TMI (2014 Collector's Dream Winner)

TMI - Chapter 28

Bailey huddled into her shearling jacket and jogged across the street to Meg's house. She mentally rehearsed the apology she'd make to Meg even though Meg didn't really deserve it and was totally over-reacting to stuff and should just mind her own damn business. She was in the middle of her speech when she came to an abrupt, jaw-dropping halt.

Toilet paper hung from every branch on every tree. Rolls of it – some down to the cardboard tubes – littered the lawn. Fruit of the Looms hung like deflated Christmas balls from the porch rails, diapers covered the porch near the front door. Holy cannoli! All this from one little Facebook post? Meg must be so pissed. Bailey hadn't seen her at lunch and figured she was just sulking but it was obvious she really did owe her that apology now. She took a step up Meg's path when the sound of slow clapping had her spinning around.

"Chase!" She pressed a hand to her racing heart.

"You come to admire your work?" He stalked toward her, picked up a toilet paper roll and thrust it into her hands. As if the sight of her made him sick, he turned his back and furiously shook out a large green trash bag.

"I didn't do this!"

"Yeah, Bay. You did." Chase shoved cardboard tubes into the bag. "You posted that bitchy comment online and the entire school ganged up on her. You even conned me into hurting her."

She caught her lip between her teeth and looked away. God, she'd thought that was hilarious this afternoon. Now it made her feel like, well, used toilet paper. Oh, poor Meg! She'd only wanted to get her to back off Ryder, not embarrass her. Okay, she did want to embarrass her, too, for telling Ryder she'd thrown up all over her teacher, but not this much. Meg would hate her forever and it was all her fault. She spun and ran up the porch steps, knocked quickly on the door.

"Don't bother. She's not there." Chase pulled clumps of tissue off tree branches and stuffed them in the bag.

"How do you know?"

"Because she's at my house, asleep in my bed."

Bailey's eyes went round and she hurried down the steps, determined to get every juicy detail out of Chase but he only rolled his eyes and went back to picking up the litter. "Nothing happened, Bailey. Not like that. Because of your little stunt today, she never ate lunch. She decided to cut up an apple after school and nearly bled to death when the knife went through her hand. My dad and I took her to the hospital. She got thirteen stitches and practically passed out." He stalked toward her. "Because of you."

Bailey shook her head and pressed her hands to her mouth. "Oh, no! God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Chase!"

"And then we get home and see this," Chase waved a hand in an arc over the front yard. "Why did you do that to her? Are you guys like not friends anymore or something?"

Bailey took an edge of the trash bag, tried to hold it open for Chase, but he yanked it from her hands. "I don't know what we are anymore. She makes me so mad! She told Ryder I threw up all over Mrs. Monroe in first grade. Then, she pretends she doesn’t know why I’m mad. I like this guy, Chase. I really like him and he likes me! Why would she tell him those things?"

Chase moved around the shrubs, grabbing the briefs hanging from them. He probably wasn't listening which means he wouldn't be talking to her anymore either and probably won't want to help her with her game anymore and—

"So, what, you wanted to get even? She told one guy something silly about you so you thought you'd tell the whole freakin' internet something silly about her?"

"It wasn't the whole internet, just… you know, my Facebook friends."

Chase threw his head back, stared at the sky for a long moment. "Yeah. All two hundred of them, plus their friends and their friends' friends. Christ, Bailey, we're lucky they're not driving here in buses to trash this house."