Plans in Motion
1024 Words
The foam explosion incident lingered like a dark cloud as I watched Ryan wipe his face with paper towels, his jaw tight with irritation.
I felt sick to my stomach. This was supposed to be my moment to impress him, but I had completely blown it. Literally.
"I'm really sorry, Ryan," I said softly, standing a few feet away from him. "I wasn't paying enough attention and I made such a stupid mistake."
He sighed, still dabbing at his face.
"It’s fine," he muttered, though his tone said otherwise.
Before I could say anything else, Jenny swooped in like a vulture smelling blood.
She stood in front of me, arms crossed and a smug smile plastered across her face.
"Wow, Kristen," she sneered. "I didn’t think it was possible, but you’ve somehow managed to make yourself look even more pathetic."
"Not now, Jenny," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "You honestly do not want to come for me when I'm angry."
I made sure my voice sounded dangerous but she still didn't take the hint.
"Seriously, though," she continued, ignoring me. "What was the plan? Blind Ryan with foam so he’d fall in love with you out of pity?"
Laughter erupted from Jesse and Jamie, who had appeared behind her like loyal minions.
I clenched my fists, my frustration bubbling to the surface.
"I said it was an accident. Maybe if you weren’t so busy trying to sabotage me, this wouldn’t have happened."
Jenny gasped, her eyes narrowing.
"Excuse me? Are you seriously blaming me for your incompetence?"
"Maybe if you weren’t always in the way, I’d have a chance to actually talk to him!" I shot back, my voice louder now.
"Enough!" Luke’s voice cut through the tension as he approached Ryan with a clean towel. "Can you two stop embarrassing yourselves for five seconds?"
He handed the towel to Ryan, who took it without a word.
Elvis, ever the loyal friend, stepped forward to help.
"Here, let me—"
"Don’t," Luke snapped, his icy gaze landing on Elvis. "Stay the hell away from us. You and your weird friend have done enough damage for one day."
Elvis froze, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
I felt a pang of guilt and anger at Luke’s words, but before I could defend us, Ryan stood up.
"Let’s go," Ryan said to Luke, his voice low but firm.
Luke shot one last glare at us before leading Ryan out of the room.
The whispers and giggles of our classmates followed them, and I felt like the ground had opened up to swallow me whole.
This had quickly become the worst day of my life.
By lunchtime, Elvis and I had retreated to an abandoned part of the school, far away from the cafeteria and the judgmental stares of our peers.
We sat on a cold bench, picking at our food in silence.
"I can’t believe he called us weird," Elvis said finally, his voice heavy with disappointment.
I looked over at him, my chest tightening.
"I'm sure he didn’t mean it," I said, though I wasn’t sure I believed it.
Elvis scoffed.
"Oh, he meant it. Trust me. The look on his face said it all."
I sighed, pushing my sandwich around on its wrapper.
"And I made a complete fool of myself in front of Ryan. He probably thinks I’m a total i***t now."
Elvis leaned back against the wall, his expression thoughtful.
"We can’t let this ruin everything. We worked too hard for this glow-up just to go back to being last year’s losers."
I nodded slowly. He was right.
We had transformed ourselves over the summer, determined to start fresh and make this year different.
One bad day couldn’t undo all of that… right?
"We need a comeback," Elvis said, sitting up straighter.
"A comeback?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Something big. Something that’ll remind everyone how fabulous we are."
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed with a text. It was from my mom.
"Your dad and I will be out this evening. You’ll need to babysit Jack. Dinner is in the fridge. Be responsible."
I groaned, slumping against the wall.
"Of course. As if today couldn’t get any more annoying."
"What’s wrong?" Elvis asked, noticing my expression.
"My parents are ditching me with babysitting duty tonight," I said. "Jack’s probably going to spend the entire night making my life miserable."
Elvis’s eyes lit up, and I could practically see the gears turning in his head.
"Babysitting, huh?"
"Yeah. Why?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
He leaned in closer, his grin widening.
"What if… instead of babysitting… we throw the first party of the semester?" He asked, his eyes lighting up in mischief.
I blinked, stunned.
"A party? At my house? Are you insane?"
"Think about it, Kristen," he said, his voice filled with excitement. "It’s the perfect way to make a statement. We’ll invite everyone who matters. Ryan will have to show up, and Luke… well, maybe I’ll get another chance to talk to him."
I hesitated, the idea both thrilling and terrifying.
"But what if no one comes? What if Ryan and Luke don’t even bother?" I asked, considering all the possibilities.
Elvis grabbed my hand, his eyes serious.
"They will. Trust me. Everyone loves a good party, especially at the start of the year. And this is your chance to prove to Ryan that you’re fun, confident, and absolutely irresistible."
I chewed my lip, the seed of the idea taking root in my mind. It could work. It had to work.
"Okay," I said finally, a spark of determination igniting in my chest. "Let’s do it. But it has to be epic."
Elvis grinned, squeezing my hand.
"Oh, it will be. By the end of the night, Ryan won’t be able to take his eyes off you."
As the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, I stood up, already planning the party in my head.
This was my chance to turn everything around, and I wasn’t going to let it slip through my fingers.
Tonight would change everything.
- Writer
