beauty queen of only eighteen.

“Always” she said and winked. As she felt content with how much of her cleavage was showing, she then leaned forward with a smirk. Lindsey had always known that she had an amazing body, she made sure to keep it fit. That way she could fool with people easier. “Oh they better not be. I should be the only one on your mind” she told Karina. As she looked at the bartender, she batted her eyelashes. “Hey, so I forgot my ID. Would you be a cute little angel and get me and my friend here something refreshing to drink?” she asked, tilting her head to the side as she made sure the boy could see down her shirt. When he nodded and turned around, she rolled her eyes and looked at Karina.

Karina figured she could have convinced the bartender herself, but she was entirely intrigued on how this would go for Lindsey. She has yet to see her in action and the brunette was more than willing to see where this went. “You outshine them easily, as if their below average faces could ever distract me away from you.” She said with a smirk. Karina looked between the bartender and the blonde as she watched the interaction go on between them. It was no surprise when the bartender’s eyes diverted down to her exposed cleavage before moving back up quickly. Straight men were so weak for a nice pair of tits that you could get them to do just about anything. Karina looked to Lindsey and chuckled, leaning close to whisper to her. “Straight men, so weak, so easily manipulated.”

Brook was amazed that he and his siblings had turned out the way that they had given their upbringing; maybe it was something in their DNA?  Whatever the reason, Brook was glad for it.  Shaking his head at the nerve of this guy, Brook said, “So you really, really didn’t give him a reason to think that sending you a picture of his less than stellar dick was a good idea.”  He took the phone from her, looking at the picture and stifling a laugh.  “I really shouldn’t make fun…I almost feel bad for the guy,” Brook stated, and he at least partially meant it.

No matter how their parents had raised them, Brook and Karina were trying to be their own people. They had taken the good traits from their family and yet hadn’t become mindless drones for them. A part of her no matter how much she had loved San Francisco didn’t want to move back at least to be further away from their mother. “Of course not, I’m not interested in any of those preppy douchebag boys mother is trying to set me up with.” Karina grinned at her brother’s expression as he looked at the picture. “Don’t feel bad for him, remember he sent your little sister a dick pic. I’m half-tempted to post it online and shame him for eternity.”

It was hard sometimes for Brook to see Karina as an adult since he’d known her since she was just a baby, but he needed to remind himself that she was barely even a teenager now.  Even so, he would always protect her and watch over her like any good big brother.  "Our mother is tenacious, I’ll give her that much,“ Brook replied, thinking it was a quality he’d inherited from her, perhaps the only good one.  "Wait, he sent you an unsolicited dick pic?” Brook asked, disgusted.  "What a tool.  As a man who’s sent more nudes than he can count, I can tell you it’s never okay to just send someone you barely known a naked picture.  Yeah, sometimes you have to read the situation without them specifically asking, but I’m guessing you didn’t give him even the remotest indication that you were interested.“  Smirking, Brook said, "Well, now I’m going to have to see this picture, Karina, you know that, right?”

Karina knew that no matter how old she became, she’d always be the little sister that her brothers had grown up always wanting to protect and take care of her. But she was an adult, well for a few months she was still technically a teenager but that would change once she turned twenty. And she had been living on her own for a while, being out from under the thumb of their parents was very freeing. “And she made sure that trait was passed on to all of us.” Their mother had always tried to push a lot of stuff into her children some of it had worked, some of it not. “Believe me, I was just as surprised and disgusted.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t expecting it, I never even texted him back and ignored his calls, waiting till the last possible second to block him, but then he went and sent me a sad picture of his dick.” Rolling her eyes once more and chuckling, Karina pulled out her phone, quickly opening up the text chat and clicking on the picture, “You’ve been warned, it’s so sad.” She said before handing him her phone.

“Yep, I am willing to try for you” she said and nodded, a smile of her own on her lips. As she pulled down her shirt a little so that her cleavage was showing, she looked at Karina again. “The bartenders are all boys. And I don’t swing that way, so you have nothing to worry about” she whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek before her attention fell onto the bartender.

"Well aren’t you the sweetest?” Karina smiled, watching as Lindsey pulled her shirt down to expose her already amazing cleavage. It was always great when a girl knew how to use her assets to exploit some idiot men. “And speaking from me, none are them are really that attractive.” She shivered slightly as Lindsey’s breath brushed her ear, giggling as Lindsey put her plan into action.

“I know my first ever pride involved me sneaking off with a guy or two. It was an eventful weekend and I was only 17.” The man laughed, “No alcohol was involved but I’m pretty sure it didn’t matter because I was riding a different high.” He looked around at the crowds and smiled. “You’re welcome. So, what’s your type?”

“Sounds like the best start to your years attending pride. The amount of hookups that result because of this weekend is probably too many to count.” Karina grinned as she shook her head. “Being here, around people just like you, very attractive ones, it’s pretty amazing.” She followed his gaze to the crowd, “Hmm. Blonde, sometimes brunette. Very pretty. Need to be a bit made up. Around my height or taller.”

Brook was glad this conversation was over because it wasn’t something he wanted to discuss with his sister, much like how he didn’t want to talk about what had happened between him and Ian.  So instead, Brook focused on their mother and Karina’s visit with her.  “She actually gave them your number without permission?” Brook asked, but he couldn’t even pretend to be surprised because of course she did.  “She gave mine to some girls too.  Wonder if she’d try to hook me up with some of the guys if she knew I played for that team,” Brook wondered, but he knew that his mother wouldn’t do either, especially not now that Brook had “disappointed them so terribly,” as his parents had recently told him.

It almost made her laugh at how her brother acted whenever the talk of sex came up, he usually realized they shouldn’t be talking about it but it was enjoyable to see how flustered he got once he realized it. For now they’d change the conversation and focus on what their mother had been up to. Trying to play matchmaker for her kids when it suited her and never approving of anyone they were already with. It was why she never told her about the people Karina was with or the fact that she was also attracted to women, especially a beautiful blonde one she had met at school. “You’d think after none of them worked out she would just stop. I doubt it big brother, she’s likely to do that as likely as she is to try and hook me with up with girls if she knew I was bi.” She shook her head, “You know, one of those guys actually tried sexting me? And sent a dick pic? I was not prepared for that, but his dick looked small anyways.”

Looking at Karina, she couldn’t help but smile. Clasping her hands together, she shrugged. “I could always try to charm them?” she said and tilted her head. “Unless you get too jealous, of course” she winked and waved one of the bartenders over. 

Karina rose an eyebrow at Lindsey but she couldn’t help the smile that took over her lips. “You want to try and work your magic on them?” She could have tried herself, but she was intrigued in how Lindsey would try. “Well, if your promise to go home with me instead of the bartender, I can let it slide.” She said with a wink.

Realizing he was talking about sex with his little sister, Brook paused, groaning.  “This conversation is over now,” he insisted.  “As far as I’m concerned, you don’t do that sort of thing.”  Luckily Karina didn’t push the issue even though he knew that she knew there was more to it than what he was saying.  Maybe one day he’d tell her, or maybe he’d keep it to himself.  It wasn’t something Brook really cared to discuss.  “That sounds like mom,” Brook said grudgingly.  Even though his parents cut him off, he didn’t want them to do the same to his siblings.  “It’s like marrying you off for a dowry,” Brook remarked.  “Disgusting.  But I can’t say that any of that surprises me.”

While the two siblings knew the other was sexually active, Brook being more so than Karina, it was still weird talking about with her older brother. “Oh yes, totally and officially over.” It caused her to giggle at him pretending not to know she had sex. “Yes, right, your sweet and innocent virgin sister that I am.” She couldn’t help but tease him a bit about it. Karina didn’t want to turn this conversation sour so she wouldn’t push but she’d always have inkling he was hiding most of it from her especially since he wouldn’t have known to question Ian if she hadn’t met him and told him about his job. “It’s her favorite threat.” The way her mother acted, it wasn’t fair to any of them, she had already cut off one of her children because he hadn’t gone with her plan and she knew she wouldn’t hesitate with another. Karina groaned, “I know! It’s like it’s fucking middle ages with her. She gave those guys my number too and I had to block them just to get some peace.”

“At least put a towel down before you do it, a big one,” Brook advised.  “Not doing that was a big mistake, trust me.”  He tried not to think about it because the last person he’d had literal sex on the beach with was Ian.  “I know you do,” Brook acknowledged, but that was all he gave his sister.  She knew he wasn’t telling her the whole story, but Brook intended to keep it that way.  Surprised that Karina had gone back home, Brook asked, “Really?  Why wasn’t it great?”  He wanted to ask if his parents questioned her about him, but Brook wasn’t sure what answer he was looking for.

“Uh huh, I will remember that if the mood strikes and the person I’m with are going to the beach.” Karina laughed at her brother giving her advice for sex on the beach. “But I think that’s enough sex advice for now.” She knew that getting the whole story of Brook would take a lot, it would be like pulling teeth and she definitely wasn’t a professional dentist. Hope, that was all she could do, hope that Brook would tell her the full story one day. Karina knew it wasn’t a matter of trust but more so because of how much it had affected Brook. Looking down, “I didn’t really have a choice, mom threatened to cut off my card if I didn’t come. The whole time she was just trying to make plans for me, about grad school, and then she made me meet guys of other rich ceos in hopes that I would like one and get an easy merger for the company.”

“You say that but then you hear all these stories about kids getting locked up in Coachella.” Minnie told her with a small nod of her head. “I don’t know, but I have to safely assume there will be dangerous hot girls in there.”

“Well those kids were probably idiots and didn’t play it right to get locked up at Coachella.” Karina figured you just had to play it right, figure out which bartender it would be easier to sway than the other. “Dangerous hot girl paradise maybe? Sounds worth the risk.”

“Yeah, I would,” Brook replied, not even pretending to argue.  Without his sister, Brook didn’t know what he would do.  As expected, the bartender still served Karina, but Brook told her, “I don’t know if this trick would work without me here.  He knows I’ll keep an eye on you when I’m around, but I don’t think he’d risk it when you’re not with me.”  He didn’t want Karina thinking she and her underage friends could just come here and expect to be served.  Hell, he doubted the bartender would even serve people who were with Brook if they were just friends or something; Karina being his sister made a difference.  “Sex on the beach isn’t as fun as the drink is,” Brook told Karina after they received their drinks.  “Sand everywhere.  Trust me.”  At Karina’s question, Brook sighed softly.  That wasn’t an easy question to answer.  “I’m golden,” he told Karina.  “I actually like my job, the house is awesome, and it’s great having Moose there.  Plus now that I’m single, I’m, uh…meeting a lot of new people.  So I’m golden, like I said.”  Wanting to deflect attention from himself, Brook asked, “What about you, little sister?”

One thing that would never change in this world was the love the brother and sister had for each other. Relationships and flings may come and go, but nothing could separate them, inseparable from the day she was adopted. “It’s fine, I don’t intend on using it to give every underage kid in Everwood a drink. I know my benefits stems from you and he doesn’t need to worry, or you for that matter.” She wasn’t an idiot, knowing this was a thing she could only get because of her brother, at least until she turned twenty-one. Besides she had other ways of getting alcohol outside of the bar scene, even several bottles of liquor and wine and the like at her apartment. She shook her head at the thought of sand getting into every single crevice in her body. “I bet it’s a bitch to clean out, probably feels like you still have sand for weeks after.” Karina chuckled putting sex on the beach at the back of her desired sexual activities. She watched him as he spoke, focusing on that one word, golden, repeating it twice was not reassuring. She knew Brook better than anyone and she knew for a fact he was just pushing it off, playing it up like he was okay and while her brother had been sexually active before Ian, he seemed even more certain on meeting new people than before. “You do know I’m your sister and know you better than you think.” She gave a look, “I had to go back to San Francisco for a week... Mom made me come.. it wasn’t that great.”

It had been a boring night, nothing to go by. So Lindsey was ready to go home, a yawn leaving her parted lips. Standing up, she walked and then heard a voice she recognized. “Maybe you should just try?” she shrugged and looked at the raven haired girl.

Determined to have a good time tonight, she would have found a way but as she turned at the sound of a familiar female voice, she smiled, eyes traveling over Lindsey. “Oh hey. I’ve been mulling it over for at least a minute, and I should really just get it over with. The worst is they could just say no.”

Minnie looked thoughtful, weighing out their odds as they stood there near the bar. “If you try, I’ll try.” She gave a shrug of her shoulder, “I mean - what’s the worst that could happen? We get sent to gay jail? I won’t complain.”

The worst that would probably happen is just that they’d be turned down, besides there were way too many people in here to fully police it. “Oh? Is that a deal?” Karina chuckled, “Likely we’ll just be turned down. What would gay jail be like?”

“Isn’t that what Pride is all about?” He asked with a hint of a grin and flagged down a bar tender so that he could get the girl a drink. “I’ll start you off, I’m sure you’ll be able to work your way through the night if you start fluttering your eyelashes.” Connor chuckled as he handed her the drink. “This is between us.”

“If it isn’t, I’m going to try and make it be.” Karina chuckled and watched as he motioned the bartender over to get her a drink. Pride was making people generous for which she was glad. “I bet, I could get multiple beautiful ladies to buy me a drink, especially if I circulate to different bars.” She took the drink from him and smiled at him, “Thanks stranger, and I’ll keep this secret.”

“Uh…” She pondered at the question as she glanced over at the bar, only to shake her head after. “No, I wouldn’t risk that shit and ruin the night. How ‘bout you stay here and I’ll grab you something?” Jaylen rose her brow as she waited for an answer, though she’s already stepping towards the bar.

Karina pursed her lips for a few seconds before looking at the other woman. “If anything, if it failed here, I could have just tried another bar. Plenty around.” She shrugged but smiled at her. “I won’t say no if you're willing to get me something, as for the drink... surprise me.” Free drinks was something that Karina would never turn down.

“Yeah, and if they ask you for it saying you forgot it. I think they’re more lenient for events. With so many people in here, how can they possibly check everyone? Besides, you look twenty-one!” Alice Rose smiled at her.

“Clearly, I just left my ID at home, I was just in such a rush to get to Pride especially with how big it was going to be this year. Valid reason. If they checked everyone they wouldn’t get their drinks out as fast as they are. Well, I’m almost twenty at least.”

Ian turned to see who was talking and he tensed. Seriously? She clearly hadn’t realized who she was talking to. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, probably not the best person to ask. I don’t want a drink in the face,” he said, quietly, hardly hear over the noise in the joint.

Karina bit at her lower lip when she eyed the male. She hadn’t known that it was him that was closeby and she knew that after she had found out and told Brook, well she knew it had ruined their relationship. While she didn’t want her brother to hurt she couldn’t have hid the truth of Ian’s job from him. Clearly, the breakup had been bad for them both. “If I had one... I wouldn’t have thrown it in your face or anything.”