Living With the Bad Boy

by Sharlay

  “Yeah, sure, can’t wait for that day,” I replied, sarcastically. Amongst the many weird things that made Courtney who she was, making up words had to be one of the strangest. At first she started to make up crazy words, that she claimed, ‘stops her from cursing’. Now, she just makes up words for the fun of it, or just uses words that exist, in the wrong way.

  “Right, Einstein, eat up before you’re late for school. I’m off to work now, so I’ll see you both later,” Aunt Mel said before planting a soft kiss on both of our cheeks.

  “Bye,” we both sang in unison.

  I watched Courtney, checking if her mom had gone before turning back around to face me, just as I was about to take another bite of my bacon. Did I mention that I love bacon?

  “Hey, did you see Cale this morning?” Courtney asked before shoving a fork full of eggs into her mouth.

  “No. Why?”

  “I don’t think that he came home last night, and Mom, clearly has no idea.”

  “Well, his bedroom door has been closed all morning, maybe he’s just sleeping,” I said as I placed my plate in the sink.

  “No, I went in his bedroom this morning, to borrow one of his razors, and his bed hasn’t even been slept in-”

  “Wait, you borrow your brother’s razors? That is disgusting,” I said as I raised my eyebrows at her.

  “It was a new one, they’re better than the ones that I have, they make my legs look shiny. Plus I put it back when I was finished,” she said with a smile on her face.

  “I’m not even going to say a word, let’s just go,” I said before heading towards the door and putting my shoes on.

  “So, are you going to reveal your plan now?” Courtney asked as she sat in the passenger’s seat of my car.

  “Not yet, we need to talk first,” I said as I started up the engine.

  “Great, I so thought that I’d avoided having this conversation,” she said as she scrunched up her face.

  “Yeah, well you were wrong. What was going on the other night?”

  “I don’t know, I just, I guess-”

  “You were trying to fit in, right?”

  “Yeah, something like that. Look, it’s easy for you, Addy, you’re strong and confident. I don’t always feel like that.”

  “It’s not about being strong or confident, Court, it’s about being you. You hate drinking, and yet, every time we go to a party, you are the first one with a drink in your hand, seriously, what is that about?”

  “Everybody does it, Addy-”

  “I don’t,” I replied. “Look, I get that sometimes it’s hard to say no to things, when everybody else seems to be doing it but if people are your real friends, they won’t expect you to do things that you don’t want to do. I don’t force you to do what you don’t want-well not with big things anyway, but that’s not the point that I’m trying to make here, the point is; you should be proud to be who you really are,” I said as we both begin laughing.

  “Yeah, but I’ve known you since we like walked out of the womb-”

  “Babies don’t walk especially out of wombs,” I said, sarcastically.

  “You know what I mean. You’re not just my friend; you’re more like a sister, and sisters accept all sides of each other.”

  “And so should friends, Court. Look, all I’m saying is that it’s not really you, and if you can’t be you, then what’s the point, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “And what is the point in dressing up in a hot outfit, going out to have fun and not even remembering it the next day?”

  “Yeah, it’s kind of dumb when you put it like that,” she said as she stared out of the window.

  “Just be yourself, that’s all you need to be, and more importantly, save the drinking to the people that can actually handle it,” I said as I burst out laughing.

  “Was I really that bad?”

  “Yes, you were like Jim Carrey in Liar Liar, times ten.”

  “Wow. You’re right. I’m so not going to do that again. Although I do love that film.”

  “Me too, that guy is hilarious,” I said as I started to picture the scene where Jim Carrey was trying to say that the blue pen was red.

  “Anyway, can you just make sure that you’re there to stop me, next time?”

  “I’ll try, but it’ll always be up to you,” I said before pulling into our high school parking lot.

  “Yeah...” She said as she drifted off into her thoughts.

  “Right,” I said as I parked the car and pulled out my cell phone.

  “Can you please tell me what you are up to?”

  “As soon as I have sent this message, then yes,” I said as I typed away on my phone with a smile on my face. As I became consumed in my devious thoughts, a feeling of excitement jolted through me as I thought about what I was planning to do to Caleb. As I scrolled through my contacts, the smile on my face increased as my eyes landed on Patty Cardel’s name. Just the person, I was looking for. I quickly clicked on her name, pressed send and watched step two of my plan take place.

  “Why are you sending a message to Patty Cardel?” A voice said, making me jump.

  “Jeez Court, are you trying to give me a heart attack?” I asked after remembering that she had been sat in the car the whole time.

  “Why?” She asked.

  “Why, what?”

  “Message? You? Patty? Why?” She said as she stared into my eyes.

  “Oh, that was just step two of my plan,” I said with a smirk on my face.

  “Ok, the only time that people text Patty Cardel is if there is an announcement, or a huge piece of gossip that they want to go viral,” she said as I sat there smiling at the thought.

  “Addy!”

  “Huh? Sorry, I was just-”

  “About to explain what you are up to, yeah, I know.”

  “Ok, ok, calm down. Do you remember that time when all of my neighbor’s houses kept on getting broken into?”

  “If this is your attempt at a subject change, it is bad.”

  “No, it will all make sense in a minute, just trust me,” I said, honestly.

  “Well, then yes, I remember.”

  “And do you recall my dad getting really worried that we were next?” I asked, hoping that she would catch on to what I was trying to tell her.

  “Yeah, he went all crazy and put a camera at the front of your house, so that he could ‘catch the crazy delinquents’,” she said.

  “That was actually a really good impression of my dad,” I said as I began laughing.

  “See, I told you that I can do impressions of men really well,” she replied with a huge smile on her face.

  “Even if that were true – which it’s not – it is nothing to be proud of,” I said as she began to glare at me.

  “Oh, just get to the point,” she replied.

  “Well, imagine if someone were to...I don’t know, stand in the middle of my street singing and dancing to a Beyonce song-”

  “You didn’t!” She said in shock as she finally realized what I had done.

  “Oh, I did-”

  “You sent a video of Caleb ‘booty shaking’, to Patty Cardel?” She asked in shock.

  “Yes, I did. It sounds so good when I hear it out loud. Say it again.”

  “Addy, you do know that she will have sent that to half of the kids in our high school by now, right?”

  “That was sort of the intention, Court, keep up-”

  “I know that but this is going to completely ruin his reputation, before he even has one,” she said as she looked at me as though I had just told her that I was pregnant, and that ET was the father.

  “Yeah, I know. I want him gone, remember? So, I’m really not too bothered about his reputation. He should have thought about that yesterday, when he ruined my date,” I said, proudly.

  “If you hadn’t already sent that video, I would be trying to convince you not to,” she said as she stared at me with a blank expression.

&nb
sp; “I know.”

  “But since you have already gone ahead and done it, then I’ve only got one thing left to say to you,” she said as I stared back into her eyes, “lets hurry up before we miss everyone’s reaction,” she continued before jumping out of my car, and running towards the entrance of our high school. Yep, that crazy little red head, running like a mental patient, is definitely my best friend.

  As I walked through the doors of my high school, my smile doubled in size as I listened to the hottest topic of the day.

  “Did you get that video yet?” A short girl with black hair said.

  “What, the one of the new kid singing a Beyonce song?” Her taller, blond haired friend replied.

  “Yeah, it was hilarious. I’m sure he’s that Caleb kid that was at Rick’s party.”

  Oh, the sound of victory. I knew that by the end of the day, he would be begging his dad to move away, and I would finally be free of the annoying earth creature that is known as Caleb, once and for all.

  “Oh gosh, people are already talking about Caleb’s little ‘show’,” Courtney said as she raced towards me.

  “Yeah, I heard. Great isn’t it?” I asked as I watched more, and more phones start to beep.

  “I don’t know. I feel kind of bad, and I didn’t even do anything. I remember my first day at high school; this would have been my worst nightmare.”

  “Oh, Court, do not start to feel sorry for him. Remember the chocolate in my hair, ruining my date, leaving me to walk in the rain. We are not talking about Ghandi here, this is Darth Vander in human form, and we do not favor the dark side, ok?”

  “Ok, but just remember that you’re going to have to face him at some point today.”

  “I know, that is the next step in my plan; the ‘laugh in his face’ stage. I can’t wait.”

  “Well, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at lunch, ok?” she said before heading off in the opposite direction.

  “Yeah, see you soon,” I said as I smiled to myself. I knew that I was really going to enjoy this day...

  * * *

  It was official, I hated everything about today! Why? One word...Caleb. I cannot believe that guy. Yes, my wonderful mood has gone, died, vanished, diminished and it’s all because of him. So, right now you are probably wondering what he has done, I’ll tell you what he has done, breath...just breath. I don’t know how he does it, most people’s reputation would have been destroyed after I had sent out that video, but Caleb’s, oh no, my video actually helped to make him popular! Yes popular! You see, after I got Patty to send out the video, it went around the school, really fast, and by second period, I was pretty sure that the whole student body knew about it. What I didn’t know was that in that time, girls were approaching Caleb, telling him how hot it was that he was rapping, and how good his abs looked on the video! Then there was the guys, who I had hoped would be a little less mesmerised by the moron, but no, they were just as bad! They actually thought that he was the next 2Pac and wanted - and I quote - ‘tips on how he created his flow’. I can’t even begin to tell you how mad I am right now. My whole plan was ruined, in the space of hours.

  “Hey, I’ve been calling you for the past five minutes,” a voice said as I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

  “What?” I asked in frustration before turning around to see who it was.

  “Wow, someone escaped from the ‘happy place’ that they were in this morning,” Courtney said as she raised her eyebrows at me.

  “Sorry, Court, I’m just so mad. Did you hear about Caleb?” I asked in a frustrated tone.

  “Yeah, you practically made him the Elvis Presley of our high school, well done,” she said as she smiled at me.

  “Yeah, thanks for that,” I mumbled while secretly applauding her Elvis Presley metaphor, that was pretty good. If I wasn’t so mad, I would have told her.

  “Look, just don’t let it bother you, ok? So, your plan didn’t work out, maybe you should just put an end to this and move on. Wouldn’t it be easier if you and Caleb could just get along? I mean, you do have to live in the same house?”

  “It would, but I don’t want anything to do with that guy,” I said as we carried on walking towards the cafeteria.

  “Ok, well if you can’t get along then maybe you should just drop the pranks, and stay away from each other,” she said with a sympathetic voice.

  “I suppose you’re right. It’s not as if I have to hang out with him at school. I’ve only got to avoid him at home, and I have your house for that,” I said with a smirk on my face.

  “Oh, lucky me,” she replied, sarcastically. “Now, can we please go and eat, I’m pretty sure that my stomach started threatening me in Latin earlier,” she said as she rubbed her stomach, and lowered her bottom lip.

  “You are the strangest person that I know.”

  “And still, you come back for more, now, let’s eat,” she said as she grabbed my arm and pulled me through the cafeteria doors.

  As we stepped into the noisy room, I froze. It was actually like one of those scenes in a movie where everything starts moving in slow motion. It was as though my senses were heightened, and I could pick up on everything. As my eyes locked on my table, I felt the anger shoot through my entire body.

  “Uh, oh,” Courtney said from beside me.

  “Yeah, uh, oh,” I growled as I stormed towards the table.

  “Ok, so I know that you’re mad but violence is never the answer,” Courtney said in a panicked tone as she ran next to me. “Ok, Addy please talk, because you’re kind of freaking me out right now.” If I wasn’t so angry, I would have screamed jar in her ear. “You’re not going to go all Silence of the Lambs on him, are you?”

  I could hear everything that Courtney was saying, but my attention was on one person only...Caleb.

  “Who gave you the freaking right to sit at my table, with my freaking friends, telling stupid jokes, like the freaking moron that you are!” I screamed as I stood opposite Caleb and stared into his eyes.

  “Wow, if we were in England, the jar would be like the tax man right now...rich,” Courtney mumbled, not quite quietly enough.

  “That was a good one,” Caleb said as he laughed at Courtney’s stupid joke.

  “I know, right?” She replied before I threw a threatening glance her way, causing her to look at the floor, after mouthing the word sorry. It meant nothing to me, since I knew her well enough to know that she was desperately trying not to laugh.

  “Why are you here?” I asked as I turned my attention back towards Caleb.

  “Hey, Princess, I’ve been waiting all day to see you. Glad that you could finally make it,” Caleb said as the smirk on his face grew, then the entire table went silent...

  CHAPTER 8

  Showtime...

  I stood, staring at Caleb for a whole minute as I watched the stupid smirk on his face increase. I could feel the tension around the table, and although it was likely that everybody wanted to run away and hide, they didn’t dare to move a muscle.

  “I just wanted to thank you for that wonderful favor that you did me earlier. It seems that I’m somewhat famous now,” he said as he slid lower into his chair, stretched out his legs and then smiled at me. Instead of replying, I just stood still and glared at him. What annoyed me was that it didn’t seem to bother him at all. In fact, from the look on his face, he loved my reaction. It suddenly dawned on me what was happening. I was allowing him to think that he had won. I admit that I had never been faced with a guy that had been able to go head to head with me, in the way that Caleb had, but that only meant one thing; that he needed to be shown who was in control. Storming in the cafeteria like a wild bull, chasing a red cloth is exactly what he was expecting from a girl like me but it was time that he learnt to expect the unexpected, when Addison Taylor was concerned.

  As I came out of my mini conversation with myself, I realized that everybody had been staring at me, with looks of concern on their faces. They were all expecting me to explode or attack Caleb but
it was time to use a new tactic. I suddenly realized that my hands were on the table, my back was arched, and I was staring angrily at Caleb, so, I stood up, and composed myself for a minute. I looked down at Caleb and replaced my frown with a smile. I saw the look of confusion that filled his face but it was only for a second, before it was gone again. I cleared my throat and kept my eyes on his face.

  “You know what, its fine,” I said as I looked at Caleb, who was not taking his eyes off me, even for a second.

  “It is?” I heard Courtney whisper, which reminded me that all of my friends were probably thinking that I was actually losing my mind.

  “Yes, it is. Caleb is right, and I’m glad that the video helped to make him feel more welcome here,” I said as I glanced at the shocked look on all of my friend’s faces. They all knew that this ‘nice girl’ act had to come at a price, and they were so right. I gently pulled out the chair opposite Caleb, keeping my eyes firmly locked on his. I could see Rick, Courtney, Keeley and Miles all watching me nervously. I took a step onto the red chair and looked down at Caleb. I shot him a warm smile before looking around at all of the people that were currently in the cafeteria.

  “Hello, can I have everybody’s attention, please,” I shouted, as I struggled to be heard over all of the noise that people were making. I watched as a few people started to notice that I was about to make a speech, they began nudging their friends, trying to tell them to be quiet.

  “Hi, I said can I have your attention, please,” I shouted, a little louder this time.

  “What are you doing?” Courtney whispered from beside me, as a look of confusion filled her face.

  “You’ll see.”

  As I turned away from Courtney, I realized that I finally had the whole crowd watching me; show time.

  “So, I’m really sorry to bother you, while you’re all enjoying your wonderful meals but I have an important announcement to make,” I said as I plastered a fake smile on my face.

  I looked down at Caleb and watched as he continued to smirk at me. “Are you sure that you want to do, whatever it is that you’re about to do?” He whispered to me before I threw him a smile, and turned around to face the curious crowd. Of course I’m sure, Jerk Face.