Today we learned a valuable lesson in espionage and playing cards. It all started pretty simple. A conversation between friends at 6-year-olds birthday party (cause that's how we rolllll) Chatting about work, life events and etc.
Somewhere in the conversation Friend A brought up the fact that I had swapped her shoes for mine, about eight month ago .. .with not a little bit of 'bitterness'. I personally didn't see what the big deal was, they were the exact same shoe, same color, just a half a size smaller than mine. NBD. In fact she just learned I swapped her shoes a few months ago, when I happened to mention it in passing. Thus solidifying the fact that it was really no big deal. Friend B then remembered I still owed them $15 from a few weeks ago. Defenses and explanations rose and were given. The conversation died as the parties wandered this way and that.
After refilling my supply of cake, Friend B and I stepped outside to survey the kids running around in the yard.
That's when I saw her.
The red-headed, skirted figuring moseying non-chalantly down towards my house. Now I love Friend A a lot, BUT when it comes to my stuff? I trust her not one bit. (Due to many past pranks, which I think trust on things like this is mutually not there. hehehe)
Also what in the world could she need (legitly) from my house? Nothing. Notta athing.
So I do what any suspicious person does, and ran after her.
All those 5k's were worth something after all!
I decided to sneak attack and go in the front door, in hopes of catching her in the act. Alas my attempts were in vain, as I dashed in the front, she slipped out of the back, with me hot on her heels.
After chasing her like a five-year-old around the yard and in and out of buildings, I finally stopped and watched as she "stealthily" dumped my stuff (whatever it was) in the back of her car, locked it and wandered away.
At this point, I casually walked down to her, pretending i didn't see her and after exchanging the cursory "what in the world! GIVE ME BACK MY STUFF WOMAN. I donT CARe If YOU don' THINK i'll miss it" etc..etc..
That done, I snuck back to her un-locked car, hit the trunk button and raced around on the opening trunk lid. Unfortunately I attempted it too soon, and within seconds she was on top of me, wrestling the lid of her trunk back into a locked position, following up with locking her car, and taking her keys.
Thoroughly non-plussed, I hurried back to my house to figure out what she'd taken. While I knew one scarf was missing I couldn't determine the other items that were now in her possession; so I headed back outside. Seeing she was occupied with the kids, I decided to hunt for her keys. But what I found was so much better.
An unlocked iPhone.
Unattended.
Oh yeaah. Two can play this game baby.
So I slip her phone into my pocket, and wander back outside, I wander here and there, before walking back to my house. Once there, I locked all doors, removed fans from windows and set about looking for a good hiding place.
But not before I locked her previously unlocked phone, and changed all of her ringtones. I would have messed with her facebook accounts, if I could haven't linked into my neighbors wifi, but I didn't have time.
At that point, I went about my evening routine, and started preparing for the next day.
It was quite sometime before the banging started on my door. Apparently she'd gathered a posse to confiscate her phone.
I, of course, ignored them.
As if i was just going to open the door and let them waltz in. I.THINK.NOT!
Things started heating up outside, so I locked everything down, grabbed a key and headed outside, as I round the corner I tossed my keys into a bush, and strolled up to the group of kids and Friend C standing on my back porch.
Friend A was desperately trying to find my spare key (which I'd removed) and checking windows. I smirked as I watched their fruitless efforts to obtain entry into my house; until they found a way in. Within in minutes the rest of the posse was helping Friend A hoist herself through a window, (shoving furniture hither, thither and yon) and gain tumble into my house. I was still confident in my hiding spot, and casually unlocked the front door, and came in and watched my house come to peices.
I must entergetic I was a really good sport about all of this ripping and running.
I would have won out, had I not decided to change the hiding place from [place that cannot be reveal] back to my person. Unforutnately one of the kids saw me change it, and started shrieking like a banshee. I did what any smart person would do and tossed it behind a dresser. A tussel insued, craziness happend and somehow the phone slipped from my hand, into the hand of the enemey. I gave up in defeat as the phone was triumphantly paraded through the house, and back to its owner.
My stuff was put down, and kids filed out of the house.
At this point I also demanded my clothes back since I'd given up the phone, but Friend A was insistant.
Nope!
At this point, I was starting to get irritated, I'm girl enough to admit.
So instead of being smart, about how I played my cards, I threw down my trump card.
"Well its not like you can use your phone anyway."
I should have waited until after she'd left, and then couldn't access her phone.
20/20 <- HINDSIGHT
"Why what'd you do to my phone? Did you lock my phone!?"
"Guess you'll have to find out!"
"Tell me the password to my phone!"
"Give me my clothes!"
"You don't even know what I took!"
"Guess you won't be able to use your phone ... hmmm.. "
At this point, Friend A tears back to my house to confiscate more ... collateral?
And I grab one of my dogs and drive down the street for a few minutes.
If I'm not there, with no phone ... guess who REALLY can't access their phone .. even with all of my stuff?
Friend A THAT"S WHOooooo.
When I came back 5 minutes later, Friend A, C & kids were triumphantly holding my computer, cell phone, kindle fire, and some other such non-sense they'd collected. I ignored them, went into my house, locked everything down, and set about putting my house back together, turning lights off as I went.
Then I waited.
I knew they would think I would be desperate to have my electronics back.
So I waited some more.
I snuck out of my house a couple of times and monitored them.
I changed into dark colored clothes and walked through my neighbors yard in an attempt to sneak up undetected. Unfortunately barbed wire and flip-flops don't mix, so I gave up on that idea. By this time it had almost been an hour since I'd arrived back home, and I really wanted to get close enough to snatch my things and run. so I decided to risk going through the lighted areas by army crawling very slowly. By this time Friend A really wanted her phone back and had sent the kids to call me to parly. I'd almost made it to my next hiding spot when i was spotted.
stupid street lights.
Too make a long story longer, I finally revealed the password, once I realized they'd changed my computer password, locked my phone for 45 minutes (cause guess whose smart and puts a lock screen on her phone! duuuuh), changed my facebook password and changed my relationship status ... yeah. The Oscar the Grouch thing? All them.
Needless to say, once I got my stuff back, all passwords have been changed and are all different.
Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me.
Even still it was another hour before I got my clothes back.
Is it sad I was more concerned about that, then my electronics?
I suppose this was good pay-back for the time I hid her laptop and they couldn't find it for hours... as I was at work and "couldn't respond to texts or phone calls right away.
*snickers*
Lots of MeetUps:
Its been a fun one! 
