Too Scared to Love Again

"I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE FORGIVES HIM!" Cynthia growled, almost throwing the remote against the screen at the sight of Blair Waldorf forgiving Nate Archiebald after he came forward and told her about his minutes in heaven with her best friend.

Cynthia curled up on the couch, soon sticking her hand into the basket of KFC and picking up one of the last wings. Lynn was still working through her own, sharing her friend's frustration as she really despited that guy.

"It doesn't matter that he gets fucked over by his family. I can't stand him!" Lynn let out.

"She's too good for him!" Cynthia agreed.

Just as the two of them started ranting, Blair returned from her yoga session. She had a towel thrown over her shoulder and her hair had been tied into a tight bun at the back of her head. Her headphones were still playing music as she abandoned her keys on the kitchen counter and soon discovered her roomies on the couch.

"What's good, B?" Cynthia asked, not even removing her gaze from the screen.

"Just had the most crazy yoga session ever!" Blair admitted, settling herself down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"You do so much for that shape." Cynthia admitted, dragging a hand through her silky blonde hair.

"Of course! This body is a work in progress!" her friend told her and then took a swig from her bottle of water.

"We know." Lynn announced, soon driving her face into the pillow as the scene in the show drove her up against the wall.

"By the way! Zack invited us over for a BBQ at his place!" Blair admitted. “And you girls are coming with me!”

"Are you fucking real?" Cynthia looked at Blair as though her friend had told her that she was having a baby. The blonde had suddenly lost all interest in the show.

"Yeah! Everyone from the band will be there." she smiled.

"Fuck!" Cynthia howled. "I'm meeting Asher tonight..."

"What? No!" Blair protested. "This is like your night in heaven, C! You gotta cancel that date."

"I know! Don't you think I'm freaking out about the fact that you're screwing a guitarist from my favorite band?" Cynthia let out dramatically, a hand resting on top of her chest.

"Yes, of course you are! So come!"

"God, B. I wish! But I haven't seen Asher in like a week..." Cynthia sighed, rubbing her fingertips against her temple.

"Lynn, what are you doing tonight?" Blair asked.

"Watching Netflix all by myself." Lynn responded, not sharing the same excitement as Cynthia.

"Babe, please! I can't come all myself. They'll think I have no friends!"

"You have lots of other friends you can ask! Call Kath or Rebecca!" Lynn suggested.

"L, I'm not asking the strippers I work with." Blair responded sternly.

"Then I don't know!" the brunette shrugged, sounding as though she had given up already.

Blair crossed the room and positioned herself in front of the TV, so that either Cynthia or Lynn could continue watching the show.

"We haven't hung out in a long time now! Remember all the college parties I've been to because of you?" the redhead had her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrows high on her pale forehead.

Lynn let out a sigh as she rubbed her eyes, not wanting to remember those parties at all.

"That was a favor! No strings attached!"

"Yes, and this is a favor too," Blair argued. "So come on. Get your ass up from the couch!" she practically demanded.

Lynn looked like she wanted to die with her pupils rolling to the back of her head. She looked like a teenager who had been denied something she wanted by her parents, and was now forced to do something she'd rather not do.

The brunette got up from the couch, marching towards her bedroom before stopping only inches from Blair.

"If one of them are jerks again, I will leave." Lynn stated.

"Deal."

"B, I'm not kidding!" Lynn warned, unsure if Blair understood the seriousness in her words.

"No, I know. But you don't get to leave if they're actually trying to be nice."

"We'll see." the brunette responded and then forced herself towards the bathroom.

♠ ♠ ♠

"God, have some mercy..." Lynn announced under her breath, as she tied her hair into a loose ponytail and then threw one last glance at herself.

She had gone for a pair of dark jeans and a black singlet. She rarely bothered to do makeup, and tonight was also one of those nights. The only thing she had bothered to do was some perfume and a lip balm to finish the look.

"Cute." Blair said from the entrance to Lynn's room.

Lynn threw a look over her shoulder. Blair looked smashing in a pair of Levi shorts she had bothered from Cynthia. The article cupped her ass perfectly, and went along with the off shoulders top she was wearing with it. Her lips were cherry red and her hair had been left curly like it usually was.

The two of them made their way to the parking lot. A six-pack of beer had been shoved into the backseat, along with Blair's two bottles of wine. Lynn had already climbed behind the passenger seat, as Blair turned on the radio and drove out from the parking lot.

The drive to Zack's house wasn't long, and the two of them were halfway through Blair's summer playlist when she parked on the only empty spot in the neighborhood. Lynn looked around and noticed that it looked slightly different from the houses she had seen in Huntington.

Blair and Lynn got out from the car and grabbed their liquor from the backseat. They were both left in awe as they looked at the house they had been told belonged to Zack Baker. Only the name 'house' seemed misleading when in reality it looked like a mansion that was surrounded by a tall dark fence that isolated the porch. The house was painted white and had large windows that welcomed the guests to a rather aesthetically pleasing household.

"Is this the house?" Lynn had to ask, even though she was very convinced that Blair had been here before.

"Yup. This is insane." Blair said, acknowledging that the house was in fact very obscure compared to the apartment they lived in.

Conversations from the backyard caught their attention as they made it passed the fence and towards the porch. The small chat between them was soon interrupted by the sound of familiar voices that Blair recognized.

"Blair! Lynn! You made it!" Zack announced with a bright smile on his face. The man was dressed in a pair of bathing trunks and flip flops, looking somewhat different from what Lynn could recall from that evening they had first met. His dark hair was damped and in his hand was a cold beer.

"Wouldn't miss it!" Blair chuckled, as the man brought his lips to her cheek and then hugged her tightly.

"Glad to hear it! You too, Lynn!" Zack announced, turning his attention to the brunette and then giving her a welcoming hug as well. "Let me take that!" he offered as he spotted her six-pack of Heineken beer.

"Thanks!" Lynn smiled, before shoving her hands casually into the pockets of her jeans. The brunette chased the couple around the corner and into the backyard that really didn't lower her expectations on Zack's property.

The backyard was even bigger than what Lynn had expected after seeing the porch. There was a huge pool a couple of feet away from her that was surrounded by a delightful floor made out of coral stones. Next to the large pool was a tinier bubble pool that two guys Lynn recognized were sitting in, both of them sipping from their beers.

"Hey, Lynn! I'm just gonne throw these in the fridge!" Zack told the brunette, snapping her out of her own universe, as she gave him a slight nod. "There's cold beer right over there!" he announced, pointing a finger at a trail of beers that rested next to the grill.

"Got it!" Lynn nodded once again, this time disconnected from her own admiration.

"This is so sick." Blair commented, already having a glass of wine between her fingers as Lynn went to grab a beer.

"Uhm, yeah." the brunette stated, still in shock after seeing Zack's property.

"God, I love the fact that you two brought booze!" Zack smirked, his hands already creeping around Blair's waist.

"Of course! Who do you think we are?" she chuckled back and then tok a sip from her drink.

"Right, right!" he chuckled. "I completely forgot to mention that you should bring your bathing suit with you! The water is so nice right now!" he told them.

"Next time, babe!" Blair sniggered, before stealing a kiss from his lips.

"Oh, yes." Zack responded with a grin, the two of them getting a little to comfortable around one another.

"Guys! I think the burgers will be done in five!" Matt told them, as he was flipping another piece of meat.

"Finally!" one of the dark-haired guys from the pool said. This was the guy who had shiny baby blue eyes and a piercing right below his bottom lip. Lynn could barely remember him as he took one last swig from his beer and then brought himself up from the pool.

"Baby, can I take out the salad?" a blonde woman said, her head poking out from the door that lead into the house.

"Yeah, Val!" Matt announced and then cracked another beer for himself.

"Great! It smells awesome!" she said, as she paddled towards Zack's kitchen and grabbed a rather large bowl of salad.

It didn't take long for the woman to spot the two new guests, as she abandoned the food on top of the table and shuffled towards them.

"Hi! I don't think we've met before." the blonde said.

"No, I'm Blair and this is Lynn!" Blair announced, and then grabbed the woman's hand.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Valary, Matt's wife, but please just call me Val."

"Nice to meet you too, Val!" Blair smiled.

"And you're Lynn... as in the bartender?" she cocked her eyebrows, taking Lynn by surprise as she knew who she was.

"I believe I am, but how would you know?" Lynn asked, obviously taken aback.

Valary started chuckling, as she soon placed her hand on Lynn's arm as a friendly gesture.

"Oh, honey, don't look so scared! Matt has told me all about how you rejected Brian. Let’s just say that you’ve taken up a lot of space around our dinner table,” Val sniggered.

Lynn could feel the heat that crept against her cheeks. She slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans, trying to smile at the woman who seemed all genuine about it.

“The guys have been very thrilled about it."

“That’s because it was the best way to blow Syn off!" Johnny exclaimed.

“I wasn’t blown off.” Brian muttered, meanwhile both Lynn and Blair looked up at him.

His dark eyes were covered by a pair of black sunglasses, and he was paddling around in sneakers, camo-shorts and a grey V-neck. In his hand rested a half-smoked cigarette and a cold beer.

“Yeah, right,” Val rolled her eyes. “Do you girls wanna help me grab some plates?” the blonde offered.

“Yes!” Blair exclaimed.

“So, you work as a pool-dancer at that club?” Valary asked, sounding as though she was not the slightest disturbed by the place her husband and peers had been to.

“Yeah. Been working there for nearly four years.” Blair stated, watching as the blonde grabbed a large bowl filled with salad.

“That’s very impressive! I’ve always wanted to try pool-dancing, but I just don’t know how to start, you know?” Val let out a chuckle again.

“I think a lot of people struggle with that as well,” Blair comforted, meanwhile she carried a couple of plates out to the patio. “I mean, my roomie Cynthia and I are pool-dancers, and that's been a hell of a ride!" she confessed.

"Oh, really? I bet there's a lot of training!" Val admitted.

"You have no idea!" Blair let out chuckling. "Cynthia and Lynn work mainly as bartenders though." she continued, inviting her friend into the chat as well.

"You’re not a pool-dancer?” the blonde asked, this time looking over at the brunette, who had been taking sips from her beer, listening to the conversation between the two women.

"Nope. I only take some shifts in order to pay for college." Lynn admitted.

"I wouldn't mind if you started taking other shifts." someone voiced behind her, as Lynn had to hold back the urge to slap the face behind her as she faced Brian once again.

The shit-eating grin on his lips made her patience thin out. Brian took his time to eye her attire, as it didn't look much different from last time he'd seen her.

“And I bet I’d like you more if you didn’t speak.” Lynn replied, before she returned her attention to Valary and Blair.

"I fucking love that girl." Jimmy muffled to Matt, who was currently bringing the burgers unto a large plate.

"You just love a good takedown." Matt sniggered back.

All of them soon gathered around Zack’s table. Beers, salad and burgers decorated the large table, as well as conversation and loud laughter. Blair was settled between Lynn and Zack, her arm touching the dark-haired man’s, meanwhile they kept eyeing one another as though they were the only people left on Earth. Lynn was trapped between Valary and her best friend, thankful that Blair had managed to convince Val to sit down next to the brunette. Across from her was Brian, who had a nice view of the brunette, who constantly kept avoiding the way he was eyeing her throughout the meal.

“So, where did that adorable friend of yours go?” Matt asked, glancing over at Lynn, with his mouth filled with food.

“She's seeing her boyfriend.” the brunette replied, while stabbing her fork into her meat.

“You’re talking about that cute little blonde, right?” Jimmy quipped from across the table, the drummer leaning back in his seat with a beer.

“Yeah! The chick who said that she liked our music.” the singer said.

“Really? That's so cool!" Valary voiced from her seat.

"Yup! She's been digging it for quite some years." Blair told them.

"Tried to make everyone she studied with like it as well." Lynn added with a silly smile.

"And it didn't work?" Johnny asked from across the table, suddenly building some expectations to Lynn's comment.

"Well, Cynthia and college didn't work." Lynn shrugged, as the conversation soon changed into something else.

"All three of you work at Dreams, right?" Matt asked.

“Yeah. For me that’s my full-time job, and I think Cynthia’s about to start working their full-time as well.” Blair explained.

“But what about you, Lynn?” Zack asked, resting his elbows on top of the table and lacing his fingers together.

“I only work there in order to keep a roof over my head,” Lynn replied. “I’m studying literature and history right now, and hopefully I’ll be able to start teaching or get a job at the library sometime."

“Pretty and smart. What a blessing.” Brian smirked from his seat, his dark eyes looking at her once again as though she was a prey.

Lynn only rolled her eyes, very unimpressed by his character, before she excused herself and went to grab her next beer. The brunette had to admit that she was somewhat surprised by how nice they all were. Even Zack seemed like a decent guy and Jimmy made it impossible for her to hold back her laughter every time he spoke. The only one who was still convincing her that men were awful was Brian, who kept dropping nasty comments at her.

The brunette grabbed her forth beer from the fridge, as she noticed how much alcohol Zack had managed to stuff inside his fridge. She cracked it open with her teeth and started digging into it while enjoying a moment alone on the kitchen counter.

The moment lasted for almost a minute as Brian made his way into the kitchen, looking for another beer as well.

“There you are,” Brian’s deep voice reached out for her, and Lynn decided to avoid him. “You know, you never really gave me an answer to the offer I gave you.”

“Maybe that’s a hint.” Lynn dropped at him, tilting her head back and all but chugging her beer, realizing that she would need a lot of booze if she was going to put up with him any longer.

“I love a good challenge.” he dropped his voice into a whisper, and soon allowed his palm to hit her thigh, feeling her through the fabric of her jeans.

Lynn's instant reaction was to push him off her, having done that with men so many times before. She got to her feet and created some distance between the two of them, before glaring at him.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked him.

"What? Can't handle some innocent flirting?" Brian chuckled, a cold beer resting between his fingers now.

"It would have been flirting if I actually wanted it. I'm not fucking interested." Lynn told him.

Brian seemed to brush it off, as he drew closer to her and then broke what was left of her patience.

A loud snap went through the kitchen, followed by the sound of Brian’s beer hitting the floor, soaking into the marvel floor, meanwhile Brian stumbled a little. Lynn’s hand had been fired across his face, her fingers feeling his firm cheekbones in a couple of seconds. Lynn was now clenching her fists, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip rather angrily and her eyes frowning at the man.

“How fucking hard can it be? I’m not interested! I’ll never be interested! Seriously, just fuck off!” she all but barged at him, not even caring at how the others were now all joining her in the kitchen.

“What happened here?” Val urged, watching the spilled alcohol.

“I do have a faint idea.” Matt half-sniggered, really impressed by how the brunette had turned down Brian, who was currently covering his sore spot in his face with his palm.

“Okay, but I’m not cleaning up that shit,” Zack stated firmly, his arms already crossed over his chest.

“God, I'm so glad I'm not Brian!" Jimmy screeched, his eyes wide and filled with enthusiasm while he glanced over at the brunette, who was still in somewhat shock over what she had just done.

“Lynn…” Blair only sighed. She had no idea her friend would snap like this, and especially not when she knew how nervous Blair had been.

“I’m sorry, Blair. I’m gonna go home now, and hopefully never meet this jackass again.” Lynn said, referring to Brian, who was just collecting himself after the intense moment. “I’ll grab a cab, no worries. Thanks for the food. You can keep the booze, Zack.” Lynn told the host, who looked a little less annoyed now.

“Lynn, wait!” Blair called after her, chasing her through Zack’s tiny hall. “Please don’t leave!”

“You told me I was allowed to go if someone was being gross, and guess what? That guy’s fucking gross!” Lynn announced, avoiding how Blair was looking at her desperately.

Blair only watched as her friend got out of the house, looking like she was in a hurry as she walked down the porch, meanwhile she dialed a number on her phone, hoping to catch a cab as soon as possible.