Just before dinner Danny and Lacey emerged from the tent, both wearing a set of Danny's sweats.
Cole slow clapped for Danny, "There he is—" Following up with a bro hug, "Was getting worried about you Cap."
"Showin' us how it's done." Tyler went for a high five, Danny shook his head no.
"Chill." He warned him and anyone else who might have been listening.
Danny eyes scanned and fell on Archie cozied up to Phoebe at the picnic table. Jo and the other girls were going over footwork together in the adjacent field and the other guys were all focused on making dinner.
"Where's Regina?" Danny asked all of them at once.
A few of them shrugged. Danny walked to Regina's tent and she was not inside. He walked up to the picnic tables, something inside of him telling him these assholes knew more than they were letting on.
"Where is Regina?" Danny asked as calmly as he could.
Everyone seemed to ignore him so he picked the end of the picnic table up and smashed it down, sending drinks flying.
"Hey!" Archie snapped at him.
"Where is Regina?!"
"Relax, Danny she's at the pool, what the fuck is wrong with you?!" Phoebe yelled, completely drenched in soda.
Danny stormed off toward the pool, not seeing her as he approached the fence. He tried to open the door to the pool house but it had been locked with a key by it's deadbolt.
"Regina? Are you in there?"
"Yep."
Danny registered her tone as one of annoyance. Regina would have hated having to be rescued by anyone. He slid down the door and sat on the outside.
"You okay?" He asked softly.
He heard her sigh from the other side, "Yep."
Lacey marched up toward the pool house, key in hand and unlocked the door.
"Hard to believe we're seniors in high school—" Lacey was furious.
Regina stepped out, arms folded across her chest. She was wearing a royal blue bikini, her discarded clothes in a heap below the lounge chair she had been in before all this fun began.
Danny hopped up, "Who the fuck—"
"Yeah, right. After this attempt at filling in whatever insecurities these morons have missing within themselves I'm now going to be a snitch? No fucking way."
"This is bullshit, please tell me who did this?!"
"Why are you two even friends with these frauds? You're both smart and motivated, why are you hanging onto these douche jocks? I don't get it."
Lacey shrugged, "We grew up together—"
Regina took a few steps and sat on the edge of the pool, sticking her feet in the water. Lacey took a seat beside her while Danny paced a lap, trying to cool himself down.
"What happened over here, Reg?" Lacey swirled her feet in the cool water.
"They waited until I went in to use the bathroom and then locked me in. It was no big deal, I've had worse."
"Well that's unacceptable." Lacey said firmly.
Regina chuckled, "Yeah okay, sure. It's not like you can stop them—"
"Of course I can, and I will. I've got you, don't worry about it. Who was it?"
"I don't know, I was in the bathroom."
"Regina."
"It was your other boyfriend and Danny's other girlfriend."
Lacey cringed, "Of course it was. I'm sorry."
"I'm pretty sure you just rescued me, don't apologize for their bullshit. God I can't wait to get out of this fucking school."
"Same." They both took a minute to reset.
Danny took a seat at the far end of the pool and stuck his feet in too, an attempt to literally cool himself down further.
"I hear we are both on the same team now?" Lacey asked carefully.
Regina gave Lacey the side-eye, "You mean team good sex?" She said in only the way Regina could.
"Yup. We okay?" Lacey smiled at her.
"Other than the fact I have no clue what I'm doing—" Regina held her hands up.
"Danny and I know, it's not like it's a surprise. Like I said before, I've got you—we, we've got you."
"I guess. I—um, I asked him to stop sleeping with Phoebe."
"How'd that go?"
"Well it was either that or I wasn't going to do any of this."
"Wow."
"What you're honestly not bothered by it?" Regina looked at her skeptically.
"I'm just surprised someone who can pull Danny's attention the way you can still manages to get herself locked in the pool house by some Neanderthal bullies." Lacey laughed hard.
"Oh fuck you." Regina laughed back, "I guess Danny's into quality, not superficiality."
"I'd agree, but your smokin' hot body is sitting there in that bikini, so, your theory is invalid. Let's be real." Lacey nudged her shoulder playfully.
"Ladies, I'm angry and I'm starving." Danny declared as he walked over to them, "Let's pack our shit and head back home to real food and my bed." He winked.
"Did he just wink?" Lacey asked.
"Yeah, Jesus Danny, we already agreed to have sex with you at the same time, don't turn us off now—" Regina lashed out at him.
"I never should have let you two become friends." Danny smiled at them as he helped them both to their feet.
Regina scooped up her clothes and decided to walk back in just her bikini. She'd never been this bold with her body before, Danny somehow always brought out the confidence in her. Lacey set the pace for the walk back to the campsite, Danny and Regina trailed behind just out of earshot.
"You were both correct." Danny kept his eyes on the trail.
"About what?"
Danny slowly dragged his beautiful brown eyes all over Regina's unbelievable body and finally up to her face, "I am about quality. Everything about you is quality."
Regina smiled at his sweetness. Her chest tightened a little knowing he wasn't hers and wouldn't be. Still, it felt so nice to hear it.
The three of them were met with a rousing welcome as they strolled back from the pool. Regina's outfit went unnoticed by exactly none of them as they walked by their entire crew.
"Oh shit." Scott mumbled.
"Damn, man. Regina's fine—" Tyler said before Jo smacked him hard in the chest.
Danny walked past all involved and went straight inside his tent, kicking out their gear and collapsing it faster than he had ever packed before.
"D, man, what are you doing? We're not leaving until tomorrow. I saved dinner for you guys—" Cole was confused.
"Thanks Cole, but we're leaving. Now." Danny patted him on the back.
Danny made his way to Regina's tent and did the same, dragging their shit to his car and stuffing it inside.
"Lace, what's going on?" Archie came over to investigate.
"What's going on is, you're a fucking asshole and I'm out of here." Lacey said like a snot and walked away from him.
Archie jogged up beside her, wanting Lacey's attention, but unable to keep his eyes away from Regina in just a bikini, "It was a joke, Lacey. C'mon, it's Regina for God's sake—"
"Oh, it's just Regina so it's okay she was locked inside the pool house for two hours. HAHAHAHA! Why is that a joke to you? Forget prom. Go fuck yourself." Lacey walked back toward her stuff and hauled some of Regina's too.
"Danny, I'm sorry, it was supposed to be funny." Phoebe whined after him.
"I can't believe you're involved in this shit, Phoebe." Danny was pissed.
"It wasn't supposed to go on that long, we kind forgot she was in there—"
Danny nodded, "Wonderful."
The ride back to Green Grove was fun, just Danny and his two best friends and the worst car singing imaginable. About a half-hour away Danny realized he should probably alert his mom he was coming home early.
"Hey Mum. The girls and I will be home in thirty."
"Oh, my god, really?"
He could hear the panic in her voice.
"Do you, need more time….or?"
"No—is everything okay?" Karen tried to switch back into mom mode.
"No, the guys were being assholes and it wasn't safe anymore, also I'm starving."
"There's plenty of food, see you soon."
"Thanks, Mum." Danny hung up, "Yeah we're definitely interrupting a booty call right now."
"I'm hungry too, but I really need a shower." Regina announced.
"Oh god, me too—" Lacey agreed.
Danny tried not to picture them showering together, but it was too late. He adjusted his seatbelt only for Lacey to notice.
She leaned forward from the backseat, "Busted."
He smiled at her.
Regina regarded them thoughtfully, "You two are end game, I hope you know. You're so beautiful together."
"Aww, thanks." Lacey smiled brighter.
"Are you guys sure you want me involved? I'm just a distraction, I know you're both smart enough to realize this."
"You're not a distraction. I care about you, we both do." Danny picked up her hand and kissed it.
At home, Danny found his mom reading in her bedroom wearing her good silk robe.
"Hey." He said as he walked over and sat on her bed.
"Hey honey, girls staying over? It's kind of late—"
"Yes, please. They're taking showers now, mind if I use yours?"
"Sure."
"Mum, did I mess something up?" Danny asked.
"No. This is your house, don't even think about it. I made bread and there's roasted chicken and everything you like down there. Help yourself, okay?"
"I love you, Mum. Thank you."
Danny took his first hot shower in two days, scrubbing and moisturizing himself throughly. Even after his extended shower he still beat the girls to the kitchen.
Lacey finally joined him wearing one of his old band t-shirts and a pair of boy shorts. She walked over and stole the bread from his hand, he gave her a thwack on her ass in return.
Regina finally showed up, hair wet and tousled like she had just come from the beach. She was wearing a cropped t-shirt, her perky nipples prominently showing through, and a pair of Danny's boxers. His cock twitched.
"I—uh, there's food." Danny shoved things at them, suddenly feeling nothing but sexually charged air around him.
"Thanks." Regina bit her lip. He was in trouble.
Lacey squatted down in front of the open fridge and hovered there as she pulled out a water bottle. He watched her bounce back up with ease. To the average person, Lacey got herself a drink. To Danny, all he could think about was what she tasted like the last time she sat on his face in that same position, he was now hard as a rock.
Lacey knew his cues and smirked at him, "Buddy you've had sex like five times today with three different women, what the fuck is wrong with you?"
"I'm a mess—" He shook his head.
"Well you better calm down before this is over before it starts."
After they finished eating he couldn't focus on anything else but them. He watched Lacey and Regina carry on a conversation about olives and wondered how he had not found them more interesting before now.
He wrapped up their leftovers and turned around to find Regina leaning over the counter, grabbing at the roll of paper towels. Danny couldn't stand it anymore and came up behind her for a big hug.
"Danny, I'm trying to clean up."
Danny squeezed tight, his arousal trying to find any crevice it could to snake into.
"I apologize." He kissed the side of her face and released her, sliding himself up onto the counter to sit.
Lacey walked over and nestled herself in between his legs and gave him a hug of her own. She leaned up and kissed him, deepening it just enough to make him stay interested. This low-grade sexual energy was maddening.
Danny's mom made an appearance just in time to see Regina and Lacey leaning casually over either side of Danny's legs as they laughed together about something from their camping trip.
"Alright kids, I'm headed to bed. Danny, can we talk for a minute?"
"Yeah—" Danny hopped down and grabbed the dish towel from the counter, pretending to wipe his hands to camouflage his half hard cock from his mom.
Karen pulled him into the living room, just out of earshot.
"You and the girls?" Karen raised her eyebrows.
Danny nodded like she was crazy as he tried to follow her thought process, "….are just friends….?"
"Danny—"
"Mum, we're hanging out. They're sleeping over, it's not like we're going to have some huge orgy—"
"Lacey's just in her panties right now and Regina's wearing your underwear!"
"We've been camping for a few, we just need to do laundry—" Danny shrugged.
"I was in high school once too, I'm not an idiot. Where do Regina's parents think she is?"
"Camping."
Karen rolled her eyes, "Sam and Judy?"
"They know Lacey's with me. Mum, it's just a sleepover, I promise." He tried to convince her.
"Condoms?" She pressed.
Danny sighed, "I still have them." He said softly, "I won't need them, not tonight." It wasn't a lie, he had zero intentions of wrapping it tonight with either of the women in his kitchen right now, but he loved his mom for caring about him so much.
They regarded each other carefully, Karen not sure what else she could say. She was tired.
"How's Kyle? He my new dad yet?" Danny smiled like the little shit he was.
"Goodnight, Daniel. Go to sleep. Understand?" Karen scolded him before heading up the stairs.
"Yes, ma'am." He laid it on thick.