The Plan
“I can’t believe she said that,” Violet fumes beside me.
I remain silent. We’re walking along the main corridor in school towards our lockers. It’s Tuesday morning and the raucous chatter of teenagers and busy surroundings are doing nothing to lift my mood. I knew when I told Violet about Tiana that she’d be as angry as I was. After all, Kaitlin was Violet’s best friend too. Even thinking about yesterday’s encounter is twisting that guilty feeling in my stomach. I have the feeling it might remain there for a while.
“I also can’t believe you didn’t give her a good slap,” Violet grumbles on, her face twisted into a scowl. “She walks around you like she owns you, Riley, and you have every right to hate her. If I were you, I’m pretty sure I’d have busted her pretty pink lips by now, at least once.”
That brings a slight smile to my face. “Oh it’s tempting.”
“You’re so nice to people.” Violet shakes her head. A cluster of folders is rested neatly on her hip, and as she strides confidently through the corridor I watch her gather the usual amount of attention. Violet is so logical, so confident. She walks, proud of who she is, and people love her for it. She continues on, oblivious of course. “It’s admirable, but she is the one person in the world you can afford to hate. And yet you don’t.”
“I just don’t see the point,” I sigh. “I don’t want to spend my time hating her.”
As we reach our lockers, we stop. We’re near the hub of Lindale High School now, and the corridor is busy with students. I open my locker and quickly slide a couple of today’s folders in.
“Saying that, a black eye would go nicely with those boots of hers,” I add.
“That’s the spirit!”
The sound of wolf whistles to the left catches my attention, and Violet and I peer over to see Alec merely ten lockers down, kissing a girl and drawing a fair amount of attention. He’s only been here a day, but just as predicted, he’s gone straight to the top of the food chain. He breaks away from her, and some but not all people move on and the attention diverts.
“Control your whoremones,” I mutter under my breath.
I look on as the girl presses one last lingering kiss to Alec’s lips.
“Chelsea!” I hear a horrified voice exclaim. “What do you think you’re doing!”
Tiana marches down the corridor, and Chelsea seems to shrink suddenly against the lockers with an expression of horror. A hushed silence falls over everyone as Her Royal Bitchiness stops in front of the quivering girl. High-heeled black boots, an icy glare and smudged mascara make for a very intimidating Tiana Cooper.
“That’s it,” Tiana hisses. “We are no longer friends. I told you to stay away from him.”
“But T-”
Chelsea’s pleas are interrupted by Tiana shaking her head.
“Save it.”
Almost as soon as the drama has begun, it diminishes. Tiana turns away and a natural conclusion settles over the crowd. Throwing me a glare, she then stalks back down the corridor with Chelsea running and yipping behind her like a little lost puppy. Everyone seems to remember to breathe once they’re out of sight. Tiana is universally feared, by everybody except maybe Violet. She’s a power figure, with lots of money and a fierce attitude. She’s crushed on by a fair amount of boys. Strangely enough, they tend to like that kind of badass Megan Fox vibe she has.
“Hey there, Greene.”
I feel a tug on my sleeve and turn my head to see Alec standing next to me, also watching Tiana storm away. “Hey,” I reply a little awkwardly. “Alec, meet Violet.” I push my locker shut and lean back to watch the interaction. I’m quite curious as to how this is going to play out. Alec’s eyes fall onto Violet and he nods, tousling his dark hair.
Violet stares blankly at him for longer than it’s comfortable. Finally she says, “I’ve heard lots about you.”
“All good things I hope.”
“Some good, some bad, some bizarre.”
“I have no idea what you’re referring to,” Alec scoffs, adjusting the strap of his rucksack. I’m pretty surprised he’s over here talking to us actually. I didn’t know he’d actually make an effort to talk to me. “That Chelsea girl,” he continues, “she says someone’s throwing a huge party tomorrow night. Are you guys going? I don’t think it’s Tiana’s.” He glances at me.
I open my mouth to say no anyway, but I’m hastily interrupted by Violet.
“Yeah we’re already going,” she says nonchalantly, even though I’m pretty sure this is the first she’s heard of it.
“Violet.” I turn to her dubiously. This definitely does not sound like a good idea. Plus, I don’t know any of Chelsea’s friends well at all, and I’m not exactly the partying type. I’ll be left on my own in a room full of strangers, knowing me.
Violet simply raises an eyebrow slightly. I know what she’s trying to say. She thinks this is a good opportunity to get one up on Alec. She also knows I haven’t been to a party since . . . well, since that night. She’s trying to tell me I need to get back out there and push myself, and I know I should, but my anxiety is holding me back more than a little bit. The doubt is still clear in my expression.
“Chicken,” Alec teases from beside me.
“I’m not a chicken!” I defend.
Alec begins to make clucking noises. If I wasn’t so irritated, I’d be laughing.
“I’m not a chicken,” I spit out through clenched teeth.
“Who lit your fuse?” he teases. “It’ll be fun. Me and the boys will be there too. You might actually enjoy yourself.” He gasps in fake shock to emphasise his point. I feel a slightly nervous twist in my stomach. I hardly know these guys, so that was not particularly comforting.
“You only have to give it a shot,” Violet reminds in a slightly softer tone, bumping lightly into my arm. “Come on, you know I’ll look after you.”
Alec begins to cluck again.
“Okay, enough from you,” says Violet immediately, stepping towards Alec, who immediately pipes down.
“Okay, okay,” I surrender. “I’ll come. On the condition I get my bra back.”
I think that’s pretty fair.
“Nice try.” Alec grins, with a furtive glance at Violet, who is still standing to attention. He hastily adjusts his rucksack again and begins walking down the corridor to his first lesson. “Have a nice day!”
As soon as he is safely out of range, I turn to Violet with a look.
Now it’s time to fight fire with fire.
Stage one of the plan for revenge: get my bra back.
I peer behind my curtains curiously. Alec went to bed twenty minutes ago, and I’m pretty sure he must be fast asleep by now. I’m clad in a typical burglar outfit – leggings and a black and white stripy top. I may look like a third grader at a costume party, but I figured the people in the movies did it for a reason.
The plan is simple. Break into Alec’s room. Find the bra. For stage two, get some revenge for the prank he pulled, and come home safe and sound in stage three. What could possibly go wrong? Well, I guess jumping out of the window could potentially cause some issues, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Or don’t come to it, as the case may be.
I pull back the drapes, looking out through the open window at the gap with a gulp. Sure it’s only a tiny gap, but if I fall then I will probably die. Taking a deep breath to ease my nerves, I climb nimbly over the window frame and stretch across onto the opposite sill. Don’t look down, do not look down. I’m not exactly the biggest fan of heights. As I prepare to launch myself over the gap, I begin to sense the familiar build up in the back of my throat. Oh no, oh no, shoot no –
“Achoo!” I sneeze loudly into the silence, freezing in my position. Did he hear that? Crap. Crap, crap, crap. I stay still for a few more seconds, but nothing stirs in the room, so I decide to take my chances. I project myself from my window ledge to his, not even giving myself time to get nervous again. Luckily, I land pretty niftily on his sill and grab his window frame to steady myself. Maybe I should pursue burglary as a career. I’ve got the uniform after all. I swing myself into his room quickly, landing softly on my feet.
His room is dark, crowded with shadows from mahogany furniture. His bed is plain white, and his desk is cluttered with photos and homework assignments. The boy himself is sprawled attractively on top of his covers, fast asleep. It’s time to find my bra, and I’ve got to be as quiet as humanly possible. Adrenaline shoots down my veins; my heart speeds up at the thought of him waking. I could never live it down if he did.
I check all the obvious places first. Under the bed, in his bureau and in his closet. Unfortunately, I can’t see anything except dustballs and deodorant. His whole room reeks of the stuff. It’s then that I turn to the more unlikely places like under his desk or on his bookshelves, but yet again I come up empty. And as time stretches on, I feel myself getting more and more jealous of the boy asleep in bed. I’m exhausted, thanks to him.
I search around the room for what feels like hours. Maybe he’s hidden it somewhere else. Is it in a different room? Or maybe it’s under the floorboards or something . . . I sigh in frustration. I think this is a mission failed on the bra front, but at least I can get revenge on him for not giving it back. My eyes have already pinpointed a permanent pen on his desk, and I know just what I want to do with it.
I grab the pen from the desk beside me and tiptoe back over to Alec’s bed. He looks oddly peaceful when he sleeps, and it’s disconcerting to see him without a smirk on his face. Cautiously, I press the felt to the skin of his upper lip and draw a long, swirly moustache. Although this idea is really overused, it’s the only one I have energy to think of. Next, I fill in the space between his eyebrows, before printing “RG” firmly in the middle of his forehead: my initials. I have to leave my mark somewhere, right?
I admire my work for a second as I place the pen back. I think that’s quite a reasonable revenge actually, considering all he’s done to me. I take a photo on my phone. If this turns into some kind of a prank war, I have ammunition.
Suddenly, Alec grunts below me and rolls over in bed. His giant arm swipes through the air, knocking the pen out of my hand. I lunge for it clumsily in the darkness and the next thing I know, my petite figure is sprawled on top of the bed, scarily close to Alec’s sleeping face. Do not move. Do not breathe. Chanting the words to myself internally, I watch through squinted eyes as Alec shifts again. He wraps his strong arm protectively round my waist, and he lets out a small snore, completely and utterly lost in his slumber. Wow, he’s a deep sleeper.
Once I’m sure it’s safe to move again, I grab for the bedside table and shift my leg back over the bed.
Alec’s eyes open.
He blinks at me. Once. Twice. Thrice. And then it hits him. He jumps a mile back in bed, cursing loudly. “Holy shit! What are you doing?”
If he hadn’t got marker all over his face at this current moment, it would be a hell of a lot easier to take him seriously.
“Riley?” he yelps, flicking a switch and filling the room with light. “What the hell are you doing in my room? Please don’t tell me we slept together, because I don’t remember a thing –”
“Are you insane?” I say, choking on the words. “Slept together? Of course we didn’t!”
Realisation dawns on his face as he wakes up more. It’s a school night. He wasn’t drunk, and I definitely didn’t sleep with him. His eyes meet mine, hardened this time. “Why are you in my room then?”
Dammit. I should have told him we slept together.
“Um, well –”
“Tell me.”
“I thought I saw a hornet in my room?” I try weakly.
“It’s the middle of the night, Riley.”
“Actually it’s kind of morning, because it’s almost 2 a.m. so, you know, that’s not really night any more, is it?” Taking one look at Alec’s face, I stop blabbering and sigh. “I was trying to get my bra back.”
“Dressed like a cat burglar?” Accusation seems to fade from his expression, replaced by obvious amusement.
“Shut up, grasshole, it was part of the plan,” I sigh.
“The plan?” Alec laughs. “What did you do, plan out stages?”
No comment.
“Freaking hell, you did!” He’s howling with laughter now, oblivious to the noise he’s making. I can feel my cheeks burning in embarrassment. If he doesn’t shut up, Marie’s going to come in wondering what the hell is wrong, and if I’m there that’s a whole lot of awkward that my poor crimson cheeks can’t stand.
“Alec, shut up – your mom’s going to wake up!” I hiss at him, batting him on the arm.
“This is going straight onto all of my social media.” He ignores my warning.
“Don’t you dare!” I snarl, but Alec is already reaching for his phone with a boyish smile. “No!” I lunge forward to grab it, missing by a whisker. If he posts that, my life will be over for good, but if I stay in here much longer then Marie might come in and see me. I need to go.
I dart towards the window and swing my legs over, not thinking of the danger before I jump swiftly onto the opposite sill, leaving Alec typing hurriedly in his room. He doesn’t even seem to notice I’ve disappeared. Despite the embarrassment of having yet another status written about me, something makes me think that being caught in Alec’s bedroom in the middle of the night by Marie would be somewhat worse. Panting a little, I slide into my own room and draw the curtains, collapsing against the heater. Now that was an adrenaline rush!
In Alec’s room I can hear Marie’s muffled voice as she tells him to shut up through his door. I escaped in the nick of time.
As if on cue, my phone buzzes.
Alec Wilde has mentioned you in a status.
Looks like I’ve just been cat-burgled! @RileyJGreene can’t keep her paws off me . . .
Alec freaking Wilde, I am going to kill you.