The bet
After buying the birthday cake, some flowers, and a gift, Elena drove to her boyfriend's house to surprise him.
Elena stood outside the apartment, debating whether to knock on the door or use the key Nash had given her, when she heard someone laughing inside. It sounded like a woman’s laughter.
"Who could be here with him right now?" Elena thought to herself, puzzled. She decided to open the door to see what was going on. But what she saw next shattered her heart into pieces.
Her boyfriend was sitting there with another woman in his arms. They were hugging each other intimately. Elena’s eyes grew cold with hurt. She frowned, feeling that the woman looked familiar from behind, but she couldn't place who it was.
Then she heard their conversation after they stopped laughing.
"She won't be bothering you today, will she?" the woman asked.
"Emma said that she would be working overtime today."
"She is such a fool. When will you break up with her?" the girl asked cautiously, and Elena's eyes widened in realization—the woman in her boyfriend’s arms was none other than Lucy Guo, the head cheerleader who had bullied Elena for her timidness at university. Elena hated Lucy for that, but she hated herself even more for being unable to fight back because of her secret.
"Don’t worry, babe. The bet is over, and I’ll break up with her soon," Nash said, kissing Lucy’s lips, which made her giggle.
"Bet? What bet?" Elena wondered. She was so angry and hurt that she was trembling, and everything in her hands was about to fall, but she tried to remain calm to learn more about what they were discussing.
"You should break up with her quickly. How could you date her for over a year because of a bet? She looks like a nerd with those glasses and can’t even dress herself up. She’s just a nobody in the university," Lucy said, making a face like she was disgusted.
Hearing what Lucy said, Elena looked down at her baggy clothes. She didn’t like people’s attention, so she wore such clothes to disguise herself. She couldn’t let others know about her.
"What else can I do? Tyron said that if I lost the bet, I would have to drop out of the soccer team. But as a team leader, I can’t let that happen. So I had to take that bet and win, then it will be him who leaves the team. You know I can’t tolerate him," Nash said, thinking, 'And I also thought I could enjoy dating her, but who knew she wouldn’t even let me kiss her! But I had to complete the bet.' There was a look of determination on his face and an evil smirk.
"She doesn’t even know how to please a man. She’s so boring. Now, stop talking about those unpleasant things. Let me enjoy my birthday gift," Nash said, picking Lucy up in a bridal style.
"Oh baby, you’re so naughty," Lucy said, and they went upstairs.
After hearing their conversation, Elena stood there with red-rimmed eyes. No girl wants to hear something like that about herself. She was angry and heartbroken. So she was just a bet in his eyes! "Did they think they could bully and make fun of me as they wished? Huh, dream on!" Elena thought, her heart turning cold.
Elena wanted to ask him why he did this to her, but she stopped herself. Now was not the time. She didn’t want them to know that she had discovered the bet because she felt there was more to it and needed to find out for herself. That’s why she needed to stay calm. She turned around and left the apartment, dumping everything in her hand into a trashcan and getting into her car.
"Why? Why am I so unlucky?" Elena thought, crying out of frustration. She had never dated before. This was her first time dating a guy, and she thought she had met a handsome gentleman. But now it seemed like it was all her imagination.
Elena thought of the first time Nash proposed to her.
~ FLASHBACK ~
(Elena's POV)
I was going to the library when someone blocked my way.
I looked up and saw that it was Nash Weston, the famous guy from my university. "Oh my god, I have a crush on him, and now he’s in front of me. What should I do?" I was deep in thought and didn’t realize I was staring at him.
Maybe I was staring for too long because he cleared his throat.
I quickly looked down, feeling a little awkward. I heard him say charmingly, "Hi, Emma."
Wait, he knows me?
"H-Hey," I stammered a little.
"I want to tell you something. Will you come with me?" he asked nervously.
"W-Where?" I asked, stuttering. "Why am I stuttering so much today?" I thought.
"Just come with me, and you’ll know," he said, dragging me into an abandoned classroom. I was a little confused but stunned when he opened the door.
The classroom was filled with roses and rose petals. My name was even written out with rose petals.
He took me inside the room and got on one knee with a rose. He looked into my eyes and said, "I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"
I was so shocked that I couldn’t speak. Is he proposing to me? How am I going to answer him? Many questions were spinning in my head. Should I reject him or say yes? I also liked him a little, which made it hard to decide.
After thinking for a while, I said, "I-I don’t know how to answer you right now, and we don’t even know each other well. M-Maybe I need some time to t-think about it before I make a d-decision," I stuttered again. Oh my gosh, am I getting too used to acting weak? What will he think of me if I keep stuttering?
He stood up, gave me the rose he was holding, and smiled sweetly at me. "You don’t have to answer right now. How about we hang out together first? That way, we can learn more about each other, and then you can respond to my confession."
"I guess that’s a great idea," I said, smiling nervously. We said goodbye to each other, and I went to the library.
I had never dated before, not even hung out with guys. It’s not that I never met handsome guys. It’s just that I never felt like doing so and thought I should focus on my career. But this was the first time I was giving someone a chance to date me.
~ END OF FLASHBACK ~
After that, we started hanging out, and eventually, I agreed to be his girlfriend. But I didn’t tell him my secret. I couldn’t take the risk.
Now that I think of it, I feel foolish for believing him.
Frustrated, I drove to a bar to relax a little bit.
