Chapter #20Two Plans Come Into Collision by: Nostrum   "Mikey...!” Kelly approaches you, dragging Lindsey alongside with her. Your eyes are dangerously dancing out of focus as your nerves threaten to ruin everything. You don’t know her, you don’t know Lindsey, and you don’t know how to behave like a Latino nerd. You don’t even like parties that much, and you now have to stay on one for more than you’d desire.
Kelly grabs your hand, smiling. “How nice to see you here. Thought you wouldn’t come.”
“Well...” You flinch, trying a timid smile and hoping his youthful cuteness gives a good first impression. “Always a first time for everything.”
“That’s true! Anyways...” She slides away, pushing "your" crush closer. “Lindsey, this is Mikey, from my Constitution studies class. Mikey, I hope I don’t have to tell you about Lindsey.”
“Nice to meet you,” the blonde cheerleader says with cold courtesy. “Kelly has told me a lot of things about you.”
Your eyes bug out. What to tell her? You scratch your hair and improvise. “Hopefully good things! You did tell her good things about me, right?”
“Of course...” she says in a motherly tone. “Like how you got accepted at Tynemouth.”
That sounds like a great icebreaker, and you’re thankful Kelly dropped that bit of info so freely. Tynemouth may not be Ivy League, but it’s known for its stellar Law school, as well as International Business and Political Sciences programs. Tina aimed to apply to Tynemouth but your father’s salary couldn't allow her to afford even a single credit – it's an exclusive private university, populated by students like those from St. Lenore Academy.
To be accepted at Tynemouth all but ensures work as a diplomatic envoy, and many members of the Diplomatic Corps studied there. The kid’s future is secure. “It was hard, but I’ve always been good at it.”
“C’mon,” Kelly blurts in disbelief. “You’re gonna have a heck of a head start!” She giggles, patting your shoulder. “He’s being too modest – if it were me, I’d be telling everyone about the program I was admitted. How about you tell her about the Julius Gardner program?”
If I knew more about it... You’re fortunate that you know something (thanks to Tina), but not too much. It’s a combination of a scholarship and advanced placement program, where a student spends their last semester at Tynemouth, taking college classes which are treated as electives and also as undergraduate credits. You don’t know about the particulars, though, other that it’s meant for juniors.
Thus, you choose the least-desired answer, if not the safest. “I don’t think Lindsey’s gonna be interested.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” You know you don’t wanna screw it up for your girlfriend (or Kelly), but you’re in a very uncomfortable situation. The smile she flashes at you, however, immediately disarms you. “I’ve heard about Tynemouth. Not everyone gets there.”
“Like I said – hard work.” You pepper your response with what little you got from his family. “Mom always wanted me to have a good future – it was Tynemouth or working with my Dad, fixing cars.”
“He’s a mechanic?” It seems your attempt bore good fruit. “What kind of cars he fixes?”
“Well...” You shrug, unsure if with confidence or shyly. “Any kind of car, mostly. He was dealing with one of them muscle cars – y'know, the ones with big, noisy engines?”
“Oh, that’s so interesting!” Her nasal giggle felt as false as your attempt to pass off as a Latino teen.
“Well, I’ll let you two chat a bit, alright?” Kelly starts to move away, pulling the white T-shirt's lower hem from your jeans. “And relax a bit! You’re gonna have fun – I'm sure of it.”
As she leaves you, you feel like the last lifeboat on the Titanic has left, and you’re inside a sinking ship. You look at the drinks station, hoping a gentleman’s courtesy does the trick. “Wanna follow me and drink something?”
“I’m not too much into alcohol,” she says, and once again disarms you with her grin. “But if you make the offer...”
--
After a disappointing sip of the punch (why would they load it with so much liquor?), you take Lindsey to a discreet corner for a private conversation. You have chosen to press questions to avoid having to talk about Mike, letting her tell you about her life.
And judging by the conversation, you feel sorry for the poor kid. Lindsey’s vapid and superficial, her tales focused on routines and the importance of proper posture. There is some brain on her head, though; her explanation on stunts and balance has some physics terms you recognize, and she tells you about her plan to take Physiology class next year. (Her talking about the different ligaments in a person’s body is cute but awfully boring.)
However, most of that brain is focused on fashion and parties, and soon you feel like your brain’s oozing from your ears. Kelly takes pity on you, taking her away for a while; you couldn’t care less for the excuse she gave you, and you even take a gulp of the punch to swallow the bitter taste in your mouth.
A couple minutes later, you feel a buzz on your pants, right where you stored your own phone. It’s a text from Jessica, looking for an update. [How’s the date, Romeo?]
[Bout 2 take the poison pill], you reply, and soon enough, you hear your phone ring.
“What’s that about a poison pill?” You listen some of the same music through her phone – she must be close.
“Judging by our talk, I don’t think they’ll hit it. Lindsey’s a nice girl but she’s a little empty up there.”
“Really?” You’re unable to see her behind the phone, but from her next answer, you suspect she must be chewing her nails. “That’s gonna be a trouble.”
“Why?”
“Mikey really likes Lindsey. And Kelly’s insistent on pairing them. Did you notice any interest from her to you?”
“Not that much,” you admit. “I mean – I don’t know a lot about him! If Kelly hadn’t told me about Tynemouth, I’d’ve been at a loss!”
“Right - should’ve told you about the program.” How did she know? you wonder, because you didn’t tell her that. “Can’t back down now. Keep trying to hook them up, alright?”
“I’ll try, but I feel sad for him. If he wore something different, girls would be swarming around him.”
“You think? That’s so sweet of you! Also - if this doesn’t work, you can help me cheer him up, alright?” She blows a kiss on her phone, giggling. “See you later, Babe.”
“Later.” You hang up, feeling overwhelmed by the challenge. You walk along the venue, checking where Kelly and Lindsey are. The pool’s full of drunk high schoolers, driven by their hormones to engage in kissing competitions, and the more daring ones snatching drunk girls’ panties with their teeth. Pairs step up and down the stairs, drunk and otherwise, giggling madly at what awaits them downstairs – or at what they already did.
This is the kind of debauchery Mrs. Reyes probably warned Mike about when preventing him to visit any kind of party, and you’re lucky he’s not witnessing this – at least, consciously. You wonder what will Mackenzie’s parents do if they catch her allowing this at their home.
Soon, your bladder hits you, and you feel the urge to visit the bathroom. You stumble upon the guest’s bathroom on the first floor, mercifully away from the loud music, and zip your jeans down. It’s utterly bizarre to feel what should be your urine flowing from Mike’s thing, holding it with his hands and shaking it clean.
But odder still are the voices coming from outside, from a semi-open window. “Everyone here?”
“Everyone that decided to come,” says a very familiar voice. “Got the drugs?”
“Had ‘em since the day they announced the party,” says another voice, this one unknown to you.
“Great. This’s gonna be easy.” You lean closer to the window, trying to get a better look, while slowing your breathing. “The guys are gonna be drunk as fuck, so they’ll be easy to take out. Replace ‘em and go to each of their girls”
Replace them? That plan sounds awfully familiar. (And not good.)
“What if they recognize us?”
“They won’t,” the familiar voice says as you get a better look. Five guys are huddled in hoodies around a circle, hiding on the bushes. “Just remember to put everything on and change into their clothes – if anyone asks, it’s getting chilly, so we added hoodies to their attire.”
“It’s gonna be weird to have a fit body just for one day.” That guy’s claim sets your mind on alarm.
“Once we do the exchange, get ‘em to drink. Just like we practiced. Once they start acting funny, take ‘em to the spot and we’ll do the second exchange.”
“That’s gonna be tight.”
“Drew, that’s so gay of you!” Wait... No wonder the voice’s so familiar. That can only be Drew Collins. Which means...
“Then, we’re gonna have so much fun with them.” You notice their apparent leader take out something long, black and cylindrical from inside his hoodie, and you immediately recognize the scar on his dominant hand.
It’s Jimmy. Does that mean he also has a pen like the one Jessica and you have?
You slide away, keeping the toilet full of piss and taking a facial wipe to clean your hands. You open the door as carefully as possible, trying not to disturb them.
But you must, and you have to know. How did Jimmy get his hands on one of those? Is he and his group going to replace the jocks, then pose as the cheerleaders? Then again, it doesn’t have to be the cheerleaders – they could replace anyone. Even Mackenzie. Even Lindsey – and because you’re the guy courting her, they might replace you.
What will Jimmy say if he finds you inside some random guy, doing the same plan? That pen’s dangerous in his hands. But if you get involved in them, Lindsey might just reject you – and that means facing Jessica’s wrath.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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