Operation Echo was a go.

This wasn't my first foray into the elusive and messy situation of How-To-Get-That-Boy-To-Fall-in-Love-With-You. In the past, I had relied on my looks and charming personality to get my way but those boys had merely been distractions, something stupid and sweet to entertain you at the end of the day – like a puppy. But I didn't need some simpering little dog trailing after me, I needed Cole Echolls to fall head over heels in love with me. And Cole Echolls was no puppy.

He wasn't Isaac who trailed after Meaghan. He wasn't Liam who would draw little drawings of his Moo Girl in his sketch pad that looked like some demented and perverted Chocolate Milk commercial. He wasn't like my Uncle Drew or Uncle Matthew who worshipped the ground of their wives. He was a complete different breed of boy –the jaded one who would rather bathe in acid then get into another relationship again.

Which made things harder than it had to be. But it was fine. I liked a challenge. I loved a challenge.

"Mack, you look like a serial killer," Elle muttered to me as she sipped her coffee.

I ignored her.

It was breakfast time and I was stabbing my eggs as I observed the Target slowly. I imagined a red target on his forehead, one I could just aim at and shoot with one of Grandpa Evans' guns for hunting.

I was startled when Liam leaned over and squeezed some ketchup unto my mutilated eggs. "What are you doing?"

"Oh well, I thought you weren't going to stop till your breakfast looked like a crime scene so I decided to help." He answered glibly, picking up the salt shaker and opening it slightly to pour a thin trail of salt over my plate. "Now all I need is some yellow tape and we're good."

I threw him an annoyed look. "Go back to your pining for Princess Moo-Moo."

He looked down at the table with a forlorn expression. "Can't. She's in her room, sick with the flu."

"Maybe you can bring her some soup then, Liam?" Meaghan suggested with the experience of a genuine, creepy stalker.

"Yeah and bring some Vicks vapour rub which you can massage into her chest-" Isaac yelped when Meaghan elbowed him in the side. "Hey, I'm just trying to help."

"Noooo," The strawberry-haired girl shook her head at her boyfriend. "You're being gross. Now stop being icky."

"I am not icky!"

And then they continued this couple-y banter which then led to kissing that only ended when one of the stricter nuns, Sister Eunice (or as we called her Sister Un-nice), came over and physically pulled them apart along with a sentence of detention for the night.

"Totally worth it," Isaac shrugged with a silly grin, arm around a blushing Meaghan.

Liam high-fived him.

Elle rolled her eyes.

I went back to staring at the Target but he was already getting up to leave for class. I pushed my sullied breakfast away and reached for my bag, standing up slower than I wanted as to not draw attention to myself.

"See you guys later," I told them before I turned away and followed the Target out of the dining hall in a leisurely place.


I had English with the Target which was one of the few classes I did not have with my friends. I usually sat in the middle and took notes, trying not to fall asleep and wishing for death, but the Target was seated at the front and reading some book. I tried to get a look at the title but damn plebeians kept getting in the way. Resigned, I realized I had to take the seat behind the Target to see which actually would work better for my plans of seduction.

The Target did not notice when I sat down, his eyes focused on his book and I stared at the back of his neck, the fine dark hairs there looked soft and my fingers wanted to touch. Weird.

I turned around in my seat to see some mousy-looking girl. I knew she was in my year and in this class but I could not remember her name to save my life. She was small, barely five feet and I wondered how her organs even fit in her body. Were they allowing toddlers into St. Mary's now?

"Yes?" I prompted, wondering if she was part elf or something.

"Um…" Dobby stuttered. "That's my seat."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Not anymore."

The lost eight dwarf stared at me in shock, obviously not getting the message.

I rolled my eyes and turned to her fully, giving her a look like she was a complete idiot. "Listen up, Frodo, go find some other hobbit hole to hide yourself in. This seat is mine."

Still not moving.

Jesus Christ.

"Go," I gestured for her to move. "Go, young hobbit, go."

She seemed to regain function of her brain and limbs and scampered away to one of the seats at the back. I hid a smirk and turned around to find the Target staring at me and he did not look impressed.

"You're Mackenzie Reinhart, right?"

It was the first time I've heard him speak and he had a nice clear and deep voice.

I blinked and tried to hide a smile, deciding to do Elle's trick, the I'm-too-cool-for-you. "Yeah. What's it to you?"

He looked away. "Guess they were just right about you."

"Who was right about me?" I leaned forward on my desk and tried to catch his eye again.

He looked at me again, dark eyes accusatory. "That you're a bitch."

I made a noise, something between a scoff and a gasp, truly offended. "And what, just because you hear some trollops gossiping about me you believe them already?"

"No, I don't make judgements based on hearsay," His judging tone matched his judging eyes, that judging jerk. "But you were unnecessarily mean to that girl a moment ago and that doesn't really disprove the rumours now, does it?"

I gaped at him and narrowed my eyes, wanting to smack him. How dare he? He didn't know me at all!

"So now you've stereotyped me as this spoiled little mean girl then?" I glared at him heatedly. "What else have you heard? That I'm a slut or I have boy parts or something?"

He shrugged. "Again, I don't believe in hearsay."

"Until proven right." I finished for him, more annoyed than I'd been for a while.

He turned away, self-righteousness practically seeping off him. I glared at the back of his head and seethed as our teacher finally came into the room and began the lesson.


"So, he thinks you're a bully?" Elle asked as we lounged on the grass outside.

We all had a free period except for Romeo and Juliet who had Chemistry together. Liam looked lost in thought, poking on the ground with a stick, his head on my stomach. My head was nestled on Elle's lap as she brushed my hair gently with her fingers, making me sleepy.

I was still in a bad mood from my first conversation with the Target and I scowled every time I remembered how he looked at me, like I was the worst person in the world. Such a judgmental asshole.

"Yes," I pouted. "He thinks I'm one of the evil stepsisters and not Cinderella."

Liam snorted, obviously not as out of it as I thought. "Please. You'd never be Cindy, Mack."

I sat up as much as I could with his head still on my belly and poked him in the temple. "And why not?"

"Are you kidding me? You're Queen M. You can turn into a fucking dragon when you're angry enough. You're not some girl who ever needs a fairy godmother or anyone to save her," He shrugged. "You rule, remember?"

Appeased, I lay back down. "Yes, I do."

"But you can come off as a bully."

I sat up again. "Elaborate, Shubert. Now."

"See? You're kinda scary and ruthless when you want something. I mean, you're awesome, Mack. I love you, you know that but you do have your moments."

"Like?"

He turned his head slightly so I could look into his hazel eyes. "You're a control freak."

"I am not!"

Elle snorted.

I turned to her and glared. "I am not!"

"Yeah, you kind of are." Elle agreed with a smile. "You like being in charge and that's okay. You're our Queen M and you rule us in all your awesomeness. We have accepted this."

"But Echolls doesn't know about this. He doesn't know or probably doesn't even get it." Liam supplied. "He just probably thinks you're a typical mean girl and apparently that isn't his type."

I scowled and plucked a flower viciously off the grass and tore of its petals in my frustration. "All I want is to destroy his spirit and break his heart? Is that so bad?"

"Well, if we're checking in with the ordinary view on morals…"

"Shut up, Liam." I tossed the small stem of the flower at the top of his head. "Go back to daydreaming about your cowgirl."

Liam let out a sigh. "Do you think she'd like it if I came over to her room and brought her some soup?"

"She wouldn't accept it if it came from you." Elle said. "She would think you'd poison it."

He sounded appalled. "I wouldn't!"

"Or at least spat in it." I countered.

He acquiesced. "Closest I'd ever get to kissing her."

I smiled, my mood lightening already with this silly conversation. I ran my fingers through his blue-black hair. "You're a sick individual."

"I'm hopelessly in love."

"Exactly."

I adored my friends.


We were in History and I was passing notes with Meaghan so she could know what a jerk the Target was. Everyone should know. I wanted to spread that stuff like Nutella. I was tempted to have a banner made that said, Cole Asshole Is A Jerk; Kick Him.

Maybe he likes nice girls.

I glared down at Meaghan's loopy cursive and wrote a response quickly.

And I'm not nice?

She stifled her giggles.

Nope.

I remembered my conversation with Elle and Liam earlier and began to wonder if they loved and feared me in equal measure. It was an odd balance.

So I should be nicer then?

With how much the Target bothered me earlier with his disparage on my character, I was determined more than ever to break his haughty little heart. Let's see whose sobbing into a mess in the corner by the end of this. I wanted him so in love with me, he'd think I walked on water with Louboutin heels. And he would shine my halo for me and throw rose petals at my feet.

An elaborate fantasy but it was my fantasy so it could be as insane and nonsensical as I wished.

Meaghan looked up at me and raised an eyebrow.

I thought you were allergic to nice. That you can't do it for too long or your body rejects it like a virus.

I'll take a vaccine then.

I was in this to win it. Cole Echolls, your heart is mine. They will tell legends about this. It will be a legacy for aeons to come.

Are you sure you just don't like him?

I scoffed.

Sure, Cole Echolls wasn't unfortunate-looking. I wasn't blind and he clearly lucked out on the genetic lottery with his movie star mom but even his prettiness was overshadowed by his propensity to make me want to throw him down a set of stairs. I mean, I would get away with it and no one would know. Thus, my feelings for him were merely in the You-Are-My-Target-And-You-Must-Be-Destroyed variety and nothing more.

Never happening.

Famous last words.

Shut up and go salivate over your boyfriend. He looks jealous that you're passing notes with me and not him.

She rolled her eyes.

He's so needy.

But you love him.

We shared a smile.

Well, duh.