"And how does this involve me?"
Jessica stepped forward and fluffed her hair in the mirror before turning steely, calculated blue eyes on me.
"Because, Grace. Youarethe prank."
My stomach dropped, but I worked hard to keep my expression neutral. "Wha-what do you mean?" My breaths started sawing out in quickened puffs.
I could see her lip threatening to curl, but she kept her composure as she leaned a hand on the vanity. "You don't think it's weird that Harrison is suddenly nice to you after treating you like shit for years? This was all a joke that we're in on for senior prank. He was going to flirt with you, get you to like him, and then ask you to go to prom. Then he was going to drive to your house, text you to come out in your dress, and we were all going to be filming you."
She said it all so casually, without displaying any feelings of remorse or guilt. If true, what just came out of her mouth was so atrocious and cruel that no one deserved it to happen to them. Not even Jessica.
My breathing stayed shallow, and I turned to clutch the sink. My knuckles turned white as the horror of her words sank in. It couldn't be true. Could it?
"Why are you telling me this?" I croaked, unable to believe that people could be capable of such behavior. Especially when I did nothing to them.Nothing.
"Because I have a heart." Jessica placed her hand over her chest, her brow etched in fake concern.
A heart, my ass,I thought. My eyes flicked up to meet hers. Nothing on Jessica's face showed she felt anything but misplaced anger and hatred for me.
Maybe she was lying. Jealous, so she made up a story to throw me off Harrison. Hope planted a seed in me.
"I felt sorry for you," she continued in sugary earnestness. "I mean, I know Harrison's done some cruel things in the past to you, but this was going too far, even for him. I thought I would give you a heads-up so you can put him in his place. Get your own, so to speak. Just this once."
"How generous of you," I gritted out.
"Oh, c'mon!" Jessica rolled her eyes. "You didn't actually think Harry would be interested inyou, did you?" She cackled like the evil witch she was.
Did I?
I ran through all my moments with Harrison over the past few weeks. I was suspicious of his motives at first—who wouldn't be? But all those texts, all those jokes, shared moments studying and reading, watching movies and binging 90's sitcoms. Was none of that real? Was I really that stupid?
"He hasn't asked you to prom yet, has he?"
At my stunned silence, she continued.
"He told me he brought it up yesterday to test how you felt about him. He said you couldn't say yes fast enough, so he plans to ask you tonight and seal the deal."
The hope that had planted itself was promptly dug up again and discarded. My bravado faltered as her words hit home. How did she know all that if not for–
"Harrison said some pretty disgusting things about you, said he's planning on hooking up with you before prom just because he can. That's when I decided to tell you. I can't let him do that to you. I am a girl's girl, after all," she sniffed as she examined her nails.
I gave a humorless laugh. If Jessica was a girl's girl, then I was the Queen of England.
Yet I couldn't deny the truth in her words. How else would she have known what Harrison and I had spoken about yesterday if he hadn't told her?
Betrayal burned in my gut. I wanted to hurl; I wanted to scream. But most of all, I wanted to lock Harrison in the school hall and set it on fire.
I had started to trust him, to even fall for him. I had let my stupid hormones get in the way of common sense, and if it weren't for Jessica's dubious guilty conscience, I would've been the laughing stock at school.
I would have been the fucking senior year prank.
I had to get out of here.
"Hey, what are you planning on telling Harrison?" Jessica called out.
I ignored her, bursting out of the bathroom in a blind panic. I almost bumped into Dee and another of Jessica's minions blocking the entrance. The way they guarded the door told me our meeting in the bathroom was not coincidental.
Their mocking laughter followed as I shouldered past them and tore off down the hallway.
