Sweet Sweet Revenge

Prologue

We hated each other from the day he moved in.  I’d been sitting on the front porch when I saw a large white truck drive up the street and park in front of the house next door.  It was really big and made loud noises, so being the scared 5 year old I was, I ran into the house and all the way up to my room. 

From the window, I’d seen a smaller car park in the driveway.  A family of three got out, including a boy around my age who had curly brown hair.  The boy looked around until he spotted my brother, Ryan’s, football sitting in our yard.  He began to walk towards the ball.  Knowing how much Ryan loved that ball, I ran down the stairs and straight into the yard.

“Don’t touch that ball!” I’d yelled.

“Why not?” he asked.  “It’s not like it belongs to you.  You’re a girl and girls don’t play football.”

“I play football.” I huffed angrily.  “Just so you know, I’ve beaten my brother once before.”

“Yeah right!  Girls can’t beat boys!” he laughed and shook his head.

“I have.” I said, grabbing the ball off him and realizing that I was probably catching his disgusting cooties touching it.

 The next day at school I found out that the boy was in my class and that his name was Will.  Being the new kid, all the boys wanted to play with him.  He told all of them that I was bad at football.  I was so humiliated, so I told all the girls that he’d tried to give me cooties.

It only got worse from there.

Throughout the first few years, in first and second grade, he would always steal my coloured pencils and laugh at me during show and tell.  In return, I would draw all over his name tag and steal balls and other toys from his yard.

Then, in the years around the fourth grade, I’d spread rumours about him having crushes on the most disgusting girls in our year.  In return, he’d tell everyone that I’d tried to kiss him.

In the sixth and seventh grade, he would leave disgusting things in my locker and laugh at me from down the hall.  In return, I would regularly steal his clothes during gym.

Finally, near the end of eighth grade, he made me do something that got me expelled.

We were all at a sleepover at my best friend Bree’s house playing truth or dare.  When it was my turn to ask, I asked Will.

“Truth or dare?” I said, knowing he’d pick dare.

“Dare.”

“I dare you…” I started, knowing that this was my opportunity to make him do something horrible.  “I dare you to kiss Tara Salter.” I said.  Everyone knew that Tara liked Will, and Will hated her for it.  Will’s eyes burned with anger towards me, but I knew he’d do it.  He’d do it because it was me who dared him.

After Will cringed and gave Tara a kiss that was barely even a kiss, he immediately said, “Truth or dare, Gemma?”

“Dare.” I said, twirling my hair around my finger.  There was no way I was going to look like a wuss and choose truth.

“I dare you to go skinny dipping in Principal Keller’s pool down the road.” He’d said, smiling smugly.

Everyone in the room gasped, including me.  Everyone knew that Principal Keller was the strictest principal the school had ever seen.

“You don’t have to do this Gem.” Bree had said.

“Yeah, you don’t have to do this Gem.” Will said, mocking her.

I swallowed and took a deep breath.  There was no way I’d let Will get the better of me.  “I’ll do it.” I said.

It was cold that night.  Will led the way, with the rest of us trailing behind him. “This is it.” He said when we got to the edge of the pool fence.  I looked back at the group and Bree squeezed my hand.  “C’mon Gemma.  You can’t back out now.” Will said, giving me another smug smile.

I slowly climbed over the fence.  “Don’t look.” I said, turning around just as I was about to take off my clothes.  I saw Will hesitate but eventually turn around.  Everyone else followed.  I took a deep breath before stripping down.  It was absolutely freezing and I was shivering.  I gulped a lump of air before plunging myself into the water.  I felt the cold stab into me as I swam towards the edge of the pool as fast as I could.  Just as I was about to climb out, the pool’s floodlights came on.

“Who’s there?” I heard Principal Keller’s voice boom from a doorway.  I could see his silhouette at the door as he walked towards me.  Finally a look of recognition passed over his face.  “Miss Gemma Stewart.  What do you think you’re doing?  This is unacceptable behaviour from a girl, your age nonetheless.  I am calling your parents immediately!”

“No please Mr Keller.” I pleaded looking towards the fence.  Will, Bree and the others were gone.  “Please don’t call my parents!”

Despite all my begging, Principal Keller called my parents anyway.  “This is unacceptable behaviour from a young girl.” I’d heard him say.  “I cannot permit someone with such behaviour in my school.  I am going to have to expel your daughter, is that clear Mrs Stewart?”

 Being a small town, Hazelwood only had one school for all students.  To continue schooling, I was forced to go and live with my grandmother and go to the local high school near her house.

By the next week, I was packing my bags and moving away from everything I’d known.