Mutual Benefits Ch. 13

Whatever Morgan and I had planned to do that night, it was thrown away. Swiftly, it was replaced with the both of us gathered around Morgan's phone, FaceTiming with a blubbering, panicked Taylor.

"I don't know what he's going to do," Taylor cried over the phone. "I'm such a fucking wreck."

"We'll get through this. Being as calm as you can will help you so much," Morgan instructed in her stern tone she took when she was taking control. "Take deep breaths."

Taylor nodded, her jittery face coming through our video feed. "This is so fucked. Why the fuck did Milo have to do this?"

Morgan and I exchanged looks. Morgan turned back to the phone and sighed. "Earlier at the party, he gave us an ultimatum," she began. "He told us to tell Joel ourselves or he would. He gave us twenty-four hours."

"So... so it was your fault?!" Taylor's voice gathered heat.

"Stop that right now," Morgan ordered with a flat voice. "Don't piss off your only allies. He went back on his word and told Joel within eight hours."

"Don't fucking talk down to me!" Taylor rasped from the other end. "You should have told me immediately!"

Morgan turned to me. "Grab my pointer finger if she ever gets too much. I'll hang up on her," she dryly and emotionlessly whispered to me. She turned back to the phone and cleared her throat. "You were always at his side at the party. We never had the chance. We would have told you when we had a plan. Remember Milo caused this shit, not us."

"Can I ask... why Milo caused this shit?" I interrupted. "Like, yeah, there are shades of grey happening here, but what we did really doesn't affect Milo."

Taylor sobbed for a bit but Morgan remained silent, letting Taylor speak. "Milo just fucking does this," she exasperatedly replied. "Do you need an explanation for every little thing, Quinn?"

"This time, yes, I'd like one. We're in the weeds because... what? He wanted to play vigilante?"

"Honestly, that's basically it," Morgan answered. "Milo just likes getting involved. He always wants to be the main character. He gets to decide what's right and wrong."

"I don't get why a person would do that when it doesn't affect them," I replied.

"Then, sorry, you don't understand drama yet," Morgan flatly replied. "So maybe you should take notes. People do this. He implicates his friends, he feels superior, he also gets ahead because his friends got taken down a peg. It's not that hard to understand, and you're slowing us down by asking why."

I looked at Morgan, a little hurt. She sighed and said, "This is a stressful time. I need you to just nod when stuff happens. Asking why and trying to pretend it shouldn't have happened doesn't help."

I looked to the screen to see Taylor wasn't saying anything, agreeing with Morgan through her use of silence. Frowning, I sat back as Morgan continued.

"What has Joel said to you?"

"He hasn't said anything," Taylor replied. "Like, nothing. Milo just let me know that he talked to him. I'm too fucking scared to say anything to Joel right now."

Morgan sighed stressedly. "Okay," she conceded.

"I'm thinking, like, I shouldn't say anything until Joel talks to me. I do not want to bring it up first. Maybe he'll just want this whole thing to go away."

"I agree," Morgan replied emotionlessly. "I don't think it'll just go away though. It never just goes away. So, Milo told you? How'd that go down?"

"If I could punch him in his stupid fucking face, I would," Taylor growled.

"I know the feeling," Morgan replied. "We can't let him think he can just get away with this shit. Let Crystal and Lexi know."

"Okay," Taylor agreed.

"Just the important stuff," Morgan insisted. "Anything that will make them get on our side. Leave out the dumb shit, lie if you have to. Last thing we need is for them to take his side."

"Um, duh, I fucking know," Taylor replied with an annoyed tone. "Then what? Wait for Joel to blow up?"

"Wait to see what he does, either to you or in public. Damage control mode, Taylor," Morgan seemed to remind her, as if that was a phrase they practiced time and time again. I still said nothing. "And no more seducing Quinn. Even if I'm in the room."

"Um, I didn't want to have sex with him anymore anyways," Taylor replied in a weirded out voice.

In response, Morgan just shifted the camera to just show me on screen. I was already in a foul mood, and Taylor's reply didn't help. "Oh, go away," I bitterly told the camera, not sure which girl I was talking to.

"Keep me in the loop, Taylor," Morgan said in a quiet voice. "I love you but I want to stop talking."

"Love you too, girl," Taylor replied. "Thank you so fucking much for having my back on this."

With that, Morgan turned off the call, headed for the bed, and faceplanted on top of it. Still feeling upset at a few things that happened there, I remained in my corner, scowling away. Neither of us spoke for what felt like minutes.

"You were out of line," I finally said to her.

She took her face off of her pillow. "You were asking pointless questions and being naive," she replied. "We didn't need that."

"I'm not a child," I replied.

"Children keep asking 'why' over and over. Milo's a dick, Milo did a dick move, you don't need to know why."

"I'd like to!" I protested. "It concerns me. This is literally a rumor or whatever about me."

"What would it solve knowing every little intricacy?" Morgan challenged me, now sitting on her bed. I was sitting on her floor. She had the high ground. "Like, actually, what would it solve? Are you planning on mapping him out? Figuring out the magic thing to say that'll make all this go away? You're so... obsessive, Quinn. You don't need to be."

"Obsessive?"

"You keep obsessing over weird things. You obsess over this idea that I can't possibly like you. You obsess over why a thing happens when the rest of us are trying to figure out where to go from here. You obsess and overthink and it just gets so old so fast," Morgan complained.

My breathing quickened. "I... well... that's not fair," I weakly replied.

"That's another thing children always say," Morgan noted.

"Stop! Just stop it!" I almost shouted. "Stop calling me a child!"

Morgan stared at me for a while. "I'm really stressed with all this. I'm probably going to get caught up in this too, you know. Just because I'm dating you. You and Taylor are reaping what you sow. I have to deal with this too when I didn't actually do anything wrong."

"You just told Taylor to lie to her friends. You can't say you're doing nothing wrong," I countered.

"To cover up a mistake you two made, I told Taylor to do what she was going to do anyway," Morgan replied with a huff. "And I'm doing it to help her, and you. It's so tiring."

"If I'm not worth it, then break up with me, why don't you?" I replied angrily, feeling my cheeks getting hot.

"Don't be dramatic," Morgan replied calmly. "If this is you breaking up with me, just say that. But I'm not breaking up with you just because you aren't immune to drama and cheating."

It felt weird for her to say that. I really wanted to fight her on that last point; it felt like I wasn't involved in cheating at all and happened to be sucked into that world. But in a weird, unfair way, what Morgan was saying wasn't untrue. I just stared at her, my chest rising and falling in anger.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Morgan asked.

"No," I grumbled.

"Good. That would be a really dumb way for this to end," she replied.

"Do you have to do that?" I asked.

"What?"

"The 'I know everything and will explain to you how it all works' thing," I replied, standing up and walking over to the bed.

She scooted over to give me some room, eyeing the floor. "What are you talking about?" she asked quietly.

"You say these, like, absolute statements. It's not like you'll say you think I'm not helping, I'm just 'not helping.' You'll even explain how dumb a certain method of breaking up would be."

"It was a joke. I was trying to lighten the mood. I'm just not very funny, I guess," Morgan replied in a defensive voice. "I've always talked like this."

"I've always wanted to find out why people do what they do."

"Yes, but that was exhausting me."

"Well, the way you talk down to me is exhausting me," I reasoned.

She huffed. "I'll try to stop myself if I see myself doing it," she replied quietly.

I nodded. "I'll try to save the backstory questions until after we've solved stuff."

She nodded, and we didn't say anything for a long time. After a bit, Morgan slowly lowered herself onto me, her head ending up on my chest. Neither of us said anything, but eventually, she looked up at me right as I looked down at her. We both chuckled softly, and before we knew it, we were shyly kissing each other.

Our lips parted and our eyes fluttered open. She slowly removed her head from my chest and grabbed her phone, groaning to herself. "This fucking sucks," she grumbled.

I sighed in response, checking my watch. "I should probably talk to Doug soon," I told her. "I think we both could do with some alone time anyways."

"Yeah, probably," Morgan replied, looking at me and giving me a hesitant smile.

***

"So you two understand our situation?" Morgan asked Crystal and Lexi.

"Maybe if you get me a McChicken, yes," Lexi joked.

"Lexi, can you focus for one minute?" Morgan all but barked.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," Lexi dejectedly mumbled.

"It's gonna be hard to get the group together after this one," Crystal whined. "And summer just started! Whatever the fuck happened, it better have been worth it."

"The best way to beat it is to let Milo know it hasn't affected us," Morgan reasoned, looking around the McDonald's we were in, as if he could be there. "The sooner he sees how little power he has, the sooner he'll stop his little games."

Crystal's eyes lit up with an idea. "We could just go back to calling him Sadie, just for a week, see if-"

"Absolutely not," Morgan immediately replied. "Crystal, I'm disappointed in you."

"It was just an idea," Crystal mumbled, sitting back in her seat.

"Where's Taylor, anyway?" Lexi asked.

"With Joel," Morgan clarified. "She's barely left his side for the past twenty-four hours."

"Like an obedient puppy," I mused.

"Whatever works," Morgan added. "Okay, fuck it, I want more, I'm getting a McDouble. Lexi, w-"

"McChicken!" Lexi reminded her. "You still owe me for last time."

"I paid that back, but whatever," Morgan huffed. "And for the cute one?"

Morgan turned to look at me, followed by Crystal and Lexi. I turned to Morgan and smiled. "Didn't you already ask Lexi?" Morgan and I shared a giggle. "Um, maybe my own McDouble. Thanks, s-sweetheart."

"Nothing more romantic than getting fat together," Crystal remarked flatly. Morgan flipped her the bird as she walked off, leaving me with Crystal and Lexi. "Nah, but seriously," Crystal continued. "You two are really cute together."

Lexi ignored Crystal and Morgan, and gave me a knowing smirk. She liked it when anyone called her cute. "Thanks, Quinn," she sang.

"Anytime," I replied. As annoying as her joking exterior could be, I actually found Lexi surprisingly easy to get along with. She tended to act up in crowds, but if you could engage her in what felt to her like a one-on-one, she actually was a pretty fun person. "So, speaking of, how did you and that blond boy get along at that last party?"

Lexi rolled her big blue eyes. "Sucked," she answered annoyedly. "He had no idea what he was doing. Went way too fast, way too rough, and was only interested in cumming and going."

"Coming and going?" I asked.

"C-U-M," Crystal clarified.

"Oh," I replied. "Sorry to hear that."

"So am I," Lexi grumbled. "Just once I'd like to get a guy that knows how to fuck. Or is at least nice about it. Taylor got Joel, apparently he has one of the biggest dicks in the school."

I rolled my eyes. Lexi was, if nothing else, Lexi. I sipped away at my unsweetened iced tea as Lexi continued.

"...And Morgan got to have Quinn, who is a fucking gentleman and ate her out even though she never blew him!"

I instantly choked on my tea. It took a good few seconds to clear my throat. Lexi looked a little surprised at my reaction, but Crystal just gave me a 'here we go' face. "...What?" I finally asked with a little heat.

"No? Am I wrong?" Lexi asked innocently.

Right on cue, Morgan came back with a tray of food, and I looked up at her. "Who are you telling about our sex life?!" I asked with a little more anger to my voice than intended.

Morgan shot Lexi a look. The normally stubborn Lexi just turned pink and shrunk down in the presence of Morgan. Morgan herself just sighed. "I was tired, I was talking about you, and it slipped out. It was just to Lexi and Crystal. If you want I can try to keep it more private."

Crystal broke into a smile. "Damn girl, you gave in really easily!" she commented. "Is Quinn some sort of secret super dom or something?"

"Yeah, handcuffs and blindfolds," I joked as Morgan sat down. "No. We just both know when something upsets the other. I don't see why a couple talking out things that upset them in a healthy way means she's whipped or something."

Crystal rolled her eyes. "Cheesy," she remarked.

"I dunno," Lexi softly said, staring longingly at us. Morgan gave me a kiss on the cheek as she handed me my food. "I think it's kinda sweet. Like, we want a guy that'll dick us down, but Morgan and Quinn are just vibing as a couple already. No drama."

Morgan chuckled. "We get our fair share. Remember, Milo's not here right now for a reason."

"A reason you won't even fully tell us," Crystal added.

Lexi, as usual, was only focusing on her point. "How did you do it?" she asked.

I paused, looking from side to side, realizing that she was asking me. "Huh? How did I do what?"

"Everything. How did you get Morgan, how did you know she was so... like, how did you figure out how to communicate as, like, a couple so quickly?"

I blushed a little and scratched the back of my head. "Honestly, she got me more than I got her," I confessed. "She came to my work a few times and I-"

"You work? Where?" Lexi asked.

"GameStop. So she came into my work and kept asking about stuff."

Lexi turned to Morgan and gave her a mischievous grin. "You don't even like games!"

Morgan simply gave her an all-too-innocent smile in response, then began to eat her food. We all dove in, not saying anything for a bit.

"I just wish I had what you have," Lexi bitterly mumbled after a bite.

"You'll get there," Morgan replied. "Honestly? Maybe you need to slow down. Stop chasing after guys and letting them come to you."

Lexi scoffed. "Yeah, because guys just fucking love me," she replied, continuing her bitterness.

"They should!" I decided to weigh in. "I mean, you're bubbly, you're not afraid to be yourself, and..." I turned to Morgan. "I assume it's okay if I compliment her looks?"

Morgan gave me an 'Oh, Quinn' smile. "Of course it is," she replied. "I mean, we've discussed stuff like that already." She gave me a wink with the eye that was facing the booth, away from the two girls.

My smile faded. What was she saying? We definitely didn't discuss rules for complimenting her friends. The closest thing to that was... She definitely didn't mean that.

Her smile slowly faded, noticing mine was gone. Quickly, I turned back towards Lexi and lowered my head towards my food. "You're, uh, y'know... v-very pretty."

"Ouch," Lexi replied flatly. "It sounds like it hurt to force yourself to say that one."

"I was about to say," Crystal laughed. "If you're gonna lie, don't be, like, obvious about it."

"I'm still nervous telling people they're pretty," I lied coolly. "Still a nerd at heart, I guess. You know how the stereotype is with nerds around girls."

"I thought you hated the stereotypes," Crystal noted.

"I hate them because they're true," I joked. "Sorry, Lexi. I meant it. You're really pretty, and you're, y'know, very... attractive. You'd make any guy happy if they just got to know you, but high school guys are too shallow for that. I call you cute a lot, I'm not just saying that."

"You're a sweet guy, Quinn," Lexi replied. "It fucking sucks that you're taken."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I replied, turning back and kissing Morgan on the lips like our weird moment didn't happen. "And hey. Morgan took a chance on me. I wasn't exactly popular. Who knows, maybe you'd be surprised if you went for a guy outside of your normal friend circle. If he's cute, go for it. So what if he's in... choir or something?"

"If he's in choir, he's either gay or way too into himself," Lexi commented.

"Well then don't go for the choir guys, I guess. I hope you get what I'm saying."

"Yeah, I do. Thanks, Quinn," Lexi replied with a slight smile. She was clearly still down in the dumps a little, but that couldn't be helped. I reached for my burger again, when I felt a vibration in my pocket. I shouldn't have cared too much, but now that Talyor, Joel, Morgan and I were in a bit of a situation, I made a habit of checking my phone whenever it went off. If Taylor had an update for us, time was of the essence.

It wasn't from Taylor. It was from Morgan.

I think the only thing that turns me on more than you being assertive is you supporting my friends. I cant wait until were alone ❤

I turned to Morgan and gave her a sheepish, no doubt goofy smile. She smiled back, subtly snaked her hand down to my leg below the table, and sexily squeezed my inner thigh.

***

It was weird, coming home and not needing to account for my actions. Mother was true to her word, actually putting effort into not caring about where I went and when I'd be back. I adhered to her ground rules, but out of nowhere, she just gave me freedom.

"I'm home!" I bellowed, feeling confident. Crystal drove us home and Morgan and I spent the ride back kissing in the backseat. I wasn't sure how much PDA we could get away with around her friends, but to be fair, I was given a weird first impression of how much they could take when Morgan gave me a handjob in front of Taylor.

"Ah, Quinn," Mother commented as I practically danced into the kitchen. "You have fun with Morgan?"

"I did!" I answered chipperly. "We went out with her friends and got food."

Mother stopped and looked at me. "What kind of food?"

"Fast food," Kevin's voice rang from the living room. "McDonald's, correct me if I'm wrong."

"You weren't even there, how would you know?" I shouted back.

"I got a nose for this stuff. I can smell you from here," he laughed.

"Yeah, well, ditto. Take a shower," I grumbled. I turned back to Mother, ready for it.

"Do you know the kind of food they serve you at a place like McDonald?" she began. By the time she was finished talking, the sun was visibly closer to setting. At the very least Kevin was kind enough to jump in and debunk her points when she mentioned the pink slime. "Besides," she finished, "you always say the food here is better anyway."

"I do, and it is!" I acknowledged. "It's more like... a social contract."

"A what?"

"A social contract," I repeated in Mandarin. "If I'm there they want me to eat the food there."

"Oh," she said simply. "Seems dumb. They didn't make the food, some pimply minimum wage-earner did. Peh." She walked off as if the conversation was over. That was as close as it ever came to understanding with Mother.

With her out of the way, I walked over to the living room couch and sat down. "You're an asshole," I began with a grin.

"My day? Oh, you know. This and that," he replied smugly. I watched him play his video game for a while until my phone vibrated with a text from Lexi. I began talking to her more than him.

I stopped when I heard him chuckling. "You still hold your phone up to your face when you text, like a nerd," he pointed out.