Study of Life and Love

I wasn’t asleep when the door to mine and Nina’s room opened. But I nevertheless squeezed my eyes tighter together and pulled the blanket’s over my head. Whoever it was that wanted to interrupt me trying to sleep could go away.

I wasn’t prepared for a loud gong to echo around our room then being followed by Caydance’s voice. “Rise and shine girls, we got shit to do.” Another gong echoed before there was a groan and a thud from the bed next to mine.

I slowly blinked my eyes opened and peeked over my bed sheets to stare at Caydance. She was already leaving the room, door wide open in acknowledgment that we would do what she said.

“Why did she choose to be in a good mood at six in the morning.” Nina groaned from the floor where she was tangled in blankets and her phone clasped tightly in her hand.

“At least it’s not as creepy as her being in her room all day long barely saying a word.” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes and untangling my own legs from my sheets.

“I don’t know, I think I preferred that.” Nina sighed and accepted the hand I offered her. She hopped and wiggled until she was finally standing, sheets still tangled around legs.

We headed out of our room and down the hallway with all the other girls. We were quiet, the cool air making us shuffle closer together but otherwise only head nods and slow blinks were used to acknowledge each other.

Caydance was in the media room, a whiteboard pulled into the middle of the room. Most of the house was already here and the ones that weren’t slowly filed in behind us.

Sidney was the only one that seemed as awake as Caydance, although she was nursing a coffee and I had begun to think that Sydney didn’t really sleep anymore.

“What’s going on?” Thea asked Caydance, snuggling in to a spot between Olivia and Rhiannon. I grinned when Olivia pulled a blushing Leah into her lap. Their relationship was new and Leah still seemed unsure where they stood. It was cute, as Leah very rarely seemed unsure about anything.

“It’s time that we take action against the Kings.” Caydance stated, her legs spread apart and eyes hard as she stared around the room at all of us. Her dramatic effect was kind of ruined by her messy bed hair and fluffy bunny slippers.

“We have let this go on too long. The water bombs we could put up with but breaking into our house and rearranging the entire house until it practically sat on the roof is not okay.” One fluffy bunny slipper stomped on the ground.

Caydance pulled out a marker from her pajama pocket and turned to the white board. “So let’s start brainstorming girls. How do we get even with Kings?” She looked at us all expectantly, hand poised in mid-air ready to write on the board.

“No murder, permanent or temporary injury to any body parts and no damage that will cost a lot of money.” Sydney cut in before anyone could voice a thought.

Caydance pouted in Sidney’s direction. “But if we can’t temporarily injure them, there’s no fun.”

Sidney glared at Caydance until she sighed in submission.

“We could egg them.” Olivia said. “In revenge for water bombs we could throw eggs at them therefore it won’t chip any paint on their house and it will only hurt them a little bit.” She smiled evilly.

Caydance looked to Sidney for approval; who nodded in return.

“Great,” Caydance said, listing number one on the white board and writing next to it ‘egg the boys’.

“Cling wrap Louis’ car.” Thea said, her body demeanor looking far more awake then it was moments ago.

Caydance seemed to hesitate at the board before shrugging and listing it next.

“We should cling wrap their toilet seats as well and all sinks in the house.” Nina said from next to me, sparking my own idea. We shouldn’t just stop at cling wrapping the plumbing. They rearranged our whole entire house.

“But we shouldn’t just stop at that.” I announced. “We could clog toilets so they overflow, or tape the doors shut so they can’t open it. There’s always the trick of placing cups of alcohol or water on the floor. Or slowly move all the furniture just a couple of centimeters to the left. And we should do heaps of small things one at a time over a couple of weeks to irritate them further.” I grinned up at a stunned Caydance. “I have a brother.” I further explained feeling the allure of planning a prank begins to well in me.

“You, Riley, are going to be my secret weapon.” Caydance said, delighted and held out another whiteboard marker towards me. I stared at it in astonishment. Caydance had never offered me anything, not even a pencil, let alone an opportunity to stand alongside her.

“I’m offering you a marker not a freaking country.” Caydance shook the marker in my face and I snatched it before she could take it away. “Get your ass up here.”

Shakily I stepped to my feet and took the opposite side of the whiteboard to Caydance. All the girls of Grace patiently looked between us both. Thea shot me a warm smile.

“Okay so we’re starting to get a plan going here. If we start out big, by throwing eggs at them, they’re going to think that was our revenge and that is all. But, we’re not going to end it there, no. We’re going to set up sneak attacks over the coming weeks and take down those King’s boys for good.”

-

It was decided that we all had to egg someone, to show Kings that we were just getting our vengeance and despite the fact that I really didn’t want to see his face after the party the other night, I was not getting to let go of my chance of egging Liam.

Caydance stood beside me; one arm wrapped around my shoulders and a carton of eggs in her other hand. We were hiding in a bush near the path that Liam always takes on the way home from his last class on a Wednesday.

“Now remembers, try not to get him in the eyes. However, the balls, the balls are fair game.” She grinned down at me before we both pulled our attention back to the path when two figures began walking down it.

I narrowed my eyes at the blonde girl walking with Liam. It was the girl he had taken upstairs at the party the other night.

“Can we hit her?” I asked Caydance. She looked surprised before realisation dawned across her face.

“She’s not from any of the houses so if a little bit of egg ended up somewhere on her, it certainly won’t start a house war.” She grinned down at me and opened the carton of eggs.

We both grabbed what we could fit in either hand and stepped out from behind the bush and into the path of the chatting couple. I forced a smile onto my face but doubted it looked anywhere close to happy.

Liam, paused, surprise flashing across his face before his gaze fell on the eggs in our hand. He took a hesitating step back and the girl beside him only looked between the three of us in confusion.

“Don’t do this.” Liam began.

“Aww, really? Are you going to beg, Liam?” Caydance smirked over to her King’s friend. Although I was beginning to wander if anyone from Kings and Grace were still friends.

I didn’t talk; instead I concentrated on keeping my face as neutral as possible, despite the racing of my heart and the tingle on my lips from the memory of Liam kissing me. I instead focused my glare on the girl; I could hate her.

“Riles, please don’t do this.” Liam turned to me, realising that he wouldn’t be able to reason with Caydance.

I glared at him, finding it within me to actually mean the glare. I wanted to feel better about my feelings for him and I was hoping that the heartache would ache less when he was dripping with egg whites.

“Aww but Li,” I began, not even needing to fake the smile that slid across my face, “revenge is just too tempting.” I said before launching two eggs into the air, both landing directly on Liam’s body, the other two followed closely with Caydance right behind me. The blonde girl began to scream as her footsteps retreated from the group of us.

I shot Liam a smile before letting Caydance drag me away from staring happily at the yolk that dripped from Liam’s fringe and onto his nose.

Caydance pulled me all the way back to Grace house, our laughter following us and causing me to pant in breathlessness.

It was only made better when Louis Tomlinson marched up to us, egg dripping down his face. “Really, egg?” He demanded of Caydance, his eyes barely flickering to me.

I was reminded that despite my need for revenge against Liam, I was only one small component to this revenge plot. I wasn’t the only one that had been wronged by the King’s boys.

“Thea almost got my eye.” He hissed.

“Hell hath no fury, like a woman scorned.” Caydance laughed, her eyes dancing in amusement.

Louis didn’t find it funny, arms crossing over his chest he glared between the both of us, seeming to finally find importance in my presence.

“Don’t fight me on this, Caydance. You won’t win.” He warned.

“And why not? You started this Louis, I just plan on ending it.” Caydance took a step closer to Louis, their eyes boring holes into each other.

“Caydance.” Sidney called out to us from where she stood on the porch steps. “Don’t talk to the enemy.” She glared at Louis.

I began to start taking steps towards her when Liam and Niall rounded the corner and began heading over towards us. Liam’s hair was slicked back with egg yolk but Niall looked untouched.

I noticed Sidney’s eyes automatically zone in on the blonde Irishman but his attention stayed permanently on Louis. His jaw twitched like it was actually causing him pain to not turn and look at Sidney.

“Get inside girls.” Sidney called out. I grabbed onto Caydance’s arm and pulled her back, obeying Sidney’s command.

Louis looked furious as he glared between us all. His arms were folded on his chest, biceps bulging and there was no laughter on his face.

“We didn’t start this.” He seethed out. “You girls did, when you decided to mess with us. What are you going to do with Harry once you have another one of your insecure fits huh? Gonna throw him away again until he comes begging back?”

Caydance was ramrod straight and I couldn’t pull her anymore.

“That’s not fair.” She said.

“I tried with Thea and she threw it in my face, literally.” He growled.

“You played with Thea.” Sidney stepped in, walking towards me to help me pull Caydance away.

“What about you, you played with Niall.” Liam said, throwing an arm around his mate’s shoulders. Niall didn’t look up; instead focusing his gaze somewhere else like that could remove him from the situation.

“Well you played me.” I cut in, standing up for Sidney. I was surprised at my own voice but glad I said something. These girls had been there for me, and I would stick with them through everything.

Liam seemed surprised at my outburst, gaping like a fish.

“Welcome to the warzone boys.” Thea’s voice pulled everyone’s attention to the side of the house where Grace and Francis girls followed her out. Water bombs in everyone’s hands. “I suggest you get better equipped.” She added before throwing her bomb and prompting the rest to follow and land on the three King’s boys who were left spluttering and soaked through.

“Now the war has started Louis.” Caydance laughed loudly before Sidney finally pulled us into the house.

“Well Plan A has officially kicked off without a hitch.” I grinned in excitement.

-

I looked up in surprise when Danielle waltzed into my room. Her assessing eyes took in the room around her before she sat down on the edge of Nina’s bed, her attention completely on me.

“Can I help you?” I asked, lost as to why she would be here.

“Actually it is us that is helping you.” She grinned; flicking some dark curls over her shoulder. “Sidney called in help for your little prank war against Kings. Since they’ve been pranking us all week as well Toran has decided to help out.”

“Right,” I nodded remembering that had been part of the plan, Sidney wanted Mary’s in on it as well despite how much Caydance moaned and groaned about it. “So it’s going to become a war of the sexes soon.”

Danielle didn’t answer; instead she leant back against Nina’s pillows and threw her legs up onto the bed.

“Well some of us think it already is or at least a war amongst only certain students.”

I could tell she was leading up to or hinting at something but I wasn’t going to let her. If she wanted to say something she could just say it, not push me towards it.

I made an acknowledging noise but otherwise I tried to focus back on the textbook in front of me, trying to find what I was last reading.

I could see Danielle shift out of the corner of my eye, her own eyes burning against my skin.

“Like Louis and Caydance,” she said slowly, I still didn’t respond. “Or Thea as well, also Sidney and Niall aren’t talking and we heard that Zayn had an argument with Indiana and she’s practically a Grace girl.”

Danielle paused but I wasn’t going to give her anything. I wasn’t here to gossip about my sisters to someone I barely even knew. Someone who I felt always seemed to have an ulterior motive.

“And then there’s you and Liam.”

“There is no me and Liam.” I cut in before I could stop myself. I glanced over to see her smirking, happy to finally have some reaction from me.

“Right so when you abused him at the start of the semester party, didn’t have anything to do with the fact that you thought he was going with me?”

I sighed, annoyed and focused back on my textbooks.

“He turned me down, you know, he was extremely polite about it as well. Told me he was with someone.”

I bit my lip guiltily; I had had nothing but regrets since that night. I yelled too quickly and I didn’t let Liam explain but there was nagging voice always reminding me that he was older and way more experienced then I was. I felt too childish and I was afraid he would see that. I was afraid that he was just using me because I was new and for the thrill of breaking a Grace house rule.

“What do you want Danielle?” I asked, tired of her words always sending like they had another meaning. Tired of her innocent looks and pretending to be friends. “Do you want Liam for yourself? Is that it? Because after today I’m pretty sure you can just have him.”

Nina appeared in the doorway and saved me from her answer. She looked at Danielle in surprise and raised her eyebrow at me.

“Dinner’s ready, we’re having it with Francis house tonight.” She said. I took that as my cue to escape and hurriedly pushed past Nina at the door. My life would be easier if Danielle stayed out of it.