Seasons Change

7.

7.
One hour later, Madison and I were standing at the check-out line of Walmart, loading everything we needed onto the belt. I fidgeted anxiously as I watched the cashier, wondering if she could guess what we were up to based on our unusual purchases.

Madison noticed my anxiety, nudging my side and whispering, "Relax, Lilly. The cashier isn't going to tattle on us. Just smile and act natural."

I watched the cashier scan each item, which, to the uninitiated eye, looked like a strange array: water, bucket, honey, duct tape, kool aid, and silly string, among other things. If Madison and I could actually manage to pull this off without getting caught, it would be epic. Unfortunately, I wasn't completely convinced that wouldn't get in trouble for the prank.

The grand total of all our materials was about twenty dollars, but if it worked, Avery's reaction would be priceless.

As we drove back to campus, my nerves kicked into hyperdrive, and I felt as though I had a flock of velociraptors wreaking havoc in my stomach. Was I making the right decision, escalating the already tense situation with Avery? Sure, I didn't want her to think it was okay to push me around, but I didn't really want to get in trouble either. And as mad as I was at Dylan, I felt a little bad that he was going to be caught in the crossfires.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this," I told Madison, sighing heavily.

Madison took her eyes off the road for a minute to glance at me, then shook her head in irritation. "No way. You're not weaseling out of it that easily," she said with a smirk.

"But is this really going to help?" I asked. "What if we get caught? We could be in big trouble."

Madison shrugged. "We won't get caught," she said confidently. "Trust me, it's not that big a deal. I've pulled off bigger stunts than this."

"I could try talking to the RA," I said thoughtfully. "Maybe she could mediate for Avery and me and we can get to the bottom of whatever I did to tick Avery off so badly. Or I could request a new roommate."

I could tell Madison thought I was being silly. Her lips pressed into a tight line, and I could tell she was trying not to laugh at me. Finally, she said, "With a girl like Avery, you have to play a little dirty. If you go to the RA, she'll be sweet as can be as long as there is someone in the room with you. And the second the RA leaves, she'll be ten times worse than usual."

Madison turned onto the campus and parked her car in the student parking lot. I climbed out of the passenger seat, slinging the Walmart bag over my arm and leaning against the car, stalling for time. Madison noticed, and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, don't be a chicken," she told me, dragging me across campus to my dorm building. It only took us a few minutes to rig a bucket of water over my closed dorm room door, with a string tied to the door handle so as soon as the door was opened, the contents would splash all over Dylan and Avery.

"Are you ready?" Madison asked me with a wink, and I gulped before nodding. I took my place in the common area just beyond my dorm room, hiding behind the couch and pulling the video camera up on my phone, ready to surreptitiously record the prank on my phone for future blackmail purposes.

Madison's plan depended on the two of us working together. Avery would probably assume it was me, but without proof, there would be nothing she could do about it.

Madison grinned and shot me a thumbs up before sneaking down to the first floor. Minutes later, the fire alarm blared, and students started rushing out of their rooms and out of the door. I waited a minute for Avery and Dylan to respond. When they opened the door to our dorm room, the bucket of water splashed on top of their heads, and Avery let out a blood curdling shriek. I clasped a hand over my mouth to stifle a giggle, not wanting to give myself away.