The Curse of Betrayal (17 page)

“What’s up?” I ask him as I stand there, glaring in confusion. He walks next to me, not saying a word. I head towards the student center while he trails on my heels like he’s scared of being alone. “Whatever. Stay silent, weirdo,” I mutter as I continue to walk to lunch.

We have to go outside to get to the lunch room, so I exit the building and enter into the freezing cold Arctic air. I’m really over the winter season. Bring on the shorts and tees, because this whole negative degree weather is taking a toll on me. Mikey grabs my hand, taking me off guard, and I pull it back not wanting to lead him on.

“What was that for?” I stop and ask him, my brows wrinkling, not knowing what’s going on in this guy’s head.

“Oh, I just needed to distract you,” he says and then runs away from me. I watch him run back to where we came from. I look forward and am stunned when I spot Kara, Megan, and Lisa running towards me. I hear them yelling something, but I can’t make out their words with the competing wind. Kara wields her hands up in the air towards me, but I don’t know what she’s trying to say.

I start walking towards them but stop in my tracks, when I see a group of guys flanking them, bags on their backs filled with white balls falling out. I realize they’re snow balls and stress, not wanting to get hit. Damn it. This is all because of the prank war; I just know it.

“Run!” Kara yells when they’re a few feet in front of me. I turn and sprint towards the building I came from, but when I get to the doors a second later, I see Mikey on the inside, holding the doors shut so there’s no escape. I reach for the handle anyway and start jiggling it, getting flustered, but it’s no use. We’re cornered.

“It’s locked,” I tell Kara when she gets close enough to me.
 

“We have to fight back.” Lisa reaches down on the ground and grabs a handful of snow. The guys are close, so we jog behind the building and start making snow balls. It’s not even worth it, though, because the boys get to us before we can even make one.
 

“You try to prank us, you get destroyed!” Carter yells, tackling Lisa onto the floor and pummeling her with snowballs to the face. I spot Mikey coming towards to me, and I turn and run, screaming as I go. I laugh at how juvenile we’re being but it’s scary when you’ve got a big dude running after you with snow balls.

He nails me on the back with enough force that it pushes me forward. I can’t catch my fall, so I dive head-first onto the snow. I flip so I’m on my back to protect myself. Mikey looms over me, a mischievous look in his face. I decide to plead for my life.

“Please, please, please don’t attack me,” I grovel, sticking out my lower lip. I push my hands up in front of me defensively, so I can at least protect my face.
 

“What will you do for me?” He steps back a pace to give me room.

“What do you want?”
 

“A kiss.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“I don’t know…” I say as I weigh my options. I think I’d rather take a snowball in the face than kiss Mikey when I already have enough going on in the love department. I can’t love anyone more than Ari or Ollie, so it’s pointless to get Mikey involved.

“I’m not asking you to marry me. Come on. A kiss on the cheek for your best friend Mikey,” he eggs me on.

“Fine,” I relent. “But nothing more. I’m serious.”

 
He reaches out a hand to me, and I take it, getting up onto my feet. He pauses, pointing to his cheek, and I lean in and kiss it. I thought he might turn and trick me into a real kiss, but he’s a perfect gentleman. He lifts me up in his arms, spins me around, and then places me back on the ground, smiling like he won the lottery.
 

“Let’s see where the others are.” Mikey grabs my mittened hand and leads us towards the others. I let him lead me, but in the back of my mind, the warning bells shoot off. When we get back to the group, Kara is drenched and Lisa looks livid.
 

Megan is giggling off to the side with Shane. I watch as Shane leans down and kisses Megan on the lips. She smiles at him as he holds her, whispering something private in her ear. Her eyes flutter shut as he peppers kisses up her neck. They’re perfect together—so happy.

I walk to Kara’s side, and she swings her arm around my shoulders, using me to hold herself up. Lisa and Megan both come over to us while the boys walk in their own pack in front of us. We all head to lunch hour together, looking like we just walked through a bomb zone of water. I don’t really care though. It was fun, and I like having friends. Plus, I needed a shower.
 

I meet up with Kara on the way to strength training, which has become my favorite class despite all the physical activity. “We have a plan to mess with the little bastards,” Kara bends down and whispers in my ear. I pull back astonished that they already came up with a plan.

“What is it?” I ask her as we enter the locker room. I drop my bag on the floor and then crack my locker open.
 

“Shh. Megan’s getting the supplies,” Lisa says as she follows behind us.

“What are we doing?” I ask her.

“You’ll see. All you need to know is we have heels.” Lisa gives me an evil smile. I return it, but I really have no idea what the heck she’s talking about. Does she plan on stabbing them?
 

We all get dressed fast, and right before the late bell rings, Megan rushes into the room and drops two bags on the floor. Lisa picks one up and shoves it into her locker, secretively.
 

We walk into the gym together and sit in our usual spots on the bleachers. Magdelina calls for class to start and takes Kara and Megan away, leaving only Lisa and myself for the girls. Mikey comes over sits next to me, which has Lisa rolling her eyes at him. She looks like she wants to talk but doesn’t—probably because of Mikey’s presence.
 

“So, we’re going to practice using special powers. I know some of you don’t have yours yet, and that’s fine. You will still find this lesson useful,” Ari speaks to the group of us.

“This is awesome,” Mikey whispers, his face alight with excitement.

“Let’s work with our partners. First, explain your powers and then I’ll come around and help,” Ari announces. We all break off in our pairs and start the lesson.
 

“Do you have a power yet?” Mikey asks me. His leg is jiggling like he’s nervous but in a good way since he’s smiling.

“I have visions, but that doesn’t really help for today. Do you have any?” I ask him back.

“I can teleport myself,” he says, nodding like a thousand times.

“Seriously?” I ask. “That’s awesome.”

“Want to see?” he asks me, the gleam still shining in full force. I nod and wait for the show. He remains seated next to me. The only change I notice is his face scrunches together, like he’s thinking hard.
 

And then he’s gone.
 

“Ryder!” he yells from the other set of bleachers. He moves completely across the large gym and to the top seat, near the ceiling. He’s waving and I can barely make him out way over there.

Before I know it, he’s next to me again. “Oh my god!” I exclaim, my eyes hardly believing what’s going on.
 

“Pretty sick, right?” He nods again, bragging.

“I don’t think I said to start practicing.” Ari comes over to us with a frown plastered to his face. “I said to speak, not to do,” he scolds Mikey.

“Sorry. I just wanted to show her,” he apologizes, but Ari’s face doesn’t change, nor does he accept the apology.
 

“And if your teleporting went wrong?” Ari’s eyebrows quirk up.

“Well, I, uh…”
 

“Exactly. Don’t do it unless you’re supervised.” Ari all but growls, and I feel bad for Mikey. But oddly, Ari’s sternness turns me on. I’ve seen the way Ari eyes Mikey when we sit together. He’s jealous.
 

For the rest of class, I basically sit and listen to Mikey ramble on and on about how awesome his teleportation powers are. Ari goes around the room, letting people try their powers and experience it.
 

I’m amazed by what some of these kids can do. And we’re only freshman, so their skills will only be enhanced over the years. I just hope that mine will, too. That someday I can control what I see and when and use it to my advantage. Although seeing isn’t as cool as controlling an element or teleporting or controlling thoughts.
 

After meeting up with Megan, Lisa, and Kara, the four of us sprint into the locker room and get dressed fast. I shove my gym clothes into my locker and then await instruction. Megan pulls out her extra bag and opens it just a hair so I can peek in. I start laughing uncontrollably but am forced to stop when Kara covers my face with her hand.

“Okay. I’m quiet,” I tell her, forcing myself to stop laughing.

“Hurry up. Let’s go.” Lisa grabs her bag and leads the way. I bring up the rear into the hallway and down towards the side of the gym that I’ve never been to. There’s a hall and windows leading outside, but we pass that and continue down the hallway towards the boy’s locker room. Kara drops her bag near a bench against the windows, and we all tag along.

Lisa is the first one who cracks open the door. I lean closely behind so I can hear what they’re saying, but she nudges me back so I can hardly see or hear a thing.
 

“How sick was that soccer game?” one of the boys says. We wait outside the door until we hear the showers start—that way we know they won’t catch us. Apparently, they all have a meeting during eighth hour for the soccer team, so they should shower after class. Not to mention the fact that Mikey told me not to wait up for him, which means he’s going to be a while.
 

The shower heads blast on and block out any conversation they have going on, so we know now is the time. Lisa creeps in first and makes sure that no other guys are around to see us. When she’s sure that we’re alone, she beckons us in, and we all scurry in like little field mice. My heart is pumping like crazy, adrenaline rushing through my veins like gas in a race-car.

“Where are their lockers?” I ask the girls, hoping we find them fast so we can get the hell out of here. I keep looking over my shoulder, paranoid.

“Carter’s is over here. We’ve hooked up in here before,” she says. We all make gagging sounds and shrink back. She just brushes it off like it’s no big deal.
 

“Is there anywhere they don’t hook up?” I ask Megan, but she just motions me off.

We get in front of a group of lockers and spot the boys clothes strewn about on the floor and hanging out of their lockers. I recognize Mikey’s lime green basketball shorts that he wears in class, so I know we found them. Lisa grabs their clothes and throws them at me.

I’m pretty sure a pair of used, sweaty underwear slam right into my face. I’m about to yell at Lisa when Kara gives me a look, so I swallow my anger and remain quiet. I quickly collect the rest of the clothes that fell to the floor.
 

Megan has the clothes she picked out for them in her extra bag, and she places them in their lockers. I take the bag and shove their used clothes into it so they can’t use them. We look around, and when we’re satisfied, we all sprint towards the exit.
 

Right when we get to the door, Ari emerges from the bathroom within the locker room. Crap. We’ve been caught red handed.

“What’s going on here?” he asks in his best teacher voice.

“No time to explain. We have to run.” I plead with my eyes that he lets us go.

“Don’t do this again, Eurydice,” he says before dismissing us. We run the rest of the way out and then hide their clothes in a nearby empty garbage bin. We sit on the benches outside of the locker room where the windows are and wait for the boys to come out. It takes another five minutes for the guys to finish showering, but when they walk out of the locker room…

Oh my god—it’s epic.

Mikey exits first, just his face poking outside of the door, but he’s bright red with embarrassment. He pokes a foot out and then steps into the light, showing off his amazing outfit. Shane, Carter, and Trent follow behind, all looking beyond mortified. I have to admit, Lisa and Megan worked their magic with this plan in only a few hours.

Mikey has on a polka dot black and white dress with nice black pumps, making his legs look dazzling. It’s perfect because the dress is sleeveless, so his large arms are on full display along with his hairy armpits. Carter’s wearing a pink strapless number with flip flops that have a little sun flower on the top where his toes peek out.
 

And damn do his toes look awesome. Each one has a little puff of hair on it, and in the shoes, it just looks so wrong. He looks pissed more than mortified, and I’m afraid for Lisa and what her repercussions are going to be. If I had to admit it, I think she made his the worst because of whatever she saw the night we ransacked his room.
 

Personally, I think Shane’s get up is the funniest, because he has on a yellow romper. The shorts make his muscular and hairy thighs look enormous, and the little straps on top show off his broad chest. He’s got the cutest little heels on and can’t even take a step without stumbling forward and wobbling his ankles. They all stand side-by-side and pretend to models, knowing that they can’t do anything to make it go away.