Crushes Over Papercuts- A Mid 90s Tale

Chapter 52

I tossed and turned throughout the night. The nervousness of the next day's plan and the worry of repercussions for what we had done barred rest from my mind. It all happened so quickly...the plan, the setup, the drug deal, that I hadn't stopped to think if what we were doing was wrong or possibly illegal. We never possessed any drugs but perhaps pretending was enough to get us in trouble.

I couldn't undo it now.

I pushed all my worries aside. It was too late to question myself. We were doing this.

"She's here." I pointed to Courtney's car parked in the first row of the student parking lot when the five us pulled up in my mom's old car. We had gone back and forth about allowing Tiff to come given what went down last night.

"If she didn't recognize Tiffany Watson last night, there's no way she'd put two and two together," Tiff argued, so we brought her along.

I liked having Tiff around and was happy that her and Nicole were becoming more like sisters.

"I am legit excited! It's like a real stakeout!" Tiff said as the excitement sprang from her voice.

I looked around the empty parking lot. "Should we go over the plan one last time?"

Lauren nodded. "The cheerleaders will finish their practice by ten and we don't know if she brought the items with her or left them in the car. If she comes back to the car," Lauren passed the first walkie talkie to Tiff, "use this to let the three of us know. Between the four of us we should have eyes on Courtney at all times." Lauren passed the other three walkie talkies to Lily and Nicole, leaving the last for herself.

"If Courtney leaves campus, we need to know that too," Nicole added.

"Got it," Tiff replied.

We all had nervous smiles on our faces except for Tiff who was grinning from ear to ear.

Nicole put her hand out. "Snoop Crew for life."

We stacked our hands on hers and repeated her words. "Snoop Crew for life!"

I took one big breath before stepping out of the car with my gym bag and hurried to the locker rooms leaving the girls behind for now.

The chants from the cheerleaders radiated through the gym walls as I passed by on my way to the locker room. Knowing she was on the other side made me both furious and nervous. I ran through the plan in my mind, with each iteration sinking my hopes and raising my fears.

What if something goes wrong? What if I somehow make things worse for myself?

My legs got weak and my stomach dropped.

Did Courtney share these same feelings when she planted the pills in my locker?

The crutch of the plan was the Women's locker room. The fated scene of the future crime. The lockers were on the honor system and no one ever locked their bag, even me since I never believed Courtney would attempt the same trick. I changed, placed my unlocked bag into my unlocked locker, and shook out my shaky hands.

I warmed up my body, trying to get my legs and mind into the track meet and off of the scheme soon to be unfolding yards away from me. I still had something important to do today, a chance at regionals, and any possibility of me competing in pole vaulting in college hindered on how well I performed today. It wouldn't be my last chance, but if my dreams at competing at the college level were to manifest, I needed to place and be competitive at my current level. And I had to be especially good if I couldn't get the suspension from my record purged.

"You nervous about today?" Wendy's voice pulled me away from my nervous thoughts. I had been so wrapped in my own mind that I didn't notice her stretching beside me.

She motioned to my trembling leg. "Qualifying for Regionals makes me antsy too."

"I've never been more nervous in my life." I put pressure on my leg but it did nothing to stop the shaking. "I can feel my heart beating all the way down to my fingertips."

"It'll give you extra energy," she said smiling. "Do you mind?" She reached her arms out asking for an extra stretch.

I took her hands and pulled her slightly forward.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," I nodded.

She pulled me forward and I felt the tightness from the stretch course through my legs. "How do you do it?"

I gave her a confused look.

"You know...not go crazy with all the crap Courtney put on you?"

I didn't know what to say but it wasn't only my legs that felt looser. Others knew the truth.

"Gather around!" Coach Hall gestured for everyone to take a seat on the benches and he went through the roster of the day's events. My mind kept floating to the plan and my eyes to my unlocked locker. I had my event times memorized- relay race at 9:45 followed by pole vault at 10:15. I looked at the clock on the wall. 9:17, and at least another hour before she'd be here.

Coach dismissed us and the team commenced to the field. I walked a few feet out from the locker room with Wendy before my part began.

"Hey Wendy, I left something in the locker room. If Coach asks, tell him I'll be right back"