The White Wolf

One: Vinegar Balloons

Sydney

"Meg, you in position?" I asked through the pink walkie-talkie that Megan's seven-year-old sister reluctantly let them borrow.

"Yep Girly. You?" Megan asked back moments later, her voice crackling over the walkie-talkies' weak connection.

"Yeah, give me a second to double-check the gear," I answered briefly before turning to the black garbage bag that sat beside me on the forest ground. Shuffling the items in the bag around, I searched for the slingshot and counted up the fifteen balloons we packed.

Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I glanced at the time then checked for any calls from my mom.

"Syd, you ready yet Girly?"

Shoving my phone back into my back pocket, I retrieved the walkie-talkie off the dirt ground and held the black button on the side down before talking into it once again. "Yeah yeah. Are you?"

"Yep," Meg said popping the 'p'.

"Have you called and checked to make sure Em's at the car and ready for us?"

"That I have my young Padawan," Megan mocked. If I was standing beside Meg I could already see her cocky smile and her recently dyed, manicured purple eyebrow raised.

"How does the lacrosse field look?"

Meg had concocted this plan declaring it a necessity on our senior year to-do list.

Emily and I were hesitant of Meg's general distaste for the series of jerks on the lacrosse team until she pleaded for revenge after the destruction of a theater set that she and a few other thespians worked diligently on. Apparently, it had been the lacrosse team's hook-up spot until it was unceremoniously knocked over and damaged beyond repair. With a shimmer of tears that only our thespian friend could summon, Emily and I couldn't deny her.

The plan was to shoot off as many water balloons, which were filled with vinegar instead of water. Originally paint was discussed as a means of a liquid medium, but Emily said they weren't out to damage school property and to just use something clear.

Following that was a little friendly competition at Meg's house, where we deemed me the most savy balloon launcher.

With Meg as the sadistic lookout in the stands, I was supposed to fire off as many sticky balloons as possible until someone caught on. After that, Meg and I would take off running to the car in the school's parking lot where Emily would be waiting for us in the car.

I sat on the forest ground that spooned the lacrosse field.

If I get caught in the forest at least I won't 'technically' be on school grounds.

Shaking off the negativity, I reaffirmed my belief that we weren't going to get caught...or at least planning not to. Nerves were starting to bite at me and I was beginning to second guess about this whole plan.

No, no. Come on Sydney do something spontaneous for once in your life. It's not like you will get in any serious trouble.

"Okay, my Padawan. Are you ready?"

"I was born ready," I answered her with a facade of renewed confidence.

Meg's chuckle broke through crackly. "Alright. Get off as many shots as you can before I call you and tell you to run as fast as that little ass of yours will let you, okay?"

"Yeah yeah, let's get this show on the road already," I said before I lost my nerve.

I placed the walkie-talkie on the ground and picked up the large slingshot.