The Prank

by Jeffrey Pratt

  “I understand.” Kramer loomed over Audrey like a hungry vulture. “Last time we spoke you said you’d try to look into things. All confidential, of course.”

  “No, I . . .” Audrey sat straighter. “You’d suggested that if I heard anything, I could come to you.” She shrugged. “But I haven’t heard anything.”

  “Nothing?” Kramer raised her eyebrow.

  “No,” claimed Audrey. “Third quarter is wrapping up. I don’t have time to do much more than my schoolwork right now.”

  Kramer—the vulture—clasped her hands in front of her chest. “You don’t know anything about this, Audrey? Anything at all?”

  “Sorry.” Audrey sat back. “No, ma’am, I don’t.”

  Kramer sighed, clearly frustrated. “Okay, then. Thanks for coming in to talk with me.”

  Audrey stood to leave. “Sure.”

  “Would you do me a favor?” Kramer passed her another blue slip. “Could you get this to Rachel Hodge?”

  Audrey looked down at the slip. She realized her hand was shaking.

  “I believe you two have the same lunch and usually sit together?”

  Audrey tried to steady herself. “Yes, ma’am,” she managed.

  “Thanks,” Kramer said.

  Audrey could feel the vulture’s eyes on her back the whole way out of the office and down the hall. When she was safely around the corner, she ran.

  10

  Audrey’s friends waited for her while she had her school paper meeting after school—all three of them. A full-on ambush. They’d stopped her outside as she walked to her car.

  “Hey!” Audrey said, forcing a smile. “What are you all doing here so late?”

  “You wouldn’t respond to our texts,” replied Melicia as Rachel held up her own phone.

  “Okay, sorry.” Audrey made a so what? face. “I’ve been swamped all day. Haven’t even looked at my phone. What’s going on?”

  “You tell us,” Rachel said.

  Audrey re-slung her schoolbag over to the other shoulder. “What is this?”

  “What did you tell Kramer?” Melicia asked.

  “Kramer?” Audrey’s face scrunched into a tight, angry ball. “Nothing. Just like we said.”

  Rachel cut her off. “Kramer claims you were ‘looking into this.’ Maybe going to write a story or something.”

  “Oh, please.” Audrey frowned. “She’s so pathetic. Is that what she told you?”

  “It’s what she told him,” Melicia nodded her head at Bryant. Bryant looked away.

  “So what?” Audrey said. “I’m not writing any story. I told Kramer I didn’t know anything. She keeps acting like I’m out gathering information on all of this or something.”

  “Are you?” Rachel asked, taking a weird sort of half step forward, almost menacing.

  “Are you crazy?” Audrey snapped back. “Gathering info on what? On us? I told her I didn’t know anything. End of story.” Anger rumbled in her gut. “What’d you tell her, Rachel? You were in there an awfully long time at lunch.”

  “Don’t even.” Rachel crossed her arms and looked away. “I’m the one who wanted to keep blogging, remember. I’m not the one who’s freaking out.”

  “Well, blogging again is a horrible idea,” Melicia said.

  “So you’re taking her side now?” Rachel snapped.

  “I’m not taking anyone’s side,” Melicia said and shot Rachel a look. “So how about you bring it down some.”

  “Jeez, guys,” Bryant laughed nervously. It wasn’t a good sound. “How about everyone relax?”

  Rachel spun on him. “Yeah? ‘Relax’? You’re the one she’s gonna get first. All your drawings look exactly the same.”

  “Easy now . . .” Bryant held up his hands. “One, they don’t. Two, I didn’t say anything to anyone at school and won’t. And, three—”

  “Stop it!” Audrey yelled a little louder than she had intended. All three of her friends looked at her, a little startled. “Listen to us. I thought this was over. We put it behind us, blah, blah, blah.”

  “Well, Kramer does know we’re all friends,” said Melicia.

  “And she’ll put it all together,” Rachel said. “The four of us having something to do with it. She clearly already suspects us.”

  Bryant shook his head, looking genuinely angry for the first time. “You said it was foolproof, Mel. You said we were safe.”

  “We are.” Melicia shook her head. “Everything’s fine.”

  “Right, it’s all fine. Which is why you ambushed me,” Audrey said sarcastically. Then, for good measure, she added, “But if you’re so concerned about Kramer, why are you talking to me here in front of the school? Her office is right there.” Audrey nodded back to the front of the school. “And there are cameras everywhere. They can see us, you know.”

  Her friends looked back at the school, a combination of realization and panic on their faces.

  “What the . . . ? Seriously?!” Audrey tossed her head back and laughed, even she was startled by how mean the sound was. “Look at you! I was joking. Who cares if we’re talking? Seriously, come on. When did everyone get so paranoid? I thought we were good.”

  “We’re good,” said Rachel. “We were making sure you are.”

  Audrey narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, I’m good. And I’ll try to get over the fact that the three of you don’t trust me.”

  “That’s not true,” said Bryant.

  Audrey turned to him. “You know it is. Thanks a lot, dear friends.”

  “Hey, Audrey,” Melicia reached out and gently grabbed her arm. “Look, we didn’t mean anything by it. We just—”

  “I gotta go.” Audrey opened her car door. “See you later.”

  Audrey plopped down in her seat and started the car. Her three friends walked away together.

  The car was still parked, and she gripped the steering wheel to stop her hands from shaking.

  “Everything is okay,” she said to herself out loud.

  But that had been another lie. I’m just tired, she thought.

  And angry. And hurt. And confused.

  Audrey’s phone buzzed. A message. She sighed and dragged the phone from her backpack.

  No name again. But there was a number this time.

  Still, Audrey didn’t recognize it.

  She opened the message anyway. And then gasped.

  I know you wrote it. Was it fun to mess with someone’s life like that? Hope so . . .

  11

  Audrey almost deleted the message about fifty times to get it off her phone and out of her mind forever. But she couldn’t bring herself to actually do it. Not until she learned who sent it.

  But no matter what she tried, she couldn’t figure out where the text came from. This one wasn’t like the do-over message. That message didn’t seem to come from any number at all. This one came from a real number, but she couldn’t figure out who it belonged to. She’d gone online to search the number but nothing came up. She’d even checked the school bulletin boards that no one used except over-eager club leaders. The phone number was nowhere to be found.

  She thought about texting back but didn’t want to encourage whoever this was. If she just ignored it, maybe the message—and whoever had sent it—would simply go away.

  It never happened.

  School was a nightmare. Audrey kept looking at classmates, trying to figure out which one had sent her the text. The idea that one of her own friends had sent it was not completely out of the question, which was a horrible thought. But the fact her three friends were all avoiding her, and one another, didn’t help. Rachel skipped lunch. Bryant and Melicia, she noticed, walked solo down the halls. It looked like everyone was afraid that either Kramer or someone else at the school would see the four of them together and figure things out.

  As the day went on, Audrey knew she couldn’t keep living like this. So she texted Rachel, Mel, and Bryant.

  Mel’s house after school? Have news and data issue.

  They g
athered there at 3:30. At least, most of them did.

  “Is Rachel coming?” Audrey asked.

  Melicia shrugged. “She didn’t say anything to me. In fact she’s ignored all of my texts lately.”

  Bryant asked: “What’s this big news?”

  Audrey handed over her phone.

  Bryant read the text and frowned. He passed the phone on to Melicia. “Did you check the number already?”

  “Yeah. There’s nothing,” Audrey replied

  “Mind if I try?” Melicia unlocked her laptop and started typing. Audrey shook her head, but Melicia wasn’t looking at her anyway.

  “Did either one of you get a text like this?” Audrey asked nervously.

  “No,” Bryant said, and Melicia shook her head.

  “So why me?” asked Audrey.

  “I thought the text was pretty clear about that,” Melicia replied. “You wrote the post.”

  “Well, yeah,” Audrey snapped, feeling unreasonably stung. “With help. It’s not like I randomly came up with this idea on my own.”

  Melicia kept her eyes glued to the screen. “In any case, it’s a burner phone. Completely untraceable—some pre-paid disposable thing bought with cash. I can’t tell who it’s connected to.”

  “Um, don’t . . .” Audrey started. “Don’t you have a burner phone?”

  Melicia looked up, her eyes narrowed. “Yeah. I have two, actually. And?”

  “I don’t know,” Audrey said “I just . . . Are you sure there’s no way to figure out who—”

  “You think I sent this message?” Melicia asked.

  Audrey shrank back. “No, I—No, that’s not what I meant. I mean—Did someone here send the message?”

  “What the heck?” Bryant stared in shock. “Are you being serious?”

  “Well, you guys were in my face yesterday two minutes before I got this text. And where’s Rachel? Why didn’t she show up?”

  “There,” Mel said, shoving the phone back into Audrey’s hands. “Sent.”

  Audrey’s felt her stomach drop. “Sent?” She looked down on her phone. Melicia had texted back.

  COWARD! WHO IS THIS?

  “Oh my God!” Audrey gasped. “What did you do?”

  “I sent a reply to your mysterious friend.” Melicia opened up her desk drawer and pulled out a phone, then tossed it onto her bed. She pulled another from her backpack and then the smartphone from her front pocket, and she placed them beside the first. All three phones lay in a little pile, silent and dark. “Go ahead,” she said. “Check ’em.”

  “Mel, I didn’t mean—” Audrey couldn’t move.

  “No, please.” Melicia waved her hand over the phones. “Have at it. If I sent the original text, I’d get your response. Right?” There was a knock at the bedroom door. Melicia opened her door.

  “Where have you been?” she growled at the newcomer.

  “I was at work. Why? What’s going on?” Rachel asked, stepping into the room.

  “Our friend thinks we’re sending her nasty messages,” Melicia explained.

  “That’s not what I said,” Audrey protested.

  Bryant cut her off. “Show Rachel,” he said.

  Audrey handed over the phone. “I got this yesterday, but I never said that one of you sent it.” She glared at Melicia.

  “So what?” Rachel handed the phone back. “It’s Kramer or Hope or anyone else. Seriously, who cares? No one knows it’s us, right? Or at least no one can prove it was.”

  “Have you guys said anything to anyone?” Bryant asked.

  “What do you mean?” Rachel glared at him. “Why? Have you?”

  “What? No,” he responded, startled.

  Audrey glared at the whole room. “I haven’t said anything.”

  “You check the phones yet?” Melicia asked, turning her attention back to Audrey.

  “I don’t need to, Mel.” At this point Audrey just wanted to get out of the room. A room of her closest friends who now felt like enemies. “I didn’t mean to imply it was you.”

  Melicia stepped toward her. “Here, I’ll do it for you.” She opened up the first phone, turned it on, and shoved it at Audrey. “Nothing.” She did it two more times. “Satisfied?”

  Audrey stared at Mel. She couldn’t decide if this version of events where Melicia was yelling at her was better or worse than the version where they weren’t speaking at all.

  “Are those all the phones you have?” Bryant asked.

  Mel’s eyes flashed at him, her mouth tightening. “Get out of my house.”

  “Guys . . .” Audrey could barely get out the single word.

  “Fine.” Bryant had grabbed his backpack. “Good luck, all.”

  “Did you tell anyone, Goodluck boy?” Rachel asked him again.

  “Who’s he gonna tell?” Melicia snarked.

  “So true,” Rachel smiled meanly.

  “I already said no,” Bryant said.

  “What about your stupid little brother?” Rachel challenged. “This texting crap sounds exactly like something he might pull.”

  “I haven’t told anyone,” he said. “Just like I promised my friends.”

  Rachel clapped slowly.

  “Have a nice life,” Bryant said and stepped out of the room.

  Audrey started after him. “Bryant!” She turned. “Mel?”

  “What?” Mel glared. “I have to stand here while all my friends accuse me?”

  Rachel held up her hand. “I haven’t said anything to you, so maybe chill out a bit.”

  Melicia eyed Rachel, deciding something. “I heard you were down in Kramer’s office again,” she said.

  “So?” Rachel smirked. “We’ve all been down there.”

  “No, this was today. Someone saw you and asked me if I knew anything about it. A third visit?”

  Rachel held out her hands. “And? What are you saying?”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Melicia was on the hunt now.

  “It had nothing to do with this. Not everything involves Audrey’s dumb article, you know.”

  “You seem pretty on edge considering I was just asking you a question,” Melicia said.

  Rachel shook her head as she looked between Melicia and Audrey. Her eyes were flat and dull. “We done here?”

  “Definitely,” Melicia said.

  Yes, Audrey thought to herself. That’s exactly the word for us.

  Done.

  12

  Audrey didn’t want to go straight home after the blowup at Melicia’s house. She didn’t want her dad asking too many questions. So she decided to grab a smoothie at the strip mall on her way home. She hoped some time and the drink might help. But that was not the case.

  As she walked past a Mexican restaurant she couldn’t help but see the Barcombs, eating dinner at the table right by the front window. Dean Barcomb was sitting next to Hope with Hope’s mom on his other side. Also at the table was a boy Audrey guessed was maybe eleven, a little girl who was probably nine-ish, and an older guy, probably seventy, who looked like an older Mr. Barcomb—his dad, Audrey assumed.

  She stumbled, her body and mind in total disagreement about whether she should keep going forward or stay there looking at the Barcombs. What if one of them looked up and noticed her? She didn’t think she could bear the idea of looking Hope or Dean Barcomb in the eye.

  Still, she was frozen, staring like a deer in the headlights into the window of the Mexican restaurant.

  She realized this was something she wouldn’t have had to deal with if she hadn’t taken the do-over. She never would have seen the Barcombs all sitting together like this if she was at home, grounded for admitting the truth. No, she was out and free. And the Barcombs were miserable.

  No one at the table was talking or smiling. They were all just eating. The Barcomb family looked broken, actually. Hope looked deflated. Audrey thought back to the Hope who had made farting noises at Rachel as she passed. The girl in the window now was completely different. Audrey couldn’t even imagine h
er making a peep in the hallways at school.

  Audrey jumped.

  Hope’s little sister was staring out the window at her. Directly at her. Their eyes locked. Audrey tried imagining the conversations this girl had heard in her house over the last two weeks. The whole town knew about this scandal now. Audrey wondered how much had filtered down to the elementary schools.

  The girl turned her head, puzzled. Seeing something in Audrey’s face she couldn’t quite work out.

  The whole family dinner scene blurred as Audrey’s eyes welled up with tears again.

  Audrey turned and ran back to her car.

  She hid in her room the rest of the night. At one point, she thought of reaching out to her friends but couldn’t bring herself to do it. There was radio silence from Rachel, Bryant, and Melicia. Maybe they were mad she’d accused them. Or blamed her for writing the post. Or for even thinking of it in the first place. Joke or not.

  At midnight, her phone buzzed with a message.

  She picked it up slowly, praying it would be one of her friends but knowing in her gut it wasn’t. She knew exactly who’d sent it before she even looked. And she was right.

  It was from the same sender that Melicia had texted back earlier.

  Soon EVERYONE learns the truth. Unless . . .

  13

  The truth.

  What did that even mean anymore?

  The truth was that she’d been living in some crazy alternative reality for the past two weeks. The truth was that her best friends all hated her. The truth was that she hated them back a little too.

  The truth was that she no longer trusted them. Or anyone, really.

  But she couldn’t erase what had happened. She picked up her phone and reread the latest message.

  Soon EVERYONE learns the truth. Unless . . .

  What did soon mean? It could be hours or weeks. Unless what?

  * * *

  Audrey couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t pay attention in class or at paper meetings, and she spoke to her dad in cavewoman-ish grunts.

  She’d never used her talent with words to hurt anyone before. And the fact that she’d done so “for her friends” didn’t justify anything anymore. It only, strangely, made it worse. Their little blog had once been a worthy thing. It had grown to become exactly what they hoped it would be—a voice for the students. They got replies and feedback all the time from readers, but now the site was shut down. All the credibility they’d built, every opportunity they had, was gone.