The Anklebiters

Hayley kissed Alex’s cheek before heading off with Tay the next day. All day she had been pretending nothing was wrong, but inside, it almost hurt to look at Alex. It hurt because he was off thinking he had just lost his virginity to the love of his life and the girl who he thought loved him back, when in reality, she was playing him like a puppet for her friend’s sweet revenge.

Jack would always look at her weirdly, like he knew the plan that was going on, but once he found out about Alex and Hayley’s afternoon together, something changed. He was at Alex’s football practice, sitting on the sidelines next to Hayley and Tay―something he usually did not do. He actually had a conversation―a genuine conversation―with Hayley, and that’s when she noticed, he truly believed in the relationship. He believed it was true because her and Alex had finally slept together.

He’s still a dumbass.

The two friends walked all the way back to Jenna’s, opening the unlocked screen door to the small shack and greeting her mother on the way in. They headed downstairs quickly, already spotting Taylor and Jenna sitting on the ratty couch. “Hey, guys,” Tay gave a small smile. “How are you?”

“Enough with the chit-chatter,” Jenna snarled. “What’s going on with Clementine?”

Taylor nodded. “You called us here for a meeting. Now talk.”

Tay grabbed a fold-up chair from the back and set it up for Hayley. The orange-haired girl sat down, staying silent and ignoring the stares she was getting from her other friends. She wanted to speak her mind to them, but Tay was better at speeches, and Hayley was more afraid of their reactions than a speech.

Tay walked over and stood in front of the three friends, clapping her hands together. “If I may speak on Hayley’s behalf―”

“Why isn’t she speaking for herself?” Jenna furrowed her brow.

“Jenna,” Taylor warned.

“Anyways,” Tay went on. “Recently, something has been happening with the quote-on-quote, ‘Revenge against the Hustlers’ plan. None of this has been affecting Hayley very well, and she feels she may be in way too deep now to stop this whole charade. Alex just admitted that he loved her, and because of this, both her and I, as well as Abi, think the plan should stop.”

The room was utterly silent; no one dared to make a sound. Jenna knew something was going to break out, so she sat there, twiddling and playing with her hair while acting like nothing was happening.

After a moment, Taylor narrowed her eyes at Tay and looked over at Hayley. “You aren’t developing feelings, are you?”

Hayley lifted her head, and after glancing at Tay for a split second, she shook her head. “No.”

“Well,” Jenna cleared her throat, “if you want my opinion, I kind of agree with them. Maybe we have gone a bit too far with this and it should stop. I just don’t know how we’re gonna get Clementine out of this.”

“Hmm …” Taylor sighed, standing up on her two feet. “I agree.”

Everyone’s mouths became agape as they stared at their leader with wide eyes. “A―Are you serious?” Hayley finally asked.

“Of course!” Taylor’s voice became giddy as everything unraveled in her mind. “He just admitted her loved you, so it’s the perfect time to let the plan come to a close! You cut off the relationship and break him!”

Hayley rubbed at her temple in frustration. What she didn’t expect next was her friend’s words.

Tay, who had been standing off to the side, approached the Anklebiter leader. “Are you crazy?” She scorned. “You don’t understand what we’re trying to say!”

The brunette had made the wrong move, and everyone could tell just by the way that Taylor’s face started to scrunch up. “So what am I not understanding, Tay?”

“Hayley doesn’t want to continue this! It’s obvious! Ending this with her cheating on Alex will only make everything worse and drag out the plan more!” Tay’s voice lowered when she saw Taylor’s eyes firing up. “We’ve gone too far with this plan already. Let’s just end this feud with Jack, okay?”

“Alright, listen here, Tay,” Taylor thrust her hands out and pushed the brunette onto the couch behind her. “You do not tell me what we can and cannot do. I will continue this feud with Jack whether you like it or not, because―newsflash!―I hate him. I’ve hated him ever since the incident in freshmen year, and I’m determined to get him back for the hurt he caused me.” She looked around at the posse that surrounded her. “We will all finish this for me; backing out isn’t an option anymore. Don’t forget, ladies: I invited you into this group when you were at your weakest, and I―” she poked Tay’s chest with a snarl “―can kick you right back out.”

She glanced at the blank faces of her friends. “Are we clear?”

They all nodded, except for Jenna, who sat up and muttered, “Lost the battle, win the war.”

Notes

LOOK, AN UPDATE!
I've been so slow with these, I'm so very sorry <3 But exams are officially over! That also means I start work and trying to get my license soon, but I will still have more time on my hands :)
Also, I've been soooooooo obsessed with Bastille lately, holy crap <333 My friend introduced me to them and I love them too much already<3
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Rock on \m/