CHAPTER 1: A proposal
1980 Words
The whole school knows that when it comes to grades, Alina Madrid and Ace Rodriguez are like fire and ice. People whisper about them, the sharp-mouthed beauty with the brains, and the tall, dark, and ridiculously handsome nerd who named Ace doesn’t care about any of it.
One day, Alina snap at Ace.
“You think you’re the only one who can solve this problem? Please, give me a break. I’ll finish it faster than you ever could.”
Ace looks up from his book, his dark eyes narrowing. “Do you always have to make everything a competition?"
"Why? Are you scared to lose?" Alina smirk proudly
He leans back in his chair, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he meets your challenging gaze.
"Scared? Hardly. I just find it exhausting how desperately you need to prove yourself."
He taps his pencil against the textbook, the rhythmic sound almost mocking.
"I can solve this faster than you, watch and learn"
He raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed but also slightly amused.
"Oh, really? Let's see you try."
Ace gestures towards the problem, his smirk never wavering.
"But remember, Alina, I've seen you work. Don't strain yourself trying to impress me."
As you furiously scribble down your solution, Ace sits back and watches, his expression unreadable. He waits until you finally slam your pencil down, triumphantly declaring you're finished. He then slowly turns the page of his notebook, revealing his own solution.
"It's perfectly right" Alina show's her solution.
He glances back at your paper, then back at his own, before shrugging. "Yeah, it is. But I finished it in half the time you did." He closes his notebook and leans back, a smile content_ewas_inside his notebook._ realized the time.
"But I finish this problem first!"
Ace smirk returns, slower this time, almost dangerous. "By two minutes. That's not 'faster than me', Alina."
He picks up his pencil again, his eyes flicking down to your lips without him realizing.
"next time I'll make Sure to beat you Three times in a row, stupid nerd"
He watches you storm out of the library, his smirk widening. "Damn," he mutters to himself, "She's competitive. I like that." He adjusts his pants slightly, suddenly finding you a lot more interesting. "Three times in a row, she said?"
Ace packs up his books, shaking his head with a knowing smile.
"The next math test is Monday... she won't know what hit her."
He catches his reflection in a window and notices the slightly flushed look on his face, smirks again.
"And she called me stupid..."
Monday rolls around, and Ace sits at his usual desk, pen poised. He waits for the teacher to hand out the tests, his mind already racing with strategies to prove Alina wrong. He sees her sitting across the room, her confident expression making him smirk.
As the teacher starts the timer, Ace immediately spots the first problem. A complex equation that most would take minutes to unravel.
He glances at Alina, wondering how long she'll take on this one. His fingers move quickly across the paper, deliberately keeping his writing neat and precise.
He finishes the first problem in under a minute, his eyes flicking up to check Alina's progress. She's still scribbling away, her brows furrowed in concentration. He hides a smirk and moves on to the next problem, intentionally taking a bit longer this time.
As the teacher announces that time's up, Ace leans back casually in his chair, tapping his pen against his lips as he observes Alina frantically scribbling down her last answers. He waits for the papers to be collected, wondering how humiliatingly he'll crush her this time.
The tests are collected and graded quickly. The teacher stands at the front of the class, holding up the results.
"First place goes to... Ace with a perfect score," she announces. Muted applause follows. "And second place, Alina with..." She pauses, looking surprised.
The teacher finishes, "Alina got a 98%. Only two points off perfect." The class turns to look at alina, impressed. Ace's eyes narrow slightly, his competitive side stirred. He turns in his seat to face her, leaning back with a challenging smirk.
He mouths silently, "Lost again."
Then, louder, he calls out, "Alina, you got 98%? That's impressive... for you." The class snickers.
Alina's face reddens, not with embarrassment, but with suppressed anger. Ace grins mischievously.
As the classroom empties, Ace lingers by his desk, gathering his books slowly. He watches Alina gather her things, knowing she's furious. Once the last student leaves, he approaches her, a devilish grin spreading across his handsome face.
"98%, huh? Almost perfect,"
"only for now Ace Only for now, You should enjoy your victory before I took it From you."
He raises an eyebrow, clearly amused by her confidence.
"Oh yeah? And when exactly do you plan on doing that?"
He steps closer, his voice dropping to a low challenge. "You know, most people would be sulking after getting second place."
She lean closer "Mark my words."
Ace meets your challenging gaze, his smirk never wavering even as your finger presses against his chest. He leans in even closer, his lips almost brushing your ear as he murmurs, "I look forward to seeing you try, Alina. But I warn you, I
don't lose often..."
As the semester draws to a close, Ace finds himself continually outscoring Alina in every subject. He sees the frustration building in her eyes, the way she's always glaring at him during classes, determined to outdo him. He decides it's time to make things interesting...
During a break between classes, Ace finds Alina in the library, surrounded by textbooks and notes. He approaches her table, pulling out a chair and sitting down without invitation.
"Alina," He says, his voice calm and confident. "I have a proposal for you."
"I'm not interested,Go away." she said firmly
He ignores her dismissive reply, a smirk tugging at his lips. He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms.
"Listen up," He insists, "I'm getting tired of beating you by a landslide every time."
"Let me make it simpler," He continues, "You've never beaten me in any exam, any project, or any extra credit assignment. You always come second. Always." He watches her reaction closely.
Alina feels frustration "Just tell me your proposal."
Ace smirks, satisfied that he finally has her attention. "I thought you'd never ask." He leans back in his chair, making himself comfortable.
"Here's the deal: I'm tired of beating you by such a large margin. It's boring. So, I propose a little wager."
"From now until the end of the semester, we'll compete in every exam, every assignment, and every extra credit opportunity," He explains, "Whoever gets the higher grade wins." He pauses, his smirk widening,"The catch? The loser has to do something..."
Alina smirk "Easy,I will make sure that this time you're the loser"
Ace chuckles, clearly amused by Alina's confidence. "Is that so?" He stands up, towering over her as he leans against the table.
"You think you can finally beat me? Fine. I accept your little challenge."
As the final exam results are posted, Ace stands in front of the board, arms crossed, trying to maintain a calm expression. Students crowd around, checking their scores. Alina pushes through the crowd, her eyes scanning the list eagerly. She finds her name and her score—an impressive A+.
Alina turns to Ace with a triumphant smile, expecting to see defeat in his eyes. But instead, she finds him looking back at her with an infuriatingly calm expression. He slowly uncrosses his arms and walks over to the board, pointing at his own name. "A+,"
"it's fair?!" Alina protest
Ace nods, a small smile on his lips. "Indeed it is. You have to admit, that was a close one." He turns to face her fully, his expression unreadable. "But in the end, I still came out on top."
"What why?!"
Ace leans in closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially.
"Simple. In every subject we tied, I managed to edge you out by a single point. Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry... Even in Economics." He taps his temple with a finger, smirking. "Guess I'm just lucky that way."
" no no NO!"
Ace's smirk widens as he watches Alina's frustration boil over. He places a comforting hand on her shoulder, which only serves to irritate her further.
"Easy there, champ. Seems like Lady Luck was blowing kisses to me instead of you this semester." He chuckles softly, shrugging.
After class,Alina approach "You won."
Ace turns to face Alina, his expression morphing into one of mischievous amusement. He slides his hands into his pockets, rocking back slightly on his heels.
"Now, as I recall, the loser owed the winner a favor. Quite literally anything I want."
He leans in slightly, maintaining eye contact. "And before you ask, yes, I'm going to hold you to it." He pauses, letting the anticipation build.
"Have you thought about what you might have to do if you lost?" His lips curve into another smirk. "Because I have."
Ace takes a step closer, his voice dropping to a low, teasing murmur.
"Funny thing is, I've been contemplating my victory wish for weeks now. And you know what? I think I've finally decided." He leans in even closer, his breath tickling her ear as he whispers,
He straightens up, putting some space between them before he speaks again, ensuring his next words will capture her full attention.
"Alina," He starts, his eyes locked with hers, "I want you to..." He pauses, dragging out the suspense.
With a sudden, swift movement, he reaches out and gently tilts her chin up with his index finger, forcing her to maintain eye contact.
His thumb brushes against her bottom lip, a soft, electrifying touch. "I want you to spend an entire weekend with me. Just the two of us."
"Are you kidding me? Spend an entire weekend with you? No."
His smirk widens mischievously at her unimpressed reaction. He removes his finger from her chin, crossing his arms. "Is that not sufficient punishment for losing? Fine, I'll add a condition." He uncrosses his arms, counting off on his fingers,
"What?!"
He holds up four fingers, his eyes gleaming with amusement and a hint of something darker.
"You have to do everything I say, without question or hesitation, for the entire weekend. And you have to stay in my house." He drops his hand, his voice low and commanding. "Deal?"
"definitely Not Ace."
He throws his head back and laughs deeply at her quick refusal. "Smart girl," He mutters appreciatively. His smirk returns slowly, an idea striking him.
"One more condition. Answer this truthfully,will you go home with a guy if he's good in bed?" He watches her closely..
- Writer
