Keep Reaching

16. The Day Ricky Joined the Life-Ruining Business

Two Months Ago

"Ugh!" she screeched, flinging her phone across the room. "He posted a picture of me on his Instagram again!"

"I don't know why you get so worked up over this," said her friend, carefully applying mascara. "It's free promo. I love it."

"This isn't free," she said, gritting her teeth. "It comes at a price, and that price is that I have to deal with an annoying lovesick little ex-boy toy every single day!"

"Again," trilled her friend, "I love it."

"Well, I'm tired of it," she seethed.

"Set him up with a new chick and maybe he'll start posting pics of her," her friend suggested.

"He's already with a new chick," she said. "And I'm guessing they're not working out too well."

"Maybe you don't need to stop him from posting pictures of you," her friend said. "Maybe you should just go big and ruin his life."

She thought about it. "But how?"

"Easy," her friend said, moving onto her lipgloss. "Take him back, break his heart, and bring them both down." She puckered her lips, staring at herself in the mirror. "He's in love with you, and you hate both of them. It should be easier than anything."

"I like it," she said, a smile spreading across her lips. "Let's get started, then, shall we?"

-

Three Weeks Ago

"Well, Ariana broke Ricky's heart, and I can pretend like Justin broke mine," Selena said, "so how about I act like Ricky and I need to bond together against them in our mutual-heartbrokenness?"

"It's perfect!" Taylor, her friend, squealed. "Trust me, you'll have him wrapped around your little finger in no time. There's no doubt he hates Justin for stealing Ariana away from him, and the fact that you hate him too will make Ricky hate Justin even more."

Selena applied a final coat of lip gloss and smiled at herself in the mirror. "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's revenge." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, walking out the door. "I'm ready."

She strutted down the street and to her car, driving to her studio. Her old studio, that was, because something horrible had once happened there and ever since, she almost always refused to set foot back inside. But now it was necessary. Now she had to face her past.

Ricky Alvarez was waiting by the front door of her old studio when she arrived, just as she had asked. He stepped forward as she pulled into the parking lot, asking, "Selena - I got your message - why did you want me to-"

Selena waved him off, pulling out a set of keys. "Not outside. Wait until we get in. I need to tell you something first."

They went inside and sat on a couch. Selena carefully removed her sunglasses, and stared Ricky dead in the eye. "You're Ariana's ex."

"I mean, well-" Ricky remembered no one was supposed to know he was still secretly dating Ariana, so he shut himself up. "Yeah. We broke up. Yeah."

"Do you know who she's dating now? Justin Bieber. That's my ex."

Ricky was confused. "Uh, yeah. I know. So what?"

"So, Ariana broke your heart, and Justin broke mine," Selena stared matter-of-factly. "Don't you think they deserve a taste of their own medicine?"

"Um, what? Medicine? You wanna drug them? Uh, no-"

"Of course that's not what I mean!" Selena had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. God, was he dense! Why Ariana would ever date him, she didn't know - but then, Ariana only deserved the very worst. Selena knew that. "I mean, you and I, we're the victims. Justin and Ariana hurt us both, and I think we need to hurt them back."