Reputation
E
V
E
N
G
E
Interlude, Part 2
He is going to get it.
This is it. This is the last straw. I’m not putting up with this any further. Weston needs to be taught a serious lesson, and if I have to be the one to do so, the I sure as heck with be that person. I’m tired of this—sick, even. Here, Weston is supposed to be doing things to show he appreciates me, to prove that he really does care. And what does he do? He destroys my date, and causes us to get reprimanded by the law.
And then what he said. I always win. He’s so confident. So sure of himself. Like he’s some sort of invincible mastermind that can do dirt to other people but never have any consequences for his actions. It’s time for him suffer. It’s time for him to deal with the irritation.
But you know what makes it hard? He’s clean. All of the things he’s done is cleaned up so that none of the fingers point back at him. He never seems to make any mistakes.
Except for this time. This time he’s set himself up to lose and he doesn’t even know it. How?
The wallet.
And as I get home that evening, I know that the wallet is the one thing that will wipe that smirk right off his face. He was moving quick, on impulse. And this time, he messed up.
I can’t even walk inside the house, before I pull out my phone and dial Jocelyn. “Hello?”
“Hey, Jocelyn. It’s Addelyn.”
“Hey! I’ve been waiting for your call. How’d that date go? Is Garrett a keeper?”
“Long story, short. Weston swooped in and destroyed the whole thing. The date ended with Garrett and I being accused with dining and dashing.”
“Oh my god. You’re kidding.”
“I wish I was.”
“So… what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to make him pay.”
“How?”
I pause, thinking over this for a second, before smiling. “Jocelyn, your mom is a cop right?”
“Sure, but I don’t know what she has to do with anything.”
“I was wondering if your mom would possibly be free tomorrow. I believe the school would benefit from seeing just what happens when pranks go bad.” An evil grin spreads on my face. I continue to explain my idea to Jocelyn, and by the end of it, she’s bubbling with just as much excitement as me. All I know is that tomorrow, Weston’s going to learn a lesson that he will never forget.
***
“Mrs. Mathis, I can’t thank you enough for showing up.” Words do not explain my joy as Jocelyn’s mother exits the blue and white cop car, in the school parking lot. Jocelyn stands next her a proud smile on her face.
“Well, I thank you for bringing this to my attention. We’ve been cracking down on teenagers for letting their pranks get out of hand, but when it comes to messing with someone’s business, I do believe that’s when things are taken a bit too far.” She speaks with such authority. I almost feel inclined to give her a soap box.
“And mom, a similar thing happened not too long ago. Addelyn was out with the same guy and he skipped out on the bill at the same restaurant, forcing the other party to pay for it.” Jocelyn adds more fuel to the fire. I like that. It’ll invigorate her mother more.
She shakes her head. “It’s a shame when kids are brought up like this.”
I fight the urge to laugh, since Jocelyn is one of the most conniving people I’ve met. Her mom seems to be the figure of lawfulness while Jocelyn, with the many streaks of color running through her hair and the utter obsession with vandalism, seems to be the future of America’s Most Wanted.
“Addelyn, you just need to be with Weston around 2:30, okay? My mom will take it from there, got it?”
“Got it.” I confirm.
And when 2:30 rolls around, I’m quite prepared. I’m going to act as if nothing has happened. The incident of yesterday is old news, not worth being discussed. And when I spot him near his locker, rummaging through the papers, I have to take a few deep breaths to lower my heart rate. I, Addelyn Cooper, am about to take a stand. Another one for the books
I stroll up to him, without greeting. “Alright, so we need to move forward with this plan. I think we’ve really drifted from our original plan dealing with Jackson and we need to get back to that.”
He’s taken aback by my abrupt entry. “Good afternoon to you too. I see, you’re still not wearing your normal clothes.”
He eyes my shorts and the pair of ripped stockings I was wearing under them. They were Jocelyn’s. Just something I borrowed to look a little edgier. I felt that my apparel would be quite apropos for the occasion.
I ignore him, though, continuing on with my original topic. “So, I was thinking of ways to corner him. I believe it’s going to be quite hard to get him alone, especially in school, since we—”
“How’d your date go with Garrett last night?” Weston interjects with a grin. He’s expecting me to yell, like I usually do. Or maybe throw out some more idle threats. But he’s not getting to me this time.
“As good as the situation allowed.” I reply, my voice not giving any hint of emotion.
He stands silent, waiting for me to say something. When I don’t, he frowns. “That’s it? No, ‘Weston, you good-for-nothing piece of crap’ or ‘I’m going to take a jackhammer to your face!’ Nothing?”
I shake my head.
“You’re just going to take that?”
“Yep,” I say. “Now can we get on to talking about this plan of ours. I do believe that’s the only reason why I’m wasting my free period here with you. So, I’ve been thinking that the only reason—”
“You can’t be serious, right?” I still hear the shock in Weston’s voice. He’s just not going to let it go.
“I am. I don’t have anything to say.”
“You always have something to say.”
“Well, not this time.”
“You can’t tell me you really liked him.”
“And what if I did?”
“Well then, I took care of things before you got hurt, because he obviously isn’t good for you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And what makes you think your any better?”
A small smirk tugs at his lips and he leans in close. “I believe both you and I know that I am much better.”
His ego astounds me. And I feel anger rise in my throat, so I quickly let my eyes flicker to the clock in the hall. 2:32. Perfect.
“Well no matter how you view yourself, I’m going to need that wallet you stole back.” I say loud and clear.
He backs up and reaches into his pocket, pulling out the gray wallet. “You mean this one?”
I reach for it, but he pulls it back.
“Tell your boyfriend that he makes it too easy. Next time, maybe he should pay more attention.” He says, before placing it in my hand. “Like I said, Addelyn. I always win.”
“Wrong.” I grin, right as Officer Mathis rounds the corner, her blue police suit gaining the attention of all in the hallway.
She looks Weston dead in the eye, before grabbing at his wrists, and pulling out her cuffs. “Weston Brooks, you’re under arrest for theft. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense.”
“What? What is going on?”
“You stole Garrett’s wallet, Weston. Did you really think something like that would go unpunished? Pick-pocketing is a crime.” I grin. A large crowd has started to gather in the hallway.
“It was a joke! I was going to give him his wallet back.” Weston says.
“Tell it to the judge.” Officer Mathis tests the cuffs, before starting to lead him towards the exit of the school.
Before she does, though, I call Weston. I smirk before leaning in close to his ear. “I always win.”
And with that, he takes the walk of shame down the hallway in cuffs, gaining the attention of students and teachers. And I can only stand back, and mentally praise myself. Jocelyn comes around, smiling bright. She holds out her hand in a high-five position which I return. “We did it.” She says. “They’ll be talking about this for weeks.”
The crowd starts to diminish and Chris spots us basking in our glory. He walks over to us, a deep frown on his face. I’d expect him to be a little upset. His best friend was being taken away in cuffs, due to our handiwork.
“What did you do?” He asks, coldly.
“Only what was necessary.” I grin back at Jocelyn. “Weston crashed my date last night, and stole from the guy I was with. I simply gave him a taste of swift justice. Now, I know Weston will make sure he appreciates me, for fear that something like this might happen again.”
“So you have him arrested, because he doesn’t get down on his knees and bring you roses every night? Are you serious?” He asks. “I hope you know that what you’re expecting of Weston is completely impossible.”
“How so?” I ask, not convinced.
“Getting Weston to appreciate a girl is like turning Shaq into a ballerina. It’s not right, and it’s not happening. I mean, have you ever even been to his house?”
I nod. “Sure, many times.”
“Have you ever met his dad?”
“Yeah, but not under the best of circumstances.” I say, remembering the night I was carried away from the Brooks property, escorted by police.
“Have you ever met his mom?”
“Of course. Collette. I met her a few years back.”
Chris shakes his head. “Collette was Weston’s sixth step-mother. Before that there was Julie, Anna, Grace, Raven, and of course the ever so beautiful, Mona.”
“Are you trying to excuse Weston because his father’s a player?” I ask.
Chris shakes his head. “No, the point was his mother. His real one. Because of her, believe it or not, Weston hates women. In fact, the entire female gender disgusts him.”
I laugh loudly. Jocelyn joins in with me. “Yeah, right. He doesn’t seem to hate them when he’s macking on them like no tomorrow.”
Chris’s face is stone-serious. “Look, it’s a long story that I’m not really allowed to get into. But know, that traumatic experiences can scar people, and it’s not up to you to change that. Maybe next time, you should take into consideration the person, before acting on your emotions.”
The bell rings, cutting the conversation short, and I’m sent hurrying out to my car without another word. A bad feeling wells up in my stomach though, and something other than Chris’s words tells me I’ve made a pretty bad mistake.
***
It’s 2:40 when I reach home, and the air is cold in my house. Inside the living room are my parents and my little sister. The local news is on, and they seem pretty entertained with it. I drop my bag, and decide to join them on the couch.
“Addelyn, come see this car accident. It happened right on the main road outside the neighborhood.” My mom calls, eyes fixed on the TV. I look, and I see a eighteen-wheeler, smashing a police car against the side railing. The car is smashed horribly.
I grimace, sitting down next to them. “Ugh, that looks pretty nasty.”
“It is. The victims are trapped in the car apparently, and it’s taking a few people to pry the car open.” My dad says.
One of the reporters stands in front of the camera at the scene. “As you can see behind me, the emergency crew and some civilians are still hard at work to get this car open. Reports say that the victims trapped include a well-known officer, by the name of Margaret Mathis, who appears to be okay. But she apparently had a passenger, a seventeen year old boy by the name of Weston Brooks, who is unconscious at the moment. We’ll keep you posted on the rest of the story—”
And as quickly as I sat down, I’m up. The world seems to move in slow motion, as I grab my keys, and run back out the front door. I don’t believe I’ve ever moved so fast in my life. And as I jump back inside my car, an overwhelming feeling of guilt wells up inside of me.
Yeah, I won. But at what cost?
A/N: Yes, there was a car accident. But for those of you who participated in the game, I don’t want to hear you complain about how you were right. You weren’t. Choice C specifically said ‘Weston will get in a serious car accident’. No, the answer is, ‘Weston and JOCELYN’S MOM will get in a serious car accident.’ See, it’s all about specifics. ;)
And as for the Weston and Addelyn moment, I’ve decided to save it for next time. So, again, if I see 120 VOTES this chapter… there will be another KISS in the next one.
And who doesn’t love to read about Weston and Addelyn macking on each other…