Ashley sat at the table, fidgeting with her hands. “You didn’t know about me,” she began. “But I knew about you. Jace told me he had a girlfriend, but he said you were mean to him. He claimed you ignored him, flirted with other men, and made him feel worthless.”
“What?!” I exclaimed, my anger flaring. “That’s exactly what he did to me!”
Ashley nodded slowly. “I see that now, after what happened when you caught us. But back then, I believed him. I thought he was going to leave you and be with me.”
“Looks like he tricked both of us,” I said bitterly, pouring the wine.
“That’s why I’m here. I don’t want him to get away with it,” she said, her voice steady.
“What do you have in mind?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
Ashley smiled, a sly and playful grin. “Revenge,” she said simply. “Do you know how much of a homophobe Jace is?” Her words made me pause, my anger momentarily giving way to curiosity. And that’s how it all started.
Ashley and I quickly set our plan in motion. We created multiple profiles for Jace on popular dating sites, carefully selecting his “interests” and uploading photos from his social media. We sent flirtatious messages to eager men, pretending to be Jace.
“I’m looking for someone special,” we wrote, adding a winking emoji. We even arranged meetups at his apartment during times we knew he’d be home. The thought of him opening the door to confused strangers made us laugh uncontrollably.
On another site, we posted his phone number with the caption: “Night owl? Call me between 2 and 4 a.m. for some fun.”
Although we couldn’t track the exact number of calls, Jace’s texts told us everything. “Who are these people?” “Why won’t my phone stop ringing?” His desperation motivated us to continue.
The billboard idea was the icing on the cake. We found advertising space in the busiest parts of town and designed a bright, attention-grabbing poster with Jace’s smiling face and the words: “Looking for a man to support and cherish.”