All That Still Matters

"What?" Mason questioned after Daphne had just informed him that she had caught Louie and Piper together. "Daph, you got something wrong. There's no way those two are hooking up. Think about it. They're best friends, practically brother and sister. Besides, Louie's in love with you, not Piper," he explained, thinking just how ridiculous it was to think that Louie and Piper would be together.

"Louie and I got into a fight yesterday," Daphne told him. "So, maybe it was his way of getting back at me," she shrugged her shoulders.

"Louie wouldn’t stoop that low," Mason told her. "What'd you two get into a fight about anyways?" he inquired.

"You're not going to be happy when I tell you," Daphne said, but Mason continued pestering her, asking her what their fight had been about. Daphne sighed before continuing. "He thinks I'm too invested in yours and Piper's relationship." Mason began laughing, and Daphne glared at him. "Why are you laughing?" she questioned.

"Because you are invested too much into my nonexistent relationship with Piper!" Mason told her. "It's like you're betting money on us, and that's why you want us back together so much," he continued laughing. "Maybe Louie's feeling a little lonely since you're focused on me and Piper," he suggested.

"So lonely that he turned to Piper?" Daphne questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Mason countered. "Have you talked to either one of them? Tried to let them explain?"

"No, and I'm not going to," Daphne said, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly. "I refuse to talk to either one of them."

"So, you're pretty much giving up for this competition?" he asked, and Daphne looked at him with a confused expression, not understanding what he was saying. "Daph, there's no way you can compete if you're pissed off at Piper and Louie. Piper's your coach. You need her there, you need her advice. And, Louie, well, Louie's your rock. He's the one that keeps you calm and focused when you're freaking out at the top of the pipe," he told her. "And, don't give me that look like you're surprised that I've noticed these things. We've all noticed it. You two kind of keep each other together during competition. I don't know about you before you met Louie, but I know he never would have worried about a girl at the top of the mountain. Now, every time he's up there, all he cares about is impressing you. You're the one that motivates him, and from what I hear from Piper, he does the same for you."

"Fine," Daphne sighed. "I'll talk to Louie and see what really happened."

Mason smiled at his achievement. "And Piper?" he asked hopefully.

Daphne shook her head emphatically. "Nope, not talking to Piper. I bet you whatever happened between her and Louie was all her fault. She keeps saying she's over you and is moving on. Fuck her," she muttered.

"Daph," Mason said, interrupting her cursing Piper under her breath. Piper quieted and looked up to see what he wanted to say. "You've got to cut her some slack. It's not like she's cheating on me. We're both moving on."

"So you've found someone new?" Daphne asked.

"Yeah," Mason nodded his head.

"Well, I'm happy for you," Daphne smiled at him.

Mason shook his head, laughing a little bit. "You know, Daph, I just don't get you. You're taking my side over your own flesh and blood, your own coach. Why are you fine with me dating but not her?"

"Because she's sleeping with my boyfriend!" Daphne exclaimed.

"You don’t know that!" Mason pointed out. "Go talk to Louie. Find out what's really going on."

"I'll talk to him eventually," Daphne muttered. "I think I'm just going to head up to the mountain and get a little snowboarding in since I didn't do too much yesterday. Feel like joining me?" she asked him.

"I don't know if I'm allowed up there. Remember, I'm not an Olympic athlete," he reminded her.

"Eh, we can get around that," Daphne smiled. "I'm sure I can get you up there one way or another," she told him. "Let's head back to my room so I can change and get my board and then we can head up there," she told him.

***

"You know, I have to say you're looking pretty spiffy in that US snowboarding gear," Mason commented as they made their way to the top of the pipe.

Daphne turned around to look at him. "You know, I can't tell if that was sarcasm or not," she told him.

"Would I ever use sarcasm?" he asked her with a grin, and Daphne rolled her eyes at him as she continued the climb. They finally reached the top, and she hesitated to strap her boots to her snowboard. "What are you waiting on?" he asked her. "Come on, go, I don't have all day," he said, trying to hold back the smile that was creeping on his face.

"You're not as good at motivating me as Louie is up here," Daphne laughed.

"Which is exactly why I told you that you need to go talk to Louie," Mason pointed out. She shoved him in retaliation, causing him to start falling backwards, but he grabbed a hold of Daphne, pulling her down with him, with her landing on top of him. They were both laughing, and Daphne put her hands in the snow on either side of Mason's head, trying to pick herself up when she heard a voice coming getting closer.

She glanced up to see Piper walking towards them, and without hesitating, Daphne leaned down, kissing Mason passionately on the lips. Trapped, and not thinking properly at the time, Mason did nothing to stop her, and they soon heard Piper exclaim, "What the fuck?"

Daphne finally looked up at her, biting her bottom lip when she saw Louie standing next to Piper, his arms crossed across his chest, just taking in the scene before him. "Is this your way of paying us back for whatever the hell you thought was going on between us?" Louie asked, his voice rather calm, something that worried the others around him.

"I don’t know what you're talking about," Daphne said, picking herself up off of Mason, who just continued to lie there, feeling Piper's gaze on him. He didn't really want to look up at her or Louie, knowing he wasn't about to rat out Daphne and say she had been the one to kiss him and not the other way around.

"Mase," he heard Piper say, and he slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. "Let's give them some space," she suggested, nodding her head towards Louie and Daphne. He stood up, following her a few feet away, simply staring at the ground, not wanting to have to explain what had just happened.

"What is this, Daphne?" Louie asked. Daphne didn't really know how to react to this side of Louie. He'd always been the funny, joking, none-too-serious person, but right now, he had the most serious expression on his face. "Is this your way of revenge?"

"What does it matter?" Daphne asked.

"Because you're my girlfriend, Daph. Because I love you!" he exclaimed. "So, I'm going to ask you again, what was that?" Daphne didn't respond, and Louie shook his head. "What's going on, Daph. Where's the girl that I love? Why do I feel like I've gone back in time a year when you were hanging out with Kat all the time?" he asked.

"And, why do I feel like I've already lost you? To Piper of all people?" she responded, not answering his question.

"Daph, you have to know that I'm not with Piper," Louie said.

"That's not what it looked like to me," Daphne muttered.

"Well, let's talk about what I just saw two minutes ago," Louie said, turning the tables on her. "You making out with Mase. What the fuck was that?" he questioned. "I didn't even know we had broken up, and I see you making out with someone else. One of my friends, no less!"

Daphne didn't know how to respond, so she simply shook her head, while walking away. "I'm sorry," she said to no one in particular.

"What happened?" Piper said, looking directly at Mason. "What happened between the two of you?"

"Piper, it was nothing," Mason said, not ready to sell Daphne out.

"I see you making out with my cousin, and you're telling me it was nothing?" she questioned.

"What? You jealous?" Mason asked with a smirk, trying to get her off the subject of Daphne.

Piper shook her head. "No," she told him. "I'm trying to get to the bottom of this, though. She's been telling me since we broke up that we needed to get back together, and now I find the two of you kissing? It just doesn't make sense. How long has it been going on? Was this the first time, or has she been cheating on Louie for a long time now?" she questioned. "Shit, Louie!" she called, as she heard him heading back down the mountain. "Wait!" she called out, knowing she shouldn't have said that with him standing right there. "Damn it!" she yelled, angry at herself, Mason, Daphne, and the world at the moment.