The Bet

5

Chapter 5: Power Play

"How was the date?" Jake asked Eli, his voice low while they stood together by his locker.

"It was amazing, Jake, she's perfect. She didn't pretend to be interested in what I was talking about, she actually was. We laughed so hard and get this, she didn't even order a salad, she ate actual food."

Pausing his actions, the summer lifeguard watched his best friend beside him, Eli's hand in his hair and it was clear he was thinking back to his night. "What happened to no catching feelings."

"I'm not."

Jake quirked a brow, clearly not believing a word Elliot James was saying. "You're starting to, you better keep that under control around Dalton or he'll kill you."

"You're not going to tell him, are you?"

"Of course not, but if you're actually starting to like her then you need to tell her about this stupid game before it gets too far and you hurt her."

Shutting the locker door, the duo walked down the hallway together, Eli responding with a small okay before they separated to their own classes. He had to wait a few hours, trudging through class by class until reached the one with her in it. "Hello, Beautiful."

"Eli," Aspen curtly responds, not even looking up to give him the satisfaction of her gaze.

"Don't tell me we're back to this again. We had an amazing date, laughed the whole time, what could I have possibly done wrong so soon?"

Finally turning his way, she set her pen down, abandoning the random doodling she'd been doing to her notebook. "I'm sorry, did you think that after just one date I'd suddenly fall head over heels in love with you? Come on, Eli. It's going to take a little more than that."

Biting him bottom lip at her words, he nods, elbows rested on his knees. "I'll take that, you wanting me to work harder means you actually enjoyed yourself, meaning you'll let me take you on another date."

"I never said that."

"You didn't not say it either." He stood, his brown eyes looking down on her while a breathtaking smile spread across his face, the small dimples in his cheeks making Aspen's finger twitch to reach up and touch him but she refrained from the action.

Students were being nosy, their eyes straining to be discrete as they watched the scene unfold, their hands reaching over to tap a friend, grabbing other people's attention to them but it didn't feel like anyone was there. Aspen ignored them all easily. "Summer starts in a week, I won't be on your radar for much longer."

"That couldn't be farther from the truth. Speaking of the summer, you and I are going to the beach, so bring sunscreen. Wouldn't want to burn that pretty face of yours."

"What if I can't swim?"

"I guess you'll just have to drown then. Can't date a girl who can't even doggy paddle."

Aspen laughed aloud at the way he said it, the tone of his voice making her head going back, shoulders shaking as she expressed her amusement. "Then I can't go on a second date with a boy who refuses to be my personal lifeguard."

Elliot sighed in faux frustration, hand clapping once against his thighs. "Don't worry, I'll bring you floaties."

"How generous of you. Watch it there, don't want people to think you actually care about me."

He planned on answering, saying something cute and witty just so he could see that smile she wore so well spread across her pretty face. Across from the room sitting at his desk, back slouching comfortably in his chair, Dalton sat, his steely blue eyes focused on his best friend with warning, silencing whatever retort he was planning to give the girl.

Clearing his throat with a cough, Eli gave her a grin, but this one didn't reach his eyes like before; it was controlled like a puppet on a string. "I'll see you later, don't forget—"

"Sunscreen, I won't forget it."

Returning to his seat, he could still feel the piercing gaze on the side of his face. The scrutinizing eye made Eli's palms sweat. During the whole period he kept his head down, his body shifting from side to side with obvious discomfort and not one time for the whole hour did the feeling of being watched subside until the loud ring of the bell rang.

"What's the rush, buddy?" Dalton's voice cut through the room, the other kids filing out like normal not even noticing the tense air between the two friends.

Elliot flinched as his friends hand slapped down on his shoulder, seemingly nice enough, but he knew the blonde boy all too well—knew that tone better than he cared to admit. "No rush, just have some stuff to do later on."

"Yeah, I saw that. You and Aspen."

"That was the deal."

"Yeah, it was," Dalton agreed but his voice lowered significantly afterwards, his whisper more lethal than his normal timbre. "But catching feelings wasn't, actually it's completely prohibited."

Eli rolled his eyes, shrugging the hand off his shoulder and packing up his notebook, shoving it roughly in his backpack. "It's been like a week, we've been on a single date. You really think I've caught feelings already?"

"I know buddy, I hear you, I'm just making sure you remember the rules, you catch feelings and you're disqualified. That money goes poof and so does your girl because I'll tell her everything."

Through gritted teeth, Eli answered. "I remember the rules."

"Good, I like to hear that almost as much as I like seeing a name being crossed off our little list. Do what you need to do and nothing more, no funny business Eli."

Feeding into Dalton's power play, Elliot nods obediently, his nearly empty backpack resting lightly on his shoulders. "No funny business, D. I'm warming her up, she's a tough cookie to crack and you know I don't like losing. It's not a feelings thing, I'm just doing what I said I would."

The blonde boy stared at his brunette friend for a beat too long before cracking a grin. "I'm sorry man, you know how I get. I just like to make sure you're staying on track, doing what you have to do."

"I understand, it's fine."

With one more hand on his shoulder, Dalton left the class, Eli remaining in the room all on his own. He sighed deeply, body leaning over to rest his elbows on a desk, large hands rubbing over his forehead to attempt to rid away the impending headache. "Fuck, I'm so screwed."