The Set Up

1

"Bigotry's birthplace is the sinister back room of the mind where plots and schemes are hatched for the persecution and oppression of other human beings."
-Bayard Rustin

Kennedy

I walked into the dimly lit room, music ringing through my ears. I scrunched my nose up as the smell of cheap beer and sweat filled my nose.  I made my way to the bar and spotted a girl sitting alone, sipping on a glass of what I presume to be vodka while she looked away from me. I smirked and walked over, sitting next to her.

"I knew I'd find you here." At the sound of my voice she turned around, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Kennedy? What are you doing here?" She screamed, pulling me into a tight hug. I laughed and hugged her back, taking in her familiar sweet sent. Winter always smelled like a mix of strawberries and vanilla, it was the best smell ever. As I pulled away the bartender walked over and I asked him for a soda. "What are you doing in LA?" Winter asked me, drinking the last of her drink.

"I need your help." I smiled at her cheekily. She sighed and grabbed her bag, standing up and leading me out of the bar. I was thanking the heavens, being in that place gave me the creeps. I felt as if I were going to be mugged at any minute.

"What is it this time? Did your mom make you mad or something? Take away your car?" She asked reaching in her bag to pull out her phone and call a cab. I rolled my eyes and waited for her to get off the phone before I replied.

"No, I came to bring you back to London." I said once she'd put her phone back in her bag. She looked up at me and laughed as if I had just made a joke.

"Yeah right. Why the hell would I ever go back to that place? I moved here to get as far away as possible." A cab pulled up and we both got in, giving the driver the address to Winters apartment. I sighed and leaned back in my seat. I knew it was going to take a lot to get her to come back, but I have to try.

"Please Win, I need your help." I begged, using her childhood nickname. She gave me a flat look and I groaned, looking out the window. When we reached her building we walked to her apartment on the top floor. "It's really important." I pleaded once we walked inside. I looked around her apartment with a look of disgust. Her place was so plain, no paintings hanging up or decorations and the walls were white, no color at all. It was like she'd just moved in, and it was rather small. I felt like I could get a disease just from being in this room. This must be what it feels like to be poor.

"You can stop looking around like that, we can't all afford a mansion like you." Winter grumbled, throwing her bag on the couch and sitting down. I sat down on the chair across from her, trying my best to not show my disgust for this place. "You're lucky you're my cousin or I would have kicked you out by now."

"Fine I'm sorry." I huffed, crossing my arms. "Please come back to London with me, I need you. Things are going really bad at school and I need your help with something." I said, biting my lip.

"What is it?"

"Well there's this boy -Sebastian- and he's like a total bad ass-"

"What's the point, Kennedy? Its been a long day and I'd rather not listen to you talk about a boy you have the hots for." Winter sighed in annoyance. I refrained from rolling my eyes at her rudeness.

"He asked me on a date so I said yes, but then he stood me up, and then the next day at school he told everyone that we fucked and.." I trailed off, looking away. Winters usually really good at reasing people, and I couldn't have her say no to me. Winter looked at me expectantly and I sighed "He told everyone that I was lose and an easy lay. Now nobody talks to me anymore and whenever I'm walking in the halls or in the cafeteria everyone's always laughing when they look at me." I mumbled, looking down at my hands. I couldn't look at her.

"I'm sorry, Kennedy. That really sucks, but what am I supposed to help you with? You want me to kill him?" Winter asked, grabbing my hand and rubbing circles with her thumb on my palm. She always did that to make people feel better, and it honestly did make me feel a lot better.

"No.. not exactly." I said, looking at her with a smirk on my face.

"Oh no, no no no. You're giving me those crazy eyes." She shook her head and stood up, walking to the kitchen. "Whatever you're planning leave me out of it. I'm not about to wind up in jail for you again."

"You were just offering to kill him." My face fell as I looked at her.

"Well yeah because I knew you wouldn't actually want that. Look, your ideas are always crazy and we always end up in trouble."

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I don't have to know what it is to know it's a bad idea."

"Winter please just listen." I whined, stomping my foot childishly. I always do it when I don't get my way.

"Fine." She sighed in defeat, grabbing a bottle of water and handing me one as well. I looked at it, not surprised that it was the cheap kind.

"I want you to come back to London with me and enroll in my school-"

"What would I do that fo-"

"LISTEN. I want you to make him fall in love with you and then rip his fucking heart out like he did to me." She stayed silent for a minute before the room was filled with her laughter.

"S-so you want me...you want me to move all the way back to London to break some boys heart because he made people laugh at you? God you've gotten even crazier, cousin." She laughed, clapping her hands.

"I knew you'd see it my way." I smiled, taking out my phone. "I'll book us 2 first class tickets to London for tomorrow-"

"Kennedy, I'm not going. I have a job, I have bills to pay and I go to school here. My life is here now, I can't just leave everything behind." Winter said, sitting at the table. I sat across from her, grabbing her hands in a pleading manner.

"Please, it'll only be until the end of the year and if he hasn't fallen in love with you by then you can come back. Please please please. I never ask you for anything-" I stopped when she gave me a look "Fine I have but this will be it. After this you don't have to partake in my schemes anymore. Please Winter, please do this one last scheme with me?" I begged, giving her my puppy dog face. Nobody could resist my puppy dog face. She sighed and pulled her hand away from mine, running a hand through her hair.

"Kennedy I have a job-"

"I'll pay you double what they pay you for the time you're there." She looked at me in surprise. She sighed again, looking up at me through her lashes.

"Fine, but this is the last time!" I squealed and jumped up, hugging her.

Sebastian Cole was going to get what was coming for him. If there's anyone that could break him, it's Winter. He should have never messed with me, and now he's going to regret it.