Don't Get Mad, Get Even
Jemma made her way home from work. She was looking forward to going out with her boyfriend for the evening, but when she got through the door the phone started to ring.
'Hi, Jemma,' the caller said, once she had answered. 'Are you OK?'
'Oh, hi, Darren, I'm fine. Why are you calling? I'll be seeing you later.'
'That's just the problem, I'm afraid. I've got to go back into work. We are stocktaking this evening, while the shop is closed.'
Jemma was furious, and it wasn't for the first time that week he had phoned to say he couldn't take her out. She just slammed down the phone and ran towards the bedroom. But she didn't fancy staying in, so she got off the bed to go and phone her friend Alison.
'Hi, Alison. Fancy coming out tonight?' she asked after Alison had answered.
'I thought you were going out with Darren tonight.'
'Yeah, that's what I thought. He has just phoned me to say he can't make it. I'm mad. I don't want to stay in.'
'Hey, Jem, isn't that the second time this week that he's phoned to say he can't take you out?'
'Yeah, it is. Looks like he's making a habit of it.'
'Hang on, I'll be over in an hour. I could do with a night out myself.'
When Alison arrived, they took off to the pub, a couple of streets away. It was a favourite haunt of Jemma's and Darren's. In fact, it was where they first met.
When they got inside, they were surprised to see Darren, and he wasn't on his own. He was with a girl. Alison had seen her before, but she didn't know her that well. The two girls managed to walk out of the pub without being spotted.
Jemma was fuming as she and Alison decided to go to another pub.
'Wait till I get hold of him,' Jemma said as they were making their way.
'Oh, Jemma, you don't want to get mad, you want to get even.'
'And how am I going to do that?'
'I don't know, but leave it to me, I'll think of something.'
Alison hardly slept that night. All that kept going through her mind, was how Jemma could get her own back on Darren. Then an idea came to her. She couldn't wait to tell Jemma next day.
'Think it'll work?' Jemma asked, after Alison told her about the plan.
'It'll work. Trust me.'
'I hope so. I want to see that rat suffer for way he has treated me.'
'It'll work, don't worry.'
When Friday came, the two girls put their plan to work. Jemma had found out from someone she knew who worked at the pub that Darren and the giirl went into there most Friday evenings. This had been going on for about a year, and Jemma didn't even have any idea that it had been going on. He always said he was working late on Fridays. She never had any reason not to believe him.
She also found out that the girl usually met Darren outside the pub, after making her way by bus. She often got off at the nearby stop before walking to the pub to meet him. Jemma waited at the stop till the bus arrived.
'Are you going to meet Darren?' she asked the girl after she got off the bus.
''What's it got to do with you?'
'Oh, I'm his sister,' she said, hoping she didn't know that Darren didn't have a sister. 'He's working late tonight and can't make it.'
To Jemma's surprie the girl believed her, then made her way across the road to wait for a bus home. Jemma ran to the pub, hoping she'd get there before Darren.
'What are you doing here?' he asked Jemma when he saw her waiting outside the pub.
'What do you want to know for? You are usually working on a Friday night.'
Darren was speechless, especially when she saw this lad arrive and escort her inside the pub. It was Alison's brother, but Darren wasn't to know. They were meeting Alison inside as arranged, but she doubted that Darren would see it like that.
