Chapter 11: The Plan

As soon as Christian took me home, my mother was applying ice to my injuries and wrapping them in a soft, light green towel. My mom asked us what had occurred. Christian responded to her question.

"Matt was an idiot," my mother stated emphatically. “Don't hang out with him anymore since he has no respect for women. He has a negative influence."

Daphne was surprised and concerned the next morning at school when she saw my bruises. She asked how I obtained them. I told her only half the truth. I told her about a fight Matt and I had over a girl we both liked.

She commented, "Matt is such a loser." Then she realized something as she covered her mouth. "Oh my, girls will cease looking you out and pursue you for a week or two now that you don't look so attractive. You should be grateful for your bruises."

“Oh, really?” I asked her.

She beamed, "Yes, it's difficult to appreciate a handsome face with all those injuries."

I laughed. When she teased me, I always laughed.

Daphne had informed me a few weeks before the event in the bar that she had a crush at school.

"Who? Me?" I joked. Daphne gave me a friendly punch on the arm. “Ow! " I exclaimed loudly.

"It's Lance," she said quickly in response to the question.

Oh no, she developed a crush on one of the most attractive students in school. That guy appeared to be superior to me.

"Do you know who he is?" My dear Daphne asked.

"Of course, it's Lance," I replied. "The basketball team's captain."

"Does he have a girlfriend?" She asked, obviously intrigued.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know," I admitted candidly.

"However, you know what? I think I can get him to notice you," I told Daphne. I was a complete moron. I liked Daphne a lot. Despite this, I made every effort to treat her like a friend.

“How?” My best friend asked. I touched her hair to fix it. Suddenly, she figured out what I was going to say. Even before I said anything, she gave me a big smile. I, too, smiled.

Of course, as a guy, I had a basic understanding of female dress and makeup. As a result, I delegated the task of assisting my best friend in her circumstance to the specialist. After school, Daphne's hair was fixed and she was done up by my gay friend Chris. He then showed her how to use a flat iron and a brush to style her hair, as well as how to apply makeup.

I purchased lovely outfits, shoes, and accessories for her. Daphne gasped when she saw the gifts I had purchased for her.

Daphne remarked, "Wow, these are a lot!"

I told her, "These things will make you feel attractive. Because you're already stunning. You just don't realize it." She looked gorgeous when she was all dolled up. Chris showed her how to apply makeup for a date and on a daily basis. Daphne needed to learn simple, classy, and beautiful ways to apply makeup and dress herself up because she already knew how to do so in Cosplay competitions.

"Thank you for getting these things for me," Daphne blushed and turned away from me. She hugged me and said, "I appreciate it."

I hugged her back and said, "Don't mention it."

This is why I was friend-zoned. I was a bit too nice.

We were in the cafe at the school. While having coffee, Daphne and I were studying for our next subject Science and Technology. We were reading and taking notes from our textbooks. She was drinking a hot black coffee and I was having a Cappuccino coffee in between breaks.

I murmured, "Oh, Daphne?"

"Yes?" she asked.

"How come you're drinking black coffee now? Isn't your favorite iced coffee white chocolate? Are you on a diet?”

"I'm on a diet," she said, "because I'm trying to reduce weight for my crush."

"Oh, you mean, Lance?" I asked, despite the fact that I knew Lance was her true crush. I was only teasing her.

She put her fingertip in the center of her pretty mouth and said, "Shh! Be quiet! You never know who might hear you!”

I then abruptly stopped mentioning her crush's name. "So, what do you think our code name for him should be?" I asked Daphne. She was reading the textbook and highlighting certain words.

"That's a difficult question to answer. Because that's our code name, what item or color does he generally wear?" She asked. She was really serious about this.

"No, that would be disastrous," I told her flatly. "We might make the wrong people paranoid unintentionally. A code name should be something completely random."

"Could it be an anime character that looks like him?" she wondered. We were both taking notes from our science textbooks at this point. We were writing a glossary of terminology and definitions.

"That might be a little too obvious," I admitted.

She asked, "Cloud?"

"That's a character from a video game," I told her.

"Sky?" she asked.

I told her, "We have a batchmate named Skylar."

"Sun?" she asked, suggesting a different code name.

"Are you listing all the celestial bodies?" I joked.

She said, "How about fox?"

"How did you come up with the name 'fox?'"

I asked her. I was genuinely intrigued.

"It's because he was so attractive and quick. I once saw him play basketball.” She admitted to me, "He was pretty good."

“Wow! You're head over heels in love with him!" I told her.

"How could you tell?" She asked. She drew her brows together and gave me a direct stare. My cheeks were instantly scorching. Damn. I hoped she didn't see that I was blushing. My face was bathed with sunlight. She, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice me blushing. I couldn't decide whether I should be happy or sad. It was because I was blushing right in front of her, but she was too preoccupied with Lance and our code name for him to notice.

I responded, "I guess you're in love with him since you don't even enjoy basketball but you watched him play." I felt bitter, but I attempted to keep my genuine feelings hidden.

"You are right, though," she responded.

We were still stumped as to what the code name was. I swallowed my saliva and cleared my throat. “Hmm. Fox is an interesting code name. But there's a catch: we have a classmate with the surname Fox."

"Darn it!" She exclaimed." She grumbled. "Coming up with a nice code name for a person is difficult. Remember, we were just talking about a boy. This seems more difficult than Science and Technology."

That made me giggle. She was becoming irritated because of a code name.

"Ragdoll," she opined.

"What is the significance of the term 'ragdoll?’" I asked.

She enthused, "Because ragdoll cats are so cute."

I told her, "It's weird how you just compared your future boyfriend to a pet."

“Yeah.” She was deep in contemplation when she said, "I know." Maybe she was thinking about that stud right now.

"Do you want to know something? That might actually work," I said. So we decided that Lance's code name would be her preferred cat breed from now on.

Ragdoll cats are both adorable and expensive. Just like Lance. Lance was both attractive and wealthy. He was even wealthier than I was.

Unexpectedly, a male figure approached Daphne and me. He wore yellow sunglasses and a bright yellow flowery scarf. It was Julio. Kathryn sat next to him, her hair braided into a half ponytail and tied with a mauve ribbon.

“Hey!" Julio hugged every one of us.

"Hello, Julio!" I greeted him. We all gave each other hugs.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you!" Daphne told Julio.

Kathryn gave us cheek kisses. We all gave each other cheek kisses.

"How did Hawaii go for you, Julio?" Daphne asked our friend.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Julio. “It was a blast! It was a lot of fun!" Julio was ecstatic. "Celest and I saw incredible tourist attractions and went shopping for wonderful clothes, souvenirs, gifts, and imported chocolates. You should all go to Hawaii at least once in your lives."

I'd been to Hawaii several times, but I didn't mention it because I didn't want to come across as a braggart, and I didn't want my friends to feel envious of me.

I realized Daphne was truly pleased for Julio, her close friend. Her face was devoid of any hint of envy.

"You are extremely fortunate!" Kathryn said, her face beaming. "I'd like to go to Hawaii as soon as possible."

Okay, Kathryn. I wished for your dream to come true.

"However, as of now, I am unable to travel outside of the country due to the high cost of plane tickets to other countries," Kathryn answered, as if she had read my mind. “I'm going to travel the entire country first, then return to our wonderful hometown."

"That’s a wise decision, Kathryn," Daphne remarked.

"Kathryn, please tell us about your mountain climbing experience," I said.

"Well, Mount Cassiopeia is a high mountain in Mountain Ridge. It was a magnificent high peak. When you ascend the very high mountain, it seems strange. Because you can see the panoramic view of the entire landscapes and seascapes below the mountain from the summit, it feels as if you've conquered the entire place. It was more challenging than passing a difficult exam," she quipped.

"That mountain is really soothing," she continued. “Windy. It's invigorating. For the time being, all of your troubles are gone. All you can think about is happiness and calm. It was a paradise."

"Have you ever touched a cloud?" Daphne asked Kathryn. Of course, it was merely a small talk because touching a cloud was impossible.

"To be honest," Kathryn said, "it's practically just fog. When I touched it, it wasn't as fluffy as cotton balls. I didn't feel anything, to be honest."

"It's as if you're a ghost walking through the door," Daphne explained.

Kathryn said, "Yeah."

"But you know what? Everyone should do mountain hiking and climbing, in my opinion.” Kathryn commented, "It was an excellent exercise and it clears your thoughts."

"Traveling in another country does that, as well," Julio added. "It allows you to immerse yourself in other people's cultures. Furthermore, you are a foreigner while you are in another country."

"Yeah, that’s true," Kathryn agreed.

"Plus, Hawaii has a lot of gorgeous people," Julio remarked. In fact, I dated a Hawaiian guy. He's just stunning!" He showed us a photo of himself with the Hawaiian guy.

"Wow, he's really attractive!" said the girls.

"You two look cute together," I said to Julio.

Julio said, "Thank you, my beloved friend."

After that, we returned to our classrooms because lunch was ended.

I was not paying attention to the teacher during our Science and Technology lesson. I couldn't care less about what she was saying. My thoughts were in the clouds. The fact that Daphne liked someone else made me sad. I assumed I was sufficient for him. I was attractive and wealthy. We shared a lot of interests. I was considerate. Throughout the school, I was well-liked. What had I been overlooking? Why didn't Daphne like me? Lance was the one she liked. He was also wealthy, attractive, athletic, and intelligent. We had nearly identical attributes to Lance, yet Daphne selected him.

I’ve been told by our friends Julio and Kathryn and Daphne acknowledged that I was handsome, intelligent, athletic, and almost perfect. They said, though, that Daphne couldn't envision dating me due of our differing social standings. She was impoverished, and I was wealthy. Daphne allegedly said that we didn't suit each other because I was too attractive for her, which was untrue because Daphne was likewise attractive. Daphne, on the other hand, explained why she couldn't envision dating me. She gave a long list of reasons.

But, as the song goes, "if you really want something, there's a way; if you don't, there's a lot of reasons." Daphne probably preferred Lance because he's a much better guy than I am.

He's more attractive, intelligent, wealthy, and athletic than I am in almost every way! While pondering these awful ideas, I wanted to cry. It was the first time I had ever felt sad over a girl.

But, of course, I'm not going to cry because I was in a classroom and it was an embarrassing thing to do. "Stop falling," I told my tears in my head, and with that, I was able to stop crying. Boys, after all, don't cry. At all times, I should be tough.

I was tempted to sabotage the plan of making Lance notice Daphne. But I promised her I'd do anything to get Lance's attention on Daphne. I couldn't go back on my word. I loved Daphne, and as much as I wished I could have her all to myself, she deserved to be happy. I had to deny myself happiness in order to make Daphne happy. I needed to devise a strategy.

Lance didn't have a girlfriend yet, I learned. As a result, my strategy would be simpler. Daphne isn't going to have any issues. If my plan worked, Lance would be hers entirely. Lance was the object of several girls' and gays' crushes, and they were vying for his attention.

It’s fortunate that Lance liked cisgenders. Girls that are biologically female are referred to as cisgender. He preferred it that way. Lance would choose a cisgender lady over a gay guy, no matter how feminine the latter appeared to be. Lance was a sucker for real boobs and vagina. He respected everyone, regardless of gender, although he liked to date "real" girls.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't hear the teacher calling my name. "Mr. Pierce!" exclaimed Miss Ophelia, our female teacher. She was in her thirties and wore her hair in a bob cut.

"Yes, ma'am?" I asked Miss Ophelia.

"What does Newton's second law mean?" said the teacher, who was testing my intelligence because I wasn't paying attention to her and it irritated her.

I gave her the definition and formula of Newton’s second law.

"Good," the teacher responded with a nod. “But, Alex, next time, pay attention to what I'm saying. No matter how bright a pupil is, I will not tolerate rudeness."

I told Miss Ophelia, "Yes, ma'am, I'm sorry."

After the school hours, I noticed Lance walking by the hallway. He was from a section called Valor which was just in front our section called Prudence. I approached him and began conversing with him.

"Hey there, Lance!" I said to him. Lance looked so handsome and so smug. I felt like at the back of his head, he was thinking, “I own this school.” I was actually tempted to call him Lancelot but I prevented myself from calling him that.

“Hey-yo, Alex!” he greeted me back. “’Sup?”

He was trying so hard to sound so cool. He addressed me by my first name because he recognized and respected my presence. Most people in the academy called people’s first names out of respect. Because they seemed to have the same power as the teachers, they called "the losers" or "outcasts" by their last names. It may sound formal but mind you, if they ever called you by your surnames, you were nobody to them. They might even be laughing when they talked about you behind your back. That’s what “cool kids” are like. Just because they could, they treated uncool kids like scum.

"Would you like to join me in a game of basketball?" I asked.

“Sure, bro,” he replied.

We were in the school gymnasium. He was wearing the official jersey of varsity players while I was wearing the regular school jersey intended for every regular student. He started dribbling the ball. He dribbled so fast. I tried to get the ball from him. I got the job done. I took the ball from him and then tried shooting it. The ball almost went inside the ring.

He snatched it and did a lay-up.

“Nice one, Alex!” Lance told me. I dribbled the ball and it was his time to snatch the ball from me. It was an incredible lay-up. But I did not compliment him. However, he saw my eyes. He saw that I was amazed.

"Pretty sweet, huh?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. He grinned.

He dribbled the ball away from me, and I had to recover it so that I could score another goal. But he blocked me. So he dribbled away and he did a jump shot. The ball was dribbled by him. This time, I was able to snatch the ball from him. I executed a hook shot.

“Pretty impressive, my friend,” he said.

“Thanks,” I replied.

I dribbled and did everything I could to keep the ball from being taken away from me. But he took it successfully from me. He put the ball in the ring and dunked it.

“Ow!" As I held my leg, I tripped and wailed like a baby.

“Oh no, Alex!” Daphne yelled in panic. She ran into me.

Daphne was wearing a nude hoodie dress, light pink sneakers, hearts earrings, a modest brilliant necklace with a heart, and a basic white watch. Her hair was half-up in wavy space buns. Her makeup was light and dewy. She looked beautiful and charming at the same time.

"Oh, my best friend!" Daphne whimpered, "Are you hurt?" She was touching my knee and was profoundly worried about my physical issue.

"It hurts only a bit, Daphne," I told her.

"Are you OK there, buddy?" Lance was worried, also. "Would it be a good idea for us to take you to the infirmary?"

"No, this is only a minor injury. I just need to rest at my home," I told Lance.

"We ought to assist him with getting up," Daphne recommended. They assisted me with getting up cautiously.

"I'll call his driver," Daphne said. Lance nodded.

We went to the hall. My driver drove the car. Daphne and Lance took me inside the car.

“Take care, my best friend,” Daphne told me.

“Take care, bud,” Lance told me.

I was inside the car. The next thing I realized the two future darlings were at that point conversing with one another.

Obviously, I was not really hurt. It was only an act. I wanted Lance to notice Daphne and I was successful with my plan. I had advised Daphne to refer to me as "my best friend" consistently so that Lance would realize that Daphne and I were not a couple and that we genuinely were best friends. I checked them out. Daphne smiled at me. I smiled back.