Page 16 of My Rules for Revenge (Twisted YA Mysteries #1)

HEATHER - PRESENT DAY

A fter the chaos that ensued in the cafeteria, I was in a rather chipper mood.

My plan went better than I had hoped, and I wanted to go even further.

I was far from done with Jacob. I was in the library at a computer station with Eddy editing a meme of Jacob as a woman-hating Hitler , which sounded much better than a woman-hating pig, as we were calling him before.

I inserted various explosion graphics and GIFs to spice it up.

This was going to go all over social media.

I even used the photo editing app to give him a special look— it was Jacob in a Nazi uniform with a slogan that read, “Women Belong In The Kitchen.” I had made the perfect recipe to get an explosive response from social media and light every certified social media activist on fire.

“I still can’t believe Jacob said all of that out loud. What was he thinking?” Eddy asked.

“I can believe it. He’s a twat,” I said with a smirk.

“You think he’ll get canceled?” Eddy asked.

“I’m hoping he does after he got a slap on the wrist by the principal. I don’t know how the school will respond, though, or if they’ll care long enough for it to matter,” I pointed out.

“We’ll have to see how this meme of yours does then,” Eddy replied.

“Those mindless kids better like it. They lose their minds over cats typing on keyboards and flipped water bottles,” I joked.

“How do you think Jacob is going to react to what we did to his computer lab?”

“He’s probably going to be very mad, which I’ll enjoy very much,” I replied with delight.

Eddy nodded, and I continued to work. He offered to keep me company after school since Vivian had homework. I didn’t mind.

“Where did you learn how to edit like that? It’s really good,” Eddy complimented.

A painful lump formed in my gut.

“My dad taught me,” I explained.

“Oh, cool. He’s an editor?”

“Yeah, he used to be. He edited movie trailers. He had a really cool job,” I said with sadness in my voice.

“Damn, that’s pretty sick. What does he do now?”

I stayed quiet and softened my expression.

He had no clue, obviously. I thought back to the days when I would be in the hospital with him.

I would stare at him while he slept, gnawing away at my nails because of how worried I was.

His illness had come on suddenly and furiously.

It barely gave my mom and me any time to comprehend what was about to happen.

When reality set in, it shattered both our lives for a long time.

“He, uh…he passed away.”

Eddy looked regretful and remained silent for a few moments.

“Oh… I’m so sorry, Heather. I had no idea.”

“I know.”

“I wish I hadn’t asked.”

“It’s okay, Eddy; it was a few years back.”

Eddy raised his hand and gently stroked my hair. I widened my eyes in surprise. That was the last thing I expected anyone to do after I informed them that my dad had passed away.

“Umm… What are you doing?” I asked.

Eddy quickly pulled away and looked completely embarrassed.

“Sorry, I was trying to comfort you,” Eddy replied, his cheeks turning red.

“You don’t have to comfort me. I’m okay.”

“Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Eddy.”

“Okay…sorry.”

“Eddy.”

“I’ll stop,” Eddy assured me.

“This is a random question, but do you like my hair?” I asked.

I changed the subject so Eddy didn’t feel like he was in an eighteenth-century torture chamber.

“Yeah, it’s nice. Do you use shampoo?”

“I do, yes.”

“That’s nice!” Eddy exclaimed.

“It is.”

“I also use shampoo.”

“That’s excellent, Eddy.”

“Yes.”

“Do you have a hair fetish?” I asked.

“Oh, no. Not at all. That would be weird,” Eddy replied. His cheeks had returned to their natural color by this time.

“It wouldn’t be as weird as a foot fetish,” I mentioned.

“That is very true.”

“So, you don’t have a foot fetish either? I heard guys like feet,” I said.

“I do not have that. I don’t like feet like that. I also find that to be weird.”

“You don’t want me to stick my foot in your mouth, then?” I asked.

“No, not really.”

“Good. You passed the test,” I replied with a smile.

“What test?”

“The potential boyfriend test.”

Eddy made a small, audible squealing noise and almost fell out of his chair.

“Sorry… You said, what now?” Eddy asked.

“No, nothing,” I replied.

When the bell rang, I saved all my progress on my computer account and subsequently got up from my chair.

“I gotta get to sixth period. I’ll see you later,” I said as I happily skipped away.

When I glanced back, I saw Eddy staring at the floor.

He appeared to still be in disbelief over what I said.

I wanted to see his reaction. I liked him, but I knew that I needed to find out more about him.

He was on the basketball team, but he was different.

He was still best friends with Frankie, which was an immediate red flag, but I was blinded by my personal affection.

I saw Eddy for what he was, and I’m still not entirely sure how I felt about what he did later on.