The echo of a lighter flicking snapped through the twilight shadow under Riverside Bridge. Steel girders carrying the train track above, stained by graffiti and the stories of dropouts, framed a ragged couch and a rust-bitten shopping cart filled with crushed cans and half-eaten snack bags. Smoke curled lazily into the late afternoon air as Jared took a long drag from a blunt, his eyes half-lidded with boredom and curiosity.
Darcy paced neurotically to and fro like a general readying her troops, her crimson hair lit by the dying sunlight that streaked through the bridge's cracks. The other two attendees sat scattered on an old tire and on a busted folding chair— Rudolf, the wiry one with a nervous twitch in his jaw, and Lash, the trickster woman with her mad scientist hair that stood up at all sides like she stepped on some random airplane bomb from the Vietnam war era that had not yet been cleared.
And, of course, most importantly for Darcy: Jared. Tall and lean with sculpted cheekbones, dusky sun-tanned brown skin, and razor-sharp eyebrows that always seem raised in defiance. His hazel eyes flash mischief and contempt in equal measure. Tousled dark hair falls effortlessly into place, giving him that "handsome bastard" look every rebel dreams of. A thin silver ring glints on his lower lip— a leftover from his more reckless days, which are still very much ongoing.
Jared had always been close to Darcy's orbit; she cheated with him on Jake multiple times— but only as means of revenge! Like, Darcy had her morals.... If it were not Jake cheating on her first (and with that humiliating her) she would not have gone out with Jared and slept with him. Eye for an eye, duh!
Her adventures with Jared were mere rational escapades, something that needed to be done in order to keep up with her pride. Jake made her do it.
If she had let his actions of faithlessness go unpunished it would have damaged her status as an independent, tough girl.... And right now, my status is damaged badly and is in need of swift repair! Darcy thought grim. Grudges need to be settled quick, otherwise they will fester and become infected!
"Jake thinks he's free," Darcy growled. "He thinks he can walk away from me like I'm some accessory he can toss in the garbage. Like I'm just a goddamn phase." Her heels clicked against the concrete foundation with every word— she still wore her overly fancy dress from the morning; tailored coat with green draping, the soft silk blouse, high-waisted trousers of khaki grey and pointed-toe pumps as if she were a high-end fashion icon banned from heaven (her overly fabulousness endangering god's order of sublime equilibrium) and now dwelling under a bridge, an attenuated echo of her life under the spotlights on the Victoria Secret catwalk.
Jared raised a brow, exhaling smoke through his nose. "So, what are we talking about here? Slashing his bicycles tires?"
Rudolf snorted. "You slash tires, people blame the ex. Too easy. Too obvious."
Darcy stopped pacing. "Exactly. That's not what I want. I don't want to hurt him. I want to ruin him. Publicly. Emotionally. At Sami's party tomorrow!"
She paused for dramatic effect. All three schelms perked up.
"Big mansion. Big pool. Many big shots and prominent kids gonna be there, including Jake and maybe even that flat-ass homewrecker, Layla." Darcy spat the name like it was sour milk. It wouldn't surprise me if that shameless Jake were to show her and introduce her to everyone on that particular event. Introducing her as his new girlfriend! I have to be ahead of that! That would be the biggest humiliation for me ever if that happened! Knowing Jake, this possibility isn't far-fetched, it's a realistic scenario! That would be the most horrible script ever written.... But hey, this is Jake, and no boy is as shameless as he is!
''Layla?'' Jared said apathetically. ''Who's that? His new fling?''
''Pfff,'' Darcy sniffed haughtily. ''She's a recycled thrift rag, a second-grade sidepiece—''
''Hey,'' interrupting her cliché tirade drenched in whiny twaddle, Lash finally spoke, voice low and bored. "What's the play?" Her face had an arrogant 'don't waste my time with stupid talk' attitude.
Dary thought: Tsk, that bleak troll-woman is impatient and restless as always....
Darcy knelt down, pulled out her phone, and tapped the screen to show them multiple pictures of Jake with Layla, most were standard photos of the two taken at the time of a lecture or in the university café, almost all of them including other members of the study group. Just normal student life images, but in the end to top it all off were those two horrible pictures that shocked Darcy so much this morning: Jake and Layla were kissing on the background of one group photo and on the other photo they hugged each other promiscuously.
Darcy sneered. "Posted last night, they were at a small study group party.... Photos reposted by Elys - and God knows who else did and on how many accounts those two cursed pictures are now residing - who is also in that study group, and who is friend of me.... Tsk, those Photos are public! For everybody to see on social media. I'm telling you— he's human trash, a whoreman who defies my dignity! And today after confronting him head-on with respect, he dumped me cold-hearted without even the slightest of shame! What I want.... Is for that mask of arrogance - the vile presumption of that high-minded whoreman he can just ditch me like I'm a worthless chess piece, a mere pawn - to come crashing off in front of everyone."
Rudolf leaned forward. "We humiliate him. But make it look like an accident. Like fate just served him what he deserved." He was being practical and pragmatic like always.
Darcy liked that. No one could have said it better than you, my sweet Rudolf. She nodded. "Bingo. And we do it in a way that makes him the one who pulls the trigger."
Jared flicked ash to the ground. "I'm listening."
Lash's eyes lit up with a rare, almost feral gleam— the kind of spark you only saw when something like a vile trick or prank was on the table. She leaned forward slowly, cracking her knuckles one by one, her voice low but humming with excitement. ''Let me thrill,'' she whispered in dark tone.
"Here's what we must do," Darcy said, her eyes glinting like a knife in moonlight. ''Public, messy, and unforgettable are the keywords; everybody needs to see him on his weakest. Humiliated and small. I have things like a bath of painting and feathers in mind with him drenched soaking wet in the middle, for everybody to set their eyes on, something they will never forget.''
Lash laughed wild: ''Hahaha, oh that's a good start.... Feathers and paint, you're going in the right direction Darcy.''
Darcy smugged her face in a self-complacent villainess smile. ''We just need to gather some pillows with feathers and buy some paint.''
Jared wasn't having it and looked sceptic. ''Did you watch cartoons in your free hours of sadness, and got your inspiration from that? Because it seems to me - in my humble opinion - not realistically feasible to execute an operation of revenge like that without being caught, let alone make it look like an accident.... Yeah, maybe in the world of cartoons such yee-yee-ass things like dumping shit on someone works, but here we talk about a full-stacked party submerged in a flood of people. How you gonna pull of shit like that unseen, without being noticed? Give me a break....''
Darcy stared at him angrily with a toplofty glance in her eyes and sneered at him: ''I already figured some things.... It's not like I came here with an empty paper!''
''Okey, so feathers and paint.... And Jake drowning in a pool fraught with those stuff. How the fuck are you going to pull that shit off?''
''How about we build some kind of catapult and put it on the roof, and when Jake is in the pool we start the bombardment, sounds fun right?''
Rudolf looked at her with a difficult look. ''Did you just conjure that up out of a magic hat?''
Jared rolled his eyes. ''Not even in a cartoon do they pull shit like that off.... And how do we make it look like an accident? Tell everyone that god had severe diarrhea and couldn't hold it anymore? So he had to leave his feces here in this world, because the toilet was too far away? Like serious Darcy, a bucket with paint and feathers in it doesn't just fall from the sky.''
Darcy said irritated: ''Thats why I gathered you guys here, to give feedback and improve my plan.''
Jared laughed his ass of. ''Oh my god, so we, like minions, have to come up with something, to make the wicked queens wretched schemes come true.... Feathers, paint, a pool with Jake drowning in it, and a fucking catapult she proclaimed high and mighty— a concept, or better said: Crumbles of a plan; the stuff we need to apply to make her revenge fantasy in a reality that see sees as most suitable for the likes of Jake.''
''Nice summing up, what do you want to say?''
''That just one day before the day of revenge, we have to rapidly make up a cartoon-like wet dream of yours come true, which contains elements impossible to apply realistically.''
Darcy said: ''Like, come on Jared, you, me, Lash and Rudolf, we are prank masters, we are good at putting down people at the place where they belong! We can make shit up! Like we always did!''
''Okey, but the time period is short, pranks need time.'' Jared said. ''Certainly, those pranks that are done secretly in the shadows without anyone noticing anything about who was behind it.''
Then, out of nowhere, Lash laughed hysterically. "We're gonna chicken him," she said with a grin that could slice glass. "Paint and feathers. Head to toe. In front of everyone."
Darcy and Jared were flabbergasted by such sudden upheaval of determination. Darcy said with a whisper: ''Uhm.... Lash, you figured out something genius?''
Rudolf coughed on his vape. "Is it really possible Lash? We are seriously going to pull off a wretched scheme of old-school, cartoon-like humiliation?"
"Exactly," Lash snapped. "Classic. Symbolic— he likes to act like a cocky rooster? Fine. Let's make him one.... Oh, Darcy, you are so creative with concepts. Hahaha.... feathers and paint, yes that's how it should be done, nothing more suitable than that!"
Darcy looked up with a hopeful glance: ''You truly made up something?''
Lash cracked a dark grin and paced herself in a tight circle. "The party's got an outdoor stage for karaoke. Sami always pushes some 'song contest' segment to hype the crowd. We get Jake up there. Laughs, music, attention— he's gonna love it. What he won't love? The bucket we rig above the stage."
Darcy busted out in laughing. ''Ah, yes, of course, Sami love's karaoke and has for every happy occasion a stage set in the central place of her mansion; the best place for us to bring that haughty trash who thinks of himself as a noble prince to where he belongs; in the trashcan!''
''He will get humiliated in front of everybody,'' Rudolf snorted. ''And most people there are people he knows. Even the more painful....''
Jared was still unconvinced of the whole endeavour; he looked critically at Lash and said contemptuous: ''How are we going to rig a fucking bucket full feathers and paint above a stage? And how are we going to make sure that the bucket will fall on exact the right moment?''
"The karaoke stage? It's under the second-floor balcony," Lash said indifferent, evading Jared's haughty full-of-himself ignoration of sceptical easy-made comments. After the curt remark, Lash chose to remain silent, watching Jared on with a mystical gaze.
Jared leaned in, his lip ring glinting. "So?" He said impatiently.
"So ~~," Lash continued, "we tie thin, clear fishing line to the release latch on the bucket, place the bucket stealthily and inconspicuous next to an ERS light emitter and above a steel beam, from there running the fishing line straight to the balcony railing. One good tug from there, and boom— paint shower."
Darcy nodded vigorously. "Fishing line won't be visible under those patio lights. We set the bucket before the party, one of us slip upstairs, wait for the cue."
''That one will be me,'' Lash said. ''I will not attend the party, instead I will get myself stealthily on the rooftop and hide there, until it is my moment to take action; jump on the balcony and then slightly pull the fishing line to me - tied to the bucket with the slip knot technique, whereas the knot easily unties by pulling it a little - and the bucket will fall, and after that I will sneakily on the sly take my leave back on the rooftop where nobody will notice my presence. With the fishing line gone back in my hands, the evidence has disappeared too, evaporated in the night sky, so to say....''
Jared said: ''How and when are we going to place the bucket on top of a grid above the stage?''
Darcy smirked: ''that's where the two of you will shine!'' She pointed at Jared and Rudolf. ''You guys will bring that bucket on top of the stage— and don't worry, I know Sami's mansion very well - I'm one of her dearest friends, you know - next to the mansion there is a small shed with all the tools, including a handy ladder, which we can use to place the bucket on the top stage frame, as well as to lay out the fishing line. Tomorrow we are going to arrive earlier than usual; I will then arrange to meet Sami - super surprise visit, you know my acting skills are top notch; I'll wrap her up, believe me ~~ - and distract her so that you two can secretly set up the trap— you know it yourselves, right? Sami's mansion usually is deserted - almost a haunted house— like seriously, how old is her mansion?!'' She blurted out the sentences incoherently, like she was slowly turning mad.
''Yeah,'' Rudolf nodded in agreement. ''That should not be difficult, how many times already have we not been there? Setting a trap should be a piece of cake.''
''Indeed, but Rudolf, take care not to be spotted. If you get noticed by Sami or that sleepy butler, our plan will be in shambles. Like seriously.... Two persons walking with a ladder and a bucket full paint will give it away immediately; once the chicken-show is over everyone will suspect us in no time— after all, what the fuck are two guys doing with paint at a place that is not theirs? Everyone will connect the dots lightning fast and lay the link to us; my thick relationship with you two is plain obvious, they will suspect me as the ringleader!'' Darcy said admonishingly, reminding her flesh dogs to stay on their guard.
Lash added: ''Don't forget to apply the slip knot tecnique, with that it's possible to retrieve the fishing line and with that all the evidence of intentionality.''
''Yes, yes,'' Jared said sarcastic. ''A few workers accidentally left an open bucket of paint and some feathers in it on one of the beams after building the stage, very believable....'' There was a mocking smile on his presumptuous face.
''Do you have a better plan?'' Darcy said annoyed. She stared at him intensely for a few seconds; he said nothing, just sat there slumped smoking a cigarette. Arrogant sack of shit. Always comments, never solutions! Darcy thought angrily, she continued: ''Okay if you don't know anything better then we will just continue with this plan!''
She looked around and glanced at each member of the group one-on-one. Rudolf and Lash seemed submissive to her cause, she thought with delight. Good. Very well.
Unfortunately, Jared remained a question mark. He always does as he pleases. I can't say for sure if he is serious about this whole endeavour. I really don't know, maybe he's not....
You could never trust Jared. Darcy hated that about him.
Jared started to sit up theatrically, his face painted in cheekiness. Darcy thought: Oh no, he's going to be unabashed and half-hearted again....
''Her Highness Darcy of House Schemes,'' Jared said spoke solemn in a mock-epic tone. "First of Her Name, Queen of Vengeful Hearts, Breaker of Egos, and Rightful Slayer of Manwhores."
Rudolf burst out laughing. Even Lash cracked a grin— something remarkable; she and Jared were like snake and an eagle; they could eat each other raw.
Darcy was not amused; she took a drag on her cigarette. Jared is way too casual about this, way too unbothered. It pisses me off.... He's definitely not serious about this! Tsk....
It's about time I work him up a bit....