Episode4
1305 Words
THE BET
Ava stared at her phone, heart still pounding from Jace’s message. “Good. I was hoping you wouldn’t be.”
Her fingers hovered over the screen. Her pulse was chaotic. He was infuriating. He was dangerous. He was… impossible.
And yet, the words had left a strange heat curling in her stomach she couldn’t explain.
She shoved the phone into her bag, trying to force herself to focus on homework, on breathing, on anything. But it was useless.
Because now, Jace Knight had firmly planted himself in her head.
---
Morning at Ridgeview High
The next morning, Ava walked through the halls, already sensing the shift. Everyone looked at her differently. Whispers followed her like shadows.
“Did you see her yesterday?”
“She actually stood up to Jace Knight!”
“I heard he hasn’t ignored anyone in years… and she made him stop.”
She pressed a hand to her chest, taking shallow breaths. That was yesterday. Today should be normal. Normal, and boring. Safe.
She was wrong.
By the time she reached her locker, laughter echoed from the corner of the hallway. Ava turned, only to find a group of boys leaning casually against lockers, smirking.
“Morning, Carter,” one of them said, voice low. “Heard about your little confrontation yesterday.”
Ava’s jaw tightened. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh, come on,” another boy said. “You think he wasn’t watching you? Don’t tell me that didn’t feel… exciting.”
Ava blinked. “Exciting? Are you kidding me?”
The first boy grinned. “Let’s just say… Jace doesn’t usually notice anyone. And now? He’s stuck thinking about you.”
Ava froze. Thinking about me? Her stomach twisted.
The group laughed and dispersed, leaving her with a sinking feeling. Something was happening, and she didn’t know how to stop it.
---
Jace’s Circle
Later that morning, Jace leaned back against the wall outside the cafeteria, phone in hand. His friends circled him like sharks, whispering, nudging, and laughing.
“You’re obsessed with her,” one said. “Admit it. She’s got you wrapped around her finger already.”
Jace’s jaw tightened. “I’m not obsessed.”
“Sure,” another muttered, elbowing the first. “Then why do you keep thinking about her? Bet you five bucks you’ll be begging her to notice you by the end of the week.”
“Five bucks?” Jace’s voice was low, dangerous. “You’re out of your mind.”
His friends laughed louder, sensing his irritation.
“Come on, Knight,” the first boy teased. “You’re totally in her head. Admit it. I’m betting a hundred bucks she’s going to fall for you before you even realize it.”
Jace’s dark eyes flashed. “I don’t make bets.”
“Exactly,” another friend said with a grin. “You’re already losing. She’s stuck in your head whether you like it or not.”
Jace didn’t answer, his silence speaking volumes. He didn’t like losing. He didn’t like admitting anything. And yet…
He couldn’t stop thinking about her.
---
Ava’s Morning
Meanwhile, Ava tried to focus on her classes, her pencil scratching against paper. But the image of Jace’s dark eyes, that smirk, the dangerous tilt of his head, kept intruding.
She sighed, frustrated. Why does he have to be so infuriating?
It didn’t help that everywhere she went, someone whispered or stared. Being noticed by Jace Knight was no longer just an accident. It was a statement.
And the worst part? The statement had consequences.
---
The Cafeteria Confrontation
Lunchtime brought the inevitable. Ava found an empty table, hoping to eat in peace. But the moment she sat, a shadow loomed over her.
Jace.
“Mind if I join?” he asked, voice casual, but the weight in his gaze said otherwise.
Ava crossed her arms. “I was hoping for a quiet lunch.”
Jace leaned against the table, dark eyes assessing her. “I’m not here to chat with everyone else. Just you.”
Her stomach clenched. “Why?”
“Because you’re impossible,” he said simply. “And I don’t like impossible.”
Ava blinked. “I thought you didn’t care about anyone.”
He smirked, that dangerous, infuriating smirk. “I don’t. Usually. But you… you’re different.”
---
The Bet Revealed
Jace’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it, then finally glanced down. A subtle flicker crossed his face.
“You’re… reading messages?” Ava asked, suspicious.
Jace didn’t answer. He leaned back, voice low and tense. “Apparently, my friends have made a bet.”
Ava arched a brow. “A bet?”
“Yes,” he muttered. “They bet I’ll make you fall for me.”
Ava blinked. “Are you serious?”
“I’m serious,” Jace said flatly, dark eyes locked on hers. “They think I can’t resist… or that I’ll somehow manipulate you into liking me.”
Her pulse raced. “And?”
“I don’t make bets,” he said. His jaw flexed. “And I’m not trying to… manipulate you.”
“Then why am I stuck in your head?” she shot back, frustration lacing her words.
Jace’s lips curled into a small smirk. “Maybe you should ask yourself the same question.”
---
The Chase Begins
The rest of the lunch period passed with tension thick enough to slice through with a knife. Ava tried to eat, but she could feel Jace watching her every bite, every movement, every glance.
Her pulse quickened, a mix of frustration, annoyance, and something she refused to name.
When the bell rang, she gathered her tray quickly, determined to escape before he cornered her again. But Jace wasn’t far behind.
“Carter,” he said, voice low, catching up to her in the hall.
“What?” she asked sharply, refusing to look nervous.
“Don’t pretend you’re unaffected,” he said, eyes narrowing. “You think you can ignore me… but you can’t. You’re already stuck.”
Ava’s chest tightened. “Stuck?”
“Yeah,” he replied casually, as if stating a fact. “You’re in my head. And I’m in yours. That’s the rule now.”
---
Ava walked beside him, heart pounding. The hallway felt smaller, the air heavier, every glance between them charged with unspoken tension.
“You know,” she muttered, trying to regain some control, “you could make this easier by pretending I don’t exist.”
Jace’s smirk widened. “And miss all this fun?”
Ava glared. “Fun? You call this fun?”
“You’ll get used to it,” he said, eyes dark and teasing. “Or maybe you won’t. That would be… interesting.”
She didn’t answer. She didn’t need to. Her heartbeat and the ache in her stomach said enough.
---
By the time Ava reached her next class, whispers followed her like shadows. She ignored them, focusing on sitting quietly at her desk.
But the moment she saw Jace lean against the wall outside the window, arms crossed, watching her with that smirk, she realized it:
She was officially part of his world now.
And there was no going back.
---
That evening, Ava’s phone buzzed again. She picked it up with trepidation:
“They’ve already started the bet. Don’t worry, it’s not like you have a choice. — J”
Her stomach clenched.
She typed back, defiant: “I don’t play games with you.”
A moment later:
“Neither do I. But the game’s already started.”
Ava’s fingers froze.
This wasn’t just a challenge.
It wasn’t just rivalry.
Jace Knight had made her part of his world. And whether she liked it or not…
The storm had begun.
- Writer
