Thirty Reasons Not to Date a Player

03. He's a Clever Bastard

For the record, boys' locker rooms are disgusting. 

If anyone found me in here, they'd probably think I'm some kind of pervert, but I swear I'm not. 

I'm supposed to be at the nurse getting an ice pack, but let’s just say I made a few wrong turns. Ryder has swim practice now, so I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to slip my letter in his bag without anyone seeing. It's really convenient that we both have fourth period gym on Wednesdays. 

I don't bother to turn on the lights, so it'll be easier to hide in case someone walks in. I'm surrounded by a maze of blue lockers, littered with undershirts and towels and puddles of water on the floor. At least, I hope it’s water. Boys are pigs, but I assume they're sophisticated enough to actually do their business in a toilet. 

I begin to search for the swimmer's corner, which I assume is the section with the most water. The kids from third period don't really clean up after themselves either. I find the wettest spot, but there's still no telling which of the lockers belongs to Ryder. Most of them are, in fact, locked. I'm about to start searching somewhere else when I notice a black and red book bag perched in a corner. 

I bend down and unzip it, and to my delight, there's a folder inside marked with the name Ryder Hayes. Jackpot. I slip my note in between the pages of his English notebook, where he'll be sure to find it. I'm feeling pretty good about myself until suddenly, the lights turn on.

I hear loud, male voices and my only option is to hide. I run to the back of the room, where the showers are, and lock myself in a bathroom stall. The smell is so unbearable that I feel like I'm going to puke. I use one of my hands to pinch my nose shut. 

The room grows noisier by the second, and I realize that it's going to be a while before I'll get the chance to make an escape. The only thing that's not completely horrible about the situation is that I have lunch next period, so I won't have to worry about getting a detention slip for being late to class. 

Someone knocks on the door, causing me to jump. "Yo man, I gotta piss!" someone says on the other side of the door. Boys are so freaking gross. 

"Go next door," another voice answers. "That one's taken." 

I breathe a sigh of relief, instantly regretting it because the awful stench once again invades my nostrils.

The things I do for revenge. 

*

"Where were you?" Mel asks, when I finally show up to lunch.

"Oh, I just had to go talk to the guidance counselor," I lie smoothly. I take a seat next to April, who seems to buy it.

"Getting a schedule change?" she asks. I'm not one to outright lie to my friends often, but in this case, I don't really have a choice.

"Yeah," I say. "I was thinking about switching out of AP Lit, but it seems like regular English doesn't fit into my schedule."

"Bummer," Mel comments, taking a bite of a french fry. She gives me a look but I pretend not to notice. I busy myself by opening a bag of chips.

A minute later, someone calls April over, probably to ask her about a homework assignment. Mel uses this to her advantage. 

When April's out of earshot she asks, "Where were you, really?"

I think about lying again but then I realize there would be no point.

"I was getting revenge," I say. Mel's eyes widen.

"Wait, that came out wrong. I didn't hurt anyone, I swear!" I add promptly.