According to Plan

Chapter 1

"You're crazy," Leah Bromwell laughed as she plopped in her beanie-bag chair.

I shook my head, "it's a bulletproof plan."

She laid her chin on the palm of her hand and studied me, as if I was an alien species, "it's never going to work, Stella."

"Leah, I---"

Leah's door swung open, and a very tired looking Billy Fisher stepped in. He was drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

"What's going on?! Is everyone okay?!" Billy shouted as he whipped his head around the room.

Leah and I stole a glance at each other then gazed back over at Billy, "did you run all the way here?" we asked simultaneously.

He heaved, trying to catch his breath, "you texted me an S.O.S, did someone get hurt?!"

Leah laughed, "Billy, calm down. There's no emergency here... well actually, there kind of is."

His eyes turned to slits and his fists gripped into a tight ball, "you mean you made me run all the way here for nothing?! I was about to beat my high score in Halo! Are you guys crazy?!"

"Woah, woah," I said, "it kind of is an emergency.. just not that kind."

He shook his head. Exhausted, he leaned against the wall and sunk to his knees, "this is what I get for having girls as best friends. You guys are always so dramatic. Alright, why am I here? What's the fake emergency?"

I sucked in a lung-full of air and shot him a radiant smile, "I'm going to Texas! Yee-haw!"

He gave me a look, "this summer? I thought your parents were planning on going to Omaha."

I shrugged, "I don't really plan on spending another summer with grandma and grandpa in Omaha, thank you very much."

Billy still looked as confused as ever.

"Do you want me to explain?" Leah offered

I nodded.

She sat up in the beanie bag chair and turned to him, "Ok Billy, listen up. Stella's gone mad. She says she wants to pursue her dream of playing football, and since there are no football teams for girls here in Portland, she's decided to go across the country, to Texas, where there's a girl's football team so she can play for the summer."

Billy stood and raised a brow, "football? You're still obsessed about that sport, Stella?"

"Exactly what I told her!" Leah held her chin up

I rolled my eyes, "why do you think I'm going all the way to Texas to play? I'm halfway across the country, no body knows.. it's a win win situation."

Billy shook his head, "Stella, this is insane. Of course your parents are going to notice you're not with them in Omaha."

I snorted, "ya right! Billy, incase you've forgotten, I have 6 brothers and 7 sisters. Five of them are still babies. I don't think anyone's going to notice that I'm gone."

"Okay, and even if they don't notice," Leah questioned, "how do you expect to pay for a plane ticket all the way to Texas?"

I sighed and shook my head, "it's sad. My best friends have no faith in me. I've already planned this all out guys. Remember the money I've been saving for my dream car ever since I was 7? Well looks like all that saving up payed off, 'cause look who's going to Texas!"

I waved a white slip of paper infront of them, and raised my brows.

Their jaws fell open, "you already bought the ticket?!"

I nodded.

"Unbelievable!" Leah stood and marched around her room, "what happened to makeup, and doing our hair, and going shopping, Stella? Why can't you just be a normal girl? I mean, those girls... they're going to turn you into a MAN! My poor, poor baby! Where did we go wrong?!"

Leah clenched my cheeks and faked tears. I brushed her hands off and sucked on my teeth.

"Oh yeah," I cleared my throat, "one more thing.."

"What?"

"It's not really a girl football camp... it's more like a guy's football camp."

They blinked, not able to comprehend where I was going with this.

"So," I went on, "I thought it would be kind of cool to play with the guys instead of the girls, you know? And I know what you guys are thinking, but I came up with a solution.."

I spun around, reached into my bag, then turned, facing the full length mirror. Dark hair, almost black, curled endlessly down my spine and to my lower back. The reflection in the glass gazed back at me; piercing emerald eyes as green as a forest were bolded against my tan colored skin. Small pink lips, and ears that stuck out greeted me aswell.

Then swiftly, I tucked my hair in a ponytail and slid on a short, blonde wig, hair spiking wildly in all directions. Then I turned once more to face them.

Leah's jaw dropped, "you can't be serious! You're going to be one of the guys?!"

I chortled, "like I said, bullet proof! I just gotta borrow some of my brother's clothes and no one's the wiser! You can say goodbye to Stella Morrison, and hello to Steve Morner!"

Billy shook his head, his eyes wide open, gazing at me like I needed to be admitted into the looney bin, "you're crazy."