Chapter 7: Revenge

With Katherine firmly at his side, Mike enacts the ultimate revenge plan on his "rival", in desperate hopes of finally being able to move on with his life.

As soon as Katherine was dropped off at my location, the two of us began our stroll towards Kicksburg, the planned location of my revenge plot, and the hometown of my rival, Mark Simmons. It was located a mere two congressional districts over from Hitsville, though the former was slightly closer to Big Sky than the latter. For me, going to Kicksburg would definitely be interesting, and not just because of what I was planning to do there. In every game I played against the Rottweilers, they had always been the away team, so I never had the chance to tour the place before.

"So do you know how you're gonna get your just desserts?" Katherine asked.

"Yeah, I know. You'll see when we get there," I replied. "But uh, are you sure you want to help me with this?"

"Trust me, I'm absolutely positive. Like I said, I love you from the bottom of both my heart and my vag, and I'm sick and tired of seeing Mark's family hurt my boyfriend over and over again," Katherine spat in a sudden change of mood. "So long as you're happy, I'm happy too."

I did nothing more than smile in response, beyond thankful that there would always be someone who stood by me no matter what.

Up until that point, I had never set foot in Kicksburg, but I'd always assumed it to be quite different from Hitsville, except for the fact that they were both small towns. So when we eventually arrived there that evening, I was honestly shocked at how many similarities there were. It had a similar layout and population size, only one school district, church, and college, and a distinctive lack of chain establishments. If it weren't for the different names they had for themselves and their sports teams, both areas could easily be mistaken for each other. The only notable difference I was able to spot were the abundance of left-leaning political signs and bumper stickers, suggesting that the town occupied a blue district, compared to the red one that Hitsville was located in.

Simmons Manor wasn't very hard to find, seeing how it was the largest house in the vicinity. Really, it would only make sense for the richest couple in America to live there. Katherine and I snuck around the back of the mansion, hiding within the shrubbery until we came across an open, lit up window on the side. Taking a closer look, I was able to see a straight middle-aged couple. They both had long hair, with the man's being feathered and chestnut-colored, and the woman's being wavy and ash brown. I immediately assumed them to be Ryan and Leslie Simmons, sitting expectantly at the dinner table as their butler served them what appeared to be bowls of piping hot chili con carne. Just my luck that they were about to feast on a dish that could easily hide my castor beans.

Not long after the butler stalked away, Mark casually strolled past his parents, once again wearing his sports blazer as he headed for the front door.

"Young man, where are you going at this hour?" Ryan called after him.

"Got another late shift at the local journalism agency," Mark replied. "I'll hopefully be home by eleven, though, so leave some of that chili out for me."

"Goodness, why does he insist on taking up such a low paying job when he already has all the money in the world?" Leslie rolled her eyes.

"Now, now, honey. He can do whatever he wants with his life," Ryan defended his son. "Oh, speaking of which, we agreed we had to speak with him on something. Quick! Mark, before you go...!"

And just like that, the parents got up from the table and followed their son into the foyer. With an uncontrollable smirk on my face, I pulled out the bag of beans I'd been given and started to creep into the dining room.

"Uh, Mike? What are you doing?" Katherine asked quietly.

"Getting my just desserts, what's it look like?" I hissed.

"Like this?" Katherine's face turned nervous. "...Suddenly, I'm having second thoughts."

"What? But you promised-" I began.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but... I'm sorry! D-Do whatever you have to do. I'm happy to have your back, but I just can't participate. It doesn't feel right." Katherine hung her head as she snuck into a bush that was closer to the exit. "Just get it over with and we can get out of here."

After nodding, I managed to slip eight beans into each bowl of chili, watching them sink below the surface so they wouldn't appear obvious, before quickly hiding back in the bush. Peeking out, I watched with glee as Ryan and Leslie immediately dug into their supper. I could feel my grin spreading from ear to ear as they ate some more... and more... until finally they were finished, having practically licked their bowls clean.

I waited just another moment until both parents suddenly clutched their stomachs in agony, moaning quietly as they looked worriedly at each other, before passing out head first into their emptied bowls. I didn't even stop to savor the scene any longer, for as soon as they did so, I legged it out of the yard and made off with Katherine chasing me close behind. I couldn't even comprehend the emotional cocktail being shaken up inside me as we ran off into the night, but all I knew was that I had now found the peace in my life that had been sorely missing after Mark tackled me on that fateful day.

~ ~ ~ The End ~ ~ ~