Pwned

  Parker gave me an odd look at my response, so I quickly added, “For that game you play, right?” trying to sound as clueless as possible.

  “Yeah, for ‘that game,’” he repeated, a ghost of a smile playing on his face.

  “Well, it was good seeing you,” I said honestly, wishing I didn’t mean it as much as I did.

  “Good seeing you too,” he replied. “If things are really weird when you come back to school, you can always sit by me,” he offered.

  “Thanks Parker,” I said, knowing I could never take him up on his offer if I wanted to avoid eating lunch in my locker, but still finding it unbelievably sweet that he would suggest it.

  “Also you have an awesome right hook.”

  16. QQ

  Sunday night meant that I only had a few more hours until I went back to school. That, of course, meant that I only had a few more hours until I saw firsthand how miserable it was to be an outsider.

  I had no doubt that Tawny would have turned the entire squad against me by now, but I could only hope that she hadn’t decided to torture me like she did everyone else in the school. Seeing as how I had given her a black eye, though, I was sure she had a personal vendetta against me now.

  At least if she decided to focus on destroying my life, she’d actually leave Parker alone.

  Hopefully.

  “Reagan?” my mom said on the other side of my closed door.

  I was lying on my bed surrounded by all of the make-up work I was supposed to be doing all week. Leave it to me to wait until the very last minute to get all of my schoolwork done.

  “Yeah, Mom?”

  “There’s someone here to see you.”

  It was eight at night on a Sunday; I couldn’t possible imagine who’d be paying me a leisurely visit at this time. I sat up in bed and tried to pull my hair into a ponytail so I looked presentable.

  As the doorknob turned, I had a sudden moment of panic where I realized it may be Parker on the other side of that door. Who else would be visiting me, after all? It wasn’t like I had any friends anymore. But if Parker was coming to visit, it probably meant that he wanted to talk about the time I’d kissed him, which meant I’d either have to lie a lot or fess up to everything.

  Luckily (sort of), I was saved from that awkward conversation when Tawny walked into my room, faded black eye and all.

  I guess all I had done was exchange one awkward conversation for another, though I might prefer the conversation that ended with me snagging a nerdy boyfriend rather than the one that ended with me getting punched in the face.

  “Hey,” I said cautiously.

  I was really hoping she wasn’t here for round two, because I was exhausted and didn’t think I’d hold up against Tawny and her rage.

  “Hey,” she responded.

  Our conversation so far had been pretty eloquent.

  “Listen, if you’re here to tell me I’m off The Squad—”

  “No, it’s not that,” she interrupted, looking unsure of herself and pretty uncomfortable.

  It was a look I hadn’t seen Tawny wear often.

  “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for what I said.”

  I looked at her for a moment, trying to decide if I was hallucinating or not. The odds that Tawny was actually apologizing without some ulterior motive were slim.

  “It was pretty messed up of me to make that jab about Zane,” she went on.

  She sounded almost sincere—if I didn’t know Tawny better than that, that is. She definitely had some sort of reason for suddenly taking the higher ground, and I wasn’t about to fall for it.

  “I’m sorry I punched you,” I said, knowing I still needed to play along.

  “Yeah, that wasn’t cool,” she responded with a small laugh.

  “Was that all you wanted?”

  “No, I was coming to tell you that you aren’t getting kicked off The Squad. I think it would really lower morale if one of the captains left, so I think it’s important that we stick together.”

  Okay, this was definitely suspicious. Tawny was not a “stay together for the kids” type. She was a “send the kids to boarding school because I didn’t like them in the first place” type.

  “Okay,” I said slowly.

  “And I think, to show just how close the two of us are, you should head up the little hazing ritual we discussed,” she said with a smile.

  Right. The hazing ritual I’d come up with. The one where we'd get Parker arrested. That definitely presented a problem, and I tried to mull over some way to keep him out of it.

  “After all, that nerd almost ruined our friendship. I think it’s only fair he pay the price.”

  I didn’t bother pointing out the fact that Parker hadn’t ruined our friendship—Tawny and her awful behavior had ruined it. Besides, I was beginning to figure out the perfect way to get back at Tawny for all the misery she’d caused people, including myself. I, of course, had caused my fair share of misery over the years as well, and I’d find some way to make that right for everyone, but in the meantime, I was focusing on Tawny.

  “You’re absolutely right,” I agreed vehemently.

  “I’m so glad you agree,” she said, pulling me up off of my bed and wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. “Things can go back to normal now, right?” she whispered in my ear.

  “Of course,” I lied.

  “Because you know that Zane and I aren’t together anymore, right?” she asked, pulling away from me but keeping her arms around my neck.

  We had always been close, but suddenly I didn’t really feel like cuddling up to Tawny, and our close proximity just reminded me of how much I had changed. We weren’t the same people anymore. Not by a long shot.

  “I didn’t know that,” I said.

  “That whole thing with him was just a one-time deal,” she promised, making her eyes wide and innocent, even though I could see right through her.

  If the one time I’d seen them together was a one-time thing, then how did you explain them always hanging out together behind my back? Or the fact that Zane’s room always reeked of Tawny’s cotton candy perfume? Even now I could smell the scent on her. Really, it was my own fault for not seeing the obvious signs ages ago. I had no one to blame but myself.

  Gosh, Mom would be proud of me. Taking ownership and all.

  “I appreciate that,” I said through gritted teeth, trying to smile with all of my might.

  Tawny finally released my neck and gave me a satisfied grin, glad that I had so easily fallen into her trap, I assumed.

  She really underestimated me.

  “I’m glad you see things my way, Rae,” she said, posing for a moment before turning to leave. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

  “Bye,” I said as she left.

  When I could hear her car starting up outside, I sat on my bed, feeling empowered. I knew Tawny was up to something, and I knew that being friends with me would be the means to whatever end she had planned.

  Normally I’d be furious that she thought I could be manipulated so easily, but I had plans of my own. I had finally figured out how to get back at Tawny and make things better for everyone we’d picked on at the same time. Unfortunately, it did mean I’d have to hurt Parker one last time.

  I could only hope he’d understand.

  +++

  “Kimber, you’re moving like a three-legged dog and it’s pissing me off,” I could hear Tawny yell as I entered the gym for cheer practice after school on Monday.

  It felt kind of odd to be in my uniform again, like nothing had happened. Things had gone pretty well at lunch, and no one had looked like they wanted to kill me, so that was always a good thing.

  “Get back in formation before I put you out of your misery,” Tawny shouted as I walked up and stood beside her.

  “Rough day?” I asked.

  “You have no idea how hard it is to manage them without you. It’s like, a fate worse than death,” she informed me.

  As Tawny glanced at m
e, her entire disposition changed. She went from her leadership pose to the pose she adopted when facing a weaker opponent.

  “Reagan,” she said slowly, as if I wouldn’t understand her if she spoke too fast. “What the eff is on your face?”

  “Oh, don’t be such a drama queen, Tawny, they’re just glasses,” I told her, trying to sound nonchalant.

  “And why are you wearing them? Are you trying to spit in the face of my generous decision to let you back on The Squad?”

  I restrained myself from telling her that it wasn’t really her call if I was on The Squad or not, and simply shrugged my shoulders. I needed her to think I was completely on-board if my revenge scheme was going to work.

  “My contacts were bugging me during my last class so I took them out. It’s not a big deal,” I said.

  “Not a big deal? Are you kidding me?” she spat, her voice much more venomous than it should have been over something like glasses. “Take those ugly things off or I’m revoking my friendship offer,” she whispered.

  “Are you serious?” I asked in disbelief. “Tawny, I won’t be able to see without them. What if I hurt someone on The Squad because I don’t know where to put my foot or something?”

  “I’d rather have every last one of them end up in the hospital than have our reputation marred by your hideous glasses,” she said seriously.

  “Really?” I asked skeptically.

  “Really,” she confirmed.

  I tried to stare her down for a moment, wanting more than anything to win this fight, before reminding myself that I didn’t have to wait much longer for all of this to be worth it. I just needed to hang in there.

  Smiling sweetly, I removed the glasses from my face and stuck them in my duffle bag. I was pretty sure Tawny approved, but I couldn’t be completely sure, since I definitely couldn’t see her now.

  “Much better,” she said before turning back to The Squad, who I’m guessing were watching our entire exchange. “Everyone get in formation for the heel stretch pyramid.”

  Oh great.

  Tawny was going to force me to get on top of the stupid pyramid when I couldn’t see anything. It was like she wanted the entire squad to hate me when I ruined our routine and possibly injured people. At least I now knew her apology the other day wasn’t sincere.

  That made me feel a little better about my own plans.

  I took my position in the middle of the small group of cheerleaders on the right side, preparing myself for the worst.

  “Here we go,” Tawny yelled from her position in the middle group. “I’ll count it out.”

  I took a deep breath and hoped my muscle memory would serve me well as Tawny began counting.

  My spotters lifted me up into the first position and on my left side I could see Tawny and Kimber pop up next to me. Next came the second lift, where they would elevate us even higher above their heads and I would be expected to land my ankle perfectly into Tawny’s outstretched hand as she held Kimber’s ankle and my own.

  Unfortunately, that wasn’t quite what happened.

  Instead, I panicked and looked over, trying desperately to find Tawny’s hand as I extended my leg up into the air above my head. What I ended up doing was overshooting her hand and bringing my heel down on top of her head.

  Hard.

  This, of course, sent Tawny reeling into Kimber and her spotters, causing her group and Tawny’s group to collapse into a heap of groaning cheerleaders while I was stuck in the air on display as the girl who had just kicked Tawny.

  “Let me down, guys,” I said quietly to my spotters. I didn’t want Tawny knocking me over to get back at me, so the closer I was to the ground, the safer I was.

  “Seriously, Reagan?” she said, storming over to me. “How are you such an idiot?”

  “I told you I can’t see without my glasses on!” I said defensively.

  It wasn’t like I hadn’t warned her. It wasn’t my fault if she was too vain to listen.

  “I don’t see what having your glasses on has to do with you kicking me in the head,” she shot back.

  The entire squad were rubbing various sore places and glaring at me. At least, I assumed they were glaring. Who knew in this foggy world I was forced to live in? It was all because somebody wouldn’t let me wear my stupid glasses.

  I guess I could take comfort in the fact that Tawny didn’t care about anyone else on The Squad; it wasn’t personal. The fact that she was willing to endanger everyone else just to prove a point was slightly unnerving, though. I wondered why no one else could see how terrible she was.

  “Whatever. I guess we’ll just look like a bunch of idiots at the pep rally, since we can’t perform a simple heel stretch pyramid,” she screamed at a terrifying volume before storming out of the gym.

  The doors slammed shut behind her and the rest of us were left to stand in an awkward silence. No one really knew what we should do next.

  Gosh, we were such sheep.

  “Sorry guys,” I mumbled, hoping they wouldn’t hate me too much. They may have been mindless followers like I used to be (and still was, to a certain extent), but they were sweet girls deep down. They weren’t nearly on the same level as Tawny when it came to being evil.

  A few of them shrugged at me, but no one really said anything as we slowly filed out of the gym. Kimber was clutching her backside and wincing with every step she took, which I could see once I put my glasses back on.

  I felt bad that I’d be implicating the rest of The Squad during my plan to put Tawny in her place, but knowing that it would hopefully put an end to this ridiculous tyranny once and for all, I could see that it was necessary. Besides, I wouldn’t actually be setting Tawny up in any way, shape, or form—I’d simply be turning her in for her own crimes.

  Granted, the whole “spray-painting the school and framing Parker for it” thing had been my idea, but I didn’t quite think it was too late to make up for my wrongdoings. However, I would still have to lock him in the pool and get him in trouble—at least initially—for the whole thing.

  Okay, so my plan had a few major holes in it, but I had to hope it would come together in the end. Parker would just have to be my unwilling tank to distract Tawny from the real oncoming storm.

  17. Evade

  “Why are you so dressed up?” Cannon asked from the back seat of my car.

  “What are you talking about? I’m not dressed up,” I said defensively—probably a little too defensively, if I’m being honest. After all, it was a perfectly good question. Why would I have gone out of my way to curl my hair and do my makeup just to drop Cannon off at his little play date?

  Oh, that’s right, I had a serious nerd crush on Lily’s older brother.

  That would do it.

  “That’s a lot of lip gloss,” Cannon remarked.

  Kids always knew how to make you feel good about yourself with their brutal honesty.

  “You stay quiet or I’ll turn this car around and you won’t get to see Lily,” I threatened. “Besides, you’re one to talk. Are you wearing cologne?”

  Cannon didn’t answer but shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Wow. Together, the two of us made a pretty pathetic pair.

  “Why did you even offer to bring me to Lily’s house? Mom said she was going to do it.”

  “Mom’s busy, Cannon. We can’t expect her to taxi you everywhere. I need to pull my weight as your older sister,” I lied.

  It was true that I did want to be a good older sister, but I also wanted another excuse to see Parker outside of school. I had promised myself I would tell him everything after I took care of Tawny, but once I had made that decision, it seemed like my confession was ages away. All I wanted to do was talk freely to Parker.

  “I don’t believe that for a second,” Cannon said suspiciously as we pulled up at Parker’s house. “Thanks for the ride,” he said over his shoulder as he got out of the car and ran up to the house.

  “Not so fast,” I called after him, practically jogging to the front doo
r as he knocked. “What kind of sister would I be if I didn’t make sure there was proper adult supervision here?”

  “Whatever,” Cannon responded, seeing right through my attempt to sound genuine, as usual.

  “Hey Cannon,” Parker said enthusiastically when he opened the door. “And hello to you, Reagan,” he added, a smile spreading slowly across his face when he saw me.

  I had said it before, but I couldn't say it enough—for a nerd, Parker was seriously cute.

  “Hey Parker. Just wanted to make sure someone was home before abandoning my little brother on the side of the road,” I said, finding that my face felt extremely hot all of the sudden.

  “Cannon!” Lily shouted in excitement.

  “Bye Reagan,” Cannon hinted in a way that said, “go away, you’re making me look uncool.”

  “Have fun,” I told him as he ran away, before addressing Parker. “Thanks for watching them.”

  “Of course,” Parker responded. “Do you want to come in for a drink or something?”

  I paused at his question. Of course I wanted to come in! But was there really a way to tell him that right now? I needed to keep Parker out of the loop on everything until I turned Tawny in for her crimes. Until then, fraternizing with the enemy was strictly forbidden, so no, I wouldn’t stay and talk to Parker.

  “Okay,” I said with a smile as I stepped inside.

  Apparently the rest of my body wasn’t listening to my brain at the moment.

  “What would you like?” he asked, shutting the door behind me and looking around nervously, probably for any embarrassing pictures his parents might have hanging around the house.

  “Do you have Mountain Dew?” I asked, requesting my favorite (non-cheer season) gaming beverage.

  “Yeah, we do,” he said, trying to hold back a smile at some joke that I failed to understand.

  “Seriously Sovay, you can’t backstab someone standing in the middle of a mob! You totally just pulled the whole dungeon over here!”

  “What was that?” I asked, although I would recognize Kaydinn’s signature shout anywhere.

  “Oh sorry, it’s just my computer,” Parker said in alarm as he ran down the hallway to his room.