The office of Westmill Elementary School smelled like the lady at the desk’s macaroni and cheese, and it was making Callie sick. She felt nervous bubbles in her stomach, and was beginning to regret asking Nick to drive her here. Callie walked to the front desk and spoke.
“Excuse me?” She asked, trying to sound older.
The macaroni lady pushed up her thick, black glasses and gave a toothy smile.
“How may I help you, miss?” The lady’s voice was loud and pinched.
“Uhm, I was wondering if I could borrow Prescott Walburg for a moment,” Callie took a breath and continued. “You see, I’m his baby-sitter, Ashley Cole, and he forgot to take his meds this morning.”
The lady’s smile faded.
“Wellll, I suppose that would be alright,” The lady said unsurely. She picked up the phone on her desk, punched a few buttons on it, and then spoke.
“Prescott Walburg to the office, please,” She said into the phone.
Callie sat down and waited for Prescott, and went over her plan into her hand. Prescott was Joana’s 10 year old brother, and Callie’s ticket to mortifying Joana. If Callie could convince Prescott to tape Joana at their house, then Callie could use the footage on her humiliate-Joana video.
A chubby, blond haired little boy walked through the office door. Callie stood up and walked torward him and whispered so the macaroni lady couldn’t hear.
“Are you Prescott?” She whispered in a barely audible voice.
“Who asking?” The boy responded, squinting his eyes. His breath smelled like peanut butter, and Callie’s stomach heaved.
“Come with me,” Callie said mysteriously. The boy stood defiantly as Callie walked out the door of the office, but within ten seconds, curiousity got the best of him and he followed her out the door.
Once outside the office, Callie began to speak.
“I need a favor,” Callie said.
“Who are you?” Prescott asked.
“Uhm, I’m…Molly,” Callie lied. “I’m your sister Joana’s friend. As your probably know, her birthday’s coming up. And me and a few friends want to make her a, uhm, surprise birthday tape. So I need you to put these spy cameras,” Callie pulled out a plastic bag containing what looked like two tacks. “In her bedroom and bathroom,” Callie looked at Prescott. He didn’t look convinced. She spoke quickly.
“You know, so that we can get some good shots of her, uhh, looking pretty and stuff,” Callie prayed he would buy her lame excuse. Prescott looked up at her with a squinted expression.
“What’s in it for me?” He asked. Callie hadn’t expected this. Were 10 year old’s supposed to be this conniving?
“Uhm, I’ll pay you,” Callie said quickly.
“How much?”
“100,” Callie said, knowing that was probably a lot of money to him.
“Two hundred,” Prescott said. Callie raised her eyebrows.
“One fifty,” She bargained.
“Two hundred,” Prescott repeated.
“Uchh, fine,” Callie rolled her eyes, and handed him the bag of mini cameras that she had ordered from a technology website for a thousand bucks. Prescott snatched the bag with his left hand, and held out his right palm.
“And my money?” He asked demandingly.
“You’ll get that when I get my footage,” Callie said firmly.
“Fine,” Prescott grumbled and headed for the door.
“And Prescott?” Callie said, and the boy turned around. “Tell anyone, and your two hundred dollars will be gone faster than you can say ‘broke’. Got it?”
Prescott rolled his eyes and nodded. Callie spoke one more time.
“Oh, and if anyone asks, I was giving you your meds,” Callie said.
“What? I don’t take meds!” Prescott said.
“If you want your two hundred dollars, you do,” Callie threatened.
“Fine,” Prescott huffed, and walked into the school.
---
“So, I completed Phase One of Plan DEAD yesterday,” Callie on the way to school the next day. Bailey, Michelle, and Sam all looked away from the TV in the center of the car, which was playing a re-run of The Real World: Australia.
“Plan DEAD?” Bailey asked.
“Destroy the Evil Annoying Ditz,” Callie said, “That’s the official name for our plan.”
The girls giggled and high fived.
“So, what was her brother like?” Michelle asked.
“Hmm, kind of like a ten-year old version of James Bond mixed with like, a Senator or something,” Callie giggled. “But as long as he can get our footage, he’s alright in my book,” She tapped her manicured nails against her sidekick.
They pulled up to the school, and Callie saw the barely visible, grown out ‘Callie Has STDS!’ that Joana mowed into the lawn last week. She sighed, while the word Revenge repeated in her head over and over again.
That chubby little brat better get my footage, Callie thought.
---
“Twenty-nine, Thirty-four, one,” Callie mumbled her locker combination as she twirled the lock. Someone put a big hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Brock standing right in front of her.
“Hi,” Callie smiled.
“Hey,” Brock said. He didn’t smile. “Uh, you know how I asked you on a second date?” He stared at his Nike sneakers.
“Yeah,”Callie said. What was this about?
“Uh, I can’t anymore,” Brock said.
“Uh, okay,” Callie said dejectedly.
“I saw the STD thing,” Brock explained, noticing her look.
Then, a hint of a smile showed on his face, and it immeadiatly spread across his face into a huge grin.
“You totally believed me!” Brock said laughing.
Callie’s jaw dropped.
“Callie, chill, I’m just kidding!” Brock said smiling. “I know you don’t have STDs,” He laughed. “Who did that anyways?”
“This beeyotch Joana,” Callie said.
“Oh, I know her… she scares me,” Brock said. Callie laughed, knowing that the note she had planted in Brock’s locker probably had something to do with Brock feeling that way.
“Yeah, she scares, like, everyone,” Callie giggled. “But I need to go to class, so I’ll talk to you later?”
“Yeah, I’ll call you,” Brock said. Then, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. Awwwwwwwwww! Callie thought.
“See you later,” She grinned and headed to class.
Joana could mow ‘Callie has STDs!’ into the lawn of the White House, and it still wouldn’t change the fact that Callie was gorgeous, envied, and taken by the hautest guy in school.
---END OF CHAPTER NINE
