“That’s not a terrible idea,” I murmur.
“Or you could give them a fake cake. Get a huge round sponge and decorate it with icing and sprinkles or whatever you want. They won’t be able to cut it. One of those sponges to watch a car would be good.”
“Why do so many of your ideas deal with food?” I ask.
“One more with food. Do they drink Guinness or dark beers? Dark drinks in general? Because you could add the yolk of an egg to their drink. It’ll sink to the bottom, so they won’t see it, and then that last sip…” Tyler begins to laugh.
“That’s gross!”
“Not really. Some guys drink raw eggs to get in some protein and carbs for weightlifting.”
“Ace might do that already.”
“Then do it to him, but that surprise last sip… Trust me. It’s gross.”
“Did that happen to you?”
“Maybe.” Tyler chuckles. “We used to prank each other all the time.”
“But you’re so mature now,” I tease.
“Exactly. I would never dream of pulling any of these stunts now. Oh, not to say that you’re immature for wanting revenge on those guys. If they’re assholes to you, you should get back at them however you can.”
“Precisely.” I hesitate. “Erika made a comment…”
“About what?”
“About how you all… Never mind.”
“We kind did give her a hard time when she first came to our school, yeah, if that’s what you’re referring to.”
“How did it all change and evolve to what it is now?”
“Time,” he says. “Growing up. Facing reality. So much shit went down between Erika’s father, Brett’s, my own… It was literal hell for a long while, but the only way we could get through it was together, and we managed. We survived, and we bonded in a way that most people wouldn’t ever understand. Erika’s really special, and since you two are best friends, it’s clear to me that even though we don’t know each other all that well yet, you’re special too. If you need help with these assholes, if you need me and the other guys to come on down and knock some heads together, just ask. We’ll fly out.”
“On Brett’s dime?”
“Of course.” Tyler laughs before his tone turns serious again. “Just say the word, and we’ll come. I mean it.”
“Thanks, Tyler. I appreciate that, but hopefully, it won’t come to that. I… I think I might need to try to get to know my enemies a bit better before I strike at them again.”
“Keep your friends close…”
“And your enemies closer,” I finish grimly.
CHAPTER20
Giventhat I really do think that it might be wise to keep my head down and learn what I can about the guys from a distance, I don’t put into action any of the pranks Tyler suggested. Not that I think the pranks are terrible ideas, but Ace threatened war, and I’m not quite sure I want to go there yet. If something terrible happened in Gabe’s past, I feel just awful about what I wrote. I hadn’t meant it to be traumatic for him. Honestly, I should thank Ace for making sure Gabe never saw it because why I can see signs of Gabe being as charming as Robyn made him out to be, I think he can be a real devil when he wants to be.
A devil in the sheets wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Not at all, but a devil at war with me? No thank you.
Robyn, I figure, would be my key to learning more about the guys. Even if she doesn’t know about Gabe’s past, she still might have some tidbits that could prove beneficial. Unfortunately, she’s busy tonight. Not that I mind eating with my other friends. She has other friends, too, of course, but while Michaela and the others are all gabbing, I’m quiet, lost in my thoughts.
Michaela invites us all back to her room afterward to hang out. With nothing better to do, I tag along. Halfway there, though, my phone rings.
It’s Rob.
I’ve lost track of how long it’s been since we last spoke. Er, since we had last been together. I haven’t been avoiding him like I’ve been avoiding his friends, but he’s also disappeared off the face of the planet, so evading him hasn’t been an issue at all.