The Locker Wars

“Is everyone here?”

The girls looked around, and so did the boys. Somehow, Mike, Michael, Jason, Butcher and Riley and Kirsten managed to get away from their two specific friends (William Beckett and Adele Bradlee).

“Good.” It was Riley who’d been in charge of the meeting. She stood on a chair while everyone else sat on couches, in her living room. “Okay, so you all know why we’re here, right?”

“Sort of?” Butcher asked.

“No, dude, you’re supposed to know,” Mike sighed. “It’s for William. And Adele. Right?” He looked up at Riley hopefully.

“Yes. Let me explain!” Riley cleared her throat. “Okay. Since we basically know that William and Adele like each other, and now it’s our chance to bring them together so we can stop this stupid war!”

“I liked this stupid war,” Michael murmured, for this was the most fun year he’d had as being an exchange student.

“Okay. Okay! You know what, let’s redo this,” Riley shook her head. “Okay. Do you care about your friend or not? Because I think, as well, Adele made the biggest mistake of her life... all of our lives. But you know, it’s not about that.”

“What’s it about then?” Jason spat bitterly. “Like, we didn’t want to be in this. So why should we even think of helping them?”

“Because,” Riley sighed. “If you don’t want to hear it then you’ll never hear the other end of it from William. I know.”

“God, he can be such a whiny bitch,” Butcher muttered. “I guess. We should, you know? Just to like... make them feel guilty for what they did.”

“No, no!” Kirsten groaned. “This isn’t what it’s about. Don’t you want your friend to be happy? Like, no matter what? We’re doing this because we’re good friends. Not to make them feel guilty or whatever.”

“I like my idea better,” Butcher shrugged.

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” Kirsten smiled. “I have a plan that’ll totally make them realize that they like each other. Like, a lot. Because, wait, Bill does like her, right?”

“It’s obviously the psychological way of putting it,” Jason nodded thoughtfully. “Like, there’s no other explanation for why he’s acting like this. He misses the war. He obviously wants her.”

“Got it,” Riley nodded to Kirsten. “We’re such good friends, aren’t we?”

* * *

“Guess what?” Michael asked William as they headed into school the next morning. “Oh, look! They’re selling, what, prom tickets now?”

“Don’t want any, too expensive, no date,” William counted the excuses off of his fingers. He didn’t even glance towards the brightly decorated table that had a giant sign saying, “Prom tickets, $20.”

“Don’t be a downer,” Michael patted his friend on the back. Just then they passed Riley and Adele.

Riley pointed to the table in the middle of the atrium. “Look! Prom tickets. Ooh lala. Going this year?”

“No,” Adele glared at the table hatefully. “If anything were to embarrass or humiliate me at the end of the year, it would be prom. I don’t even want to think about it. You know I hate dancing. I probably have to study or something. Get my grades up because of... what happened.”

“Right,” Riley replied absentmindedly as she glanced over her shoulder at Michael. He looked over his shoulder and gave a thumbs down behind William’s back. Riley did the same behind Adele’s.

So the plan wasn’t going too far into action. But it would all work out. Maybe.