Sweet Revenge

Surprise

I tousled my hair, raking my fingers through the golden brown waves as I readjusted my appearance in the changing room mirror. It was a scorching summer and after jogging round the sports field a light sheen of sweat coated my tanned skin.

It was my last year at school, and I was a step away from sending off my university application. I had a handsome boyfriend, a big group of friends and life was good. I fanned my hands in front of my face to cool myself down. My phone chirped from the pocket of my denim shorts and I quickly pulled it out. A faint smile curled my lips as I read the message from Jess.

"Hurry up, we need to plan for Mason's party tonight!"

I gave myself one last once over before dabbing a light gloss over my lips, hefting my sports bag over my shoulder and strolling out of the changing room. My sports session had been the last period of the day so the halls were filled with milling students heading for the exit. I smiled and waved in response to the people who called out to me, and grinned bigger when I spotted Jess leaning against wall by the exit. She was tapping away at her phone, her chin length blonde hair tucked behind her ears, her full lips pulled in a frown. A couple of scruffy guys with hopeful expressions stopped to talk to her and I winced as she glanced up, her blue eyes practically spitting fire. They quickly hurried on.

"Hey." I greeted her, and she looked up a smile spreading across her face. Her red nails stopped swiping across her phone and she quickly pocketed it in her leather jacket. Jess was a knockout, with her piercing blue eyes, sharp cheekbones and pouty lips. Growing up as one of her friends was hard, to the say the least. She was always demanding, dominant and never seemed to go through any awkward phases like the rest of us, and of course she was always the pinnacle of opinion and fashion. She'd seamlessly traded in her cute little dresses and glorious blonde ringlets from primary school days for skin tight jeans, skimpy tops and Chelsea boots.

"About time." She said rolling her eyes and looping her arm around mine. She surveyed me quickly before starting to pull me along through the doors.

"Gross you're all sweaty." She said crinkling her nose.

"Yes, It's a little thing that happens when you exercise." I replied sarcastically. She stuck her tongue out in response before fishing the keys to her silver convertible out of her jean pocket.
She smoothly slid a pair of black aviators over her eyes as she cocked her hip out leaning against the side of the car, and then made a big show of clipping back her short blonde locks, but messily so some fell artfully over her cheekbones, and making sure to arch her back displaying her toned stomach and curvy chest. I rolled my eyes at her showmanship and quickly slipped into the passenger seat and buckled myself in. I watched as Jess' lips pulled up in a small satisfied smirk as she attracted stares from the students walking by all around us, envious, wistful ones from the girls and lustful ones from the guys. I shook my head and leaned my head on my hand, debating just how angry she'd be if I beeped the horn and interrupted her little performance. Finally, she took a seat beside me. When she caught my expression she laughed airily, her white teeth flashing in the sun.
"Oh don't be so disapproving B, I was just having a bit of fun."
She said with another wide smile, before firing up the car and manoeuvring us through busy student car park and onto the main road. I turned up the radio, my knee starting to bob along to Vance Joy's riptide.
"So who's house are we getting ready at?" I called over the music, while Jess tapped her hands on steering wheel in time to the beat.
"Erin's. She's got a load of booze in so we can get well and truly fucked up tonight." Jess replied, tilting her head at me and giving me a wild smile. I chuckled, her excitement infectious. This is one of the reasons why people were drawn to Jess. Despite her vanity, her domineering nature and her general bitchiness she knew how to make everything fun. I'd been friends with Jess, Erin, Melody and Aria since primary school, when I'd earned my way into their exclusive group. Jess had been the leader even back then and I'd had to prove myself to her, we all had. I tried not to think about those days though, and luckily for the most part the petty games and bitchiness of those early years was little more than a blurred memory. As we'd grown and matured, my friends and I had definitely changed for the better, Jess most of all. When we started to grow up properly and were no longer just a bunch of mean little girls trying to be cool, I realised that I was growing into someone I didn't want to be. I'd started rebelling against Jess and seriously fighting against some of her crueller ways, while she just wanted me to fall in line and join in on her petty games like before. It got to a point where no one understood why we didn't just part ways, cut our losses and stop being friends. But no matter how much we fought, what no one understood is that we love each other. Through the years a real friendship had formed, and we became each others best friends and most trusted confidant. I'd seen sides to Jess that no one else had seen, seen her be generous and vulnerable. She was my best friend and somehow that kept us together despite our differences in personality. So when our fighting reached its peak and Jess realised she'd either have to change or risk our friendship, she decided to try it my way, one of the only times I've ever seen her change her mind about something. Don't get me wrong, she's still generally passively bitchy, rude and likes to be in control but she no longer tries to rule the social hierarchy like some kind of psychotic queen. She's kind of like a lioness that's been declawed. Until someone really gets on her bad side that is.
"And you're not even listening to me are you?" Her annoyed voice cut through my thoughts and I looked over apologetically.
"Sorry I was daydreaming." I ignore the glare she managed to give me even though her sunglasses.
"I was saying do you think I should wear my white crop top or my red bodysuit tonight? I need to look hotter than ever to impress him because apparently he is drop dead gorgeous."
"Wait what? Who are you impressing tonight?" I'm confused, I must have missed more of the conversation than I thought.
"I'm not that boring B, in fact I'm fucking fascinating so maybe you could actually listen to what I say once in a while." She griped.
I rolled my eyes.
"I'm sorry I missed the name of whatever poor guy you're scheming to pounce on tonight, oh please do tell." I said in the most bored voice I can muster.
"His name is Elliot." She announced, ignoring my tone. I blanched for a second and quickly forced myself to relax.
"Oh right. You don't get many Elliot's around nowadays." I said forcibly lightly. She cocked her head in my direction knowingly.
"Relax B, it's obviously not that Elliot. He's sunning it up in California or wherever."
"Texas." I corrected her absently.
"Right, Texas, whatever. The point is it's not him. Anyway, I'll bet he's probably forgotten all about the pretty, bitchy little girls he hated in primary school."
She said airily like we were discussing the weather or the dwindling population of bees. Not the little boy we persecuted for years.
"I doubt he's forgotten." I said edgily. I find it hard to believe that after bullying him from the ages of six to when we turned twelve and he fled the country to escape us, he'd simply forget our existence.
"Whatever." She dismissed, flicking a perfectly manicured hand in my direction, but I saw the slight downward twist of her lips, and I know she feels guilty too though she'd never admit it.
"Now can we please get back to what I was saying? God. So this new guy is called Elliot, and apparently he is stunningly hot. He only came in for last period to meet all his teachers or whatever, his first day is on Monday, but Deacon saw him coming out of the front office and told him to come to Mason's tonight."
I nodded along.
"So if you haven't seen him how do you know he's hot?"
She rolled her eyes.
"You know I have fifth sense about these things."
"Sixth sense Jess."
"And anyway, Zara Tate saw him and texted me that he's gorgeous." She crinkled her nose. "Though I don't really trust her intel, she's hardly got high standards. Did you see her last boyfriend?"

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