"I keep thinking about blood. I dream about it. Wake up thinking about it. Pretty soon I'll be writing morbid emo poetry about it." - s i m o n
C a l l u m
"Okay, here I go," Noah looked at me and Jacob, his piercing blue eyes contorting into a worried uncertainty before he clears his throat and begins, "er, hey Jenny, I just wanted to say that if we were squirrels, I'd store my nuts in your hole."
Oh, what fun times like this can be.
My nose cringes in digust and I glare at him.
"That seems a little bit of an overdo. Remember, you want to know her before you penetrate her."
This time it was Jacob's turn to look disgusted. He glared at me, accusingly, "please, for the love of god and every living specimen of this world, do not use the word penetrate in that context. God, what is wrong with all you straight people?"
"What do I do guys? I seriously want to ask her out," Noah mutters, an urgency twisting his features.
It had been a week since I took my revenge upon Isla and she hasn't attempted to get me back yet. We actually haven't even spoken since. But, I still, of course keep an eye out for anything suspicious.
Now, Jacob and I were sitting in my room trying to teach Noah the ways of asking out someone. And god, was he failing pretty damn bad.
"The pick up line should make her blush not throw up, Noah. Okay," I stand up off my bed, realizing only now that I was wearing mismatched socks.
I pull Noah up too, and cross my arms over my chest. "Here is the deal. I'll be Jenny. You be Noah. Pretend it's reality - "
"You look nothing alike, how am I meant to do that?" He scoffs.
"Shut up. I know she's not as fabulous as me but you just got to work with it," I say, only to receive a groan from Noah and a snort for Jacob who was pulling his headphones over his ears to listen to music.
"Noah."
"Callum."
"NOAH."
"Fine, you big sack of shit," he mutters.
"Hallelujah! Okay, say hi," I insist, smiling and twirling my hair in attempt to imitate a girl.
"Er, hey. I - er - sorry for saying those things about you the other day," he starts and I giggle in a high pitched shrill.
"Oh, ha-ha," I smile, trying to look flirtatious and Noah stifles a laugh.
"Er, I just wanted to say that - that - er - er...you look a little tired, if your hands are feeling heavy, I could hold them for you?"
"AWWW," I say in my normal voice, "how proud, I, your amazingly awesome mentor, am of you."
Jacob does a slow and sarcastic clap, his headphones only covering one of his ears so he can hear us with his other.
"Seriously, did I pass? Am I ready to ask her out?"
"Sure you - "
I don't exactly know what happened next. I was dry one second, and then the bedroom door slammed open and I was drenched along with Jacob and Noah.
I wipe my eyes with my fists and looked up through squinting eyes. And standing before me was two girls.
One red head. One brunette. And two waterguns jammed in between their hands.
***
I s l a
I stare at Jenny, frowning. "Aren't you too young to go to a blind date?"
Jenny raises a brow, "No. I am not too young. And who cares? Your such a goody-two shoes, Penrose. You need to man up and live life."
"I'm good with living life happily with my books and TV Shows, thank you very much," I say, slapping back against the bed beside Jenny who was lying on her butt, throwing her phone and catching it every now and then. "And I'm actually not as much as a goody-two shoes as you think I am. Im can be badass. I think."
"Yeah, right. Fine, you think your badass? Let's prank Callum," she says, looking at me with a challenging smile.
"No! Are you crazy? You saw what he did to me!" I say, huffing a stray piece of hair away from my face.
"Buck! Buck! Buck! Oh, you are so badass Penrose. Buck! Buck!" Jenny taunts, rolling her eyes. She continues bucking and I smack her in the cheek with a pillow, giving up.
"FINE! Deal, whatever, let's prank him."
"Yay! Hey, do you maybe happen have waterguns?"
***
"How exactly do you know how to unlock a door without a key?" I ask, tugging a piece of hair under my YMCMB snapback and staring at Jenny. She sticks her hairpin in the lock and twist it around numerous times.
"Er..." She sticks her tongue into the inside of her cheek and squats to peer in the keyhole. "Practice. Experience. I don't know, I just do."
The door doesn't budge for a few more times until she finally kicks it open and peeps inside, lowering her beanie. I pass her her water gun and she mutters,"coast's clear, Subject B."
My eyebrows fuse together in confusion. "Subject B?"
"Code names, idiot," Jenny hisses, tugging me into the hallway of the Hayes' house and drawing me into thier recognizable diner and then up thier staircase.
"Why am I Subject B? I want to be Subject A."
"No, I'm Subject A, I'm the one who thought of this."
"I'm the one who agreed!"
Jenny stops midway through the media room and stomps her foot hard on the ground, glaring at me stubbornly. "Well, I'm the one who made you agree, you big-headed, selfish, greedy little pig - "
"Um, who are you? Is that you, Isla?"
I froze. So did Jenny who's eyes widened in shock, her mouth falling slack. Tanya stood, half her body peeking out of her bedroom's ajar door, the other half in.
Shit.
"Oh, hey, Tanya...I was just - er - er - just going for a walk at Beacon Hill's Park and got...a little...erm lost?" I laugh nervously.
Her eyes narrowed a little and she stares at us for what seems like forever before she asks, "with water guns?"
"You know, it's hot so we thought it would be helpful?" Jenny suggests, smiling hopefully.
Another intense moment of staring passed before she shrugs. "Okay, just keep it down, guys, I'm trying to watch Teen Wolf."
I squeel, my eyes widening. "No way! You watch Teen Wolf? Oh my god!"
"Subject B, we better go," Jenny pushes, rolling her eyes at my craze.
"Subject B?" Tanya asks, confused.
"Code names," Jenny says, shaking her head.
"I think Isla should be Subject A," Tanya replies before walking back into her room.
Jenny looked frustrated and I stick my tongue out at her.
***
"I WILL KILL YOU, ISLA! I WILL CLIMB INTO YOUR ROOM WHEN YOU ARE SLEEPING AND LITERALLY MURDER YOU! OR WORSE, I WILL UNFOLLOW YOU ON INSTAGRAM!"
I internally gasp, oh, no you wouldn't.
Callum stood up, clearly frustrated and I took a step back as he took a step forward.
"And Facebook."
Jacob was mourning over his drenched phone and Noah was already onto Jenny, anger and a weird sort of shyness contorting his face.
"And Twitter."
Callum stepped a few more steps forward, naming social medias. Soon he was close. Dangerously close. So close I could sence his dampness literally radiating onto me as he quickly wipes his face with the back of his hand, staring at me with a daggered gaze, droplets of water falling off his eyelashes. I curl into the room's corner and stare at him with apologetic eyes.
"What, Penrose? Are you scared?" He asks, his hands finding the walls on either side of my head. He was way taller then me and I kind of wished he wasn't 'cause it sort of intimidated me. And I hated feeling intimidated.
"'Cause you better be. You better be grabbing your suitcase and your little batman pajamas and flying to Africa because not only have you messed with me once. But you have messed with me twice. On top of that, you have your little bitch here who you think can replace someone as fabulous of a best friend as me. Please, she is in no competition with me."
I tried to focus on his voice but god damn, those lips?
"Got it?" He asks, his eyes digging into mine.
"I - I - I request a deal," I say, squirming in the little space I have.
"A deal?" Noah asks from behind Callum.
"A deal," I repeat.
Callum raises an eye challengingly and I force a confident smile.
"Okay, munchkin, what's your deal?"
Think. Think. Think. C'mon.
"Prank wars," I hiss.
"What?" Jacob calls from behind.
"Prank wars!" I repeat, crossing my hands over my chest. "We prank each other until one of us have given up. If you lose, you have to be the slaves of the other team for three days."
"And if you win?" Jenny asks, her eyebrows raised high.
I shrug.
"You get to have slaves for three whole days. Oh, and you also get self satisfaction may I add."
Callum stares at me intensely before pushing off and finally letting me go. I let out a breath of relief and look at him expectantly.
"Deal. Jacob, Noah and I verses you and Jenny."
"No! That's not fair, we need one more player," I whine.
"Fine. I'll convince Tanya. And then it's fair. But, trust me, Penrose, you have just gotten yourself into a whole lot of trouble."
"Amen," the two other boys say in unison and Jenny's eyes lock onto mine. Rest in peace, my fellow friend.
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