The Payback or The Adventures and Pranks of Zachary O'Connor

Chapter Six: The Breaking Up of Keegan

"Hi," Maddy greeted upon picking up her phone.

I was laying on my bed at around 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon. Anti and Reagan had both sent me individual messages, not in group chat, about what I was going to do. I was not going to respond to them until I had heard from Maddy. I just hoped that she would do it without a background.

I knew that I had to do something, but...

My brain was kind of like this:

Me: Oh, shit.

Me: We're in a pickle now.

Me: That sounds ridiculous.

Me: Indeed. No one below the age of 70 says the words "in a pickle."

Me: Technically, I thought it, I didn't say it.

Me: Screw you and your freaking technical logic. You knew what I meant.

Me: What're we gonna do, man?

Me: I don't know, man.

Me: Maddy's too nice. She'll never do it.

Me: She has to.

Me: We could always think up another revenge.

Me: I suppose we could. Sounds like a lot of work.

Me: It would also be cool if John's first idea works out as the actual revenge.

Me: True, true.

Me: Hmm...

Me: God, my nose itches.

I reached to scratch my nose.

Me: Let's just call her, see what happens.

Me: Yeah, alright.

"Hello Maddy."

"Hey, Zach. What's up?" she asked.

"I need to ask a favor," I said.

"Shoot," she replied.

"Uh..."

I quickly thought of what to say.

"I need you to go out with Keegan, then dump him before he can dump you," I recited quickly.

"What?"

"I need you to go out with Kee—" I began to repeat before I was interrupted.

"I heard you, I just don't understand," Maddy interjected.

"You know Keegan, I presume?"

"Yes," she said.

"And you know that he just pretends to like girls, then dumps them," I continued.

"Of course. But Zach, it's not my place to be an asshole and retaliate by giving him a taste of his own medicine. Why do you want me to do that?"

"I saw- I'm just sick of seeing it happen. I'm sorry. It's just, you're one of the few people I know that would be able to accomplish it," I answered, almost saying something I would've regretted.

I didn't like lying to Maddy.

"I'm sorry." Maddy's voice softened. "It's not my place to do that. Those girls chose to date him, probably knowing full well that Keegan would do that. It's not my place to be a jerk due to other's stupidity."