by Aurora Yeo
Yes, I stalked them. Curious cat here, and I’m still not dead. See, curiosity does not kill the cat!
It was a Sunday night when William and I coincidentally bumped into Ryan. Though the latter did not notice us, we sure did notice him.
“I need something strong, like endless shots of vodka,” William groaned, rubbing his temples as we both stepped into the dim-lighted room. The bar was filled with people; most were men shouting at television screens as a soccer game went on.
“Will, you’re going to get yourself such a shit hangover when Monday rolls about. You won’t be able to stand straight.” Nevertheless, I raised my hand at the counter once we were there, signaling for the bartender’s attention.
“What can I get for the lovely lady and the gentleman?” He smiled, looking at William and me for a second before fishing out some bottles from under the bar counter.
“Four shots of tequila. Keep them coming once we’re done with the round.” William buried his head in his hands and groaned.
“What’s his problem?” the bartender asked, and I shrugged.
“Girl problems, I guess?” I shot William a glance; he was banging his head against the counter. I slowly pivoted to face the nameless bartender. Reading his nametag, I flashed him a brilliant smile. “Thanks again, Evan.”
“Not a problem when it comes to beautiful women.” Evan laughed, easily pouring the shots within seconds. “And I had thought that you were this poor lad’s girlfriend when you two walked in. Does that mean I have a chance at asking you out for dinner sometime?”
Evan was easy going on the eyes, I’ll admit. Standing at around six feet tall, he had a head of dirty blond hair and sparkling forest-green eyes. Although he was most certainly a sight for sore eyes, my heart already belonged to a dashing prince of my own.
“Sorry, man.” I laughed, patting William’s back rather harshly. “I’m with his brother.”
“Ah, bummer.” Evan shook his head, the smile never quite leaving his face as a set of dimples engraved themselves into his cheeks. “Maybe in another life, then.” He moved on to the other customers who were desperately calling out for their drinks, whistling a merry tune under his breath.
“That guy seems nice.” William hiccupped, picking up a shot glass between his fingers. I realized that out of the four glasses, William had already downed three and was about to finish the last shot.
“Woah, slow down there, buddy.” I pried the shot glass out of William’s hands before he could down it. “What got you in such a bad mood?”
William simply shook his head, allowing his usually perfectly gelled platinum blond hair to fall. “I’m not drunk enough for you to squeeze the information out of me, cupcake.”
My mouth opened and closed for a few seconds, gaping like a goldfish, before a familiar sight caught my eye. Sitting less than a few feet away was Ryan Smith, blatantly flirting with a redhead as she flirted right back. He was getting suggestive, standing way too close than what friends normally would as I scrunched my eyebrows.
“What’s wrong?” William asked, the shot glass placed against his lips as the liquid was drained.
“That’s Ryan right there, Summer’s boyfriend.”
Following where my index finger pointed, William turned to examine the situation. The very second he noticed Ryan place a quick, chaste kiss on the unnamed redhead’s lips, he cursed under his breath and slammed the glass against the table, making me jump.
“That fucker isn’t being loyal when he has a perfect girl as his girlfriend.”
After recovering from my initial shock at William’s abrupt actions, his words slowly processed themselves in my mind, and I smirked, my lips curving into a mischievous grin as I leaned forward. “I didn’t know that you had a crush on Summer Dollen, William.”
Once he noticed what he said out loud, his whole face flushed a brilliant scarlet. It lasted for a mere second before his anger returned, causing him to rise from his seat and turn toward Ryan. However, my little comment had thrown him off guard long enough for Ryan to make his great escape. He and the redhead disappeared from the bar, and Ryan kicked a stool to vent his frustrations.
Unfortunately for him, when Monday morning came, his luck ran out. While I hitched a ride with the triplets, Ryan was in front of the school entrance, terribly hidden behind a trash bin, kissing that same redhead girl whom he had brought home the night before. I guess everything just went out of control from there.
“Is that Ryan Smith?” Winnie gestured toward the man in question as my eyes widened.
“I knew it. I knew he was a whore, but really? In school?” I yelled out in frustration, but William hadn’t stopped to just scream. He ran, yanked Ryan out from behind the trash bin and in front of the door, and punched the boy. Ryan was on the ground, holding his eyes in pain. The nameless redhead screamed and ran as best as she could in those heels, crouching down beside Ryan.
William wasn’t having any of that, though. Before Ryan could retaliate, or even get up, he landed another punch to the boy’s stomach, followed by a kick to the chest, knocking the boy back on the ground. Face red with anger, he pulled Ryan up by the collar of his tee and raised his fist to prepare for another punch.
“Will! That’s enough.” William’s breathing was ragged as he dropped a bloody-nosed Ryan who then leaned against the wall in pain.
“Don’t let me catch you again,” William growled, took a deep breath, and walked behind me, sending occasional death glares toward Ryan.
I reached a hand out for Ryan, and he took it. “Thanks,” he mumbled, rubbing his chin.
“You’re welcome.” I gritted my teeth before pulling my fist back and slammed his face as hard as I could that his head turned upon impact, and he dropped down to the floor unconscious. “That jerk’s bone is hard as fuck,” I mumbled, shaking my hand in pain.
“What is going on out here?” A voice boomed, and the principal appeared, along with a teary-eyed Summer behind him.
I walked over to him immediately, placing on my best smile. “I was the one who hit him.” I sashayed my way toward the principal’s office, making sure to bump my shoulder roughly with Summer as her eyes practically burned a hole into my back. I smirked, knowing that this time, it wasn’t a glare. Her look already said it all. She had seen what happened with Ryan even before William and I had attacked him. Summer didn’t miss the golden shot of Ryan kissing another girl behind her back.
And there she was, a traitor with teary eyes, saying thank you for something I didn’t have to do for her.
Chapter 31
We’re all fools of the world, victims of fate.
When destiny plans something out, it will happen no matter what. I might have been the closest to Blake before, but she still found a way to tear him away from me just because she already had someone else in store for me. In Summer’s case, she and Ryan just weren’t meant to be. Destiny tore them apart once, and she came to them for the second time, tearing the couple ruthlessly down and breaking them apart for good.
After all that had happened, I doubt Summer would be stupid enough to try and get back with that ungrateful bastard. If she does, I really don’t know what to say except that she is a fool.
Destiny tends to work in mysterious ways. You never know when you’ll fall, or when you’ll rise to the clouds. It can never be predicted, and our future is always a puzzle that can never be solved. Who knows? Maybe I won’t live to see the next day. Maybe Charlotte will mysteriously become the wonderful little good poster girl she was pretending to be. Maybe Blake will even suddenly get all better.
We’ll never know what’s out there for us even when the scientists all claim that they’ve got the future all figured out. You can never figure the world out; it is simply impossible.
What happens to us are all parts of the big plan for the world. Even when we aren’t someone famous, or someone who will go down in history, we still play a part. Celebrities can’t get famous without our support as their fans,
and wars can’t be fought without us as soldiers. We all play a part no matter how small it is. It’s like being a tree in a school production. No one notices you, but should you be gone, they can definitely tell that something is missing.
I guess what I’m trying to say is all that we go through is part of destiny’s plan. We’re all her puppets as she watches us unfold her said plans and carry on the world for her. Whatever happens is inevitable, and we can’t turn back time. It is all meant to be.
So, I’d like to think that my punishment for knocking Ryan out like a light was what destiny planned. I couldn’t escape it, and I didn’t want to escape it, so I won’t. Sitting there in the principal’s office might have been one of the most frightening things for me before all this drama began. But right then, let’s just say I already made myself at home.
“Avery, please stop looking through my documents.” The principal sighed, rubbing his hand over his face.
“Sorry, uncle, it’s just you have nothing to hide anyway,” I said, flipping through the papers with my legs crossed on the chair.
“Avery, do you know how much trouble you just got yourself into?” My uncle, who was conveniently the principal, sighed, grabbing the documents out of my hands as I flashed my sweetest smile at him.
“I stood up for my friend. Ryan Smith is nothing but an absolute manwhore, and I punched him for her.” I smiled, shrugging slightly. “I don’t think that standing up for my friends is counted as an offense, Mr. C.” I laughed at his slightly shocked expression before he regained his composure.
“Avery, you attacked him on school grounds.”
“I punched him once. I didn’t attack him like a wild animal.” I smiled, professionally crossing my fingers over my lap.
“Avery, what are your mother and father going to say about all this?” He sighed and rubbed his temples as I laughed.
“Sorry, uncle, I guess it just has to be a secret.” I laughed, leaning over the table and patting him on the shoulder, and left for the cafeteria.
Ah, the perks of having your uncle as your principal.
Skipping class to slack around in the cafeteria was really just one of the most joyful things ever in my “career” as a rebel. Just think about it, every other unlucky student was stuck in class with a teacher who didn’t want to be in there as much as the students themselves, while I not only managed to escape the punishment that would have been inevitable if I were any other student, but also managed to skip class to just relax with a nice granola or candy bar.
Life is sweet, sweeter than a mixture of caramel and honey.
Plopping myself onto the cheap plastic chairs of the school cafeteria, I kicked my feet up on the chair next to mine and sighed, unwrapping that promised granola bar slowly, slightly licking my lips in anticipation. Just as I was to take a bite of that sweet sticky goodness, the sound of someone clearing his or her throat made me pause and look away from my little snack.
“Yes?” I raised an eyebrow as the girl in front of me shifted her weight from one leg to another.
“I know you’re not exactly the happiest with me, and I really have to say I’m sorry for what I did, but thank you.” Summer fiddled with her fingers, and I crossed my legs.
“Now, honey, what did you do to make you feel that you have to apologize?” I smiled sarcastically at her, my voice sickly sweet as I tilted my head slightly to the left in feigned ignorance, sarcasm leaking in bucketloads.
“I know it’s not you who hooked up with Ryan. I don’t know why Charlotte lied to me, but I found out that you weren’t the one from multiple people. I guess I’ve just been so blinded by my infatuation to properly see the truth.”
I immediately thought of the one person who could have ever possibly threatened Summer.
Wesley, you’ll never learn the fact that you shouldn’t just persuade your victims. You have to scare them, darling.
“And what you did for me when Ryan…when Ryan cheated on me, I really appreciate it, since you still did it for me even after what I did.”
“I’m not forgiving you, you know.” I exhaled, my expression serious. “Not immediately, at least. I just don’t think anyone has to suffer through that, that unnecessary hurt.” I flipped my hair over my shoulder, sighing. “Maybe except Charlotte,” I mumbled under my breath.
“I know, I’m not asking for your forgiveness.” Summer lowered her gaze to her hands as she played with her fingers.
“Maybe in due time, Summer, but there is something you deserve to know.” A smirk found its way to my lips as Summer looked up.
“What?” Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as my face held a full-blown grin.
Everything was falling exactly into place, the slot in a puzzle it was meant to fit in, another step toward Charlotte’s breakdown.
“I know exactly who the girl who was with Ryan last time.”
Oh, I guess I was just that bad, bad girl. The hurt just never ends that quickly. Summer may no longer be infatuated with Ryan, but revenge would definitely burn through her veins once she finds out how betrayal feels like.
Just like me, she would learn it the hard way.
Chapter 32
I am truly curious to know if you have ever gone through the experience of suddenly finding out something that you wanted to know for so long, only to realize what a shock the truth really is. I know I had personally gone through that traumatic experience; it was surely something I never want to ever go through again. The shock just shakes your entire world up and causes you to lose the stable footing that you tried so hard to achieve.
I had gone through it when I found out about Blake’s health, his reason for abandoning my side as both a boyfriend and a best friend. And truly, I had forgiven him because what he did was not in his interest, but what he thought was mine.
In Summer’s case, things were not going to go that smoothly. Once she finds out the truth, she would want to tear off Charlotte Brooke’s head. In fact, she would want to tear off every limb of Charlotte’s body. During lunch break, trying to discreetly drag Miranda away from her usual table and toward the yard where I ate with Wesley, Winnie, and William during lunch was probably the most difficult thing I had ever done.
Charlotte kept on sending death glares to all of us when she noticed how we left just moments after her new “best friend” Summer did. Since Blake needed to return to the hospital for checkups, Charlotte spent most of her time with Summer, only visiting Blake after school hours. From what I had heard, though, Blake didn’t even bother to entertain her for long.
When I visited him, he seemed to be happier, even if he was lying on the hospital bed with a deadly illness coursing his veins. For once, he seemed genuinely happy. Thinking back, his happiness with Charlotte looked pretty darn forced, and true to that, he told me that he was only with Charlotte to try to move on when I last visited him.
Back to the topic, Miranda spilled everything out to Summer in the school yard with Wesley, William, Winnie, and me as an audience, witnessing how her eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed red with anger. Truly, I believed that she was more irritated with Charlotte than Ryan. If I were Summer, I honestly wouldn’t even give a rat’s ass about Ryan’s well-being, regardless if he was the victim or the culprit in this.
What happened next was truly the most amusing thing I had personally ever witnessed. Summer stormed through the school while cursing out every single profanity known to mankind, and once she reached the cafeteria, she poured the bowl of spaghetti that belonged to another poor student onto Charlotte.
What a sight to behold!
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Charlotte’s good girl image officially dropped when she screeched those words out. She desperately tried to wipe away all the spilled tomato sauce from her light green sweater.
“You, that’s what’s wrong! You are nothing but a lying bitch!” Summer yelled back before leaping through the air and pouncing on Charlotte, tackling her to the ground in a cat fight.
Soon
enough, food was thrown across the whole place, and a food fight had broken out. In the midst of it all, the four of us, the triplets and I, all stood at one corner and watched the entire thing unfold accordingly, laughing our butts off.
“Man, did you see the look on Charlotte’s face? Priceless!” Winnie laughed, half choking on her own spit as William patted her back soothingly.
“It makes almost everything worth it.” I grinned as Wesley’s arm snaked around my waist, pulling me nearer to his towering figure.
“You’re my little devil.” Wesley chuckled into my hair as I turned back to wink at him, a sinister grin resting upon my features.
“I do what I’m best at.” With that, the four of us left the back door of the cafeteria laughing as a few teachers stormed in, yelling their heads off at all the students. Slipping away unnoticed by the teachers, all of us quickly crossed the parking lot, got into the car, and sped away from school.
With all the drama that was happening in school, along with the problems between Summer, Charlotte, and Miranda, I knew that there was no way I could properly listen to class with all of my heart. With my attention split between so many things, it was best for me to just leave right in the middle, spending my time wisely instead of sitting through another class knowing that I would just fall asleep. After all, like I said before, I already knew the syllabus like the back of my hand.
***
William and Winnie dropped off the both of us, Wesley and I, after a day of complete chaos in the mall. We barely even stayed for a while before Wesley had declared that it was time for us to be off somewhere else, and just like that, I was tugged away from the shopping mall and toward our next location. The sun was already beginning to set when Wesley tugged me across the deserted beach with a bandanna covering my eyes.