Chapter 19:

Plan A

The familiar feeling of gravel crunches under my car tyres as I come to a halt, parking outside Sophie's front door. Half a dozen cars are already parked and I know that means that I'm one of the last to arrive.

It's probably a good thing. Although I'm a part of the group, this Amelia problem doesn't affect me anywhere near as much as it does to them, especially George. None of them have seen her since the party, they've never planned to see her again and the shock of her return was evident in the group's reaction at lunch today. I know I'm needed at this meeting to be kept in the loop but at the same time it ultimately doesn't matter if I am here or not, but if Steven's right, if Amelia is going to target me because I've 'replaced' her, then I'm going to need this meeting more than anyone.

The whole way here my stomach felt sick. I have no clue what I was about to walk into. Our group is known for being laid back and carefree, yet I have a feeling that tonight, we are about to be the complete opposite.

I stand patiently, pressing the doorbell once, waiting for the door to open.

"Hey, come on in." Sophie says as she opens the door, clearly overwhelmed with another person arriving.

Taking a final deep breath of the chilly autumn night air, I step inside, following Sophie through the house towards the garden. The group are gathered around on logs by a small fire, a few metres away from the lake.

I was right, I'm the last to arrive. Taking a seat next to Zara and George, I sit quietly, trying to figure out what the mood is which I can feel lingering in the air.

"Look George, all I'm saying is for the sake of the group's reputation and you not getting into trouble every 5 minutes, you can't react like you did today every time you see her." Blake warns.

"I don't see why it should be any other way. She almost ruined everything. My relationship with my parents, my education, my future in general, she can't just come back into our lives and expect everything to be fine." He harshly replies.

"Boys please, what happened today has happened, we now need to work on what we'll do next." Sophie begs.

Anger and worry. Those feelings hang in the air like clothes on a washing line.

I look over to Zac, he gazes into the distance, chewing nervously at one of his nails. His eyes don't look over to anyone, worry has flooded him like a disease.

"Now everyone is here we can finally discuss the reason as to why I called you all here today." Blake announces, taking the lead as always.

"I want us all to come together right now, we can't afford to turn against each other or fall apart for the sake of our friendships and the fact that this is our Senior year. It'll be what Amelia wants, to take everything away from us like we did to her, no matter what we can't let her win. I've organised this emergency meeting tonight so that we can come to some kind of agreement on a plan."

"Or 'Plan A' for Amelia as I like to call it." Kieran says, laughing slightly.

"I'd prefer 'Plan ruin Amelia's life and get her kicked out again' if I'm honest with you all." George says, crossing his arms over his chest in anger.

"So do I George, but unfortunately it's not practical." Blake replies, Sophie nods, strongly in agreement.

"What I want to know is how she got back in." Steven says.

"It'll be money from her parents for sure." George replies, still shuffling his feet angrily.

"I want to know why she decided to make a huge scene, trying to humiliate us all in front of everyone in the cafeteria." Zara asks.

"Oh come on, this is Amelia, she thrives off of knocking everyone else down so that she can be on top." Zac answers, breaking his silence.

Everyone turns to listen to him. If anyone is going to know Amelia well enough so that we can plan and prepare our next move, it'll be Zac. She is his ex after all...

"We don't need to worry about how she got back to Oakmore, there's nothing we can do about that, we need to worry about what her intentions are. If she's still the same Amelia that pretty much most of this group grew up with, we know that she'll try to worm her way to the top. She will act all innocent, like she did today, but there's always an ulterior motive when it comes to Amelia. I mean Kieran, no offense but until last christmas, you grew up watching our group from the outside, you'll know more than anyone else what Amelia appears like to the rest of the school." Zac continues.

"She always came across as the friend that everyone wished they had, it was clear that she'd make your life hell if you were on her bad side but her life seemed perfect. We do have to remember though that everyone's opinion of her dropped massively after she was exposed regarding the party and what she'd done to you guys, especially you and George." Kieran says back to Zac.

"She'll take this revenge out on Lola." Steven says, sheepishly, causing the group to fall silent. The only sound coming from the crackling of the fire.

"Come on now Steven, no one knows that." Blake replies, trying to make peace.

"I'm not trying to scare anybody but think about it. She was mad enough at us exposing her and being kicked out of Oakmore. She comes back and what does she find? A new girl in her place. She would've expected Sophie to become the most popular girl in our group like she has but now she's seen that a new girl is adored by the rest of the students at Oakmore and is dating Zac. She's been upstaged and Amelia won't take that lightly." Steven shrugs.

I gulp as the fear hits me too, Steven, like always, is right.

"He's right. Amelia would've thought it'd be easy to reclaim her place at the top, whether that be with us or not, but Lola is another obstacle, and one which is bigger than she could've ever expected. Lola is our dark horse." Sophie says in agreement, Blake looks at her disheartened as although he knows that both her and Steven are right, this conversation is fuelling more to the fire.

"You're forgetting though, Lola didn't steal me away from Amelia. It was Amelia's choice to cheat on me, if she'd have wanted me she wouldn't have done it." Zac replies bitterly.

"Even so, Lola standing up to her in the cafeteria, which was freaking awesome by the way, will have set her up as a target to Amelia." Kieran interrupts.

"Well then we protect Lola at all costs, there is no way we let her get at her. Lola is loved by everyone for a reason, because she is the complete opposite to Amelia. She is so genuine and that is why she is adored. She will always have that which means Amelia will never compare." Zac replies, desperation in his voice as he clearly tries not to think of the idea of Amelia trying to take me down.

He knows how malicious she can be and he cares about me too much to see me suffer that.

"And if she dare tries, then I will personally put 'Plan ruin Amelia's life and get her kicked out again' into action." George smiles.

"We're getting way too ahead of ourselves. No one knows what intentions Amelia has and we can't act a certain way without evidence. I don't doubt any of you but we have to be careful with the way we act in order to not make complete and utter fools out of ourselves." Blake says.

"I agree." I say unexpectedly.

Everyone turns to listen to me, in the same way they did when Zac broke his silence.

"Look, if Amelia wants to go against me, she will. No matter what we do, by the sounds of it, she will not stop until she has what she wants. Don't get me wrong, I'm with George, the things she's done to you all are dreadful, I would love to take her down, but Blake's right, we can't act yet. If we want to win against her, then we need to be the better people. Play the game smarter than she can. That'll only happen if we work together. She hasn't actively gone against any of us yet, and until she does we can't take her down. This is all a waiting game, trust me!" I finish.

"Exactly, so we need to come up with a sensible plan for right now and then we can plan a bigger one if we need to later." Blake agrees.

"I'm used to this stuff. It's like being back in England..." I pause, catching my breath.

Everyone watches intensely, knowing that I never speak about my past.

"People were horrible and found nothing better than seeing you fall down. I know that when someone has something against you, they'll keep going until you have nothing left. Until you struggle to wake up every morning, until you don't want to open your eyes..."

I pause again, trying to not stutter, as I gulp down my fear.

"Believe me on this, you can't react straight away. It's like the story of the hare and the tortoise; slow and steady wins the race." I stop, looking at everyone's worried eyes. I hate their pity.

There's a long pause, no one knowing what to say.

"Okay, let's come up with a plan." Blake says, diverting the attention off of me.

"You want to go grab a drink?" Zara asks sweetly, her hand grabs my trembling hands.

"Sure." I give her a warm smile.

Standing up from the log, we head for the house. The group focuses on Blake, occasionally giving their input. Zac continues to stare into the lake, deep in thought.

As we get further away from the heat of the campfire, the sharp, cool air creeps over us. The kitchen feels empty, the leftover smell of dinner floating around the air. Zara opens the fridge, grabbing a bottle of cola, before grabbing some handcrafted glasses.

"You okay? You seemed caught up in your thoughts out there?" Zara asks, referencing what I'd said about life in England.

I grab the cola from the other side of the counter, popping the lid off. The fizz from the liquid bubbled furiously as I pour it into the two glasses.

"Yeah I'm fine, I don't speak about home much so I think I just got a bit worked up." I brush it off as nothing.

"I'm never going to push you into speaking about your past Lola but just know that I'm only a text, call or even a drive away if you ever need help or just someone to talk to." She smiles, grabbing my hand in the same way she did around the fire; to reassure me.

Zara grabs a glass, taking a small sip before sighing and resting her back against the kitchen counter. I know that although she was offering her help to me, it's Zara who really needs someone to vent to right now.

"Are you feeling as stressed out about this all as I am?" I ask, laughing a little bit to appear more relatable.

"Oh my, this situation is something I'm definitely not used to. Everyone is so tense. I do feel bad though, I feel as if I shouldn't feel anywhere near as stressed or upset as I do. I only moved to Oakmore a couple of months before you, I never met Amelia. I just feel as if I have no right to feel this way because I wasn't even there when the drama happened."

"Zara, trust me, I fully understand how you feel. I've been in situations like this before but that doesn't mean anything, we all have a right to feel worried about this Amelia situation. This is our group. We've both felt happy and comfortable for months now and it feels like someone is about to ruin it. We're also the most alike in this situation because both of our boyfriends are most affected by this return." I reply, trying to get her to look at me but her eyes are fixed on the rim of the glass, glazing over with sadness.

"George was so upset earlier. After I got him out of the cafeteria he hit a few lockers and threw open the doors at the main entrance to leave. I got him to sit on a bench and for ages he just held his head in his hands. Once Zac found us and offered to drive him somewhere so they could cool off he seemed better. He kissed me and told me that he was sorry I had to see him that way. I'm just really worried about what this will do to him." She looks up at me and I realise that I've misplaced what I thought was sadness in her eyes, instead it is desperation.

"I know that feeling. I haven't spoken to Zac about it yet. I know from the time that we had that huge argument in his car that Amelia had hurt him really badly. He hasn't seen her since the breakup, this will be a big deal for him."

Zara finishes the last bit of her drink and takes my empty glass from me, placing them in the sink.

"I say we both need to stay positive for them. They're going to need us more than ever for this. And then at least we have each other to talk to about our positions in this whole thing. You're right, we're both in the exact same situation."

She heads for the back door, towards the garden.

"And if Steven is right, if Amelia is about to try and take you down. Then I'm fighting your corner with you."

***

"Everybody listen up, we've finally come up with a plan." Sophie announces once we were all back, sitting around the fire.

"For now, as we do not know Amelia's actions, we remain the same. That means we stick together, we hang out like usual, we be the group that the school knows us to be. They'll be watching us, trying to figure out how badly Amelia's return has impacted them which is why we need to act normal. If she sits with us in lessons or at lunch we do not make a scene. This doesn't mean we need to include her like we did before, you can ignore her if you wish to, but no one can kick off." Blake says.

George winces at his speech, the idea of not turning against Amelia frustrating him even more.

"Now George, I know that will be hard and I completely understand why, none of us want her back, but we also know that Amelia will only be able to keep this whole 'nice to everyone' act for so long. The minute it changes, the minute she tries to drag anyone down to make it to the top, that's when we'll come up with a bigger plan that I'm certain will involve your kind of ruin Amelia's life plan." Blake smiles and for the first time George relaxes and lets out a small laugh.

"We watch out for everyone, we stick together. They're the two rules."

"Right, let's leave it here for tonight, I still need to do my Monday evening pamper routine, Amelia will definitely not be ruining my skin care routine." Sophie laughs, standing up to lead us all to the door.

As we walk through the house, the tension feels as if it has been somewhat lifted. It's still there, but nowhere near as prominent.

Grabbing my car keys from my back pocket, after saying my goodbyes to the group, I headfor my car. I feel someone grab my arm.

"Don't head home just yet." Zac says, his dopey eyes tugging at my heart strings.

I want to hold him in my arms so badly.

"What do you mean?" I ask, placing my hand on his cheek, staring into his sad eyes.

"Meet me here, it's a place I've always wanted to take you."

He takes out a screwed up piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to me. It's an address for a location which is a 10 minute drive from here.

"See you soon." He says, pulling away from me, walking towards his car.

***

As I pull up to the address Zac has given me, I very quickly realise where we are going.

It is a look out point which gives a view of our whole town. The night sky shines a midnight blue and the array of different coloured lights glimmer and buzz in the distance. The sky is dotted with sparkling stars and the travelling light of a few airplanes.

Zac's car is parked between the trees, a few metres away from the singular bench which sits in the middle of the dusty lookout point.

He sits, staring into the stream of lights, the wind ruffling his hair.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Zac says, not taking his eyes off of the view as I sit beside him, snuggling into the crook of his neck.

He feels warm but his heart is beating rapidly. He pulls away from our cuddle, startling me. For a moment he searches my face, I look back, trying to read his.

He waits for a moment longer and then pulls my face into his, kissing me with a surge of desperation. I kiss him back, melting into his warm lips. I've been longing for him all day, wanting to feel his love, to understand his thoughts. He keeps going in for more, kissing me passionately. I hear him groan as he wraps his arms around my waist, under the hem of my top, pulling me onto his lap. I can feel the heat radiating off of his cheeks as he slightly licks my lower lip, his tongue gaining entry into the kiss.

I want more of him but I know there is a deeper reason behind being here and I want answers.

"Why have you brought me here, I know something's wrong." I say, catching my breath as I pull away from our kiss.

He throws his head back groaning, whilst I stay straddling him. I can't tell if the groan is from the question I've asked him or for interrupting our steamy kiss.

"Zac, I know Amelia coming back must be a shock and I'm sure it's messed with your head-"

"Woah, what?" Zac asks, interrupting me.

I look at him, speechless.

"Lola, no. You're so wrong." He laughs, tucking the loose hair falling in front of my face behind my ear.

"Oh, really?" I say, joking back but uncertainty fills me.

He shuffles slightly and I move off of his lap onto the spare space next to him. He takes both of my hands into his and makes sure I keep looking into his eyes.

"Lola, I love you. There is nothing that is going to change that. You are everything I could've asked for in a girl. My perfect girl. Yes Amelia's return caught me by surprise but for no other reason than it being someone who caused us all so much pain reappearing. There are no feelings there, I want her gone just as much as George does." He pauses.

"I do fear that she'll turn against you the most, I fear it because I don't want you to go through any drama again. But I know that if she does, everybody will take her down, people outside of the group will turn on her."

"I'm just scared Zac. You heard what she said about regretting losing you in the cafeteria earlier, she's always got her own way, what if what she wants is you?" I ask.

"Do you not trust me?" He replies, his voice filled with doubt.

My eyes fill with tears, I am completely overwhelmed. I hate that Zac feels as though I can't trust him. I feel like my trust issues have pushed him away in the same way they've always pushed everyone else away.

"Of course I trust you, I just don't trust her." I answer.

He grabs a hold of my waist again, pulling me into the tightest hug.

"I am so in love with you. Nothing will change that. I understand your insecurities but I'm not like the other people who have hurt you. As long as you trust me when I tell you that you're all I want, we'll be fine." He whispers into my ear, stroking my hair with his hand.

"I love you too Zac. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me." I reply.

Zac sits back, looking serious again yet excitement flickers across his eyes. He shuffles nervously and takes a hold of my hands again.

"There's something I want to give you. I was saving it for Christmas but after today I knew you'd be feeling like this and if anything today has reinforced my feelings. It has made me realise that I never want to lose you and nobody will ever come between us."

Removing one of his hands from mine, he reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small, pink box which is wrapped in a white bow. Placing it into my hands, he looks on eagerly, waiting for me to open it.

I gently pull on one end of the bow, causing it to unravel in my hands. Lifting the lid off of the box the most beautiful gift sits before my eyes.

It is a small ring. Sparkling silver balls surrounded the band of the ring with a bigger, light pink coloured heart, glimmering, as the centrepiece.

"Oh my god Zac, it's beautiful." I gush.

"I decided to get you a promise ring. I wanted to give it to you so I could show you just how much you mean to me. Show you that I am ridiculously in love with you and promise to always be in love with you."

Taking the ring from the box, Zac lifts my hand gently and slides the ring onto my middle finger on my left hand. I love it.

I look up at him as he smiles down at me, clearly happy with my reaction. Without a second thought, I grab his face, closing the gap between us.