Bad Girls

by Aurora Yeo

  “Why are you being so mysterious?” I laughed, carefully trying to follow Wesley as he gently led me towards wherever he was headed.

  “Because I can,” he replied haughtily, and I could already imagine him sticking out his tongue like a child.

  “You know I hate surprises.” I pointed it out to him, but I heard him scoff.

  “That’s what every girl says, but they still go ‘Oh em gee! How sweet, baby!’ whenever a guy gives them a surprise.” I pictured Wesley rolling his glowing chocolate brown eyes while he said that. His voice also went an octave higher when he tried to imitate a girl’s voice, causing me to burst into laughter.

  “That is actually surprisingly accurate.” I laughed as our pace began to slow down.

  I felt Wesley’s fingers brush against my neck as he carefully untied the bandanna. I opened my eyes slowly, and my jaw unhinged when I noticed what was before me: a red and white checkered picnic blanket laid on the soft white sand with a small picnic basket resting on top of it. Two glasses of scented candles rested at each side of the basket, illuminating the whole place since the sun was already setting behind us.

  I turned and smiled brightly at Wesley as a thought came to my mind. Pouncing into Wesley’s arms, I laughed at his shocked expression. “Oh em gee, Wesley! You’re so sweet, baby!” I imitated his tone, laughing in a voice about a pitch higher than my original voice, and Wesley chuckled at my joke, wrapping his arms around me.

  “Only the best for my girl.” He winked, causing me to blush slightly under his playful gaze.

  I silently thanked the heavens that it was already starting to get dark as I plopped myself onto the blanket and crossed my legs as I opened the picnic basket. Too eager to hide my crimson face from Wesley’s line of sight, I began to dig through the picnic basket.

  “Since we already ate dinner back with my two idiotic siblings, I thought maybe have dessert?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at me as I rolled my eyes. “Joking. Don’t be such a prude, Ava. Relax. Seriously, though, I brought desserts.” He pulled out two little mason jars, and I laughed when I noticed his excited little expression as he held the two glass jars beside his face.

  Still laughing slightly, I held one of the jars and opened it. Inside of the glass jars was mainly fruit with yogurt, along with some cookie crumbles. Retrieving a spoon from the basket, I began to nibble away at the simple yet delightfully sweet treat, leaning against Wesley as the stars slowly appeared in the sky before us.

  The stars twinkled like a thousand little lights above the smooth waves, the sound of the water crashing on the shore as background music to our little picnic. It played like an orchestra conducted by nature itself, the different tones and pitches set against the silence of the night. As I admired the gleaming natural lights, Wesley pointed to the sky, an excited grin spreading across his face.

  “Ava, look!” I turned my head to where he was pointing and watched as a single trail of breathtaking white streamed across the canvas of the night. “Make a wish,” he whispered to me as I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. Silently, I began to pray with all my heart.

  Please let everything be alright.

  Chapter 33

  Charlotte Brooke brought about only one blessing throughout my entire life. And that was none other than my brother, Peter. Had I not seen the way that Charlotte treated those poor little children back when I was spying on her, I wouldn’t have even met that little imp.

  From the way Peter’s eyes lit up with joy when he noticed the huge chocolate ice cream cake awaiting him on his ninth birthday, it was obvious to everyone there that Peter had never celebrated his birthday with such a huge bash for quite some time. As his sister, I took it into my own hands to invite every one of his friends back from the orphanage as well as from his current school.

  Wesley and Winnie stayed with me for the entire time Peter was in school to help decorate the entire mansion with so many party decorations; it looked like a fun house more than a home. Balloons floated in the air high above the floor and near the ceiling on every level of the house, and streamers decorated the stairs’ railings. William volunteered to fetch Peter back from school along with his friends, hence giving us more time for the decorations which we really needed.

  The moment that Peter entered the house and beamed with surprise at all our hard work and preparation, I knew then that we’ve done a perfectly good job, and I patted myself on the back for that.

  Make Peter happy, check.

  “Thanks, Ave! You’re the bestest.” Peter pounced onto me the moment he spotted me standing right beside his giant chocolate cake with a smile so wide, clowns will be jealous.

  “Anything for you, Pete.” I laughed, ruffling his hair as he grinned while looking up at me, his little arms still tightly secured around my hips. “Bestest isn’t actually a word commonly used though.” I crouched down to his level to give him a real hug.

  “Well, best isn’t enough to describe you.” Peter playfully winked and ran off to his friends. I smiled at his retreating figure and felt a tap on my shoulder while I was standing up.

  “That kid is going to be such a heartbreaker when he grows up.” Winnie laughed, gesturing to Peter as he played with his friends, handing a little white flower to a girl with soft brown ringlets that tumbled down her back.

  I watched silently as the girl blushed, gently took the white flower from his hands, placed a quick kiss on his left cheek, giggled, and ran off with the other girls. Peter’s face glowed a soft red, and I stifled a laugh.

  “Hopefully, his heart doesn’t get broken by that little one there.” I pointed out jokingly to Winnie, nodding in the direction the girl ran off to.

  “If anything, he’ll probably be the one to break her heart,” Winnie retorted before walking off to find William.

  I stood by a corner and observed the whole party, taking a sip of the cooling sweet punch occasionally. William and Winnie were in charge of the party games, and things were running smoothly. These children parties are so easy to organize, unlike the high school and college parties that we go to.

  Things really were simpler when we were still kids.

  “What’s got you thinking, baby girl?” Wesley rested his chin on my shoulder, his arms wrapping around my waist from behind as I leaned back slightly onto him, melting into his embrace.

  “Just thinking about how easy and simple life used to be when we were wee babies,” I murmured, turning around to place a kiss on his cheek. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing much, just a call from Blake. He said that he was released from the hospital a while ago and is heading here now to celebrate with the heartbreaker there.” Wesley nudged his chin in Peter’s direction as I laughed.

  “They did get along fairly well the past few days,” I replied with a grin, delighted that Blake was finally making improvements regarding his health.

  Just on cue, the front door opened and in walked Blake, with his usual dashing black jacket and swept-back blond hair. In his hands was a neatly wrapped gift. I watched as Peter dashed away from his friends and leaped into Blake’s arms. When Blake passed Peter his gift, the young boy’s face lit up with joy, and he clutched the present tightly to his chest.

  It was pretty obvious that Blake was finally back to his usual pre-Charlotte self. His cheeks were filled with more color instead of a musky white, and his eyes shone brighter. Our friendship was mended, and it seemed as though the past one year hadn’t even happened at all.

  Everything felt right, just the way it should be.

  “Sorry, I’m late. The doctor wouldn’t let me leave at first.” Blake breathed, combing his hair back using his hand as I laughed. “How’s everything going so far?”

  “No worries, the party just started.” I waved my hand around to show him that it didn’t matter. Blake grinned and nodded to Wesley, the both of them doing some sort of weird synchronized hand clap before a bro hug.

  “You two seem well.” Blake nudged his chin lightly i
n my direction as I rolled my eyes, resting my hands on my hips.

  “Trust me, I’m forced to be with this douche here,” I said, slapping the back of my hand against Wesley’s rock-hard chest. He gripped my wrist softly and laughed.

  “She lies. She couldn’t resist my charm. Nobody can,” Wesley retorted playfully, and I shook my head slightly. “I’m going to go check up on the drinks. Be right back.” He bent down and placed a kiss swiftly on my cheeks before making his way toward the kitchen, disappearing around the corner.

  “So…” I turned my attention back to Blake. “What are you gonna do about Charlotte? You know you have to see her again when you return to school, right?” I crossed my arms over my chest, choosing my words carefully.

  “I don’t like her in that way, and I’m starting to not like her in a friendly way as well. She changed so much, you know? It’s like she’s a whole different person.” Blake ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

  “As much as I hate her, and believe me I still do, it’s not nice to lead a girl on.”

  “I know. Tomorrow. I’ll tell her tomorrow.” Blake nodded, more to himself than to me before walking off, leaving me alone with different scenarios running through my mind.

  Charlotte was going to give hell to everyone when Blake breaks the news to her.

  And boy, I couldn’t wait.

  Chapter 34

  In the past year, I had seen the way Charlotte and Blake acted in the school halls. The way they shot each other lovey-dovey eyes and their sickly sweet smiles and grins. Everyone fell for it then, hell, even I fell for it. No one actually thought that Blake never even liked Charlotte, to begin with.

  Sure, it was cruel of him to play with a girl’s heart and emotions like that, but I believe that Charlotte deserved it. If you had read this tale in Charlotte’s point of view, you would hate me. But the fact is that you read the tale in my eyes, and this is why most of you, I’m sure, don’t like Charlotte all too well. You see, that’s what people do. They fool around with your thoughts and emotions just because the human mind is so easily manipulated.

  True, Blake was an extraordinary actor who fooled the world to think that he was actually in love with Charlotte. But was Charlotte an amazing actress too? Or did she really like Blake? Perhaps Blake bribed Charlotte to act as his girlfriend like those other cliché teen stories, but Charlotte fell for him too in the end?

  Perhaps no one will ever know the answer to that question, but I my own set of questions would soon be answered while I stand in a corner eating popcorn, watching this teenage freak show unfold in front of my eyes.

  “You’re…what?” Charlotte’s scream echoed through the hallways as a Cheshire grin found its way onto my face.

  “I’m breaking up with you, Charlotte. It’s not working out.” Blake’s calm voice soon followed Charlotte’s frantic one. The poor girl seemed to be almost bursting into tears.

  Wonderful.

  “But Blake, you said you loved me!” Her hands clutched tightly onto Blake’s elbow as more and more people stopped to observe the scene that she was making. Maybe she reveled in the attention; who knows? “Was it all a lie, then? All those proclamations of love and how you said that we were going to be forever.”

  “I never did love you, Charlotte.” Came Blake’s cold reply as he shook his hand out of Charlotte’s grip and made his way toward the other end of the hall. I watched at one side with Miranda as Charlotte burst into tears and ran into the girl’s washroom, bawling her eyes out.

  “And that’s our cue.” I grinned, gesturing for Miranda to follow as I slowly made my way toward the girl’s room, like a predator to its prey.

  When we entered the washroom, Charlotte was by the sinks; her mascara left a trail down her cheeks, making her look like a panda. Her cries softened dramatically once she looked up and noticed us entering the stall.

  “Well, well. What do we have here, Miranda?” I smirked, a sinister glint in my eyes as I made my way slowly toward Charlotte, emphasizing the click of my heels against the linoleum-tiled floor.

  “Aw, isn’t it little baby Charlotte.” Miranda laughed in a false baby voice and pouted at Charlotte whose face turned red in anger.

  “What are you two doing here?” Charlotte snapped, rubbing her eyes quickly to get rid of the tears.

  “Why, darling, is our company not appreciated? Last time I checked, this is a public toilet.” I too pouted and fluttered my eyelashes dramatically.

  “Wait a minute, of course! It’s you. It was all you!” Realization dawned upon Charlotte as her face contorted into a furious scowl. She clenched her fists by her sides. “You were the ones who convinced Blake to break up with me! What do you have against me so badly! I hate you!” Charlotte growled, pouncing into the air toward our direction. My eyes widened slightly and dodged her incoming attack swiftly, swerving my body sideways.

  Miranda’s reaction was, however, a tad bit slow. Charlotte tackled Miranda to the ground, and both toppled out of the washroom and into the hallways. I quickly ran out to see Charlotte raise a hand and slash her fingernails across Miranda’s face, leaving a nasty mark. I reached forward and yanked Charlotte’s hair up toward my direction, pulling her off Miranda as her ex–best friend screeched and wailed in pain.

  The students gathered outside all laughed at Charlotte’s expression, the way she clawed at the air like a rabid animal and growled curse words out that our ears should never hear. I ducked when Charlotte twisted her body sideways to grab at me, luckily missing me by a hair, and I pushed her to the ground, taking the chance since she was still distracted.

  “Enough!” The students’ laughter all ceased, and the chanting all dimmed down. Should a pin drop, the sound of the impact would probably echo the hallways. “Anyone who is still in my sight after I count to five will have immediate detention!” Before the principal even started counting, every single student already scrammed, leaving the four of us in the hallway—Miranda, Charlotte, my uncle, and me.

  “Three of you, my office.” We all stood in attention with Charlotte sending me a death glare. “Now!”

  Needless to say, that was the fastest I ever ran in heels.

  ***

  “I expected more from you, Avery.” My uncle rubbed his temples slightly as I fidgeted in the hard plastic seat. “This is the second time this month you’re sitting here in my office due to an act of violence. What am I supposed to tell your parents?”

  “She started it,” I mumbled, playing with my fingers as my uncle sighed, a sign that he was still trying to control his anger.

  “Like I said, this is the second time you’re here in my office, Avery. Your parents would have to hear of it sooner or later. I can’t keep keeping you out of trouble, you know? And don’t simply assume that I don’t know you and Wesley Jerald have been skipping classes since he moved back to California.”

  “I know…But ask anyone! Charlotte Brooke was the one who started attacking us like a mad dog out of her leash. We just fought back. You know, uncle, according to the law, this is an act of self-defense and I, as the victim, should not be charged guilty.” I smiled sweetly at my uncle as he shot me a death glare.

  “I have no idea how your father ever deals with you. Only God knows.” He mumbled under his breath, causing me to burst into laughter.

  “You know I’m right. Besides, my dad loves me just the way I am.” I clicked my tongue a few times before standing up and heading to the door. Before I went out, I twisted back to face my uncle one last time. “Miranda almost got disfigured. Just saying.” I slammed the door behind me and slowly made my way toward the cafeteria once more.

  With the winter season rolling in, along with all the festivities and dances, I couldn’t possibly have a black mark on my record slip. Everything needed to be picture perfect, and for days to come, that was how I predicted life to be.

  Chapter 35

  Crescent Grove’s winter formal is one of the most important events of each student’s high school
career here. It is by far the most popular formal school dance, even beating the school’s prom night and homecoming dance. The only reason why this event is so well-sought is that the winter formal king and queen are given one of the most gorgeous plastic crowns ever. While prom and homecoming royalties get those plastic crowns that you can buy for a dollar or two at Wal-Mart, the winter formal crown is made by the student council committee, and each detail is crafted with much attention.

  Trust me, I know. It took me about four hours to finish adding all the silvery plastic gems to the entire queen’s tiara the last time with a handy dandy hot glue gun. Thank heavens it was no longer my duty to handle that sort of things. I never ever want to waste another single minute of my life hot gluing the gems onto the silvery tiara.

  Besides that materialistic reason, being crowned as the winter formal king and queen gives major enhancements to popularity points in school throughout all generations. Hence, it became such a huge tradition in our school. The rules of the winter formal are also slightly different. You have to have a date to winter formal, if not, you’re advised not to even go because showing up without a date is like saying, “I’m a loner,” on every social media in existence.

  It doesn’t send a good message to the students, but it no doubt gives the couples a chance to flaunt their other halves. Besides, the school does not restrict having a friend as a date, so most students without a proper other half will arrive with their friends.

  On that topic, finding a dress for winter formal is not a big deal. It is easy to get a dress for this event. However, to get a nice dress and an even nicer date, that is something higher up the difficulty level. Usually, people search high and low to snag a good date to the winter formal, and that year wasn’t any different.

  “Avery, be my date to winter formal?” A guy I barely knew suddenly popped up in front of me, causing me to step back slightly and into Wesley’s arms. The new school day had barely started before the student body started to flood the halls, each eager to offer their dream date a flower or two.