Even if she did get to Orson before me, I knew I didn't have anything to fear from Kathy. I'm way prettier, and I'm not bragging, it's just a fact. She may be the head cheerleader and all, but that's nothing more than a title, it really doesn't mean a thing. And unlike what you'd think, the captain of the football team, Zane, isn't into her, not even one bit.

The girl he actually likes is no other than me. He was quite persistent actually, but I wasn't interested. It ticked Kathy off so much when she heard he was flirting with me. So she did what she does best. She spread rumors about me. Claiming that I was a promiscuous girl, who has slept with over 20 guys, and still looking for more. Some people were stupid enough to believe it, but most of them didn't. I never acted on it though, because I have many other things on my mind, I don't have time for her.

The most annoying thing, is when she smiles to me like I'm her best friend. How could she seriously believe I didn't know she was behind the rumors? Anyway, I may be prettier but you never know. I thought Orson might be the kind of guy who doesn't care about looks, so just to be sure, I had to get her out of the way.

"I won't beat around the bush my dear Kelly-" I said once I pulled her to a corner, as a Machiavellian plan formed in my mind.

"Um," she let out a little frustrated laugh. "Shannon, I told you, it's Kathy."

"Yeah, whatever," I've never given her the pleasure of hearing my voice pronounce her name. "Orson? Don't even think about it OK?"

"Excuse me?" She said, she can be a bit slow sometimes.

"Look for someone else," I rephrased slowly. "How about Quincey?"

"Huh?" She frowned as her brain processed what I was saying. "Are you crazy? He'd never want me."

"What? You? Of course he would!" I reassured her with a fake smile.

Now to fully understand where I was going with this, I need to specify that Quincey is somehow more popular than Zane himself. Don't ask me why, I have no clue.

Well... Actually... To be fair, Quincey is very handsome. No, I am not complimenting him. It's just a fact. But other than that, maybe it has something to do with the inapproachable aura around him? Not that he's completely inapproachable, he's friends with Zane for example, Kenneth and him have fun together, he has a lot of guy friends. However, and I don't know if it's on purpose, Quincey doesn't mingle with girls, the only one he's close to, the only one he has eyes for, is Tiffany. I guess that's what makes him attractive to some? The mysterious one who is impossible to have?

Bleh, whatever. Back to me. I knew for a fact that he did not like Kathy, because she's superficial, selfish and all. So, if I could somehow get Kathy to believe that Quincey was into her, and make her publicly ask him out, he'd reject her, she falls apart, he's labeled a terrible guy, and I kill two birds with one stone. Perfect isn't it?

"Hmm, but how can you be sure he'd agree to date me?" Kathy asked with her annoying high-pitched voice.

"You know I get to be with him from time to time right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he talked about you-"

"Really?!"

"Let me finish."

"Sorry," she fidgeted with her fingers excited.

"He said he saw you in the corridors, and summer holidays really did you some good. He thinks you're cute, his type of girl."

"No way..."

"The only problem is that he's kind of shy, a bit reserved about things like this. So he doesn't really know how to approach you."

"I can't believe this! Quincey?! You mean Quincey Mason right? As in-"

"Yeah yeah, that's him."

"Am I dreaming?"

"Little piece of advice, go all in, don't be subtle about it, if not he won't understand," I smirked. "You have to go for it, insist, persevere. Even if he acts like he doesn't like it, just continue, he actually likes playing hard to get."

"Whoa! Thanks a lot Shannon," she held my hands, "you're the best!"

"Oh please," I gently squeezed her hands to encourage her, "it's nothing, bye-bye."

I turned on my heels, on my way to Orson, and suddenly felt my heart drop. You know that feeling of doing something, and immediately regretting it?

Well, that's what happened. I had hardly turned away from Kathy that I realized I had just made a terrible mistake. I turned back, but she was already gone. I had forgotten that I was walking on very thin ice with Quincey. That day was the first time we were seeing each other since our last fight before summer vacation.

It's a two way thing. He annoys me, I annoy him, and vice-versa. He actually has concrete reasons to hate me. One of the most recent ones being that just before summer vacation started, I purposely ruined his plans with Tiffany. Yes. I did. But I do admit I may have gone too far that time.