Chapter 8: The Plan Starts

Alex's POV

The guys were all gathered in the back corner of the schoolyard, away from prying eyes. This wasn't the first time we had met here to talk business. Most of the time, it was about school projects or the occasional prank, but today? Today was different.

I had a plan. And it was time to put it into motion.

"Alright, listen up," I said, my voice low but commanding as I turned to face the group. "We've got a problem."

Mark raised an eyebrow, clearly not liking the sound of that. "What kind of problem?" He leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, studying me.

"Her name's Ariana Ramirez," I said, watching their reactions carefully. They all knew who she was now—everyone at school did. But I wasn't just talking about her name. I was talking about what it meant.

"Ramirez?" One of the other guys, Luca, muttered the name like it was something foul. He was one of the more aggressive ones, the type who liked to get his hands dirty when it came to trouble. "What's the deal with her?"

I glanced at Mark, who was waiting for me to lay out the plan. "Her cousin is Ethan. You all know what that means."

The guys exchanged looks. Of course they knew. Ethan Rafael Ramirez. The guy we'd been trying to get back at for weeks now, ever since his reckless actions caused a bunch of us to get dragged into trouble. He was a pain in the ass—and his cousin, Ariana, was a perfect tool to get to him.

But there was something I hadn't anticipated.

"Now here's the thing," I continued, looking around the group. "We're using her to get back at Ethan. But..." I hesitated, glancing at Diego, who was sitting a little too quietly off to the side.

"But what?" Luca pressed, clearly eager to get to the good part.

"I'm not telling Diego." My voice was firm, and I could feel the tension building. Diego had been acting weird lately—too friendly with Ariana. It was clear he'd gotten too close to her for comfort. I couldn't trust him to be part of this. Not now.

"Wait, what?" Luca blinked, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Why? He's one of us."

I met his gaze. "Yeah, well, lately, it's not looking like it. He's been talking to her way too much, and it's starting to mess things up."

Mark sighed, rubbing his temples. "I told you this was gonna get complicated." He looked at the group, shaking his head. "We keep this tight. No one else gets in. Especially not Diego."

One of the other guys, Tony, added, "We can't risk it. If he's too close, it's gonna ruin everything."

There were murmurs of agreement from the rest of the group. They knew it was the right call. Diego was unpredictable, and his recent behavior was starting to raise suspicions. If he got too attached to Ariana, it would complicate the whole plan. We needed her to stay in the dark about what we were really doing—at least for now.

I took a deep breath, looking at each of the guys around me. "Alright, here's how it's gonna go. We play nice with Ariana. We make her think we're her friends. We get close to her, make her trust us. Then, when the time's right, we use her to get to Ethan."

Mark nodded, a grim look on his face. "And we keep things smooth. No mess-ups."

Luca grinned darkly. "Don't worry. I've got this. I'll make sure she stays in line."

I ignored him, turning my gaze back to the rest of the group. "Remember, we can't afford to screw this up. Ariana's smarter than she looks, and if we let her get too suspicious, the whole thing could backfire."

The guys nodded, but there was a spark in their eyes. They were ready. They were all in.

Except for Diego.

I glanced over at him one last time. He wasn't saying much, just staring off into the distance, his expression unreadable. I couldn't figure him out, not anymore. But that didn't matter. What mattered was the plan. And if he wasn't going to be part of it, then I would handle it without him.

"We move forward tomorrow," I said, signaling the end of the meeting. "Let's make this work."

As the guys broke off and started to leave, I noticed Diego hesitating. He still hadn't moved. He hadn't even acknowledged me. And that? That bothered me more than I cared to admit.