The Art of Being Alone (Together)

06 | A Taste of Her Own Medicine

Rita can't hold back a proud smile. My blood boils, fists clenching automatically. Not only will she not let anyone forget what happened to Lizzie, she's the reason it happened in the first place!

My eyes shift to Mei, who's stone-faced, totally unbothered by the moral implications. Again, it's obvious it isn't just her exterior that's changed.

"Why?" Lizzie's voice wavers, her eyes pooling with tears. Thankfully, the room is too busy for anyone to be paying attention to our catfight-- although as I look around, I do spot Zack at a nearby table, his eyes continuing to flicker over to us as he picks at his breakfast, expression filled with concern.

"It's called a prank, Lizzie." Rita shrugs a shoulder, long black hair falling behind her back. "It was just a prank. You really oughtta get over it."

She turns away and Mei follows, the two of them heading to the table in the center of the room. I look to Lizzie, who's stuck in place, shell shocked.

"I can't believe it," she says, shaking her head. "I knew I sewed it right-- I mean, I knew it! But I never thought... Like, who would do something like that?"

I nod at her rambling, leading us over to our table. We sit down and she lets out a laugh of disbelief, shaking her head.

"This... is so... She is so..."

"I know."

"I'm sorry about Mei-- did you know she was here?" 

Thanks to our conversation yesterday, Lizzie already knows about what happened between us. I guess between Rita saying Mei's name and the blatant hatred we were directing at each other, it wasn't hard for Lizzie to put two and two together.

"Nope." I shake my head, stabbing at my eggs with my fork. I wish they had ended up all over Mei. "God, I can't believe them."

As if I needed more evidence that Rita is my least favorite person on planet Earth. And not only that, but now I know that Mei's brain has been totally lobotomized by her-- it's the only explanation for her ability to hang out with someone so wicked and not only not be bothered by it, but start to replicate her behavior. 

It isn't right that Rita's been able to get away with what she did to Lizzie, and it isn't fair that Mei can look me in the eye and insult me when I never did anything to her.

If today was a movie, this would be the part where Liz and I decide it's time to serve some well-deserved justice.

Like I said, two can play this game.

"Rita isn't the only one around here who can pull off a prank," I say, crossing my arms on the wooden table. "I think it's about time someone gave her a taste of her own medicine."

Liz looks surprised, then impressed. "And Mei?"

I shrug casually, as if I'm not suggesting a total revolt against the camp's head bitch and her new sidekick. "We'll make sure she gets hers, too."

Her laugh is filled with nervous, excited energy. "Are you sure we should? I mean, Rita's like, number one around here."

I nod, both because I am sure and because I know what she means. It's like that at Winsor, too, and I've had about enough of it.

Lizzie is right, though. Getting on Rita's bad side definitely won't be free of any consequences.

As I weigh the options in my head-- do nothing, or dish out some payback-- it's like I can see my summer split into two paths. The first path, the path of no revenge, looks nice enough. I spend the next six weeks hanging out with Lizzie, taking pictures, going to workshops, and ignoring Rita and Mei during all the camp activities. When I go back to school for my senior year, I'll have nothing to worry about other than Rita's usual bitchiness.