One Shots

Prank to Project [Straight]

Prank to Project

"Cody! Cody, dude, wait up!"
Cody Strauss glances back at the approaching figure of his football teammate Tom Hardy. The blonde mop of hair suddenly flaps to a halt as the boy himself straightens up beside Cody.

"Hey, what's up?" shrugs Cody carrying on his path to his car with Tom beside him.

"Listen, that chick who was your partner for English last year-what's her name again?" quietly asks Tom arousing suspicion in Cody. Cody had found a sort of sweet spot to the girl. He can't call it a crush-he dares not call it a crush. But whenever he thinks of her, his heart seems to tighten slightly, and now that Tom's asking about her, Cody can feel himself not liking the direction of the conversation. Cody knows that reasonably, if he's not going to make a pass at her, then he should allow someone else. But...But Tom Hardy doesn't deserve her. No one in the school does. She's...she's this shy, pure beauty and he won't let any old idiot play her.

"...Why? She's not your type. Too nerdy," defensively retorts Cody, as he opens up the boot of his car and swings in his kit.

"Look, just tell me her name. I think I have information about her," Tom lowly says with a roll of his eyes.
"Lyla Cheung, her name's Lyla," mutters Cody, remembering the big brown eyes behind the thick, black rimmed spectacles.
"Damn, it is her then-" mutters Tom only to have Cody's head spin around and narrow at Tom.
"What's her? Tom's going on? What have you guys done?" he demands hotly. Surprise bursts in Tom's eyes and he holds up his hands defensively.
"Woah! Calm down. Look, I hear the guys are planning to make her the target of this year's Halloween prank.-"
"What the hell man! You can't do that...she's a girl!" cries Cody in outrage.

Every year, tradition has it that the football team would do one Halloween prank on an unsuspecting student at Kellwood High and this year as the senior's Cody and his team members were expected to carry on the tradition. Only Cody opted out not wanting a part in the cruel 'prank'; he'd hoped the others would follow in suit but sadly it seems not. A part of Cody feels betrayed but a stronger part of him selfishly didn't care all that much; until now. In all of the history of the Halloween prank, a female had never alone been preyed upon. There had once been a targeted group but never a sole one. And Cody couldn't let that happen, never-mind let it happen to sweet Lyla.

"I know but the guys have something special planned for her tonight. Look, I'd tell you more but I don't know. Kyle's the one organising it all. I just thought I'd let you know on what you're missing out," shrugs Tom nonchalantly before striding off.

Cody watches his friend walk away for a minute, lost in thought. Kyle is-or should it now be, was? - Cody's best friend so to hear that about Kyle organising such a cruel joke is like a dagger to Cody's heart. He knows that Kyle knows nothing of Cody's...feelings towards Lyla but even so he wouldn't have thought his oldest friend to be so callous as to play horrid jokes on such innocent girls. Still it's not like Cody can stop him. Kyle is the football captain and it is tradition....

He lies on his bed throwing the stress ball at the ceiling and catching it. Cody's mind is running in circles trying to find out what to do about the Lyla prank thing. He'd tried to call Kyle multiple times but he wasn't answering. He'd thought about ringing Lyla and warning her but the number wasn't connecting. He could always go around to her house and...do what?! He cries to himself. What can he do?
An image of Lyla pops into his mind. The soft waves of long chocolate brown hair, her delicate face with those pouty pink lips and large brown eyes. He can't do nothing, Cody resolves in his mind, he has to do something.