My story animated is a digital platform that provides teenagers and adults the most interesting and life changing stories with the world.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Finally, I had the beach house all to myself for an entire month.
00:04A summer of sunbathing, parties with friends, and bonfires on the beach was headed my way.
00:09I couldn't wait.
00:10And the best part? A break from my dad's annoying rules.
00:13Hi everyone, I'm Taylor, the girl who has it all.
00:16Everyone knows my name, teachers love me, and I live in the sweetest Oceanside mansion on this side of the panhandle.
00:22Everything was falling into place.
00:24I'd just finished my senior year, I got accepted into my dream college,
00:28and I had a killer party planned at the end of the week.
00:30Life was great.
00:31My summer dreams shattered like a mirror when I saw a familiar face jump out of a moving truck next door.
00:36Before I continue, please like and subscribe.
00:38What is she doing here?
00:40I ducked behind the railing and peered over at a preppy-looking girl walking toward the neighboring house.
00:45Her hair clip stuck out like a sore thumb.
00:47Whoa, that's Heather Lanigan. I haven't seen her since...
00:50Shut up, Troy. She'll hear us.
00:52My annoying little brother almost gave us away.
00:54Thankfully, I pulled him out of sight just in time.
00:56Weren't you guys, like, best friends or something? Why are you being so sketchy?
01:00I glared at my brother and crept inside as fast as I could, watching from the tilted blinds.
01:05Heather and I went way back, but she moved away when we were 12 and took all her insane drama with her.
01:11We used to be friends until she started making my life a living nightmare.
01:15More on that later.
01:16All week, I was forced to sneak around from room to room to stay out of sight, like I was a burglar in my own house.
01:22This was not how I wanted to start my summer vacation.
01:25Before I knew it, it was the day of my party.
01:27I didn't even realize the DJ had arrived to set up his equipment until the doorbell shocked me out of my trance.
01:32The guests started showing up, and I wasn't even dressed yet.
01:35I threw on the cutest dress in my closet and raced downstairs.
01:38Oof! Straight into my boyfriend, James.
01:40Careful, babe. What's the rush?
01:42Sorry, I'm just a little on edge.
01:44My arch-nemesis moved in next door a few days ago, and I'm pretty sure she's plotting my demise.
01:49You mean the tiny little girl on the swing over there?
01:52Sure enough, Heather was outside swinging innocently with a lollipop in her mouth like Lord Voldemort with pigtails.
01:58I didn't buy her act for a second.
02:00Don't let her size fool you.
02:02Um, okay. Should we go dance?
02:04Yeah. The music kicked on, and I finally let my guard down.
02:08We danced and sang karaoke all night long, having an absolute blast.
02:12At one point, I looked out the window again and saw Heather, still alone on the swing set.
02:17Maybe I'd been too judgy.
02:18I was almost tempted to invite her to the party, when suddenly I heard gasps behind me.
02:22Watch out!
02:23I spun around and stared just as a light snapped off the railing above.
02:27James dove and pushed me out of the way just in time.
02:30When I looked back out the window, Heather was gone.
02:32I tried to act like it was no big deal.
02:34Just a little accident, everyone. No need to stop dancing.
02:37But the truth is, I was shaken up.
02:39Did Heather do this?
02:40Even if she did, I knew there was no way anyone would believe me.
02:43After all, no one did the first time she tried to ruin my life.
02:47So, about that.
02:48Growing up, Heather and I were best friends.
02:50We loved all the same things.
02:52Fashion, parties, the beach. Obviously the beach.
02:54But we were also straight-A students and in all the school clubs.
02:58My dad wouldn't let me do anything without adult supervision,
03:00so I used to always drag my mom to our hang sessions because she was less strict.
03:05And Heather would bring her dad since he'd recently sold his company for like a billion dollars
03:09and suddenly had a bunch of free time.
03:11Then one day, Heather's dad left.
03:13Not long after, my parents got divorced too.
03:15Heather's dad moved to Europe to start a new business,
03:18and my mom moved to the rainforest to find herself.
03:21Guessing all she found was bug bites and poor cell service.
03:24It was one more thing Heather and I had in common.
03:27Except, not fun like the others.
03:29But instead of bringing us closer together, Heather changed.
03:32She stopped answering my calls, started playing cruel pranks on me,
03:35and even spread a rumor at school that I peed myself.
03:38Pro tip, do not drink lemonade with white pants.
03:41Learn from my mistakes, people.
03:42One day, she started telling everyone I'd ruined her life.
03:45And when I stuck up for myself, Heather turned on the waterworks and no one believed me.
03:50I understood her being sad. I was sad too.
03:53But I couldn't understand why Heather suddenly hated me.
03:56Eventually, Heather and her mom moved away.
03:58By then, I was honestly relieved to see her go.
04:01At least I'd be safe from her pranks.
04:03And I was, for a while.
04:05But now, she's back.
04:06Over the next few weeks, my brand new car broke down,
04:08I lost my entire makeup bag in a thunderstorm,
04:11and James even started ditching me.
04:13This wasn't a coincidence.
04:15Heather was ruining my life all over again.
04:17I knew I needed proof this time,
04:19so I watched Heather like a hawk.
04:21One day, James came over to pick me up for a date
04:23and found me doing surveillance.
04:25Babe, she hasn't said a word to you.
04:27You're being paranoid.
04:28That's what she wants you to think.
04:30Ooh, scary. Watch out for the big bad she-wolf.
04:33I considered dumping my mocha latte on James' head,
04:36but decided to be mature and punch him in the arm instead.
04:39Also, this latte was way too good to waste.
04:41Mmm, mocha.
04:43I headed out, not waiting for James.
04:45I took one step off my porch when suddenly,
04:47a tidal wave of bright blue paint rained down from above,
04:50covering me from head to toe.
04:52Still think I'm paranoid?
04:53Didn't your dad have the house repainted before he left?
04:56The painters probably forgot the cans.
04:58You live in a dream world of lies and unicorns.
05:01I quickly rinsed off and changed
05:02so we could make our reservation on time.
05:04I wasn't about to miss out on a meal
05:06at the most exclusive restaurant in town
05:08just because of the Wicked Witch of the Panhandle.
05:10When we arrived, I was so excited.
05:12But before we could even walk into the restaurant,
05:14the hostess came out and stopped us.
05:16I'm sorry, miss, but the entire restaurant
05:18has been rented out for the evening.
05:20What? We had reservations.
05:21Someone came and offered to buy out all of the tables.
05:24It's out of my hands.
05:25I had a sneaking suspicion I knew who that someone was.
05:29Before the hostess could stop me,
05:30I barged inside and glared at the center table.
05:33There she was,
05:34seated and sipping her lemonade
05:36with that stupid, innocent smile.
05:38Oh, hey, Taylor.
05:39My uncle bought the place out for me tonight.
05:41Who knew you could do that?
05:42It was our first time being face-to-face in six years,
05:45and I was speechless.
05:46You know, I didn't expect to see you here.
05:48You seem more like a fast-food kind of girl.
05:51But you, James, a pretty boy like you
05:53can do better than this trash.
05:54At least this so-called trash could get a date.
05:57Eating all by yourself?
05:58That wiped the smirk right off her face.
06:00For a moment, I felt satisfied
06:02until Heather flung a mound of mashed potatoes
06:05right at me.
06:06This is the second dress of mine
06:07you've ruined tonight, you little...
06:09Okay, time to go.
06:10Before I could slap that snarky grin off her face,
06:13James picked me up and carried me out
06:15while I screamed and kicked like a toddler.
06:17When I got home, I broke down in tears.
06:19All I wanted was to have a fun summer,
06:21and Heather had ruined everything.
06:23What had I ever done to deserve this?
06:25There was a knock at my door,
06:26and my little brother Troy came in.
06:28Hey, you okay?
06:29No, Heather is ruining my life again.
06:32Have you tried talking to her?
06:33Talking to her?
06:34Seems like a better plan than avoiding her forever.
06:36That gave me an idea.
06:37You're right.
06:38How can I get revenge if I'm always hiding?
06:40Um, I didn't say anything about revenge.
06:42Thanks, Troy.
06:43You're a genius.
06:44Troy was right.
06:45It was time to turn the tables.
06:47The next morning, I got up right and early
06:49and headed to Heather's favorite cafe.
06:51I had a hunch she'd show up eventually.
06:53Sure enough, soon she came into order.
06:55I slipped a note to the barista
06:56and hid behind some rando's laptop.
06:58Shortly after, the barista put her drink on the counter.
07:01Double espresso macchiato for horseface Heather?
07:04The entire coffee shop started laughing.
07:07Heather turned beet red and then looked right at...
07:09Uh-oh, before I could hide,
07:10Heather marched right over
07:11and dumped her iced coffee on my head.
07:13Did you really think you could hide?
07:15I could see the tacky dye job from space.
07:17I'll have you know that I'm a natural strawberry blonde.
07:20Seriously, my hair got lighter
07:21from spending so much time in the sun.
07:23It's not a dye job.
07:24Okay, so that didn't go quite the way I'd planned.
07:27I was seriously gonna have to get a new wardrobe
07:29with all the clothes Heather was ruining.
07:31Next time, I would be more stealthy.
07:33Sadly, summer was coming to an end.
07:35But the good news is,
07:36my university campus was gorgeous.
07:38I fell in love in an instant.
07:40Even the presence of my arch nemesis
07:42couldn't break the spell.
07:43On the first day of classes,
07:44I had my textbooks, my planner,
07:46and a pencil with an adorable pink floofy thing at the end.
07:48I was prepared for everything.
07:50I noticed a girl was about to sit next to me.
07:52Don't even think about it.
07:53Sorry, I mean, um, I'm saving it for a friend.
07:56Why was I yelling at random students?
07:58I'm glad you asked.
07:59About an hour ago,
08:00I'd paid the janitor to delay Heather
08:02on her way to the classroom.
08:03That way, when she arrived to class,
08:05there would only be one seat left.
08:07Earlier that day, I'd gone to a hardware store
08:09to buy the strongest glue I could find.
08:11See where I'm going with this?
08:12Unfortunately, Heather did too.
08:14When she came in, I tried to play it cool,
08:16but I kept glancing at the chair,
08:18and Heather noticed.
08:19Then she did something truly evil.
08:24Then she did something truly evil.
08:26Hey, your name's Kiki, right?
08:27Would you mind taking this seat?
08:28I'm nearsighted,
08:29so I like to sit close to the front.
08:31As that girl Kiki came over to take the seat,
08:33I panicked.
08:34Pranking Heather was one thing,
08:35but embarrassing this random girl was another.
08:38She was about to sit,
08:39when suddenly, I shoved her out of the way
08:41and sat there myself.
08:42Sorry, I, uh, just realized
08:43my great-grandmother sat in this seat
08:45when she was my age.
08:46It's kind of a sentimental thing.
08:47You get it.
08:48She didn't get it.
08:49But whatever.
08:50At least I'd saved her from humiliation.
08:52Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same for myself.
08:55When it was time to leave class,
08:56I tried to stand carefully,
08:58but the glue stuck to my jeans
08:59and ripped a hole right in my butt.
09:01What's wrong?
09:02Did you pee your pants again?
09:03If I did, this would be the first time.
09:05It's hard to come up with a good comeback
09:06when there's a giant hole in your pants.
09:08All of my pranks were backfiring.
09:10Clearly, I needed to make better plans.
09:12So this time, I did.
09:13I spent all week preparing for the most epic prank ever.
09:16I gathered six chickens,
09:1725 jars of honey,
09:18glitter,
09:19and a human-sized net.
09:20Don't ask.
09:21Then I hid in a bush with my binoculars
09:22and waited for Heather to get home.
09:24I see you decided to be mature and talk things out.
09:27Exactly.
09:28Thanks, Troy.
09:29I am mature.
09:30Troy rolled his eyes and went inside.
09:32A little while later,
09:33I saw headlights approaching
09:34and Heather pulled into the driveway.
09:36Everything was ready.
09:37Heather was finally gonna get a taste of her own medicine.
09:40But when she got out of the car,
09:41she was on the phone,
09:42and I noticed she was crying.
09:44You obviously don't care at all.
09:46You would've come back by now if you did.
09:48Forget it.
09:49My hand hesitated on the rope.
09:51Heather was in position.
09:52All I had to do was pull
09:53and she'd be coughing feathers and glitter for a week.
09:56Instead, I approached her.
09:57Are you okay?
09:58Why do you care?
09:59Well, I don't know if you remember,
10:01but we used to be friends.
10:03Before you ruined my life, you mean?
10:05Oh, my God, Heather.
10:06I have no idea what your problem is with me.
10:08We were besties,
10:09and then one day,
10:10you decided to turn me into a boogeyman for no reason.
10:13Whatever it is, get over it.
10:15I'll never get over it.
10:16I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth.
10:18You'll never know a moment's peace
10:20until I have my revenge.
10:22She really was insane.
10:23Stripes and polka dots.
10:25Also, the whole evil villain speech,
10:27that was weird, too.
10:28Good luck with world domination or whatever, crazy pants.
10:31I started to walk away
10:32when suddenly I tripped
10:33and pulled on the rope to catch my fall.
10:35In an instant,
10:36I was hit with a cascade of feathers,
10:38honey, and glitter.
10:39Heather laughed
10:40when suddenly the net fell
10:41and snatched her up into the air.
10:43We both looked totally ridiculous,
10:45but at least the prank was a partial success.
10:48Was it just me,
10:49or was that a smile on Heather's face?
10:51A smile or not,
10:52Heather had told me
10:53she wasn't gonna let this go.
10:54I needed to be ready.
10:55A few weeks went by
10:56with nothing happening.
10:57I knew Heather was trying to lure me
10:59into a false sense of security.
11:00She must be planning something big.
11:02There was a big fall festival coming up,
11:04even though I was a total summer girl.
11:06I loved the changing leaves,
11:07crisp autumn air,
11:08and pumpkin candles.
11:09I couldn't wait for the festival,
11:11and that's why I knew
11:12Heather would make her move there,
11:14to ruin it for me.
11:15The day of the festival,
11:16I was on high alert.
11:17Babe, why do you keep checking your makeup?
11:19You look great.
11:20I'm not checking my makeup.
11:21I'm watching my six.
11:22Then I saw her,
11:23hiding behind the donut stand.
11:25That's it?
11:26I've put up with your stupid little games
11:28all summer,
11:29and clearly you're not growing up anytime soon.
11:31I'm breaking up with you.
11:32Also, I lied.
11:33Your makeup doesn't look great.
11:35You take that back.
11:36Have fun being at the festival
11:37all alone, loser.
11:39Hey, pretty boy.
11:40James and I turned at the same time.
11:41Suddenly,
11:42Heather dumped her pumpkin spice latte
11:44on his head.
11:45He was about to scream
11:46when I took my candy apple
11:47and jammed it into his mouth.
11:49There.
11:50Definitely an improvement.
11:51Agreed.
11:52James stalked off furiously,
11:53and Heather and I laughed.
11:54You stuck up for me.
11:56Well, we did used to be friends.
11:58Heather, I'm not lying.
11:59I really don't know
12:00why you started hating me.
12:02You really don't?
12:03You set your mom up with my dad.
12:05He left my mom
12:06and moved to the rainforest
12:07with your mom.
12:08I was shocked.
12:09Heather, I...
12:10I didn't even know they were together.
12:12I thought your dad was in Europe,
12:13and why would you think I set them up?
12:15You used to always bring your mom
12:16to our play dates,
12:17and then leave her alone with my dad
12:19because she was less strict than my dad.
12:21I wasn't playing matchmaker.
12:23I was 11.
12:24To my surprise,
12:25Heather hugged me.
12:26I'm sorry.
12:27I...
12:28Listen, your brother came to me last night
12:29with tears in his eyes.
12:30He begged me to stop.
12:31I enjoyed it,
12:32but yeah, it was sad.
12:33He what?
12:34Listen, he's right.
12:35I...
12:36I never should have blamed you.
12:37It was so hard,
12:38and I guess focusing
12:39all my sadness and anger on you
12:41was easier than dealing
12:42with my broken family.
12:43I know you had your own struggles, too,
12:45and I'm...
12:46I'm sorry if I made things worse.
12:48I missed you.
12:49I missed you, too.
12:50I have to go and kill my brother,
12:51so excuse...
12:52Come here.
12:53What do you say we focus
12:54on a couple of those
12:55cinnamon donuts?