Mutual Hatred - Love Game (19 page)

"Good. Well, have a nice evening then. And remember, the beach closes at 11," the man tipped his hat and left.

Whew. That was a close one.

"We gotta get rid of this shit, dude!" Brandon said loudly, "I can't get fucking caught because then I'll be fucked up with my parents and fucking football and shit."

Two points for Brandon, who can use the word fuck in a sentence three times!

"Blame fucking Nickol for fucking bringing it, dipshit," groaned Kyle. "I say we just get the fuck out of here."

Oh no
, thought Shelley,
No way were three boys going home intoxicated.

Especially not
her
boys.

Shelley marched right over to Kyle and yanked the collar of his polo shirt, hard.

"Ow! What the fu-fudge was that for, coach?" yelled Kyle.

"You are
not
driving home in this condition. Come on, you, Brandon, and James get in my car. No questions, no complaints.
Not a word
," she said, her voice dangerously low.

Luckily, Kyle wasn't too drunk; he knew how to hold his own. As she watched Kyle usher Brandon and James away, Shelley scanned the beach for Taryn.
Where had that girl gotten to?

She mistook a lone figure sitting near the waves for Taryn, but it turned out to be Morgan. And boy, Morgan was hammered. As soon as Morgan lifted her head to see Shelley, she started mumbling a bunch of random gibberish. Shelley rolled her eyes and helped Morgan up.

"Come on, I'm taking you and your brother home," Shelley said gently.

"Noooooo I wanna stay at the PAR-TAY!" squealed Morgan. She made a move to take her shirt off, but Shelley stopped her.

"Trust me, you do
not
want to do that," said Shelley.

Shelley guided Morgan to her car, where Brandon, Kyle, and James were already waiting. As soon as Shelley unlocked the shiny black Lexus, Brandon claimed front seat. Morgan was left to squeeze in between James and Kyle in the back.

Not that Morgan minded.

James was first to be dropped off. As he stumbled up his driveway, Brandon said,

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why am I doing what?" Shelley said innocently.

"Taking us home. You don't have to. You could let us drive on our own." Brandon spoke as if he was sober, not completely smashed.

"It's simple, really. You're on the team. And being on the team makes us family. So I can't have three drunk teenagers driving themselves home. It'd be a risk to yourself and anyone else on the streets," explained Shelley.

"I didn't get what you just said, but ooooooookay," slurred Brandon.

Kyle was next to be dropped off. When Shelley turned around to tell Kyle that this was his stop, she was mortified to see him sucking face with Morgan. Apparently, they had attached themselves to each other at one point during the car ride. Too bad neither of them would remember this tomorrow.

"God, I feel awful," complained Morgan as Shelley drove on to the Miller's, "Can you stop so I can throw up?"

Shelley quickly obliged, and after a short period of time Morgan got back in the car, still looking a little green.

"You sure you're okay?" asked Shelley.

"I think so. My head is just pounding like crazy right now. I just wanna go home," said Morgan, closing her eyes.

"And that's where we're going."

As Shelley drove home from the Miller's place, she realized something. She'd spent the whole week being mad at Brandon and plotting ways to get back at him, but tonight she'd completely forgotten all about it. But then again, she'd spent part of the night worrying about drunk football players.

Its interesting how one kiss can make you forget quite a few things.

Chapter 16 – Caught!

A few nights after the bonfire, Shelley finally found the time to sign onto her screen name. It was no surprise to her when Luscious Lloyd (aka Brandon, the little devil) IMed her. She'd been contemplating whether or not to let Brandon know she was onto him.

Luscious Lloyd
: how was vegas, object of my affection?

sea x SHELLS
: I know who you are

Luscious Lloyd
: do you now?

sea x SHELLS
: Indeed I do. I know where you live too.

Luscious Lloyd
: ooh i'm scared now!

sea x SHELLS
: You better be

Luscious Lloyd
: so how are you gonna punish me? make me run laps?

He's just given himself away
!

sea x SHELLS:
Now why would I make you run laps? I only make Brandon Miller run laps because he's a complete asshole and I enjoy pissing him off

Luscious Lloyd
: sadist

sea x SHELLS
: At least I don't send people creepy messages

Luscious
Lloyd
: what makes you say that?

sea
xSHELLS
: does 'how was vegas?' sound familiar to you?

Luscious
Lloyd
: if you're referring to what i said when i imed you, that wasn't creepy

sea x SHELLS:
I don't feel like talking to you anymore. BYE

sea x SHELLS
has signed off at 10:04 pm.

What a dick. Just because guys had one didn't mean they needed to
act
like one.

- - - - -

It was hopeless. Shelley
so
wanted to get back at Brandon for his stupid little stint. The pathetic thing was that no one wanted to help. Taryn had downright refused. Morgan claimed she didn't want to get involved. Kyle didn't want to make it look like he was taking sides. Destiny didn't want to mess an old friend.

Not even Johnny Nickol and his buddies wanted to help.

Everyone had basically said, "That's between you and Brandon."

Shelley could have sworn that some days it was her against the world. Where were friends when you needed them?

Screw them. She'd come up with a brilliant plan and carry it out-all by herself.
If you want something done, you have to do it yourself
.

Of course, there was always the plan she'd formulated at Kyle's party.

You know, the really bad one Taryn had disapproved of?

Too bad the best friend wasn't around to disapprove now.

Mission: Shelley's
dirty little secret
is a go.

- - - - -

"So tell me, Shellster. What have you and the man of your dreams been up to lately?" asked Taryn, licking her spoon clean.

It was a hot, summer day. In fact, it was the third to last day before school started. Taryn had invited Shelley to go for ice cream, which also meant an afternoon of catching up.

"Hah!" Shelley chortled, "What man of my dreams?"

"You know
who
…"

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," said Shelley, taking a bite out of her waffle cone.

Taryn didn't bat an eyelash. "The captain of the football team. Morgan Miller's brother? The boy you've been complaining about all summer? Ring a bell?"

"You're calling Brandon Miller the man of my dreams?" scoffed Shelley, "Clearly you're delusional."

"Kissed him lately? Thrown yourself at him?" suggested Taryn.

"If I have I wouldn't tell you," smirked Shelley. "Besides, what I do with Brandon is
my
business, isn't it?"

Taryn narrowed her eyes and pushed her bowl of ice cream out of the way. She leaned across the table and said, "If it involves
breaking his heart
, it certainly is my business. Because I have this feeling everyone's going to get hurt, including you."

"Bullshit," dismissed Shelley, "I'm only out for revenge."

"Please promise me you won't do something you'll regret?" Taryn pleaded.

But Shelley couldn't answer that question, much less promise anything.

It was up to fate.

- - - - -

School.

The reason over 1,000 students got up in the morning. Not because they
wanted
to, but because they
had
to.

Honestly, if Shelley wasn't an overachiever or coaching the football team, she would have dropped out of school a long time ago.

Hah! Her parents would have flipped if she ever tried to drop out of school. Someone had to carry on the family legacy, after all.

Being an only child had its ups and downs. A down of being an only child? The pressure's on you to succeed, to make a name for yourself.

Shelley slammed her locker door shut just as the warning bell rang. While most students were still half asleep, Shelley had her cheery game face on. She was the type of person who was ready for anything. The prospect of a new year was actually starting to sound exciting! Take new school supplies: who doesn't love new pens? Or getting to write on crisp, immaculate white paper? Or brand new textbooks that still smelled like…books?

It doesn't get any better than this,
though Shelley.

"Ah! Watch where you're going dweeb!" shrieked an all too familiar voice.

Shelley turned around long enough to catch a glimpse of Chelsey Smith sprawled on the floor, books and makeup everywhere. Chelsey's cronies were scrambling to help pick the things up, but Shelley noticed that they were neglecting to help their 'queen'.

Apparently, things
could
get better.

"Stop cleaning and help me! I think I broke a bone!" Chelsey's high pitched scream carried all the way down the hall. Everyone was starting to wander towards the scene.

Chelsey had always been the drama queen.

"Fucking freshman! Do you
know
who I am?" Chelsey had gotten up and pushed a terrified-looking freshman boy so that his back was pressed against the row of lockers.

Chelsey had always been the bitch too.

"I-I-I'm s-s-s-sorry!" the boy sputtered.

"You damn better be! You made me spill my latté all over my new purse! It's
Louis Vuitton
!!!!" Chelsey was near hysterics as she held up her newly ruined handbag for everyone to see.

"I'll buy you a new one," the boy offered meekly.

"Do you
have
a thousand dollars?"

Enough was enough. Shelley pushed her way through the crowd that had formed and stood before Chelsey.

"Why don't you just
leave him alone
?" said Shelley calmly, "I'm sure it was just an accident!"

"Accident or not, it's still his fault that he ruined MY bag!" Chelsey's heavily made up face twisted in a sneer, "Why do you care anyways? Couldn't get Brandon Miller to do you so you're standing up for freshmen now, hoping
they'll
be desperate enough to fuck you?"

"Are you
so
jealous of me that you'd have to bring Brandon Miller into this? If I recall correctly,
you're
the one who couldn't get him to 'fuck' you," Shelley smirked.

"Ugh! Just buzz off, Saint Shelley!" huffed Chelsey. She stomped her foot and stalked off in the same manner.

Now that the show was over, the crowd began to disperse, but only after countless people congratulated Shelley for 'bitching out the queen bitch' as so many justly put it.

"Er, thanks," the boy Shelley had saved said, as he was about to leave.

"No problem," Shelley said brightly, "I wouldn't wish Chelsey Smith on
anyone
."

"Well, er, I'll, er, see you 'round then," he replied.

"Wait! What's your name?" asked Shelley.

"Oh, um, Andrew," the boy shifted his eyes toward the ground. "Andrew Cheek."

"Nice to meet you, Andrew. I'm Shelley," Shelley stuck out her hand and flashed him one of her best smiles.

Andrew blushed as he shook her hand. "Ah, well, I guess I should go. Bye!"

He turned and scurried off in the other direction. As Shelley set off for 1st period, which happened to be Physics, she thought about Chelsey.

Shelley and Chelsey had been best friends for a long time, up until the end of freshman year. They were inseparable. Together, they had ruled their grade. Everyone wanted to be their friend; you were lucky if one of them even knew your name. But while Shelley had remained friendly and down to earth, Chelsey's newfound status got to her head. Suddenly no one was cool enough to hang out with the duo. A select few girls could follow her around, but no one else.