by Raathi Chota
“Then the seventh graders dunked his head in red paint and hung him on the flagpole!” I scrunched my nose up and laughed.
“Yeah…but now if anyone speaks of it, he wants them dead,” he mumbled. Benny Nielson was known to have a short temper; that’s why he always took out his anger on me. Every time he did, I saw something in his eye, something like regret or guilt.
“Well, then, Carter Halls, get out your best black attire, because you’ll be seeing me in a coffin soon.” I laughed as I held up the two papers, which were photographs of Benny in his Batman pajamas and red paint all over his face while up on the flagpole.
“No way, Lana. He’s going to kill you,” Carter said as he took the pictures.
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“All right. What’s the plan?”
***
It turned out Dad had a lot of work to do, so he stayed at the station and Mom didn’t come home until three a.m. She was exhausted and went to bed immediately. We stayed up and talked about the plan and messaged the rest of the guys, so they’d be in too. Funny that they were up late. Aidan demanded that we join a group chat, so we finally put the chat to use:
Ethan: Gotta hand it to you, Lana, that’s a foolproof plan.
Blake: Yeah, how’d you think of it so quick?
Aidan: Ugh, please. Where do you think she gets her mischief skills from? ;)
Lana: Carter :)
Blake: How the heck did you get help from him?
Lana: I showed him the picture.
Ethan: How?
Lana: His right here…
Aidan: *He’s
Lana: Whatever -.-
Aidan: You’re not so smart after all.
Blake: What the hell is blondie doing in your house?!
Carter: Snuck in. ;)
Aidan: And to think we dropped you off! You could have invited us too!
Lana: I didn’t know! He climbed through my window while my dad was here…
Ethan: I’m coming.
Blake: Me too.
Aidan: Yay! Party!
Lana: No! Hell no! No party! Nobody is coming!
Blake: But you let him in…
Lana: I didn’t!
Ethan: Then kick him out!
Carter: I’m right here, y’know, and it’s almost 4 a.m.
Lana: Yeah, see you guys at school. Byee…
Aidan: Use protection!
Ethan: WTF Dude, don’t give them ideas!
Carter: Lana’s phone died, see you in the morning, guys. Someone is getting it tonight!
Blake: Screw you, dude…touch her, and I’ll smack that smirk right off your face.
Aidan: You better sleep with one eye open tonight.
Carter: Oh, I will as I watch Lana’s beautiful body right next to me.
Ethan: I will rip your ball sack off and beat you with it!
Aidan: BrUh too far.
Blake: Yeah, dude, just got a freaking visual of that.
Chapter Seven
Lana
I woke up early since Carter stayed the night. It was risky to sleep together. Other than that, it was comforting since he played with my hair as I fell asleep in his arms. I groaned and checked the time. Seven a.m. and Mom was still asleep. I got up to get my clothes, then walked to the bathroom, still half asleep. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. The shower was on. I wasn’t in the shower, and I forgot about Carter. My eyes widened as I saw the tall blond in my shower.
“Carter!” I squealed, then turned away. I looked back and sighed in relief. The towel rack on the shower door covered him from his waist down, so I only saw his bare chest. He smirked at me, so I scoffed and looked back at the mirror. I brushed my teeth while I waited. The water stopped, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him get out. Thank goodness, my parents’ room was on the other side of the house while mine was on its own with my own bathroom. Carter walked out with a towel draped around his waist as he strolled to my room. I closed the door and got undressed, then jumped in the shower. I let the hot water fall onto my body as I ran shampoo in my hair. I saw movement once again. I turned around and squealed once again. “Carter freaking Halls, what the hell are you doing?” I demanded as I bent down to the towel’s length as it covered my chest.
“Nothing I haven’t seen before, babe,” he said. I rolled my eyes as I stared at him. He went to the mirror and took the comb, brushing his hair. “It takes time to get my hair to look this good.” I rolled my eyes as I watched him put the gel in, which belonged to Levi. The hair gel was from last summer, so it was more solid and made the tips of Carter’s hair hard. He didn’t seem to care, though, and tried his best to smooth it out.
“You’re going to be late…and you are wasting water.” I scoffed and slowly turned around; my back faced him as I washed my hair. I looked over my shoulder and saw he was gone. I sighed in relief as I turned off the shower and walked out. I put my clothes on, then brushed my wet hair. I walked back to my room to see Carter put his clothes on.
“Do you always carry extra clothing in your bag?” I asked as I leaned against the door.
“Yep…gotta have a spare shirt,” he said as he put on a plain black shirt with the same jeans and shoes from yesterday. He walked to the window, and my eyes widened.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t wanna get caught now, do we?” He winked at me, and before I replied, Carter jumped on the tree outside the window and made his way down. I watched him as he walked to his truck across the road and waited. I strolled downstairs to the kitchen, where my mom turned on the kettle.
“Morning, Mom.”
“Morning, hun.”
“How’d you sleep?”
“Came home at three in the morning. The woman was in labor for eleven hours. I need more sleep,” she said, then stirred her tea. “Dad will be home soon. How was your night with Mr. Blondie?” she asked, then wiggled her brows. My eyes widened as Mom stared at me, grinning.
“What?”
“You’re both heavy sleepers, Lana,” she said, then sipped her tea.
“Mom, please…don’t tell Dad,” I begged as I clasped my hands together.
“I won’t. Why was he here, though?” She raised a brow.
“We were…busy with a project and lost track of time, so I said he should stay over.”
“And he couldn’t stay in the guest room?”
“I thought we were getting it ready for the Radcliffs?”
“Oh, Lana…did anything happen?”
“No, Mom, no! Carter’s a friend,” I said as I got up. She mumbled something, but I ignored it as I walked to the door. I heard voices outside as I opened the door.
“Lana!”
“Lana, come on, we’re gonna be late!”
“Willson, hop on!”
“Lana, don’t go with him!”
My eyes widened as I saw Carter’s truck in my driveway, Ethan’s car in the street, Aidan’s car opposite him, and Blake’s motorcycle on my lawn. It was ridiculous.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked as I looked at them.
“I was here first!” Carter yelled.
“Shut up, Halls.” Blake rolled his eyes, and I noticed his swollen eye.
“Come on, Lana…who’s it gonna be?” Aidan asked from his car. I looked at all of them as they stared at me. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. They got out of their vehicles and stood in front of me while they glared at each other.
“What happened to you guys? Are you serious? Last week, you were all walking down the hall, best friend shit…now you’re fighting for who gets the girl?” I asked, then bit my lip to prevent a sudden laugh. “That’s just sad.”
“Well, of course, we would consider what happened last night with you and—”
“Nothing happened. Yeah, he stayed over, but nothing happened. He’s just idiotic.” I cut Blake off as I glared at Carter.
“Oh…” Blake, Aidan, and Ethan said in unison.
“So,
are we cool now? I don’t want things to be awkward while I’m hanging out with you guys,” I said, then bit the inside of my cheek. They nodded simultaneously, yet a car honk behind them disturbed us.
“What the hell is this?” a familiar voice asked. I looked up to the person I did not want to see. The guys turned around and stiffened as Dad got out of his car, slamming the door.
“Morning, Daddy, how was work?” I asked as I stepped forward. I heard the guys snicker behind me, and I knew they’d tease me afterward, but I didn’t care. I was frustrated.
“Was all right. Why are they here? And whose cars and—” He cut himself off when he looked at the motorcycle. “And what the hell is it doing on my lawn?”
“Sorry, Sheriff. There was nowhere else to park it,” Blake said as he shrugged his shoulders. Well, it was true since the rest of the guys took up the rest of the space with their vehicles.
“I’ll ask Lana again. What are they doing here?” Dad asked, then rubbed his temples. I glanced over my shoulder to see their awkward stares.
“Err…they wanted to give me a ride to school,” I mumbled and watched as my dad turned to the motorcycle.
“Well, you’re no way in hell getting on that thing,” he said. I tried so hard not to laugh as I looked at Blake, who glared at my father. “Why are you all here? I thought Ethan took my daughter to school.”
I looked at Ethan, who smirked; I rolled my eyes as I glanced back at Dad. Of course he’d choose Ethan; he got discounts on all his sportswear, and Ethan’s family was well known in Illinois.
“Well, Dad, I’ve been on each and every one of these vehicles, and I can assure you, they are lovely drivers and keep me safe.”
“Well, go ahead…and have a nice day.” Dad sighed, then ran a hand through his hair. My smile grew as I looked at the boys; they were like dogs, waiting for me to throw the stick—in this case, to tell them who I’d go with.
“I’ll see you guys in school,” I said, then walked past the motorcycle, around the truck, and through Aidan’s and Ethan’s cars. I stepped on the side of the road and turned around to see their stares. Dad, on the other hand, had a satisfied look as he walked into the house. They stared at each other, then raced to their vehicles. My eyes widened, as I knew what they’d do. I ran when I heard their vehicles, reason being that I didn’t choose any of them because I didn’t want any favoritism. They’d fight, and it would make things awkward. I ran with all my might as to not to get them to pull up next to me. I looked back and saw Blake on his motorcycle. I ran faster as I heard a car’s motor idle. I looked back once more to see Ethan’s car right next to Blake, and it’s as if Blake’s motorcycle came to life at the sound it made. I panted as I ran to the next road; I couldn’t hear their vehicles as I took the corner, but something did stop me: Aidan’s Subaru right in front of me as he blocked the way.
“Come on, Lana, we’re gonna be late!”
I turned around, but a big truck stopped in front of me. I looked to my left and saw Ethan’s car. A step closer and I’d be on top of the vehicle. I looked to the right and saw Blake’s motorcycle; his back faced me as he scooted to the front and made space for me to sit. I glanced over Carter’s truck and saw the way out. Their vehicles cornered me, and in that time, I hatched up a plan. I jumped on Blake’s motorcycle with my right foot and pushed my left foot onto Carter’s bonnet. I stood on his truck as I heard Aidan’s honk. I smiled at Carter, then winked at him as I climbed on the roof of his vehicle then jumped in the back. I quickly jumped off before he drove off and made my way to school.
***
“How’s life?” Miranda asked as she leaned on the locker next to me.
“Like every day…shit.”
“So far, you’re doing pretty good, Willson. Isn’t it weird that you rock up to class with the guys and every time you have an excellent excuse?” She tilted her head.
“Nah…just another week, then I will be Benny Nielson free.” I smiled as I thought of their protection when I win, yet I’d have to stand up for myself sooner or later.
“What if you lose?”
“Oh, hush, Miranda. That’s a big if.” I waved her off. If I did lose, I’m supposed to be their little puppet for the rest of the school year. Not how I wanted to spend the rest of my senior year.
“Have you heard the latest gossip?” She changed the subject. I raised an eyebrow at her and shook my head. “Rumor has it that Them roughed up half of the team yesterday,” she whispered. I narrowed my eyes as to why Blake, Ethan, Aidan, and Carter would beat up half of the team. Then it hit me.
“W-Why?” I let out a shaky voice. She shrugged as we walked down the hall. Ethan’s lip, Aidan’s bruises on his arms, Carter’s jaw, and Blake’s eye…they beat up those guys from yesterday. For me.
“Lana? Hello?” Miranda snapped me out of my gaze. I glanced up to see a muscular guy who smiled at me.
“Hmm?” I asked as I took in his messy brown hair and sweet smile.
“This is Marcus, the guy I was talking about the other day.”
“Hi.”
“Hey, Lana. I know we haven’t talked much, but since I’ll be seeing you a lot, why not start, right?” He chuckled. I laughed too, but my focus was on something else. They beat up Benny Nielson for me. I didn’t know how to feel about it. Well, once I saw Benny, then I’d understand. I walked into Physics, and I could’ve sworn I didn’t recognize Liam, Nick, and Benny as they sat right in the front. Their faces weren’t pleasant. Benny looked the worst with his blue eye and vivid bruises all over his face. He glared at me as I walked past him, then suddenly, I was on the floor.
“Ouch!” I yelled, as I’d seen him trip me. He muttered something under his breath, but I blocked it out as I pushed myself up. The teacher entered the class, and I quickly walked to the back of the room. Benny looked over his shoulder with a blank look, to which I scowled. He didn’t know what would come to him.
***
“Is your revenge on Nielson still in place, ma’am?” Aidan asked as we walked down the hall.
“Of course. Little son of a bitch should get what he deserves!” I said as we walked to the gym. It was lunch, and the football team practiced for tonight. Like always, Coach Harris pushed them for yet another big game. Revenge on Nielson was in place. Everyone knew what they had to do, and nothing should get in our way. The team was out on the field as we walked past the gym and into the boys’ locker rooms. The smell of cologne mixed with sweat hit me as we entered. I scrunched my nose as we walked to Benny’s locker. With Aidan’s lockpicking skills, we quickly got it open and grabbed his clothes, then replaced them with a similar shirt that Benny wore. Aidan walked into the shower rooms and did what he had to do while I kept guard. We heard footsteps from the field and hid in Coach Harris’s office as the team came in. Ethan took off his shirt, which revealed his toned abs, and of course the rest of the team did the same. We saw Benny open his locker, and I tensed if he’d notice. I sighed in relief as he opened it to dump his sweaty tank top; he closed it and strolled to the showers. Ethan was already by the showers; it was only him and Benny in there. After five minutes, Ethan came out with a towel around his waist and Benny’s gym shorts. Which meant Benny showered and Ethan did his part, which was distract Benny as he took his clothes. Ethan dumped the shorts in the trash, then walked to Benny’s locker. The lock was open, so Ethan took out the shirt and threw that in the garbage too. Five minutes later, Benny came out with a towel around his waist as he dried his hair with another. Laughter erupted around the room as he took the towel off his head. Aidan and I chuckled behind Coach’s desk as we looked at Benny.
“What?” he asked as they pointed and laughed at him. He opened his locker and looked in the mirror. I swear his face was as red as his hair. When Aidan went into the showers, he put red hair dye in Benny’s conditioner and a little bit of bleach in his shampoo. Benny’s dark hair was replaced with a red blob. I laughed as Aidan and I walked out of the office and stood in front of Benny. T
he rest of the team’s eyes widened, as some of them were half naked, and covered their crotches. I rolled my eyes and looked at Benny again. I glanced over at the rest of the six-pack beauties in the room and noticed they took out their phones to take pictures of Benny’s hair.
“Where the hell are my clothes?” Benny yelled as he turned to Aidan and me.
“Looking for this?” Aidan asked as he raised his clothes. Benny reached forward, but we ran out of the room. I was in front of Aidan as we moved, and I looked back and saw Benny right behind us while he held up his towel.
“Lana!” Aidan yelled as he threw the clothes. I caught them with ease and ran down the hall. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aidan attempt to pull Benny’s towel off as he ran after me, but Benny pushed him, then fixed his attention on me.
“You’re going to be screwed, Willson!” he yelled. I ran faster this time. As I ran, I saw people’s eyes widen as we ran past them. I looked up and saw the place where I needed to go and opened the doors, which caught everyone’s attention. I stood in the middle of the cafeteria as Benny ran in. I searched the room for natural blond locks and saw him in the corner with a projector. Carter sat with Miranda and Marcus; he gave me a nod, then looked at the wall. The cafeteria went silent as everyone looked at me. Benny walked closer but stopped when everyone laughed, yet some gasped. He looked at the wall and saw the picture of him from fourth grade in Batman pajamas, hanging from a flagpole with a red face. I looked at him as he glared at me. “Lana…give me my clothes, then I’ll decide whether I’ll kill you now or later.”