Chapter 4: The Master Plan

The clock strikes 12, and here I am, still lying on my bed, unable to figure out how I’m going to handle my situation tomorrow. My head feels like it’s about to split open from all the thinking. You know what? I miss those days when problems were this cute. Seriously, I was adorable back then, lying in bed, stressing out over what now seems like the tiniest issues. I wish I could go back—back to the days before all the bloodshed, before people were getting their heads chopped off, before the wars and the mingling of evil, before I lost my loved ones in the most horrific ways imaginable.

But, oh no, my story hasn’t even really started yet. Things are about to get really wild, and I’m both excited and terrified to tell you about it. Some of what’s coming, I’m eager to share, but some things… well, they’re so crazy, I’m not even sure how I’ll manage to tell them. So, buckle up, dear reader, because every little detail from here on out is crucial, especially the one I’m about to share with you.

So where was I? Oh yeah, I was still deciding who I was going to see tomorrow. I stayed up thinking until 2 a.m., and finally, I made a decision. My “master plan” is this: Tomorrow at 2 p.m., I’m going to see Emma, my girlfriend. Yes, yes, I know—Courtney is my best friend, the one who’s always been there for me and will probably drop everything to show up whenever I need her. But Emma… Emma is willing to share a romantic relationship with me. She’s ready to devour my whole body, touch me, be intimate with me in ways that Courtney just can’t help with. And honestly? Right now, I’m really craving that intimacy. I’d probably grab onto anything that moves. But what about Courtney, you ask? I’m glad you brought that up—give me another hour while I figure that out.

Oh, look at that—it’s now 3 a.m., and I think I’ve got it. I’m going to escape Courtney. She’ll try to find me, but she won’t succeed. When we finally meet, I’ll feed her some sad story about a project I forgot was due. I’ll say I need the afternoon to work on it, and knowing her, she’ll back off and give me the space I need. Courtney really respects my study time—she’s in a different class but the same grade as me, and we’re always competing for the top spot. She knows how important my studies are.

I finally thought I had a solid plan, so I drifted off to sleep. But then, at 6 a.m., my internal alarm clock—that inbuilt, rent-free tenant inside me—goes off. And in the loudest, most fierce voice, the demon inside me yells, “Wake your pathetic body up and go make miserable decisions!” I jumped out of bed, terrified, as my lovely little demon buddy jolted me awake. Now it’s time to get ready for the day.

I finally get ready for school, and yeah, I’m a little late, but who really cares? It’s every man for himself at the University of Cairo. Oh, did I mention that’s where I study? I’m knee-deep in mechanical engineering, and guess who’s right there with me? Yep, Courtney. We’re both grinding through the same program.

“Ethan! Ethan!” I hear my mother’s voice blasting my name like a fire alarm. I swear, it’s like she waits until she’s on the other side of the house just so she can scream her lungs out. But hey, I better behave—she’s my ride, after all. One snarky comment, and I’ll be stranded. Trust me, we’ve played that game before, and guess who lost?

So, I jog over to my mom, and she gives me a ride to school. She’s talking, lecturing maybe—I don’t know. Was I listening? Absolutely not. I was too busy in my head, thinking about my stuff. Oh, and speaking of thinking… you may have noticed I haven’t mentioned my dad. Well, here’s the thing: my father… yeah, you don’t see him, and neither do I. He’s a ghost in my life—left when I was just a baby. My mom still clams up whenever I ask about it. So, anyway, we pull up to school, and I’m off to my lessons.

As I walk into class, I spot Michael, and here he comes, sprinting over like I’ve been missing for a year. Remember Michael? My very close friend, but let’s not get too generous with the “best friend” title. He’s one of the four people who know my secret, actually the first one I told you about.

“Ethan, what’s up with you, man? It’s like we’re not best friends anymore… who’s keeping you so busy, huh? Courtney? Or is it your new secret buddy, Emma?” he teases, giggling. “Either way, not cool, man. And you didn’t even tell me about her—I had to find out watching you two smooch faces at church!” He’s relentless, closing in for a hug as he says, “You know you’re the love of my life, right, dude?”

I push him off like, “Come on, bruh, do you really enjoy it when people think we’re gay? Like, damn!”

He just laughs, backing off with a grin, “There’s my buddy.” Then we sat for lesson

The classroom was quieting down as the lesson drew to a close, and I could see Courtney outside the door, practically bouncing on her toes with excitement. Any thoughts of ditching her during lunch were quickly dashed. She was waiting, eager as always. I sighed, mentally preparing myself for the act I was about to put on.

The bell rang, and before anyone could even start packing up, Courtney burst through the door like a ray of sunshine, her enthusiasm filling the room. “Heyyy, sweetheart!” she greeted me, her voice sweet as she leaned down on my desk, elbows propped up, her head resting on her palms. “How are you doing today?”

Before I could even respond, she produced a lunch bag. “I brought you lunch! I know you love pizza,” she said in that sing-song tone that always made me smile. But today, it only made the knot in my stomach tighten.

“Heeyy, so I’ve drafted my plan for tomorrow’s party,” she continued, her excitement bubbling over. “Everyone’s been dying to see it, but I refused to share it with anyone before you saw it. So, here, have a look, and let’s talk about it.”

I nodded, trying to stay focused on my schoolwork, but it was hard with Courtney right there, her brown eyes shining, her long hair falling perfectly over her shoulders. She was beautiful, no denying that, and normally, I’d be more than happy to indulge her. But today, I had to stick to my plan.

“I’m really busy, sweety,” I finally said, forcing my eyes back to my books. “I have to submit my project soon after lunch, and there’s still a lot to do. I’d really like some time alone to finish because this is really stressing me out.”

According to my master plan, Courtney was supposed to give me some space now, to let me focus. But, of course, things never go as planned. 

Courtney, being the stubborn person she is, took a seat beside me, her voice filled with concern. “Let me help you,” she offered, genuinely wanting to ease my burden. “Give me something to do, anything. I’ll help, please.”

I shook my head, trying to keep my tone gentle. “Sweety, I’m fine. I just need to be alone to do this.”

But she wasn’t having it. “Come on, I just want to help. Please, you’ve always been there for me, and I just want to assist you with your project,” she said, her voice quivering, as if she was on the verge of tears.

I glanced at the time—it was 1:38. My window of time was shrinking, and I needed to leave by 1:46 to make it to Emma’s school on time. Courtney kept reaching for my books, insisting on helping, and I kept gently pulling them back, my patience starting to wear thin.

The demon inside me stirred, sensing my rising frustration. Courtney’s persistence wasn’t just annoying; it was triggering something darker, something I had to keep under control. “Come on, sweetheart,” she pleaded, “let me take away your pain.”

And that was it. My control snapped. I stood up so suddenly that my chair screeched against the floor. “Courtney!” I practically shouted. “Please leave me alone! I said I don’t want to be with you right now, didn’t I? So please, just leave!”

The room went silent, and Courtney froze, hurt flashing across her face. But it wasn’t my tone or the volume of my voice that got to her—it was the fact that I had called her “Courtney.” I hadn’t called her that in years, not since we were kids.

“Sweetheart… you… you called me Courtney,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Why? Why are you calling me Courtney?”

I didn’t have an answer. I could only watch as she leaned in closer, tears glistening in her eyes. “I’m just trying to help you. Why are you yelling at me? You’ve never yelled at me before.”

She reached out to touch me, but I took a step back, the guilt gnawing at me even as I tried to hold my ground. Realizing I wasn’t going to let her in, she slowly walked out of the classroom, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

Time was running out, and I needed to get to Emma. I quickly gathered my books and rushed out of the classroom. As I walked out of the school gate, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Heyyy, sweetheart, wait up!”

It was Courtney. She caught up to me, looking genuinely apologetic. “Before you say anything, I figured I was probably wrong. I’m so sorry… I might have overstepped. I should’ve listened. I’ve just never seen you like that, and you always love my help.”

“It’s cool, sweety. I understand,” I replied, trying to keep my tone light. The last thing I needed was to upset her more.

She smiled, visibly relieved. “Well, where are you going? Let me walk with you.”

“I’m fine, really. I just want to walk alone,” I said, trying to gently push her away.

But Courtney wasn’t easily deterred. “Stop playing around. Let’s go,” she said, grabbing my arm.

I pulled back gently, trying to keep the peace. “I just want to walk alone.”

Her expression shifted from confusion to hurt. “Come on, sweetheart. First, you don’t want me to help you, and now you don’t want me to walk with you. Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry if I did, but please, don’t treat me like this.”

I could feel the tension building again, and the demon inside me wasn’t helping. I had to end this before things got worse. “Listen, everything’s okay, sweety. I’ll see you tomorrow at your party, alright?”

She hesitated, then nodded, but just as I thought I was in the clear, she grabbed my hand. “Heyyy, I had a lot of people ask me to be their date tomorrow because I said I’d bring a plus one. But I only had you in mind… so, would you like to be my plus one?”

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. “Of course, I’d love to. I’ll be there.”

She beamed at me, her earlier sadness seemingly forgotten, and gave me a tight hug before heading back to class. I quickly hailed a taxi and headed to Emma’s school, my mind racing with everything that had just happened.

By the time I arrived at Emma’s, it was 2:12. I looked around for her, but she wasn’t in our usual spot. I went under the shed where we usually met and called her. Her phone rang, but there was no answer. 

Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Thirty minutes. I sat there, feeling the weight of everything. I’d upset Courtney, missed half of my classes, and now, Emma was nowhere to be found.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Emma pulled up in a sleek BMW with a group of her friends. They all looked at me through the window, their car had no roof, looking stunning, their confidence radiating off them. I expected Emma to walk over to me, but instead, she called me over to her.

I approached, but just as I reached them, the car started to move. Emma leaned out of the window and called, “You know what? Let’s talk over the phone, okay? Right now, I’ve got something to do.”

I watched, stunned, as they drove off. I had come all this way for nothing. I felt like a fool, standing there, realizing I had hurt Courtney for no reason. And now, I was alone, having missed lunch, classes, and a chance to see Emma.

Dejected, I caught another taxi back to school. As soon as I arrived, I saw Michael and Courtney sitting outside, right where I had left her. The moment Courtney saw me, she ran over and hugged me tight.

“Heyyy, sweetheart. How are you? Have you eaten anything? Here, I saved your lunch. You didn’t eat it earlier.” She was all smiles, back to her usual self. “Oh, and your project? It’s done.”

She had spoken to my lecturer, finished my project for me, and even submitted it. I looked at her, feeling a wave of gratitude and guilt. “Thank you for the food. Want to share?”

She grinned, nodding eagerly. “I’d love to.”

Michael joined us, and we sat outside, sharing the food Courtney had brought. It was already knock-off time, and just as we were finishing up, Courtney’s dad pulled up in his car, honking impatiently.

“Hey, Michael. Hey, Ethan. How are you guys?” he called out in his deep voice before urging Courtney to hurry.

As soon as Courtney left, Michael turned to me, his expression serious. “Listen, man. I really think Courtney is in love with you. I mean, really in love.”

“Come on, Michael. We’ve been best friends since we were three years old,” I replied, trying to laugh it off.

But Michael wasn’t joking. “Dude, I’m your best friend, you hear that? Me. And I was the one with her here, waiting for you to come back. I know what I saw.”

“Okay, so what?” I shot back, feeling a bit defensive. “I’ve always had a thing for Courtney, but her? Come on. I don’t think so. She’s like a sister to me. We literally grew up together.”

All the way home, I couldn’t stop thinking. Courtney? A thing for me? That can’t be right. We’ve been best friends since we were three. I mean, sure, I’ve always admired her—who wouldn’t? She’s beautiful, smart, and caring. But I’ve seen the kind of guys that hit on Courtney. Guys with big wheels and big wallets. I’m just… me. The idea kept swirling around in my head, but I tried to push it aside. I was just overthinking it.

Finally, I got home. I was too drained to even think about eating, so I headed straight to bed, ready to let the day slip away. But just as I was about to drift off, my phone rang. I reached for it, the glow of the screen revealing the caller.

It was Emma.

I sat up, instantly alert, my heart thudding. What could she want? After today, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Heyy, Emma. How are you?” I tried to sound casual, like I hadn’t just spent the past hour replaying everything that had happened.

“Hey, baby, I’m good. How are you?” Her voice was soft, but there was something in it that made my stomach knot up.

“I’m doing great. So, what’s up?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light.

She hesitated for a moment, and I could almost hear her thinking on the other end of the line. Then she said, “Heyy, I heard about Courtney’s party tomorrow, and people are going with their plus ones. Well… I know I should be your plus one, right? Should I come?”

Panic shot through me like lightning. The thought of Emma at Courtney’s party, of those two worlds colliding—it felt like the ground was slipping out from under me. But I couldn’t exactly say no, could I?

But I also can’t say yes because Courtney is already my date and it’s her party. Then Emma asks again, “Baby so?”

Out of full panic I say “Well, of course, love. Why would I not take my girlfriend who I love to be my plus one at a party?”