The Bet

Chapter 20 *Kaden*

"So, you two are on good terms?" Stacy asked a little concerned. I looked into the mirror of the restroom. The frame around the mirror was a rustic gold color which went well with the rustic brown color and theme of the restaurant. The mirror shows a reflection of us, but taking a closer look, I did not see the young little girl who had been hurt anymore. I now see a lady, who has been through so much, growing each step of the way. I hardly recognized myself. I hardly saw the 'old' Kaden. I only saw the 'new' Kaden.  "I mean you haven't talked to him in a month. You made me switch partners with him in HBS so that you could avoid talking to him."

"Stace, this last month has helped me to realize how much everything has changed me. While I know Luke hurt me, not talking to him has helped me to see how much I actually miss talking to him. Sure he was a jerk, but he has grown since he first came here. I am not saying that I am in love with him or that I want to date him right off, but I at least just want to become friends again." I said, reflecting only partially of what my heart really wanted.

Deep down my heart wants to open up to him again, but my mind is not letting me. My heart wants to take the risk of letting him in, but I am not sure if that is a good idea or not. I do not want to just let him into my heart again because I do not want to get hurt. I do not want to risk having him break my heart, leaving me to crumble with it.

Fuller walked out of the stall. "Do you know how hard it is to pee with this dress? I almost dropped it into the toilet bowl! That would have been disgusting." Fuller exclaimed as she washed her hands. "You guys ready to eat?" She asked when she finished.

Stacy and I looked at each other. We both nodded in unison. We grabbed our clutches and walked back into the fancy, overpriced restaurant that I would probably never go to again. We sat down across from our dates. I looked over at Jordan. He had graduated a year before us and for an older guy he was very handsome. He was probably about six feet tall. He had naturally tan skin with amazing baby blue eyes. His hair was short and spiked up like Luke's. It actually looked a lot like Luke's except it was a dirty blond and not brown. It was not hard to tell that he works out a lot. He had biceps the size of my head. Small black gauges rested in both of his ears. It was a good look on him.

Fuller seemed to like him because the whole ride to the restaurant they were giggling and flirting hardcore. It was the same for Stacy. She was surprisingly becoming really cozy with Steven. She had sat beside him, holding his arm the entire ride, laughing flirtatiously. Watching them flirt and have fun with guys made my heart melt. I have always wanted them to find a guy they could have fun talking to and flirting nonstop with.

"Here are your entree's" The large, black haired waiter said as he placed our plates with minimal food on them in front of us. "Enjoy, and let me know if there is anything you need."

"Yeah, more food?" Fuller said under her breath.

We all laughed at her smart remark. "After prom, Luke's mom is hosting an after prom party. There will be plenty of food. My father is making sure she gets a lot of junk food." Steven said happily digging into his tiny dollar bill sized stake.

"Oh! An after prom party!?! Yay! I have never been to one before." Stacy said with excitement. "This is going to be the best prom ever!"

I shook my head and started to cut my grilled chicken. 'I hope so'. I thought to myself. I told my father my plans for signing up for prom queen, and he agreed to not mention to anyone about it. He knows what Jane is capable, so he knows how much I want to keep this a secret as long as possible. Now just to get there and hope Jane doesn't murder me in the parking lot.

We finished eating and piled into the limo, inching closer to the gymnasium of our school. I looked out the window, twiddling my fingers nervously. A large hand landed on top of mine, keeping them from moving. I looked down at the hand and then over to who's it belonged to. Luke smiled at me. "It's going to be fine. Stacy and Fuller told me about how you're running for prom queen. Jane is not going to hurt you, I promise." He said in a warm, protective voice.

The limo slowly came to a stop. I looked out of the window to see that we were in front of the gymnasium. There was a long red velvet carpet leading straight to the door where a night full of dancing and drama would begin. Everyone got out and started walking to the door except me. Luke got out and looked in, seeing how I hadn't moved. He waited a minute and then got back into the limo, beside me. "You know prom is actually inside, right?" He joked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm just not sure I want to go in there. I mean, I didn't go to my junior prom because I hate crowds, and Jane would always torment me. So I have always stayed away from school functions."

"K, you are a strong, independent black woman." I bursted into laughter. "Okay, maybe not black but you have shown me that you're independent within the time I have been here. You've shown me that you can handle situations where others are tormenting you. And running for prom queen shows that. I mean who else would run against Jane? You know as well as I that you need to get in there because you deserve a night of fun. So come on, and stop being so afraid of Jane! She is nothing, and will amount to nothing unless she learns her lesson."

I looked up into his deep, meaningful eyes. For once, I finally understood everything. I understood why I was hesitant to have anything to do with Jane. I understood why I actually went through with signing up for prom queen. I understood how far I've come, and why I want to make the best of the rest of my high school experience. I even understood why I forgave Luke so easily.

Luke has shown me that I am strong enough to overcome the negative comments. He's shown me that I can face the inevitable, and ward off evil spirits such as Jane. He has shown me to stand tall, and to stand up for myself, and while he probably didn't mean to show me all of these things, I am thankful he did.

Luke held out his hand and winked so charmingly it almost made my heart flutter. "Come on, let's go show everyone that Kaden Black actually likes to have fun every once in a while."

I gently took his hand and followed him out of the limo and along the red carpet. We walked up to the dark blue, chipped metal doors which quickly opened. Behind the doors was pitch black with strobes of white, green, pink, blue, purple and red. A loud, thumping sounded across the metal gymnasium that vibrated my organs. We walked in to see that the strobes of light were separated by the fog that clouded the air. The gymnasium had been totally transformed into a night club. There was white tool with lights stretched across the ceiling creating a romantic atmosphere. There was a bright, silver mirrored disco ball that had been hug in the center of the room reflecting sparkles all around the room.

I walked in a little further. My eyes caught the gaze of Jane who had a shocked, yet furious expression plastered on her face and it was as if everything had stopped. The tension was so noticeable in the room that everyone stopped dancing and talking just to stare at us... Well me...

Luke squeezed my hand a little tighter, letting me know that everything was going to be alright. I squeezed his back just for my own reassurance.

A geeky couple who I've seen at the chess club meetings walked up to us. The girl who had on thick, metal braces and thick silver rimmed glasses smiled at me. "I want you to know that we both voted for the two of you! But don't tell Jane." She said, whispering as softly as she could over the music.

I smiled as they turned to walk away. I looked to Luke. "Voted for the two of us?" I asked confused. "Did you sign your name for prom king?"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't."

"Oh Lukie! I can't wait until we have our first dance as prom king and queen!" I heard a familiar, squeaky, unflattering, unappreciated voice say.

I turned around to see Jane who looked like a supermodel with her new nose job and tight, short, black dress that had a see through neckline. "Did you sign me up for prom king?" Luke asked.

Jane grabbed Luke's bicep and leaned over him like a Giselle. Ugh, what a sleaze ball. "Yes, I sure did. I know you'd win and then we can have our moment while everyone watches." She puckered her lips and winked.

I pulled him back, away from her grasp. "Luke, let's go dance." I smiled at him, totally ignoring her because she was not worth the fight. Luke smiled and walked away from Jane, leading me to the dance floor. There was no way I was going to let Jane ruin my night.