Page 11 of My Rules for Revenge
The three of them laughed while I suddenly felt like I was about to vomit.
“Your name’s Eddy, right?” Heather asked.
“Yes. That’s me. Eddy Chavez—The Benchwarmer.”
“Hey, at least you’re on the team, right?” Heather asked.
“Yeah. At least I’m on the team.”
Heather and Eddy stared at each other for several moments. I had to be honest; I thought I saw electrical sparks that crackled in the air above them. It enraged me.
“I gotta get to class,Benchwarmer. I’ll see you around.”
Heather seemed to wink at Eddy as she scurried away with Vivian. Eddy blushed and smiled to himself while he continued to carry the bags of basketballs towards the gym. I motioned for Carlos to follow me as we hurried in Eddy’s direction. I pretended to inspect the floor as I violently bumped into Eddy, who became startled.
“Dude, watch it,” I said angrily.
“I’m so sorry, man. I didn’t see you; I swear.”
“You’re blind, bro. What happened? Your eyes were too busy drifting to wherever they desired?” Carlos mocked.
Eddy stayed quiet and looked ashamed. Carlos and I walked away, doubled over and practically crying from laughter. I had to give it to him—that was a perfect line to say at that exact moment. He had my deepest admiration and respect for at least the next few minutes after that. I waited until Eddy cleared out before I asked Carlos the question that inadvertently changed my life forever.
“That girl’s name…it’s Heather Chang, right?” I asked.
“Yep, that’s her. She’s hot as hell, but she’s kind of a bitch. She messed with me last year at the movie theater. I’ll never talk to her again.”
“That’s because you don’t know how to treat girls, Carlos. You’re an ape.”
“Hey, she also didn’t let me join her stupid book club and called me a dough-headed dweeb.”
“Jesus.”
“I know.”
“That’s a perfect way to describe you,” I agreed.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hilarious.”
“It is hilarious.”
I remained quiet and grinned to myself as we walked.
“You’re planning something, aren’t you?” Carlos asked.
“What? How do you know?”
“I see it in your face, Jacob. You’re smiling like a weirdo. Plus, I know you, dude. You see a hot girl you like, and you tend to go after her. Luna rejected you this morning, and you’re already on to the next one,” Carlos pointed out.
“Don’t talk about my rejections.”
That was a sore spot for me.
“Alright, alright. My bad, but you know what I mean.”
Carlos was right. I was one to move on quickly. I wanted to get laid, and I was running out of time. At the end of this school year, I was set to graduate and attend Bright Rock University. So, I tried again. It ended up being the last time.
That same day, a few hours later, I stood outside the book club room with the same sunflower I had tried to give Luna. This time, I also had a box of gourmet chocolates. I had briefly left the school with Carlos during lunch to buy it for my upcoming romantic gesture. In terms of attempting to impress a girl I liked, this was the only way I knew how. I believed this was the way.
