California Dreamin' Pt. 07

"Gonna be honest, I'm not a big fan of the piercings," said dad with a raised eyebrow, finally commenting on what now felt like a ridiculously minor thing.

I grinned and shrugged. I chuckled inwardly, imagining the hell I'd have stepped into if I'd come home with them when I still lived here.

"I think they look nice," said my mom, because obviously she had to.

They asked about the girls' parents, to which I relayed what few unpleasant details I knew.

"Awful," said mom, "just awful. Are you sure you can't stay for Christmas? It sounds like they could use some good old fashioned family time."

"We already have plans, mom. But I appreciate the invite. I really do."

We chatted around the table for a while longer. I'd expected more of an inquisition, but they were surprisingly accepting and at least settled for what details I was willing to share. The conversation even wandered away from California and my new relationship to the more mundane. They caught me up on everyone's comings and goings in the neighborhood, and even knew which of my friends were home for the holidays, and which were spending them elsewhere and breaking their parents' hearts. Nice, mom... I said with an eye roll.

I wandered back into my bedroom after I'd finished coffee. The pictures and knick-knacks on my shelves seemed like they were a from a different time, even though this space was my world only months ago.

My phone started to go off. One of my buddies had apparently already got the mom's report and knew I was in town. The group thread had all the usual suspects, and everyone wanted to know how long I was around and if we could get together. I waited for the chatter and memes to die down for a minute before responding, as generically as I could. Just here until the roads are plowed, headed skiing. Catch up soon!

A moment later I heard the front door open. I peeked out down the hallway and mom rushed toward the entryway. She intercepted the girls, their arms still loaded with shopping bags. I stopped and just listened. I silently hoped she wasn't going to try and grill them for more details or guilt them into staying.

"I owe you an apology for last night," said mom. "Jack hasn't always been the best communicator, and we were just caught a little off guard."

"It's okay, Mrs. Thornton," said Sloane. "We appreciate you putting us up."

"Please, it's Evelyn." She sniffed.

I craned my head a bit further out and could see part of the entryway. She'd pulled Sloane into a hug, then moved to Quinn.

"Girls, you'll always be welcome in our home. I just have one request." She held her hands against her chest. "My son is a gentle and trusting soul..." her voice trailed off for a moment. "Please take care of his heart."

The three of them gathered into an embrace.

"Of course we will," said Quinn sweetly, "that's why we love him."

They lowered to whispers I couldn't hear and I slunk back into my bedroom. I was still dabbing at my eyes when they entered.

"Alright, good news and bad news," said Sloane. "Good news is that we got us all enough clothes for a day or two. Not great, but not horrible either." She handed me a bag. "Bad news, the airline says our luggage won't arrive until tomorrow morning."

"Well, shit..." I sighed. I pulled out my phone and skipped past more texts. I pulled up the state's road and traffic site and panned around the map. "Guess it doesn't matter, they're still not plowing the interstate yet. We're stuck here for another day anyway."

"Well I, for one, would love to see Jack Thornton's stomping grounds," said Quinn with a smile. "You mind showing your girlfriends around the vast and cosmopolitan metropolis of Grand Rapids?"

I chuckled and switched to my unread texts, scanning a few new messages. "Why not. If you wanna go really deep down the rabbit hole, a few of my buddies want to meet up later. You guys down for that?"

"Ohmigosh, that would be amazing," said Sloane. "As long as you're sure you're okay with sharing new Jack with your friends."

"I just got through telling my parents that we have bisexual three-ways... I can handle my idiot high school friends."

They chuckled and hugged me. We told my folks the news, who were of course thrilled to hear we were staying another day. I mentioned the barrage of texts from my friends, mom confirming that she may have mentioned that I was home to one of the other moms. News travels fast.

After a couple more back and forths in the group thread, we agreed to meet up that evening at a local bar. In fact, the same bar my dad had taken me to for my first legal drink. My folks were going to a Christmas party at one of the neighbor's houses that evening, so at least we wouldn't be wasting time off doing other things while they were home.

While my parents were at work, I drove the girls around. I couldn't imagine Grand Rapids being in the least bit exciting to anyone, but they showed enthusiasm seeing all the places I frequented. My high school, the pool where I swam, the area downtown where we'd hang out if my buddies got me to leave the house. We had a fast food lunch and came back late in the afternoon.

They asked about what to wear for the evening, and I assured them that they were probably overdressed already. Both wore dark jeans and boots too stylish for snow. Sloane wore a fuzzy cardigan with a low-cut top underneath, showing a nice, but tasteful amount of cleavage. Quinn's outfit was a hundred percent her normal style, a black shirt with a gray leather vest that accentuated her figure. They both primped in the bathroom, touching up makeup as I changed. I ditched my gray hoodie for a nice button down with the sleeves rolled once. Knowing it would be cold, I found a leather jacket in my closet I hadn't brought with me to LA.

Sloane snapped a picture in the mirror as we finished getting ready. Date night selfies had become a thing, and went into a shared album we could all look at for grins or fashion inspiration. We certainly looked different tonight than we would have in California, but still hot, if I did say so myself.

We left the Land Rover at home and took an Uber to the bar. Amusingly, the father of a kid I went to school with was our driver. I could tell he recognized me, but couldn't remember my name. I didn't offer. He almost ran a red light, staring rather openly at my girlfriends in the back seat. I grinned proudly as we pulled in and climbed out of his car.

The bar was your average neighborhood place. Kinda clean, lots of TVs with sports, pool, dartboards... sometimes they even had live music. This close to the holidays, it seemed to be mostly regulars, and us. We got quite a few stares as we walked in. My pale skin might have passed me as a local a month ago, but the piercings and eyeliner definitely put me a bit outside normal for Grand Rapids. Sloane was definitely pegged as a Cali transplant, and Quinn was a whole different level of other.

We found a big booth near the back, adjacent to the pool tables. I preemptively took our IDs to the bar and got that out of the way, getting us a pitcher of the domestic swill I'd remembered. We poured and clinked frosty glasses just as the first of my old crew arrived. I scooted out of the booth and met them.

"Aaron! Man, it's been a minute." I hugged him and watched as he noticed my new hardware.

"Wow, Jack... California got to you quick, dude. It's cool though. Edgy!"

"And this is... Katy?" I said, turning to the girl with him, hoping I'd remembered her name. She was pretty, but didn't really hold a candle.

"Katherine, actually. Good to see you again, Jack."

"So, uh... I heard you brought some friends with you," said Aaron, eyeing the table.

I nodded and they hopped out, flanking me on either side. "Aaron, Katherine, this is Sloane, and Quinn. My girlfriends." I watched in delight as Aaron's eyes widened, and Katherine's narrowed. Owning this with a guy friend was way easier than with my parents. They both appeared to choke on what they wanted to say and swiveled their gaze back and forth between the girls.

"Nice to meet you both," said Katherine finally. "First time in Michigan I'm guessing?"

"It sure is," said Quinn, extending a hand.

The three girls pulled away toward the booth and started chatting.

"Duuuude..." said Aaron, mouth still hanging open. "Girlfriends, plural?"

I nodded casually, trying to keep my shit-eating grin as flat as I possibly could.

"How does that work?"

"We all live together. Sloane and I got to the same uni, Quinn works at Starbucks... we just kinda chill."

"That's not what I meant," he said, cocking his head and smiling. "You're with both of them?"

"Yeah," I said cooly. "Just like you and Katherine, probably."

"So like... at the same time, all together."

"Yeah," I admitted, definitely cracking a smile now. "Pretty much like you'd imagine."

Aaron's eyes widened again and his jaw drooped. "I mean, I know people have... threesomes, but you're like... all the time. Dealing with one girl is hard enough, man!"

I glanced around and stepped closer to him, like it was somehow a secret. "It's actually pretty amazing," I said quietly. "I mean, I'll let your imagination fill in the fun parts... but the rest, it's awesome."

"Damn, son..." he said quietly. "I guess I'll have to visit California some time."

A few more of my friends arrived over the next half hour. More pitchers of beer, more laughing and catching up, more sagging jaws as I shared my girls with the group of people who'd only known the shy, skinny kid. My two swim team buddies, Hayden and Aiden, accepted the introductions without question, at least outwardly. Quinn got a kick out of their rhyming names and hugged each of them, which seemed to embarrass them even worse.

Only one other buddy, Rob, brought a girl with him. He introduced her to the group. Amber was objectively beautiful, but had a permanently condescending smile painted on, and made no bones that she was judging the shit out of everything she saw. She zeroed in on Sloane and Quinn like she had heard the news before arriving, which was probably the case.

"Nice to meet you Jack," she said, eyebrow already raised while she shook my hand. "So you're really together with those two?"

"Yup." I said flatly. "You and Rob been together—"

"For real?" she interrupted. "Like in an actual relationship."

Are we really doing this? "Yeah."

Amber narrowed her eyes. "I think you're just trying to pull one over on your buddies."

I don't need to explain myself to some rando girl I'll probably never see again. "Whatever." I was about to turn to rejoin the group and let it go. Rob flashed me an apologetic look.

"There's no way you can love two different people at the same time."

The words caught in my ears and I straightened my back. "That's not true. It's very possible, and it's amazing." I glanced back at the group in the booths, they were all chatting and drinking, oblivious to the strange conversation happening. I could feel my cheeks getting warm. It's like she's questioning my reality, my honor. Our honor. People didn't normally get under my skin so quickly.

"Prove it then, kiss them. I'll be able to tell if one is jealous."

My skin prickled. I looked at Rob again, he actually shrugged and gave me a look that clearly telegraphed sorry, but she's hot. I turned and tried to catch one of their eyes. Quinn finally saw the expression on my face and slid out of the booth and came over to us.

"Quinn, Amber." They shook hands politely. "Amber doesn't think we're in a real relationship."

"Is that so?"

I grinned and gently took her cheek in my hand. We leaned in, slowly closing our eyes as we kissed. My hands slowly dropped down her sides to her waist as our bodies moved even closer together. We made out slowly, just the tips of our tongues brushing between barely open lips. Soft, sensual. The noise of the bar faded out for just a moment, until the hand she'd put on my chest slowly pushed us apart. I opened my eyes and felt the coat of lipstick she'd left. Glancing at the booths, everyone had gone quiet. Sloane had gotten up and was right next to us.

Without waiting, I pulled her close and kissed her, consciously making sure I sold it. Not that it was difficult. We pulled apart a moment later and heard a handful of the guys making low oooohhh noises. They stopped abruptly when Sloane grabbed Quinn and kissed her rather less gently. They broke apart quickly and held hands.

Amber looked positively incensed, which pleased me greatly. Quinn shared my expression and piled on.

"Oh, sweetie... did someone hurt you?"

Amber grabbed Rob's hand and led him to the empty booth next to ours.

"What was all that about?" said Sloane, wiping at the mixture of lipstick on my face.

"Just having some fun," I smiled.

The bar began to fill, as would have been expected on a Friday night. I noticed as someone opened the front door that it had stopped snowing outside, buoying my hopes that we'd actually leave in the morning. The thought was temporarily pushed aside by the person that had opened the door. I watched him come in, alone.

Everybody has that person from high school, and mine was Jackson Tucker. He wasn't a bully in the strictest sense of the word, there was never any physical altercation or anything that would rise to a trip to see the principal. This was the kid that could smell out any perceived weakness like a bloodhound. He had the talent for always being there at the worst time, ready to exploit whatever bad situation you were in. The guy that laughed the loudest when you tripped in the hallway, the one that would happily rat you out to a teacher, whether you'd committed the crime or not. Just the sight of him walking into a room was enough to irritate you... that was Jackson.

He spied me from the bar and flashed a sneer that could have just as easily happened in sophomore English class. I shook my head and looked away. Nope, not today, I thought, recentering on the group of friends and lovers around me.

"Anybody need more beer?" I called. Enthusiastic responses came back. I made my way to the bar and bought a couple more pitchers. Jackson acknowledged me from his place a few chairs down. I gave the universal guy chin lift in response, but grabbed the beverages and left.

With the exception of Amber, who quietly sulked, the rest of us just hung out and had fun. Aiden started to teach Sloane how to play darts, which was amusing in that he seemed to be terrified to be any closer than about three feet from her. From her time in our rec room at home, Quinn had become a decent pool player and helped Aaron beat Rob and me quite handily, four of five games. On our last attempt, I didn't even get a shot before she ran the table.

The sight of practically everyone I cared about in the same room and getting along was amazing. With a couple of cheap bears in my system, tonight was good. Not staying alone with my girlfriends in a ski cabin good, but nice. I mentally detoured for a moment, wondering if the mom network had spilled any details about Quinn. Given my friends' somewhat endearing lack of tact, I guessed not. Someone would have definitely brought it up. She was having a great time, which made my heart happy.

I made the rounds, refilling glasses and talking. Sloane threw a bullseye just as I was replenishing her beer, and shrieked like she'd won the lottery. She pulled Aiden into a hug while she jumped. I laughed out loud, watching him stand stiff as a board while she practically hit him in the chin with her amazing tits. Quinn and Aaron were still playing pool, and I had half a pitcher left. Perfect. I wandered toward the tables and sighed. I was twenty feet away when Jackson sauntered up.

"I got winner," he said, his voice just as nasal and irritating as I remembered. He slapped a dollar bill down on the corner and leaned against a bar table.

Quinn flashed him an eyebrow raise and took her shot. She sunk it, of course.

"Nice shot," said Jackson.

"Thanks," she responded. She went again, but missed a difficult bank.

Aaron stared between them and gave Quinn a clear are you okay with this guy? look. She gave a subtle nod back.

I went to the table where they'd left their glasses and poured the last of the beer. I should just sit and watch these. I couldn't imagine Jackson would ever mess with someone's drink, but I couldn't say he was above it, either. I sat down, still a dozen feet away and observed. Aaron missed another ball, but lined up Quinn for the eight. She finessed the shot with the perfect english to keep from scratching.

"Well, it's obvious who the MVP on our team was," Aaron laughed. "Good game." They hugged around the shoulders and Aaron came over to fetch his beer. "Look, it's your favorite person," he said quietly.

"Yeah," I said. "I hope he doesn't mind losing..."

Aaron smiled and took a swig. "You got this?" he asked, nodding back toward the pool table.

"Yup, thanks."

"You play a pretty mean game, wanna put some money on it?" Jackson said to Quinn, taking a cue off the rack.

Even his voice makes my skin crawl.

"No way, I just play for fun. Besides, hustling somebody at Christmas seems mean."

"I wouldn't hustle you, I'm a nice guy."

Quinn laughed. "I wasn't talking about you."

"Funny," he chuckled back. "So I haven't seen you here before," said Jackson as he started racking balls.

Oh jeez, is he hitting on her? I fought the urge to walk over and say something. Simmer down. Quinn will take precisely zero bullshit unless it's entertaining her. I took a long pull on my beer.

"First time in the neighborhood, just here for the holidays."

"Too bad," he shrugged. "Well princess, it's your break."

She shot him a glare and leaned over. With a wicked strike, Quinn busted the perfect triangle with a loud crack. I watched as two solids and three stripes dropped, giving her an early advantage.

"Guess I'm glad I didn't bet," he said, raising an eyebrow.

She went for solids, having a better setup on a few of them. She sunk two before missing a ball. Her leave was good though, giving him no decent first shot.

"You don't play like a girl..." Jackson said, missing his shot.

Quinn threw her head back and laughed brightly. "I'll take that as a compliment."

I watched the interaction change to something like slo-mo. Jackson's face pinched and he stared at her. With her head bent back and laughing, and the right light from the fixture above the table, her Adam's apple was just visible. A tiny bump on her slender neck.

Oh shit. I watched the expression on his face morph from momentary confusion to the ratty, sneering look I'd seen countless times. I couldn't hear what he said, but I could clearly read his lips.

What the fuck...

I gripped the table and stared at them, somehow frozen in place. Glancing at her face as she lowered her head, the realization dawned on her too. The two of them locked eyes and I waited for time to resume normal speed. I felt as if all my senses were heightened when I heard him speak.

"I know what you are," said Jackson, his lip curling upward.

Quinn brushed it off with a smug grin. "The girl that's about to beat you at pool?"

"You're one of those trans freaks," he spat.

"Who, again, is about to beat you at pool." She rounded the corner of the table to line up her shot.