Gossip spread through Camp like a virus and before dinner everyone knew what had happened and Alexa had the missing pieces filled in for her. Jeff was something of a serial womanizer. He got some sort of sick thrill out of breaking girls' hearts and whether it was some Aphrodite blessing or his own silver tongue he was often able to convince someone new to date him even after all the girls in camp heard about the last disaster.
Alexa saw him at dinner, and breakfast the following day, strutting around like a peacock while Jazz was nowhere to be seen. Her blood boiled but she fought down her rage. This wasn't the time to punch him. If she did he'd play the victim and find a way to save face...she needed a way to kill that monster of an ego. That was the way to deal with someone like him, and she would.
She had been surprised by the ruthless anger she had found deep in her gut at seeing her best friend so upset. Had it not been for Jazz's coaching she might've started punching Jeff the day they first came back and only stop if she were pried off. Now...well she had a few ideas, and the best one needed some help.
During lunch that day she barely even picked at her food. She just kept her eyes on her target until she was done eating. When she rose so did Alexa, dumping the contents of her tray in the sacrificial fire with a quick prayer to Hera and Nemesis to help her in her task.
"Melissa! Hey Melissa! Hold up a sec!" Alexa jogged to catch up with her former councilor.
The head councilor of Cabin 11 slowed so Alexa could catch up.
"How's it going Alexa?" Melissa asked, dropping her voice slightly so that no one else could hear.
"Not great." She sighed. "Jazz spent all of yesterday hunting in the woods. She didn't get in until two and she didn't wanna talk."
Truth be told, Alexa had been waiting and watching Cabin 5 for most of the night. When she finally saw Jazz stumbling in she had rushed out to talk but had been met with a door in her face. In the time since, Jazz had refused all visitors. Even Rose when she had tried to apologise.
Melissa nodded and sighed. "She just needs some space. We all do after Jeff's done." Both girls spared a moment to glare after Jeff, who's retreating form was only just visible from the dining pavilion.
"That's actually why I wanted to talk to you." Alexa said quietly. "I'm planning a prank to get back at Jeff."
A grin spread across Melissa's face. A twisted, almost evil, mischievous smirk that would've made her father proud.
"Whatever it is, I'm in. What do you need?" Melissa asked eagerly.
"I'm making a booby trap. But the timing is pretty important, it has to be put where he keeps his clothes while he's taking a shower or bath. I can't do that by myself." As Alexa explained Melissa's grin only grew wider.
"It won't do any permanent damage, right?" She asks
"Nope, he won't even have a scratch on him." Alexa promised
"Good, let me know when you're ready." Alexa nodded and hurried off back to Cabin 9.
The idea had come during her long night watching for Jazz. She had gotten some additional ideas from reading some of Jaime's sci-fi magazines but she had only done the prep work for the project up until now. Now that Melissa was on board she began in earnest.
Her fingers danced, twisting, molding, joining, cutting, and pressing. She worked for hours, well into the afternoon. It was close to five when she declared her creation finished.
What sat before her was a little bronze box with a hinged lid, a small photocell and a large red button. She smiled with satisfaction. She tucked her into a small bag with some of the other supplies, then headed out.
Melissa was already waiting, bouncing from foot to foot with nervous energy.
"I heard him at dinner." Said the older girl quickly. "He's planning on showering before the camp fire tonight!"
"Great!" Alexa said with a smirk. They only had to wait a few minutes for him to come into view. He gave Melissa a wide grin.
"Miss Jardine! You're looking positively radiant today, new shampoo, or are you just that dazzled by me?" He asked, taking a quick step forward.
"Get bent, Jeff, I already told you I'm not interested."
"So mean, what did I ever do to deserve such treatment? I'm sure you'd feel better if we just sit down and talk." His words washed over the pair, worming its way into Alexa's ears. Why was she doing this? Surely there were better solutions than the one she had come up with? How could she ever think this was a good idea? Maybe if they just talked things out...then…
"Yeah, no, not happening." Melissa deadpanned. Just like that the spell was broken. Alexa cast a glance at Melissa before Jeff scoffed.
"Your loss." As he walked away he called "You know where to find me if you change your mind!"
He disappeared into the pink Barbie house that was his cabin. Alexa just stared up at Melissa with wide eyes wonder.
"How'd you do that?" She asked "I mean...he just...you know…" she waved vaguely in the direction of her own head.
"Usually you can fight it off. Charmspeak isn't foolproof if you know it's coming. It also helps that I don't find him attractive." Mel explained.
"You don't? Really?" Alexa all but squawked. She wasn't even all that interested in boys yet, but even she felt all weird and goofy around Jeff.
"Nope." Melissa said matter of factly. "Now are we going to keep discussing my preferences or are we going to prank him?"
"Huh? Oh! Right!" Alexa reached into her bag and pulled out what she had made. "You gotta put it with his clothes, then hit the button, then close whatever it was. It won't go off until he opens it again."
"You sure?" Mel asked as she took the box
"About ninty percent sure," Alexa admitted, "I only had a few hours."
"Good enough for me!" Without another word, Mel snuck off disappearing with such stealth and speed that Alexa could've blinked and missed it.
Trusting her to do the job without being caught, Alexa moved down the row of cabins to number five. After surveying the area around the cabin and correctly determining that it was filled with more landmines than her cabin had gears, she opted for a more subtle method. She began tossing pebbles at the windows. It only took a minute for the door to burst open.
In the doorway stood a thickly set boy with a face like a bulldog, and messy brown hair. This, Alexa knew, was Bruce, Jazz's baby brother.
"What?" Bruce barked, glaring daggers at Alexa.
"Can you tell Jazz to come out please?" Alexa asked, fighting down her nerves.
"She's trying to sleep! What do you want?" Alexa doubted that living with a cabin mate that loud would allow anyone to sleep but she bit her tongue.
"I wanna give her a present...please? It'll make her feel better, promise!" Alexa asked politely. Bruce frowned down at her, but retreated back inside without fully closing the door. Alexa heard shouts, banging, something heavy hitting the floor, then Jazz appeared, grumbling. A new spark of anger burned in her gut when she noticed the ring of red around each of her friend's eyes.
"Hey Jazz." She said, her voice softening.
"Hey Spits...look not to be rude or whatever but I'm really not in the mood for this right now, can you come bac-"
"Nope" Alexa shook her head firmly. "If you go back in there you lose your present and you'll just have to hear about it from other people!"
Jazz raised one eyebrow at Alexa but she didn't shut the door. Taking that as a good sign, Alexa gently motioned to Jazz, urging her out of the cabin. With a sigh, Jazz followed her diminutive guide the short way to the center of the cabins' half circle.
Once they had gotten in view of Cabin 10 Alexa stopped and reached into her bag. She pulled out a folded lawn chair and with a flourish she unfolded it. Just as she was unfolding the second, Melissa came hurrying out of the cabin.
"Put it in his underwear drawer!" She giggled.
"Good!" Alexa giggled right back.
"What's going on?" Jazz asked slowly, taking her seat in the folding chair.
"Oh just getting your present ready." Alexa answered mischievously. She finished with the three chairs and handed Melissa a polaroid camera. "Here, you're gonna want this."
As Melissa fussed with the camera, taking her seat, Alexa sat down in her own and pulled her last item from the bag, a stuffed cat. One of the stuffed animals Melody had gotten her for Christmas. She plops it in her lap, and starts stroking its head. She grins at Jazz.
"It completes the look" She said mischievously. "Just like the guy with the scar." She and Jazz had movie night every week, what she was referring to was a villain from one of Jazz's picks a month or two back. James Bond was always a frequent feature in Jazz's selections.
"Would you two just tell me what's-!" Jazz started to demand. She was cut off by a small thud followed by the shrillest, girliest scream any of them had ever heard. Immediately after, the door to Cabin 10 burst open and out scrambled Jeff. He was flailing and struggling against the enchanted threads of Alexa's creation.
She had taken some inspiration from Jaime's old sci-fi magazines, specifically an interview with the costume department from BBC's Doctor Who. The design of the suit worn by Collin Baker's Doctor was her main inspiration for what Jeff was now scrambling to remove, but she hadn't stopped there.
What Jeff currently wore looked as if a rainbow and a kaleidoscope had a child who threw up in a clothing store. Everything about the outfit clashed with itself; there was bright silver fabric next to plaid, red polka dots next to yellow and black stripes, brown and itchy wool with ruffled silk. It all came together to make Jeff look as if he had been attacked by a clown's wardrobe.
Jazz burst into laughter the moment Melissa started snapping pictures. Jeff froze, his head shooting up to stare at the three, his eyes wide like a deer in the headlights. His gaze locked on Alexa, who just sat there calmly, stroking the head of the pink cat.
"It won't come off. You're stuck with it for 6 hours." Alexa explained proudly.
"I...you.. what the hell!" Jeff cried.
"You're nothing but a bully, but instead of hitting with your fists you like to push around hearts. That's what makes you feel good, right? Doesn't feel nice when I do it, does it?" She turns to Melissa. "How'd those pictures turn out?"
"Perfect!" Melissa giggled as she examined three of the glossy pictures.
"Good!" Alexa grinned "How long do you think it'll take to get those to all the girls he broke up with?"
Jeff's face went scarlet. With a sharp turn he disappeared back into the cabin. Jazz continued to laugh, tears streaming down her cheeks as she gripped Alexa.
She smiled right back and gave Jazz a side armed hug. She had won, she had made Jazz happy again. She had stood by her friend and kicked the one who had hurt her right in the ego! She wouldn't see Jeff for the rest of the day...she didn't know it yet, but she wouldn't see him again for quite some time…