Unexpected

Gabby the Conspirator

The paintbrush being held by Catrina's slim fingers slips across her painting once I reach the part of Friday's events where Austin asks me for a date. She doesn't register the streak of paint that gashes across her outline of a flower, instead she stares at me with a mix of confusion and surprise.

"So he- he basically coerced you into a date?" She more so states, gathering her thoughts about what I don't even consider to be the craziest part of that night.

"Yes... and no. I doubt anyone besides him would've tried to hold me to it. Everyone was pretty annoyed with him, but I gave in. I don't know, I wanted to outmatch him." I say, neglecting to include the part where Zach was the one to confront me about this reality. Although I think Zach and I should recover from everything said that night, I'm still embarrassed. Mostly because he was right, and it was childish to be so reluctant to admit it.

She nods to herself a little, now turning her attention to her painting just enough to notice her error.

"Damn." She says with a passive kind of disappointment as she stares down at her ruined flower.

"So at that point, we're all pretty drunk. Even me, which might help pull me out of the judgement hole you're about to be digging for me." I say, thinking about how I'll attempt to explain Austin and I's heated encounter in the hallway.

Catarina's downcast eyes flick to me quickly as I say this, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Robert falls asleep and Alex and Sarah leave for his room. So I go to the bathroom to change. Which was a bit of a struggle at that point, I was at a stupid level of drunk-"

"I'm not missing another one of these nights, it sounds like so much fun. I've never been drunk before." Catrina sighs, evidently regretting skipping out on our invitation to join us because of a robotics team meeting.

I pause in my retelling of events to assure her, "You'll get another chance, I can promise you that. The group's partial to getting crazy whenever possible."

She smiles at this so I continue. "I open the door of the bathroom, and there Austin is. I just smile, you know, like an idiot, and we find ourselves way too close to each other. I'm being pissy with him, like usual, except... in a flirty kind of way?"

I stop to assess Catrina's reaction, and judging by her expression this kind of scene is not what she was expecting.

"I tell him something along the lines of 'I know you're all games, I'm not flattered, and I don't give a shit about you'. Right? Well, he turns the tables and says something like 'I like the chase and so do you. I got you all figured out.' Then he says something about me being frustrated in more than one way which I thought sounded kind of sexual. Anyway, at this point he's deadass got his arm leaning up beside me and he starts stroking my face and shit-"

My rambling is cut short when I see that Catarina's fully dropped her paintbrush on her canvas, causing a few splatters. She looks at me with startled, wide eyes before opening her mouth to speak.

"And you didn't deck him? You must've been drunk, you can hardly stand to look at him most of the time."

"Well-" I nearly contest, before catching myself.

Catarina's mouth drops open and I mentally face palm. As if this recollection isn't embarrassing enough, even with the parts I've left out. "Ignoring that. Yes I was really drunk, okay that's why I prefaced with that. It was really tense, and during class today it was even worse. Probably because it was the first time we've seen each other sober since then."

I recall this morning, in which for the very first time Austin was completely silent. I almost preferred his side comments or attempts at conversation. Anything other than being left to replay that moment between us in the silence while knowing he's probably doing the same. Other than a brisk, "Bye Gabby" nothing was said and no acknowledgement was given between the two of us.

She shakes her head, red tendrils of hair swaying at the sides of her face with the motion.

"So, what now then?" She asks, attempting to salvage her flower painting by expanding the petals into the accidental stroke from earlier.

"We see what happens Friday." I state simply, watching her paintbrush halt.

She looks at me with surprise, asking, "You're really doing it then? Going on a date with him?"

"Yeah, I mean Zach said he probably wouldn't even be able to tell if I was joking or not. It got me thinking about all the girls he's played, how they didn't know if he was serious about them until the damage was done. Why not play him at his own game?" I shrug, not liking the way she's narrowed her eyes at me in concentration.

"You want to play the player? That's what you're saying? Make him fall for you, then give him a taste of his own medicine?" She continues looking at me with a set of focused eyes that are usually more light with humor.

"I don't know about making him fall for me per say, but maybe get him invested. So, pretty much." The weight has yet to be lifted from Catrina's gaze and I begin to second guess telling her all of this.

"I don't know, Gabby. I don't think it's worth it. I don't think he's worth it. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't the only one lured in by the idea of something casual. Or clever even." She says uncertainly, her mouth being pulled down with worry.

"Zach said something similar." I sigh, still electing not to share what else he told me during that conversation. Regardless of what either of them think, I want to see Austin humbled. I want to see some kind of consequences for his shitty behavior. Something that might make him think twice before he screws someone else over again.

Maybe that's too much to ask for, since people at this school seem to just accept things for the way they are, aside from some avoiding Austin and his friends. The hardest part would be stomaching how it would look on the outside, if I were to enter this boxing ring with Austin. To anyone else, it would look like another sad case of an innocent girl being deceived. Or worse, a girl that simply doesn't care.

But I'm not innocent, and I won't be the one being tricked. Not this time around.

Mrs. Darby stops at our table to examine Catrina's flower painting, the strike of paint now concealed inside a petal but splotches of color still visible.

"I love the accents of color. It gives the painting an abstract feel." She notes, pleased with what she doesn't know to be accidents. The situation brings me a sort of satisfaction, knowing that only Catrina and I know the true backstory.

For all an onlooker knows, the accidental marks are "strokes of genius". Or if the artist would just so have it, intentional additions of the painting could be claimed as innocent, albeit lucky, mistakes. And as far as I'm concerned, there would be no real way to know the difference.

AN: Just like Gabby, I wanna see Austin get WRECKED lmao. Was the ending too cryptic? I lowkey don't know if it holds up in its message and connection to Gabby's plans. It's SUPPOSED to relate to how Gabby's upcoming involvement with Austin may look from an outside perspective. Like if she were to successfully knock him down a peg or break his heart, it could look intentional like "strokes of genius" OR a lucky accident in getting what Gabby views as justice against Austin for all the girls he's screwed over. But regardless, no one would know which except herself and Catrina. Does that make sense?

Leave a vote, comment, all that. When I see people interacting with this or leaving feedback it helps motivate me to continue writing. I've fallen behind because I've been dumb and lazy :,) Anyway thanks for being here!