Chapter 4 – The Pool Party

-:-:-

"We figured it out," Chad announced triumphantly when they next reconvened. "Jay's issues, I mean – we figured them out."

Aziz chose not to comment on anything, seeming content to let Chad take the lead on things, glaring at the wall as though it could somehow hide his embarrassed flush.

"And?" Audrey prompted, because for Chad, she would play along. For Lonnie, she played along as a matter of unwillingly necessity, because the Northern Wei teen did like her dramatic buildups – but for Chad, it was sincere.

"He is also bisexual," Chad said. "And we didn't realize it before because he was good at hiding it, but I think enough time has passed that he's been worn down, so he'll actually scope dudes out in public before trying very frantically not to do that."

"Aziz is one of those dudes," Lonnie whispered, something that made Aziz's flush darken. "And it is hilarious because Jay seems to understand how much Aziz doesn't like him."

"To be fair," Chad began, then- "Wait, no, it's actually not all that fair. You really just hate Jay's dad, but Jay himself is like, a marshmallow."

"So he wants us to think," Aziz muttered, glaring at the floor.

"At the moment, he wants us to think he is super straight," Chad said. "He seems really freaked out by the dude-liking thing. Maybe that was a bad thing back on the Isle."

"Perhaps this can help him come to terms with things?" Doug offered, trying to find the silver lining to the cloud of angst they had most certainly shoved on Jay with little to no apology.

"Wear tight pants, Aziz," Lonnie offered with a laugh. "Very many tight pants."

"I don't know why we're friends," Aziz muttered, and then Lonnie proceeded to reeducate him on this fact by draping herself over his back like a proper nuisance, poking his cheeks and making fun of his blushes until they inevitably settled things with a wrestling match that Aziz was never going to win.

Honestly, Audrey didn't know why he tried sometimes. Lonnie might be a troublemaker but she was also the daughter of two generals.

"It's times like this that make me really appreciate our friendship," Chad said before he started taking pictures with his phone, and with that, Audrey promptly gave up and moved to cuddle the blond while she could, because it was important to be efficient with these kinds of things.

-:-:-

"A pool party," Lonnie declared one day, aiming a roguish grin at Audrey that the princess did not find in any way endearing, Lonnie's penchant for mischief a definite annoyance and not at all something to be amused by.

"What?" Audrey asked, giving Lonnie an opportunity to modify her suggestion, but Lonnie wasn't Aziz or Doug – she didn't consider self-preservation when she could eagerly throw herself into the prospect of chaos.

"A pool party," Lonnie repeated, making sure to distinctly enunciate each of the words. "We should invite the transfer students to a pool party. That would be distracting, don't you think?"

Seeing as the potion's effects mostly seemed centered around physical appreciation and lust Audrey couldn't help but agree, even if she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of willingly spending an afternoon with all the transfer students. There was knowing that Chad was dating Evie to sway her to the side of good and there was actively seeing it, and Audrey knew she had no right to be jealous when she already had Ben and Chad already supported the fact that she had Ben, but still, she burned.

"Hey," Lonnie spoke up, stealing Audrey's attention again. "If we invite Doug, I could steal his swim shirt."

She wagged her brows as she said this, volunteering to do the action Audrey would have ordered from her anyway, because if they were doing this, she may as well have the best view in the house. She'd already missed Jane running around in her small bikini for the sake of Evie once, the Light Fae better be damned ready to put on a repeat performance.

Audrey didn't like it when Evie got things she could not, but she was, at heart, a greedy thing, something she despaired over just as much as she embraced it.

"I'll get Jane a new swimsuit," Lonnie added with a wink, this one promising another tiny bikini, perhaps done up in pink.

"Okay," Audrey said, trying to pretend this didn't pain her. "I'll run it by Ben."

"Maybe we can use Chad's pool," Lonnie giggled, because they all knew the bounty of amenities the Sardinian Summer House added, most of which Chad had discovered on accident.

Someone on the design team had a bit of a one-track mind was Audrey's point, but at least in this instance they could take advantage of that.

"I'll ask him," Audrey said, and Lonnie didn't have the decency to stifle her loud 'whoop!', but she did have a reputation as a free spirit to maintain, so Audrey didn't really hold it against her.

They all had their roles to play, after all.

-:-:-

"A pool party?" Ben echoed later when Audrey shared the casual idea that had 'just' come to her. "That sounds like a great idea!"

"I'm glad," Audrey said, feigning a shy sort of response as she bashfully tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "We all deserve a break, and this will give us a better chance to bond with the transfer students."

Just like he did every time Audrey didn't refer to them as the VKs, Ben's smile stretched wider, like he didn't know what to do with her.

"You're so good to me," Ben said, reaching over to capture her hand in his, giving her fingers a tentative squeeze. "Thank you for believing in my plans. For believing in them."

"Hey," Audrey began, letting her lips curl into the picture of a perfect smile – something she'd spent years refining. "They're just kids, aren't they?"

"Right," Ben said, his gaze radiating happiness. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

"A sentiment I wholeheartedly return," Audrey said, riding the wave of Ben's praise because it was the only validation she'd ever receive, and it was more than enough, damn it, so she wouldn't mourn pool parties or harmless bonding if it meant she could help him out, if it meant she could protect him from the true wickedness of the world while keeping a better eye on the VKs.

And that was that.

-:-:-

A pool party. They'd been invited to a pool party.

On one hand, Evie was excited the same way she was any time she was allowed an opportunity to hang out with Chad (and Jane and Lonnie, by extension). He wanted her to be there, wanted her friends to be there, and when her mask had cracked ever so slightly to show the slightest hint of reservation, Chad had assured her that she deserved to be there. He believed in her so much, they all seemed to, and that was why Evie was relieved when Mal allowed them to accept the invitation, and only then did Evie realize the full implication of what that meant.

Pool parties meant swimsuits, meant showing off the body she'd worked so hard to achieve, but in addition to that, it meant her getting a chance to see her friends, to see the others, dressed more casually than they normally were.

She'd seen Jay shirtless before, but there was something different about him doing it for fun, about him intentionally staying that way, scars be damned. Carlos and Mal, of course, chose a more modest route with long sleeve swim shirts and large board shorts that covered up most of their bodies. Evie hated the small string of disappointment that curled in her chest at the sight of it and turned her focus to the others as they spilled into Chad's backyard, all the Auradon students looking perfect in their own tasteful swimsuits as they descended upon the pool for an enthusiastic game of volleyball.

Because Evie was not feeling particularly brave, she beat a hasty retreat to the hot tub so she could watch the chaos unravel from the safety of its bubbling embrace. Were she smarter, she'd splay across one of the sun loungers to remind Chad what a catch she was, a sort of positive reinforcement, but she was too afraid of how her body might respond to the sight of her classmates so scantily clad, worried about what telling evidence she might leave behind if she couldn't stay composed, so she hid out in the spacious tub set apart and above the pool, complete with its own built in overhang to protect her from the sun.

She'd tested the hot tub out with Chad a few times – usually the two of them cuddling, looking out at the stars – and she'd always enjoyed the experience. There wasn't really anything like it on the Isle, and it would safely hide any unwanted responses on her part in its warm embrace.

"Hey," a voice greeted just as Evie was settling into the water, and she looked up to see Lonnie descending the steps into the hot tub, a pleased smirk on her lips. "Up for company?"

"Of course," Evie said whether if it was true or not, and while she did enjoy hanging out with Lonnie, she had that mischievous glint in her eye that meant great and terrible things for Evie. "You're not going to play with them?"

"It wouldn't be fair to them," Lonnie replied with an easy shrug, happy to settle right next to Evie despite the spaciousness of the tub. "I'd cream either side easily, so I figured I'd take pity on them and abstain."

"Kind of you," Evie said, something that made Lonnie's roguish grin widen.

"I'm surprised you're not playing," Lonnie declared, close enough now that their arms were pressing together, not that it could be easily seen, considering how deep the tub was. They were on the deeper side of it now, only their shoulders really visible, which allowed the warm water access to more of their bodies. "Worried about how you'll react?"

"Lonnie," Evie hissed, feeling her cheeks flood with embarrassment as her gaze flickered towards the pool, as though any of the others were close enough to hear them over the bubbles.

They were all safely occupied with their game, Jay doing his best to serve the volleyball while Carlos lingered reluctantly behind him, obviously wishing he was anywhere else.

"Hey, don't worry," Lonnie chuckled, keeping her voice low. "It's a warranted fear; we're all very good-looking people."

Except she knew it would mostly be the girls Evie was staring at, even if the guys made her feel warm too. But it was the girls who were supposed to be off limits, so of course her gaze would linger.

"Say," Lonnie continued. "Could you scoot over some?"

Evie paused, startled by the request, but obliged. Lonnie probably wanted a better view of the proceedings, eager to trade sarcastic commentary that they'd likely share with Jane and Chad after the fact, as was their new tradition.

"There's good," Lonnie said when Evie had shifted over a few inches. "Did you know you can increase the bubble intensity in the tub?"

"I think Chad mentioned that once," Evie said, not sure of where Lonnie was going with it.

"The dial's right here," Lonnie hummed, her fingers curling around a nob on her free side. "Just shift it over, and-"

Just like she said, the intensity of the bubbles increased, going from a lazy shift to an intense torrent, speeding up so that the entire top of the water was a white, bubbling mess, obscuring everything beneath it.

That in itself was mostly harmless, but Evie was immediately distracted by the increase of pressure she felt against her groin, as though one of the vents was aimed right between her legs.

She startled and Lonnie laughed, like she must have expected it.

"Like it?" Lonnie asked when Evie flushed. "Sorry for the surprise, but that was something I figured out on accident – thought I'd share it with you."

"You're hilarious," Evie deadpanned, something that made Lonnie cackle the way Mal might have if she wasn't so obsessed with Carlos nowadays.

"Want to know what else I discovered?" Lonnie asked, dropping her voice to a whisper, and while Evie didn't see her arm shift, she certainly felt it when Lonnie's fingers began stroking the groin of her suit.

"Lonnie," Evie gasped, her cheeks flushing dark. She was terrified by the pang of want that rocketed through her, but doing anything here would be suicide.

Granted, no one could see what they were doing, and everyone else was distracted by the game, but it still seemed like an unacceptable risk.

"Relax," Lonnie urged, moving her fingers in a slow tease. "I promise, no one can see anything. But I'll stop if you're not interested," Lonnie promised. "No harm, no foul – we can always pick this up later."

And she meant it too, she always did. Lonnie wasn't going to abandon Evie if she said no this one time, and that was good, because Evie should say no, but…

But it seemed so tantalizing, like a dangerous game Evie hadn't realized she was interested in until Lonnie was offering it to her, and if they were going to indulge in Auradon, why couldn't they have this?

"Okay," Evie whispered, her heart pounding furiously in her chest.

"Say 'red' if you change your mind," Lonnie chirped, smiling brightly. "Or like, pinch my elbow if you need to be discreet."

Lonnie was good about offering multiple pathways of communication – it was one of the things Evie appreciated about her, and immediately the princess felt a little bit easier, something she was sure registered in her expression.

"Thanks, Lonnie."

"My pleasure," Lonnie murmured, smiling bright. "Now, don't ask me how I figured this one out, but by chance I realized that um- this particular vent feels really if you just…"

Lonnie's hand slid low, Evie's breath catching when she felt Lonnie's finger hook into the very bottom of her suit, pulling it aside to expose Evie's groin, which was tantalizing enough, but that was before it was directly subjected to the intense jet of bubbles.

"Lonnie," Evie hissed, trying to keep her breath steady as she felt herself react to the stream, her folds pulsing at the strange, pleasureful sensation.

"Good, right?" Lonnie asked, and then she was stroking Evie too, using her fingers to tease her clit and hold her wide, exposing new parts of her to the bubble stream. "Definitely scandalous."

"H-How did you figure this out?" Evie gasped, thinking of Lonnie skinny-dipping in Chad's pool, thinking of her bold and unrepentant, happy to chase her pleasure and not conform to the same expectations as most young nobles.

"How do you think?" Lonnie teased, her finger stroking deeper, making Evie twitch around the pleasureful intrusion. She could feel herself get wet, and it was bizarre to be aroused by bubbles, of all things, but it felt really good. "You know what else I discovered?"

"W-What?" Evie asked, trying hard to keep her expression neutral as her hips rutted into Lonnie's attentions.

Lonnie leaned close to her, as though she was sharing some kind of secret – which was not uncommon, considering how much Lonnie loved gossip. "This tub has an autocleaner too," she whispered. "And it takes its job cleaning dirty things very seriously."

Evie had enough time to freeze, thinking of the minor slick she must be producing, before Lonnie's hand pulled away, only to immediately be replaced by a familiar, soft spinning brush.

"Lonnie," Evie hissed, the small thing shifting upward in a relentless tease against her clit.

"Red?" Lonnie asked as a bigger brush dropped lower, spinning against Evie's twitching folds, threatening to catch her swimsuit.

"I'm good," Evie gasped before she could think better of it, and then Lonnie hummed, which was all the warning Evie got before the hip ties to her swim bottom were undone, Lonnie pulling it easily away so it wouldn't get caught in the spinning brushes.

"Trust me, once the autocleaner claims them, you're not getting them back," Lonnie chuckled, as if it was perfectly normal for Evie to be sitting half-naked in the hot tub. "Learned that the hard way."

"Fuck," Evie hissed under her breath.

This entire thing was stupid, yet terribly hot.

She was sitting there, getting pleased by cleaning implements while Lonnie watched, a small smile on her face, like there was nothing else she'd prefer to be doing. Fifteen feet away, some of the most important young people in Auradon – and Evie's life – were playing a harmless game of pool volleyball. How would they feel if they realized what she was doing?

"W-When will it stop?" Evie asked as the bristled scrubbed deeper, her bare rear settling against the cool tile of the tub.

"I can initiate the emergency stop at any time," Lonnie countered. "But barring that, they don't stop until they get the dirty thing clean." She leaned forward with a smirk. "And you, my dear, seem to keep getting dirty."

Evie couldn't help it when Lonnie looked at her like that. When Jane was just across the way, jumping hopelessly to get some shot that she'd likely miss. When Mal was in a swimsuit, and granted, it covered a lot, but Evie still saw her calves and that was um- pretty great. Even Audrey looked effortlessly gorgeous in her perfect pink two piece, and that wasn't counting all the guys who were just-

Evie bit at her bottom lip, trying to stifle a moan as she felt herself twitch against the cleaning bristles.

"Alright, alright," Lonnie laughed, shutting down the cleaners. "Enough of those. Can't let them have all the fun, right?"

Evie shot her a gracious look, her heart beating faster at the thought of Lonnie getting her hands on her again. "Could I um, have my…"

She trailed off when a shadow fell over them, and both of them looked up to see Ben offering them a sheepish grin, the king-to-be wading into the shallower area of the hot tub.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked. "The group has decided my beast is getting a little too competitive."

"By all means," Lonnie said, graciously taking over the conversation. "Strange how you can be so passive about everything else, but pool volleyball gets your beast engines revving."

"I don't know what it is," Ben admitted with a laugh. "But I've already had my fair share of competition, so I think I'll just chill with you guys for now."

"Sounds good," Evie said, trying not to panic because she was half-naked in a hot tub with Ben – the nicest, most powerful person they knew – and Evie was about to ruin not only her reputation, but the rest of her crew's if he found out what was going on.

"You have to pay a toll, of course," Lonnie sniffed. "You want to stay, you're going to have to give us some sweet gossip. So tell us, what's the latest news among the folks of Castle Auradon? Did Cogsworth really throw a candelabra at Lumiere? You know you can tell us."

"Why don't I settle for some of my mom's charity organizing gossip?" Ben countered with an easy laugh. "You can hear about all the different ways the vendors try to suck up to her."

"I suppose that will do," Lonnie sighed, urging Ben on with an easy smile.

As Ben launched into his latest tale, Evie felt herself relax, realizing that Lonnie had picked a subject that could easily keep Ben occupied, enough to potentially pull his focus from anything hinky. It was a substantial relief, one Evie could kiss Lonnie for, and she was considering all the ways she might do this later when she felt a familiar hand rub small circles against her inner thigh.

Evie was too well-trained to shoot Lonnie a look, but her pulse jumped up again, especially when Lonnie's hand wandered higher.

"-And she always feels so bad," Ben was saying. "Because she can't use everyone, so she's created this sort of rotating system so everyone's business will get a chance to be featured."

"That sounds like your mom, all right," Lonnie hummed, her fingers stroking the flushed folds of Evie's groin. "What does your dad think of that?"

"He's proud, I think," Ben said. "Of her plan, and that she should warrant that response. Like, he thinks she's the best person ever, but having other people believe that too is always a validation he enjoys."

Lonnie kept the conversation going easily, prompting Ben in the right moments. She kept her gaze forward, her expression neutral, and you'd never know that she was toying with Evie in truly wicked ways, teasing her clit and running her fingers along her groin and Evie should stop this, Lonnie had given her an out. All she had to do was pinch Lonnie's elbow, but part of her wanted to see how far Lonnie would go. Part of her, for some reason, thought Lonnie might back down before she would. After all, Evie didn't have to do anything but hold out, Lonnie was doing all the heavy lifting.

And then she eased a finger into Evie, curling it deep and moving with intent, and Evie realized how very wrong she'd been.

This was Lonnie, of course she'd think nothing of fingering someone in front of the future king, and Evie was so honestly bewildered by it that she didn't respond, nodding along vaguely to one of Ben's points until Lonnie slipped another finger inside Evie, beginning to scissor her wide.

It was probably the worst idea ever, but Evie felt so invigorated that she couldn't even think of putting a stop to it.

"That's great, Ben," Evie managed when Lonnie really started to establish a rhythm, thrusting hard into Evie and curling, teasing her in just the right way that would have her soon falling apart.

"Thanks, Evie," Ben said, a light flush building on his cheeks. "And um- are you doing okay? You look a little hot."

Evie squeezed reflexively around Lonnie's fingers, sending a bolt of want up her torso, and the Northern Wei teen spent the few following seconds shamelessly teasing Evie's clit in response.

"I um- burn easily," Evie gasped. "That's why I'm hiding out here."

"Oh, right," Ben said, smile getting a bit strained. "You guys aren't used to sunlight."

The barrier blocked out most of it, leaving the days perpetually cloudy at best, and if it wasn't for some of the paintings in Castle Across the Way and the stuff shown on the propaganda channel, Evie wouldn't have known clear skies were a possibility.

"It's something we're adjusting too," she said honestly. "And we're glad for that-"

"Ben!" Chad called from across the way, hopping up and down in the pool. "We're switching games! Come back so we can play chicken!"

"Duty calls," Ben said, offering them both a smile. "You coming, Lonnie?"

"In a minute," Lonnie hummed. "You go right on ahead."

"Okay." Ben offered them a polite nod and was gone as quickly as he came, which Lonnie took as permission to finger the absolute hell out of Evie until she fell apart with a terrible moan she forced herself to swallow, biting down hard on her bottom lip as her release rocked through her.

"Good girl," Lonnie murmured when she pulled her hand away, carefully massaging Evie's folds while she rocked through the rest of her release. "Now, I can put these bottoms back on you, but it looks like you've gone and made yourself dirty all over again."

"Lonnie," Evie whimpered, even though she didn't say no. What was wrong with her?

"Don't worry," Lonnie said with a wink. "Jane's not so big on chicken, so she can initiate the emergency stop for you. Sound good?"

"I… yeah," Evie said, surrendering to her depravity.

Another wink, and Lonnie urged her swim bottoms into Evie's free hand, activating the autocleaner again so it could start teasing Evie anew.

"Have fun," Lonnie sang quietly before she walked away, her lips swaying in a deliberate tease before she eagerly jumped back into the water, giving Jane's back a comforting pat while the Light Fae sputtered.

Evie would focus on that, but the brushes were spinning against her again, playing into her oversensitivity until she got worked up anew, which was entirely unproper but also entirely amazing so she gave in and let the cards fall where they may, looking forward to Jane's bashful presence beside her to distract from the way Mal and the others seemed to be drifting apart.

It was fine, it was all fine, she was overthinking things.

But this? This she couldn't overthink.

-:-:-

In Jay's opinion, chicken seemed like a dangerous game.

For him, mostly. In the grand scheme of things it appeared harmless, but compared to volleyball, where there was a distinct amount of distance between all of them at all times – yeah, this seemed like substantially more trouble.

Curse his bad boy persona that didn't allow him to back down from a challenge. He'd been doubtful about the proceedings when Aziz had started laying out the rules. It didn't really seem like an Auradon game at all, but Ben assured them it very much was and it was very much harmless, the game mostly fixated on trying to dunk each other back into the water while guys showed off how strong they were by keeping their partners upright.

The explanation was enough to have Carlos hovering behind Jay with wide eyes, the young De Ville obviously not onboard with this plan. Jay didn't blame him. Out of all the guys present, Carlos was the smallest, and that was a fact that he was likely both painfully aware of and embarrassed by.

"You and me, Ben," Audrey declared, making a beeline for her boyfriend as though any of them would have questioned her decision.

"Aziz!" Lonnie chirped, already in process of climbing up the Agraben prince's back. "Shall we destroy them?"

"Since you're already on my shoulders, I guess so," Aziz grumbled, though that seemed mostly for show, the other teen unable to deny Lonnie much of anything.

"Jane!" Chad cheered when Jane seemed to be edging towards the stairs for a strategic retreat. "Come on, we gotta hold up the Cinder-Fairy tradition!"

"Um." Jane froze, her gaze darting over to where Evie was safely (and wisely) nestled in the confines of the hot tub, the princess seeming entirely content in the warm waters. "I-"

"Please?" Chad asked, batting his eyes all nice and hopeful, until Jay had to pointedly tear his gaze away before his body betrayed him.

He fixated on Mal, who seemed to be taking in the same information he was. If Chad successfully talked Jane into being his partner, that left Jay, Mal, Doug, and Carlos unclaimed. Considering the fact that Mal was dating Carlos, Jay figured she would snag onto the young De Ville and that would be that, but instead Mal gave Jay a pointed look, nodding towards Carlos in a manner that indicated it was Jay's job to look after him for the foreseeable future.

Which after a beat, Jay understood. She wanted to give Carlos the best chance at protection and Jay offered him better odds.

"You and me, Douglass," Mal declared a moment later, cornering the musician with narrowed eyes. "Let's do this."

Jay didn't bother watching for Doug's flushed reaction, turning his attention to Carlos instead.

"You good with getting on my shoulders?" Jay asked quietly, Carlos' gaze going wide once he figured out what was going on. "I'll try and keep us on the outskirts. Or like, near Jane. She doesn't seem super fighty."

"Um." Carlos fidgeted, a dull flush spreading across the bridge of his nose indicating an immanent sunburn. Jay would get him to sunscreen up again after this. "Okay."

"We'll be fine," Jay assured him, giving his shoulder a soft squeeze because they could do that in Auradon now, no one would really call them out on it. If they took over the world things would be a different story, but Jay found himself wanting to do that less lately, which should probably worry him more than it did.

He didn't want to be like his dad. He hurt thinking about it, but he didn't want to let Mal down either. It left him at loose ends.

"Come on," Jay said, ducking down so Carlos could start climbing onto his shoulders. "Let's Auradon-fight people."

Carlos didn't say anything, had no witty reply as he climbed up Jay's back, which meant he was really nervous.

It would be okay, though. Mal had given Jay a job and he wasn't going to fail it. He was going to protect Carlos no matter how low the stakes were, and everything would be fine.

Hopefully.

Jay almost immediately determined a downside to chicken. Mostly because in order for him to keep Carlos secure on his shoulders, Jay was required to feel up Carlos' legs way more than he ever had before. It was different than with a girl because Carlos was so very lithe. He was so tiny and private and normally kept to himself, and now his groin was pressing against the back of Jay's neck like some kind of taunt, his legs hooking under Jay's armpits while he did his best to stay upright. It seemed lewd almost to touch Mal's boyfriend in such a way. She'd claimed all of them as hers to some degree, but she had put Carlos above Jay and Evie – and while Jay was sure she had done that for Carlos' protection, Jay couldn't help but think that maybe it was just an excuse for Mal to cuddle him in public. It was almost like Uma and her power moves with Harry, except Mal was better than that. She didn't need to make power moves, which meant she was doing this entirely because she wanted to. She was wrapping herself around Carlos' back between classes and making him sit in her lap during lunch and doting him with kisses purely because she wanted to, because he was one of her spoils that she was indulging in. And maybe part of Jay was hurt by that, that she hadn't turned to him for such indulgences, but if Carlos was her type… well, Jay couldn't really compare. He wasn't lithe and fair and bashful; he wasn't cute like Carlos was.

He was just so small, and Jay couldn't help but marvel at that, and maybe he was feeling up Carlos' thighs too much under the guise of finding the best grip, but Mal didn't seem to notice as she settled into place atop Doug.

"It'll be fine," Jay said just as Ben started counting them off.

Carlos said nothing, and maybe that was for the best, because then they were thrown into the fray.

Jay tried to aim for Jane, which mostly worked, but Ben seemed to have guessed his intentions and marched Audrey into the chaos – Aziz and Lonnie intercepting Mal and Doug for a one-on-one battle. What could have been a harmless fight got more intense in the wake of Audrey's fierce expression. Jay did his best to keep Carlos steady, compensating for his spastic shifts, and on one particular lurch he reached up to steady Carlos' thigh, trying to keep him clamped in place, and maybe his fingers slid a little underneath his swim trunks, brushing against pale inner thighs, but if they did, it hadn't been intentional. He felt Carlos shudder, but knew it was likely from his nerves from dealing with Audrey.

An attempted shove, and Carlos flailed backwards dangerously, forcing Jay to reach up and steady his back. His hand slid down as Carlos re-righted himself, and there was a split second where Jay was horrified to find his hand on Carlos' butt before he hastily shifted it back to Carlos' leg, moving like it was the complete accident that it was, even if Jay couldn't stop thinking about it because apparently he was just the worst now. He'd already stared at Carlos too much, but adding this to it-

And it kept happening. Little things. Unintentional things. A swipe under his knee there, his swim trunks riding up to expose more skin that Jay eagerly brushed against. He grabbed Carlos' butt a couple more times – but was it his fault that it was the easiest area to brace against when he was about to fall? And Carlos was so jumpy, twitching this way and that in spastic motions, exhibiting none of his usual grace. Jay mostly attributed that to their combatants, Carlos forced to go against all the girls as the obvious odd-man out, but Jay would have thought his natural instincts would have started to kick in at some point.

While Jay was positive that Carlos was going to fall at some point, if only to get away from the combined competitive nature of Audrey, Lonnie, and Mal, he was surprised when it actually did happen, mostly because he hadn't anticipated it. One moment, Carlos was on his shoulders, Jay's fingers accidentally sliding up his inner thigh in an effort to keep him upright, and the next moment Carlos was flailing so spastically that Jay couldn't compensate, and then the young De Ville splashing into the water with a wild jerk.

"Carlos?" Jay reached out to steady the other teen on reflex, watching as he came up for air with a deep gasp. The others, while still on their perches, had paused the fight behind them to see if Carlos was alright. "You okay?"

"I- bug," Carlos gasped, something Jay's brain seemed to process on a three-second delay. "There's- there's a um- bug in- I gotta-"

And that was all the explanation he felt inclined to give before he was scrambling out of the pool, making a beeline for that fancy outdoor shower area Chad had pointed out to them earlier.

Which maybe wasn't the greatest thing in the world.

-:-:-

Endnotes:

Carlos – the very best at providing excuses, to be sure.

I know what you're thinking. There are nine chapters left. Do all of those chapters cover some pool party? The answer is yes, yes they do, somehow. Please don't ask me, I don't really understand it myself.

Until next time