Unsure how I was going to get out of the mess I had gotten myself into without fucking over Chandler or fucking up my karma, I devised a plan. A wild scheme if you will that if all went well, I wouldn't hurt Chandler's feelings and I'd manage to come out looking like nothing more than a good friend.

The day of the formal, I called Ginger. "I need you to come over tonight."

"I thought you were going to prom tonight?"

"I am. But I need you to come over before hand for my plan to work," I said, not wanting to give too much detail, else risk her not playing a long.

"What plan, what are you talking about?"

"Just come over, I'll tell you about it when you get here."

2 hours later, Ginger came over and the wheels were set in motion. Since I had a car (and Chandler didn't) I offered to drive downtown. Because I'm one of the world's worst liars, I needed a valid excuse as to why I couldn't drink that night (and therefore not get drunk and risk letting myself get caught up in a situation I didn't want to be in, i.e. naked in Chandler's bed or hotel room...) and being the designated driver was just the reason I needed.

Chandler didn't seem to mind and was waiting in front of his building when I pulled up. He seemed surprised to see Ginger sitting in the back seat, and gave me an odd look when he got inside.

"This is my friend Ginger," I said, introducing the two of them. "I'm giving her a ride home, I hope that's okay."

"Of course, not a problem. Nice to meet you," Chandler said, extending his hand into the backseat. "So what are you doing tonight? Anything fun?"

"If you call getting shit-faced alone with a bottle of tequila, then yes." Unlike me, Ginger is a fantastic liar.

Chandler gave me a very confused look and I leaned over and whispered, "She got dumped by this guy she was seeing. She's very upset. I'm really worried about her, actually."

"What? pshaw, I'll be fine. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about," Ginger said, trying to make light of the "situation".

When I dropped her off in front of her building, I feigned a concerned, motherly attitude. "Hunny, call me if you need anything. Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Ginger shot me a smirk and went inside.

"Wow, she's really upset, huh?" Chandler asked, sounding as concerned as I was pretending to be.

"Yeah. She really liked this guy. He told her she wasn't marriage material and he's looking for the one." I was totally bullshitting and hoping Chandler was buying it hook, line and sinker.

"That sucks. She seems like a really nice girl. I'm sure she'll meet somebody else," Chandler said, trying to be optimistic.

"Yeah, well, she's had a run of bad luck with guys lately, so I'm really worried this one may have put her over the edge. She really wants to get married and just can't seem to find the right guy."

We were still parked in front of Ginger's building, and as I counted on, having gotten to know him the way I did, Chandler made a very sweet suggestion. "You know, if you need to be there for her tonight, I totally understand."

Bingo.

"Don't be ridiculous. She'll be fine. She's a big girl. She'll be alright tomorrow," I said, dismissing his offer - for the moment. My plan was working and it was only a matter of time before phase 2 was put into motion...