How I Played the Playboy

Chapter 16

{•••••}

It was 6:34 in the morning; I waited for Anthony outside the community centre to pick me up from swimming. I told him to go off and run some errands (even though 'nobody runs fucking errands at 4 am, Courtney') as I was swimming and told him to pick me up around 6:45 - about ten minutes after the lessons ended.

I sat on the bench in front of the centre, eating the pack of Sour Patch Kids I got from the vending machine while playing Angry Birds on my phone. Just as I was about to beat this level, a girl ran up and sat right next to me, making me lose control of the bird and spill my candy.

"Hey!" I exclaimed and looked up at her. She looked incredibly familiar with her long, brown hair and big, grey eyes.

"Sorry," She said sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "Are you, by any chance, Courtney Clarke?"

"Um... Yeah. Why?"

"So this is who Anthony decided date instead of me?! This... This pig?!" She scoffs.

"I'm right here, sunshine." I retort.

Her eyes narrow and she scowls. Suddenly, she slapped me across the face. I yelp.

"W-what the hell?! I shout.

"You bitch! You stole Anthony from me?"

"Stole him?! He asked me to be his girlfriend!"

"Bullshit!"

"What is your problem?!"

She ignored my question and shoved me off the bench.

"You, are nothing more than his little slut, okay? You mean nothing to Anthony! I should! I was his everything!" She screeched.

"You need to calm down, okay? In case you're forgetting, he wanted me to be his girlfriend."

"That's not what it looked like the other day when he was flirting with me!"

I stared up at her, confused.

"Wait... You're the girl who was all over him at Chemistry!"

"Well no shit," She rolls her eyes. "And my name's Ellen." She says with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"You do realize that he doesn't love you?"

"Liar! He did! I know it - he even said so!"

This girl was absolutely naïve as fuck.

"Look, Ellen... Clearly, he only got with you to get in your pants..." I awkwardly state. Not to my surprise, a look of shock comes across her face.

"W-what?" Her bottom lip trembles.

"Yeah..."

"He- he lied to me?!"

"He sort of did that to... everyone." I get up and join her on the bench. Her eyes turn watery and she buries her head into her hands and bursts into tears.

"W-why would he d-do that?! That's s-so mean!" She wails between sniffles.

"He's a player. It's what he does."

"Then w-why are you dating h-him?!" She looks up at me, mascara running down her cheeks.

"I... I have a plan to play him..."

"You're going to play the playboy?"

"Yeah."

"So... What you guys have.... It's not a love story, it's a revenge plot?"

I nod. "He's caused too much heartache. It's time to give him a taste of his own medicine."

Ellen smiles then suddenly hugs me.

"Thank you, thank you," she repeats over and over again.

"Uh.... You're welcome?" Two more minutes of hugging and I won't be able to breathe.

"Ellen?"a voice says. We look over to the curb and see Anthony in his car, pulled over at the sidewalk, to pick me up.

"Anthony." The harshness in her tone returns.

"H-how long have you been there?" I ask cautiously. If he heard my plan... I'm wrecked.

"Just pulled up. Let's go." He smirks once again. I roll my eyes and hop into the front seat.

"Need a ride?" I ask Ellen.

"No. I'm fine."

I nod in response.

"Oh, and Courtney?" She pipes up.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks again."

"No problem." I say and Anthony begins to drive off. We sit in the car for a few moments of silence before Anthony speaks up.

"So," he says. "What made you so buddy-buddy with my ex?"

"Nothing of your concern. However, I'd say that from the looks of it, I'm going to win our little bet."

He rolls his eyes. "Sure."

{•••••}