Val and Ben look at one another and I watch as the smiles spread across their lips. Ben turns back to me, sitting up. "All right, what's the objective?"

"Revenge, of course," Val says without missing a beat. She glances at me. "Right, Wil?"

"Well, yes," I say.

Ben squints at me. "Sounds like there's a caveat to that."

"No caveat, just..." I sigh. "I want to come out of my shell. I'm sick of just waiting in the shadows for something to happen for me. I want to be the one to take initiative and make this a great year."

"But can we still make Levi rue the day?" Val quips, her eyes hopeful.

Ben whacks her with the pillow he's leaning on. "What is it with you and revenge plots?"

Val shrugs. "They're exhilarating, what can I say?"

Ben rolls his eyes, but looks back to me. "We're in, Wil."

Val readjusts how she's sitting, facing me entirely. The thrill of this idea is evident on her face; all signs of her prior exhaustion are gone.

"So," she says with a clap of her hands, "what kind of transformation plot are we going with? Mean Girls? Legally Blonde?"

"Are you just naming rom-coms?" Ben asks. Val waves him off, eyes still fixed on me.

I purse my lips. Those are the typical sorts of revenge plots, and while I may love those movies, they aren't exactly what I had in mind.

"I don't want to fake anything," I end up saying. "I don't want to try and become a part of Levi's friend group or anything. I'd be selling myself out if I did."

Val quirks an eyebrow. "So what do you have in mind?"

Frankly, I'm not all that sure, but I find myself explaining it anyway. "I want to seize every opportunity I can. I want people to know who I am for once, and not just because I'm smart."

"Ah, I get it," Ben says with a nod. "You want to become popular without being popular."

"Essentially," I confirm.

"Seems doable," Ben says. He glances at Val. "What say you, Garcia?"

Val takes a deep breath, her eyes fixed on her phone. "Well, team, we have our work cut out for us." She looks back up at me, beaming. "There's a party next weekend, and we're going."

My eyes widen. "Who's hosting it?"

"Who cares?" Val asks, tossing her phone over her shoulder. Ben yelps and catches it, reading the information. "Chances are that Levi will be there so it's the perfect place to confront him for what he did."

"And to give your new confidence a test run," Ben quips. He tosses the phone to me and I read over the information. I recognize the street, but I can't place who lives there.

"What do you say, Wil?" Val asks.

I take a deep breath. I know myself, and I know my limits. I've never been one for parties, but if I'm going to seize the year and make a change, it might be a step in the right direction.

"Let's do it," I say.

Val squeals and gets to her feet, her blanket falling to the ground around her. "Yes! You won't regret this, Wil! You did so well with that guy at the mall the other day!"

Ben's eyes widen. "Guy? What guy?"

Val and I lock eyes and promptly burst into laughter. Ben rolls his eyes, flopping backwards on the couch. "Oh my God, just tell me!"

But Val and I are too busy laughing, so all Ben can do is laugh along. Soon, the house is full of laughter, and it's almost easy to forget why we're gathered here. Heartbreaks, be gone. Anguish has no place among my friends and I' there isn't anything we can't do. And in that moment, I smile.

Levi won't know what hit him.