e-Bae

7

**I just realized I forgot this "iconic" song. Now, it's going to be stuck in my head.**

Ryan happily walked into the school building, twisting a strand of hair around her finger. After struggling with taming the thick mass into a ponytail, she just decided to leave it down. Smiling to a few people she passed, she wondered how Toby's "babysitting expedition" with Thomas was going. She winced at the thought of the possible therapy Thomas would need after dealing with the caffeine addicted, naturally weird cheerleader who would be "watching" him until Ryan got back from a half day of school. She would have skipped today, along with Toby and basically everyone else, but she actual kind of liked school, and she had to be there for an important Anti-Bullying Club meeting.

Tugging down the purple t-shirt with the club's insignia, she shifted her bag on her shoulder, eyes scanning the hall automatically for Xoe. The Latina was by her locker, leaning against the metal and staring off into space. Ryan frowned at this, knowing that everything Xoe did had to have some sort of purpose, and felt guilty that she had not had an actual conversation with her best friend in two days, which might as well been two years with all the events that had happened. Sighing, she turned away, going to the lunch room for the Stop Slut Shaming Initiative meeting

* * *

"What's got you down in the dumps, Cath?" Ryan heard, and looked up from her phone, to which she was furiously texting Toby to not do anything too stupid. She sat in the corner of the library, behind a large section of books, secluded from the stragglers that were there hidden in other nooks and cranny's. Miss Begum was flirting with the assistant coach of the school's soccer team, talking about the sport even though it wasn't in season yet.

Caleb plopped in beside her, dropping his books on the table, leaving them to fall messily in all directions. Ryan sat her phone down, raising an eyebrow at him.

"How do you know my middle name? Why are you even calling me by it?"

Blushing, Caleb ran a hand against the back of his neck, and she almost wanted to coo at the adorable expression on his face.

"My mom told me, and it kind of stuck out. Besides, everyone calls you Ryan or Rye. I wanted to switch it up," he defended, grey eyes narrowed teasingly at her. Smiling, Ryan nodded, feeling the buzz of her phone in her hand. Looking at Caleb apologetically, she grabbed it, hoping that Toby hadn't done anything unspeakable to Thomas.

She had thirty text messages.

Not even bothering to look at the spam Tobias probably sent her, she turned her attention back to Caleb, who was squinting at everything around him. Then, it hit her.

"Why aren't you wearing your glasses?"

The black framed and thick glasses were not perched on his nose, as they usually were. Although she was used to seeing him with contacts when he played football, she was more accustomed to him pushing the frames up his nose and occasionally wiping them on his t-shirt. She also knew he hated contacts, poking himself in the eye repeatedly while putting them in. He even forgot to take them out once. The blush on his cheeks darkened, and Ryan was glad that her skin tone didn't permit her embarrassment to be displayed to the world.

"Are you trying to impress a girl or something?" she questioned, ignoring the buzzing her phone, telling her that Toby was continuing to message her.

"I was, but I don't think it's working," he muttered, looing down at his hands.

Rolling her eyes, Ryan dug through her bag for Caleb's emergency pair of glasses, hoping Toby hadn't stole them again. Caleb was always forgetting his glasses in the weirdest places, enough for her to take the initiative and hold a pair just in case. The last thing her school needed was a nearly blind football player terrorizing the students.

Pulling out the glasses in triumph, Ryan stuck them on his face, ignoring the fact they were kind of crooked on his face. His grey eyes were magnified, brown flecks becoming more prominent as she stared at them for a moment.

"Why do you have super pretty eyes?" she whined, slumping in her seat. Laughing, Caleb reached up a hand to straighten his glasses before organizing his stuff on the table.

"I would ask the same to you darlin', but apparently, you think mine are better," he said, a smile curving his lips. Poking him on the shoulder, Ryan narrowed her eyes at him.

"I take it back. Your eyes are the color of rocks. Dirty rocks," she retorted sourly, crossing her arms. Rolling his eyes, he pulled out a notebook and pen, and looked at her expectantly.

"So, why'd you text me? Not like I don't like hearing from you, but you said you needed me for a plan."

Bouncing in her seat, Ryan nodded excitedly.

"I need you as bait for my Xoe trap," she stated, and watched as his already wide eyes get wider. Clearing his throat, he raised an eyebrow at her.

"And what kind of trap would that be, darlin'. Are you going to slather me in peanut butter and say 'come and get it'?" he questioned sarcastically, crossing his arms. Ryan frowned at that, and stole his notebook and pen. Turning to a clear page, she didn't look up as she replied.

"Maybe. And it wouldn't be peanut butter. If anything, it would be Nutella."

Feeling a presence over her shoulder, she looked to her side and saw Caleb. Giving her a wink, he scooted closer to her on the bench to see what she was doing. Putting his chin on her shoulder, he looked down at her neat cursive in his math notebook in confusion.

"Operation Dreamhouse?" he questioned, wondering why that of all things would be the name of the plan.

"Yep. Xoe and perfection have a lot in common, " she said, drawing a circle around the words in red. Caleb hummed in agreement on her shoulder.

"She could start an argument in an empty house," he stated solemnly.

"What does that mean?" she asked, poking him on his cheek. Grabbing her hand, he placed it in his, glad she was too distracted by the plan to pull away.

"Let's just get this started."

* * *

"Ken Doll, come in," Ryan whispered into her makeshift walkie-talkie, waiting for Caleb to respond.

"Ryan, we're talking on the phone. And, why did you use the code names? I'm just supposed to lead Xoe to the art room so you can talk to her," he said, exasperated. Ryan was silent, and Caleb sighed on the other line.

"Barbie Girl, the Pink Convertible is driving in my direction."

Ryan smiled at that, and leaned against the desk of Mr. Fitz's room. The balding art teacher was fine with her using his room for the time being, even though the most advanced artwork Ryan had ever produced was a stick figure attempting the Macarena.

"Okay, Ken Doll. Drive the car to the door."

Hearing some shuffling on the line, Ryan frowned, wondering what could be going on.

"Code pink! Code pink! I have been spotted by Pink Convertible. Now, she's angry. Pink Convertible is angry!" he shouted, and Ryan rubbed her ears to get out the ringing sound in her eardrums. The door swung open, Xoe entering by herself with a scowl on her face.

With a sheepish smile, Ryan hung up the phone, hoping Caleb would come and relieve the awkward atmosphere.

"Where's Caleb?" she asked after a few minutes of silence. Crossing her arms, Xow raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

"I ran him over. Since, apparently, I'm a Pink Convertible. You need to teach him how to whisper."

Moving to sit on one of the desks,  Xoe looked at Ryan expectantly, waiting for an explanation for her failed plan.

"Now, what did you want?"