The Break-up Prank: Part Eight

“Hey,” Trent said, sliding his lanky frame onto the bench seat of the cafeteria table across from Jack. His lunch tray held a two-patty burger piled high with toppings and a huge side of fries.

Jack ignored the fries as he preferred his well done – very unlike the soggy, limp variety on Trent’s plate – but found himself salivating at the double cheeseburger. “How in the hell did you finagle a double out of that witch?” He asked, looking dolefully at the single patty he’d been provided.

Trent laughed. “There’s your problem, bud. Just because she’s old and warty doesn’t make her a witch. If you pretend she’s a sweet old lady and treat her that way, she’s putty in your hands. How do you think I got so many fries?”

While he wasn’t sure Trent ought to be bragging about that sad lump next to his burger, Jack got his point. Still, he couldn’t see himself buttering up old Ms. Pawlicki – not because he was incapable of treating her nice – but simply for the fact that he lacked any shred of Trent’s suave demeanor. That dude could sell heaters in the Caribbean without even trying. “Yeah, okay,” Jack mumbled through a mouthful of burger.

Trent shrugged his shoulders like what else could he do? It was Jack’s loss. After swallowing down a huge bite he cracked open a can of Mountain Dew and chugged half of it. “Wanna catch some extra passes after practice today?’ He asked, looking at Jack earnestly.

Of course he did. Trent threw a great ball and almost never missed and Jack was the beneficiary of his buddy’s hard work. But somehow, his heart just didn’t feel in it when he answered. “Yeah, okay, I guess.”

“You okay?” Trent asked, pushing a jumble of stray curls from his forehead. “You sound, I don’t know, depressed or something?”

“Aren’t you worried?” Jack blurted, tossing his burger onto his plate in agitation.

Trent sat back and studied Jack’s face. He looked a little pale and Trent could see his eye doing that weird twitching thing it sometimes did. “Worried about what?” He asked while his brain searched fruitlessly for anything to be anxious about.

Jack leaned forward, well past his side of the table, and lowered his voice. “Dude, haven’t you noticed what’s going on?”

Leaning forward himself, Trent whispered, “I guess not. What’s up?”

“Um, Colin, Tristan and Zach?”

“What about them?”

“They followed through on our little prank,” Jack answered, looking at his friend with astonishment. Was Trent really that unaware?

“Oh yeah. Well good for them,” Trent replied, starting to smile.

“No, not good,” Jack said sharply, immediately wiping any hint of a smile from Trent’s face. “You really haven’t heard?”

Trent sat back and pushed a few fries absently around his plate. “Well, I did hear a rumor that Tristan got his ass handed to him earlier but I thought that was just Ruby’s overly dramatic imagination running wild.” When he saw Jack’s fallen expression, Trent grew concerned. “It wasn’t, was it?” He asked, unsure whether or not he wanted to hear Jack’s response.

Once again, Jack’s voice was barely a whisper. “He broke up with Lacey and she kneed him in the groin three times. He was a mess. I had to take him to see Mrs. Callahan. I don’t even know if he’s okay. I haven’t seen him since.”

At his buddy’s revelation, Trent cringed. “Damn bro, that’s brutal. I didn’t know. What a bitch.”

“That’s not all,” Jack continued as Trent’s eyebrows curled up in concern. “At the bus stop this morning, Colin tried to break up with Missy and she kicked him in the nuts. And it was the same for Zach when he tried to break up with Vanessa.”

“What?” Trent gaped as his mind raced. “Poor Colin. Missy’s a pretty soccer player. That could not have been pleasant. But at least Zach didn’t have much to worry about. Vanessa might have nice legs and a sweet ass but not much in the power department.” He stopped when he saw Jack shaking his head.

“She must have something, bro. Zach looked like he was gonna puke. God, he looked miserable.”

“He was probably just overreacting,” Trent said, trying not to think about Zach puking. Deep down, though, he knew that it was unlikely Tony was being dramatic and suddenly either the double cheeseburger or the fries were sitting heavy in his gut.

“I don’t think so,” Jack said, studying his hands with a forlorn expression. “And I don’t like it. I think you should call it off before things get any worse.”

“Me?” Trent asked, trying to appear confounded.

Jack looked up at him and pursed his lips. “Yes you, Trent. You’re the only one the guys would listen to. Don’t play dumb.”

Trent held up his hands as if to say ‘you got me’ but then looked across the table at Jack with unyielding eyes. “I can’t,” was all he said.

“Why not?” Jack pressed.

With a heavy sigh, Trent glanced around the cafeteria before turning back to his friend and looking at Jack like he was about to take him into his confidence. “Look Jack, this prank is a good thing for me. The other guys may be doing this for a laugh, but I really do want to break up with Gina. If she sees all the other break-ups, by the time I do it, she’ll think it’s just a stupid joke and no big deal. When she finally realizes it isn’t – at least for me – she’ll probably already be over it.”

With a dubious look, Jack tendered his doubts. “Even if your little scenario works out the way you hope – which seems auspicious at the very least – this whole thing is really putting me in a bind. I don’t want to break up with Sareena. And I know damn well she won’t think it’s a joke.”

“I can’t pretend to understand what you see in that girl,” Trent said in a tone that suggested he meant no disrespect, “but I can appreciate how you feel.”

“So you’ll do it? You’ll call it off?” Jack asked, his voice sounding pathetically hopeful in his own ears.

“Nah,” Trent answered casually, “but I’ll make sure no one rides your ass about it if you decide not to be one of the bros.”

Jack didn’t know whether to say thanks or protest the disappointment in Trent’s voice. Before he could do either, a low, guttural moan caught his ear. He saw the horror in Trent’s eyes a split second before Trent’s head spun toward the source of the awful noise.

Near a pillar at the entrance to the cafeteria, Jack and Trent saw Tony’s bowling ball body crouched and waddling toward the hall like he was on a leash – except that the leash was not around his neck. Instead, they saw Leann’s arm disappear between his legs as she backpedaled, leading him out of the cafeteria.

Trent turned to Jack, his eyes wide and the two boys sprang to their feet. Without bothering to clear their trays, they rushed after their compromised teammate.

3 members like this