Clarey
“Say what?” Sofie exclaimed. Trish laughed along as we all entered my house that afternoon. The blaring noise of video games was coming from the living room. After dropping our bags down at the bottom of the stairwell, I realized it was my brother Corey playing Black Ops along with his other friends and our cute neighbor, Kyler Kress, from across the street.
I shook my head and went back to the kitchen. Sofie and Trish sat down on the stools by the granite island while I popped open a bag of potato chips.
“Clarey, you didn't answer my question.” Sofie said warily.
I smirked. “Evan is asking me out on a date. And I said I would think about it.”
Sofie's eyes widened. “Holy pepperoni! Are you serious, chica? This is like, major!”
“Now that's just suicide right there,” Trish shook her head in bewilderment. “Haven't you learned your lesson yet?”
I shrugged as I poured myself a glass of orange juice. I wobbled my head from side to side. Sofie noticed the sly look on my face as I bit a baby carrot. Yes, I knew what I was getting into. Playing fire with fire’s dangerous. Sure, I’ll get burnt eventually. But it’ll be worth it.
“You got a plan up your sleeve, don't you?” Sofie asked. “Spill.”
I slowly licked the bottom of my lip. “I know a way to get back at that jerk.”
Trish and Sofie stared at each other in disbelief. Their bulging eyes shifted back to me. I knew they needed to be filled in whatever it was that's swirling in my mind right now.
“So, what? You're going to make him jump off a cliff?” Sofie asked hopefully.
“No.” I shook my head with a smirk.
“Make him eat slugs?” Trish asked.
“No.”
“Hmmm,” Sofie tapped her chin. “Make him walk around blindfolded in his underwear, maybe?”
“No,” I chuckled. “Actually, that's not a bad idea.”
“What's not a bad idea?” My older brother, Calvin, had just walked into the kitchen interrupting our secret mission. He wasn't wearing a shirt and he looked like he just finished taking a shower due to the visible water droplets from his hair.
Sofie's jaw dropped automatically and snapped into her usual day dreaming state, both her hands cupping her face while she stared dreamily at my brother. It's just ridiculous, not to mention gross to see her drooling over my brother.
“Clarey's gonna make Evan walk around blindfolded in his underwear.” Sofie stated while Trish just giggled behind her.
I shot her a glare. You bitch, I mouthed. She just waved a hand at me like it was nothing.
“Evan?” He cocked an eyebrow, holding the refrigerator door open. “From next door?”
I blushed as I tried making up a non-horrendous excuse for what big mouthed Sofie had just spilled. I cleared my throat.
“Uh, yeah, it's just a little joke we have.”
“Okay, you girls have fun then.” He winked at Sofie, grabbing an apple from the basket at the center of the island. He bit into the apple as he walked out of the kitchen, giving us a little wave.
I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes at Sofie, who was just completely drooling like a rabid dog. I waited until Calvin was out of earshot.
“Sofie, what the hell?” I snapped.
“What?” She asked innocently.
“Stop lusting over my brother.”
Sofie giggled. “I can't help it when he's just so mm-mm scrumptious.”
I pretended to gag myself when I heard her say that. Who knows what's swirling inside her head right now? Picturing Calvin and Sofie together was just not on my list of favorites.
“Okay, okay, can we just stop it now?” Trish whined. “Clarey, darlin', you have some serious explaining to do.”
Before I could speak, I heard Corey and the other guys yelling nonstop and the blaring sound of the TV was just way over the top.
Talk about noise pollution.
“Corey, turn that racket down!” I yelled.
My ears were ringing and we could barely hear ourselves talk so I angrily strode over to the living room and yanked the surge off the outlet turning everything off at once.
“Hey!” Corey protested. The others stared at me wide eyed. “What the hell?!”
“What the hell?” I mimicked his voice. “Get your ass out of the couch, now!”
“I'm telling mom!” He said in a whiny voice.
“Whatever.”
*
“Okay, so what's the big plan, missy?” Trish asked sweetly, sitting down on the carpeted bedroom floor as she painted her toe nails with bright red nail polish.
We were all dressed up in our pajamas since it was our monthly sleepover. I was laying down on my stomach as I flipped over the pages of a Rolling Stone magazine. Sofie was on the carpet lying down on her back with her long legs placed up on my bed reading Teen Vogue.
“Well, since he's asking me out on a date, I figured it's the perfect way to get back at him, you know.” They both nodded. “Soooo…”
I pressed my lips together. I could feel small butterflies fluttering inside my stomach.
“So, what?” Trish prodded. “Come on, we need details.”
I took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “I'm going to make Evan fall in love with me.”
They both gasped and scrambled out of their positions.
“Whoah, wait a darn freakin' minute,” Sofie lifted a finger, trying to absorb what she just heard. “I need time to process this.”
“That's not going to work, CJ” Trish shook her head. “He practically hates you!”
“Sshh, not so loud.” I pressed a finger to my lips.
Evan's room, unfortunately, was just in front of my bedroom window. Lucky me, huh? As if on cue, we suddenly heard a faint music drifting out from his window. I immediately jumped to turn off the lights and we peeked quietly through the blinds.
“I feel guilty for actually doing this,” Trish snickered. “It’s like a crime.”
“Shut up, Trish.” I pulled her little ponytail.
Evan's window was opened and a thin white curtain was just fluttering from the wind. All three of us were cramped up below the window like a couple of idiots on a stakeout. It was just ridiculous. I mean, us spying on Evan? Good gawd.
Kill me now.
We tried to make out the music. It was Cupid from 112, which was one of my favorite songs. It didn't occur to me that Evan was ever into love songs. Now that's quite surprising.
“Cupid doesn't lie…”
“But you won't know unless you give it a try.”
The lyrics somehow just hit me for some reason. I was already drowning myself into the music when Evan's Silhouette appeared from behind the curtain.
Oh, crap.
We all ducked our heads and kept quiet until Evan closed his window. Sofie wanted to burst into laughter. I elbowed her and we all sighed in relief, giggling like we just committed some sort of a crime.
*
“Cupid doesn't lie...” I sang in a low tune, just enough that I could hear it myself. I hummed as I fixed my hair in front of a small mirror inside my locker.
“Morning!” Evan leaned on the locker next to mine. “Miss me?”
“Geez, Evan!” I clutched my chest. “Will you please stop creeping up on me like that?” I slammed my locker door shut. “It's annoying as hell.”
“Sorry.” He muttered.
He walked alongside me, quickly placing his arm around my shoulder. I quickly lifted his hand away from me.
“Excuse me, what are you doing?”
“What do you think I'm doing?” He shot the question back. Typical asshole. I just wanted to kick him in the nuts where it really hurts.
Trevor came by just in time to save me from fate worse than death.
“Hey, von Detten.” Trevor greeted, placing his arm around me. He was wearing a crisp white long sleeved Nike cotton shirt with his red backpack on his left shoulder.
“What's up, McAllister?" Evan nodded back with a serious look on his face.
As we were walking away, I couldn't help but look back over my shoulder just to see a glimpse of Evan glaring back at me for a brief moment before he joined in with the rest of BV high's “IT” crowd. They were all laughing, giving man hugs and fist bumps. I saw Celia linking her arm with Evan's, flashing her billion-dollar smile at everyone around her.
“Thanks.” I turned to Trevor, plastering a small smile on my face.
“Anytime, Clarey.” He winked at me.
Evan, you're going down.
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