Prankster Buddies

It's a pity that all those amazing dishes are going to waste. I thought to myself as I lean content against the kitchen counter at my friends house. There's this urge to laugh out loud but I don't want Chris to suspect anything. Anything at all.

I sigh in exasperation as she bustled up and down the kitchen, talking on the phone to the event planner. It's her twenty fifth birthday, and she's going all out for it. Chris had been saving since last year for this particular birthday party, just for the right dress, shoes, hair style and venue. And last minute, she decided she wanted to prepare the dishes herself including the birthday cake. She is a good chef, no doubt, but she has no idea what is coming for her yet.

It was last month, On the first of April, I had overdue assignments to submit, so it didn't occur to me that it was the first of April and both I and Chris always had April fool's plans, to fool each other of course. I was so out of it, that all I wanted to do was to get to the office and submit the files to my boss so I can finally get maybe half an hours sleep before I get caught. As I stepped into the office, there was Chris in a lip lock with the guy from the tech department who also happens to be my crush. The one I have been gushing to her about for months, and worse still they were in my way, if I was going to get to my boss. Deciding not to give her the satisfaction, I took the stairs and headed for my office to catch my breath as it still hadn't occured to me that it was the 1st of April. I inserted the key and jiggled the for open, I'd barely stepped into the office when I was drenched head to my peeping toes inside my shoes with a icky red liquid. I didn't ask till date what it was, I was infuriated enough.

"April fool." I hear Chris chuckle from somewhere behind me, so she didn't see that my eyes were watery with tears. This was more than an April fool's prank. The file I'd printed to submit lay in ruins, and I was already five minutes late to deliver it, thanks to Chris and her lip lock with tech guy.

I managed to shut the door behind me, and she didn't even bother to check on me. The thing with Chris is that she doesn't understand boundaries. She always said she was the best prankster, and I was just a sloppy second. 

She had left to her desk without a second glance, I had to take care of the mess on the floor, hurry back home to get a change of cloth and reprint my report. I had to stand still and receive the belittling comments from my boss about being incompetent just because someone couldn't draw the lines. I vowed revenge that same day. I would draw tears from Chris eyes if it was the last thing I did.

"Stop standing there and do something." she snapped at me, bringing me back to the present.

She had left me in charge of the invitations of guest, and I'd invited tech guy, since they are now almost a thing. We were using her backyard, the whole place was set up nicely.

"You need to get dressed if you are going to be prepared."

Something tugged at my heart, but I put it away. I knew this was a day she would remember for the rest of her life, and that's why this makes a sweet revenge right? It doesn't matter that she'd been preparing for this for a whole year right? It's what Chris would have done if the role was reversed.

Chris hurried out of the kitchen after making sure everything was set, casting me a loathsome glance. I grinned at her, swallowing my anticipation

"You're just useless, you know that?" She asked as she headed to her room to dress up, I followed.

I watched her do her make up, slip into a sliver halter neck dress and a louboutin brown heels. 

"There should be guests arriving by now." She said.

When it was time, we went out to the backyard and there was tech guy alone. No one else, not a peep. There were empty seats.

"Where's everyone?" Chris asked, and I gave her a puzzled glance in return. It never crossed her mind that her dear friend had given them the wrong address.

We waited, and waited, and waited and...... tech guy dropped his gift and asked to leave.

"At least let me cut the cake before you go." She said in a small voice, she put on a brave smile for the camera I was holding and then the cake exploded as her knife dug into it. she was plastered all over with icing.

Her lips trembled and she looked away. Tech guy left awkwardly. Then the texts came in, People wished her a happy birthday and why she didn't show up at her own party? Some insulted her, and the tears fell. Her hair was a mess, her shoes and clothes ruined. She stared hard at me through the tears.

"Happy belated April fool." I whispered "and Happy birthday." I dropped her present on the table. It was her much coveted Always pan with an apple airpod.

I took my leave quietly feeling as miserable as Chris looked.

I had done it, but I hadn't won. I wasn't sure if I had a friend anymore, after all Chris is going to remember this day for the rest of her life. What bothered me most was the way she looked at me, like she had known such behavior wasn't beyond me.

She was the one who didn't have boundaries, I wanted a chance to defend myself, but with sickening feelings soon realized the truth. I was the one. Every of her birthday is always marked by some prank I pulled and this was the last straw. Truly I always did it on response to whatever she's done before, but that doesn't make it okay.

I knew what was at stake when I embarked on this, I knew I may be left with one less friend and I didn't listen.

Maybe i had fooled myself after all.

Maybe I've been fooling myself all the while, and had just been using April as a month to disguise the truth.

Maybe I'm a fool.