OPERATION JEALOUSY
VIOLET
“The whole thing was a disaster,” I muttered, scooping up the last bit of my ice cream and letting it melt in my mouth until it turned to liquid. “But at least it’s over.”
“It’s not over yet,” Ashley shot back, her eyes gleaming with a mischievous light.
“Yes, it is,” I insisted. “We agreed on the plan to make myself irresistible, and all it did was backfire. I ended up humiliated... again.”
“Right,” Ashley said, cutting me off, “after he left the lunch early to take you home and have some alone time with you. And then he cooked for you. How exactly did that fail?”
I sighed, remembering the way my mom had almost lost it when I left the lunch so suddenly with Ryan. I tried to blame it on feeling nauseous, but she didn’t buy it. Now we were stuck with a punishment: another family dinner this weekend. And this time, it wasn’t just lunch—it was dinner. Together. With Ryan.
“What do you want now?” I asked, exhaling in defeat. My patience with Ashley’s schemes was running thin.
“One emotion a guy can't hide well is his feelings when he sees the girl he likes with someone else” Ashley said, leaning forward with a gleam in her eye. “Which is why I present to you, ladies and gentlemen... Operation Jealousy!” She threw her hands up dramatically, making imaginary fireworks explode above her head.
I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes this time. “Ashley, no. Just... no.”
“Oh, come on!” she insisted, completely ignoring my hesitation. “This is perfect. Ryan already showed he cares about you by whisking you away from lunch. Now we just need to up the ante a little bit.”
“And how exactly do you plan on doing that?” I asked, raising a brow, though part of me already knew the answer. This was Ashley, after all.
Her grin widened. “Simple. We make him jealous.”
I groaned inwardly. “Ashley, this is high school stuff.”
“Maybe, but it works,” she said with a wink. “Trust me on this one, Vi. He needs a little push to realize what he feels for you. Guys like him don’t get it until they see someone else trying to take what’s theirs.”
I blinked, unsure of whether to laugh or be horrified by her logic. “I’m not a piece of property.”
“Of course not!” she said, her tone too chipper. “But Ryan? He’s possessive. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and trust me, he’ll go nuts if he thinks someone else is even thinking about you.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Ashley’s determined expression made it clear that nothing I said would stop her now.
“What’s the plan, then?” I sighed, giving in.
“Ah, I knew you’d come around!” she chirped. “Here’s the deal—we’re going to find someone who can act like they’re into you. Not in a creepy way, of course, but enough to get Ryan’s attention. Just a little innocent flirting to make him realize he’s not the only one who sees you.”
“And who, exactly, is going to play this part?” I asked warily.
Ashley’s grin widened even more. “Luke.”
“Luke?” I echoed, my voice rising in disbelief. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Oh, yes,” she said, nodding with conviction. “He's perfect for the job. Ryan already hates him being around you.”
I shook my head, trying to process this insane plan. “And what happens when Ryan gets mad? Or worse, when Luke thinks this is something more than just a game?”
“Trust me,” she said again, her tone full of confidence. “Ryan won’t let it get that far. He’ll step in the second he thinks he’s losing you. Just you wait.”
I wanted to protest, but deep down, a small part of me was curious. Ryan had been acting strange lately—distant, yet still protective. He's my stepbrother which makes this absolutely absurd but then..
“Fine,” I said reluctantly. “But if this backfires, I’m blaming you.”
Ashley winked, clearly unbothered by the risk. “It won’t. Trust me.”
I shook my head as she skipped off, already plotting the details of her next move. Operation Jealousy.
Ten minutes later, we were seated at the cafeteria with Luke. Surprisingly, the moment Ashley told him I would be there, he agreed to meet up. We ordered our usual, and settled down in the noisy room
“So, how are you now, really?” Luke asked, his brow quirked in concern as he took a sip of his drink.
“I’m good now, honestly,” I replied with a smile, though the lingering thought of Operation Jealousy still nagged at the back of my mind.
“You finally agreed to meet today after you’ve been avoiding me for days,” Ashley said, her arms crossed, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.
“I’ve been busy,” Luke mumbled, raking a hand through his hair, trying to shrug off her remark.
“But not too busy when Violet’s around, huh?” Ashley teased, as she leaned forward, clearly enjoying putting Luke on the spot.
“It’s not his fault he finds me more interesting, you know,” I chimed in, breaking the tension before Luke could find himself caught in Ashley’s playful web. I shot him a wink, and he gave a sheepish smile.
“See, even Violet knows,” Luke said, grinning as he pointed his fork at Ashley. “You’re nothing but trouble.”
“How dare you!” Ashley stood up, pretending to charge at Luke, but just as quickly as she stood, she froze mid-movement, her gaze flickering elsewhere, her expression shifting into something unreadable.
Curious, I followed her line of sight, and my stomach dropped. Oh no…
Ryan was walking into the cafeteria, the usual buzz following him as he strolled through the doors. .
Ashley leaned closer to me, winking mischievously. “Looks like someone’s about to get interesting,” she whispered, a grin stretching across her face.
I nearly choked on my food. My pulse quickened, and I tried to act normal, but the sudden heat creeping up my neck wasn’t helping.
“You okay?” Luke asked, passing me a cup of water as concern flashed across his face.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” I managed to say after gulping down the water, trying to steady myself.
Ashley’s fingers tapped lightly on my arm as she leaned in, her breath tickling my ear. “This is it, Vi. The perfect time to start Operation Jealousy,” she whispered, her excitement palpable.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, my gaze flicking nervously between Luke, who was oblivously eating his lunch, and Ryan, who had just sat down across the room, his attention somewhere else for now. But I knew Ashley was right—if I was going to go through with this ridiculous plan, now was the moment.
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