SnowAngel:
about the want-ad thingie? i’ve seen it. it’s sick.
zoegirl:
it literally made me *feel* sick.
zoegirl:
i feel terrible, like it’s all my fault!
SnowAngel:
how is it YOUR fault?
SnowAngel:
oh, cuz of Boo Boo Bear. right.
SnowAngel:
zo, this is sooooo much worse than Boo Boo Bear OR the lying liars club. it’s in a whole different league.
zoegirl:
i’m gonna tell my mom and see if jana can be prosecuted for sexual harassment and identity theft. what she did is SO wrong. and dangerous! what if someone did a reverse phone number search and found out where maddie lives?
SnowAngel:
that is a GREAT idea, zo. but the listing is down now, right? gone from craiglist forever?
zoegirl:
doubt it’s down yet, but i reported it as inappropriate. hopefully it’ll be gone soon.
zoegirl:
but about maddie—do i tell her the truth about the post? *all* of it?
SnowAngel:
well, i don’t know how you can’t. she deserves to know.
zoegirl:
let’s tell her together. okay?
SnowAngel:
oh. um.
zoegirl:
she needs us both for moral support.
zoegirl:
i’m going to do a group text. you better reply!
Wed, Feb 22, 4:45 PM E.S.T.
zoegirl:
hi, maddie. we have some answers for you.
mad maddie:
“we”?
SnowAngel:
*waves dispiritedly* hey, mads.
mad maddie:
uh oh, i’m not liking the whole tag-team thing going on here. is it that bad?
zoegirl:
yesssssss … kind of?
SnowAngel:
yes, definitely. don’t sugar-coat it! AND it’s totally illegal, so zoe’s gonna get her mom to step in. jana’s gonna be so incredibly busted!
mad maddie:
will u tell me already???
zoegirl:
aaargh
zoegirl:
the ad says you’re looking for guys to fool around with, and that you like to … do it in front of others.
zoegirl:
and i wish i didn’t have to tell you this, but jana included a picture.
SnowAngel:
that one from sophomore year, of you with no shirt on.
zoegirl:
angela!
SnowAngel:
what? i wanted to make sure she knew which one!
zoegirl:
which other one would i mean, her class photo?
SnowAngel:
well we said we were gonna tell her the truth, but yr downplaying it cuz you feel responsible. yr making it sound like some harmless innocent thing!
zoegirl:
saying she likes to do it in front of others is some harmless innocent thing???
mad maddie:
STOP!
mad maddie:
just paste the damn thing in!
zoegirl:
it’s been taken down. i checked, and it’s gone now.
mad maddie:
can’t you hit your back button? find the page when you first opened it?
zoegirl:
i thought you didn’t wanna see it.
mad maddie:
i don’t, but you guys r making it sound 10,000 times worse than it is, i’m sure.
mad maddie:
zoe?
mad maddie:
angela?
mad maddie:
what, r you both cowering in the corner?
SnowAngel:
*glowers at zoe for being such a wimp* you heard her, zo. just show her and be done with it!
zoegirl:
oh GOD. but i’m not including the picture!
zoegirl:
here’s the stupid ad, word for word:
I like to put on a show, so not only do you have to be very hung, talented (long lasting, multiple cummer), but you have to be ok fucking a sexy 18 yr old in front of other guys. There would never be too many—three, four, or even five, I’m on the chubby side as you can see, but that just means more of me to go around. If you meet the critiria and you’re interested, call me, guys! (404) 555-0176
SnowAngel:
maddie? u there?
mad maddie:
she spelled “criteria” wrong
SnowAngel:
cuz she’s a dumbass, that’s why!
mad maddie:
the ad doesn’t mention my name. how did they know my name?
zoegirl:
from the caption on the photo
mad maddie:
which says …?
SnowAngel:
um … “misbehaving maddie”
SnowAngel:
but remember: jana’s gonna be in serious trouble for this. she is NOT gonna get away with it!
mad maddie:
well, yeah, fantastic—except she is
mad maddie:
the moms wants to press charges, too, so she emailed the craigslist ppl. there’s no way to prove who wrote the ad. nobody’s name is attached to it but mine.
zoegirl:
but you can just tell them who it was!
mad maddie:
and they’d believe me because …?
zoegirl:
what about an IP address? can’t they find the IP address the ad was sent in from?
mad maddie:
anonymous. apparently there are ways to route your IP addy through zillions of other addies so that there’s no way to know where the root source was.
zoegirl:
well, i’m sure my mom’ll have some ideas. jana *stole* your identity, that’s a criminal offense.
mad maddie:
i’m gonna tattle on her like a kindergartener? no way.
zoegirl:
but your mom does know, right? that it was jana?
mad maddie:
no
SnowAngel:
WHY???
mad maddie:
i told her it wasn’t me (duh), but that i didn’t know who it was.
mad maddie:
i’m not giving jana the satisfaction of seeing me all teary-eyed and hiding behind my mommy’s skirt. and don’t either of YOU tell, either. don’t tell anyone!
zoegirl:
maddie … don’t be like this. you’ve gotta let us help.
mad maddie:
you? or your mother?
zoegirl:
both!
mad maddie:
forget it
mad maddie:
we’re gonna have to change our phone number, that’s what the police said. it makes me so frickin mad.
SnowAngel:
want me to come get you, sweetie?
SnowAngel:
i’m gonna come get you and we’ll all 3 go out for ice cream.
mad maddie:
no, don’t. in fact i’m turning off phone. i don’t feel like talking. bye.
SnowAngel:
maddie?
SnowAngel:
did u really leave?
zoegirl:
i think she really left.
zoegirl:
crap crap crap. i hate jana so much!!!
SnowAngel:
especially cuz you know she’s laughing her butt off.
zoegirl:
you realize why maddie doesn’t wanna go to the principal, right? and why she doesn’t want me going over her head to my mom?
SnowAngel:
cuz she doesn’t want them getting involved?
zoegirl:
no, cuz she doesn’t want anyone else to see the ad. anyone who already hasn’t, that is.
SnowAngel:
ack—i didn’t think of that.
zoegirl:
did maddie s
eem … i dunno. mad at me? cuz i know this all started with the Boo Boo Bear thing, but she kept it going with the liars club prank. i mean, she’s part of this too.
SnowAngel:
she’s mad at the world. wouldn’t you be?
SnowAngel:
oh, i want to KILL jana!!!!
zoegirl:
only the sucky thing is, you can’t. i don’t want you getting on jana’s bad side too.
SnowAngel:
there’s gotta be SOMETHING we can do.
zoegirl:
“we” as in you and me? that’ll just escalate things.
SnowAngel:
so?
zoegirl:
so jana’s a nutcase. if we could bring the police in, or the school administrators, then sure. but if it’s just you who does something? who knows what she’ll do to get you back?
SnowAngel:
i’m not just gonna let it go. i refuse.
SnowAngel:
i’ll figure something out—just wait and see!
Thu, Feb 23, 11:01 AM E.S.T.
SnowAngel:
did you hear annc. about getting sized for grad. robes? how r we supposed to think about grad robes at a time like this?!
zoegirl:
impossible. maddie is shattered. she’s trying to hide it, but i can tell.
SnowAngel:
does vincent know anything? about jana and the ad?
zoegirl:
i asked. he said no.
SnowAngel:
i saw her in the hall and she was gloating—makes me so mad!
zoegirl:
okay, but don’t do anything!!!
SnowAngel:
gonna anyway. bye!
Thu, Feb 23, 5:14 PM E.S.T.
SnowAngel:
all right, maddie. you can stop worrying about jana!
mad maddie:
i can?
SnowAngel:
*beams with satisfaction*
SnowAngel:
i fixed HER wagon, i’ll tell ya!
mad maddie:
you fixed her …? huh?
SnowAngel:
i drove over to her house after school. that’s right, i went to the DRAGON LADY’S LAIR. *spooky horror noises*
SnowAngel:
i rang the doorbell multiple times to make sure no one was home, and then i went around to the back, turned the doorknob, and wala. breaking and entering, baby.
mad maddie:
you broke into jana’s house?! yr insane!
SnowAngel:
i had my cover story ready if anyone had answered the door, but i knew jana herself wasn’t there, cuz i mad-dashed out of school right when 6th period ended and jana’s trash heap car was still in the parking lot.
SnowAngel:
anyway, the house was unlocked, so i didn’t technically break in. i just entered.
mad maddie:
yeah, the cops’ll give you a medal. what were you thinking???
SnowAngel:
i was thinking that no one plays such a dirty trick on my maddie and gets away with it. i was thinking that jana needs a taste of her own medicine.
SnowAngel:
so i scoped out the house (smelled like cigarettes) and found the room which had to be jana’s, cuz of all the DVDs strewn about and the horrible black wall-hanging. and then i left a little something on her pillow. i got the idea from the senior boys.
mad maddie:
you gave jana a bag of candy hearts?
SnowAngel:
nooooooo. and not a dead rat, either, altho i swear i would have if i happened to have a spare dead rat. that’s what i WANTED to put on her pillow.
SnowAngel:
what i left was a note, which i typed on one of the school’s computers so it can’t be traced. it said, “hello, jana. what a beautiful room you have. hope you don’t mind that i popped by, and hope you don’t mind that i … never mind. seriously, don’t give it a 2nd thought. did i tell you what a beautiful room you have? so many exquisite things, just begging to be touched.” and then at the bottom, “p.s. people who are nice don’t get visits from strangers.”
mad maddie:
angela …
SnowAngel:
what?
mad maddie:
that’s extremely stalker-ish, for one thing. is that what you were going for?
SnowAngel:
exactly! *claps hands in glee* now she’ll be forever wondering who came in and what they did!
mad maddie:
no she won’t. she’ll know right away it was you.
mad maddie:
what DID you do, other than leave the note?
SnowAngel:
nothing, really. i swished her toothbrush in the toilet and shuffled around the makeup on her counter, basic stuff like that. but for all she knows, i could have done anything.
mad maddie:
wow
mad maddie:
but i still don’t understand WHY.
SnowAngel:
what do you mean? to teach her that she can’t mess with the winsome threesome! so that SHE’LL feel violated like YOU felt violated!
mad maddie:
who said i felt violated?
SnowAngel:
maddie … why r you being this way?
SnowAngel:
i thought you’d be cackling with delight!!!
mad maddie:
well, i’m not
mad maddie:
we have a new landline number now. the moms changed it first thing this morning.
SnowAngel:
i’m sorry she had to do that, but at least that’ll take care of the craigslist problem.
mad maddie:
it makes me so angry. not that it’s even that big a deal, a new phone number, but just the fact that jana could waltz in and screw with my life like that … and with my *parents’* lives like that …
mad maddie:
so i decided not to care, only now you’ve started it all up again.
SnowAngel:
no i haven’t. i’ve ended it.
mad maddie:
do you really think that? tell me yr not that naive.
SnowAngel:
*looks silently and reproachfully at friend*
mad maddie:
aaaargh
mad maddie:
i’ve got a headache, i’ve got to go. please don’t guilt-trip me, that’s the LAST thing i need!
Thu, Feb 23, 5:48 PM E.S.T.
mad maddie:
angela, you still there?
SnowAngel:
yes, i’m nursing my wounds and feeling annoyed.
SnowAngel:
i broke into jana’s house for you and you can’t even say thanks!
mad maddie:
well that’s why i’m back. so … thanx.
SnowAngel:
gee, that was so very heartfelt
mad maddie:
and to admit that maybe it was a TEENY bit funny … and satisfying … and brilliant …
SnowAngel:
*perks up* yeah?
mad maddie:
but why did you say you fixed her wagon?
SnowAngel:
i dunno, it’s an expression my grandmom uses. *adopts crabby old-lady persona*: “i fixed HER wagon, ehh ehh ehh!”
mad maddie:
it makes no sense
SnowAngel:
such is life
mad maddie:
what did zoe think of your little crime spree?
SnowAngel:
oh, zoe *shakes head*
SnowAngel:
she’s not happy. AND she thinks yr mad at her.
mad maddie:
well frankly, i was. just her whole “i’ll bring in my big bad mommy” attitude … it pissed me off.
SnowAngel:
why? she was just trying to help.
mad maddie:
i know, i know. it’s just, i don’t want her MOM fighting our battles for us. god.
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mad maddie:
but then i realized, what else can i expect? it’s not like zoe’s gonna go storming in herself. that’s just who she is.
SnowAngel:
i did, tho. cuz i am Big Bad Angela. *preens and feels tougher than zoe*
mad maddie:
and guess what? now yr gonna be next on jana’s hit list.
SnowAngel:
i don’t care. jana is NOT gonna ruin our senior yr.
SnowAngel:
*gives maddie big wet smoochie* luv ya!
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