章 18: Act Rachel
The next day, Nessa avoided Aimee and Luke like the plague when they came to check up on her again. She had been so depressed after Damon released the "gay" news, that she took an instant liking to monochromatic colors. Her mom was so worried about her that the woman tried her best to force the truth out of her, all to no avail.
This got so serious until Aimee decided enough was enough. She entrapped her at home on Sunday thanks to her mom.
"Nessa, I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on?" Aimee threatened, but she ignored her.
Finally, the girl rolled her eyes and sighed in exhaustion "Fine, what did I do wrong?"
Nessa spat at her, "You of all people should know that!"
But Aimee looked at her confusingly or rather pretended to be confused - like she would be fooled, "What?"
Nessa swallowed before forcefully spilling the truth," All this time you knew Luke was gay yet you didn't care to tell me! You just sat and enjoyed the show, I bet you must have loved how stupid I looked," she spoke, reliving the anger of that day.
Nessa was so disappointed and disgusted with herself, how could she have fallen in love with someone who wanted to use her as a cover-up for his sexual orientation.
Aimee stood shell-shocked before replying "What in the name of God are you talking about?"
"Don't deny it, Aimee!" she pressed.
Aimee opened and closed her mouth helplessly. Just as Nessa thought, her inability to defend herself proved it all.
"Let me guess" Aimee moistened her lower lips with her hands pressed to her temple, "Damon told you that?"
"It doesn't matter who said so. All that matters is the fact you knew Luke was gay and you kept it all to yourself! Why? Was it because the guy you were crushing on took a sudden interest in me?" Nessa questioned her with bitterness in her heart.
She had really taken Aimee as a friend, but then, who knew the nuisance Damon would be the one to be on her side? Perhaps, Damon wasn't the bad one here amid her first impression of him.
But to her astonishment, Aimee burst into long hysterical laughter that made her feel stupid.
"This is not funny," Nessa cautioned her with arms folded stubbornly
Aimee wiped the tears that escaped the brim of her eyes as a result of the intense laughter "How could you be so gullible?" She murmured still convulsing from the laughter "Damon fooled you badly this time, babe"
"No, you can't fool me, Aimee" she snorted, "Damon wouldn't take his prank this far besides Luke hasn't -"
"Evidence," Aimee interrupted her "Did he give you concrete evidence of Luke being gay?"
Nessa blinked, her sense of reasoning finally returning, but still, "Damon said Luke doesn't want to expose the secret because of his family's -"
"Damon said so and you believed him? Seriously, Nessa, how stupid could you get?" Her friend gave her a ludicrous look.
Nessa's face wrinkled, a trace of turmoil in her eyes," I don't know but he was just convincing and I -"
"I can assure you that Luke is straight," Aimee placed both hands on her shoulder comforting, "Dumbhead, the boy even came to visit you when you were being mean to him," she reminded her.
Nessa regarded her slowly and carefully, to see if she could catch an atom of a lie but Aimee looked so sincere and innocent, however, the seed of doubt had been sowed in her heart already.
"If he's not gay then why wouldn't he notice me? I have given him enough green lights already?" Nessa asked her friend.
Aimee looked away with a strange sigh," You're hiding something from me, aren't you" Nessa picked on right away.
Aimee replied," It is not just because of Damon but Luke got his heart broken years ago and distanced himself from love. As a defense mechanism, he prefers lust to love, guiding his heart meticulously, and doesn't allow any girl close enough to bring down his walls,"
So this was the problem? No wonder, he confused her sometimes. Luke was at war with his feelings; He kisses her and pretends to be strangers afterward. Like who does that?
Nessa groaned, making him fall for her was not going to be an easy task at all. Though Aimee explained everything, still Nessa suspected she was withholding vital information from her. But trust her, she would dig around and find out sooner than later.
The girl gasped when Aimee touched her, she had been so lost in thoughts that it startled her.
"Did you hear me?" Aimee frowned upon her lack of concentration.
"No, please repeat," she implored with a wry smile.
"Damon's pranks are getting too far, you should do something about it and him," Aimee said to her.
"I wish, but you know I can't do anything to him. What can I even do about him?" Nessa asked, forming her hands into fists.
Damon pulled his prank way too far this time. Now she had to render an apology to Luke and work on their communication level from the top, big fat thanks to the son of a biscuit.
"Actually there is a way, " Aimee announced drawing her attention at once
"There is?" Nessa was surprised.
"Two actually," she said, gesturing with her fingers and Nessa couldn't help noticing the mischievous grin on her face. Whatever that was, she had a feeling it was not ending well.
"Solution one, legal but dangerous, and solution two, legal but with a nighty percent chance of success with little to no danger. What do you say?" Aimee stated, her eyes glinting with dangerous excitement
"What's option two?" She asked out of pure curiosity. Who knows what her friend has up her sleeve?
"Act Rachel "
"Huh?" Nessa's face distorted into confusion. What was she talking about?
"Who's Rachel?"
"Rachel was once a student in this who was so obsessed with Damon that she received a restraining order, thrice. Apparently, Damon was traumatized by the incident that he left town till the girl left the school," Aimee explained.
"Wow, that's craziness personified" she mumbled under her breath yet frowned, wasn't this too lowly of her?
"What is wrong, Nessa?" Aimee noticed the change in her mood.
"Poking an old wound, isn't that too much?" She pursed her lips contemplatively.
"Really?" Aimee folded her arms across her chest," I guess Damon never thought it was too much when he played with your feelings," she pointed out.
Well, Aimee was right, she was having her revenge. Damon never thought of her comfort when he played her, why should she think of his?
"Alright, let's do this" Nessa gave consent.
So they spent the whole day planning everything and the next day at school, Nessa had transformed into Rachel, appearance, and personality-wise. She wore a purple wig -Rachel's signature color - with eye makeup and a half-cut crop top with rugged jeans. Knowing Damon would come to find her, she leaned against her locker.
Nessa sighted Damon from afar before he saw her and at once, turned her back to him. She was so nervous that she had butterflies in her belly but she took a deep breath and rubbed her clammy hands down her jeans.
"Hey," she felt a tap on her shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut, mentally asking for the strength to move ahead with this plan before facing him.
"Have you seen Nes..."
She saw his rounded eyes, he must be so shocked.
"Hey, babe" Nessa remembered her script after seeing Aimee cue her from a distance, "Searching for me?"
As anticipated, Damon froze like a popsicle.
"You must have missed me so badly that you came looking for me," She spoke in this sickly sweet voice that even made her wince internally.
"You know what? Let's go to some corner and do something productive," Nessa continued with her act. Suggesting something the real Nessa wouldn't ever dare even if she wasn't in her right frame of mind while playing with the buttons on Damon's shirt.
"You should've asked and I would have granted you the favor without copying that psychopath," Damon said with an angry and disappointed tone that cut through her.
He spun around and left right away.
Well, she finally got what she wanted but why was her heart feeling heavy? What was so wrong with what she did? She just wanted a bit of freedom from that nuisance.
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