“All the dick you’re about to get?”
I laugh. I want to play the game, not ruin my chances. There isn’t going to be as much dick in my future as she’s imagining.
“No. It’s the happily ever after.”
Chapter Four
The sun shines on a beautiful Tuesday morning. Birds are singing, visibility has lifted now that the morning fog has burned away, and the day holds all the promise of two weeks from now.
I throw open the curtains and chirp, “Rise and shine, sleepyhead! Day two of camp starts now!”
Shannon moans from beneath the pile of blankets on her bed. “Why are you such a morning person?”
“Because all the best things happen in the morning!” I tick items off on my fingers even though she still hasn’t emerged from her cocoon to see me. “Like revenge, victory, feminism triumphing over the patriarchy …”
As predicted, a fist flies up from the mountain on her bed. “Who run the world?”
“Girls,” I state with finality. And if those Neanderthals think they can use being a woman against me, I’m about to show them they’re playing with fire.
Shannon finally pries her heavy veil from her face. “You’ve got your work cut out for you. Trying to snag one decent guy in the dating cesspool is hard enough. How are you going to seduce four of them into eating from the palm of your hand?”
“Easy.” I make my bed like the wack-job perfectionist I am. “I consider none of them decent. Problem solved.”
“Fair point.” She sighs, swinging her legs over the mattress to sit there and glare at the sun like she’s mad it rose. “Pitting them against each other won’t be easy though. How are you going to keep them from putting their heads together and figuring out what’s really going on? If Jimbo came up with this diabolical plan in the first place, he’ll probably be the first to realize you’re giving him a taste of his own medicine.”
“I’m counting on his pride to blind him,” I answer while pulling a hoodie over my sports bra and tank top. It might be blazing hot in the afternoons, but early morning practices are actually chilly. There’s nothing quite like experiencing all four seasons in the same day to really take a toll on the body. “If that doesn’t work, then …”
“You don’t have a plan for that, do you?”
“Nope.” I pop the P and ignore the twinge in my gut that says this is going to backfire spectacularly. All I have to go on is hope and three years of burning indignation.
“Okay.” Shannon takes a deep breath and heaves herself upright. “Let’s say this all goes according to plan. You have the guys drooling over you and competing with each other for a completely different top spot. You still have to worry about how to get the most votes in the band. And there’s no guarantee this cold dish will be enough of a distraction to keep them from campaigning for themselves. At least tell me you have a plan for that.”
I wish. I collapse onto the side of the bed. “I’m going to do what I’ve always done to get the vote. Love marching band. I love everything about it, Shannon! Honestly, before the stupid voting announcement and that stupid conversation we heard last night, I was just grateful to make it this far! Until I heard that vile plan spew out of Jimbo’s mouth, I would have been happy for whoever got named head drum major. But I can’t let him win. Not this way. Not again.”
She places a hand on my shoulder, suddenly looking as alert as possible without coffee. “How has he won so far?”
“Um, I don’t know. Let’s see …” Negative Nancy isn’t usually a side of my personality I let out, but sometimes, to get a clear mind, you have to purge all the bad to make room for the good. “He got a full ride to State on his brother’s famous shoulders while I had to bust my ass in high school to get even a fraction of the money he did. After he ghosted me, I never expected to see him again, let alone be in the same section in band! I think I would have preferred it if he just kept ignoring me like at rookie camp, but everywhere I go on campus, there he is! Ready and waiting to make my life even more miserable! Which makes no sense! He’s obviously moved on with all the women he sleeps with! Why stick around just to fuck with me if he has no interest in fucking me? And the worst part? The worst part of it all?” I suck in a deep breath. Saying this out loud is going to be freeing, yes, but it’s also going to hurt. “I’m obviously still not over it. If I were, I just … wouldn’t care what he does anymore.”
“That’s why you never joined ITK,” Shannon murmurs, her eyes clouding with a thoughtful glaze. “Well, you know what? Even better then. Stick it to him now with your pointy crown, then walk away with your head held high like the queen you can really be once you let this go.”
Shannon is a feminist to her very core, but she’s missing something important.
“I hate to break it to you, but no queen would ever use her feminine charms for such a selfish end.”
“I hate to break it to you,” she argues, “but every woman wears a crown. Sometimes, they’re a little crooked, but that’s why we have friends. To help us straighten up when we need it.”
I reach my arms up like a little kid, and she doesn’t disappoint.
We hug it out like the queens we are.
“I love you, Shan.”
“I love you too, Soph. Now, let’s make some misogynistic bastards squirm.”
That’s my girl.
Chapter Five
Blow hard. Finger fast.
I blink at the words staring back at me from eye-level. Unfortunately, when I glance up at Jimbo’s face, the smug grin on his lips indicates he thinks I’m staring at the soft fabric stretched across his impressive pecs.
“Wow. Classy.” I cough away my sarcasm. Acting seductive is going to be more difficult than anticipated. “Funny. I mean, it’s funny! How did you come up with that? You’re so clever.”
That didn’t sound genuine. Not even a little. Shannon was right—I have my work cut out for me.
He tips his gaze to my hoodie that reads Miners Marching Band. Not all that funny. Not at all unexpected. For me. The self-reformed bad girl who learned all too early that risks don’t always come with rewards.
I fight the instinct to recoil when he leans down into my personal space with a poor imitation of collusion in his expression.
“Tim had them made in the spring for all the drum majors except you. I’m sorry. I’ll give you mine if you want.”
“Why would you do that?” I blurt. You hate me.
Damn it. I make a mental list of anyone in band who is also a theater major. I need acting lessons and fast.
Jimbo’s face twists up so much that it honestly looks like he’s suffering from constipation. “I don’t want you to feel left out.”
Oh. Ohhhhh.
Pretending is as hard for him as it is for me. Unnatural. Defying the written laws of existence in this time and this place.
That alone makes me feel better.
“That’s okay, James.” I try out my best purr. “I’m actually already sweating. I was just going to get rid of a few layers.”