He grins wide. “You didn’t ask me if Puck was here. You asked if Court was.”
That little turd. Matty knew exactly what he was doing when he chased me up the stairs. Though I doubt he knew that I was going to walk in to find them fucking. He probably assumed it’d be funny if I walked in on them making out or doing what little kids assume adults do together, which always warrants the response of ‘Ewwwwwww.’
Courtney and Puck emerge from her room moments later and I’m pleased to find them fully clothed. I hardly have a chance to laugh at them before Courtney’s arms are thrown around me and she’s squishing me into her chest. “I’ve missed you,” she squeals into my ear, making me momentarily deaf.
I squeeze her right back. It’s been way too long. We’ll have to make trips more often. Courtney offers to go back into her room and catch up but I quickly suggest the living room downstairs. After all, that bed needs some new sheets and probably disinfectant before I’ll go anywhere near it.
We go downstairs and I drop down into the couch as Courtney’s mom comes in with a juice for us all. I take it gratefully and smile down at the little straw and umbrella she added, even to Puck’s juice.
“What are the girls doing today?” I ask, relaxing back into the couch and loving the feeling of home this place brings.
Courtney shrugs as she leans into Puck’s side while he zones out of our conversation and plays on his phone. “I don’t know. I think Tora and Brooke we’re just chilling at home. They finally kissed and made up after their fight and are probably just having some bonding time, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Maxen was hanging around. He seems to be sniffing around Brooke again.”
“Really?” I ask with a raised brow, wondering how the hell that’s going to go down.
Courtney gives me a smug grin, knowing my exact thoughts on the situation. “Oh, yeah, he totally wants her back.”
I look across at Puck who’s being particularly quiet and realize that he’s purposefully keeping his mouth shut in order to protect his boy. I laugh to myself and move on before I get anyone in trouble. “What about Elle?”
Courtney shrugs. “I wouldn’t have a clue. I haven’t heard from her today, but my guess would be chilling out with Jackson after he won the game for the team last night.”
An idea starts to form. “Should we go and surprise them?” I ask with a grin.
Courtney narrows her eyes. “Who? Elle and Jackson or Tora and Brooke?”
I think it over. I’m down for either but considering the likelihood of walking in to find Elle and Jackson in a similar position to what I found Courtney and Puck, Tora and Brooke are the safest option.
“Really?” Puck grumbles, curling his arms around Courtney and pulling her back to him. “Wouldn’t you prefer to stay home and fuck all day?”
I shake my head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not sure I’m down for that.”
Courtney rolls her eyes before agreeing that a surprise would be nice and not a second later, we hash out our plan and the more detailed it becomes, the more Puck is begging to be involved. Though somehow it goes from a happy little surprise to something so much more.
More than excited, we drop my mom’s car back to my place and pile into Puck’s Escalade, knowing that after this, I probably won’t be home for a while.
We get to Brooke and Tora’s place in no time and Puck parks down the street. We slide out of his Escalade, being careful not to make too much noise, though we shouldn’t have to worry, this place is close to a college campus and all the homes around here are filled with rowdy college students.
I slap a hand over my mouth as we get to their property, trying my hardest not to burst out into laughter and ruin it all. Night has already fallen which is going to make this even better, but I’m kind of hoping the girls aren’t going to kill me after this, which is very likely.
We all stop to pull on our hoodies, making sure the hood covers as much of our faces as possible. We creep quietly to their front window and peek inside to find both Brooke and Tora curled up on the couch, watching some ridiculous show that Brooke seems way too intrigued with.
I grin at Courtney and Puck. “Are you guys ready?”
Courtney nods while Puck picks up a stick with a sick grin and we all get into place. Courtney hurries around to the back of the house while Puck goes in search of the power box.
I rush past Tora’s bedroom window and notice it’s been left open. I laugh to myself, realizing Nate probably did that. I slip inside while listening to the soft chuckles coming from Puck as he watches me from the power box.
With the TV on, it’s no problem hurrying up the hallway without being caught, though the tricky part comes when I get to the top of the hallway and see Courtney’s head peering through the kitchen window.
I press my lips down into a hard line, forcing myself to keep my cool, but not a second later, the house plunges into darkness.
Tora and Brooke instantly groan, murmuring about the power going out and doing a quick round of ‘scissors, paper, rock,’ to figure out who has to go and fix it. Tora loses and as she goes to get up, Courtney appears at their back door, making the wood beneath her feet creak and instantly sending panic over the girls.
They gasp and I hold back a laugh, only feeling slightly like a bitch. They might not think it’s funny now, but come tomorrow…or maybe a few years, they’ll laugh along when we tell the story.
“Did you hear that?” Tora whispers into the too-quiet room.
Brooke nods, looking around the house but it’s a bit too dark to see. “Is someone in our house?”
Tora pulls Brooke to her feet and they silently start making their way to the front door, ready to make a run for it. I peer around the corner, making a floorboard creak under my foot and I curse myself. That wasn’t supposed to happen. We want to scare them for a little fun, not terrify them into shitting their pants.
A gust of wind has the back door clicking into place and I watch as both of Tora and Brooke’s expressions harden. Fuck. I can only imagine what they’re thinking. I’m just moments from stepping out of my hiding spot and screaming ‘Surprise’ when Puck makes his presence known with that ridiculous stick on their front window. He’s literally just a dark shadow at the window and despite knowing it’s just Puck, it’s kind of creeping me out too.
I hold back a laugh. They’ll be freaking out, but picturing the grin on Puck’s face as he does it is kind of worth it. Puck continues haunting the girls and Courtney starts moving across the house, making unintentional noises with every step.
A terrified scream rips out of Tora, prompting Brooke to scream right along with her and in the blink of an eye, they start running back towards the kitchen. Tora grabs a knife and shoves it into Brooke’s hand before scrambling around again and pulling out a frypan.
Oh, fuck. Too far. Way too far.
Puck must haul ass to get the power back on because one second the girls are screaming and the next, light flickers on and I step out from the hallway, pushing my hoodie back off my face with a cringe. “Surprise,” I tell them, throwing my hands up in a half-ass attempt to make this okay while Puck’s light laughter drifts in from outside Tora’s open bedroom window.