You swallow hard. You need to get rid of Jessica to stay with the plan, but she won’t leave until they know Mikey has a chance with Lindsey or not. You could intervene, but that puts you at risk. Jessica knows your quirks by now, and probably knows Sonya’s - and even if she doesn’t, the longer you stay, the more people will notice something’s off with you.
But it’s a worthy risk. For one, you’d be helping your girlfriend on her own plan, gaining some leverage. And if someone questions you, all you need to do is to channel Sonya’s inner bitch. You stop your companions, calling them close. “Let me deal with this. It won’t take long.”
“That’s Jess,” Bobby asks. “Right?”
“Like I said, I’ll deal with this.” You sway your way towards them, feeling the harsh glare from Kelly’s green eyes. You hover around Lindsey, being as serious as possible. “This kid’s bothering you?”
“They’re just talking,” Kelly says in his defense.
“Is that true?” you ask Mikey, trying your best not to look at Jessica.
“Uh... P-pretty much.”
“Is he boring you?” you ask Lindsey, resting your elbow on her shoulder. She shakes it off, bothered.
“None of your business,” she hisses.
“What I get for helping,” you joke, prompting an odd look from Kelly. “Listen - it’s obvious the kid’s trying, but you’re not too keen with the idea. Let’s make this quick – I need to talk to you both.”
“About what?”
“Squad stuff,” you bark, a little head jerk suggesting you don’t want to do it in front of Jessica. “Lindsey, do you like him, or are you just humoring him?”
Kelly’s eyes open wide, while Lindsey’s neck slumps. “Like I said, none of your business.”
“Even If it's not, you should be honest to yourself. Look – the kid wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t looking for you. He made the first step – even if he had to bring two winggirls to help him.”
“Sonya,” the junior blonde demands in a huff. “If you want me to drop him, just tell me and--”
“I never told you to drop him,” you correct her. “You’re standing there, seeing how Kelly and the other girl strut his feathers--”
“The name’s Jessica,” your girlfriend says, furious that you pretty much ignore her. (But that’s what Sonya would do, no?)
“You heard Jessica.” You grab Mikey’s chin, and you feel the hard gulp from his jaw. “The kid looks obviously interested in you, but he’s afraid to tell you. Just coming here, surrounded by all these people, takes guts. He’s waiting for an answer – are you gonna ditch him or give him a chance?”
“I was just talking to him!” Lindsey says, trying to get away – only for you to hold her while Kelly interposes before her. “You don’t have to control my life!”
“I’m just trying to help you be honest with yourself. You think I care who you choose to be with?” After a little whipping, you lift up the poor kid. “He’s not bad looking,” you say as you look at him, checking his clothes. “Maybe if he didn’t dress like a dork.”
“Hey!” Jessica says in his defense.
“But he’s got a nice haircut and isn’t fat and bloated. I bet he must be a genius or something.”
“Not really,” Mikey tells you, trying to be humble.
“I heard you were going straight to Tynemouth,” you tell him. “Not everyone enters – you either have to be rich or snatch a scholarship. How did you get in, by the way?”
As Mikey mumbles nervously, Kelly speaks in his defense. “The Julius Gardner program.”
That was the program Tina tried to get in... You don’t know much about it, but you know something – a combination scholarship and early access program, where the student spends their last semester at Tynemouth taking college classes as electives that qualify for college credits. “Well, look at that!” you boast. “You’d better make your move, Lindsey – he'll be bound to Tynemouth real soon.”
“Sonya, what the hell’s wrong with you?”
You feel the head cheerleader won’t take this affront lightly, especially when everyone’s eyes land on you. You summon all your imaginary bitch feels and your leadership to make a decisive move. “If you want someone like Ethan or Jackson as your boyfriend, stop dilly-dallying and send him off. If you have any interest in him, ask him for a date. Will it kill you to stand up for yourself?”
“No, but you don’t have to make a fuzz out of it in front of everyone!”
“You want to be the next captain? Here’s my advice. Grab the ox by the balls.” (You figure that might sound Chinese enough to feel smart.) “Your boyfriend and your friends won’t make you popular.” You dig your index in her clavicle, narrowing your eyes. “So what’s it gonna be?”
Pressed by you, Lindsey finally makes a decision. “Mikey? You’re cute, but you’re not my type.”
“There,” you chew her. “Was it that hard for you?” You point at Leah, who’s amused at the exchange, and beckon her with your finger. “Leah? Come. Kelly, Lindsey, you and I need to have a talk. Meghan, keep an eye on the other girls.”
“Uh...” The two women look at each other, baffled. “Sure.”
“And as for you?” you tell Mikey, seeing the heartbreak in his face. “Don’t let this take you down. You’ve got good friends. Prize them. And don’t bother looking for people here – try Tynemouth once you get there. Who knows – you'll probably snatch a rich girl. Just work on your confidence, alright?”
“Um...” You swear you can see awe in the young kid’s eyes. “Y-yeah. Th-thanks.”
“Anytime.” From a tender grin, you point at your victims and beckon them. “You three. Follow me.”
After Kelly and Jessica arrange to call themselves, you speak no word until you’re out of sight. You know Kelly and Lindsey will ask questions, so you stop them before they do. “Lindsey, did it hurt rejecting him?”
“You could’ve let me handle this,” she says.
“The way I look at it, you needed my help more than he needed Kelly’s. Who cares if that kid isn’t packing abs? I didn’t choose Ryan because of his looks.” You hear Kelly snort, and you notice how she rolls her eyes. “You’re the one that makes her own popularity. This isn’t a competition. This is about confidence. Did you really find him cute, or did you tell him that--?”
“I did, but I thought he was more confident.”
You piff, annoyed. “Judging by your reaction, I’d say he’s your type. Don’t expect boys to follow you if you’re that indecisive. How many boys have asked you, by the way?”
“You’re not my mom,” she grunts. “Besides, where are we going?”
“Somewhere private where no one can see us. Don’t want other people to hear.”
“And what about Ethan? I thought this was--?”
“He’ll keep watch while we talk, Kelly. Can you keep the questions for when we arrive?” As you silence them, you move towards your companions, calling them close. “I’m gonna send Kelly first – that's the short-haired blonde. If something happens, hold them and don’t let them leave.”
You’re unsure if Sonya’s bossy tone is doing all the lifting or if some of her attitude’s rubbing on you, but unlike the other girls, they agree without question. If it weren’t because you need to stick to the plan, you’d savor this demonstration of power more evidently.
As you finally arrive at the shack, the girls questioning you with their eyes, you tap Kelly on her back. “Alright, let’s get in.”
“What’s this place? Can’t we talk outside?”
“Like I said, I don’t want anyone seeing us.”
“I don’t have good feelings about this place,” Lindsey points out – correctly, but unfortunately for her, too late. “I don’t have good feelings about this whole thing at all.”
“You’re such worrywarts...” You open the door, voicing a subtle warning. “I’ll go first, alright? So that you can see this is a safe place.” You step in, looking at all the potential hiding spots; your other companions seem to be in sync, as they remain hidden. “See? Nothing to worry about.”
“I just don’t get why you’d cite us here,” Kelly says as she follows you. You move as deep as you can inside the shack to give whoever has the pen space to aim – only to feel a funny-smelling rag on your nose, knocking you out.
As you fade, you wonder what made them change plans one more time...
--
You wake up swiping your closed fist to whoever’s in front of you. “Ow!” you hear Leah say, and as you bat your eyes, you notice she’s holding something in her hand. “What’s the big idea?”
“I could ask the same,” you tell her. “What was that all about?”
“To make things more believable,” you hear Kelly say, proving all switches were made. “That’s Eric’s idea, by the way.”
“And how is knocking me out making things more believable?”
“Gives you plausible deniability,” you hear a mousy voice speaking, and as you turn around, you notice a slim, short girl that doesn’t appear like a junior. Compared to how stacked the other girls are, she looks out of place – if not because of her supple, athletic body. Her black hair and almond-shaped eyes makes her look like Sonya’s cousin.
“Who’s that?” you ask.
“I said I wanted Olivia, don’t you remember?” (That means she must be Eric.) “I asked Bobby to find her for me and to tell Meghan to distract Mackenzie.”
“Why?”
“I’ll explain on the way but we’ve gotta move on. Brett and Bobby are running a distraction; we’ve got only a little time before someone sees us here.”
“Then what?”
“We need to move. Take the bus or something. We’re gonna meet at the hideout.”
“But they must’ve arrived here somehow.” You look for Sonya’s purse, checking her keys. You find her car key and whistle at the brand. You could ask one of them to move the car and meet you down the road – that way, you could leave without being seen, and without the need to return.
And you could move someplace else – without the need for money.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author