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MD - Chapter 72: Prank III
🕑 Added 2025-03-08 18:03:36 +0000 UTCPalisades High School – 2:55 PM
Andrew was sitting at his desk, with about five minutes left before class ended. But he had to leave now—he needed to head to Alex’s Middle School to witness the prank Haley had set up for Alex.
As for Haley’s prank… well, it wasn’t exactly his idea of fun. In his opinion, it crossed the line, but convincing Haley to abandon a mischief was practically impossible once she had set her mind to it.
The professor was reading aloud a dense paragraph about biology. Without thinking any further, Andrew raised his hand to get her attention.
“Yes, Andrew?” the professor asked, looking up as she noticed his raised hand. The entire class turned their heads to look at him.
“Can I go to the bathroom?” Andrew asked.
The professor hesitated for a few seconds. She usually didn’t let students leave for the restroom, but seeing that it was the star student, she granted his request. “Go, but be quick.”
“Thanks,” Andrew said before walking out of the classroom.
As he turned into the hallway, he found Haley standing there, arms crossed, glancing at the small watch on her wrist.
“Took you long enough. Come on, we can’t miss this!” Haley said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along excitedly.
“Whoa, slow down, Haley! We’re not supposed to get caught,” Andrew said.
“I know,” she replied with a mischievous smile. “But I have a route where you’ll never run into anyone.”
Haley quickly led him through empty hallways, avoiding areas where they might run into teachers or janitors. They exited the main building through a side door that opened into the school campus—an expansive grassy field with sports courts, picnic tables, and a few scattered trees.
However, they couldn’t head for the main gate. They knew that at this hour, it was usually locked and possibly monitored by a janitor.
“This way,” Haley whispered, guiding him toward one side of the campus.
In front of them stood a brick wall.
It wasn’t too high, but high enough that a careless jump could result in a twisted ankle.
“All yours, cousin,” Haley said.
“Alright, give me some space,” Andrew said as he measured the distance with his eyes.
He took a few steps back, gathered momentum, and ran toward the wall. At the last moment, he jumped, using the lower edge as a foothold to propel himself higher. His fingers gripped the top edge, and with an agile movement, he pushed himself up and climbed to the top with ease.
“Your turn,” Andrew said from above, extending his hand to Haley.
“I trust you, quarterback,” she joked, grabbing his hand firmly.
Andrew helped her up, pulling with steady care until she managed to climb over the edge.
Without a second thought, Andrew dropped to the other side with a swift jump.
Haley leaned forward slightly to check the height and frowned. “And how do I get down without breaking something?” she asked.
“Jump,” Andrew replied, stretching out his arms. “I’ll catch you.”
“What if you don’t?”
“Seriously? You’re not on top of a ten-meter wall or anything. It’s easy,” Andrew said, a little exasperated.
“Alright…” Haley took a deep breath and, without overthinking it, slid forward until her legs were dangling off the edge.
“Here I go,” she said and jumped.
The impact was softer than she expected. Andrew caught her effortlessly, holding her firmly against his chest.
Haley felt Andrew’s fingers pressing gently against her waist, making sure she didn’t lose her balance. His face was way too close to hers. Way too close.
“See? Told you, easy,” Andrew said with a smile as he set her down.
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go,” Haley replied.
Wasting no more time, they took off running toward Alex’s Middle School.
It didn’t take them long to get there. By then, classes had already ended, and the main gate was open, with several students leaving in groups while some parents waited outside. Taking advantage of the moment, Andrew and Haley walked in casually, blending in with the crowd as if they were just there to pick up her sister.
“Easy. Now, let’s enjoy the show,” Haley said, checking the time on her phone. 3:01 PM. They were right on time.
“When your mom comes to pick up Alex and sees you here, you’re going to be in trouble… And so will I,” Andrew said with a slight grimace.
“How bad can it be?” Haley said dismissively.
“She’s going to realize you skipped school, even if it was just for a few minutes. And what does your mom do when she finds out you did something wrong?” Andrew asked.
“Ground me for a week… or more,” Haley sighed. “Why do you have to ruin my fun?”
“I’m just preparing you for the inevitable punishment,” Andrew said with a smirk.
“But it’ll be worth it. Besides, we can get out of here without anyone seeing us…” Haley said. They just had to make sure they saw the whole show without being spotted by Alex.
“We can try,” Andrew said, shrugging.
They started walking around the campus, looking for Alex, but she wasn’t among the scattered students.
“Look over there!” Haley whispered, pointing to a group of students a few meters away. “That’s Austin. The one in the middle.”
Austin was standing with two friends. One of them was holding a sign, while the other clutched a bouquet of flowers, seemingly ready to hand it over at the perfect moment.
“Doesn’t your conscience feel guilty seeing this?” Andrew asked, glancing at Haley.
“No. Let’s hide,” Haley said, grabbing Andrew by the wrist and pulling him toward some nearby bushes to watch without being seen.
Finally, Alex appeared, walking toward the exit. Her brow was furrowed, and she had a frustrated expression on her face.
Andrew smiled at this. The prank seemed to have done its job. His revenge was complete. He was even with Alex for getting him drunk at the wedding.
Suddenly, Austin stepped in Alex’s path, and she looked up at him, clearly confused and not in the best mood.
From their hiding spot, Andrew and Haley couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they quickly started making guesses as Austin’s friend unfolded a sign that read: Will you be my girlfriend?
Austin picked up the bouquet of flowers and held it out to Alex, while his friends watched eagerly, as if everything was going to go perfectly.
Alex was startled at first, her face showing a hint of confusion. But as she realized she had suddenly become the center of attention, surrounded by students watching and whispering, she grew nervous.
“What do you want…?” Alex asked.
“I thought the sign was pretty obvious,” Austin said with a slight smile.
Alex looked up at the sign. As she read it, she had to summon all her strength not to let a look of disgust show on her face.
“So… will you be my girlfriend, Alex Dunphy?” Austin asked in a dramatic, chivalrous tone as he got down on one knee and held out the bouquet of flowers to her.
Alex went silent for a moment, staring at Austin as if she couldn’t believe what was happening.
'What!? What the hell is this Disney movie-style proposal?' she thought, taking a step back.
From their hiding spot, Haley couldn’t contain her laughter. “What the hell? Did he seriously get down on one knee?” she murmured, trying to stifle her giggles.
“You’re pure evil…” Andrew said, shaking his head. Though he couldn’t deny the scene felt way too over-the-top for his taste.
And this was coming from someone who had asked Pippa to be his girlfriend in front of over a thousand people—but that had been much simpler and more natural. He and Pippa were already dating; he just had to make it official with a straightforward question. No posters, no flowers, no kneeling.
Alex, visibly uncomfortable, looked at Austin with a mix of surprise and frustration. The murmurs around them grew louder, and the pressure of having the whole school watching made her break into a cold sweat.
Finally, after a few seconds of tense silence, Alex looked at Austin and said, “I’m sorry, but… no. I don’t have feelings for you, and I don’t even know you that well.”
She only ever talked to Austin about schoolwork and had been to his house maybe three times years ago for a group project. She didn’t even consider him a friend, let alone a romantic interest.
The rejection was immediate and direct. Austin and his friends stood there, stunned. The students watching the scene began whispering even more, making everything even more awkward.
As Austin opened his mouth to speak, Alex cut him off. “No means no. And I don’t even know what you were expecting with all this. We barely talk.”
Austin, his face red with embarrassment, slowly got to his feet and mumbled, “But… your sister told me you liked me…”
It was in that moment that Alex realized what had happened. Her expression shifted from disbelief to a mix of fury and resignation.
“What?” she said, barely believing it. “What the hell?! My sister?!” she snapped, looking around.
Her eyes landed on two heads poking out from some nearby bushes. She recognized them immediately. Her frown deepened, and she started marching toward the culprits behind all her misery that day.
Seeing Alex approaching, Haley and Andrew quickly ducked their heads down, trying to disappear from sight. But it was already too late.
"You two!" Alex shouted furiously, making Andrew and Haley jump to their feet.
"What? We were just watching," Haley said with an innocent look.
"Yeah, sure. Austin already told me that you told him I liked him..." Alex said.
"Slander and lies..." Haley muttered, playing dumb, which only made Alex even angrier.
"And you? What do you think about all this? Are you just going to stay quiet?" Alex asked, turning to Andrew.
Andrew, feeling nervous under his cousin’s piercing glare, quickly defended himself. "I had nothing to do with Austin’s confession!" he clarified. "That was all Haley. I only did the prank calls with moaning sounds, change your pens with bright pink, and change your books. That's it!"
"Oh, such funny pranks… But the thing with Austin? That crossed the line. And you, of all people, should know that," Alex said, her voice carrying more hurt than anger. Her eyes glistened in a way that was different from usual. "You know what it's like to have someone confess to you in front of a crowd. You were there. And yet, you didn’t do anything to stop this."
"You know what? I don’t have time for this," Alex said, wiping her eyes before turning and walking away.
Andrew watched his cousin leave, and that’s when he realized this wasn’t just normal anger. The situation was deeper than he had thought.
Haley, noticing the serious and unamused look on Andrew’s face, brushed it off. "Relax, Andy. Alex will be fine. I’ve seen her mad a thousand times."
Andrew didn’t respond. There was something about the way Alex left and the way she spoke that left a bad taste in his mouth.
"So, now what?" Haley asked.
"Alex probably already told your mom we’re here. Hiding is pointless," Andrew replied, already walking toward the exit.
When they stepped outside, they saw Claire standing with her arms crossed, leaning against the car, glaring at them. There was no need for words—they were definitely in serious trouble.
"Oh, look who we have here. Did you two time travel back to middle school?" Claire said sarcastically.
Haley’s face darkened at those words. She knew perfectly well that her mother was not going to let this slide. Suddenly, it didn’t seem so funny or fun anymore.
Claire sighed and crossed her arms again. "Skipping school, even for just a few minutes, will not go unpunished," she said firmly. "The good news is the school won’t hear about this. The bad news? I’ll be the one punishing you. Andrew, you’re going to tell your parents exactly what you did."
"Yes, ma’am," Andrew nodded.
"Let’s get inside," Claire said with a sigh, and everyone got into the car. Alex remained silent, not saying a single word.
"I’ll take you back to school. I know you have football practice," Claire said, addressing Andrew.
"Alright," Andrew nodded.
"But since they can’t know you snuck out, you’ll have to climb back over the wall again so no one suspects you ever left," Claire added.
Andrew raised an eyebrow at Claire’s suggestion. It made sense, but it was odd coming from an adult. Still, he nodded without objections.
He knew Claire wasn’t joking when it came to covering up anything related to skipping school. She dropped him off at the same wall he had climbed over earlier. He said goodbye to his family. Alex didn't even look at him.
Andrew climbed the wall with ease, landing on the other side in just a few seconds. He needed to grab his backpack and head to practice. But he still couldn’t shake his concern about Alex. She seemed more than just angry—it felt like something deeper, like she was actually upset.
He reached his classroom, now empty, and went straight to his desk. Grabbing his things, he headed out.
On his way to the football field, he suddenly stopped.
‘Should I go talk to her now? But I have practice...’ Andrew thought.
As much as he wanted to train, something inside him told him that family came first.
‘I’m going to talk to her,’ he finally decided, changing his course.
Comments
Ramzawing04
I also think that the confession prank was over the top~
