6.
I met Will at a little cafe on campus. It was private enough that we could talk without being overheard, but public enough that hopefully, word would get back to Avery about us hanging out. I knew it was petty, but I wanted her to be jealous. I wanted her to feel as betrayed by Will as I did by Dylan. But, as soon as I walked into the cafe and saw Will seated in a corner booth, his black hair carefully styled, dressed in a fitted black t-shirt, my heart pounded uncomfortably in my chest. This was probably a bad idea.
Taking a deep breath, I forced a smile onto my face and made my way over to where Will was sitting, plopping down across the table from him.
"How's it going?" I asked, forcing a cheerfulness I didn't feel.
Will smirked, quirking an eyebrow at me. "Are we doing this?" he asked. "Are we going to pretend that everything is okay?"
When I frowned in confusion, he hurried to add, "I assumed when you texted me that Avery has dones something awful, and you needed to escape her for a bit."
My fake smile fell, and I couldn't help the hurt that seeped into my words. "You're right," I admitted. "Although it really says something about her character that you'd automatically assume she was being a witch as soon as I texted asking you to hang out."
Will shrugged. "I've known Avery since we were kids. I've never seen her hate anyone as much as she seems to hate you, but I know she's not always an easy person to be around. If it helps at all, she's normally a nice enough girl, as long as you don't get on her bad side."
I chuckled darkly, shaking my head. "I wish I knew why I was on her bad side. She's hated me from the moment she set foot in our dorm room. Before I even said anything to her." Pausing, I shifted in my seat before asking, "I don't suppose you have any idea what I did that ticked Avery off?"
Will shook his head, spreading his hands in gesture of ignorance. "So, what has Avery done this time?"
I fiddled with a paper napkin sitting on the table, carefully folding into a small square, then unfolding it, avoiding Will's eyes. After a minute, I managed to find the words to explain what had happened earlier.
"Avery is in fine form tonight," I sighed. "She's apparently dating my best friend Dylan, and the two of them came back to the room together and kicked me out so they could have some alone time."
Will exhaled, his eyes coloring with concern. "Ouch," he winced. "And your friend didn't stand up for you?"
I shook my head sadly, balling the napkin up into my fist and squeezing it like a stress ball. "He didn't even tell me he was seeing her. Apparently, they've been together almost a week, and he never told me. Even though he knows that Avery hates my guts."
Avery was cruel, but the real betrayal was Dylan's. I expected Avery to relish in hurting me, but I honestly expected better of Dylan. He was my best friend, and I had told him how much Avery's cruelty bothered me. Not only had he not stood up for me tonight, he had chosen her over me. And we had three years of friendship. What could Avery offer him that I couldn't?
"That sucks," Will admitted, shaking his head at me. He studied me for a minute, and I thought about what a pathetic picture I must make, the poor, pitiful girl who'd been cast out by her best friend and picked on by her evil roommate. His face brightened, his mouth curling up into a devilish grin, and the sudden change in facial expression threw me off guard. I had just admitted to having one of the worst nights of my life, and he was smiling like a kid in a candy store. Was he some kind of sadist or something?
Now that I thought about it, maybe that shouldn't surprise me. Avery was a real piece of work, and if Will was friends with her, more than friends even, what did that say about his character? Her attitude must not bother him too badly if he's willing to spend time with her.
"What?" I asked timidly, wanting to shrink into the cheap vinyl seat beneath me and avoid the scrutiny of his gaze. I still didn't like the way he was looking at me, and I was beginning to think that texting Will had been a really awful idea. I'd have been better off hiding out in the library, or even hanging out in my dorm room and braving Avery's wrath. Dylan would have stood up for me if I'd insisted on staying, right?
"I know how you can get back at Avery," Will told me, a devilish gleam in his eyes. I gulped, not liking the way this conversation was going. Getting back at Avery sounded good, but Will was kind of making me nervous. I shrunk down even lower in my seat, hiding my face behind my curtain of brown hair and peering up at him through my eyelashes.
"What did you have in mind?" I asked nervously.
"There's this party," Will started, and I shook my head definitively.
"No," I said, shutting the idea down. "No way. I'm not dressed for a party. I'm not in the mood for a party. That's the last thing I feel like doing right now."
"Which is exactly why," Will said, grabbing my hand and clasping it between both of his, "you need to go to this party. My fraternity is throwing it, and a bunch of Avery's friends will be there. Friends who know that Avery and I... you know," he says, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Eww," I groaned, ripping my hand away from his and shoving him in the chest. "Quit being creepy. And why does it not surprise me that you're a frat boy?" I raised an eyebrow at him. Somehow, the image of him being a wild partier who enjoys keg stands fit. And Avery going for frat boys fit the type of guy I'd imagined her being into. Football players and frat boys. Maybe I'd get lucky and Avery would join a sorority and move into sorority housing. But then again, probably not. She'd stay in the dorms just to spite me.
"Trust me, showing up at the party with me will make Avery crazy jealous. And it will prove to her once and for all that you're not wallowing in self-pity. If you show Avery that her pettiness doesn't bother you, she'll back off. Eventually."
Yeah, or smother me in my sleep. But, I had to admit that Will's words made sense. I really didn't want to sit around feeling miserable all night, and a party might be a good chance to make some friends on campus. With Dylan converting to the dark side and Kelsey at college out of state, I could really use the distraction.
"Fine," I agreed, watching as Will tossed a bundle of cash onto the table to cover his bill, then stood to leave. He offered me his hand, and I accepted it tentatively.
"Just so we're clear, we are strictly friends," I warned. "Don't try anything. I have a boyfriend, and I only called you to make Avery jealous." And, because he was the only person on campus besides Dylan that I had talked to. But that sounded too pathetic to say out loud.
"Deal," Will said, grinning. "I prefer not to be tied down anyways. Why do the serious relationship thing, when there are so many pretty girls out there?"
I rolled my eyes. Will was kind of a perv, but it made me feel slightly better that he probably wasn't serious about Avery. I didn't think he had it in him to be serious about anyone. He just liked to have a good time.
Will still clung to my hand, pulling me along behind him as he made his way across campus to the fraternity and sorority housing. The frat party was already raging as we approached the house. Music blared so loudly, the house was practically vibrating, and there were people sitting out on the front porch, smoking something that I didn't think was nicotine.
I gulped, wondering what exactly I had gotten myself into. I had been to parties in high school, but nothing like this. Everyone was sipping beer out of red solo cups, and I felt completely out of depth. Will released my hand as soon as we walked through the front doors, and although I tried to stay with him, he disappeared into the crowd minutes after we arrived, not bothering to make sure I was comfortable.
With a sigh, I grabbed a root beer out of a cooler in the kitchen, opening the can and taking a long sip before making my way over to a half-empty couch in the living room and sinking down. On the far end, a couple was making out, and I wanted to tell them to get a room, because although I didn't think of myself as a prude, they seemed like they were getting too hot and heavy for public decency. I didn't say anything, though.
Instead, I leaned back into the couch and surveyed the room, watching everyone curiously. It felt like I had stepped into some sort of parallel universe, or onto the set of a cliche college movie. If this were a movie, I would look up into the eyes of some totally hot guy who would come over and keep me company all night, and by the end credits, we would have fallen madly in love. Unfortunately, this wasn't a movie, and there were no hot guys throwing themselves at me. In fact, no one was even talking to me.
I grabbed at the charm bracelet my mother had given me, fiddling with it anxiously. It was a habit I'd thought I'd kicked years ago. I hadn't played with my bracelet like this since my sophomore year of high school, but being in a completely unfamiliar situation like this brought all of my old insecurities flooding back.
"I can't believe you still do that," a familiar voice laughed, and I jumped out at the sound, almost falling off of the couch in surprise.
I looked up into the amused face of Madison, my old high school rival turned friend. I hadn't seen her in over a year, and she was one of the last people I had expected to see here. Running into Dylan and Avery would have been less surprising.
"Madison?" I gasped, jumping up and hugging her tightly. "I can't believe it! I didn't know you went to school here!"
Madison laughed, returning the hug. "It's good to see you too, Lilly," she said. "How's college going for you? Have you made any friends yet? Met any cute boys?"
She winked at me, and my face flushed red. "I'm still dating Ben," I told her. We had just started dating when Madison left for college, but Madison nodded like she knew exactly who I was talking about. "And college...isn't all I had hoped it would be."
In a rush, I explained the ongoing drama with Avery, and Dylan's betrayal. Madison shook her head, rolling her eyes at Dylan's idiocy. A long time ago, back before I had met either of them, Madison had actually dated Dylan, so she was all to aware how insensitive he could be at times.
"You know what?" Madison asked, her eyes flashing mischievously as she crossed her arms over her chest.
I was reminded uncomfortably of how much of a mean girl Madison could be when she felt like people were messing with her. When we'd first met, Madison had hated me because she'd been dating Luke, and I'd had a massive crush on him. I'd sort of been part of the reason they'd broken up, so Madison had plenty of reason to hate me. Watching her now, I realized that Madison was exactly the right person to deal with a girl like Avery. Madison had claws, and she wouldn't let Avery walk all over me.
"What?" I asked, sensing that Madison had some sort of trick up her sleeve.
"We need to mess with them," Madison said, a wicked grin spreading across her face as she drummed her fingertips against her crossed arms.
I shrugged. "That's why I'm here," I said. "I figured showing up to a frat party with Avery's friend with benefits would make her jealous."
Madison arched an eyebrow at me. "Wow, really? I'm sort of impressed. You always seemed so innocent in high school. But, I think you need to think bigger. Sure, Avery might hear about tonight through the gossip mill. That's good, but not enough. What you need is something truly impossible for her and Dylan to ignore. Something that will make it clear once and for all that you are not someone to be messed with. No one messes with my friends and gets away with it."
I smiled, loving the fire in her eyes as she spat the words out. It reminded me a little of Kelsey. It was nice, the way Madison and I had picked up our friendship right where we left off, and it was a relief to have a girl friend on campus, who actually understood girl drama and didn't think I was overreacting.
"And I suppose you have a plan?" I asked.
Madison smirked, leaning forward and whispering her scheme into my ear. My crazy grin spread and mirrored Madison's. The plan was daring and more than a little risky, but if we pulled it off, there was no way Dylan and Avery were going to be able to ignore us.
With Madison's help, I was kicking the cold war between Avery and I up a notch, and after tonight, she would think twice about messing with me ever again.