glances over her shoulder. “Oh look. They’re leaving. What did you say to them?”
My eyes are widely innocent when I answer, “Nothing.”
12
CHARLIE
I have to wait until Saturday to exact my revenge since I don’t know Troy’s schedule. During the week, he tried to apologize again for what had happened, but I really didn’t want to hear his excuses. The reason was simple: I didn’t want him to convince me to forget about the prank. I can’t afford to fall for his charm. A beautiful, cocky football player like him would crush me and obliterate my heart if I let my guard down. Then, I’d have to move out.
My accomplices today are Ben, Tammara, and Fred. Blake vehemently refused to help, citing his aversion to birds as an excuse. I would have preferred to not involve Ben in my schemes, but since he’s the one with access to the animals, I couldn’t leave him out. He and his girlfriend were like kids on Christmas morning as they helped load the birds in the van Fred had borrowed from work.
Troy left the house before the sun was up, and he won’t be back until the end of the day. Enough time for our aviary friends to get comfy in his room. We brought only a dozen chickens with us, which should be plenty to get the job done.
Right before we release the animals in Troy’s room, hesitation grips me. Maybe this prank is a little too extreme. But then I remember everything Troy has done to me since we met, the lack of respect and common courtesy, and the guilt takes a back seat.
I’ve never been in his room before today. He keeps it in immaculate condition. There isn’t a thing out of order. No dirty clothes on the floor, no dust covering the furniture.
Man, he’s going to blow a fuse when he comes home.
“Wow, look at this room. Who knew homeboy Troy was such an organized freak,” Fred pipes up. “Are you sure you want to do this, Charlie?”
“I found a guy taking a shit in my bathroom last weekend. Yeah, I want to do this.”
He shrugs. “Okay. You’re the boss.”
“Too bad we won’t see his reaction,” Ben says. “We should have bought a hidden camera.”
“I thought about it, but I think the chickens are punishment enough. We don’t need to add invasion of privacy on top of it,” I reply.
“Oh, glad to hear there is a line you won’t cross.” Fred chuckles.
“Ha-ha. Shut up and help me release the birds.”
“Release the Kraken!” Ben shouts.
“Make sure Troy doesn’t harm the chickens, okay, Charlie?” Tammara glances at me.
“Yeah, of course. Besides, I don’t think Troy is the type of person who hurts animals.”
Once all the chickens are free, we close the door and head downstairs. We hang out for a little bit before Fred has to return the van and Ben and Tammara go to the movies.
It’ll be hours until Troy comes home, and without company, I begin to worry about the birds loose in his room. What if they eat something they shouldn’t? Shit. Maybe I should have waited longer to let them out of their cages. The lengthy wait makes me paranoid, and during the day, I check on them several times.
I’m in the kitchen making a sandwich when I hear a car door bang shut outside. My heart skips a beat, and then it accelerates to a hundred. I’m suddenly nervous about Troy’s reaction. It’s one thing to lash out in the heat of the moment; it’s quite another to plan retribution. I realize then that serving revenge cold is not my game.
Troy comes in carrying his huge duffel bag over his shoulder. His hair is damp, pushed back off his forehead in a messy way. A wisp of desire curls around the base of my spine, an odd contrast to the twisted ball of nerves in my belly. I wish I weren’t attracted to the guy. It would make my life so much easier.
He glances in my direction and hesitates for a second before he says, “Hello.”
“Hi,” I croak.
Shit. Okay, Charlie, you can still stop this. There’s time to avoid Armageddon.
But as much as my conscience urges me to do something, I don’t move from my spot. Instead, I watch in frozen terror as Troy heads up the stairs. I’m literally shivering.
Ugh. This is fucking madness, Charlie. Snap out of it. Raven the Sorceress would never second-guess herself.
I turn toward the fridge and pull a bowl of strawberries