04

Justin dumbly watched her and the other girl leave before running forward and grabbing his clothes off of the floor. He tried to vaguely remember who the other girl was but for the life of him, no name came to mind. Probably because, at the current moment, he was beyond incensed. Actually he was more than incensed, he was down right pissed off.

So, Chloe was her name and this is how she wants to play it, he silently pondered while pulling on his pants. He had to give her some credit though. For a chick, she has some monster-sized cojones, but this wasn’t the end of it. Not by a long shot. Nobody messes with Justin Pinnix and gets away with it. Not even a chick with a body that most guys would die to touch and a face that looked almost as good as his own. The key word in that phrase being almost.

Justin pulled his shirt over his head, and continued to seethe over what had just happened. His seething was fast becoming a regular occurrence.

She wants to play it like this, he said to himself.

Then fine, he’ll play it her way. He would even go as far as to tell her to bring it baby, because the game is now most definitely on.

« That was epic,” Chloe managed to say between erratic bouts of laughter after they both finally hit the downstairs bathroom. It was way too late for either of them to return to class without getting a tardy, so the two girls decided to hide out in the bathroom until the next class.

« Did you see his face ? » She asked with a goofy grin stretching from one corner to the other, « Classic. It was absolutely classic and that picture is so going up on Facebook. »

Erica proudly beamed. Chloe could see that she loved every minute of embarrassment that Justin was suffering and was looking forward to more stunts like the one that they had just performed. In time, they would eventually lead to his ultimate downfall. This revenge paled in comparison to the embarrassment that Erica had been forced to endure after that horrible night at the party. The arrogant, pompous jerk had the nerve to ruthlessly deflower her and then forget her without a second glance. At least she could find a little bit of satisfaction in watching the local player being out-played at his own game.

« That was hilarious, » Erica grinned, glancing back up at her cousin with a look of hero worship brandishing her face, « He deserved everything that he got and then some for what he did to me. »

Chloe’s attention was solely focused on her phone. She finished putting up the post of Justin’s nude self on Facebook then turned back to Erica, « He deserves so much more than just this, Erica. We are only getting started. By the time that I get through with him, he’s not going to have a clue as to what the hell hit him. »

Chloe spun around and looked back at her reflection in the mirror. A mischievous smile curled up on her lips, « I plan on hitting him where it hurts the most. By the time that we get through with him, he will be begging you for forgiveness and me for mercy. »

Erica joined her at the sink in front of the mirror and turned on the spigot. She took her time washing her hands. She was so happy. She didn’t think anything at this point could bring her down. She reached over and cut off the water. Chloe handed her a paper towel to dry her hands. She lifted her head and with a serious expression on her face she said to her cousin, « I am so glad that you are here Chloe. I’m sorry about what happened back at your home but I’m not sorry that you’re here. Hopefully, your mom can find a good job here and you guys will stay. »

Chloe returned her smile and felt a tremendous amount of sisterly affection. Erica had been there for her and she was glad that she now had the opportunity to return the favor. She didn’t leave much behind back at her old home other than a lot of bad memories that she would be more than happy to forget. She hadn’t been very well-liked, which is the exact reason she learned to not give a damn about anything but herself and her family. Erica was family and the way that Chloe looked at it, if you mess with Erica, then you mess with her. At that point, all bets are off and there will be hell to pay. Justin won’t be the first to learn the true extent of Chloe Miller’s wrath.

Chloe rested her hand on her shoulder and squeezed, « I’m glad that I’m here too. » And she meant that. Erica threw herself at her, taking her by complete surprise, and wrapped her up in a bone crushing hug. Her weight knocked Chloe off balance and they both stumbled backwards in a heap of arms and legs until the two girls found themselves lying on their butts in the middle of the floor.

For a second, they both just stayed there, shell shocked. It only took a moment before they both simultaneously burst out laughing.

« Are you okay ? » Chloe finally asked after their rowdy laughter started to quiet down somewhat.

With a grin as big as the state of Texas, Erica leaned over and rubbed her rear.

« My ass is sore but other than that I’m okay. What about you ? » She asked, pushing herself up from the dingy tiled floor.

Another giggle spilled from Chloe’s lips as she thought about the hilarity of it all.

« Yeah, I’m pretty sure that I’ll live, » she told her and took the hand that Erica had offered to pull her back up. They both teetered and were seconds away from ending up back on the floor when Erica steadied herself and reached for the wall, steadying both of them. Once again, they were finally standing upright.

« Thank you, » Erica said again while they both dusted off the backs of their pants.

Chloe made her way back over to the sink. She checked her reflection again and straightened out her hair a little bit after the tumbling episode. She looked up and noticed that Erica was watching her expectantly. Dropping her hands by her sides, she met her gaze through the mirror glass, « For what ? »

« For being you, » she smiled, « And helping me. » Her voice was soft and sincere. When Chloe turned around to face her, Erica quickly looked away and continued. « No one has ever really stood up for me the way that you are doing now. And I want you to know that what you are doing, it means the world to me. »

This time it was Chloe that reached out to her and engulfed her in a hug, « You’re my family and I will always be here for you. » Her lips quirked and then she added, « Don’t you worry that pretty little head of yours, I’ve got your back. I’ve always had your back cuz and I always will, » she said with utmost confidence.

The shrill sound of the bell for the next class rang breaking up their small family bonding moment.

« Time to get to class, » she told her cheerily before adding, « Also, time to see what damage we have caused so far. »

Erica bent down and grabbed both of their book bags. She held Chloe’s out to her and for just a minute she looked like a little kid who had just been given that one Christmas present that they really, really wanted more than anything in the world. For the first time since she arrived, Chloe could tell that she genuinely looked happy. That within itself gave her a small sense of pride. She knew then, that what she had planned for Justin Pinnix was going to be well worth all the effort.

« Shall we ? » Erica asked excitedly.

Chloe took her bag and hefted it over her shoulder. She then looped her arm through Erica’s and answered, « We shall. »

They both made their way out of the bathroom and into the hall where students were already swarming around like little bees. Many of them had their heads down and were staring at their phones. Laughter of all sorts rang out in the air and Chloe was pretty sure that the laughter was coming from her recently posted picture on Facebook of a certain, very revealing, Mr. Player. It was currently being viewed by the many students of Northeast High.

Erica and Chloe both turned to each other at the same time and with knowing looks. They high-fived each other, « He is so going down, » Erica stated, clearly pleased with their handiwork.