The Bet

Chapter 1

Nicole's POV

My stomach growled in hunger as I waited for the bell. Due to my constant laziness and tardiness I forgot to eat breakfast. And to rub salt to an open wound, my last meal was yesterday afternoon due to the fact that I played online games till I passed out without eating dinner.

Finally the bell rang and all students including me ran off the cafeteria. I didn't bother to apologize if I bumped or pushed someone in the way.

"'Sup Nick! In a hurry?" I looked behind and saw my best friend Jane.

"Yeah! I'm so hungry as a bear!" My stomach growled in agreement which made Jane laughed.

"Geeh! You forgot to eat again last night! You'll get sick if you kept on skipping meal."

"Whatever." I shrugged as I waited my turn in the line.

We both saw our other friends Brad, Tony, James and Tin at our usual table. "Hey guys!" Jane greeted as we sat.

"Hi Nick, where's Julia?" Tony asked as he shove a sandwich in his mouth.

"We broke up." I deadpanned as I concentrated on my own meal.

"Oh yeah!" Tony said as he held his hand towards James and Brad.

"How much?" I asked. These three guys always bet on how long my relationship was gonna last. For some kind of reason, I can never kept a relationship for a month.

"Hundred bucks." James replied as he placed the bills on Tony's open palm. I was shocked to see that even Jane and Tin also placed hundred bucks each.

"Seriously? You two?" I sent an accusing glare to my two lady friends.

"Well... I really thought that you'll make it past a week this time." Tin explain. "Julia's such a nice girl. What the hell did you so this time to scare her away?" She questioned and I just shrugged. I may be a player but I always keep my relationships private.

"You owe me a new game Tony!" I said. Since they were betting on me, I should have some of the winnings too. "And a beer too!"

"Of course! First round on me on Friday!" He exclaimed in delight. Friday night was beer night and this week, Tony's hosting in his place. "And just let me know which game you want."

"So..." Brad my boy counterpart started. But unlike me, he just uses the girls for his release and he preferred older women, mostly college girls. As for me... I'm just misunderstood. "You guys have dates for the thanksgiving ball? It's a month from now."

"Come on Brad! You just want to boast your new girl. No need to rub it in our faces." James said. If there's one thing that this school's great at, it was party.

"Well... If you have a model girlfriend that as hot as mine then you'll be doing it too."

"There's this girl that I wanted to ask but I'm afraid she'll say no." Jane replied.

"How can you say that if you haven't asked her yet?" Tin replied.

Oh my goodness! These two have a thing for each other for ages. They should just go out already. However, they can't since Tin was brought up in a very strict environment and was still in a closet and Jane had just came out.

"I'm not going. I'd rather play games than bore myself to death." I replied.

"Oh come on Nick! You're just saying that since you don't have a date to drag with you."

"Whatever... You know I can get anyone I wanted."

"Oh yeah you can." Brad said in a challenging voice.

"You bet I can."

"Okay... Let's bet for five hundred bucks then."

"Shoot!" I confidently said. Five hundred dollars should just be a dime for us since all of our parents were rich.

"You have until thanksgiving and that's around more than a month to make the girl of our choosing date you." Tony replied and I felt that I just fell to their bait.

But I'm not one to back out from any bets. "Okay. Who's the unlucky girl?" Since I'm one of the most popular girl here, I bet it's going to be easy to ask a girl out.

They tried to look around until Brad got James and Tony's attention. Their eyes widened and their face was full of evil grin. This was not good. Those looks were never good.

They have gotten Tin and Jane's attention too and both of them giggled in return. I suddenly had a bad feelings about this but I'm not the one who backs out on bets.

"We have decided." They all said and looked at the girl sitting underneath the big oak tree.

There's only one person who sits there during lunch.

Oh shit!

Emilia's POV

"You really should eat a more healthy food." Said the the man who sat in front of me. I paused my current task to accommodate his unwanted presence. It was lunch time, it's the only time that I reserved for myself. I placed the book that I was holding with my right hand down while I looked at the sugar bun in my left. "Here." He then handed me a sandwich.

"Thank you John but you really don't need to." John was currently the vice president of our student council and my number one suitor. He had all the qualities a girl could ask for. He got looks that can pass as a model. A well built and firm body due to his athletic abilities, he was also my rival in the spot for being the school's valedictorian and last but not the least, he was the only heir of their family's multi-million dollars company.

Most of the girls in our school, swoon over him. I said 'most' because he had an unusual rival... the one considered as the most delinquent student in our school and also a woman.

Almost everyone in this school have rich and influential parents. Since most students were rich and spoiled brats, they have offered academic scholarship to fullfil the student council role. Most of them were also too lazy to join sports, thus the athletic scholarship.

I was one of those people who was fortunate enough to enter this prestigious school via academic scholarship. I was born in middle class family and was doing well until all hell broke loose. Now, I sat here under a tree, eating a sugar bun to fill my empty stomach.

John had been trying to ask me out since freshman year but I always decline him. He was very likable person but my only goal was to graduate, go to college and help my family. i got no time for fun and love. I have too many responsibilities.

"Emilia... why won't you go out with me?" He asked again. Too many times that I have already lost count.

"You are a very nice person John... but you know my priorities right now." Aside from being my vice president, he was also my one and only friend. He knew my status and some of my problems.

"You don't need to burden it alone you know. I can help you." Most of the time, I'm tempted by his offer. It's the easiest way out. Date him, marry him, then let him help me and my family but my pride was too high. It's my family and it's my problem. I needed to take care of them and prove to my no good father that we were strong.

"It's not a solution John and you know it. I don't want to run away. I needed to face my own problem. Besides, I don't think your parents are going to approve someone like me." The last thing that I wanted to be called was a gold digger.

He was about to argue more but, thankfully, I was saved by the bell.