Back at home in her room, Destiny sits on the blue, cushiony window seat and looks out the window. It’s a beautiful sunny, summer day. She sees a squirrel jumping from tree branch to tree branch with an acorn in its mouth. It drops the acorn while hopping to another branch, but it keeps on going, barely realizing what it just did. Destiny wondered how that squirrel just dropped its acorn and didn’t realize it. Or perhaps realizing, but not caring at all.

She thinks about how her mom broke down crying in the parking lot for an hour just from seeing Shayne’s face. She gets up off of the window seat and opens the closet door. On the very top shelf all the way to the left, there is a small black shoe box. Destiny stands on her tip toes and carefully slides it off the shelf. She carries it back to the seat and sits down crossing her legs, placing the box in front of her. She takes the lid off of the box and sets it down next to her. In the box are memories of Christian. Destiny looks at all of the pictures of her brother touching his smiling face. A tear slides down her cheek. She smiles sadly when she looks at his toothless grin on the first day of 1st grade. At the bottom of the box are newspaper clippings from the accident. Destiny picks up one gingerly. A tear falls onto the piece of paper. Why did Christian have to die? It was all Shayne’s fault, and he barely got punished for it. He barely got punished for killing a little eight year old boy, accident or not! Destiny balls her hands into fists as tears angrily stream down her cheeks. She feels that Shayne deserves to feel the same sadness as her family did when Christian died. A sadness that feels like your heart is being ripped out of your chest.

The summer has ended, a bit too soon, and Destiny has just started high school. She is extremely excited but also quite nervous. It’s the first day of 9th grade, the first day of being a freshman. It has been a very eventful, overwhelming morning. Destiny finally gets a break. She has just bought lunch and is holding her lunch tray in her left hand and her books with her right. She drops her pencil and she stops and looks down at the floor trying to find it when someone bumps into her from behind. Destiny falls to the ground as her tray and books fly up into the air. Her tray clatters off the tiled floor and food splashes everywhere turning her books into a soiled, disgusting mess.

The whole cafeteria is silent as everyone stares at her with wide eyes and open jaws. Then they burst out laughing. A tall boy looms over her. He’s dressed in a basketball jersey and shorts, holding a brand new orange basketball.

“I didn’t mean to do that,” he says. It’s Shayne. He grabs her hand to try to help her up but Destiny pulls it away. She’s close to tears, her face burning a tomato red.

“Get off of me,” Destiny says angrily as she grabs her books off the ground. She looks at Shayne and then stands up and runs out of the cafeteria. She runs down the hallway to the girls’ bathroom and locks herself into a stall. Destiny sits down on the toilet and buries her face into her hands as tears stream down her cheeks. She knows that Shayne needs to be taught a lesson, and she is the one who needs to teach it to him.

Destiny opens her eyes wide and stares up at the ceiling, unblinking. The room is pitch black. Outside, the moon glows through her window. A light breeze shakes a tree’s thin branches. The noise of a car driving down the street causes her to roll over on her side to look at her digital clock. It’s 2:00AM. Destiny doesn’t know what caused her to wake up, but she has thought of a great idea. She knows what she must do to cause Shayne exactly what he deserves: hurt, pain, confusion, and anger.
Destiny sits up in bed and props herself against the pillows. She quickly switches on her bedside table lamp and it lights up the room. A blue notebook and pen lay on the table and Destiny leans over and grabs them. She opens up the notebook to a clean page, uncaps the pen, and begins scribbling furiously, pausing to think, then quickly writes more. She has a plan. A great plan. An evil plan. She just hopes it will work.
By the time Destiny has stopped writing she is extremely tired. The clock reads 2:16AM. She turns off the light, wriggles down underneath the warm comforter, plops her head onto her pillow and immediately falls asleep. She smiles deviously as she dreams about what Shayne will get in the weeks to come.

Today is pep rally day and everyone is extremely excited and dressed in school colors: blue and gold. Destiny is wearing blue and gold face paint and makeup and a decorated shirt and shorts. Many of her classmates have painted their faces and dyed their hair. Most of them are unrecognizable. All of the kids on the school teams are wearing their team uniforms. The whole school has been riled up all morning. They can’t wait for the pep rally this afternoon with the music, sports teams, wild screaming, cheerleading stunts, and blue and gold confetti. The cafeteria is an absolute madhouse that the teachers can’t seem to control.
Destiny lingers outside the large doors searching for Shayne in the swarming crowd. She finally spots him walking and laughing across the cafeteria wearing his basketball uniform, a brown paper lunch bag in hand. As soon as he stands next to the trash can to toss the bag away, Destiny runs into the cafeteria and darts through the crowd, quickly making her way toward Shayne. As she runs by him she gives his shorts a swift tug. They fall to his ankles as she runs out of the opposite side of doors. She watches from behind the door as the whole cafeteria suddenly becomes dead silent. Everyone is staring at Shayne with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Shayne quickly pulls up his shorts with his free hand and looks around angrily.

“Who did this?!” he shouts. No one says anything. One person lets out an accidental chuckle, then everyone begins to laugh. The laughter grows louder and louder, more wild and hysterical. Even the whole basketball team is laughing. “Stop laughing! It’s not funny!” he yells as he stomps out of the cafeteria.

Destiny grins. He had it coming to him and he definitely deserved it. She thinks about what he did to Christian. It makes what she did to him look very minuscule compared to what he had done to her and her family.

A few hours pass, and finally it’s time for the pep rally. Each member of the basketball team is called by name, running into the gym hooting and hollering. The principal calls Shayne’s name. When he runs into the gym, everyone starts laughing at him and pointing, recalling the incident in the cafeteria earlier today. He ignores the laughter but as he stands next to his fellow teammates, he looks absolutely furious. Destiny can’t believe her luck.

Even after the cafeteria incident, she still has more surprises planned for Shayne. That night, she spends a while typing up a note on her laptop.
Dear Shayne,
I saw Morgan hooking up with Liam Michaels at a party this weekend. Just wanted to let you know since I know neither of them will say anything to you themselves. If you confront her, I’m absolutely sure that she will deny it. Don’t believe anything that comes out of her mouth. It’s all lies. What I’m saying is true.
Signed,
A friend

At school the following morning, Destiny lingers around the corner and watches as Shayne gathers all the books he needs for the day, slams his locker shut, and walks down the hallway, his arm slung over Morgan’s shoulder. Destiny quickly scurries over to Shayne’s locker. She retrieves the folded up note from her sweater pocket and carefully slides it through the slits.

Destiny knows that Shayne will open up his locker right before his lunch period, so she makes sure she is there watching his every move.
Morgan stands beside Shayne as he opens his locker. The note flutters down to the floor. “What’s that?” she asks.

Shayne merely shrugs as he bends down to get the note. He snatches it up off of the floor. As he begins to read it, Morgan peers over his shoulder. Shayne finishes reading the note and he swivels around to face her. He looks disgusted.

“Morgan! Is this true?!”

She furiously shakes her head back and forth. A tear glistens in her eye. “No, Shayne. Of course not! Why would you even think I would do something like that to you? I would never! Not in a million years!” She rips the note out of his hand and tears it into pieces, throwing the remains on the floor.

“But what about that time…” he begins.

“Shayne, don’t tell me that you’re even considering that this note is true!” Morgan shouts. A tear slides down her cheek.

“You told me you were only friends with him! Now you’re hooking up with him behind my back? I knew you were more than friends. I knew it.”

Right at that moment, Liam Michaels walks over to Morgan and puts a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Morgan and Liam have been good friends since third grade. But to Shayne, it’s all the evidence he needs.

Morgan pulls away from Liam’s grasp. She turns to face him. “Now’s not really the time, Liam—” she starts to say.

“I can’t believe you, Morgan!” Shayne yells at her. “I really can’t believe you!” By now, a small crowd has gathered to watch. In a quieter voice, “I truly loved you and I thought you truly loved me.” His eyes look hazy and glistened.

“I do love you. I always will,” Morgan says quietly, her voice full of sadness and hurt as she reaches up to touch the side of his face. “Please, Shayne.”

He swipes her hand away. His eyes are narrow, his eyebrows furrowed in anger. “Don’t! Just don’t. We’re done, Morgan. Done!” With that, he shoves Liam in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards into the lockers, then turns and stomps away. As he leaves, the crowd of kids begins to buzz. Rumors about Shayne and Morgan’s break-up begin to spread through the school.

Destiny can’t believe what has just happened. Surely she intended to hurt Shayne, wanting to break him up with Morgan, but now she isn’t so sure. Then she thinks about Christian, how Shayne just took away someone she loved so dearly and how much that hurt her—how much it still hurts. She stands up straighter and comes to the conclusion that Shayne fully got what he deserved. Actually, not even close to what she has planned for him next.

In her backpack are two cans of bright pink spray paint and a kitchen knife. During her lunch period, she gets the paint and knife from her locker and shoves them under her sweater. She runs through the cafeteria doors and hurries outside. Destiny quickly finds Shayne’s car. It stands out in the parking lot, practically glittering under the sun. It’s brand new with a perfectly clean coat of bright red paint and shiny wheels.
She rushes over to it and quickly scans the parking lot, making sure that no one is watching. No one is. Destiny ducks down next to Shayne’s sports care and yanks up her sweatshirt. The contents spill out all over the ground. She grabs the paint cans and stands them upright so they won’t roll away. Just in case, she flings her hood over her head while picking up the key. Destiny keys Shayne’s tires to the point where all of the air slowly drains out.
Then she picks up the two cans of spray paint and turns the tomato red into a bright, glimmering pink. On his front window she writes KARMA in large, bold letters. After coating the whole car and using up the last drop of spray paint, Destiny rushes back to the cafeteria and nonchalantly strolls in. She spots Shayne, sitting at a table with his basketball buddies. She grins as she thinks about how Shayne is totally oblivious and will be in total shock when he sees his car later today.
After school that day, Destiny grabs her belongings from her locker and shoves them into her backpack. She slams her locker door shut and quickly walks outside where she sees Shayne’s bright pink car. Two girls are standing next to the car, pointing, giggling, and calling their other friends over. Destiny lurks around the parking lot, waiting to see how Shayne will react after seeing his car.
A large crowd of people has now gathered around the car. They are laughing loudly, shouting, and taking pictures and videos. She watches as Shayne pushes his way through the crowd. He sees his car and his jaw drops. He stands frozen for a few seconds and then turns angrily toward the crowd of people.
“What the heck!” he screams. “Who did this? Who the heck did this?!”
Everyone seems a bit taken aback and a strange silence falls over the crowd. After a long period of silence, a brave blonde haired boy standing at the front of the crowd speaks up. “Wow dude,” he says. “Someone must seriously hate you.”
“Hm, funny,” Shayne retorts. He whips out his cell phone and quickly walks back to the school. He’s not able to drive his car in the condition it is in.
Destiny stands to the side of the large crowd. She enjoyed seeing Shayne’s face, the way his vein bulged in his neck while he screamed. She didn’t feel the least bit sorry for him now. She merely grins and walks away.

After the last bell rings during the next day at school, Destiny walks outside with her backpack in hand and smiles as the warm sun beats down on her skin. She thinks about how good it felt to finally have revenge on the person who caused her so much pain when suddenly, she hears her name being called.

“Destiny! Destiny, wait!” It’s Shayne.

Destiny doesn’t know what to do. She turns around. He’s jogging toward her. Should she run? Should she stay put? She stays where she is as Shayne runs up to her. Her heart beats faster and faster.

“I need to talk to you,” he says. “Come with me.” He begins to walk over to the baseball field. His legs are long and Destiny has to trot behind him to keep up. He begins to walk slower and then stops completely and turns to look at her. His eyes meet hers. She looks down at her hands. “I know it’s been you,” he says simply, staring at her, long and hard.

Destiny doesn’t know what to do. Should she begin to cry and blubber apologizing over and over again? Should she deny the whole thing?
“What do you mean?” she asks as she bites her lower lip and shifts her eyes from her hands to Shayne.
“Destiny, don’t play dumb with me. I know that you were the one who pulled all of those terrible stunts on me. I’ve known since you spray painted my car pink and slashed my tires. I know you pantsed me on pep rally day and broke me and Morgan up.”
Destiny looks down at the ground and then up at Shayne. She feels guilty, but then a wave of anger rushes over her. Why should she be the guilty and sorry one? “You should be the one that’s sorry!” she blurts out. She feels her cheeks burning. “What I did to you was absolutely nothing compared to what you did to me and my family. Don’t pretend that everything’s fine. You humiliated me in front of the whole school by bumping into me on the first day, so I humiliated you. Your car hit Christian, so I destroyed it. And worst of all, you killed my brother and took away someone I loved, so I took away someone you loved.”
Shayne pauses as all of that sinks in. “Destiny…” he begins.
She stops him. “Save it, Shayne.” She turns and starts to walk away when she feel a hand rest firmly on her shoulder.
“Wait, Destiny,” he says. He spins her around and she stares into his large brown eyes full of hurt and agony. “You think that I don’t know what I did? I know what I did. I killed a young, innocent little boy just by drinking one beer too many. It was a stupid, fatal mistake. You think I pretend that I don’t know and that I’m not sorry? It eats me up inside every single day. It’s like a weight that’s being pressed on my shoulder that I just can’t get rid of. I’ve learned my lesson. I’m never going to forget what I did. It will be burned into my heart forever. And on that first day of school when I bumped into you, I just wanted to apologize and talk to you but I was so nervous about what I was going to say that I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. Will you ever forgive me?”
Destiny stares at him. “Shayne, I will never forgive you. Ever. I can’t.” She turns from him and walks away.

At home, she lays in her bed and thinks about what has happened earlier at school. She didn’t realize that Shayne had felt this way. She starts to feel a little bit sorry for him but then stops when she remembers the hole he had torn out of her heart. Part of her wants to hurt him even more, but her conscience tells her the opposite. Perhaps living with this awful guilt for the rest of his life would be far worse than anything else Destiny could ever come up with.
Destiny rolls onto her side and grabs a picture frame off her nightstand. It's a picture of Christian. She lays flat on her back and holds it up with two hands. She looks at it lovingly and tenderly kisses it. "I'm so sorry. I love you so much," she says. Destiny hugs the frame tight to her body, rolls over, and closes her eyes.