbone down to her ankle. The interesting thing about it though isn't that it is so large, but the fact that instead of it being his first and last name once, it repeats over and over again to form a sort of chain. She hasn't seen any sort of other tattoo like it and it fascinates her, which in turn leads to her current fascination by the one standing in front of her.
But, presently, she is hyperaware of the sudden tension in the air. Her eyes jump back and forth between the two teens, clueless as to why there's sudden conflict. They don't seem like they run in the same circles exactly, even if the school isn't on the larger side.
"It's probably best that we don't test that though, huh?" She inputs a little nervously.
Neither say anything, but both turn their eyes back to her. There's a beat of silence before Michael chuckles, "Yeah, whatever you say, Lynn."
At that moment, a cold breeze comes through. She shivers, exposed skin chilling as goosebumps rise, and she wishes she had worn something with sleeves or at least thicker. "Cold," she mutters, rubbing her hands on her arms to try and heat them up.
"I'd offer you my jacket if I had one," Caleb says, regretful he can't help his new friend.
"Good thing I've got one then, huh?" Michael grins, shrugging out of his jacket and stepping behind Lynn. She blinks, color rushing up her cheeks to burn the tips of her ears as he helps her slip her arms in. "Perfect fit."
Lynn snorts, thoroughly amused. With their extreme height difference, his jacket is more of a dress than anything. The hem is a little longer than her dress, reaching the back of her knees and the sleeves several times too long for her arms. She, of course, takes immediate delight in this. She excitedly flaps her hands, showing off how extra long it is. Shoving the sleeves up some with a bit of difficulty, she curls her fingers at the edge and turns to Michael with a huge grin, childish giggles lining her voice.
"Michael! Michael look! Sleeve paws~" She sings, giddy with glee. Nothing brings her immediate, unrestrained glee like sweater/sleeve paws. They are the Greatest Things Ever.
"I see," he grins, almost indulgently. "Let me zip it up for you."
She stops bouncing in place, holding still obediently as he pulls the zipper up to mid-chest on her. Otherwise, she's sure she'd have trouble seeing over the top part. "C'mon, I've gotta show Em! Let's go," she demands, grabbing his hand without thinking about it and tugging on him back in the direction of the party, once again forgetting about Caleb.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," he agrees, amused as he watches he bounce in place.
She makes it a couple feet before the soulmark on her left hip almost burns, startling her from her stupor. She turns, realizing they were leaving Caleb behind. "Oh, I'm sorry Caleb! Do you wanna head back with us?"
He fixes a grin in place, looking nonchalant as he answers, "No, you two can go ahead. I'm going to stay out here for a bit longer. See you later, Lynn."
Lynn gives a smile and waves goodbye before resuming on tugging Michael along, who easily keeps pace with his long legs. They are quickly back at the party and Lynn scours the party for Emma, only to make her way back to the backyard with nothing to show for her efforts. She plops into a chair, disappointed she didn't get to show her first soulmate the best thing ever.
"You can show her later," Michael tries to sound supportive. He fails because of the amused smirk. "You looked good earlier. I've heard other people say the same thing."
"Really?" She asks, a little sulkily but mostly doubtfully.
"Don't go getting a big head," he says. "I see what they mean though. Looks good. You look happier to be in my jacket though."
There's something in his voice, something about it and in the way her soulmark softly warms, but she can't put her finger on it. "Of course I am!"
"Really?" He echoes her earlier question.
"Yes! It's so big and comfy!"
"Ah," he mutters, almost sounding disappointed.
"Anyway, thanks for it. I appreciate it. The jacket and the compliment, I mean. I gotta say, I'm kinda surprised to see you here. Doesn't really seem like your 'thing'."
"Not usually," Michael admits. "But even I couldn't pass up an invitation to see Brian's mansion."
"That can't be the only reason."
"Don't believe me? Fine. Go mingle with other people and stop wasting my time," Michael snaps a little.
Lynn blinks at him, nonplussed by the sudden defensiveness. "I just don't buy the whole 'aloof' act. Maybe there's someone you were hoping to see?"
"I-" Michael blinks, surprised. "Nope. Not getting that outta me."
Something flashes across Michael's face, there for a brief second before it's gone. Lynn 'hmms' and looks around the party, perking up when she catches sight of a group of students playing a familiar game: Two Truths and a Lie.
"Spot the lie," Morgan begins with a straight face. "My cousin's a singer in a huge punk band; I've been in a beauty pageant; I've been bitten by a rattlesnake."
"You don't make this easy," Ezra says.
"Hm..." A rebel girl with a familiar leather jacket and purple lipstick says. "I don't think you've got a cousin in a punk band. That music's my jam, and I don't know of any singer with the same last name as you." Koh! It's Koh! Angel had gone on and on about the rebel girl and her near-maniac desire to burn things.
"So you were in a beauty pageant?"
"Yeah, it was stupid. I was young and I won the whole thing."
"So what's the lie?"
"My cousin's not a singer in a punk band. He's the bass player instead."
"I knew it!"
"Looks like fun," Lynn idly comments. "Would you wanna play?"
"Ha," Michael grins. "Like I'd let people in on my secrets."
"It's all in the name of fun," Lynn teases. "Are you scared to let me in your brain or something?"
"I'm not scared," Michael retorts, annoyed. He leans closer to her from his chair, speaking in a low, husky voice, "You want to learn my secrets that bad? Tell you what, if you join, I'll play."
"If that's the case," Lynn returns, her voice just as low as she ignores the shiver that had nothing to do with the cold run through her, "count me in."
"This should be interesting," Michael grins as he stands.
They join the circle of people, Morgan smiling toothily at Lynn. "Now it's a party. Michael, you're up next."
"What are your two truths and a lie?"
Michael smirks at Lynn and leans in some, whispering in her ear, "It's not too late to turn back now."
"Are you kidding? I'm not letting you off the hook that easily," she whispers back.
Michael grins, "Alright. But don't say I didn't warn you."
He finally faces the group, thinking long and hard for a few moments. "Let's see... I got my motorcycle from a junkyard; I chipped my tooth playing football; I've been compliment on my kissing skills."
"Ooh. That's a hard one," Lynn murmurs.
"I don't think it's number three," Ezra says. "You're too full of yourself for that one."
"My vote's on the tooth!"
"His motorcycle looks pretty nice though," Morgan argues.
"What's your guess, Lynn?" He turns to her, eyes gleaming with amusement.
"I don't think you chipped your tooth playing football," Lynn says confidently.
"Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner!" He leans back on his hands, getting more comfortable. "I actually chipped my tooth playing hockey when I was younger instead."
"Really? It doesn't look like it at all!"
"That's because it was a baby tooth, so you can't tell anymore. Okay. I've gone. Your turn, Lynn."
"A deal's a deal," she agrees. "Let's see here..."
After a few more rounds, Michael and Lynn meander away from the group and towards the pool. She sits at the edge, putting her legs in and sighing at the cool water, "Enjoying yourself yet?"
"Maybe a little. . .It wasn't the worst game ever," Michael admits.
"That says volumes," she smiles. "It was nice learning more about you."
"Count yourself lucky. I don't like talking about that stuff."
Lynn nods, "There is just one thing I still wanna know after all that..."
"Go ahead and ask. I'll give you a freebie question, but that's it," he says as he sits beside her, crossing his legs.
"I've gotta know, where'd you learn to fix motorcycles?"
"Eh," Michael shrugs. "From auto shops here and there, and some videos. Most places were happy to give me a hand if I helped clean up their shop."
Lynn smiles as she leans back on the ground, hands behind her head as she looks over at Michael. "I'm trying to imagine it... Michael working."
"We just met. You don't know my life story yet."
"No," she agrees, "but it's getting more interesting every minute. How long it'd take to fix up your bike?"
"Only took a few months once I found all the parts. That's the real challenge. Well, I think that's enough looking into my mind for now. Hope it was everything you thought it'd be."
Lynn makes a noise as she stares up at the sky, trying to memorize every detail of the dazzling stars. Just as Lynn manages to find a couple constellations, Payton approaches them. She clutches her camera as she looks eagerly around the backyard.
"What's got you so excited, Payton?" Lynn sits up, looking to the senior, curious.
"OMG! Look at this place! Autumn put me on yearbook duty. We need a pic of someone in the pool!"
"Lemme guess. You want us to help," Michael 'guesses' in a dry tone.
"Please?" Payton gives them big puppy dog eyes.
"I mean, it is a pool party," Lynn says as her way of agreement.
Together, Michael and Lynn shrug out of their clothes, revealing their swimsuits underneath. Hers is a pair of swimshorts and a strappy bikini top, straps going from one side to the other over her chest to sort of resemble a corset. They are both a rainbow of pastels, her new favorite. She folds her dress and Michael's jacket neatly, setting them on a chair. She looks over to Michael and gets an eyeful of him. He is muscular and fit in blue stripped shorts, smirking, but that isn't what catches her attention. Across his collarbone, in beautiful and elegant calligraphy of pitch black, is her name:
Evelynn Lee-Jackson-Cava
Realizing she's staring, Lynn hurriedly looks him up-and-down, trying to play it off with a grin, "Whoa, you look good."
"Heh. I know, I know," Michael's smirk widens. "It's hard to resist the Michael shirtless."
Lynn rolls her eyes, snorting.
"By the way, you look pretty good yourself," Michael says as he gives her similar treatment, taking in her own plumper build. Together, they slip into the pool and move to the middle.
"Okay! Stand right there! This is gonna look great!" Payton squeals. Just as Payton is about to snap the picture, Brian rips off his shirt and runs toward the pool.
"Caaaaaaaaanonball!"
Payton takes the picture seconds before Brian hits the water. When he does, Lynn holds her arm up to shield against it, flinching at the drops landing on her.
"This picture is adorbs!" Payton cheers.
"Obviously! Everything I do is picture perfect!" Brian grins as he climbs out of the pool, strutting off.
Michael turns to Lynn, grinning, "You know, it ain't too shabby in here. I think I could enjoy this for a while."
She smiles, tipping her head back to look at the sky again, stars brighter than ever. The warm water surrounds her as she floats next Michael, their fingertips just inches apart. Though tempted to reach for Michael's hand, she restrains herself at the mental reminder that he doesn't like PDA. Instead, she splashs him.
"Two can play at this game!" Michael playfully growls, shaking his head and sending droplets everywhere. He splashes her back, dousing her in water.
"I will be victorious!" Lynn grins, returning fire. The two of them splash each other for a while, exhausting themselves. When they finally accept a tie, they rest by floating aimlessly, always within arms distance of one another.
As the party winds down, Lynn heads back inside, looking for a towel. She goes upstairs, shivering a little as the A/C starts to chill her. She spies an ajar door, having caught the edge of a tub. She opens it, finding it was indeed a bathroom, but spots two figures kissing against the counter.
"Oh, Brian..." Zoe moans, tilting her head.
"Mm, we should really do this more often," Brian grins.
"Are... are you two? Oh my god," Lynn whispers, shocked. Before she can get caught, she takes a step backward and into the hallway, pulling the door shut. She takes another step backward, meaning to put as much distance from the bathroom until she could think straight, only to bump into someone. A hand grabs her arm to keep her from falling.
"Hey, Lynn, you okay? You look like you saw a ghost," Caleb says, releasing her.
She spins around, eyes wide, "Caleb! Oh, um. . ." Her face falls as she realizes she would have to tell him what she saw. "This is gonna be hard to explain. . ."