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Chapter 46 – A Chance for Revenge

"Baby, before we dance, I have to do something really quick," Teagan blurted as they stepped into the gym. She offered a quick round of hellos to the giggling girls that approached her, but kept her eye on the larger target. She felt Brian tug on her hand as she came across her victims. Sure enough, Howie's little fan club was standing near the large punch bowl with a perfect view of the doors. She knew they were absolutely going to die when Oriana stole the attention away from their skimpy and unattractive outfits. "I've got to get these witches back."

"Just don't tear off their wigs..." Brian teased, not really understanding.

"Oh, something much worse will be torn off," Teagan smirked.

"What's much worse?"

"The attention that's always on them," she replied, looking up to see Oriana and Howie walking in.

Brian arched his eyebrows in confusion as Teagan darted over to where the four girls stood with their dates. The girls were primping their outrageous hairdos, casually glancing at the population of students. And sure enough, each date was taking turns dipping a ladle in the punch bowl and holding a cup for the girls. Teagan smirked as she motioned for Luke to join her. He jogged over to where she stood and leaned down so she could whisper in his ear. He quickly nodded and shouted from behind the dates, "Holy shit! Who's that babe on Howie's arm?!"

The dates quickly turned toward the door to see what type of fresh meat was joining the party. Teagan watched in glee as they caught sight of Oriana's beautiful form, their jaws dropping in absolute surprise. Each spoke in turn to finish a whole sentence, one word each:

"Holy--"

"Shit--"

"That's--"

"Oriana!"

"Here! Hold these!" the boys growled in unison as Oriana made her way toward them with Howie. Only the girls weren’t prepared to hold the cups, but the boys were impatient. So each hurriedly dumped the cup of punch into the girls' unsteady hands, sloshing the sugary liquid. The girls shrieked in absolute dismay as the staining punch spilled down their dresses in a cold mess.

"Mission accomplished," Teagan snickered as the girls grabbed napkins and tried to salvage their trashy outfits.

"Oh my God! My dress is like, ruined!" one of the girls wailed, throwing down her napkins and grabbing more.

"This is all Riley's fault!" the lead girl steamed, her face almost purple to match her hideous dress.

"Oh, no! Girls, what happened to your dresses? Did you have little accidents?" Teagan cooed with fake sympathy, rolling her eyes as she stood in front of them. The dates and Luke were crowded by Oriana and Howie, getting all the attention.

"Shut the fuck up!" the lead girl fumed, throwing her soaked napkins to the floor. She pushed Teagan roughly and squeezed her way through the flock of boys making a circle around Oriana. She and the other three stood to face Oriana, throwing accusing fingers in her face. "What the Hell do you think you're doing!? Do you honestly think that this little knock-off is going to put you at the brink of popularity?! Do you really think you fit in?!"

"Just because you put on a skirt and shave your legs doesn't mean Howie's going to stay around!" another growled.

"And what the Hell, you're, like, pretty!" another girl whined.

Oriana stifled a laugh as she gazed at the four ruined girls, noticing all the punch stains started at their chests and ran down. She clicked her tongue in sorrow, offering an innocent pout. "Chickies, you're leaking. Didn't anyone tell you not to put colored water in those push-up bras?"

"You little bitch!" the lead girl raised her hand to slap Oriana, but Howie quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Now, now, now. I must be mistaken here, because it looked like you were just about to slap my girlfriend. Now listen to me, GIRLS. I don't like any of you, I never want to talk to any of you and if I see any of you try to smack Oriana again, I will not be responsible for what she does to you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Responsible for what?! She can't fucking hurt me!" the lead girl snarled, trying to yank her arm away as all the boys groaned at the mere false statement.

"Oh, you really think so? Let's see, here. You're in... no sports. Oriana plays football. If you honestly think the MVP linebacker can't hurt you... it'll be your ass getting beat."

"Asshole," the lead girl snapped, finally yanking her arm free. She adjusted her heavily padded bra that was starting to suck up the remaining juice and pretended to turn from the group. When she thought the coast was clear, she charged back with her hand.

Yet, Oriana had already anticipated the move. With cat-like reflexes, she caught the girl's wrist and spun her so the arm was behind the girl's back in an odd angle, very much like she had done with Xander. Oriana lifted the arm as the girl squeal, immediately standing on her tip-toes to release the pressure. Oriana carefully turned her toward one of the football player's with a crooked nose. "You see that? I did that when he decided that a girl wouldn't be joining the team and tried to pummel me without pads."

"Let me go!" the girl shrieked, trying to get out of Oriana's grasp.

"Apologize for calling my boyfriend an asshole and I might consider the request," Oriana decided, helping the girl turn to face Howie. She added a bit more pressure by raising the arm, causing her to squeal.

"I-I'm sorry I called you an asshole," she squealed again from the pain in her arm.

"Thank you," Oriana cooed, releasing the girl's arm so she stumbled and hit the ground. "And for your information, I really don't give shit about fitting in and not fitting in. As long as I have someone to love me."

"Which is me," Howie added, wrapping his arms around Oriana from behind.

"I'm going to get you back!" the girl fired, stumbling to get off the floor.

"I look forward to seeing you then," Oriana answered with a sweet smile, infuriating the young woman even further. She screamed wretchedly, actually piercing the air above the blaring music. She glared at Oriana once more before streaking out the door with her little ducks following behind her. "Jerks..."

"You handled that great, Baby," Howie enthused, kissing the back of her neck.

"Not really," Oriana answered, leaning back in his embrace as the group whistled wildly. She wasn't too proud of forcing pain upon the girl, but the girl was planning on hurting her first. Oriana really didn't know what to say as Luke stepped forward with several football players, eyeing her new look.

"You were defending yourself, that's all you could do," Howie replied.

"Ori... you look like a girl!" Jace said in awe.

"Yeah... Jace, I actually am a girl," Oriana answered, glancing down at her dress. "What made you think I---oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you guys that I actually duct taped my boobs during practice. Now I understand the confusion!"

"No, you think?" Abe rolled his eyes, chuckling. "But honestly, you look really nice, Ori."

"Thanks, Abe," Oriana answered. "Think I should keep this up full time--" Oriana let her voice drop as she noticed Jace slowly reach to poke at her cleavage. She quickly caught his finger before he could touch her soft flesh, lifting his chin so he actually looked into her eyes. "They're real, Jace. Trust me. All 'D' cup and all..."

"But you've never--"

"I know, but get used to it."

"So, does that mean you're going to start dressing like this?" Teagan teased, tugging Brian into the group that was continually offering Oriana sweet comments. She arched her dark eyebrows with obvious interest.

"Probably not, but since I'm so proud of my boobs now, I just might leave the duct tape at home!" Oriana mocked as if she had hit a revelation.

"And it took so long for her to realize this!" Teagan laughed.

"You should definitely let me touch them then!" Jace called.

"Um... Howie, let's go dance..." Oriana groaned, knowing she was half a step away from getting tackled just to make sure her breasts were real.

"Sounds good," Howie replied as she took his hand and headed to the dance floor.

"Oriana!" Jace called.

"Luke, keep him away from me!" Oriana laughed, hurrying up with Howie.

"On that note... let's go, Bri," Teagan laughed.

*~*~*

"Slow songs are definitely the best," Brian whispered in Teagan's ear as he carefully swayed to the beat with Teagan securely placed in his arms. They had finally decided to come back to the dance floor after a round of chatter with various groups of people. Brian hadn't been that social, however, because he was still planning the downfall of Oriana. He knew the key had to be with Mac at the after party, but he just didn't know how yet. So, he decided to concentrate on his girlfriend, pulling her closer into the embrace and kissing her forehead.

"I agree," Teagan mumbled softly, resting her head on his shoulder as Amanda Perez's song 'Angel' filtered through the speakers.

"I take it my wonderful girlfriend is having a beautiful time?" Brian asked, running his hands against her back.

"I'm having the best time in my life. Being with all my friends, dancing with my amazing boyfriend... who wouldn't be having fun?" Teagan gently kissed the side of his neck as they swayed to the music.

"I'm glad," Brian approved.

"Me too," she looked into his azure eyes. "We're only staying at Ace's party for a little bit, right? Because I know this teddy I'm wearing is just... aching to come out during a strip tease."

"A strip tease, huh?" he asked excitedly, allowing his hands to travel beyond her hips in a slow roam. He smiled as he leaned down to kiss her softly. "Only a little while. I promise. I just have to do something quick."

"What do you need to do?" she asked curiously.

"Just have to help bring two people together..." Brian trailed, noticing the four girls that had caused trouble with Oriana finally come back to the dance in different outfits. A smile curved to his lips as another slow song began to play. He affectionately dipped his girlfriend, now hunting for some information. "You know that chick that Oriana ripped apart?"

"You mean Trinity? What about her?" Teagan replied, making a face as she saw the girls walk back in.

"Trinity... Is she going to be at Ace's party?"

"She's friends with Shay, so yeah. Why are you so interested about her?"

"Just because..." he trailed with a shrug of his shoulders, leaning down to softly kiss her jawline.

"Just because?" Teagan breathed, feeling herself go weak at the knees just from his gentle kisses. She honestly couldn't wait for the dance to be over, knowing that she'd only spend a half hour at Ace's home. Then, she would take Brian back to her empty home, because Marie was spending the night at the Riley house for the wedding. She would take him upstairs and lay him down on the bed. They would make sweet love, connecting their minds, their bodies, and their souls. She loved their private time together. She loved their warm embraces with just their flesh to keep warm. It was an amazing feeling.

"Yeah, just because," he answered with a wry smile, dipping her slightly as he turned her. He frowned immediately when he noticed Oriana and Howie embraced deeper on the dance floor. Howie's arms were wrapped tightly around Oriana's waist as he pulled her close, swaying seductively to the mellow beats of the songs with their hips connected. They seemed like a truly perfect couple as all the other couples, like Alex and his date and Luke and Dee, danced around them, but Brian knew the truth.

She was a conniving wench that needed fully punished for her heinous acts. She was filled with nothing but lies and deceit. He still couldn't believe that the tramp had managed to pull away his best friends and brother in a sinister web of lies and sex. But then, he started to understand that she used sex as an open invitation. Brian knew she was probably already sleeping with Alex during their parents nights out, now Howie was just waiting to take the same enticing bait. She could have been pretty, but she was loose, and paybacks were a bitch with Brian.

"She's getting her heart ripped out tonight," Brian growled without thought.

"What?" Teagan asked in surprise, tilting her head up to eye him.

"Just wanted to tell you how much I love you," Brian enthused, leaning down to kiss her once more.

"I love you too, Baby," Teagan answered with a soft smile.

"That's my girl," Brian chuckled, running a finger along her jaw line. He felt himself grow excited at the possibilities of making Oriana's entire world crumble that evening. He couldn't wait till Ace's party, because everything would be absolutely perfect. And hopefully, Oriana would be crushed for life.

*~*~*


"Are you glad we went to the dance?" Oriana asked as she parked the Hummer in Ace's driveway. She quickly killed the engine, just staring at the lavish house for a few moments. All of the other cars had already arrived as the home throbbed with intense musical beats. Oriana and Howie were actually the last to arrive. Alex had grabbed a ride to the party with his date and Nick's date. So, Oriana and Howie were the only one's in her Hummer. She was somewhat thankful, however, because she had to gather her bearings before entering the house where Mac was lurking. She didn't really have any idea what Ace was planning with Mac, but she figured it wasn't good.

"I'm very glad we went. I had a lot of fun with the prettiest girl there," Howie replied, gently trailing his finger on her bare shoulder.

"I wasn't the prettiest girl," Oriana answered, giggling softly at the softest touch from Howie's fingers. She could feel herself shiver throughout her entire body, even in her heart.

"Well, to me you're the prettiest girl," Howie smiled when he heard her giggle and felt the shiver.

"Thank you for that..." Oriana answered, shying away from his nimble fingers as she felt her body flame. She started to reach for her car door.

"Nope! Don't move!" Howie got out of the car and went to open her door.

"Why are you doing that?" she laughed, reaching to pull her keys from the ignition. She turned to let her long legs hang out the car door, reaching down to gently rub one of her aching feet without bracing her hand against the neckline. She really didn't care about exposing herself any further, because she was forming a strong hate for heels.

"Because it's the proper thing to do?" he asked with a sheepish smile.

"You never did it before," she answered, glancing up to catch his eyes glancing elsewhere. She arched her blonde brows in confusion, continuing to rub her one foot after she removed the sandal for a moment. "What's that smile for?"

"Um, well, you, uh... I haven't seen you with, um... cleavage before."

"So you're opening the door because I have cleavage?" Oriana asked in confusion, finally glancing down. She groaned openly when she finally noticed how much she was truly showing. She immediately sat back and slipped her sandal on. She could already feel her cheeks blushing crimson. "Sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Howie asked in surprise.

"Showing more than I was supposed to?" she answered, nervously chewing on the bottom of her lip. She had never been so flustered with a man before. Howie always seemed to make her feel like she were at the edge of a cliff, just waiting to jump. It exhilarated and frightened her in the same instant.

“You don't need to be sorry for that. I should be the one who's sorry, staring at your cleavage like a dumb ape," Howie replied, taking her hand into his and helped her to the ground.

"It's not a big deal," she answered, shrugging her exposed shoulders. She had gotten used to the leering stares with the years of different mother's visiting boyfriends. She carefully licked the bottom of her lip, still tasting the lip gloss Catie had chosen.

Howie leaned in and kissed her softly. He licked his lips and smiled. "Mmm... nice lip gloss."

"Catie picked it out," Oriana answered, leaning back against the closed Hummer door. She took a deep breath, feeling her heart race wildly. She really wasn't even in the mood to visit the party.

"What kind is it? She made a good choice," Howie replied, kissing her again. He wished that Oriana didn't have to go to the party, but knew she didn't want to make anyone on the team mad.

"Vanilla Angel Food Cake," Oriana answered with a laugh, watching him lick his lips again. She thought it was the cutest thing in the world. She leaned forward, reaching into his back pocket to withdrawal the lip gloss. "Here, you can keep it since you like it so much."

"And you'll wear it if I ask nicely?" Howie replied, grinning.

"Well... I was hoping you'd wear it," she teased.

"Hey, I know I'm more in touch with my feminine side, but I am not wearing lip gloss," he laughed.

"Then I guess I can't kiss it on you either, can I?" she fired, applying the lip gloss then pushing it back into his pocket.

"But you're the girl!"

"But if you don't want the lip gloss on, then you shouldn't kiss me either, right?"

"Wait, wait, wait. You're twisting my words around!" he whined. "I meant like, literally putting it on my lips. Not from kissing you!"

"You know what?" she laughed, wrapping her arms affectionately around his neck, allowing her lips to slowly near his.

"What?"

"You're really cute when you're fighting for something you believe in. Then that little whine in your voice... It makes you very kissable," she answered with an impish smirk. She quickly leaned up to let their lips connect, softly nibbling on his bottom lip just the way he loved.

"Mmm... damn, girl," he moaned, heatedly pressing his lips against hers.

Oriana laughed in surprise as Howie forcefully pushed her back against the Hummer to brace himself against her. He pressed his elbows on the car for balance while he tangled his hands in Oriana's flowing curls, never allowing her to free her lips. She could feel the temperature start to rise as her whole body was overcome with a deep desire of temptation. She knew they were getting ahead of themselves, however. It was still too early. She timidly pressed her hands against his chest, finally breaking the intensity. "We...I love when you kiss me like that... But not here..." she breathed, leaning her head back against the car to gather her wits. "I shouldn't do that to your bottom lip."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but to kiss you like that," Howie placed an innocent kiss on her forehead before taking her hand. "Let's go inside and get this over with."

"You're not mad?" she quickly questioned as he tugged her to his side.

"What should I be mad about?"

"For just pushing you off like that? I promise I'm going to be ready soon. Just, you want it to special and I don't want to screw it up—"

"No, I respect you for that. When a girl says no, I listen."

"But I'm the one that started it—"

"No more buts."

Oriana fell silent as instructed, just chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully as they walked toward the front door. Howie had respected her so much, yet it was as if she kept pushing for something then quickly pulling away. She was starting to decide that maybe she was truly a 'tease' like he affectionately called her. Or maybe it wasn't affectionate at all. Oriana shook her head, trying to clear the doubtful thoughts. She glanced up to see Howie looking at her with question. She gave an innocent smile, "Just thinking about what's going on inside. Twenty bucks says the guys made all these bets to settle when I get in there. Like how big my boobs really are, how much leg I'm showing, and whether or not I can still throw a perfect spiral in heels."

"I'll bet you're right about all that," Howie chuckled, kissing her temple. "It seemed like the guys never knew you were a girl to begin with."

"I don't think I gave them a chance to realize it," Oriana admitted. "I was so quick to make sure I was one of the guys that I never really understood what would happen later on."

"They know you're a girl now," Howie replied as he opened the door and let her go in first.

Oriana thanked him yet again as she stepped into the party, only to be welcomed by the smells of alcohol, perfume, and cologne mixed with the thick beats of various styles of music pumping through the speakers. She was about to turn around to make sure Howie was in when someone grabbed her by the shoulder. She yelped in surprise as she was playfully jerked forward. She glanced up into Luke's light blue eyes. "Lucas!"

"Sorry," Luke answered, affectionately kissing her cheek. "I'm just seriously glad you're here and I got to you before any of the other guys. We've got some major bets going on about you. How big your breasts really are. If you can still throw a perfect spiral and knock over a pyramid of beer cans in heels. How much leg you're actually showing in that short skirt. And if this whole female make-over affected your ability to kick our asses at Arm Wrestling. Abe and I got into it, because we know you best. So, if you help Abe and I clean out the boys, we'll give you some of the profit and you can take Howie out on a date for a change. What do you say?"

"Howie?" Oriana questioned, turning to make sure it was at least okay with him.

"Free money and being able to show the guys you can still do everything? Go for it, Baby!"

"Thanks," Oriana laughed, leaning up to brush her lips quickly against his. "You'll be alright by yourself for a little bit?"

"I'll be fine. Alex and Nick have to be around here somewhere," Howie kissed her again. "Go and have fun."

"Thanks, Baby," Oriana called again, blowing a kiss before being dissolved into the crowd with Luke.

Brian, observing the whole fiasco, stepped beside Howie. He smiled ruefully as Teagan disappeared upstairs to use the bathroom for a moment. He then noticed Trinity walking toward the kitchen with a few of her friends, so he decided to make his visit with Howie quick. He clamped his hand on Howie's shoulder, laughing at the absurdity of it all. "That was too priceless, Dorough. You're making this way to easy for her. She's just going to go back there for some quick sexual favors to get the money...figure she's finally dressing the part."

Howie shrugged off Brian's hand with a dark glare. "Brian, what the Hell are you doing here? This is party is for football players. Last time I checked, you got your ass benched and my girl helped with the game. You don't know shit about her or what the team is doing, so just shut the fuck up before I make you."

"I do know what half the team is doing, measuring her up like the piece of meat she is, fondling things she hasn't even given you the pleasure of touching yet. Maybe she's waiting for you to cough up the dough..." Brian laughed, tossing his soda can into the nearby garbage can. "The best part is, I know what the other half of the team is doing too, they're upstairs pep talking Mac for when he takes Oriana away from you. I've been hearing some great rumors about how he set up the guest room for her. Kiss your ass goodbye, Dorough, because she's just looking for the next ride."

"I swear to God, you need to get out of my face right now--"

"Howie! Yo, Howie! You made it, man!" Alex came rushing over, a soda in his hand. He took one look at Brian and Howie to see he came at the right time. "C'mon, Ry's arm wrestling Logan and the stakes are high!"

"Kiss your ass goodbye, Dorough, because soon as you take your eyes away, she's going to be jumping up those stairs with Mac and spreading open," Brian laughed, roughly pushing Howie's shoulder as he passed into the kitchen, knowing to set the next phase of his plan together. He noticed Trinity standing with several girls, talking with hushed voice. He smiled as he walked over. "Trinity?"

"Aren't you that little bitch Teagan's boyfriend... Brian?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"She's not a bitch, so watch your mouth," Brian growled, leaning against the table. "I'm actually talking to you because I know you want to get Oriana Riley back. So, lay the fuck off my girlfriend or I won't let you in on this little adventure."

"Keep talking. What do you have in mind for getting Riley back?"

"That dickhead Mac is looking to score with Riley. It's all over the fucking school, right?"

"No shit. Ace and Gabe have been setting things up. But with those two dipshits, the whole plan could go wrong."

"So, we set the bait. I need you to send one of your lackeys to Riley, tell her that Howie wants to talk to her in one of the rooms. I go talk to Mac and tell him that Oriana's waiting for him up in the room. Let nature work it's business there, then send Howie up looking for her right in the middle. Nothing can go wrong."

"You're sure it'll work?" Trinity asked.

"Howie's a gullible idiot when it comes to Riley. And Mac's going to throw his moves down with or without help. I'm just making the odds better. It'll definitely work."

"Alright... it sounds perfect. I'll send one of my girls, you talk to Mac and then everything falls into place," Trinity smiled. "Thanks for the help, Brian."

"So, you're in?"

"There would be no way in Hell I wasn't."