Caslyn jumped out of her range rover. “Thanks Lance!” she called to her driver. She slammed the door behind her and skipped up the steps to Ayden’s house. After ringing the doorbell twice, Caslyn let herself in. After all, Ayden knew she was coming at 3:30, and it was exactly 3:20. Ten minutes early, but who was counting? “Ayden?” she called, as she dropped her backpack by the front door “Are you home? Ayden I’m here!” Ayden’s eyes flew open. She quickly pulled her headphones out of her ears and let her pink ipod fall onto her bedspread. “Caslyn? Is that you? Hold on!” Ayden called as she swung open her closet door. She pulled off her swimsuit and quickly pulled on a green and pink striped baby doll tank from Hollister, slipped into her favorite pair of Delia’s jeans, and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She snagged a green ribbon off the floor and tied it around her ponytail as she flew down the steps. “Cas?” Ayden said, and then saw her standing near the stairs “Oh hey! You’re here already? Our Pilate’s session is in two hours. If it couldn’t wait, then this has got to be major news. What’s up?” Caslyn blinked back tears. Ayden was such a good friend. She was always there for Caslyn and always knew what to say. And that’s how it had been since second grade when the girls first met. Caslyn had on a pink polka-dotted dress, and Ayden loved it. The struck up a conversation and it was, as the girls say, ‘best friends at first sight’. “Well, can we go to your room to talk? We need privacy, and somewhere to sit! My legs are sooo tired from track today!” Caslyn walked over to Ayden. “Mine too. Come on!” Ayden said, grabbing Caslyn’s wrist and dragging her up the stairs.
“And he just dumped you?!” Ayden asked, a shocked expression forming on her face. “Yes! Right there in front of the whole football team!” With eyes that were red and puffy, her mascara running, and her hair messy, Caslyn described her horrifying break-up with her über-cute quarterback boyfriend, Lincoln Peterson “What is wrong with me?! Am I ugly? Am I fat? Am I stupid? GAWD! He didn’t say what but something must be wrong with me!” Ayden gasped “No you are the exact opposite of all of that! Don’t beat yourself up over this. What did he say though?” Caslyn sighed “He said he needed some space and that he was too busy for a girlfriend anyways.” “Puh-lease! Wasn’t he the one who always wanted to be with you?! How can he need space?! That’s so retarded!!” Ayden replied, feeling truly concerned “I know! It was always he wanted this, he wanted that. Let’s do this, let’s do that. You do this, you do that. Let’s go here let’s go the…” Ayden cut Caslyn’s sentence off “Chill Cas! I get your point. But you can’t just take this! Revenge is in need! That jerk deserves what he’s about to get! Right?!” Caslyn sniffled. “Umm, actually, no. We can’t hurt him! This school does not need their star quarterback to be depressed. No way. Uh uh. Plus, we might….Well…We might…” “Spit it out honey! If we can’t get him back I need reasons! NOW!” Ayden cried, finding it insulting that for once Caslyn didn’t want to follow her plans. “Well, we might be…getting back together- but I don’t know for sure! I mean it’s just an assumption I made because he was talking about how he missed me and my kisses, and I miss him a lot too, and he keeps calling me and…” Caslyn quickly said before being cut off. “CASLYN! This is NOT about your relationship! It’s about teaching him to not ever mess with you like that! You deserve way better treatment, seeing as how you treat him!” Ayden was ticked off that Caslyn wasn’t respecting herself. Caslyn was the most popular girl at Summerlink, the boarding school they went to in California, which was named after Link's great grandfather. Caslyn was gorgeous, smart, tall, skinny, athletic; everything a girl could want to be. She was almost perfect. But Caslyn was making herself believe that she was imperfect. “Well. Maybe I’m not exactly fat…or ugly…but am I a total blonde or what? I had no clue that Link just needed a break! I mean come on. He wouldn’t just dump me for no reason and then still talk good about me. So, I think he just wanted a break. You know, and not have to worry about my happiness. Hang with the guys for a bit. I totally understand!” Caslyn stated, drying the tears from her eyes “Everyone needs some space. And that’s what he meant. Not that he wanted a REAL break-up. Just a break. And I think I need a break too! Do you know how long it’s been since my last mani?! My cuticles are suffering, MAJOR! Some girl time is definitely in need. Agreed?” Ayden sighed “Yeah, whatever” She couldn’t believe that Caslyn actually thought that Link just needed a break. Link was known to lead girls to believe things that weren’t true. And Caslyn, his ‘ex’ girlfriend, was the perfect victim. He knew she would believe that he truly needed a break, and then he would crush her heart as soon as he found a new girl to date. Ayden shook her head and fell back onto her bed. She knew that soon she’d be staying up all night long comforting Caslyn on the phone, and after her trip to New York, and dealing with different time-zones, she definitely did not need to miss out on any of her beauty sleep.

Link rolled his eyes and spoke calmly into the phone “Yes, Cas. A break is what I meant. I just need some time to myself, and time to just hang out with my friends. You do too. You seem so stressed lately, and I blame your stress on my making you come to all my games. Though, you are a cheerleader…” Caslyn paced in front of her bed, where her pink Motorola PEBL lay, on speaker-phone. “Well, I am definitely NOT stressed. But I do understand your point. It’s just that, well, maybe we could still go out, but just not spend as much time together. At least for a week or so. I mean I’ll die if anyone finds out that we broke up! Girls would be all over you!” Link silently laughed “Cas. They already are all over me. I’m the quarterback. Sweetie, we already talked about this. You can’t be jealous about the other girls. You know that!” Caslyn gasped “So you do want to break up?! I can NOT believe you! What is up with you lately? Girls know not to be all over you because I am your girlfriend and they do NOT want to upset me. Puh-lease tell me that you have NOT been cheating on me!” “CASLYN AMBER PRESTON! Girls tell you they won’t fall all over me but when you’re not looking…” Caslyn blinked back tears “When I’m not looking what? You flirt with them? You kiss them? You cheat on me?!” Caslyn’s voice cracked and a single tear slid down her cheek. “CAS! Chill out! You are my girlfriend! Or should I say WERE my girlfriend?” Link slammed his phone shut. Finally he was free of his self-obsessive anorexic girlfriend who wore too much make-up and freaked if she couldn’t have the newest $400 Coach Handbag. “LINK! Are you there?! Link I am your girlfriend! Right?! Link! Please?! LINK! No! Hello?! Link!” Caslyn screeched into her cell phone. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She and Link were the perfect couple. They had been together for 4 years, on and off. She couldn’t let it be over now. Not when prom was right around the corner. Caslyn burst into tears. She picked up her phone and dialed Ayden’s number. She needed someone to cry to, and Ayden was always there for her.
“I can’t believe it! We were so perfect. And I thought we could fix things!” Caslyn cried. “Oh honey. I’m sorry! I told you that boy had a problem” Ayden said, wishing Caslyn would just deal with it on her own and accept the fact that she was dateless for prom. It was 4 in the morning and Caslyn had been crying to Ayden since midnight. “No. He doesn’t have a problem! He just doesn’t know what’s good for him. If he did, he wouldn’t have left me because I am what’s good for him. He’s just so confused right now with football and me and Grey having his surgery on Friday. He can’t possibly seriously want a full on break-up.” Caslyn said, finding herself actually believing what she was saying “He just can’t handle everything, so I’ll just delete myself from his problems for a little while. Then after two weeks or so, he’ll realize he needs me back Plus, it’s not like he wants a different girlfriend! Every time we break-up, he finds someone new but then realizes he just wants me. That’s all.” Ayden was dumbfounded. CONFUSED?! Link was a player, a cheater. Not a confused quarterback with a self-absorbed rich girlfriend and a best friend who was getting ready to have surgery. “Puh-lease! Caslyn, we both know how Link works. He “takes a break” from his girlfriends, leads them to believe he still loves them, and then breaks their hearts. You two are not a couple, yall aren’t getting back together, you aren’t going to prom with him, and I NEED TO GO TO SLEEP! Bye.” And with that Ayden hung up. Caslyn gasped. First the loss of her boyfriend, now her best friend mad at her? Life was so not fair.

Link. I know you are a sucker for sweet girls and all, so I decided to write you a letter rather than to call you. Link I miss you. You were my better half. We had so many good times and I can’t believe it’s over between us. I love you Link. You know that. This is not some pretend love. It’s true. I will always love you Link. You were my first true love and if you don’t take me back, I’ll still love you. Forever. I shared my first kiss with you. I shared 4 years of my life with you. [Not to mention the other 5 that we’ve been friends!] We shared so much, some things I am not mentioning. And I would like to share prom with you. I’m not just giving up this quick. I’m fighting for the one thing I know is right in my life. Us. We were meant to be. And I believe we will be. Please think twice about what you’ve done. I need you Lincoln Peterson. You are the only guy for me. I love you more than you could ever know.
XOXO, Caslyn
Caslyn folded the letter in half. It needed something special. She dropped it onto her bed and sauntered over to her bathroom. She picked up her Hollister perfume and her Victoria’s Secret Cupquake lip gloss. She flopped down on her bed and lifted the folded letter. She spritzed it with perfume and slipped it into the envelope. After addressing and stamping the envelope, she turned it over, licked the flap, and closed it. She applied a fresh coat of Cupquake lip gloss, picked up the envelope, and sealed it with a kiss. She knew Link would easily fall for her letter. It was the perfect plan. Caslyn smiled to herself as she turned her ipod on and slipped the headphones into her ears.
“Dude, she is so still into you!” Grey said, pointing at something behind Link. Link whipped his head around. There she was, slowly making her way over to his table, with what looked like an envelope in her hands. Link turned back around “God, what does she want?” he said with a sigh. “I have no clue” Grey said pushing his fork through his mashed potatoes “but I’m guessing it involves you.” Caslyn tapped Link on the shoulder. He turned around completely, so he was facing her. To his surprise, Caslyn plopped down in his lap, wrapping her legs around his, their faces so close she could smell his after shave. She smiled at him sweetly and ran her fingers through his hair, letting them find their way down to his lower stomach. “Hey Link” she purred “I missed you last night.” Last night? What was she talking about?! Link wondered, and raised an eyebrow, turning his head and giving Grey a confused look. He had chill bumps from the way Caslyn was running her fingers down his stomach. He shifted in his seat so Caslyn slipped off onto the bench, and he was away from her touch. “What was last night?” he asked irritated. “Oh Link! Don’t play dumb with me! You know what Wednesday nights are!” Caslyn said, as she wrapped her arm through Link’s. “No. I don’t. I know what Wednesday nights were.” Link said, scooting away from Caslyn, and unlinking their arms “No, it is our movie night! Why weren’t you there?” Caslyn said staring at him. She scooted over to him so their bodies were touching. There they sat quiet for a moment. But Link soon broke the silence “We aren’t together any more Caslyn. Just live with it, ohkay?!” he said, jerking his body away from her sequin adorned body. Caslyn shifted in her seat uncomfortably “Ohkay. I will. I was just trying to make sure we were really over” she blinked back tears as she stood up. “Just…just…” she felt like she was choking on her words “Just take this. And, read it, please” Caslyn shoved the envelope into Link’s hand and sniffled as she quickly made her way to the girl’s bathroom. She knew she was about to break down and cry, and she didn’t want anyone to see. This couldn’t be happening. All Caslyn wanted to do was lay down and die, but she knew she couldn’t. Maybe Ayden was right, and she should take revenge on Link- now that she hated him.