"It's simply, yet brilliant". Cartman begins. "All we have to do, is get proof."
"How is that simple? she's got eyes everywhere." Craig speaks up from the back. More emotional then I've ever heard from him. Which isn't saying much.
"We'll push her until she breaks, no one can be perfect all the time." Cartman turns to the whiteboard. "All we have to do, is get that bitch to break". He draws a messy stick figure with an angry face, and circles it.
"That's endgame".
It's quite in the room as everyone looks around to eachother, and then back at Cartman waiting for him to go on.
"It's got to be slow"-
"We don't have time for slow"! Kyle yells, and the rest of the group nods.
"Slow, enough". He doubles down. "Once we get her where we want her, we use her tactics against her. Videos and voice recodings, getting her to admit to it all. We do that— and she's done the hard work for us". He finishes, pointing to the stick figure again.
I rub my temples, feeling a headache coming on. I'm overwhelmed, I don't know what to think. My breathing picks up in my chest, seemingly unable to get a full breath of air.
Tolkien puts a hand on my shoulder.
"How do we get Wendy to that point?" He asks, looking back to Cartman. Full of determination, and fueled by fire.
Cartman shakes his head.
"You're not going to like this". He says.
The room falls silent.
"I heard— through the grapevine— Wendy is planning on crawling back to Stan".
"What?" Stan widens his eyes.
"I know, I know. Newbie was in the hospital, they thought she was out of the picture for good".
"Well she's wrong! Right?" Clyde asks.
"Maybe not". Cartman rubs his hands together, evil. "I've made some adjustments, to our original ideas".
Everyone looks around, confused.
"Original ideas?" Kyle asks.
"The fake girlfriend.." I gasp, putting the pieces together.
"Bingo." Cartman snaps at me.
"Oh, y-you m-m-m-ean when Stan was 'd-dating' her". Jimmy points to me.
"What? No! We're not doing that again. It didn't work the first time!" Kyle crosses his arms.
"Which is why I've made adjustments, Kyle". Cartman points at the boy.
"Like what?" Stan looks up, shy.
"No, first— I want team Stan to apologize to me".
"The fuck?" Kenny grumbles out.
"Yes, 'Cartman is a genius, and we should never have doubted him, I'm sorry, Cartman'." He states, wanting us to repeat it back to him.
"Who the fuck would do that?" Kyle crosses his arms.
"You are, Jew. Unless you don't want my help then.." he trails off.
"Okay, okay!" I say, afraid he really will ditch us. "..Cartman is a genius, and we should never have doubted him, I'm sorry, Cartman..."
"I'm not fucking saying that." Kyle looks over to me.
I plead with him silently. Puppy dog eyes and all. He runs his hand over his face and sighs.
"God, dammit." He groans.
"Just once!" Cartman crosses his arms. "All together". He's evil, I should have known.
He's not going to help me for free. He needs to bring everyone down with him.
The three boys look to each other and then to the floor. They slowly, and in unison repeat his words. It's full of sarcasm, and monotoned but I hope it's enough.
"Hmm". Cartman puts his finger to his chin, thinking it over.
"Alright, here's what we do..."-
____________________________________
"Are you sure you're going to be alright"? Kyle asks me, as he walks me home. "I'm right next door, anything you need"-
"I'll be okay, Kyle". I rub my temples again.
We were at cartmans house for a long time. Going over and over his plan, until we knew it like the back of our hands. I'm exhausted, and full of fear. I want to be hopeful, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm done for. Over. Ruined.
We make it to my house, and he walks me to the door. I don't see my mothers car in the driveway, so I'm assuming I'm safe for tonight. I'll have to ovoid her until this week is over.
He looks at me, as I unlock the door and walk in.
"Goodbye, Kyle."
"Be safe". He furrows his eyebrows at me.
I close the door, and he's gone. For good.
Sleep takes me immediately, and I couldn't be more grateful, as the world falls away.
___________________________________
"You're over!" She laughs at me.
"You can't do this!"
"I already did, slut. Stan will never talk to you again."
"I'll have to move away! You can't do this to me!"
"We have no choice but to expel you, your dangerous."
"Yup, looks like nobody wants you anymore— slut!"
"No... I'm not"!
"Nobody likes you anymore".
"Nobody likes you anymore".
No body likes you!
My eyes fly open, and I jump up in bed screaming. I gasp as claw at my throat, coughing and choking on the air that barely reaches my lungs. I look around frantic, and panting. My body is covered in sweat as my eyes adjust to the darkness.
Holy shit.
I realize I'm in my room, safe. It wasn't real.
A nightmare.
I lay back in bed, eyes wide and staring at the ceiling. My breathing slows as it finally catches up to me.
Fuck...
I stay like that, frozen until morning. The sun shines bright in my window, as I sit up. My whole body hurts as I groan. I run my hands through my hair, and something catches my eye. I peer out of the window and notice the familiar color of green.
Kyle's walking to the bus stop, phone to his ear as he yells to someone on the other side. He looks genuinely angry, as she shouts and walks out of my view.
Phase one.
I don't want to get out of bed today. So I don't. No text messages from anyone this morning to distract me. No good mornings, no check in. No one breaks. In fact, no one at all will be speaking to me for a while. I clutch my phone in my hands as I watch my knuckles turn white.
Phase two.
____________________________________
Two days have passed, and I sit in the same position I do every day. Rotting in my bed, phone in hand. Communication lines have been cut off. I'm alone. Waiting for the call. Waiting for the sign.
It shouldn't be taking this long.
I stare at my phone as it goes dark.
Don't. Break.
I'm cut off from society it seems, dark on social media, offline everywhere. As far as everyone knows, I have disappeared. Wallowing in my defeat as I wait for the week to end. Might as well start packing.
My phone buzzes in my hand, lighting up the room.
Stan: hey.
Phase three.